Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-87361
[EVEREST LOGO]
Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc.
477 Martinsville Road
Liberty Corner, New Jersey 07938
January 14, 2000
Restructuring proposedyour vote is very
important
Dear Fellow Stockholders:
The board
of directors of Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc., which is referred to in
this letter as Everest Holdings, has called a special meeting of
stockholders for February 23, 2000. The purpose of the meeting is to
consider and vote on an agreement and plan of merger that will cause a
restructuring of Everest Holdings.
As a
result of the restructuring, Everest Holdings will become a wholly-owned
subsidiary of a new holding company called Everest Re Group, Ltd., which is
referred to in this letter as Everest Group. Everest Group was recently
organized under the laws of Bermuda and has its principal offices in
Barbados. Also as a result of the restructuring, each outstanding share of
common stock of Everest Holdings will automatically convert into one common
share of Everest Group. We expect to list the Everest Group common shares on
the New York Stock Exchange under Everest Holdings current trading
symbol, RE. The exchange of Everest Holdings common stock for
Everest Group common shares will be a taxable transaction in which
stockholders will recognize gain, if any, but not loss.
The board
of directors of Everest Holdings believes that the proposed restructuring
will provide us with an enhanced ability to compete and create better
returns for our stockholders by permitting us to take maximum advantage of
favorable business, regulatory, tax and financing environments in Bermuda
and Barbados. Accordingly, the board of directors has declared the
agreement and plan of merger to be advisable, has approved it and recommends
that stockholders vote FOR its adoption.
Your
vote is very important. We cannot implement the restructuring unless the
stockholders vote to adopt the agreement and plan of merger at the special
meeting. Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting of
stockholders, please take the time to indicate your voting instructions on
the enclosed proxy card and return it promptly in the postage prepaid
envelope provided for that purpose. If you attend the special meeting in
person, you may vote personally on all matters brought before the special
meeting even if you have previously submitted your proxy.
|
Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer
|
Please
see page 7 for risk factors relating to the restructuring that you should
consider.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission
has approved or disapproved of the securities to be issued under this
document or determined if this document is truthful or complete. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This
proxy statement/prospectus is dated January 14, 2000, and is first being
mailed to stockholders on or about January 14, 2000.
[EVEREST LOGO]
Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc.
477 Martinsville Road
Liberty Corner, New Jersey 07938
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To the Stockholders of Everest Reinsurance Holdings,
Inc.:
NOTICE IS
HEREBY GIVEN that a special meeting of stockholders of Everest Reinsurance
Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation referred to in this document as
Everest Holdings, will be held on February 23, 2000 at 11:00 a.m. at the
Companys corporate headquarters at Westgate Corporate Center, 477
Martinsville Road, Liberty Corner, New Jersey. The purpose of the special
meeting is to consider and vote on the following matters:
|
1.
|
A proposal to adopt an
agreement and plan of merger among Everest Holdings, Everest Re Group,
Ltd., a Bermuda company referred to in this document as Everest Group, and
Everest Re Merger Corporation, a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned
subsidiary of Everest Group that is referred to in this document as
Everest Merger. The proposed merger will cause a restructuring of Everest
Holdings. As a result of the restructuring, Everest Holdings will become a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Everest Group and each outstanding share of
common stock of Everest Holdings will automatically convert into one
common share of Everest Group.
|
|
2.
|
Any other business related
to the proposed restructuring that may properly come before the special
meeting.
|
The board
of directors has fixed the close of business on January 10, 2000 as the
record date for the special meeting, and only stockholders of record at that
time will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the special
meeting.
A form of
proxy and a proxy statement/prospectus containing more detailed information
with respect to the matters to be considered at the special meeting,
including a copy of the agreement and plan of merger attached as Appendix A,
accompany and form a part of this notice.
Whether
or not you plan to attend the special meeting, please promptly submit your
proxy with voting instructions. You may submit your proxy with voting
instructions by mail by completing, signing, dating and returning the
accompanying proxy card in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope. If
you attend the special meeting and desire to revoke your proxy in writing
and vote in person, you may do so. In any event, a proxy may be revoked in
writing at any time before it is exercised.
The
Everest Holdings board of directors has declared the agreement and plan of
merger to be advisable, has approved it and recommends that stockholders
vote for its adoption.
|
By Order of the Board of
Directors,
|
Liberty Corner, New Jersey
January 14, 2000
Stockholders with any questions about the
restructuring
and the related transactions should call Everest Holdings
Vice President, Investor Relations,
Mr. James H. Foster, at (908) 604-3169
REFERENCES TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This
document incorporates important business and financial information about
Everest Holdings from other documents that are not included in or delivered
with this document. This information is available to you without charge upon
your written or oral request to:
Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc.
477 Martinsville Road
P.O. Box 830
Liberty Corner, New Jersey 07938-0830
Attention: Janet J. Burak
(908) 604-3000
To
ensure timely delivery of the documents, you should make any request for
documents by February 15, 2000, which is five business days before the
special meeting of stockholders.
For a
description of where you can obtain more information about Everest Holdings,
see Where You Can Find More Information.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
|
Page
|
REFERENCES TO ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION |
|
i |
|
|
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ABOUT VOTING PROCEDURES FOR THE MEETING |
|
1 |
|
|
SUMMARY |
|
2 |
|
|
RISK FACTORS |
|
7 |
|
|
CAUTIONARY NOTE
REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS |
|
13 |
|
|
THE
COMPANIES |
|
14 |
|
|
RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS |
|
17 |
|
|
MARKET PRICE AND
DIVIDEND INFORMATION |
|
17 |
|
|
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION ABOUT EVEREST GROUP |
|
18 |
|
|
THE SPECIAL
MEETING |
|
18 |
|
|
THE PROPOSED
RESTRUCTURING |
|
20 |
|
|
MANAGEMENT |
|
29 |
|
|
MATERIAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS |
|
31 |
|
|
DESCRIPTION OF EVEREST GROUP SHARE CAPITAL |
|
43 |
|
|
REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH OPERATING IN
BERMUDA AND
BARBADOS |
|
49 |
|
|
LEGAL
MATTERS |
|
54 |
|
|
EXPERTS |
|
54 |
|
|
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR THE 2000 ANNUAL
MEETING |
|
55 |
|
|
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES UNDER UNITED STATES
FEDERAL SECURITIES
LAWS |
|
55 |
|
|
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION |
|
55 |
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ABOUT VOTING PROCEDURES FOR THE
MEETING
Q:
|
What am I being asked to vote
on?
|
A:
|
You are being asked to vote in favor of a
merger as a result of which Everest Holdings will become a
wholly-owned subsidiary of a new holding company, Everest
Group, and you will receive one common share of Everest Group
for each share of common stock of Everest Holdings that you
own.
|
Q:
|
What do I need to do
now?
|
A:
|
After you have carefully read this document,
complete, sign, date and mail your proxy card in the enclosed
envelope so that your shares will be represented at the
special meeting.
|
Q:
|
If my shares are held in street
name by my broker, will my broker vote my shares for
me?
|
A:
|
No. Your broker will not be able to vote your
shares without instructions from you. You should instruct your
broker to vote your shares, following the directions provided
by your broker. Your failure to instruct your broker to vote
your shares will be the equivalent of voting against the
adoption of the agreement and plan of merger.
|
Q:
|
Can I change my vote after I have
submitted my proxy with voting instructions?
|
A:
|
Yes. There are three ways in which you may
revoke your proxy and change your vote. First, you may send a
written notice to the party to whom you submitted your proxy
stating that you would like to revoke your proxy. Everest
Holdings must receive the notice before the special meeting.
Second, you may complete and submit a new proxy card by mail.
Everest Holdings will record the latest proxy actually
received by it prior to the special meeting and any earlier
proxies will be revoked. Third, you may attend the special
meeting and vote in person. Simply attending the special
meeting, however, will not revoke your proxy. If you have
instructed a broker to vote your shares, you must follow
directions received from your broker to change or revoke your
proxy.
|
Q:
|
Should I send in my stock
certificates?
|
A:
|
No. You should not send in your stock
certificates at this time. If the restructuring is completed,
Everest Group will mail to you a transmittal form with
instructions on how to exchange your Everest Holdings stock
certificates for Everest Group share certificates.
|
Q:
|
When do you expect to complete the
restructuring?
|
A:
|
We are working to complete the restructuring as
soon as possible. We hope to complete the restructuring
shortly after the special meeting of Everest Holdings
stockholders, assuming that the restructuring is approved by
the stockholders at the meeting.
|
Q:
|
Whom should I call with
questions?
|
A:
|
Stockholders with any questions about the
restructuring and the related transactions should call Everest
Holdings Vice President, Investor Relations, Mr. James
H. Foster, at (908) 604-3169.
|
SUMMARY
This summary, together with the preceding
question and answer section, highlights selected information
contained in this document and may not contain all of the
information that is important to you. We urge you to read
carefully this entire document and the other documents referred
to in this document in order to understand the restructuring
fully. For a description of where you can obtain more
information about Everest Holdings, see Where You Can Find
More Information.
The Companies
Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc...
|
Everest Holdings was formed in 1993 as the
holding company for Everest Reinsurance Company, a property
and casualty reinsurer referred to in this document as Everest
Re, and its subsidiaries. The mailing address of its principal
executive offices is 477 Martinsville Road, P.O. Box 830,
Liberty Corner, New Jersey 07938-0830 and its telephone number
is (908) 604-3000.
|
Everest Re Group, Ltd...
|
Everest Group was recently organized under the
laws of Bermuda and is wholly owned by Everest Holdings. As a
result of the restructuring, Everest Group will become the new
holding company for Everest Holdings and its subsidiaries.
Everest Group has no significant assets or capitalization and
has not engaged in any business or prior activities other than
in connection with the restructuring. The mailing address of
its principal executive offices is c/o ABG Financial &
Management Services Inc., Parker House, Wildey Business Park,
Wildey Road, St. Michael, Barbados and its telephone number is
(246) 436-6287.
|
Everest Re Merger Corporation..
|
Everest Merger was recently organized under the
laws of Delaware in order to accomplish the proposed
restructuring and is wholly owned by Everest Group. Everest
Merger has no significant assets or capitalization and has not
engaged in any business or prior activities other than in
connection with the restructuring.
|
The Special Meeting
Date and place of meeting..
|
The special meeting of stockholders will be
held on February 23, 2000 at 11:00 a.m. at the Companys
corporate headquarters at Westgate Corporate Center, 477
Martinsville Road, Liberty Corner, New Jersey.
|
Who may vote..
|
Holders of record of shares of Everest Holdings
common stock at the close of business on January 10, 2000 will
be entitled to vote in person or by proxy at the special
meeting.
|
Purpose of the meeting..
|
|
To consider and adopt an agreement and plan of
merger; and
|
|
|
To transact any other business related to the
proposed restructuring that may properly come before the
special meeting.
|
Vote required..
|
Adoption of the agreement and plan of merger
requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding
shares of Everest Holdings common stock. As of January 10,
2000, directors and executive officers of Everest Holdings and
their affiliates owned beneficially approximately 1.76% of the
shares of Everest Holdings common stock outstanding on that
date.
|
The Restructuring
Description of the restructuring..
|
Everest Merger will be merged into Everest
Holdings, with Everest Holdings as the surviving corporation.
As a result of the merger, Everest Holdings will become a
subsidiary of Everest Group and each outstanding share of
common stock of Everest Holdings will automatically convert
into one common share of Everest Group. Each shareholder
s percentage ownership in Everest Group immediately
following the restructuring will be identical to that
shareholders percentage interest in Everest Holdings
immediately before the restructuring. Following the merger,
Everest Group will capitalize a Bermuda-based reinsurance
subsidiary called Everest Reinsurance (Bermuda) Ltd., referred
to in this document as Everest Bermuda.
|
Structure immediately after the
restructuring..
|
Everest Group will be a publicly owned holding
company, organized under the laws of Bermuda and having its
principal executive offices in Barbados, and will own all of
the stock of Everest Holdings and all of the share capital of
Everest Bermuda.
|
Reasons for the restructuring..
|
The board of directors of Everest Holdings
believes that the proposed restructuring will provide Everest
Group with an enhanced ability to compete and create better
returns for stockholders by permitting Everest Group to take
maximum advantage of favorable business, regulatory, tax and
financing environments in Bermuda and Barbados.
|
Recommendation of the board of
directors..
|
The board of directors of Everest Holdings has
declared the agreement and plan of merger to be advisable, has
approved it and recommends that stockholders vote FOR
its adoption.
|
Conditions of the merger..
|
The obligation of Everest Holdings and Everest
Merger to complete the merger is subject to the satisfaction
or waiver of the following conditions:
|
|
|
adoption of the agreement and plan of merger by
the Everest Holdings stockholders;
|
|
|
effectiveness of the registration statement for
the Everest Group common shares to be issued in the
merger;
|
|
|
approval by the NYSE for the listing of the
Everest Group common shares to be issued in the
merger;
|
|
|
approval of the merger by government regulatory
authorities and the expiration of applicable waiting periods;
and
|
|
|
absence of any order or injunction preventing
completion of the merger.
|
Effective date..
|
If approved by the Everest Holdings
stockholders, the merger will become effective on February 24,
2000, subject to the above conditions. However, the board of
directors of Everest Holdings can abandon or delay the merger
at any time before it becomes effective, even after the
stockholders have approved the merger.
|
Regulatory approvals..
|
Everest Group has obtained the approval of its
acquisition of control of Everest Holdings insurance
subsidiaries from the insurance regulatory authorities in
Delaware and Arizona and will give written notice of the
restructuring to the insurance and financial services regulatory
authorities in other U.S. jurisdictions where those
subsidiaries are licensed. Outside of the United States,
Everest Group has filed or will file applications seeking
approval of the restructuring with the insurance and financial
services regulatory authorities in the countries where Everest
Holdings insurance subsidiaries are domiciled or
licensed.
|
Appraisal rights..
|
Under Section 262 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law, Everest Holdings stockholders have no right
to a court determination, in a proceeding known as an
appraisal, of the value of their shares in connection with the
restructuring. See The Proposed Restructuring
Absence of Appraisal Rights.
|
Material U.S. federal income tax
consequences..
|
The restructuring will not be taxable for
federal income tax purposes to Everest Holdings. However, a
U.S. holder of Everest Holdings common stock will recognize
gain in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair
market value of the Everest Group common shares received at
the effective time of the restructuring over that holder
s adjusted basis in the Everest Holdings common stock
surrendered. See Material Tax Considerations.
|
Exchange of stock certificates..
|
If the restructuring is completed, Everest
Group will mail to stockholders a transmittal form with
instructions on how to exchange stock certificates for share
certificates of Everest Group.
|
Limitations on transfer, ownership and voting
power of Everest Group common shares..
|
Under Everest Groups bye-laws, Everest
Group may redeem or purchase common shares from any person,
and may decline to register a transfer of common shares, if
the board of directors has reason to believe that the
ownership of common shares, or the transfer, would result
in:
|
|
|
any person that is not an investment company,
as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, beneficially
owning more than 5.0% of any class of the issued and
outstanding share capital of Everest Group,
|
|
|
any person owning, directly or indirectly, more
than 9.9% of any class of the issued and outstanding share
capital of Everest Group or
|
|
|
any adverse tax, regulatory or legal
consequences to Everest Group, any of its subsidiaries or any
of its shareholders.
|
|
In addition, Everest Groups bye-laws
limit the voting rights of any person owning, directly or
indirectly, more than 9.9% of the voting power of the issued
and outstanding share capital of Everest Group. Because of the
attribution and constructive ownership rules of the U.S.
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, referred to in this document as
the Code, and the rules of the SEC regarding determination of
beneficial ownership, some persons may become subject to these
limitations whether or not they directly hold of record more
than 9.9% of Everest Groups issued and outstanding share
capital. See Description of Everest Group Share Capital
Common Shares.
|
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
DATA
The
following table presents selected consolidated financial data of
Everest Holdings in accordance with U.S. generally accepted
accounting principles, which are referred to in this document as
GAAP. The GAAP selected consolidated financial data of Everest
Holdings as of and for the years ended December 31, 1998, 1997,
1996, 1995 and 1994 are derived from the consolidated financial
statements of Everest Holdings, which were audited by
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (1998, 1997 and 1996) and by other
independent auditors (1995 and 1994). The GAAP selected
consolidated financial data as of and for the nine months ended
September 30, 1999 and 1998 are derived from unaudited financial
statements of Everest Holdings, which, in the opinion of
management, reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal
recurring accruals, necessary for a fair statement of that data.
The results of operations for any interim period may not be
indicative of results of operations for the full year. The
following table also presents selected unconsolidated financial
data from the statutory financial statements filed by Everest Re
with the Delaware Insurance Department and prepared in
accordance with statutory accounting principles, which are
referred to in this document as SAP and which differ from GAAP.
The statutory financial statements are unconsolidated and
reflect the net assets of Everest Res insurance company
subsidiaries on the equity method. You should read the following
financial data in conjunction with Everest Holdings
consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, which
are incorporated by reference into this document. The term
LAE refers to loss adjustment expense.
|
|
Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
(unaudited)
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
1999
|
|
1998
|
|
1998
|
|
1997
|
|
1996
|
|
1995
|
|
1994
|
|
|
(Dollars in millions, except per share
amounts) |
Operating Data |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross
premiums written |
|
$
836.6 |
|
|
$
792.9 |
|
|
$1,045.9 |
|
|
$1,075.0 |
|
|
$1,044.0 |
|
|
$
949.5 |
|
|
$
953.2 |
|
Net
premiums written |
|
804.3 |
|
|
756.3 |
|
|
1,016.6 |
|
|
1,031.1 |
|
|
1,030.5 |
|
|
783.2 |
|
|
863.2 |
|
Net
premiums earned |
|
795.0 |
|
|
771.3 |
|
|
1,068.0 |
|
|
1,049.8 |
|
|
973.6 |
|
|
753.3 |
|
|
853.3 |
|
Net
investment income |
|
188.9 |
|
|
183.2 |
|
|
244.9 |
|
|
228.5 |
|
|
191.9 |
|
|
166.0 |
|
|
143.6 |
|
Net
realized capital gains (losses) (1) |
|
(17.1 |
) |
|
3.5 |
|
|
(0.8 |
) |
|
15.9 |
|
|
5.7 |
|
|
33.8 |
|
|
(10.5 |
) |
Total
revenue |
|
966.3 |
|
|
960.7 |
|
|
1,315.2 |
|
|
1,299.2 |
|
|
1,169.3 |
|
|
948.9 |
|
|
982.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Losses and LAE incurred (including
catastrophes) |
|
568.9 |
|
|
564.0 |
|
|
778.4 |
|
|
765.4 |
|
|
716.0 |
|
|
674.7 |
|
|
720.8 |
|
Total
catastrophe losses (2) |
|
25.3 |
|
|
17.1 |
|
|
30.6 |
|
|
8.6 |
|
|
7.1 |
|
|
31.4 |
|
|
81.9 |
|
Commission, brokerage, taxes and fees |
|
214.4 |
|
|
197.7 |
|
|
274.6 |
|
|
274.8 |
|
|
254.6 |
|
|
227.4 |
|
|
197.9 |
|
Other
underwriting expenses |
|
36.1 |
|
|
36.2 |
|
|
49.6 |
|
|
51.7 |
|
|
54.9 |
|
|
60.0 |
|
|
68.3 |
|
Compensation related to public offering |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13.3 |
|
|
|
|
Restructuring and early retirement costs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7.8 |
|
Total expenses
(3) |
|
819.4 |
|
|
798.0 |
|
|
1,102.5 |
|
|
1,091.9 |
|
|
1,025.5 |
|
|
975.4 |
|
|
994.8 |
|
Income (loss) before taxes (3) |
|
146.9 |
|
|
162.7 |
|
|
212.7 |
|
|
207.3 |
|
|
143.8 |
|
|
(26.6 |
) |
|
(12.0 |
) |
Income tax (benefit) |
|
28.4 |
|
|
37.2 |
|
|
47.5 |
|
|
52.3 |
|
|
31.8 |
|
|
(27.3 |
) |
|
(22.6 |
) |
Net
income (3) |
|
$
118.5 |
|
|
$
125.5 |
|
|
$
165.2 |
|
|
$
155.0 |
|
|
$
112.0 |
|
|
$
0.7 |
|
|
$
10.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income per basic share (4) |
|
$
2.42 |
|
|
$
2.49 |
|
|
$
3.28 |
|
|
$
3.07 |
|
|
$
2.22 |
|
|
$
0.01 |
|
|
$
0.21 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income per diluted share (5) |
|
$
2.41 |
|
|
$
2.47 |
|
|
$
3.26 |
|
|
$
3.05 |
|
|
$
2.21 |
|
|
$
0.01 |
|
|
$
0.21 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid per share |
|
$
0.18 |
|
|
$
0.15 |
|
|
$
0.20 |
|
|
$
0.16 |
|
|
$
0.12 |
|
|
$
0.14 |
|
|
$
0.15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Certain GAAP Financial Ratios |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
and LAE ratio (6) |
|
71.6 |
% |
|
73.1 |
% |
|
72.9 |
% |
|
72.9 |
% |
|
73.5 |
% |
|
89.6 |
% |
|
84.5 |
% |
Underwriting expense ratio (7) |
|
31.5 |
|
|
30.4 |
|
|
30.3 |
|
|
31.1 |
|
|
31.8 |
|
|
39.9 |
|
|
31.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Combined ratio |
|
103.1 |
% |
|
103.5 |
% |
|
103.2 |
% |
|
104.0 |
% |
|
105.3 |
% |
|
129.5 |
% |
|
115.7 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Certain SAP Data (8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ratio
of net premiums written to surplus (9) |
|
1.0 |
x |
|
1.0 |
x |
|
1.0 |
x |
|
1.4 |
x |
|
1.2 |
x |
|
1.0 |
x |
|
1.2 |
x |
Statutory surplus |
|
$1,128.1 |
|
|
$
998.7 |
|
|
$1,059.4 |
|
|
$
908.8 |
|
|
$
772.7 |
|
|
$
686.9 |
|
|
$
600.7 |
|
Loss
and LAE ratio (10) |
|
71.3 |
% |
|
72.2 |
% |
|
72.2 |
% |
|
75.7 |
% |
|
71.2 |
% |
|
92.2 |
% |
|
85.8 |
% |
Underwriting expense ratio (11) |
|
31.5 |
|
|
30.4 |
|
|
31.1 |
|
|
25.6 |
|
|
31.7 |
|
|
38.9 |
|
|
32.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Combined ratio |
|
102.8 |
% |
|
102.6 |
% |
|
103.3 |
% |
|
101.3 |
% |
|
102.9 |
% |
|
131.1 |
% |
|
118.4 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance Sheet Data (at end of period) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
investments and cash |
|
$4,160.7 |
|
|
$4,450.2 |
|
|
$4,325.8 |
|
|
$4,163.3 |
|
|
$3,624.6 |
|
|
$3,238.3 |
|
|
$2,573.2 |
|
Total
assets |
|
5,783.1 |
|
|
5,811.9 |
|
|
5,996.7 |
|
|
5,538.0 |
|
|
5,047.8 |
|
|
4,647.8 |
|
|
4,040.6 |
|
Loss
and LAE reserves |
|
3,698.0 |
|
|
3,491.7 |
|
|
3,800.0 |
|
|
3,437.8 |
|
|
3,246.9 |
|
|
2,969.3 |
|
|
2,706.4 |
|
Total
liabilities |
|
4,405.3 |
|
|
4,353.4 |
|
|
4,517.5 |
|
|
4,230.5 |
|
|
3,961.7 |
|
|
3,664.2 |
|
|
3,299.6 |
|
Stockholders equity (12) |
|
1,377.8 |
|
|
1,458.6 |
|
|
1,479.2 |
|
|
1,307.5 |
|
|
1,086.0 |
|
|
983.6 |
|
|
741.0 |
|
Book
value per share (13) |
|
28.61 |
|
|
29.00 |
|
|
29.59 |
|
|
25.90 |
|
|
21.51 |
|
|
19.36 |
|
|
14.82 |
|
(1)
|
After-tax operating income (loss), before
after-tax net realized capital gains or losses, was $129.7
million (or $2.64 per basic share and $2.63 per diluted
share), $123.2 million (or $2.44 per basic share and $2.43 per
diluted share), $165.7 million (or $3.29 per basic share and
$3.27 per diluted share), $144.6 million (or $2.86 per basic
and $2.85 per diluted share), $108.3 million (or $2.14 per
basic and diluted share), ($21.2) million (or ($0.42) per
basic and diluted share) and $17.5 million (or $0.35 per basic
and diluted share) for the periods ended September 30, 1999
and 1998 and the years ended December 31, 1998, 1997, 1996,
1995 and 1994, respectively. Supplemental after-tax operating
income, before net realized gains and excluding IPO-related
charges was, $78.4 million (or $1.56 per basic and diluted
share) for the year ended December 31, 1995.
|
(2)
|
Catastrophe losses are net of reinsurance. A
catastrophe is defined, for purposes of the Selected
Consolidated Financial Data, as an event that causes a pre-tax
loss before reinsurance of at least $5.0 million and has an
event date of January 1, 1988 or later.
|
(3)
|
Some amounts may not reconcile due to
rounding.
|
(4)
|
Based on weighted average basic shares
outstanding of 49.0 million, 50.5 million, 50.4 million, 50.5
million, 50.6 million, 50.2 million and 50.0 million for the
periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 and the years ended
December 31, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995 and 1994,
respectively.
|
(5)
|
Based on weighted average diluted shares
outstanding of 49.2 million, 50.8 million, 50.7 million, 50.8
million, 50.7 million, 50.2 million and 50.0 million for the
periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 and the years ended
December 31, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995 and 1994,
respectively.
|
(6)
|
GAAP losses and LAE incurred as a percentage of
GAAP net premiums earned.
|
(7)
|
GAAP underwriting expenses as a percentage of
GAAP net premiums earned. Including restructuring and early
retirement costs incurred in the fourth quarter of 1994,
Everest Holdings GAAP underwriting expense ratio in 1994
was 32.1%.
|
(8)
|
Statutory results are on a Everest Re legal
entity basis; consequently, investments in subsidiary
operations are accounted for on an equity basis. Effective
January 1, 1997, the reinsurance operations of Everest Re
Holdings, Ltd. were transferred to Everest Re on a portfolio
basis. Excluding the impact of the portfolio transaction, the
1997 ratio of net written premiums to surplus, the 1997 loss
and LAE ratio, the 1997 underwriting expense ratio and the
1997 combined ratio were 1.1 x, 70.5%, 32.2% and 102.7%,
respectively.
|
(9)
|
Statutory net premiums written as a percentage
of period-end surplus.
|
(10)
|
Statutory losses and LAE incurred as a
percentage of SAP net premiums earned.
|
(11)
|
Statutory underwriting expenses as a percentage
of SAP net premiums written.
|
(12)
|
Excluding net unrealized appreciation
(depreciation) of investments, stockholders equity was
$1,339.9 million, $1,254.1 million, $1,281.6 million, $1,147.1
million, $1,008.3 million, $899.9 million and $799.1 million
as of September 30, 1999 and 1998 and December 31, 1998, 1997,
1996, 1995 and 1994, respectively.
|
(13)
|
Based on 48.2 million shares outstanding for
September 30, 1999, 50.3 million shares outstanding for
September 30, 1998, 50.0 million shares outstanding for
December 31, 1998, 50.5 million shares outstanding for
December 31, 1997 and 1996, 50.8 million shares outstanding
for December 31, 1995, and 50.0 million shares outstanding for
December 31, 1994.
|
RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the following factors,
in addition to the other information provided in this document,
before you vote on the agreement and plan of merger.
The potential benefits from the restructuring
are not guaranteed.
Everest Group anticipates that several potential
benefits will result from the restructuring. However, these
potential benefits are not guaranteed. Everest Group may not
realize benefits from the Bermuda and Barbados business,
regulatory and tax environments. As a result, Everest Group may
not experience any competitive advantages or enhanced returns
for shareholders from the restructuring. In addition, Everest
Holdings currently estimates that the process of restructuring
will result in expenses of approximately $4 million. These
expenses will be incurred regardless of whether Everest Group is
able to realize any benefits of the restructuring. See The
Proposed RestructuringBackground and Reasons for the
Restructuring.
Everest Group and Everest Bermuda may not be
successful in launching their start-up
operations.
Everest Group is newly formed and Everest Bermuda is
in the process of being formed. Start-up companies must develop
business relations, establish operating procedures, hire staff,
obtain facilities and complete other tasks appropriate for the
conduct of their intended business activities. Everest Group and
Everest Bermuda may not be successful in this regard. In
addition, the start-up of new operations in Bermuda and Barbados
will require a significant time commitment by the senior
executives of Everest Group.
If Everest Group and Everest Holdings are not
able to raise funds in the public or private debt markets to
capitalize Everest Bermuda, then Everest Group may be unable to
access the Bermuda market as planned.
As soon as practicable following the restructuring,
Everest Group intends to capitalize Everest Bermuda with
approximately $250 million. Everest Group intends to obtain
funds for this purpose from Everest Holdings. Everest Holdings,
in turn, intends to obtain funds for this purpose either through
offerings of its debt and/or trust preferred securities or
through bridge financing. However, Everest Holdings may not be
able to successfully complete the offerings of debt and/or trust
preferred securities or obtain bridge financing on satisfactory
terms. As a result, Everest Group may not be able to capitalize
Everest Bermuda and conduct business in the Bermuda reinsurance
market as contemplated.
Everest Group and/or Everest Bermuda may
become subject to U.S. corporate income tax, which will reduce
Everest Groups net income.
Everest Holdings currently is subject to U.S. income
tax on its worldwide income. After the restructuring, Everest
Holdings and its subsidiaries will continue to be subject to
U.S. income tax on their operations and Everest Group will be
subject to U.S. income tax on management fees that it may charge
its subsidiaries. Everest Group anticipates that its non-U.S.
operations will not be subject to U.S. income tax other than
withholding tax on U.S. source dividend income. Everest Group
expects that the income of its Bermuda subsidiaries may be as
much as 20% of its worldwide income from operations.
Everest Group intends to conduct its Bermuda
operations in a manner that will cause Everest Bermuda not to be
engaged in the conduct of a trade or business in the United
States. Based on compliance with guidelines designed to ensure
that Everest Bermuda does not engage in the conduct of a U.S.
trade or business, Everest Group has been advised by Mayer,
Brown & Platt, its United States counsel, that Everest
Bermuda should not be required to pay U.S. corporate income tax,
other than withholding tax on U.S. source dividend income.
However, if the IRS successfully contended that Everest Bermuda
is engaged in a trade or business in the United States, Everest
Bermuda would be required to pay U.S. corporate income tax on
that income that is subject to the taxing jurisdiction of the
United States, and possibly the U.S. branch profits
tax.
Even if the IRS successfully contended that
Everest Bermuda is engaged in a U.S. trade or business, Everest
Bermuda believes that it will be entitled to benefits under the
U.S.-Bermuda income tax treaty. The Bermuda treaty would
preclude the IRS from taxing Everest Bermudas income
except to the extent that its income were attributable to a
permanent establishment maintained by Everest Bermuda in the
United States. Everest Group does not believe that Everest
Bermuda will have a permanent establishment in the United States
or any material income attributable to a permanent establishment
in the United States. If the IRS successfully contended that
Everest Bermuda did have income attributable to a permanent
establishment in the United States, Everest Bermuda would be
subject to U.S. tax on that income.
Everest Group intends to conduct its Barbados
operations in a manner that will cause it to minimize its U.S.
tax exposure. Based on compliance with guidelines designed to
ensure that Everest Group generates only immaterial amounts, if
any, of income that is subject to the taxing jurisdiction of the
United States, Everest Group has been advised by Mayer, Brown
& Platt, its United States counsel, that it should be
required to pay only immaterial amounts, if any, of U.S.
corporate income tax, other than withholding tax on U.S. source
dividend income. However, if the IRS successfully contended that
Everest Group has material amounts of income, Everest Group
would be required to pay U.S. corporate income tax on that
income, and possibly the U.S. branch profits tax.
Even if the IRS successfully contended that Everest
Group has material amounts of income that is subject to the
taxing jurisdiction of the United States, Everest Group believes
that it will be entitled to benefits under the U.S.-Barbados
income tax treaty. The Barbados treaty would preclude the IRS
from taxing Everest Groups income, except to the extent
that its income were attributable to a permanent establishment
maintained by Everest Group in the United States. Everest Group
does not believe that it will have material amounts of income
attributable to a permanent establishment in the United States.
If the IRS successfully contended, however, that Everest Group
did have income attributable to a permanent establishment in the
United States, Everest Group would be subject to U.S. tax on
that income.
If Everest Bermuda becomes subject to U.S. income
tax on its income or if Everest Group becomes subject to U.S.
income tax on more than immaterial amounts of income after the
restructuring, their incomes could also be subject to the U.S.
branch profits tax. As a result, Everest Bermuda and Everest
Group would be subject to taxation at a higher combined
effective rate than if they were organized as U.S. corporations.
The combined effect of the 35% U.S. corporate income tax rate
and the 30% branch profits tax rate is a net tax rate of 54.5%.
The imposition of these taxes would reduce Everest Groups
net income and reduce the anticipated tax benefits of the
restructuring.
Everest Group shareholders could be subject to
U.S. taxes on undistributed income of Everest Group and/or
Everest Bermuda.
Under special provisions of the Code applicable to
the restructuring, a U.S. holder of Everest Holdings common
stock will recognize gain in an amount equal to the excess, if
any, of the fair market value of the Everest Group common shares
at the time of the restructuring over that holders
adjusted basis in the Everest Holdings common stock surrendered.
However, a U.S. holder of Everest Holdings common stock will not
recognize loss in the restructuring if the fair market value of
the Everest Group common shares at the time of the restructuring
is less than the holders adjusted basis in the Everest
Holdings common stock surrendered.
Other than as described above, U.S. holders of
Everest Group common shares generally will not be subject to any
U.S. tax until they receive a distribution from Everest Group or
dispose of their Everest Group common shares. However, special
provisions of the Code may apply to U.S. taxpayers who directly,
indirectly or by attribution own 10% or more of the total
combined voting power of all classes of share capital of Everest
Group and/or Everest Bermuda. Under these provisions, those
taxpayers generally will be required to include in their income
their pro rata share of the income of Everest Group and/or
Everest Bermuda as earned, even if not
distributed. Everest Group has attempted to avoid having its
shareholders become subject to these provisions by including in
its bye-laws provisions that limit the ownership of the common
shares to levels that will not subject U.S. shareholders to U.S.
tax on undistributed income under these provisions. Based on
these bye-laws, Everest Group has been advised by Mayer, Brown
& Platt, its United States counsel, that Everest Group
shareholders should not be subject to U.S. tax on undistributed
income.
In addition, special provisions of the Code apply to
U.S. persons who are shareholders of a foreign insurance company
and have related person insurance income allocated to them.
Related person insurance income, often called RPII, is
investment income and premium income derived from the direct or
indirect insurance or reinsurance of the risk of:
|
|
any U.S. taxpayer who directly or indirectly
through foreign entities owns shares of a foreign insurance
company; or
|
|
|
any person related to a U.S. taxpayer meeting
the above definition.
|
The RPII provisions of the Code could apply to
U.S. taxpayers who directly, indirectly or by attribution own
any shares of Everest Bermuda if:
|
|
25% or more of the value or voting power of the
share capital of Everest Bermuda is owned directly, indirectly
or by attribution by U.S. taxpayers;
|
|
|
20% or more of the value or voting power of the
share capital of Everest Bermuda is owned directly, indirectly
or by attribution by U.S. taxpayers, or persons related to
U.S. taxpayers, who are insured or reinsured by Everest
Bermuda; and
|
|
|
Everest Bermuda has gross RPII equal to 20% or
more of its gross insurance income.
|
Everest Group currently anticipates that less
than 20% or more of the value or voting power of the share
capital of Everest Bermuda will be owned directly, indirectly or
by attribution by U.S. taxpayers insured or reinsured by Everest
Bermuda or by persons related to them, and/or that less than 20%
of the gross insurance income of Everest Bermuda for any taxable
year will constitute RPII. However, if neither of these
conditions is satisfied, since Everest Groups U.S.
shareholders are treated by the Code as indirectly owning shares
of Everest Bermuda, they will be required to include in their
income their pro rata share of Everest Bermudas RPII
income as earned, even if not distributed.
Gains resulting from the sale of Everest Group
common shares by U.S. shareholders could be taxed in the U.S. as
dividends.
Generally, a U.S. shareholder will realize capital
gain or loss on the sale or exchange of the common shares after
the restructuring. However, the IRS could contend that special
provisions of the Code apply and that the amount of any gain
equal to Everest Groups allocable untaxed earnings and
profits should be taxed as a dividend. If the IRS successfully
contended that those provisions apply to Everest Group,
shareholders would be taxed on that amount of gain at the rates
applicable to ordinary income rather than the lower rates
applicable to long-term capital gains. Everest Group has been
advised by Mayer, Brown & Platt, its United States counsel,
that these provisions of the Code should not apply to the
disposition of any common shares by a U.S. shareholder who holds
less than 10% of the common shares.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development and the European Union are considering measures that
might increase Everest Groups taxes and reduce its net
income.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development and the European Union are considering measures to
limit harmful tax competition. These measures are largely
directed at counteracting the effects of tax havens and
preferential tax regimes in countries around the world. If these
measures are adopted by a substantial number of member countries
and if Bermuda or Barbados is considered to be engaged in
harmful tax competition, Everest Group might be subject to
additional taxes, which could reduce its net income.
Everest Group and/or Everest Bermuda may
become subject to Bermuda tax, which will reduce Everest Group
s net income.
Everest Group currently is not subject to income or
capital gains taxes in Bermuda. Everest Group has received an
assurance from the Bermuda Minister of Finance under The
Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966 of Bermuda to the
effect that if any legislation is enacted in Bermuda that
imposes any tax computed on profits or income, or computed on
any capital asset, gain or appreciation, or any tax in the
nature of estate duty or inheritance tax, then that tax will not
apply to Everest Group or to any of its operations or the
shares, debentures or other obligations of Everest Group until
March 28, 2016. This assurance does not prevent the application
of any of those taxes to persons ordinarily resident in Bermuda
and does prevent the imposition of any tax payable in accordance
with the provisions of The Land Tax Act of 1967 of Bermuda or
otherwise payable in relation to any property leased to Everest
Group. Everest Group expects that Everest Bermuda, when it is
organized, will obtain a similar assurance from the Minister of
Finance. However, Everest Bermuda may not receive this
assurance, which would reduce Everest Bermudas net income.
There are currently no procedures for extending these
assurances. As a result, Everest Group and Everest Bermuda could
be subject to taxes in Bermuda after March 28, 2016, which could
reduce their net income.
Everest Group may become subject to Barbados
tax, which will reduce Everest Groups net
income.
Everest Group has applied for an international
business company license under the Barbados International
Business Companies Act, 1991-24. If this license is granted,
Everest Group will be entitled to special tax benefits,
including a preferred rate of tax on profits and gains and an
exemption from withholding tax in respect of any dividends,
interest, royalties, fees or management fees deemed to be paid
to another international business company or to a person not
resident in Barbados. Everest Group intends to apply to the
Minister of Finance for assurances regarding its continued
eligibility for this preferred status or assurances that any
future changes to the International Business Companies Act will
not reduce or eliminate these benefits. If given, these
assurances would be applicable for a period of fifteen years.
However, Everest Group may not receive this license or the
assurances, which would reduce its net income. There are
currently no procedures for extending these assurances. As a
result, Everest Group could be ineligible for these benefits
after that period, which could reduce its net
income.
Everest Groups net income will be
reduced if U.S. excise and withholding taxes are
increased.
Everest Bermuda will be subject to an excise tax on
reinsurance and insurance premiums paid to Everest Bermuda with
respect to risks located in the United States. In addition,
Everest Bermuda may be subject to withholding tax on dividend
income from United States sources. These taxes could increase
and other taxes could be imposed on Everest Bermudas
business in the future, which could reduce Everest Groups
net income.
In exchange for your Everest Holdings common
stock, you will receive Everest Group common shares, which may
be redeemed or purchased by Everest Group and will be subject to
limitations on transfer.
The Everest Holdings common stock is nonredeemable
and freely transferable. In exchange for these shares, you will
receive Everest Group common shares, which under some
circumstances may be redeemed or purchased by Everest Group and
will be subject to limitations on transfer. Everest Groups
bye-laws provide that if the board of directors has reason to
believe that:
|
|
any person that is not an investment company
beneficially owns more than 5.0% of any class of Everest Group
s issued and outstanding share capital,
|
|
|
any person controls, based on the definition of
control discussed in the next paragraph, more than 9.9% of any
class of Everest Groups issued and outstanding share
capital or
|
|
|
share ownership by any person may cause adverse
tax, regulatory or legal consequences to Everest Group, any of
its subsidiaries or any of its shareholders,
|
then Everest Group will have the option, but not
the obligation, to redeem or purchase, at fair market value, all
or any part of the common shares held by that person to the
extent the board of directors determines it is
necessary or advisable to avoid or cure any adverse or potential
adverse consequences. In addition, Everest Groups bye-laws
permit its board of directors to decline to register any
transfer of common shares if it has reason to believe that the
transfer would cause any of the above three conditions to exist.
Furthermore, the board of directors has the authority to request
from any shareholder or proposed transferee information for the
purpose of determining whether any transfer should be made. If
any shareholder or proposed transferee fails to respond to a
request for this information or submits incomplete or inaccurate
information, the board of directors may decline to register the
transfer.
Under Everest Groups bye-laws, a person
controls shares if that person
|
|
owns the shares directly,
|
|
|
is a U.S. person and is treated as owning the
shares by application of the attribution and constructive
ownership rules of Sections 958 (a) and 958(b) or 544 and 554
of the Code, or
|
|
|
beneficially owns the shares within the meaning
of Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act.
|
Because of the attribution and constructive
ownership rules of the Code and the rules of the SEC regarding
determination of beneficial ownership, some shareholders may
become subject to the redemption or purchase of their common
shares, whether or not the shareholder directly holds of record
more than 9.9% of Everest Groups issued and outstanding
share capital. For the same reason, the board of directors may
decline to register some transfers whether or not the transferee
would directly hold of record more than 9.9% of Everest Group
s issued and outstanding share capital.
These ownership and transfer limitations, together
with the voting limitations described below and the provisions
of Everest Groups bye-laws providing for a staggered board
of directors, may have the effect of rendering more difficult or
discouraging unsolicited takeover bids from third parties or the
removal of incumbent management of Everest Group.
In exchange for your Everest Holdings common
stock, you will receive Everest Group shares, which are subject
to a cutback in voting rights.
The Everest Holdings common stock carries full
voting rights. In exchange for these shares, you will receive
Everest Group shares, which under some circumstances are subject
to a cutback in voting rights. Everest Groups bye-laws
provide that if any person controls, based on the definition of
control discussed above, more than 9.9% of any class of Everest
Groups issued and outstanding share capital, that person
s voting rights will be reduced so that it may not
exercise more than approximately 9.9% of Everest Groups
total voting rights. Because of the attribution and constructive
ownership rules of the Code and the rules of the SEC regarding
determination of beneficial ownership, some shareholders
voting rights may be reduced, whether or not they directly hold
of record more than 9.9% of Everest Groups total voting
power. Furthermore, the board of directors has the authority to
request from any shareholder information for the purpose of
determining whether that shareholders voting rights should
be reduced. If any shareholder fails to respond to a request for
this information or submits incomplete or inaccurate
information, the board of directors may determine to disregard
all votes attached to that shareholders common
shares.
These voting limitations, together with the
ownership and transfer limitations described above and the
provisions of Everest Groups bye-laws providing for a
staggered board of directors, may have the effect of rendering
more difficult or discouraging unsolicited takeover bids from
third parties or the removal of incumbent management of Everest
Group.
Everest Bermuda may not receive a favorable
insurance rating, which could adversely effect Everest Bermuda
s ability to conduct business in the Bermuda
market.
Insurance ratings are used by insurers and
reinsurance and insurance intermediaries as an important means
of assessing the financial strength and quality of reinsurers.
In addition, the rating of a company purchasing
reinsurance may be adversely affected by an unfavorable rating or
the lack of a rating of its reinsurer. Everest Bermuda currently
has no insurance ratings and will not receive any ratings until
after it has begun operations following the restructuring. Any
rating that Everest Bermuda receives could be lower than the
ratings assigned to Everest Re or its various competitors and
could be downgraded or withdrawn by the rating agency in the
future. The failure of Everest Bermuda to receive a favorable
rating or a downgrade or withdrawal of a rating could adversely
effect Everest Groups ability to conduct business in the
Bermuda market.
Bermuda statutes and regulations may restrict
the ability of Everest Bermuda to write reinsurance or insurance
policies and to distribute funds to Everest
Group.
Everest Bermuda will be a registered Bermuda
insurance company and will be subject to regulation and
supervision in Bermuda. Everest Bermuda will be registered as a
Class 4 insurer, eligible to write property and casualty
insurance, as well as a long-term insurer, eligible to write
life insurance. Among other things, Bermuda statutes and
regulations will prescribe minimum levels of capital and surplus
and solvency standards that Everest Bermuda must meet, will
limit transfers of ownership of Everest Bermudas capital
shares, will provide for periodic examinations of Everest
Bermuda and its financial condition and will prescribe
limitations on the ability of Everest Bermuda to pay dividends
and distributions. These statutes and regulations may restrict
the ability of Everest Bermuda to write reinsurance or insurance
policies and to distribute funds to Everest Group. See
Regulatory Considerations Associated with Operating in
Bermuda and BarbadosBermuda Insurance Regulation.
Regulatory challenges in the United States
could adversely affect Everest Bermudas ability to conduct
business.
Everest Bermuda does not intend to be licensed or
admitted as an insurer or reinsurer in any U.S. jurisdiction.
Under current law, Everest Bermuda generally will be permitted
to reinsure U.S. risks from its office in Bermuda without
obtaining those licenses. However, the insurance and reinsurance
regulatory framework has become subject to increased scrutiny.
In the past, there have been congressional and other initiatives
in the United States regarding increased supervision and
regulation of the insurance industry, including proposals to
supervise and regulate reinsurers domiciled outside the United
States. If Everest Bermuda were to become subject to any
insurance laws of the United States or any U.S. state at any
time in the future, it might be required to post deposits or
maintain minimum surplus levels and might be prohibited from
engaging in lines of business or from writing types of policies.
Complying with those laws could have a material adverse effect
on Everest Groups ability to conduct business in the
Bermuda market.
Everest Bermuda may need to be licensed or
admitted in additional jurisdictions to develop its
business.
As Everest Bermudas business develops, it will
monitor the need to obtain licenses in jurisdictions other than
Bermuda in order to comply with applicable law or to be able to
engage in additional insurance-related activities. In addition,
Everest Bermuda may be at a competitive disadvantage in
jurisdictions where it is not licensed or does not enjoy an
exemption from licensing relative to competitors that are so
licensed or exempt from licensing. Everest Bermuda may not be
able to obtain any additional licenses that it determines are
necessary or desirable. Furthermore, the process of obtaining
those licenses is often costly and may take a long
time.
Everest Bermudas ability to write
reinsurance will be severely limited if it is unable to arrange
for security to back its reinsurance.
Many jurisdictions do not permit insurance companies
to take credit for reinsurance obtained from unlicensed or
non-admitted insurers on their statutory financial statements
without appropriate security. Everest Group expects that Everest
Bermudas reinsurance clients will typically require it to
post a letter of credit or enter into other security
arrangements. If Everest Bermuda is unable to obtain a letter of
credit facility on
commercially acceptable terms or unable to arrange for other types
of security, its ability to operate its business will be
severely limited. If Everest Bermuda defaults on any letter of
credit that it obtains, it may be required to prematurely
liquidate a substantial portion of its investment portfolio and
other assets pledged as collateral.
You may not be able to recover damages from
Everest Group and some of its directors, officers and experts
named in this document if you sue them.
Everest Group is organized under the laws of
Bermuda. Some of its directors and officers, as well as some of
the experts named in this document, may reside outside the
United States. A substantial portion of their assets and Everest
Groups assets may be located in jurisdictions outside the
United States. Everest Group has appointed an agent in the City
of New York to receive service of process with respect to
actions arising out of or in connection with violations of U.S.
federal securities laws relating to offers and sales of Everest
Group common shares to the public in connection with the
restructuring. Nevertheless, you may not be able to effect
service of process within the United States upon Everest Group
s directors, officers and experts who may reside outside
the United States. You also may not be able to recover against
them or Everest Group on judgments of U.S. courts or to obtain
original judgments against them or Everest Group in Bermuda
courts, including judgments predicated on civil liability
provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This document and the information incorporated by
reference in it include forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Everest
Holdings intends these forward-looking statements to be covered
by the safe harbor provisions of these laws. These safe harbor
provisions only apply to companies who have previously offered
securities to the public. Because Everest Groups offer of
the common shares constitutes its initial public offering of
securities, the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. federal
securities laws do not apply to it. In some cases, you can
identify forward-looking statements by the use of
forward-looking words such as may, will,
should, anticipate, estimate,
expect, plan, believe,
predict, potential or
intend. All statements regarding the expected
benefits of the restructuring and merger and related matters are
forward-looking statements. You should be aware that these
statements and any other forward-looking statements in this
document only reflect current expectations and are not
guarantees of performance. These statements involve risks,
uncertainties and assumptions. Actual events or results may
differ materially from expectations. Important factors that
could cause actual results to be materially different from
expectations include those discussed in this document under the
caption Risk Factors and the following:
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changes in the level of competition in the
domestic and international reinsurance or primary insurance
markets that adversely affect the volume or profitability of
Everest Groups reinsurance or insurance business,
including the intensification of price and contract terms
competition, the entry of new competitors, consolidation in
the reinsurance and insurance industry and the development of
new products by new and existing competitors;
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changes in the demand for reinsurance and
insurance products of the type that Everest Group and its
ceding insurance customers offer;
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Everest Groups ability to execute its
strategies;
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catastrophe losses in Everest Groups
domestic or international reinsurance or insurance
business;
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adverse development on claim and claim expense
liabilities related to business written in prior years,
including evolving case law and its effect on environmental
and other latent injury claims, changing government
regulations, newly identified toxins, newly reported claims,
new theories of liability, or new insurance and reinsurance
contract interpretations, to the extent that the adverse
development exceeds the limits available under or is not
covered by Everest Res stop loss agreement with
Gibraltar Casualty Company;
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greater than expected loss ratios on
reinsurance or insurance written by Everest Group;
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changes in inflation that affect the
profitability of Everest Groups current reinsurance and
insurance businesses or the adequacy of its claim and claim
expense liabilities;
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changes in Everest Groups retrocessional
arrangements;
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lower than estimated retrocessional or
reinsurance recoveries on losses, including losses due to a
decline in the creditworthiness of Everest Groups
retrocessionaires or reinsurers;
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changes in the reinsurance/retrocessional
market impacting Everest Groups ability to cede risks
above its desired level of retention;
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changes in interest rates, increases in which
cause a reduction in the market value of Everest Groups
fixed income investment portfolio and common stockholders
equity, and decreases in which cause a reduction of
income earned on new cash flow from operations as well as on
the reinvestment of the proceeds from sales, calls or
maturities of existing investments;
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decline in the value of Everest Groups
common equity investments;
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changes in the composition of Everest Group
s investment portfolio;
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gains or losses related to changes in foreign
currency exchange rates;
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changes in the role of reinsurance brokers and
Everest Groups relationship with those
brokers;
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impact of Year 2000 computer hardware, software
and microprocessors embedded in certain equipment on Everest
Groups operations and potential for Year 2000 claims
under reinsurance and insurance contracts written by Everest
Group;
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impact of the Euro on Everest Groups
operations or financial condition;
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adverse results in litigation matters,
including litigation related to environmental, asbestos and
other potential mass tort claims;
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changes in Everest Groups capital
needs;
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changes in Everest Groups
ratings;
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the impact of current and future regulatory
environments, generally, and on the ability of Everest Group
s subsidiaries to enter and exit reinsurance or
insurance markets; and
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changes in the commission or brokerage levels
that competitors are willing to offer to ceding companies,
brokers or agents.
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Everest Group undertakes no obligation to update or
revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
THE COMPANIES
Everest Holdings
Everest Holdings was established in 1993 in Delaware
to serve as the parent holding company of Everest Re, a property
and casualty reinsurer formed in 1973. Until October 6, 1995,
Everest Holdings was an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of The
Prudential Insurance Company of America. On October 6, 1995, The
Prudential sold its entire interest in Everest Holdings
shares of common stock in an initial public
offering.
Everest Holdings, through Everest Re, underwrites
property and casualty reinsurance on a treaty and facultative
basis for insurance and reinsurance companies in the United
States and selected international markets. Reinsurance is a form
of insurance purchased by an insurance company to indemnify it
for all or part of the loss that it may sustain under insurance
contracts that it has written. Insurance companies purchasing
reinsurance are often referred to as ceding companies or
reinsureds. Underwriting reinsurance on a treaty basis means
that Everest Re reinsures one or more insurance companies
pursuant to an agreement called a treaty, which sets forth the
terms and conditions of the reinsurance. Treaties generally
automatically reinsure a specific line or class of business.
Underwriting reinsurance on a facultative basis means that
Everest Re reinsures one specific policy as opposed to the
reinsurance of a specific line or class of business.
Everest Re writes reinsurance both through brokers
and directly with ceding companies, giving it the flexibility to
pursue business regardless of the ceding companys
preferred reinsurance purchasing method. Everest Re and its
subsidiaries also write primary property and casualty insurance.
Primary insurance is purchased by insureds to pay amounts to
them for economic losses sustained from unexpected events. Based
on industry data at December 31, 1998 published by the
Reinsurance Association of America, Everest Re is the sixth
largest reinsurance company in the United States, ranked by
statutory surplus. Statutory surplus is the amount by which the
assets of an insurer exceed the insurers liabilities,
including the amounts required by law to be established as
reserves for the insurers insurance
obligations.
Following is a summary of Everest Holdings and
Everest Res operating subsidiaries:
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Everest National Insurance Company, an Arizona
insurance company, is licensed in 42 states and the District
of Columbia and is authorized to write primary insurance in
the states in which it is licensed, often called writing
insurance on an admitted basis.
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Everest Insurance Company of Canada, a Canadian
insurance company, is licensed in all Canadian provinces and
territories and is federally licensed to write primary
insurance under the Insurance Companies Act of
Canada.
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Everest Indemnity Insurance Company, a Delaware
insurance company, engages in the excess and surplus lines
insurance business in the United States. Excess and surplus
lines insurance is specialty property and liability coverage
that an insurer not licensed to write insurance in a
particular state is permitted to provide when the specific
specialty coverage is unavailable from admitted insurers. This
is often called writing insurance on a non-admitted basis.
Everest Indemnity is licensed in Delaware and is eligible to
write business in 39 states, the District of Columbia and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on a non-admitted
basis.
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Mt. McKinley Managers, L.L.C., a New Jersey
limited liability company, is licensed in New Jersey as an
insurance producer, which is any intermediary, such as an
agent or broker, which acts as the conduit between an
insurance company and an insured. Mt. McKinley holds licenses
to allow it to act in New Jersey as an insurance producer in
connection with policies written on both an admitted and a
surplus lines basis. After a 1998 acquisition of the assets of
insurance agency operations in Alabama and Georgia, the
continuing insurance agency operations are now carried on by
subsidiaries of Mt. McKinley. These subsidiaries are WorkCare
Southeast, Inc., an Alabama insurance agency, and WorkCare
Southeast of Georgia, Inc., a Georgia insurance
agency.
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Everest Re Holdings, Ltd., a Bermuda company
formed in 1998 and referred to in this document as Everest
Ltd., owns Everest Re Ltd., a United Kingdom company that is
in the process of being dissolved because its reinsurance
operations have been converted into branch operations of
Everest Re. Everest Ltd. also holds approximately $100 million
of investments.
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Everest Holdings products include a full range
of property and casualty coverages, including marine, aviation,
surety, errors and omissions, directors and officers
, medical malpractice, other specialty liability lines,
accident and health, workers compensation, non-standard auto and
loss portfolios. Everest Holdings distribution channels
include both the direct and broker reinsurance markets,
international and domestic markets, reinsurance, both treaty and
facultative, and insurance, both admitted and
non-admitted.
Everest Holdings business strategies include
effective management of the underwriting cycle, which refers to
the tendency of insurance premiums, profits and the demand for
and availability of coverage to rise and fall over time. Everest
Holdings also seeks to manage catastrophe exposures and control
expenses and retrocessional costs, which are incurred when
reinsurers purchase reinsurance. Everest Holdings
underwriting strategies seek to capitalize on its staffs
expertise and its flexibility to offer multiple products by
underwriting
reinsurance through brokers and directly with
ceding companies and by writing primary insurance on an admitted
and non-admitted basis in a cost efficient manner. Efforts to
control expenses and to operate in a cost efficient manner are a
continuing focus for Everest Holdings.
Everest Holdings underwriting strategy
emphasizes underwriting profitability rather than premium
volume, the writing of specialized risks and the integration of
underwriting expertise across all underwriting units. Key
elements of this strategy are prudent risk selection,
appropriate pricing through strict underwriting discipline and
adjustment of Everest Holdings business mix to respond to
changing market conditions. Everest Holdings focuses on
reinsuring companies that effectively manage the underwriting
cycle through proper analysis and pricing of underlying risks
and whose underwriting guidelines and performance are compatible
with its objectives.
Everest Holdings underwriting strategy also
emphasizes flexibility and responsiveness to changing market
conditions, such as increased demand or favorable pricing
trends. Everest Holdings believes that its existing strengths,
including its broad underwriting expertise, international
presence, diverse distribution capabilities and substantial
capital, facilitate adjustments to its mix of business
geographically, by line of business and by type of coverage.
Everest Holdings believes that this makes it possible to
capitalize on those market opportunities that provide the
greatest potential for underwriting profitability. Everest
Holdings primary insurance infrastructure further
facilitates this strategy by permitting the development of
business that requires the issuance of primary insurance
policies. Everest Holdings carefully monitors its mix of
business to avoid inappropriate concentrations of geographic or
other risk.
Everest Holdings underwriting guidelines seek
to limit the accumulation of known risks in exposed areas, to
require that business that is exposed to catastrophe losses be
written with appropriate geographic spread and to maintain a
cost-effective retrocession program. Those underwriting
guidelines also seek to better reflect the relationship between
premiums and risk assumed while maintaining probable maximum
loss at appropriate levels.
Everest Group
Everest Group was recently organized under the laws
of Bermuda and is wholly owned by Everest Holdings. As a result
of the restructuring, Everest Group will become the new holding
company for Everest Holdings and its subsidiaries. As soon as
practicable following the restructuring, Everest Group intends
to capitalize Everest Bermuda with approximately $250 million.
Everest Group intends to obtain funds for this purpose from
Everest Holdings. Everest Holdings, in turn, intends to obtain
funds for this purpose either through offerings of its debt
and/or trust preferred securities or through bridge financing,
which it would expect to retire using the proceeds of those
offerings.
Subject to regulatory approval, Everest Bermuda will
be registered in Bermuda as a Class 4 insurer, eligible to write
property and casualty insurance, as well as a long-term insurer,
eligible to write life insurance. Initially, Everest Bermuda
s revenues will derive primarily from investment of its
capital. Over time, incremental revenues are also expected to be
derived from premium income. Everest Bermuda intends to
emphasize traditional property and casualty reinsurance lines,
including property catastrophe and casualty excess reinsurance,
and also to expand its product offerings into alternative risk
and financial product and life reinsurance lines. Everest
Bermuda will operate in the international insurance and
reinsurance marketplace.
After the restructuring, Everest Group intends to
establish a new Delaware subsidiary, Everest Global Services,
Inc., to perform administrative and back-office functions for
Everest Group and its insurance subsidiaries. After Everest
Global Services is established, Everest Re employees who are
currently performing administrative and back-office functions
will be transferred to employment with Everest Global Services
and will perform those functions on behalf of Everest Global
Services.
Everest Group has no significant assets or
capitalization and has not engaged in any business or prior
activities other than in connection with the
restructuring.
Everest Merger
Everest Merger was recently organized under the laws
of Delaware in order to accomplish the proposed restructuring
and is wholly owned by Everest Group. Everest Merger has no
significant assets or capitalization and has not engaged in any
business or prior activities other than in connection with the
restructuring.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
On December 21, 1999, Everest Holdings entered into
a three year senior revolving credit facility with a syndicate
of lenders, which replaces its $75 million facility. First Union
National Bank is the administrative agent for the credit
facility. The credit facility provides for borrowings of up to
$150 million and bears interest at either the higher of the
prime rate established by First Union National Bank from time to
time or the federal funds rate plus 0.5% per annum.
Alternatively, Everest Holdings may elect to have the borrowings
bear interest at an adjusted London InterBank Offered Rate plus
a margin. The amount of the margin and fees payable for the
credit facility depend upon the senior unsecured debt rating or,
if that is not available, the financial strength rating of
Everest Re. The credit facility requires Everest Holdings to
maintain specified debt to capital and interest coverage ratios
and to maintain statutory surplus of Everest Re at $850 million
plus 25% of future aggregate net income and 25% of future
aggregate capital contributions. If the restructuring is
completed, Everest Group must guarantee the obligations of
Everest Holdings under the credit facility.
MARKET PRICE AND DIVIDEND
INFORMATION
The common stock of Everest Holdings is traded on
the NYSE under the symbol RE. The following table
shows, for the calendar quarters indicated, the high and low
sales prices per share of Everest Holdings common stock as
reported on the NYSE Composite Tape:
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High
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Low
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1997 |
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First Quarter |
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32.7500 |
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26.0000 |
Second Quarter |
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40.2500 |
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26.7500 |
Third Quarter |
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41.1250 |
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34.5000 |
Fourth Quarter |
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43.0000 |
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33.0000 |
1998 |
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First Quarter |
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41.6250 |
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35.2500 |
Second Quarter |
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45.2500 |
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36.1250 |
Third Quarter |
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43.5000 |
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34.1875 |
Fourth Quarter |
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38.9375 |
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28.7500 |
1999 |
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First Quarter |
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38.9375 |
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30.1250 |
Second Quarter |
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34.8125 |
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28.8750 |
Third Quarter |
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35.6875 |
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21.9375 |
Fourth Quarter |
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27.2500 |
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20.5000 |
Recent Closing Prices
On September 16, 1999, the last trading day before
public announcement of the restructuring, the closing sales
price of Everest Holdings common stock was $27.125 per share. On
January 10, 2000, the last practicable trading day prior to the
date of this document, the closing sales price of Everest
Holdings common stock was $25.50 per share.
The market price of Everest Holdings common stock
will fluctuate prior to the restructuring. Similarly, the market
value of the Everest Group common shares that Everest Holdings
stockholders will receive in the restructuring may fluctuate
following the restructuring. You should obtain current market
quotations for Everest Holdings common stock. The future prices
or markets for Everest Holdings common stock or Everest Group
common shares cannot be predicted.
Number of Stockholders
As of January 10, 2000, there were approximately 109
stockholders of record who held shares of Everest Holdings
common stock, as shown on the records of Everest Holdings
transfer agent for the common stock. That number excludes the
beneficial owners of shares held in street name or
held through participants in depositories, such as The
Depository Trust Company.
Everest Holdings is currently the sole shareholder
of Everest Group.
Dividend History and
Restrictions
In 1995, the board of directors of Everest Holdings
established a policy of declaring regular quarterly cash
dividends. The first quarterly dividend was $0.03 per share,
declared and paid in the fourth quarter of 1995. Everest
Holdings declared and paid its regular quarterly cash dividend
of $0.03 per share for each quarter of 1996, $0.04 per share for
each quarter of 1997, $0.05 per share for each quarter of 1998
and $0.06 per share for each quarter of 1999.
The declaration and payment of future dividends, if
any, by Everest Holdings, and after the restructuring is
completed by Everest Group, will be at the discretion of the
board of directors and will depend upon many factors, including
earnings, financial condition, business needs and growth
objectives, capital and surplus requirements of operating
subsidiaries, regulatory restrictions, rating agency
considerations and other factors. As an insurance holding
company, Everest Holdings depends, and after the restructuring
is completed Everest Group will depend, on dividends and other
permitted payments from its subsidiaries to pay cash dividends
to its stockholders. After the restructuring is completed, the
payment of dividends to Everest Group by Everest Holdings and to
Everest Holdings by Everest Re will be subject to Delaware
regulatory restrictions and the payment of dividends to Everest
Group by Everest Bermuda will be subject to Bermuda insurance
regulatory restrictions.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT EVEREST
GROUP
The balance sheet showing the initial capitalization
of Everest Group appears on page F-3 of this document. Pro forma
financial information regarding Everest Group and its
consolidated subsidiaries giving effect to the restructuring has
not been included in this document because, immediately
following the restructuring, the consolidated financial
statements of Everest Group will be the same as the consolidated
financial statements of Everest Holdings immediately prior to
the restructuring. At all times prior to the completion of the
restructuring, Everest Group will have only nominal
capitalization and no operations. Furthermore, there is
currently no trading market for the Everest Group common shares,
since Everest Holdings is, and until the restructuring will
continue to be, the owner of all the issued and outstanding
common shares.
THE SPECIAL MEETING
Solicitation of Proxies
This document is being furnished to Everest Holdings
stockholders in connection with the solicitation of proxies by
the Everest Holdings board of directors for use at the special
meeting of stockholders to be held on February 23, 2000 at 11:00
a.m. at the Companys corporate headquarters at Westgate
Corporate Center, 477 Martinsville Road, Liberty Corner, New
Jersey. This document and the enclosed proxy card are being
mailed to stockholders on or about January 14, 2000.
In addition to solicitation by mail, directors,
officers and employees of Everest Holdings may solicit proxies
from the stockholders of Everest Holdings personally or by
telephone, telecopy or telegram or other forms of communication.
None of these persons will be specifically compensated for those
services but Everest Holdings may reimburse them for their
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. Everest Holdings will request
brokerage houses, nominees, fiduciaries and other custodians to
forward soliciting materials to beneficial owners and will
reimburse them for their reasonable expenses incurred in sending
those materials to beneficial owners.
Everest Holdings has also retained Corporate
Investor Communications, Inc. to assist in the solicitation of
proxies from its stockholders. The fee paid by Everest Holdings
to Corporate Investor Communications, Inc. for these services
will be approximately $6,500, plus reimbursement of reasonable
out-of-pocket costs and expenses.
Record Date
The Everest Holdings board of directors has fixed
the close of business on January 10, 2000 as the record date for
the determination of the holders of Everest Holdings common
stock entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the special
meeting. You may vote at the special meeting only if you owned
Everest Holdings common stock at that time.
As of the record date, there were 46,459,597 shares
of Everest Holdings common stock issued and outstanding. Each
share of Everest Holdings common stock outstanding on the record
date is entitled to one vote on each matter properly submitted
at the special meeting.
Voting
Adoption of the agreement and plan of merger
requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of
Everest Holdings common stock.
Any abstention and any broker non-vote, as explained
below, will have the same effect as a vote against the adoption
of the agreement and plan of merger. Under the rules of the
NYSE, brokers who hold shares in street name for customers will
not have authority to vote on the adoption of the agreement and
plan of merger unless they receive specific instructions from
the beneficial owners of those shares. Shares that are not voted
because brokers did not receive any specific instructions are
referred to as broker non-votes.
The presence, in person or represented by proxy, of
a majority of the shares of Everest Holdings common stock
entitled to vote at the special meeting will constitute a quorum
for the transaction of business. Abstentions and broker
non-votes will be counted as present for purposes of determining
a quorum.
As of January 10, 2000, directors and executive
officers of Everest Holdings and their affiliates owned
beneficially an aggregate of 818,493 shares of Everest Holdings
common stock, including shares that may be acquired within 60
days of that date upon the exercise of stock options, or
approximately 1.76% of the shares of Everest Holdings common
stock outstanding on that date. The directors and executive
officers have indicated their intention to vote the shares they
hold in favor of the adoption of the agreement and plan of
merger.
Proxies
Each copy of this document mailed to Everest
Holdings stockholders is accompanied by a form of proxy for use
at the special meeting. Shares of Everest Holdings common stock
represented by a proxy properly submitted as described below and
received at or prior to the special meeting, unless subsequently
revoked, will be voted in accordance with the instructions on
the proxy.
To submit a proxy, holders of Everest Holdings
common stock should complete, sign, date and mail the proxy card
provided with this document in accordance with the instructions
set forth on the card. If a proxy card is signed and returned
without indicating any voting instructions, shares of Everest
Holdings common stock represented by the proxy will be voted
FOR the adoption of the agreement and plan of
merger.
Any person who submits a proxy with voting
instructions may revoke it any time before it is
voted:
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by giving written notice of revocation to
Everest Holdings, addressed to Janet J. Burak, 477
Martinsville Road, P.O. Box 830, Liberty Corner, New Jersey
07938-0830, if the notice of revocation is received by Everest
Holdings prior to the special meeting;
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by submitting a later dated proxy with voting
instructions by mail, if the proxy is received by Everest
Holdings prior to the special meeting; or
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by voting in person at the special
meeting, although a proxy is not revoked by simply
attending the special meeting.
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Everest Holdings stockholders who have instructed
a broker to vote their shares must follow directions received
from their broker to revoke their proxy.
Other Matters
The Everest Holdings board of directors is not
currently aware of any business to be acted upon at its special
meeting of stockholders, other than as described in this
document. If, however, other matters related to the proposed
restructuring and merger are properly brought before the special
meeting, the persons appointed as proxies will have discretion
to vote or to act on those matters according to their best
judgment, unless otherwise indicated on any particular proxy.
The persons appointed as proxies also will have discretion to
vote on adjournment of the special meeting. An adjournment may
be proposed for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, shares represented by proxies
voting against the adoption of the agreement and plan of merger
will be voted against a proposal to adjourn the special meeting
for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies.
THE PROPOSED RESTRUCTURING
Description of the
Restructuring
On September 16, 1999, the board of directors of
Everest Holdings approved a plan under which Everest Holdings
and its subsidiaries would be restructured as
follows:
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Everest Group, a company organized in Bermuda
and with its principal executive offices in Barbados, will
become the new publicly-owned parent corporation of Everest
Holdings.
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Everest Holdings, as a subsidiary of Everest
Group, will continue to act as the holding company for the
subsidiaries of Everest Holdings in the United States and
Canada.
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Everest Group will also be the holding
corporation for a new Bermuda-based reinsurance subsidiary,
Everest Bermuda.
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The restructuring would be accomplished in the
following steps:
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Everest Holdings has organized a subsidiary,
Everest Group, under the laws of Bermuda and established its
principal office in Barbados.
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Everest Group has organized a Delaware
subsidiary, Everest Merger.
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Everest Merger will be merged into Everest
Holdings, with Everest Holdings as the surviving corporation.
When the merger is completed, Everest Holdings will become a
subsidiary of Everest Group and each outstanding share of
common stock of Everest Holdings will be converted into one
common share of Everest Group.
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After the merger is completed, Everest Group
will capitalize Everest Bermuda, its Bermuda-based reinsurance
subsidiary.
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In connection with the restructuring, Everest Group
also intends to form a new Delaware subsidiary, Everest Global
Services, to perform administrative and back-office functions
for Everest Group and its
U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based
subsidiaries.
The present corporate structure of Everest Holdings
and its subsidiaries and the corporate structure that would
result from the proposed restructuring are illustrated on the
following pages.
[AFTER THE RESTRUCTURING CHART]
Background and Reasons for the
Restructuring
International activities of Everest Holdings and its
subsidiaries are a significant part of Everest Holdings
activities. Everest Holdings and its subsidiaries have offices
in Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Hong Kong and Singapore,
as well as in the United States. In 1998, approximately 31% of
the gross premiums written by Everest Holdings and its
subsidiaries represented non-U.S. based risks or risks written
by non-U.S. based reinsureds, principally in the United Kingdom,
continental Europe, Latin America, Australia and Asia. Everest
Holdings does not have any operations in Bermuda, which has
become one of the largest insurance markets in the world for
property catastrophe and high excess liability
coverages.
The board of directors of Everest Holdings believes
that the proposed restructuring will provide Everest Group with
an enhanced ability to compete and create better returns for
stockholders by permitting Everest Group to take maximum
advantage of favorable business, regulatory, tax and financing
environments in Bermuda and Barbados. In particular, the board
is recommending the restructuring for the following
reasons:
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The board of directors believes that Bermuda is
an important insurance market that attracts a significant deal
flow because of its favorable business, regulatory and tax
environments, and having a presence in Bermuda is important as
a competitive matter.
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The board of directors believes that, compared
to U.S. state regulatory environments, the Bermuda regulatory
environment offers insurance companies more flexibility to
price their products, develop new products and write
additional lines of reinsurance and imposes fewer restrictions
on an insurance companys ability to make investments and
distribute capital to shareholders.
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The board of directors believes that a holding
company structure in the form proposed by the restructuring
will provide a more suitable corporate structure for expansion
of Everest Groups business and future acquisitions and
diversification opportunities. Everest Group currently has no
specific plans for material acquisitions or to significantly
diversify its business from the business that Everest Holdings
is currently conducting and that Everest Bermuda is expected
to conduct subsequent to the restructuring.
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The board of directors believes that the
establishment of Bermuda and Barbados operations will, over a
period of time, reduce corporate income taxes because, unlike
the U.S. tax system which imposes corporate income tax on the
worldwide income of U.S. corporations, Bermuda generally
imposes no corporate income taxes on foreign income and
Barbados generally imposes corporate income tax only on some
foreign income of a non-Barbados company managed and
controlled in Barbados. Income taxes should therefore be
reduced to the extent operations after the restructuring are
conducted outside of the United States and outside of other
countries with significant corporate taxes. To the extent that
Everest Groups taxes are reduced, it expects to be able
to price its products more competitively.
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Accordingly, the board of directors of Everest
Holdings has declared the agreement and plan of merger to be
advisable, has approved it and recommends that stockholders vote
FOR its adoption.
All statements regarding the expected benefits of
the restructuring and merger and related matters are
forward-looking statements. You should be aware that these
statements and any other forward-looking statements in this
document only reflect current expectations and are not
guarantees of performance. These statements involve risks,
uncertainties and assumptions. Actual events or results may
differ materially from expectations. Important factors that
could cause actual results to be materially different from our
expectations include those discussed in this document under the
caption Risk Factors and Cautionary Note
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.
Terms of the Agreement and Plan of
Merger
The following is a summary of the material
provisions of the agreement and plan of merger, which is
attached as Appendix A to this document and is incorporated into
it by reference. You are urged to read the agreement and plan of
merger carefully and in its entirety.
The agreement and plan of merger provides that at
the effective time of the merger:
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Everest Merger will be merged with and into
Everest Holdings, with Everest Holdings as the surviving
corporation;
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each share of Everest Holdings common stock
issued and outstanding immediately prior to the merger will
automatically convert into one Everest Group common
share;
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each share of Everest Merger common stock
issued and outstanding immediately prior to the merger will
remain outstanding and automatically convert into one share of
the surviving corporation;
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each share of Everest Holdings common stock
owned by Everest Holdings or by any direct or indirect
wholly-owned subsidiary of Everest Holdings immediately prior
to the effective time of the merger will automatically be
cancelled and no Everest Group common shares will be issued in
exchange for those shares of Everest Holdings common
stock;
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the certificate of incorporation of Everest
Holdings as in force and effect immediately prior to the
effective time of the merger will be the certificate of
incorporation of the surviving corporation;
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the by-laws of Everest Holdings as in force and
effect immediately prior to the effective time of the merger
will be the by-laws of the surviving corporation;
and
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the directors and officers of Everest Holdings
who are in office immediately prior to the effective time of
the merger will be the directors and officers of the surviving
corporation and will remain in office until the election and
qualification of their successors or until their tenure is
otherwise terminated in accordance with the by-laws of the
surviving corporation.
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Effects of the Restructuring
As a result of the proposed restructuring, the
stockholders of Everest Holdings will become the shareholders of
Everest Group. The interests of the Everest Group shareholders
will be the same as their interests in Everest Holdings prior to
the restructuring, with each shareholder owning the same number
of Everest Group common shares as the number of shares of
Everest Holdings common stock owned immediately prior to the
restructuring. Each shareholders percentage ownership in
Everest Group immediately following the restructuring will be
identical to that shareholders percentage interest in
Everest Holdings immediately before the
restructuring.
The rights of stockholders of Everest Holdings
currently are governed by Delaware law and the certificate of
incorporation and by-laws of Everest Holdings. After the
restructuring, the rights of shareholders of Everest Group will
be governed by Bermuda law and the memorandum of association and
bye-laws of Everest Group. We have filed copies of the
memorandum of association and bye-laws of Everest Group as
exhibits to the registration statement of which this document is
a part. For a discussion of material differences between the
rights of Everest Holdings stockholders and Everest Group
shareholders, see Description of Everest Group Share
CapitalComparison of Rights of Holders of Everest Group
Common Shares and Holders of Everest Holdings Common Stock.
Conditions of the Merger
The obligation of Everest Holdings and Everest
Merger to effect the merger is subject to the satisfaction or
waiver of the following conditions:
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the Everest Holdings stockholders will have
adopted the agreement and plan of merger;
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the registration statement on Form S-4 filed
with the SEC to register the Everest Group common shares to be
issued in the merger will have become effective under the
Securities Act, and no stop order or proceeding seeking a stop
order with respect to that registration statement will be in
effect;
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the Everest Group common shares issuable to
stockholders pursuant to the agreement and plan of merger will
have been approved by the NYSE for listing, subject to
official notice of issuance;
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the merger will have received all required
consents and approvals from applicable governmental and
regulatory authorities and other persons, and all applicable
waiting periods will have expired; and
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no temporary restraining order, preliminary or
permanent injunction or other order issued by any court of
competent jurisdiction or other legal restraint or prohibition
preventing the consummation of the merger will be in
effect.
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The boards of directors of each of Everest Holdings
and Everest Merger may waive any of the above conditions at any
time prior to the effective time of the merger. As a practical
matter, however, the parties will not be able to waive any of
the conditions other than those involving listing the common
shares on the NYSE and obtaining a consent or approval that has
not yet been obtained where the failure to obtain that consent
or approval would not have a material adverse effect on the
business of Everest Group.
Effective Time of the Merger
If the Everest Holdings stockholders approve the
agreement and plan of merger, the merger will become effective
after the filing of a certificate of merger with the Secretary
of State of the State of Delaware in accordance with Delaware
law. It is currently contemplated that the certificate of merger
will be filed and the merger will become effective on February
24, 2000, or as soon thereafter as the above conditions are
satisfied.
In the event the conditions to the merger are not
satisfied, the merger may be abandoned or delayed even after the
restructuring and merger have been approved by the Everest
Holdings stockholders. In addition, the merger may be abandoned
or delayed for any reason by the board of directors of Everest
Holdings at any time prior to its becoming effective, even
though the agreement and plan of merger has been approved by the
Everest Holdings stockholders and all conditions to the merger
have been satisfied.
Additional Agreements
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Benefit Plans and Stock
Options
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The agreement and plan of merger provides that, at
the effective time of the merger, Everest Group will assume all
of the rights and obligations of Everest Holdings
under:
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the annual incentive plan,
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the executive performance annual incentive
plan,
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the 1995 stock incentive plan,
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the 1995 stock option plan for non-employee
directors,
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the senior executive change of control plan
and
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all other plans, arrangements or agreements
under which Everest Holdings stock options have been
granted.
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All outstanding options to purchase Everest
Holdings common stock will be converted into equivalent options
to purchase Everest Group common shares, with any adjustment or
amendment appropriate in order to accommodate Bermuda law
issues. Sponsorship of other benefit plans, such as pension,
profit sharing and welfare benefit plans, should not be affected
by the merger.
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Change of Control Provisions
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To the extent that the merger could constitute a
change of control that would trigger additional
benefits, including vesting of stock options awarded to its
employees and directors, the affected employees and directors
have agreed in writing that the restructuring will not
constitute or result in a change of control or
similar event.
The only executive officer of Everest Holdings and
Everest Re who has a written employment agreement with those
companies is Joseph V. Taranto, the Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer. In connection with the
restructuring, Mr. Taranto will enter into an amendment to his
current employment agreement with Everest Holdings and Everest
Re. The amendment will provide that Mr. Taranto will be the
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Everest Group and that
he will provide services to Everest Group that are comparable to
those that he is required to provide for Everest Holdings under
the current employment agreement. Everest Group will be a party
to the employment agreement as amended and will have rights,
powers, duties and obligations under the employment agreement
that are generally co-extensive with those of Everest Holdings.
References in Mr. Tarantos employment agreement to benefit
plans, arrangements and agreements that are being assumed by
Everest Group in connection with the restructuring will be
changed to references to the plans as assumed by Everest Group.
Mr. Taranto will remain an employee of Everest Re until Everest
Global Services is established. The amendment to Mr. Taranto
s employment agreement will provide that upon the
establishment of Everest Global Services, and at the request of
the board of directors of Everest Group, Mr. Taranto will become
an employee of Everest Global Services and will provide services
to Everest Re, as an employee of Everest Global Services, that
are the same as those he has provided to Everest Re under his
current employment agreement. Although Everest Global Services
will be substituted for Everest Re under the employment
agreement upon Mr. Tarantos transfer of employment to
Everest Global Services, Everest Re will guarantee the financial
obligations of Everest Global Services under the employment
agreement. Mr. Tarantos transfer of employment to Everest
Global Services will not affect his positions as Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of Everest Re, Everest Holdings and
Everest Group or his participation in employee benefit plans
that are the same as those provided to employees of Everest
Re.
In connection with the restructuring, Mr. Taranto
will also enter into an amendment to his current change of
control agreement with Everest Holdings and Everest Re that will
provide that, after the restructuring, transactions with respect
to Everest Group will trigger benefits under the change of
control agreement to the same extent that transactions with
respect to Everest Holdings would trigger benefits prior to the
amendment. After the amendment, any of the following events with
respect to Everest Group or Everest Re will constitute a
material change under the change of control
agreement:
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the completion of a tender offer or exchange
offer for the ownership of securities of Everest Re or Everest
Group representing 25% or more of the combined voting power of
that companys then outstanding voting
securities;
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the completion of a merger or consolidation of
Everest Re or Everest Group with another corporation that
results in less than 75% of the outstanding voting securities
of the surviving or resulting corporation being owned by the
former stockholders of Everest Re, Everest Group or their
affiliates;
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the transfer by Everest Re or Everest Group of
substantially all of its assets to another corporation or
entity that is not a wholly owned subsidiary of Everest Re or
Everest Group;
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the acquisition by any person of direct or
indirect beneficial ownership of securities of Everest Re or
Everest Group representing 25% or more of the combined voting
power of the then outstanding securities of Everest Re or
Everest Group; and
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a tender offer, merger, consolidation, sale of
assets or contested election, or any combination of those
transactions, which causes the persons who were members of the
board of directors of Everest Re or Everest Group immediately
before the transaction to cease to constitute at least a
majority of that board of directors.
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In the event that Mr. Taranto becomes an employee of
Everest Global Services, Everest Global Services will become a
party to the change of control agreement and Everest Re will
guarantee the financial obligations of Everest Global Services
under the agreement.
As amended, the change of control agreement will
provide that if, within one year after the occurrence of one of
these material changes, Mr. Taranto terminates his employment
with Everest Re or Everest Global Services, as applicable, for
any reason or if Everest Re or Everest Global Services, as
applicable, terminates Mr. Tarantos employment for any
reason other than for due cause then Mr. Taranto will be
entitled to the following benefits:
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all of Mr. Tarantos outstanding stock
options will immediately vest and become
exercisable;
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Mr. Taranto will receive a cash payment equal
to the lesser of
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2.99 multiplied by Mr. Tarantos annual
compensation for the most recent taxable year ending prior to
the date of the material change, less the value of Mr. Taranto
s gross income in the most recent taxable year ending
prior to the date of a material change attributable to Mr.
Tarantos exercise of stock options, stock appreciation
rights and other stock-based awards granted to Mr. Taranto,
and
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2.99 multiplied by Mr. Tarantos
annualized includible compensation for the base period
as that phrase is defined in Section 280G(d) of the
Code;
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Mr. Taranto will continue to be covered under
the medical and dental insurance plans of Everest Re or
Everest Global Services, as applicable, for a period of three
years from the date of termination; and
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Mr. Taranto will receive special retirement
benefits in an amount that will equal the retirement benefits
he would have received had he continued in the employ of
Everest Re or Everest Global Services, as applicable, for
three years following his termination under the Everest
Reinsurance Retirement Plan and any supplemental, substitute,
or successor retirement plans.
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In the event that the benefits Mr. Taranto receives
under the change of control agreement cause him to receive a
parachute payment within the meaning of Section 280G
of the Code, Mr. Tarantos benefits will be reduced to an
amount that is one dollar less than the amount that would cause
a parachute payment. If an award made under the change of
control agreement nevertheless results in an assessment against
Mr. Taranto of a parachute tax pursuant to Section
4999 of the Code, Mr. Taranto will be entitled to receive an
additional amount of money that would put him in the same net
tax position had no parachute tax been incurred.
The change of control agreement will terminate on
the earliest of the following events:
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one year following a material
change;
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termination by Mr. Taranto of his employment
with Everest Re or Everest Global Services, as applicable,
under circumstances not following a material
change;
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the termination by Everest Re or Everest Global
Services, as applicable, of Mr. Tarantos employment for
due cause; and
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December 31, 2001, or any date thereafter, with
60 days written notice.
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On September 24, 1998, the board of directors of
Everest Holdings declared a dividend of one preferred share
purchase right for each outstanding share of Everest Holdings
common stock. Under the terms of a rights agreement between
Everest Holdings and the rights agent, First Chicago Trust
Company of New York, the rights are triggered only when a person
or group acquires 15% or more of Everest Holdings common stock
or makes, or announces its intention to make, a tender offer for
15% or more of Everest Holdings common stock. When triggered,
each right entitles its holder under some circumstances to
purchase Everest Holdings common stock at half-price. The
Everest Holdings rights agreement is filed as an exhibit to the
registration statement of which this document is a part. You
should refer to the rights agreement for more detailed
information. For more information on how to obtain this
document, see Where You Can Find More Information.
The board of directors of Everest Holdings has
amended the rights agreement to provide that it will not be
triggered by the agreement and plan of merger or the
restructuring.
Everest Group does not currently have a rights
agreement in place, and the agreement and plan of merger does
not provide for the adoption of a rights agreement by Everest
Group. However, the Everest Group board of directors may choose
at any time following the restructuring to adopt a rights
agreement, which may include some or all of the provisions of
the Everest Holdings rights agreement.
Exchange of Stock Certificates
Stockholders should not send their Everest Holdings
stock certificates with their proxy cards. If the merger is
completed, a transmittal form with instructions on how to
exchange stock certificates for share certificates of Everest
Group will be mailed to stockholders.
Stock Exchange Listing
Everest Holdings common stock is currently listed on
the NYSE under the symbol RE. Everest Group is
applying to list the Everest Group common shares that will be
issued in the merger on the NYSE. Everest Group is requesting
that these common shares be listed on the NYSE under Everest
Holdings current trading symbol, RE.
Absence of Appraisal Rights
Appraisal rights are statutory rights that enable
stockholders who object to certain extraordinary transactions,
such as mergers, to demand that the corporation pay the fair
value for their shares as determined by a court in a judicial
proceeding in lieu of receiving the consideration offered to
stockholders in connection with the extraordinary transaction.
Appraisal rights are not available in all
circumstances.
Under Section 262 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law, Everest Holdings stockholders are not entitled
to appraisal rights in connection with the merger because
Everest Holdings common stock was listed on the NYSE on the
record date for the special meeting and the common shares that
stockholders will be entitled to receive will be listed on the
NYSE at the completion of the merger.
Resale of Everest Group Common
Shares
The common shares issuable to stockholders in the
merger have been registered under the Securities Act. These
shares may be traded freely and without restriction by those
shareholders not deemed to be affiliates of Everest
Holdings or of Everest Group, subject to restrictions contained
in the Everest Group bye-laws. Affiliates are
generally defined as persons who control, are controlled by or
are under common control with, Everest Holdings or Everest Group
at the time of the special meeting. Everest Group common shares
received by those stockholders of Everest Holdings who are
deemed to be affiliates of Everest Holdings or
Everest Group may be resold without registration only as
provided for by Rule 145, or as otherwise permitted, under the
Securities Act. The registration statement to register the
Everest Group common shares to be issued in the merger, of which
this document is a part, does not cover any resales of common
shares received by affiliates of Everest Holdings or Everest
Group in the merger.
Regulatory Filings and
Approvals
Everest Holdings insurance subsidiaries are
subject to the insurance statutes and regulations of the states
and foreign countries in which they are domiciled or licensed.
In the United States, state insurance holding company statutes
generally require approval of the acquisition of control of
insurance companies domiciled or commercially domiciled in those
states, whether the acquisition of control is direct or
indirect. Accordingly, Everest Group has obtained the approval
of its acquisition of control of Everest Holdings
insurance subsidiaries from the insurance regulatory authorities
in Delaware, where Everest Re and Everest Indemnity are
domiciled, and in Arizona, where Everest National is domiciled.
Everest Group will also give written notice of the restructuring
to the insurance regulatory authorities in some other states
where Everest Holdings insurance subsidiaries are
licensed.
Outside of the United States, Everest Group has
filed or will file applications seeking approval of the
restructuring with the insurance and financial services
regulatory authorities in Canada, where Everest Canada is
domiciled and Everest Re has branch operations, and in the
United Kingdom, where Everest Re has branch operations. Everest
Group will also give written notice of the restructuring to the
insurance and financial services regulatory authorities in
Belgium, Hong Kong and Singapore, where Everest Re has branch
operations.
Receipt of approvals from the appropriate regulatory
authorities in Delaware, Arizona, Canada and the United Kingdom
is a condition to the merger, although the agreement and plan of
merger allows Everest
Holdings, Everest Group and Everest Merger to waive this
condition. Everest Group and Everest Holdings cannot assure you
that these approvals will be obtained, or, if obtained, will not
include conditions that could result in the abandonment of the
restructuring. Everest Group and Everest Holdings have not
determined how they will respond to conditions that may be
sought by governmental entities in connection with any requisite
approvals. If any conditions are sought by governmental
entities, Everest Group and Everest Holdings will make those
determinations at the appropriate time.
Accounting Treatment of the
Restructuring
It is anticipated that the acquisition by Everest
Group of Everest Holdings in connection with the restructuring
will be accounted for at historical cost in a manner similar to
a pooling of interests.
MANAGEMENT
Board of Directors
The board of directors of Everest Group will consist
of six members and will be divided into three classes of two
directors each. The Class I directors will be subject to
election at the 2000 annual general meeting of shareholders, the
Class II directors at the 2001 annual general meeting of
shareholders and the Class III directors at the 2002 annual
general meeting of shareholders. Prior to the restructuring,
Everest Holdings will elect all of the current directors of
Everest Holdings to serve for comparable terms as directors of
Everest Group. Information about each of those individuals is
set forth below.
Martin Abrahams, 66, became a Class I
director of Everest Holdings on March 12, 1996 and a director of
Everest Re on March 13, 1996. Mr. Abrahams, currently retired,
served with the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.
from 1957 and was a partner in that firm from 1969 to
1995.
Kenneth J. Duffy, 69, became a Class II
director of Everest Holdings on March 12, 1996 and a director of
Everest Re on March 13, 1996. Mr. Duffy is currently a Senior
Advisor to CGU plc, an insurance holding company, having been
associated with that organization for more than 40 years. He
served as President and Chief Executive of Commercial Union
Corporation, the CGU United States subsidiary, from January
1985, as Chairman and Chief Executive from January 1993 and as
Chairman from his retirement in January 1995 until October 1998.
He is the President and a director of Curepool (Bermuda) Ltd. He
is also a vice president of the Insurance Institute of London
and a fellow of the Institute of Risk Management.
John R. Dunne, 69, became a Class I director
of Everest Holdings and a director of Everest Re on June 10,
1996. Mr. Dunne, an attorney and member of the bar of both New
York and the District of Columbia, has since 1994 been counsel
to the law firm of Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna in Albany, New
York. Mr. Dunne was counsel to the Washington DC law firm of
Bayh, Connaughton & Malone from 1993 to 1994. From 1990 to
1993, he served as an Assistant Attorney General for the United
States Government, Department of Justice. From 1966 to 1989 Mr.
Dunne served as a New York State Senator while concurrently
practicing law as a partner in New York law firms. Mr. Dunne is
a director of CGU Corporation.
Thomas J. Gallagher, 50, became a Class III
director of Everest Holdings on March 13, 1996 and has served as
a director of Everest Re since 1987. Elected President and Chief
Operating Officer of both Everest Holdings and Everest Re on
February 24, 1997, Mr. Gallagher had been Executive Vice
President of both companies since December 1995 and a Senior
Vice President of Everest Holdings since 1994 and of Everest Re
since 1989. Since joining Everest Re in 1975, he has served as
an underwriter in the facultative and treaty departments, as
vice president in charge of the facultative department and as
vice president in charge of the treaty casualty department. Mr.
Gallagher currently serves as a director and Chairman of Everest
National, as a director and Chairman of Everest Canada, as a
director and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Everest
Indemnity and as a director of WorkCare Southeast and WorkCare
Southeast of Georgia.
William F. Galtney, Jr., 47, became a Class
III director of Everest Holdings on March 12, 1996 and a
director of Everest Re on March 13, 1996. Since 1983, Mr.
Galtney has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Healthcare Insurance Services, Inc., a managing general and
surplus lines agency indirectly owned by The Galtney Group,
Inc., a holding company of which he is also Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer. Mr. Galtney also serves as either the
chairman or a director of various subsidiaries and affiliates of
The Galtney Group. Mr. Galtney is a director of Mutual Risk
Management Ltd.
Joseph V. Taranto, 50, became a Class II
director and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
of Everest Holdings and Everest Re on October 17, 1994 and
served as President of both companies from December 1994 until
Mr. Gallaghers election as President on February 24, 1997.
Mr. Taranto was a director and President of Transatlantic
Holdings, Inc. and a director and President of Transatlantic
Reinsurance Company and Putnam Reinsurance Company (both
subsidiaries of Transatlantic Holdings, Inc.) from 1986 to
1994.
Following the restructuring, the number of directors
constituting the board of directors of Everest Holdings will be
reduced to three and Joseph V. Taranto, Thomas J. Gallagher and
Stephen L. Limauro will serve as those directors.
Executive Officers
Prior to the restructuring, the board of directors
of Everest Group will elect all of the current executive
officers of Everest Holdings to serve in identical capacities as
executive officers of Everest Group. In addition to Mr. Taranto,
who will serve as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer, and Mr. Gallagher, who will serve as Deputy Chairman,
President and Chief Operating Officer, the following current
executive officers of Everest Holdings will become executive
officers of Everest Group:
Stephen L. Limauro, 48, became Comptroller of
Everest Holdings and Everest Re on September 25, 1997 and Chief
Financial Officer and Treasurer of Everest Holdings and Everest
Re on November 17, 1999. He became a Senior Vice President of
Everest Holdings and Everest Re on February 23, 1999. He served
as Assistant Comptroller of Everest Re from June 20, 1988 until
September 25, 1997. From May 1995 until September 1997, he was
Vice President, Treasurer and Assistant Comptroller of Everest
Holdings. Mr. Limauro also is a director and Comptroller of
Everest National and Everest Indemnity. He also serves as a
director, Assistant Treasurer and Assistant Controller to
Everest Canada and he is Comptroller of Mt. McKinley. He serves
as a director and President of Everest Ltd. and is Comptroller
of WorkCare Southeast and WorkCare Southeast of Georgia and
Chief Accountant of WorkCare, Inc.
Janet J. Burak (formerly Janet Burak
Melchione), 49, became Vice President, General Counsel and
Secretary of Everest Holdings upon its organization on November
11, 1993. She became a Senior Vice President of Everest Holdings
and Everest Re on January 31, 1994. Ms. Burak has served as
General Counsel of Everest Re since 1985 and in 1986 was
appointed Secretary. Ms. Burak is a director and Assistant
Secretary of Everest National and Everest Indemnity. She is a
director, Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Everest
Ltd., Secretary of Everest Canada and Assistant Secretary of Mt.
McKinley, WorkCare Southeast and WorkCare Southeast of Georgia.
She serves as Associate General Counsel of WorkCare,
Inc.
Transitional Directors and Officers of Everest
Group
The board of directors of Everest Group currently
consists of two directors, Mr. Limauro, who serves as Chairman,
and Ms. Burak, who serves as Deputy Chairman. Mr. Limauro and
Ms. Burak will resign from those positions prior to the
restructuring and the individuals described above under the
captions Board of Directors and Executive
Officers will be elected or appointed to their respective
positions.
Director and Executive
Compensation
Everest Group has not paid compensation to any
person before the date of this document and is not expected to
do so prior to the restructuring. Following the restructuring,
Everest Group anticipates that the
compensation received by persons serving as officers and directors
of Everest Group will be similar to the compensation paid to
those persons prior to the restructuring for serving as officers
and directors of Everest Holdings.
Information concerning compensation of directors and
executive officers of Everest Holdings is contained in Everest
Holdings Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1998 and is incorporated in this document by
reference. For more information on how to obtain this report,
see Where You Can Find More Information.
Stock Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners
and Management
Information concerning stock ownership of certain
beneficial owners and management of Everest Holdings is
contained in Everest Holdings Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 1998 and is incorporated in this
document by reference. For more information on how to obtain
this report, see Where You Can Find More Information.
All of the outstanding capital shares of Everest
Group are currently owned, and until the completion of the
restructuring will continue to be owned, by Everest
Holdings.
Certain Relationships and Related
Transactions
Information concerning certain relationships and
related transactions of Everest Holdings is contained in Everest
Holdings Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1998 and is incorporated in this document by
reference. For more information on how to obtain this report,
see Where You Can Find More Information.
MATERIAL TAX
CONSIDERATIONS
This discussion covers the principal Bermuda,
Barbados and U.S. federal income tax consequences of the
restructuring and of the ownership and disposition of Everest
Group common shares. Other tax considerations not discussed
below may be applicable to the restructuring and to a decision
to hold or dispose of Everest Group common shares. Unless
explicitly noted to the contrary, this discussion applies only
to investors who are, as defined below, U.S. holders holding the
shares of Everest Holdings and Everest Group as capital assets.
The tax treatment of any particular stockholder may vary
depending on that stockholders particular tax situation or
status. In addition, this discussion is based on current law.
Legislative, judicial or administrative changes may be
forthcoming that could be retroactive and could affect this
discussion. Consequently, you should consult your tax
advisors as to the specific tax consequences to you of the
restructuring and of the ownership and disposition of Everest
Group common shares, including tax return reporting
requirements, the applicability and effect of federal, state,
local, foreign and other applicable tax laws and the effect of
any proposed changes in the tax laws.
As used in this discussion, the term U.S.
person means:
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a citizen or resident of the United
States;
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a corporation, partnership or other entity
created or organized in the United States or under the laws of
the United States or of any of its political
subdivisions;
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an estate whose income is includible in gross
income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its
source; or
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any trust if, and only if, a court within the
United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the
administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have
the authority to control all substantial decisions of the
trust.
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As used in this discussion, the term U.S.
holder means a U.S. person that holds Everest Holdings
common stock or Everest Group common shares as capital
assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the
Code.
The discussion of Bermuda tax law below is based on
the opinion of Conyers Dill & Pearman, Everest Groups
Bermuda counsel. The discussion of Barbados tax law below is
based on the opinion of Clarke & Co., Everest Groups
Barbados counsel. The discussion of U.S. federal income tax law
below is based on the opinion of Mayer, Brown & Platt,
Everest Groups United States counsel.
Tax Consequences of the
Restructuring
Under current Bermuda law, no income tax, capital
gains tax or withholding tax will be payable by Everest
Holdings, Everest Group or any Everest Holdings stockholder as a
consequence of the restructuring.
No income tax, capital gains tax or withholding tax
will be payable in Barbados by Everest Holdings, Everest Group
or any Everest Holdings stockholder by reason of the
restructuring.
The following is a summary of the principal U.S.
federal income tax consequences of the restructuring to U.S.
holders of Everest Holdings common stock. This summary is not
binding on the IRS, and there can be no assurance that the IRS
will not take a position contrary to one or more of the
positions described below, or that those positions would be
upheld by the courts if challenged by the IRS. No rulings have
been or will be requested from the IRS with respect to any
aspect of the restructuring.
Everest Holdings has received an opinion from its
United States counsel, Mayer, Brown & Platt, to the effect
that the merger will be treated for U.S. federal income tax
purposes as a reorganization within the meaning of Section
368(a) of the Code. This opinion is based in part on
representations made by Everest Holdings and particular Everest
Holdings stockholders with respect to the lack of a plan or
intent to dispose of the Everest Group common shares they would
receive in the merger. Assuming that the merger so qualifies as
a reorganization, it will not constitute a taxable event for
either Everest Holdings or Everest Group at the corporate level.
However, at the stockholder level, under Section 367 of the Code
and the related regulations, the exchange of Everest Holdings
common stock for Everest Group common shares will not qualify
for nonrecognition of gain treatment. As a result:
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a U.S. holder of Everest Holdings common stock
will recognize gain in an amount equal to the excess, if any,
of the fair market value of the Everest Group common shares at
the time of the merger over the holders adjusted basis
in the Everest Holdings common stock surrendered;
and
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a U.S. holder of Everest Holdings common stock
will not recognize loss in the merger if the fair market value
of the Everest Group common shares at the time of the merger
is less than the holders adjusted basis in the Everest
Holdings common stock surrendered.
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Any gain recognized will be capital gain and will be
long-term capital gain if, as of the date of the reorganization,
the shares of Everest Holdings were held for more than one year.
A U.S. holder that recognizes gain with respect to the
reorganization will have an aggregate basis in its Everest Group
shares equal to the aggregate adjusted tax basis in the Everest
Holdings common stock surrendered in the merger, increased by
the amount of gain recognized. The holding period for any
Everest Group common shares received by a
U.S. holder recognizing gain in the merger will commence at the
effective time of the merger. A U.S. holder that realizes but
does not recognize loss as a result of the reorganization will
have an aggregate basis in its Everest Group shares equal to
that of its Everest Holdings common stock surrendered in the
merger. The holding period for any Everest Group shares received
by a shareholder realizing but not recognizing loss in the
merger will include the period when the shareholder held its
Everest Holdings common stock. If a U.S. holder owns blocks of
Everest Holdings stock that have different tax bases or holding
periods, each block will be subject separately to the tax
treatment described in this paragraph.
Pursuant to Section 6038B of the Code, a U.S. holder
that realizes loss on the merger or that does not report taxable
gain from the merger on its timely filed federal income tax
return for the year that includes the merger is required to file
an information return on IRS Form 926 reporting the merger along
with specific additional information that is required to be
attached to the form. Form 926 and its required attachments must
be filed with the holders U.S. federal income tax return
for the taxable year that includes the reorganization. The
information that must be included with Form 926 is described in
applicable regulations. Everest Holdings will provide that
information to its U.S. holders to enable each U.S. holder to
file its Form 926 on a timely basis. A U.S. holders
failure to provide the information required by Section 6038B of
the Code may result in, among other things, the holder becoming
subject to a penalty equal to 10% of the fair market value of
the U.S. holders Everest Holdings common stock exchanged
in the reorganization.
In addition, applicable regulations under Section
368 of the Code require that a U.S. holder file with its U.S.
income tax return in the year of the reorganization all facts
pertinent to the reorganization, including (1) a statement of
the basis of Everest Holdings common stock converted in the
reorganization and (2) a statement of the amount of Everest
Group common shares received in the reorganization, based upon
the fair market value of those common shares on the date of the
reorganization.
Under Section 3406 of the Code and the related
regulations, a U.S. holder that participates in the merger may
become subject to U.S. backup withholding tax at a rate of 31%
with respect to the gross proceeds received in the
merger unless that holder:
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is a corporation or other exempt recipient and,
if required, demonstrates that is has that status;
or
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provides a United States taxpayer
identification number, certifies that the taxpayer
identification number provided is correct and that the holder
has not been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup
withholding due to the under-reporting of interest or
dividends, and otherwise complies with the applicable
requirements of the backup withholding rules.
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Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding
rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against the holder
s U.S. federal income tax liability provided that the
required information is furnished to the IRS. Presumably, the
gross proceeds would be the fair market value of the
Everest Group common shares received in exchange for Everest
Holdings common stock, although the Code and regulations are not
clear. Nor is it clear how withholding would be effected since
the consideration received is stock rather than cash. Everest
Holdings stockholders are strongly urged to comply with the
taxpayer identification number and other information furnishing
requirements of Section 3406 of the Code and the related
regulations.
Taxation of Everest Group and Its
Subsidiaries
Under current Bermuda law, there is no income tax or
capital gains tax payable by Everest Group or Everest Bermuda.
Everest Group has received an assurance from the Bermuda
Minister of Finance under The
Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act, 1966 of Bermuda that in
the event Bermuda enacts any legislation imposing tax computed
on profits or income, or computed on any capital asset, gain or
appreciation, or any tax in the nature of estate duty or
inheritance tax, then that tax will not apply to Everest Group,
or to any of its operations or the shares, debentures or other
obligations of Everest Group, until March 28, 2016. This
assurance will not prevent the application of any of those taxes
to persons ordinarily resident in Bermuda or the imposition of
any tax payable in accordance with the provisions of The Land
Tax Act 1967 of Bermuda or otherwise payable in relation to any
property leased to Everest Group. Everest Group expects that
Everest Bermuda, when it is organized, will obtain a similar
assurance from the Minister of Finance. Everest Group currently
pays annual Bermuda government fees of $1,695. Everest Group
anticipates that, based on current rates, the annual
governmental fee payable by each of Everest Group and Everest
Bermuda after the restructuring will not exceed $26,500. Based
on current rates, Everest Group anticipates that Everest Bermuda
will pay an insurance registration fee of $15,000 and
subsequently, annual insurance license fees of $15,000. In
addition, all entities employing individuals in Bermuda are
required to pay a payroll tax and various other taxes, directly
or indirectly, to the Bermuda government.
Everest Group will be registered in Barbados as an
external company under the Companies Act, Cap. 308 of Barbados
and will be licensed as an international business company under
the Barbados International Business Companies Act, 1991-24. As a
result, Everest Group will be entitled to tax benefits,
including a preferred rate of corporation tax on profits and
gains and an exemption from withholding tax in respect of any
dividends, interest, royalties, management fees, fees or other
income paid or deemed to be paid to a person who is not resident
in Barbados or who, if so resident, carries on an international
business.
Everest Group will be subject to a Barbados
corporation tax, assessed at a rate of 2.5% on profits and gains
of up to 10 million Barbados dollars (approximately U.S. $5
million), and at declining rates on profits and gains exceeding
that amount. Everest Group may elect to take a credit in respect
of taxes paid to a country other than Barbados, provided, that
the election does not reduce the tax payable in Barbados to a
rate less than 1% of the profits and gains of Everest Group in
any taxable year. As a company incorporated outside of Barbados
but managed and controlled in Barbados, Everest Groups
taxable income will not include distributions from non-Barbados
sources.
Under Barbados law, capital gains are not taxable
and so Everest Group will not be subject to any capital gains
tax. The transfer of securities or assets, other than taxable
assets, of Everest Group to a non-resident or to another
international business company is exempted from the payment of
Barbados property transfer tax but is subject to the payment of
stamp duty of BDS$10 per transaction.
As an international business company, Everest Group
also will be exempt from duties and other imposts on assets that
it imports into Barbados for use in its business. These assets
would include equipment, plant, machinery fixtures, appliances,
apparatus, tools and spare parts, and any raw materials, goods,
components and articles that are necessary for Everest Group to
carry on its international business.
In general, a foreign corporation is subject
to:
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U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates on
its taxable income that is treated as effectively connected to
its conduct of a trade or business within the United
States;
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U.S. branch profits tax on its effectively
connected earnings and profits deemed repatriated out of the
United States; and
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U.S. withholding tax on interest, dividends and
other similar types of U.S. source income not effectively
connected with a U.S. trade or business.
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In addition, the United States imposes an excise
tax on insurance and reinsurance premiums paid to foreign
insurers or reinsurers with respect to risks located in the
United States.
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Corporate Income Tax and Branch Profits
Tax
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Absent the benefits of the Bermuda treaty or
Barbados treaty, if either Everest Group or Everest Bermuda is
subject to U.S. federal income tax, it would be taxed at regular
corporate rates on all of its income that is effectively
connected with the conduct of its U.S. business. That income
tax, if imposed, would be computed in a manner generally
analogous to that applied to the income of a domestic
corporation, except that a foreign corporation is allowed
deductions and credits only if it files a U.S. income tax
return. Therefore, Everest Group and Everest Bermuda intend to
file protective U.S. income tax returns on a timely basis in
order to preserve their right to claim tax deductions and
credits if either company subsequently is determined to be
subject to U.S. tax on a net basis. In addition, Everest Group
or Everest Bermuda would be subject to the branch profits tax.
The highest marginal federal income tax rates currently are 35%
for a corporations effectively connected income and 30%
for the branch profits tax, resulting in an effective maximum
U.S. federal income tax rate of 54.5%. The branch profits tax is
imposed each year on a corporations effectively connected
earnings and profits, with some adjustments, deemed repatriated
out of the United States, which in Everest Groups or
Everest Bermudas case would be all of its net profits
subject to U.S. federal income tax.
Everest Group has received written guidelines from
its United States counsel regarding practices to be avoided so
that Everest Bermuda will not be engaged in the conduct of a
trade or business in the United States and so that Everest Group
will not inadvertently have material amounts of income
effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business
within the United States. Everest Group has been advised by
counsel that if Everest Bermuda and Everest Group comply with
these guidelines, Everest Bermuda should not be subject to U.S.
corporate income tax, other than withholding tax on U.S. source
dividend income, and Everest Group should not be subject to U.S.
corporate income tax, other than withholding tax on U.S. source
dividend income, on material amounts of income. Everest Bermuda
and Everest Group have represented to counsel that they will
follow these guidelines. However, the determination of whether
activities constitute being engaged in the conduct of a trade or
business and whether income is effectively connected to a U.S.
trade or business is essentially factual in nature. There are no
definitive standards provided by the Code, regulations or court
decisions. As a result, the IRS could contend that Everest
Bermuda is engaged in the conduct of a trade or business in the
United States and/or that Everest Group has material amounts of
income effectively connected to the conduct of a trade or
business in the United States. Any income of Everest Bermuda or
Everest Group effectively connected to the conduct of trade or
business in the United States would be subject to corporate
income tax and possibly the U.S. branch profits tax.
The United States and Bermuda have entered into the
Bermuda treaty, which provides some relief from U.S. income tax
on effectively connected income and the U.S. branch profits tax
for some insurance enterprises. Under the Bermuda treaty,
business profits earned by an operating insurance company that
is a resident of Bermuda, such as Everest Bermuda, may be taxed
in the United States only if those profits are attributable to
the conduct of a trade or business carried on through a
permanent establishment in the United States. For purposes of
the Bermuda treaty, a permanent establishment generally is
defined to include a branch, office or other fixed place of
business through which the business of the enterprise is carried
on, or an agent of dependent status that has, and habitually
exercises in the United States, authority to conclude contracts
in the name of the corporation. An insurance enterprise resident
in Bermuda will be entitled to the benefits of the Bermuda
treaty only if its stock is traded in the public market or
Bermuda residents or U.S. citizens or residents own 50% or more
of its equity and the enterprise does not use its income in
substantial part, directly or indirectly, to make
disproportionate distributions to, or to meet liabilities to,
persons who are not Bermuda residents or U.S. citizens or
residents.
It is uncertain whether Everest Bermuda is entitled
to relief under the permanent establishment provisions of the
Bermuda treaty because it is the subsidiary of a publicly-traded
company rather than a publicly-traded
company itself. No regulations interpreting the Bermuda treaty
have been issued. As a result, the IRS could contend that
Everest Bermuda is not entitled to the benefits of the Bermuda
treaty.
Even if Everest Bermuda is entitled to the benefits
of the Bermuda treaty, the determination of whether a permanent
establishment in the United States exists is essentially factual
in nature. As a result, the IRS could contend that Everest
Bermuda has a permanent establishment in the United States and
is subject to U.S. federal income tax as well as the branch
profits tax. See Risk FactorsEverest Group and/or
Everest Bermuda may become subject to U.S. corporate income tax,
which will reduce Everest Groups net income. If
Everest Bermuda is entitled to the benefits of the Bermuda
treaty and has a U.S. permanent establishment, it would be taxed
at regular corporate rates on all of its income that is
attributable to its U.S. permanent establishment. It also would
be subject to the branch profits tax on that income. If Everest
Bermuda qualified for Bermuda treaty benefits and did not have a
permanent establishment in the U.S. but was nonetheless found to
be engaged in business in the United States, there is an
argument that premium income would be exempt from U.S. tax but
that its investment income effectively connected with its U.S.
business would be subject to U.S. income taxes on a net basis,
and that the branch profits tax may be applicable to that
investment income.
The United States and Barbados have entered into the
Barbados treaty, which provides some relief from U.S. income tax
on effectively connected income and the U.S. branch profits tax.
Under the Barbados treaty, business profits earned by a company
that is managed and controlled in Barbados, such as Everest
Group, may be taxed in the United States only if those profits
are attributable to the conduct of a trade or business carried
on through a permanent establishment in the United States. In
addition, the branch profits tax on deemed dividends from any
U.S. permanent establishment is reduced to a rate of 5%,
provided, that the Barbados resident also is a qualified
resident under the branch profits rules of the Code. For
purposes of the Barbados treaty, a permanent establishment
generally is defined to include a branch, office or other fixed
place of business through which the business of the enterprise
is carried on, or an agent of dependent status that has, and
habitually exercises in the United States, authority to conclude
contracts in the name of the corporation. A company resident in
Barbados will be entitled to the benefits of the Barbados treaty
if it is publicly traded within the meaning of the Barbados
treaty. The stock of Everest Group should qualify as being
publicly traded for this purpose. Everest Group believes that it
will be resident in Barbados and therefore entitled to the
benefits of the Barbados treaty.
Because Everest Group believes that it is entitled
to the benefits of the Barbados treaty, it can operate under
less restrictive guidelines that are designed to ensure that it
does not have a permanent establishment in the United States.
Even though Everest Group is entitled to the benefits of the
Barbados treaty, the determination of whether a permanent
establishment in the United States exists is essentially factual
in nature. As a result, the IRS could contend that Everest Group
has a permanent establishment in the United States and is
subject to U.S. federal income tax on material amounts of
income. See Risk FactorsEverest Group and/or Everest
Bermuda may become subject to U.S. corporate income tax, which
will reduce Everest Groups net income. If Everest
Group is entitled to the benefits of the Barbados treaty and has
a permanent establishment in the United States, Everest Group
would be taxed at regular corporate rates on all of its income
attributable to its U.S. permanent establishment. It would also
be subject to a reduced rate of branch profits tax on that
income.
Foreign corporations are subject to U.S. income tax
on some fixed or determinable annual or periodical gains,
profits and income derived from sources within the United
States, such as dividends and some interest on investments. This
tax generally is imposed at a rate of 30% on the gross income
subject to the tax. The tax is eliminated with respect to some
types of U.S. source income, such as portfolio interest, and
with respect to income that is effectively connected with the
foreign corporations conduct of a U.S. trade or
business.
The rate of withholding tax may be reduced by
applicable treaties. The Bermuda treaty, the benefits of which
Everest Bermuda may be entitled to, contains no provision
reducing the rate of withholding tax. The
Barbados treaty, the benefits of which Everest Group believes it
is entitled to, reduces the rate of withholding tax on interest
to 5% and reduces the rate of withholding tax on dividends to 5%
for dividends received from a subsidiary and 15% for dividends
received in respect of ownership interests below
10%.
The United States also imposes an excise tax on
insurance and reinsurance premiums paid to foreign insurers or
reinsurers with respect to risks located in the United States.
The rates of tax applicable to premiums paid to Everest Bermuda
are 4% for direct casualty insurance and indemnity bonds and 1%
for reinsurance premiums and direct insurance of life, sickness
and accident policies and annuity contracts.
Taxation of Shareholders
There will be no Bermuda withholding tax on
dividends paid by Everest Group.
Because of Everest Groups status as an
international business company, there will be no Barbados
withholding tax on dividends paid by Everest Group to
shareholders who are not resident in Barbados or who, if so
resident, carry on an international business.
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United States Taxation of
Shareholders
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Taxation of Dividends. Generally, cash
distributions made on Everest Group common shares will
constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the
extent paid out of current or accumulated earnings and profits
of Everest Group. U.S. holders generally will be subject to U.S.
federal income tax on the receipt of those dividends. However,
those dividends generally will not be eligible for the dividends
received deduction. To the extent that a distribution exceeds
earnings and profits, it will be treated first as a return of
the U.S. holders basis to the extent of that basis, and
then as gain from the sale of a capital asset. Except for backup
withholding, dividends paid by Everest Group will not be subject
to U.S. withholding tax.
Possible Classification of Everest Group or
Everest Bermuda as a Controlled Foreign Corporation, or CFC.
Under Section 951(a) of the Code, if a foreign corporation,
such as Everest Group or Everest Bermuda, meets the definition
of a CFC for an uninterrupted period of 30 days or more during
any taxable year, then each shareholder who meets the definition
of a U.S. 10% shareholder of that corporation on the
last day of that taxable year must include in its gross income
for U.S. federal income tax purposes its pro rata share of the
CFCs subpart F income for that year, even if
the subpart F income is not distributed to the shareholder. In
addition, the U.S. 10% shareholders of a CFC may be deemed to
receive taxable distributions to the extent the CFC invests its
earnings in specified types of U.S. property. All of Everest
Groups and Everest Bermudas income is expected to be
subpart F income.
Subpart F income includes:
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foreign personal holding company income,
such as interest, dividends and other types of passive
investment income; and
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insurance income, which is defined
to include any income that is attributable to the issuing or
reinsuring of any insurance or annuity contract that would be
taxed under the insurance company provisions of the Code if
that income were the income of a domestic insurance
company.
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Subpart F income does not
include:
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any income from sources within the United
States that is effectively connected with the conduct of a
trade or business within the United States and not exempted or
subject to a reduced rate of tax by applicable
treaty;
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some income subject to high foreign taxes;
and
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exempt insurance income derived
prior to January 1, 2000 by a qualifying insurance
company as defined in Section 953(e) of the
Code.
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Under Section 951(b) of the Code, the definition of
U.S. shareholder includes any U.S. person who
directly, indirectly or by attribution owns 10% or more of the
total combined voting power of all classes of stock of a foreign
corporation. Shares of Everest Bermuda held indirectly by U.S.
persons through Everest Group will be treated as held by U.S.
persons for purposes of determining the 10% shareholders of
Everest Bermuda. A U.S. person will be treated as owning
indirectly a proportion of the shares of Everest Bermuda
corresponding to the ratio that the value of the Everest Group
common shares owned by that person bears to the value of all the
issued and outstanding share capital of Everest
Group.
In general, a foreign corporation is treated as a
CFC only if its U.S. 10% shareholders collectively own more than
50% of the total combined voting power or total value of the
corporations stock on any day. However, for purposes of
taking subpart F income into account, a foreign insurance
company will be treated as a CFC if more than 25% of the total
combined voting power or total value of its stock is owned by
U.S. 10% shareholders and other conditions that are expected to
be met apply.
Everest Groups bye-laws include provisions
that are intended to limit the ownership of the common shares to
levels that will not subject shareholders to these provisions.
Based on these bye-laws, Everest Group has been advised by its
United States counsel that neither Everest Group nor Everest
Bermuda should be a CFC and that Everest Group shareholders
should not be subject to these provisions. However, Everest
Group or Everest Bermuda could in the future become a CFC and
these provisions could apply. See Risk Factors
Everest Group shareholders could be subject to U.S. taxes
on undistributed income of Everest Group and/or Everest Bermuda
and Description of Everest Group Share Capital
Common Shares.
RPII Companies. A different definition of
controlled foreign corporation applies in the case
of a foreign corporation that earns gross related person
insurance income, often called RPII. Section 953(c)(2) of the
Code defines RPII as any insurance income, as
defined in the bullet point above, derived from the direct or
indirect insurance or reinsurance of the risk of any U.S.
taxpayer who directly or indirectly through foreign entities
owns any shares of the foreign insurance company or of any
related person to a U.S. taxpayer meeting that
definition. Everest Bermuda generally will be treated as a CFC
if its RPII shareholders directly, indirectly or by
attribution own 25% or more of the value or voting power of its
share capital on any day during a taxable year. If Everest
Bermuda is a CFC for an uninterrupted period of at least 30 days
during any taxable year under these special RPII rules, and no
exception applies, each RPII shareholder of Everest Bermuda on
the last day of Everest Bermudas taxable year will be
required to include in its gross income for U.S. federal income
tax purposes its pro rata share of the RPII for the entire
taxable year, determined as if all the RPII were distributed
proportionately only to those RPII shareholders at that date,
but limited by Everest Bermudas current-year earnings and
profits and reduced by the RPII shareholders share, if
any, of prior-year deficits in earnings and profits. For this
purpose, the term RPII shareholder generally
includes all U.S. persons who directly, indirectly or by
attribution own any amount of the Everest Group common shares
and the term related person generally means someone
who controls or is controlled by the RPII shareholder or someone
who is controlled by the same person or persons that control the
RPII shareholder. Control is measured by either more than 50% in
value or more than 50% in voting power of stock, applying
constructive ownership principles.
RPII Exceptions. The special RPII rules do
not apply if direct and indirect insureds and persons related to
those insureds, whether or not U.S. persons, are treated at all
times during the taxable year as owning, directly, indirectly or
by attribution, less than 20% of the voting power and less than
20% of the value of the stock of Everest Bermuda. This is often
called the RPII 20% ownership exception. The special RPII rules
also do not apply if the RPII of Everest Bermuda, determined on
a gross basis, is less than 20% of Everest Bermudas
gross insurance income for the taxable year. This is often called
the RPII 20% gross income exception. Everest Group intends to
operate Everest Bermuda in a way which qualifies for one or both
of these exceptions. However, there can be no assurance that it
will always so qualify.
Computation of RPII. In order to determine
how much RPII Everest Bermuda has earned in each taxable year,
Everest Group intends to obtain and rely upon information from
its insureds to determine whether any of the insureds or persons
related to them own Everest Group common shares and are U.S.
persons. Everest Group may not be able to determine whether any
of the underlying insureds of the insurance companies to which
Everest Bermuda provides insurance or reinsurance are RPII
shareholders or related persons to RPII shareholders.
Consequently, Everest Group may not be able to determine
accurately the gross amount of RPII earned by Everest Bermuda in
a given taxable year. For any year in which Everest Group
determines that gross RPII is 20% or more of Everest Bermuda
s gross insurance income, Everest Group may also seek
information from its shareholders as to whether direct or
indirect owners of Everest Group common shares at the end of the
year are U.S. persons so that the RPII may be determined and
apportioned among those persons. In addition, if neither of the
RPII exemptions is available, Everest Group will inform all
shareholders of the amount of RPII per share and that RPII
shareholders are obligated to file a return reporting those
amounts. To the extent that Everest Group is unable to determine
whether a direct or indirect owner of Everest Group common
shares is a U.S. person Everest Group may assume that the owner
is not a U.S. person for the purpose of allocating RPII, thereby
increasing the per share RPII amount for all RPII
shareholders.
Apportionment of RPII to RPII Shareholders.
The amount of RPII includible in the income of a RPII
shareholder is based on the net RPII income for the year after
deducting related expenses such as losses, loss reserves and
operating expenses. Every U.S. person who directly, indirectly
or by attribution owns Everest Group common shares on the last
day of any taxable year of Everest Bermuda in which Everest
Bermuda does not qualify for either the RPII 20% ownership
exception or the RPII 20% gross income exception should expect
that for that year it will be required to include in gross
income its share of Everest Bermudas RPII for the entire
year, whether or not distributed, even though it may not have
owned the shares for the entire year. A U.S. person who owns
Everest Group common shares during the taxable year but not on
the last day of the taxable year, which would normally be
December 31, is not required to include in gross income any part
of Everest Bermudas RPII. The amount of RPII allocable to
each U.S. holder of Everest Group common shares who is required
to include RPII of Everest Bermuda in income for a given taxable
year normally will bear the same ratio to the total RPII of
Everest Bermuda for that taxable year as the number of common
shares owned by that U.S. holder bears to the aggregate number
of common shares owned by all U.S. holders. If Everest Bermuda
has RPII and Everest Group makes a distribution of that RPII to
a U.S. holder with respect to the common shares, those dividends
will not be taxable to the extent of any RPII that has been
included in the gross income of that U.S. holder for the taxable
year in which the distribution was paid or for any prior
year.
Basis Adjustments. A RPII shareholders
tax basis in its Everest Group common shares will be increased
by the amount of any RPII that the shareholder includes in
income. The RPII shareholders tax basis in its Everest
Group common shares will be reduced by the amount of any
distributions that are excluded from income. In general, a RPII
shareholder will not be able to exclude from income
distributions with respect to RPII that a prior shareholder
included in income.
Information Reporting. Every U.S. person who
controls a foreign corporation by owning directly or
by attribution more than 50% of the total combined voting power
of all classes of stock of that corporation entitled to vote, or
more than 50% of the total value of shares of all classes of
stock of that corporation, for an uninterrupted period of 30
days or more during a taxable year of that foreign corporation,
must file Form 5471 with its U.S. income tax return. However,
the IRS also requires any U.S. person that is treated as a U.S.
10% shareholder or RPII shareholder of a CFC and that owns
shares in that CFC directly, indirectly or by attribution to
file Form 5471. As a result, if Everest Bermudas gross
RPII for a taxable year constitutes 20% or more of its gross
insurance income for that year, any U.S. person treated as
owning any shares of Everest Bermuda directly or indirectly on
the last day of that taxable year is a RPII shareholder for
purposes of the RPII rules and must file Form 5471. In addition,
U.S. persons that own more than 10% in vote or value of the
outstanding
stock of Everest Group or Everest Bermuda at any time during a
taxable year must sometimes file Form 5471 even if neither
corporation is a CFC. For any taxable year in which Everest
Group determines that Everest Bermudas gross RPII
constitutes 20% or more of its gross insurance income, Everest
Group intends to mail to all shareholders of record, and will
make available through the transfer agent with respect to the
common shares, Form 5471, completed with information from
Everest Group, for attachment to the returns of shareholders. A
tax-exempt organization that is treated as a U.S. 10%
shareholder or a RPII shareholder for any purpose under subpart
F also must file Form 5471 in the circumstances described above.
Failure to file Form 5471 may result in penalties.
Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Section 512(b)(17)
of the Code requires a tax-exempt entity that directly,
indirectly or by attribution owns shares of Everest Group or
Everest Bermuda to treat as unrelated business taxable income,
often called UBTI, within the meaning of Section 512 of the Code
the portion of any deemed distribution to that shareholder of
subpart F income under Section 951(a) of the Code that is
attributable to insurance income which, if derived directly by
that shareholder, would be treated as UBTI. This rule does not
apply to income attributable to a policy of insurance or
reinsurance with respect to which the person directly or
indirectly insured is:
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the tax-exempt shareholder,
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an affiliate of the tax-exempt shareholder
which itself is exempt from tax under Section 501(a) of the
Code or
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a director or officer of, or an individual who
directly or indirectly performs services for, the tax-exempt
shareholder or an exempt affiliate but only if the insurance
covers primarily risks associated with the performance of
services in connection with the tax-exempt shareholder or
exempt affiliate.
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Section 512(b)(17) of the Code applies to amounts
included in gross income in any taxable year. Thus, if a
tax-exempt entity owning stock in Everest Group were required to
report subpart F income because Everest Bermudas gross
RPII were to equal or exceed 20% of its gross insurance income,
or because Everest Group or Everest Bermuda were otherwise
treated as a CFC for a taxable year and the tax-exempt entity
was a U.S. 10% shareholder, the tax-exempt entity owning stock
in Everest Group would be required to treat a portion of Everest
Groups subpart F income as UBTI. If you are a tax-exempt
entity, you should consult your tax advisors as to the potential
impact of Section 512(b)(17) and the UBTI provisions of the
Code.
Uncertainty as to Application of RPII. The
RPII provisions of the Code have never been interpreted by the
courts. In 1991, the IRS proposed regulations interpreting the
RPII provisions of the Code. It is not certain whether these
regulations will be adopted in their proposed form or what
changes or clarifications might ultimately be made or whether
any changes, as well as any interpretation or application of
RPII by the IRS, the courts or otherwise, might have retroactive
effect. Accordingly, the meaning of the RPII provisions and
their application to Everest Group and Everest Bermuda is
uncertain.
Foreign Tax Credit. Only a portion of the
RPII and dividends paid by Everest Group will be treated as
foreign source income for purposes of computing a shareholder
s U.S. foreign tax credit limitation. This is because it
is anticipated that U.S. persons will own a majority of Everest
Groups shares after the restructuring and because a
substantial part of Everest Bermudas business includes the
insurance of U.S. risks. Everest Group has been advised by its
United States counsel that substantially all of the RPII and
dividends that are foreign source income will constitute either
passive or financial services income for
foreign tax credit limitation purposes. As a result, it may not
be possible for some U.S. holders to utilize excess foreign tax
credits to reduce U.S. tax on that income.
Dispositions of Everest Group common shares.
Subject to the potential application of the controlled
foreign corporation and passive foreign investment
company rules, capital gain or loss realized by a U.S.
holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of Everest
Group common shares will be includible in gross
income as capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the
difference between that holders basis in the common shares
and the amount realized on the sale, exchange or other
disposition. If a U.S. holders holding period for the
common shares is more than one year, any gain will be subject to
the U.S. federal income tax at a current maximum marginal rate
of 20% for individuals and 35% for corporations.
Section 1248 of the Code provides that if a U.S.
person directly, indirectly or by attribution owns 10% or more
of the voting shares of a corporation that is a CFC, any gain
from the sale or exchange of the shares may be treated as
ordinary income to the extent of the CFCs earnings and
profits during the period that the shareholder held the shares.
Section 953(c)(7) of the Code generally provides that Section
1248 also will apply to the sale or exchange of shares by a RPII
shareholder in a foreign corporation that earns RPII and is
characterized as a CFC under the RPII rules if the foreign
corporation would be taxed as an insurance company if it were a
domestic corporation, regardless of whether the shareholder is a
U.S. 10% shareholder or whether the corporation qualifies for
either the RPII 20% ownership exception or the RPII 20% gross
income exception. Existing Treasury Department regulations do
not specifically address whether Section 1248 of the Code would
apply when a foreign corporation such as Everest Group is not a
CFC but the foreign corporation has an insurance company
subsidiary such as Everest Bermuda that is a CFC for purposes of
requiring U.S. shareholders to take RPII into
account.
Everest Group has been advised by its United States
counsel that Section 1248 of the Code should not apply to
dispositions of Everest Group common shares because Everest
Group will not have any U.S. 10% shareholders and Everest Group
is not directly engaged in the insurance business. However, the
IRS may interpret proposed regulations under Section 953 of the
Code, or the U.S. treasury department may amend the proposed
regulations under Section 953 of the Code or other regulations,
to provide that Section 1248 will apply to dispositions of
shares in a corporation, such as Everest Group, which is engaged
in the insurance business indirectly through its
subsidiaries.
Passive Foreign Investment Companies.
Sections 1291 through 1298 of the Code contain special rules
applicable to foreign corporations that are passive
foreign investment companies, often called PFICs. In
general, a foreign corporation will be a PFIC if 75% or more of
its gross income constitutes passive income or 50%
or more of its assets produce, or are held for the production
of, passive income. If Everest Group meets either the 75% income
test or the 50% asset test, unless U.S. shareholders make a
qualified electing fund election or mark to
market election as described below, they will be subject
to a special tax and an interest charge at the time of the sale
of, or receipt of an excess distribution with
respect to, their shares. In addition, a portion of any gain may
be recharacterized as ordinary income. In general, a shareholder
receives an excess distribution if the amount of the
distribution is more than 125% of the average distribution with
respect to the stock during the three preceding taxable years or
shorter period during which the taxpayer held the stock. In
general, the special tax and interest charges are based on the
value of the deferral of the taxes that are deemed due during
the period the U.S. shareholder owned the shares. The special
tax is computed by assuming that the excess distribution or gain
with respect to the shares was taxed in equal portions
throughout the holders period of ownership at the highest
marginal tax rate. The interest charge is computed using the
applicable rate imposed on underpayments of U.S. federal income
tax for that period. In general, if a U.S. shareholder owns
stock in a foreign corporation during any taxable year in which
that corporation is a PFIC, the stock will generally be treated
as stock in a PFIC for all subsequent years.
The special PFIC tax rules described above will not
apply to a U.S. holder if the U.S. holder elects to have Everest
Group treated as a qualified electing fund, or QEF,
and Everest Group provides required information to U.S. holders.
If Everest Group is treated as a PFIC, it intends to notify U.S.
holders and to provide to U.S. holders the information required
to make a QEF election effective.
A U.S. holder that makes a QEF election will be
currently taxed on its pro rata share of Everest Groups
ordinary earnings at ordinary income rates and net capital gain
at capital gains rates for each taxable year, regardless of
whether or not the holder receives distributions. The U.S. holder
s basis in the common shares
will be increased to reflect taxed but undistributed income.
Distributions of income that were previously taxed will result
in a corresponding reduction of basis in the common shares and
will not be taxed again upon actual distribution to the U.S.
holder.
Alternatively, a U.S. holder of common shares in a
PFIC that qualify as marketable stock may make a
mark to market election. A U.S. holder who makes a mark to
market election is not subject to the PFIC rules described
above, but instead:
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must include in each year as ordinary income
any excess of the fair market value of the common shares at
the end of the taxable year over their adjusted basis;
and
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will be permitted an ordinary loss in respect
of any excess of the adjusted basis of the common shares over
their fair market value at the end of the taxable year, but
only to the extent of the net amount previously included in
income as a result of the mark to market election.
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The U.S. holders basis in the common shares
will be adjusted to reflect those income or loss amounts, if
any. The mark to market election is only available with respect
to stock traded on some U.S. exchanges and other exchanges
designated by the U.S. treasury department. Everest Group
expects that this election will be available to U.S. holders of
common shares.
For the above purposes, the term passive income
means income of a kind that would be characterized as
foreign personal holding company income under Section 954(c) of
the Code, and generally includes interest, dividends, annuities
and other investment income. The PFIC statutory provisions
contain an express exception for income derived in the
active conduct of an insurance business by a corporation which
is predominantly engaged in an insurance business . .
. This insurance company exception is intended to
ensure that income derived by a bona fide insurance company is
not treated as passive income. As a result, to the extent that
income is attributable to financial reserves in excess of the
reasonable needs of the insurance business, it may be treated as
passive income for purposes of the PFIC rules. The PFIC
statutory provisions also contain a look-through rule that
states that, for purposes of determining whether a foreign
corporation is a PFIC, the foreign corporation shall be treated
as if it received directly its proportionate share of the
income . . . and as if it held its
proportionate share of the assets . . . of
any other corporation in which it owns at least 25% of the value
of the stock. Everest Group has been advised by its United
States counsel that Everest Bermuda should be entitled to the
insurance company exception and, therefore, that none of its
income or assets should be considered to be passive unless
Everest Bermuda has assets in excess of the reasonable needs of
its business. Everest Group has also been advised by its counsel
that, under the look-through rule, Everest Group would be deemed
to own its proportionate share of the assets and to have
received its proportionate share of the income of Everest
Bermuda and Everest Holdings and its subsidiaries for purposes
of determining whether 75% of its income is passive and
determining whether 50% of its assets produce passive income. As
a result, Everest Group should not be considered a PFIC.
However, no final regulations interpreting the substantive PFIC
provisions have yet been issued and substantial uncertainty
exists with respect to their application or their possible
retroactivity. You should consult your tax advisors as to the
effects of these rules.
Paying agents and custodians located in the United
States will be required to report information to the IRS with
respect to payments of dividends on the Everest Group common
shares to shareholders or to paying agents or custodians located
in the United States. In addition, a holder of Everest Group
common shares may be subject to backup withholding at the rate
of 31% with respect to dividends paid by paying agents and
custodians located in the United States, unless the holder (1)
is a corporation or comes within other exempt categories and,
when required, demonstrates this fact; or (2) provides a
taxpayer identification number, certifies as to no loss of
exemption from backup withholding and otherwise complies with
applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. The
backup withholding tax is not an additional tax and may be
credited against a holders regular federal income tax
liability.
Sales of Everest Group common shares through
brokers by some U.S. persons also may be subject to backup
withholding. Sales by corporations, certain tax-exempt entities,
individual retirement plans, REITs, some financial institutions
and other exempt recipients as defined in applicable
regulations currently are not subject to backup withholding. You
should consult your own tax advisors regarding the possible
applicability of the back-up withholding provisions to
you.
DESCRIPTION OF EVEREST GROUP SHARE
CAPITAL
The following description of Everest Groups
share capital summarizes provisions of Everest Groups
memorandum of association and bye-laws. Everest Group has filed
copies of the memorandum of association and bye-laws as exhibits
to the registration statement of which this document is a
part.
General
The authorized share capital of Everest Group
consists of (1) 200,000,000 common shares, par value $.01 per
share, of which approximately 46,459,597 will be outstanding
after the restructuring, and (2) 50,000,000 preferred shares,
par value $.01 per share, none of which will be outstanding
after the restructuring. Everest Holdings currently owns
1,200,000 common shares, which constitute all of the outstanding
common shares of Everest Group. Immediately after the merger is
completed, Everest Group will repurchase the 1,200,000 common
shares currently owned by Everest Holdings for an aggregate
price of $12,000 and those common shares will be
canceled.
From time to time prior to the restructuring,
Everest Holdings may make repurchases of its common stock. From
time to time after the restructuring, Everest Group may make
repurchases of common shares either directly or through its
subsidiaries.
Common Shares
Holders of Everest Group common shares have no
pre-emptive, redemption, conversion or sinking fund rights. The
quorum required for a general meeting of shareholders is two or
more persons present in person and representing in person or by
proxy more than 50% of the issued and outstanding common shares.
Except as described below, holders of common shares are entitled
to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a vote of
holders of common shares. Most matters to be approved by holders
of common shares require approval by a simple majority of the
votes cast at a meeting at which a quorum is
present.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or
winding-up of Everest Group, the holders of common shares are
entitled to share equally and ratably in the assets of Everest
Group, if any remain after the payment of all debts and
liabilities of the company and the liquidation preference of any
outstanding preferred shares.
Limitation on Voting Rights. If and for as
long as the aggregate number of controlled shares, as defined
below, of any person exceeds 9.9% of the total voting power of
all of the issued and outstanding share capital of Everest
Group, each controlled share, regardless of the identity of the
registered holder, will confer only a fraction of a vote as
determined by the following formula:
(T-C)
(9.1 × C)
Where:
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T is the aggregate number of
votes conferred by all the issued and outstanding share
capital immediately prior to that application of the formula
with respect to any particular person, adjusted to take into
account any prior reduction taken with respect to any other
person as a result of a previous application of the
formula;
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C is the number of controlled
shares attributable to the person; and
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Controlled shares of any person refers to all
shares of the issued and outstanding share capital owned by
that person, whether
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with respect to persons who are U.S. persons,
by application of the attribution and constructive ownership
rules of sections 958(a) and 958(b) or 544 and 554 of the
Code, or
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beneficially within the meaning of Section
13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act.
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The formula will be applied successively, starting
with the person to whom the largest number of controlled shares
is attributable, as many times as may be necessary to ensure
that the aggregate number of controlled shares of any person
does not exceed 9.9% of the total voting power of all of the
issued and outstanding share capital at any time.
The directors retain discretion to make final
adjustments to the aggregate number of votes attaching to the
shares of any shareholder that they consider fair and reasonable
in all the circumstances to ensure that the aggregate number of
controlled shares of any person does not exceed 9.9% of the
total voting power of Everest Group.
Restrictions on Transfer. The bye-laws of
Everest Group permit its board of directors to decline to
register any transfer of common shares if it has reason to
believe that the transfer would result in:
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any person that is not an investment company
beneficially owning more than 5.0% of any class of the issued
and outstanding share capital of Everest Group,
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any person holding controlled shares in excess
of 9.9% of any class of the issued and outstanding share
capital of Everest Group or
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any adverse tax, regulatory or legal
consequences to Everest Group, any of its subsidiaries or any
of its shareholders.
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If the directors refuse to register a transfer for
any reason, they must notify the proposed transferor and
transferee within 30 days of their refusal. Everest Groups
bye-laws also provide that the board of directors may suspend
the registration of transfers at any time and for any periods
that it determines, provided that they may not suspend the
registration of transfers for more than 45 days in any period of
365 consecutive days.
Conyers Dill & Pearman, Bermuda counsel to
Everest Group, have advised that while the precise form of the
restrictions on transfer contained in the bye-laws is untested,
as a matter of general principle, restrictions on transfers are
enforceable under Bermuda law and are not uncommon. A proposed
transferee will be permitted to dispose of any common shares
purchased that violate the restrictions and as to the transfer
of which registration is refused. The transferor of those common
shares will be deemed to own those common shares for dividend,
voting and reporting purposes until a transfer of those common
shares has been registered on the shareholder register of
Everest Group.
Repurchase Rights. The bye-laws of Everest
Group provide that if the board of directors has reason to
believe that
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any person that is not an investment company
beneficially owns more than 5.0% of any class of the issued
and outstanding share capital of Everest Group,
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any person holds controlled shares in excess of
9.9% of any class of the issued and outstanding share capital
of Everest Group or
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share ownership by any person may result in
adverse tax, regulatory or legal consequences to Everest
Group, any of its subsidiaries or any other
shareholder,
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then Everest Group will have the option, but not
the obligation, to redeem or purchase all or any part of the
common shares so held to the extent the board of directors
determines it is necessary or advisable to avoid or
cure any adverse or potential adverse consequences. The price to
be paid for any common shares redeemed or purchased will be the
fair market value of those shares, defined as the average of the
high and low sale prices of the common shares on the NYSE for
the last 15 trading days immediately preceding the day on which
Everest Group sends a notice of redemption or purchase to the
shareholder.
Information Requirements. The bye-laws of
Everest Group provide that the board of directors may require any
shareholder or proposed transferee of shares to certify or
otherwise provide to the board of directors complete and accurate
information necessary for it to give effect to the limitations on
voting, restrictions on transfer and repurchase rights. If any
shareholder or proposed transferee fails to respond to that
request in a timely fashion or if the board of directors has
reason to believe that any certification or other information
provided is inaccurate or incomplete, the board of directors may
decline to approve any transfer to which that request relates or
may determine to disregard for all purpose all votes attached to
any common shares held by that shareholder.
Transfer Agent. The transfer agent and
registrar for the Everest Group common shares is First Chicago
Trust Company of New York.
Preferred Shares
Under the terms of the Everest Group bye-laws, the
board of directors by resolution may establish one or more series
of preferred shares having the number of shares, designation,
powers, preferences, voting rights, dividend rates, redemption
provisions and other rights, qualifications, limitations or
restrictions that may be fixed by the board of directors without
any further shareholder approval. The issuance of preferred shares
could have the effect of discouraging an attempt to obtain control
of Everest Group. The issuance of preferred shares also could
adversely affect the voting power of the holders of common shares,
deny shareholders the receipt of a premium on their common shares
in the event of a tender or other offer for the common shares and
have a depressive effect on the market price of the common shares.
Everest Group has no present plan to issue any preferred
shares.
Comparison of Rights of Holders of Everest Group
Common Shares and Holders of Everest Holdings Common
Stock
The rights of Everest Holdings stockholders currently
are governed by Delaware law, the Everest Holdings certificate of
incorporation and the Everest Holdings by-laws. After the
restructuring, holders of Everest Holdings common stock will
become holders of common shares of Everest Group and the rights of
Everest Group shareholders will be governed by Bermuda law, the
Everest Group memorandum of association and the Everest Group
bye-laws. It is not practical to describe all of the differences
between the Everest Holdings by-laws and the Everest Group
bye-laws or all of the differences between Delaware corporation
law and Bermuda companies law. However, the following is a summary
of the material differences between Bermuda law and the Everest
Group bye-laws. The Everest Group memorandum of association and
the Everest Group bye-laws have been filed as exhibits to the
registration statement of which this document is a part. For
information on how to obtain these documents, see Where You
Can Find More Information.
Election of Directors. The Everest Group
bye-laws provide for the board of directors to be elected annually
at the annual meeting of shareholders or at a special meeting
called for that purpose. The size of the board is fixed by
resolution adopted from time to time by a majority of the
directors and may be any number between three and 12. The board is
divided into three approximately equal classes and each class
serves for a three-year term, with the terms of each class
expiring in successive years. These provisions are substantially
similar to the Everest Holdings by-law provisions that currently
govern the Everest Holdings board of directors, except that the
size of the Everest Holdings board is not required to be in the
range of three to 12 members.
Removal of Directors. The Everest Group
bye-laws provide that a director may be removed prior to the
expiration of his or her term, but only for cause, at a special
meeting of shareholders at which the votes of
66 2
/3% of the shares entitled to vote are cast in
favor of removal. The director whose removal is being considered
must be served with at least 14 days prior notice of the special
meeting and must be given the opportunity to be heard at the
meeting. Under Delaware law, when a corporations board of
directors is divided into classes, as is the board of Everest
Holdings, directors may be removed, but only for cause, by the
vote of the holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote.
Alternate Directors. The Everest Group bye-laws
provide, as permitted by Bermuda law, that each director may
appoint an alternate director, who shall have the power to attend
and vote at any meeting of the board of directors or committee at
which that director is not personally present and to sign written
consents in place of that director. Delaware law does not provide
for alternate directors.
Committees of the Board of Directors. The
Everest Group bye-laws provide, as permitted by Bermuda law, that
the board of directors may delegate any of its powers to
committees that the board appoints, and those committees may
consist partly or entirely of non-directors. Delaware law allows
the board of directors of a corporation to delegate many of its
powers to committees, but those committees may consist only of
directors.
Special Meetings of Shareholders. The Everest
Group bye-laws provide that special meetings of shareholders (1)
may be called by the Chairman of the Board, the Deputy Chairman,
any two Directors or any Director and the Secretary and (2) shall
be called at the request of shareholders holding not less than 10%
of the voting shares of the company. The Everest Holdings by-laws
provide that special meetings of shareholders may be called by the
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, the President
or the board of directors. They do not give shareholders the power
to call a special meeting.
Fiduciary Duties of Directors and Officers. The
Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda imposes two main fiduciary duties on
each director and officer:
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(1)
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Duty
of good faith. A director or officer must act honestly and
in good faith with a view to the best interests of the company.
This means that in conflict of interest situations, a director
or officer must place the best interests of the company above
his own personal interests. It also means that a director or
officer may not use his position as a director to make a
personal profit from opportunities that rightfully belong to the
company.
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(2)
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Duty
of care. A director or officer must exercise the care,
diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent person would
exercise in comparable circumstances. This means that a director
or officer must act reasonably in accordance with the level of
skill expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. A
director must attend diligently to the companys affairs,
but is permitted to do so on an intermittent rather than a
continuous basis. A director or officer may delegate management
functions to suitably qualified persons, although he will not
avoid his duty by delegation to others.
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These two duties are similar to the duty of loyalty
and the duty of care that directors and officers have under
Delaware law. Delaware courts generally presume that directors
have fulfilled their duty of care so long as their conduct does
not involve fraud, illegality, conflict of interest, lack of a
rational business purpose or gross negligence. A Bermuda court is
likely to interfere with decisions of directors only if the
directors acted in bad faith or exceeded the powers granted to
them under the companys bye-laws, or if the court finds that
no reasonable board of directors could have come to the decision
that was reached.
Under Bermuda law, directors and officers owe
fiduciary duties to the company as a whole and not to shareholders
individually. If a company suffers any losses due to acts or
omissions of its directors or officers that constitute a breach of
their duties to the company, then the company may be able to
recover its losses from those directors or officers. Examples of
this type of situation would be misappropriation of the company
s assets or transactions undertaken on behalf of the company
for an unlawful purpose. Under Delaware law, directors and
officers owe fiduciary duties to both the corporation and its
shareholders.
Limitation of Liability of Directors and
Officers. The Everest Group bye-laws provide that Everest
Group and its shareholders waive all claims or rights of action
that they might have, individually or in the right of the
company, against any director or officer for any act or failure to
act in the performance of that directors or officers
duties. However, this waiver does not apply to claims involving
fraud or dishonesty. This waiver may have the effect of barring
claims arising under U.S. federal securities laws. Under Delaware
law, a corporation may include in its certificate of incorporation
provisions limiting the personal liability of its directors to the
corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for many
types of breach of fiduciary duty. However, these provisions may
not limit liability for any breach of the duty of loyalty, acts or
omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct
or a knowing violation of law, the authorization of unlawful
dividends, stock repurchases or stock redemptions, or any
transaction from which a director derived an improper personal
benefit. Moreover, these provisions would not be likely to bar
claims arising under U.S. federal securities laws.
Interested Directors. Bermuda law and the
Everest Group bye-laws provide that if a director has a personal
interest in a transaction to which the company is also a party and
if the director discloses the nature of this personal interest at
the first opportunity, either at a meeting of directors or in
writing to the directors, then the company will not be able to
declare the transaction void solely due to the existence of that
personal interest and the director will not be liable to the
company for any profit realized from the transaction. Under
Delaware law, a corporation may be able to declare a transaction
with an interested director to be void unless one of the following
conditions is fulfilled:
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the
material facts as to the interested directors relationship
or interests are disclosed or are known to the board of
directors and the board in good faith authorizes the transaction
by the affirmative vote of a majority of the disinterested
directors,
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the
material facts are disclosed or are known to the stockholders
entitled to vote on the transaction and the transaction is
specifically approved in good faith by the holders of a majority
of the voting shares or
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the
transaction is fair to the corporation as of the time it is
authorized, approved or ratified.
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Under Delaware law, an interested director could be
held liable for a transaction in which that director derived an
improper personal benefit.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. Everest Group
may acquire the business of another Bermuda exempted company or a
company incorporated outside Bermuda if that business fits within
the business purpose of Everest Group as described in its
memorandum of association. Everest Group may also amalgamate with
another Bermuda company or with an entity incorporated outside
Bermuda. In an amalgamation, two or more companies join together
and continue as a single company. An amalgamation of unaffiliated
companies requires the approval of a majority of votes cast at a
general meeting of the shareholders of each company. If a
shareholder of an amalgamating company is not satisfied that fair
value has been paid for his shares, that shareholder may apply to
a Bermuda court for a proper valuation of his shares. However, the
court ordinarily would not block an amalgamation for that reason
unless there were evidence of fraud or bad faith. When a holding
company amalgamates with one or more of its wholly-owned
subsidiary companies, or when two or more wholly-owned
subsidiaries of the same holding company amalgamate with each
other, the directors of the amalgamating companies can approve the
amalgamation without obtaining shareholder approval. Under
Delaware law, a merger, consolidation or sale of all or
substantially all the assets of a corporation generally must be
approved by the board of directors and a majority of the
outstanding voting shares. A stockholder of a Delaware corporation
participating in major corporate transactions may be entitled to
have the fair value of the stockholders shares appraised by
a court and to receive that appraised value in cash instead of the
consideration that the stockholder would otherwise receive in the
transaction. Delaware law permits a parent corporation, acting by
resolution of its board of directors and without any shareholder
vote, to merge with any subsidiary of which it owns at least 90%
of each class of capital stock. Upon any merger of that type,
dissenting stockholders of the subsidiary have appraisal
rights.
Takeovers. Under Bermuda law, if an acquiror
makes an offer for shares of a company and, within four months of
the offer, the holders of not less than 90% of the shares that are
the subject of the offer tender their shares, the acquiror may
give the nontendering shareholders notice requiring them to
transfer their shares on the terms of the offer. Within one month
of receiving the notice, dissenting shareholders may apply to the
court
objecting to the transfer. The burden is on the dissenting
shareholders to show that the court should exercise its discretion
to enjoin the transfer. The court will be unlikely to do this
unless there is evidence of fraud or bad faith or collusion
between the acquiror and the tendering shareholders aimed at
unfairly forcing out minority shareholders. Under another
provision of Bermuda law, the holders of 95% of the shares of a
company may give notice to the remaining shareholders requiring
them to sell their shares on the terms described in the notice.
Within one month of receiving the notice, dissenting shareholders
may apply to the court for an appraisal of their shares. If the
courts appraisal is higher than the price specified in the
notice, then all shareholders who sold their shares under the
terms of the notice are entitled to receive that higher price.
There are no comparable provisions under Delaware law.
Shareholders Suits. The rights of
shareholders under Bermuda law are not as extensive as the rights
of shareholders under legislation or judicial precedent in many
United States jurisdictions. Class actions and derivative actions
are generally not available to shareholders under the laws of
Bermuda. However, the Bermuda courts ordinarily would be expected
to follow English case law precedent, which would permit a
shareholder to bring an action in the name of Everest Group if the
directors or officers are alleged to be acting beyond the
corporate power of the company, committing illegal acts or
violating the memorandum of association or bye-laws of the
company. In addition, minority shareholders would probably be able
to challenge a corporate action that allegedly constituted a fraud
against them or required the approval of a greater percentage of
the companys shareholders than actually approved it. The
winning party in an action of this type generally would be able to
recover a portion of attorneys fees incurred in connection
with the action. Under Delaware law, class actions and derivative
actions generally are available to stockholders for breach of
fiduciary duty, corporate waste and actions not taken in
accordance with applicable law. In these types of actions, the
court has discretion to permit the winning party to recover its
attorneys fees.
Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Under Bermuda law, a company may indemnify its directors or
officers, in their capacity as directors or officers, against loss
or liability for any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach
of trust of which they may be guilty in relation to the company,
unless their conduct involved fraud or dishonesty. The Everest
Group bye-laws provide for this indemnification. Under Delaware
law, a corporation may indemnify a director or officer who becomes
a party to an action, suit or proceeding because of his position
as a director or officer if (1) the director or officer acted in
good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the corporation and (2) if the
action or proceeding involves a criminal offense, the director or
officer had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was
unlawful.
Inspection of Corporate Records. Members of the
general public have the right to inspect the public documents of
Everest Group available at the office of the Registrar of
Companies in Bermuda. These documents include the memorandum of
association, which describes the companys permitted purposes
and powers, any amendments to the memorandum of association and
documents relating to any change in the companys authorized
share capital. Shareholders of Everest Group have the additional
right to inspect the companys bye-laws, minutes of general
meetings of shareholders and audited financial statements that
must be presented to the annual general meeting of shareholders.
The register of shareholders of Everest Group also is open to
inspection by shareholders without charge, and to members of the
public for a fee. Everest Group is required to maintain its share
register at its registered office in Bermuda but, following the
listing of the common shares on the NYSE, may establish a branch
register outside Bermuda. Everest Group is required to keep at its
registered office a register of its directors and officers that is
open for inspection by members of the public without charge.
However, Bermuda law does not provide a general right for
shareholders to inspect or obtain copies of any other corporate
records. Under Delaware law, any shareholder may inspect or obtain
copies of a corporations shareholder list and its other
books and records for any purpose reasonably related to that person
s interest as a shareholder.
REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS
ASSOCIATED WITH OPERATING IN BERMUDA AND
BARBADOS
Bermuda Insurance Regulation
The Bermuda Insurance Act 1978 and related
regulations, which are referred to together in this document as
the Insurance Act, regulate insurance companies, including
companies such as Everest Bermuda that will write insurance and
reinsurance business. The Insurance Act gives the Bermuda Minister
of Finance power to register, supervise, investigate and intervene
in the affairs of insurance companies. The registration of an
insurer under the Insurance Act is subject to compliance with the
terms of its registration and any other conditions that the
Minister may impose from time to time. The Minister is assisted by
an insurance advisory committee and its various subcommittees. In
addition, the Bermuda Registrar of Companies is responsible for
the day-to-day supervision of insurers.
Types of Registration. Everest Bermuda will be
registered as both a Class 4 insurer and a long-term insurer. A
Class 4 insurer is a property and casualty insurance company that
is eligible to write property catastrophe and excess liability
business and is required to maintain a statutory capital and
surplus of not less than $100 million. A long-term insurer is an
insurance company that writes long-term business, which is
generally defined in the Insurance Act to include life and annuity
business.
Principal Representative. Every registered
insurer is required to maintain a principal office in Bermuda and
to have a principal representative in Bermuda. For the purpose of
the Insurance Act, Everest Bermudas principal office will be
at Richmond House, 12 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton HM 08, Bermuda,
and Everest Bermudas principal representative will be
Westbroke Limited. Without a reason acceptable to the Minister, an
insurer may not terminate the appointment of its principal
representative, and the principal representative may not cease to
act in that capacity, without giving the Minister 30 days
advance notice in writing. The principal representative has the
statutory duty to submit a report to the Minister within 30 days
of becoming aware that the insurer is likely to become insolvent,
is not in compliance with some provisions of the Insurance Act or
other requirements imposed by the Minister, is involved in any
criminal proceedings or is no longer carrying on insurance
business in or from Bermuda.
Independent Approved Auditor. Every registered
insurer must appoint an independent auditor who annually audits
and reports on the insurers statutory financial statements
and statutory financial return. The independent auditor must be
approved by the Minister of Finance and may be the same person or
firm that audits the insurers financial statements and
reports for presentation to its shareholders. Everest Bermuda
s independent auditor will be
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Approved Actuary. Every registered long-term
insurer must appoint an actuary approved by the Minister of
Finance. The approved actuary, who is normally a qualified life
actuary, prepares a certificate that is filed annually with the
insurers statutory financial return. This certificate must
state the actuarys opinion as to whether the aggregate
amount of the insurers liabilities for long-term business at
the end of the financial year exceeded the aggregate amount of
those liabilities as shown in the insurers statutory balance
sheet.
Loss Reserve Specialist. Every registered Class
4 insurer is required to appoint a loss reserve specialist
approved by the Minister of Finance. The loss reserve specialist,
who is normally a qualified casualty actuary, prepares an opinion
on the adequacy of the insurers loss reserves that is filed
annually with the insurers statutory financial
return.
Long-term Business Fund. An insurer that writes
long-term business is required to keep its accounts for this
business separate from its other business accounts and to credit
all receipts from its long-term business to a long-term business
fund. Generally, the insurer can only make payments from this fund
for purposes related to its long-term business. However, it can
make payments from this fund for other purposes if its approved
actuary certifies that the amount of those payments is surplus
available for distribution to persons other than
policyholders.
Annual Statutory Financial Return. Within
four months after its financial year end, Everest Bermuda will be
required to file a statutory financial return with the Registrar
of Companies. This return includes Everest Bermudas
statutory financial statements, solvency certificates, a report of
the approved independent auditor, a certificate of the approved
actuary, the opinion of the loss reserve specialist and a schedule
of reinsurance ceded. In the solvency certificates, Everest Bermuda
s principal representative and at least two directors must
certify, among other matters, whether Everest Bermuda has met its
minimum solvency margin and complied with the conditions attached
to its certificate of registration. The statutory financial return
also must disclose whether the insurers accounts have been
audited for any purpose other than compliance with the Insurance
Act.
Statutory Financial Statements. The statutory
financial statements include a balance sheet, an income statement,
a statement of capital and surplus and detailed information about
premiums, claims, reinsurance and investments. The form and
content of the statutory financial statements are prescribed by
regulations issued by the Minister of Finance. As a result, these
statements are different from the financial statements prepared
for presentation to the shareholders, which are prepared in
accordance with GAAP. The statutory financial statements and the
statutory financial return are filed with the Registrar of
Companies but are not available for public inspection.
Minimum Solvency Margin. The Insurance Act
requires the value of the long-term business assets of an insurer
that writes long-term business to exceed the amount of its
long-term business liabilities by at least $250,000. The Insurance
Act also provides that the value of the general business assets of
a Class 4 insurer must exceed the amount of its general business
liabilities by at least the prescribed minimum solvency margin.
Everest Bermudas minimum solvency margin will be equal to
the highest of the following three figures:
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50% of
net premiums written, provided that net premiums written cannot
be less than 75% of gross premiums written, even if more than
25% of gross premiums written have been ceded by Everest
Bermuda; and
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15% of
loss and other insurance reserves.
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If a Class 4 insurer fails at any time to meet its
general business solvency margin, it is required to file a written
report with the Minister of Finance, giving details of the
circumstances and the insurers plans for rectifying the
failure, within 30 days of becoming aware of that failure or
having reason to believe that a failure has occurred. If the
insurers total statutory capital and surplus falls to $75
million or less, this period is extended to 45 days, but the
report is required to include unaudited interim statutory
financial statements and additional information regarding the
insurers solvency and the adequacy of its loss
reserves.
Restrictions on Payment of Dividends and
Distributions. There will be several restrictions on Everest
Bermudas ability to pay dividends and
distributions:
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Everest
Bermuda will be unable to declare or pay any dividends during a
financial year if it cannot meet its minimum solvency margin or
minimum liquidity ratio, or if declaring or paying those
dividends would cause it to fail to meet its minimum solvency
margin or minimum liquidity ratio.
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Everest
Bermuda will be unable to declare or pay in any financial year
dividends of more than 25% of its total statutory capital and
surplus, as shown on its previous years statutory
financial statements, unless at least seven days before payment
of those dividends it files with the Registrar of Companies an
affidavit stating that it will continue to meet the required
margins.
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If
Everest Bermuda fails to meet its minimum solvency margin or
minimum liquidity ratio on the last day of any financial year,
it will be unable to declare or pay any dividends during the
next financial year without the approval of the Minister of
Finance.
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Everest
Bermuda will be unable to reduce the total statutory capital
stated in its previous years statutory financial
statements by 15% or more without the approval of the Minister
of Finance.
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If
Everest Bermuda writes long-term business, it will be unable to
declare or pay a dividend to anyone who is not a policyholder
unless, after payment of the dividend, the value of the assets
in its long-term business fund, as certified by its approved
actuary, will exceed its liabilities for long-term business by
at least the $250,000 minimum solvency margin prescribed by the
Insurance Act. The amount of this dividend may not exceed the
sum of (1) the amount by which Everest Bermudas long-term
business solvency margin exceeds the $250,000 minimum and (2)
any other funds properly available for payment of dividends,
such as funds derived from business other than long-term
business.
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The
Minister of Finance may impose additional restrictions on
Everest Bermudas ability to pay dividends, if the Minister
believes that the insurer is in danger of becoming insolvent or
has violated the Insurance Act or any of the conditions of its
registration.
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Minimum Liquidity Ratio. As an insurer writing
general business, Everest Bermuda will be required to maintain
relevant assets equal in value to at least 75% of the amount of
its relevant liabilities. An insurers relevant assets
include cash and time deposits, quoted investments, unquoted bonds
and debentures, first liens on real estate, investment income due
and accrued, accounts and premiums receivable and reinsurance
balances receivable. There are some categories of assets that do
not qualify as relevant assets unless specifically permitted by
the Minister of Finance. These categories include unquoted equity
securities, investments in and advances to affiliates and real
estate and collateral loans. An insurers relevant
liabilities are total general business insurance reserves and
total other liabilities less deferred income taxes, miscellaneous
liabilities and some types of letters of credit, guarantees and
other instruments.
Restrictions on Transfer of Business and
Winding-Up. Everest Bermuda will be unable to transfer all or
any part of its long-term business, other than its reinsurance
business, to another insurer unless notice is given to
policyholders, a report on the plan of transfer is prepared by an
approved actuary and the plan is sanctioned by the Bermuda Supreme
Court. An insurer carrying on long-term business cannot be wound
up or liquidated voluntarily, but only by order of the Supreme
Court upon petition of the insurer, its creditors, its
policyholders or the Registrar of Companies. This might increase
the length of time required and costs incurred for any winding up
or liquidation of Everest Bermuda, when compared to a voluntary
winding up or liquidation.
Supervision, Investigation and Intervention.
The Minister of Finance can appoint an inspector to
investigate the affairs of an insurer in order to protect the
interests of the insurers policyholders or persons who may
become policyholders. The Minister may also order an insurer to
produce documents or information relating to its business. If the
Minister believes that an insurer is in danger of becoming
insolvent or has violated the Insurance Act or any conditions of
its registration, then the Minister can order that
insurer:
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not to
take on any new insurance business,
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not to
change the terms of any insurance contract in a way that would
increase the insurers liabilities,
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not to
make investments,
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to
realize investments,
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to
transfer assets to the custody of a specified bank,
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not to
declare or pay any dividends or other distributions,
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to
limit the payment of dividends or other distributions
and/or
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to
limit its premium income.
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Cancellation of Insurers Registration.
The Minister of Finance has the power to cancel an insurer
s registration if the insurer fails to comply with its
obligations under the Insurance Act or fails to carry on business
in accordance with sound insurance principles.
Holding Company Regulation. The Insurance Act
does not regulate the activities of insurance holding companies,
such as Everest Group, or holding company systems.
Other Bermuda Law Considerations
Exchange Control Regulation and Prospectus Filing.
As required by the Exchange Control Act 1972 of Bermuda and
related regulations, the Bermuda Monetary Authority has granted
permission for the issue and transfer of the common shares subject
to the condition that the common shares are listed on an appointed
stock exchange, which includes the NYSE, by April 1, 1999. In
addition, Everest Group has filed this document with the Registrar
of Companies in Bermuda in accordance with The Companies Act 1981
of Bermuda.
In granting this permission and in accepting this
document for filing, the Bermuda Monetary Authority and the
Registrar of Companies in Bermuda accept no responsibility for the
financial soundness of any proposal or for the correctness of any
of the statements made or opinions expressed in this
document.
No further permission from the Bermuda Monetary
Authority will be required to transfer common shares of Everest
Group between persons regarded as non-resident in Bermuda for
exchange control purposes or to issue common shares to those
persons after the restructuring. However, permission will be
required to issue or transfer common shares to persons who are
resident in Bermuda for exchange control purposes. Permission will
also be required to transfer any common shares of Everest Bermuda.
The Bermuda Monetary Authority has designated Everest Group and
Everest Bermuda as non-resident for exchange control purposes.
This designation allows Everest Group and Everest Bermuda to
transfer funds in and out of Bermuda, and to pay dividends to
non-residents of Bermuda who are holders of the common shares in
currencies other than the Bermuda Dollar. There are no limitations
on the rights of holders of common shares who are regarded as
non-resident in Bermuda for exchange control purposes to hold or
vote their common shares, subject to the provisions of Everest
Groups bye-laws.
Share Certificates. In accordance with Bermuda
law, Everest Group will issue share certificates only in the names
of legal entities, corporations or individuals. A record holder
who is acting in a special capacity, such as an executor or
trustee, may ask that the special capacity be recorded on the
share certificate. However, Everest Group is not responsible for
investigating the proper administration of any estate or trust.
Everest Group will take no notice of any trust applicable to any
of its common shares whether or not it had notice of the
trust.
Exempted Company Status. Everest Group and
Everest Bermuda are incorporated in Bermuda as exempted companies.
Under Bermuda law, exempted companies are companies formed for the
purpose of conducting business outside Bermuda from a principal
place of business in Bermuda. As a result, they are exempt from
Bermuda laws restricting the percentage of share capital that may
be held by non-Bermudians. Exempted companies are required to
comply with resident representative requirements, but Everest
Group does not believe that this compliance will result in any
material expense. In addition, exempted companies are restricted
from engaging in certain business transactions,
including:
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acquiring or holding land in Bermuda without the express
authorization of the Bermuda legislature, other than rental
property required for their business and leased for no more 50
years;
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taking
mortgages on land in Bermuda to secure an obligation exceeding
$50,000 without the consent of the Minister of
Finance;
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acquiring any bonds or debentures secured by any land in
Bermuda, other than some types of Bermuda government securities;
or
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conducting business of any kind in Bermuda, except in
furtherance of their business conducted outside
Bermuda.
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Everest Bermuda is permitted to reinsure risks
undertaken by any company incorporated in Bermuda and is permitted
to engage in the insurance and reinsurance business with respect
to risks located outside Bermuda.
However, Everest Bermuda generally is not permitted without a
special license granted by the Minister of Finance to insure
Bermuda domestic risks or risks of individuals, companies,
enterprises and other entities residing, incorporated or existing
under the laws of Bermuda. Everest Group does not contemplate that
Everest Bermuda will apply for that special license or insure the
types of risks for which that license is required.
Dividends. Under Bermudas Companies Act,
Everest Group and Everest Bermuda are prohibited from declaring or
paying a dividend, or from making a distribution out of
contributed surplus, if there are reasonable grounds for believing
that: (1) the company is, or would after the payment be, unable to
pay its liabilities as they become due; or (2) the realizable
value of the companys assets after payment of the dividend
would be less than the sum of its liabilities and its issued share
capital and share premium accounts.
Work Permits. Anyone who is not a Bermudian or
the spouse of a Bermudian cannot engage in any gainful occupation
in Bermuda without a work permit. Work permits are issued with an
expiration date of up to five years. The government does not grant
or extend a work permit unless the employer can show that the
employment position has been publicly advertised and that no
Bermudian or spouse of a Bermudian is available who meets the
minimum standards for the position. This work permit requirement
could make it more difficult for Everest Group and Everest Bermuda
to staff their Bermuda offices, since it is possible that the
government will deny a work permit to individuals that Everest
Group or Everest Bermuda wishes to hire or, if it initially grants
a work permit, will decline to extend that permit beyond its
expiration date.
Barbados Regulation
Companies Act Registration.
Everest Group will be registered in Barbados as an external
company under the Companies Act, Cap.308 of the laws of Barbados.
An external company is any incorporated or unincorporated body
formed under the laws of a country other than Barbados. An
external company that is registered may carry on its business in
Barbados in accordance with its certificate of registration and
may exercise its corporate powers within
Barbados.
Incapacity of company.
An external company that is not registered under the
Barbados Companies Act may not maintain any action, suit or other
proceeding in any court in Barbados in respect of any contract
made in whole or in part within Barbados in the course of, or in
connection with, the carrying on of any business by the company in
Barbados.
Suspension of Registration.
The Minister responsible for finance may suspend or revoke
the registration of any external company for failing to comply
with any requirements of the Barbados Companies Act. The rights of
the creditors of an external company are not affected by the
suspension or revocation of the registration of an external
company under the Barbados Companies Act.
Attorney of Company. An
external company must file with the Barbados Registrar of
Companies a fully executed power of attorney in the prescribed
form that will empower a person named in the power and resident in
Barbados to act as the attorney of the company for the purpose of
receiving service of process in all suits and proceedings by or
against the company in Barbados, and of receiving all lawful
notices. A power of attorney must declare that service of process
in respect of suits and proceedings by or against the company and
of lawful notices on the attorney will be binding on the company
for all purposes.
Fundamental Changes.
Where in the case of an external company registered in
Barbados:
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the
name of the company has been changed,
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the
corporate instruments of the company have been
altered,
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the
objects of the company have been altered or its business has
been restricted or
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any
change is made among its directors,
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the company must within 30 days after the change
has been made file with the Registrar of Companies duly certified
copies of the instruments by which the change has been made or
ordered to be made. The registration of an external company ceases
to be valid 60 days after a change described above is made or
ordered unless within that period the change is filed with the
Barbados Registrar of Companies.
Annual Returns. As an
external company, Everest Group is required to file an annual
return with the Barbados Registrar of Companies. This annual
return, which must be certified by a director or officer and
accompanied by an annual fee, includes updated information about
the companys offices, corporate structure, share capital,
type of business, attorney and directors. The Barbados Registrar
of Companies may strike off the register an external company that
neglects or refuses to file a return required under this
section.
Audited Financial Statements.
Everest Group will be required to forward annual audited
financial statements to the Minister responsible for
finance.
United States and Other
Regulation
An insurer is generally prohibited by the insurance
laws of U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions from transacting the
business of insurance in any jurisdiction where it is not licensed
or admitted to do business. To the extent that the U.S.
subsidiaries of Everest Holdings are already licensed in various
U.S. and foreign jurisdictions, their ability to transact business
will not be affected by the restructuring. Everest Bermuda does
not intend to become licensed in any U.S. jurisdiction, but it
will generally be permitted to reinsure U.S. risks from its office
in Bermuda without obtaining those licenses. Everest Bermuda does
not intend to conduct any activities that may constitute the
transaction of the business of insurance in any jurisdiction in
which it is not licensed or otherwise authorized to engage in
those activities.
As a reinsurer, Everest Bermuda will be affected by
regulatory requirements governing credit for reinsurance
in the jurisdictions where its ceding companies are
located. In general, a ceding company can take credit on its
statutory financial statements for the unearned premiums, loss
reserves, loss expense reserves and policy reserves that it cedes
to a reinsurer that is licensed, accredited or approved by the
jurisdiction where the ceding company files statutory financial
statements. Many jurisdictions also permit ceding companies to
take credit on their statutory financial statements for
reinsurance obtained from unlicensed or non-admitted reinsurers if
the reinsurer provides adequate security for its
obligations.
LEGAL MATTERS
The validity under Bermuda law of the Everest Group
common shares to be issued to Everest Holdings stockholders in
connection with the restructuring has been passed upon for Everest
Group by Conyers Dill & Pearman, Hamilton, Bermuda. Conyers
Dill & Pearman also has rendered an opinion regarding Bermuda
tax consequences of the restructuring referred to in
Material Tax Considerations. Clarke & Co. has
rendered an opinion regarding Barbados tax consequences of the
restructuring referred to in Material Tax Considerations.
Mayer, Brown & Platt, Chicago, Illinois, has rendered
an opinion regarding the United States federal tax consequences of
the restructuring referred to in Material Tax Considerations.
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements of Everest
Holdings incorporated in this registration statement by reference
to Everest Holdings Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 1998, have been so incorporated in reliance on
the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent accountants,
given on the authority of that firm as experts in accounting and
auditing.
The Everest Group financial statement as of
September 14, 1999 included in this document has been so included
in reliance upon the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers, independent
accountants, given on the authority of said firm as experts in
auditing and accounting.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR THE 2000 ANNUAL
MEETING
Everest Holdings will hold an annual meeting of
stockholders in the year 2000 only if the restructuring is not
completed before the time of the meeting. To be considered for
inclusion in the Everest Holdings proxy statement relating to the
2000 annual meeting of stockholders, a stockholder proposal must
have been received by the Secretary of Everest Holdings in proper
form at the companys principal executive offices, 477
Martinsville Road, P.O. Box 830, Liberty Corner, New Jersey
07938-0830, no later than December 10, 1999. The proxy solicited
by the board of directors relating to the 2000 annual meeting of
stockholders will confer discretionary authority to vote on a
stockholder proposal if the Secretary of Everest Holdings receives
notice of that proposal after February 23, 2000.
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL
LIABILITIES
UNDER UNITED STATES FEDERAL SECURITIES
LAWS
Everest Group is organized under the laws of Bermuda.
In addition, some of its directors and officers, as well as some
of the experts named in this document, may reside outside the
United States. A substantial portion of their assets and Everest
Groups assets may be located in jurisdictions outside the
United States. Everest Group may be served with process in the
United States with respect to actions arising out of or in
connection with violations of U.S. federal securities laws
relating to offers and sales of Everest Group common shares to the
public in connection with the merger by serving CT Corporation
System, 1633 Broadway, New York, New York 10019, Everest Group
s U.S. agent appointed for that purpose. Nevertheless, it
may be difficult for you to effect service of process within the
United States upon Everest Groups directors, officers and
experts who reside outside the United States or to enforce in the
United States judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against
Everest Group or its directors and officers, as well as the
experts named in this document, who reside outside the United
States.
Everest Group has been advised by Conyers Dill &
Pearman, its Bermuda counsel, that there is doubt whether the
courts of Bermuda would (1) enforce judgments of U.S. courts
obtained in actions against Everest Group or its directors and
officers, as well as the experts named in this document, who
reside outside the United States predicated on the civil liability
provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws or (2) permit
original actions to be brought in Bermuda against Everest Group or
those persons predicated solely on U.S. federal securities laws.
Everest Group also has been advised by Conyers Dill & Pearman
that there is no treaty in effect between the United States and
Bermuda providing for that enforcement, and there are grounds upon
which Bermuda courts may not enforce judgments of U.S. courts. In
addition, some remedies available under the U.S. federal
securities laws may not be allowed in Bermuda courts as contrary
to Bermudas public policy.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE
INFORMATION
This document is part of a registration statement
filed with the SEC. The registration statement, including the
attached exhibits and schedules, contains additional relevant
information about Everest Holdings and the Everest Group common
shares. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow the omission of
some of the information included in the registration statement
from this document. In addition, Everest Holdings has filed
reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under
the Exchange Act. You may read and copy any of this information at
the following locations of the SEC:
Public Reference Room
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Room 1024
Washington, D.C. 20549
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New
York Regional Office
7 World Trade Center
Suite 1300
New York, New York 10048
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Chicago
Regional Office
Citicorp Center
500 West Madison Street
Suite 1400
Chicago, Illinois 60661
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You may obtain information on the operation of the SEC
s Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330.
The SEC also maintains an Internet web site that
contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding
issuers, like Everest Group and Everest Holdings, that file
electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is
http://www.sec.gov. The SEC file number for documents filed by
Everest Holdings under the Exchange Act is 1-13816.
Everest Group will become subject to the same
informational requirements as Everest Holdings following the
restructuring, and will file reports, proxy statements and other
information with the SEC in accordance with the Exchange
Act.
Everest Group will be treated as a domestic
corporation for purposes of most requirements of the Exchange Act,
including the proxy rules. Pursuant to Rule 3b-4 under the
Exchange Act, a non-U.S. issuer is not a foreign private
issuer if more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities
of the issuer are held of record by residents of the United States
and any of the following conditions are satisfied:
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the
majority of the executive officers or directors of the issuer
are United States citizens or residents,
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more
than 50% of the assets of the issuer are located in the United
States or
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the
business of the issuer is administered principally in the United
States.
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Based on the anticipated ownership of its voting
securities and the citizenship of its executive officers and
directors, Everest Group does not expect that it will be a
foreign private issuer. If Everest Group were to be
treated as a foreign private issuer, it would be
exempted from the proxy and short-swing profit rules under
Sections 14 and 16 of the Exchange Act and, for reporting purposes
under the Exchange Act, would be subject to rules applicable to
foreign private issuers.
The SEC allows Everest Holdings to incorporate
by reference information into this document. This means that
Everest Holdings can disclose important information to you by
referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC.
The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a
part of this document, except for any information that is
superseded by information included directly in this document, and
later information that Everest Group or Everest Holdings files
with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that
information.
This document incorporates by reference the documents
listed below that Everest Holdings has previously filed or will
file with the SEC. They contain important information about
Everest Holdings.
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Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
1998;
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Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended
March 31, 1999, June 30, 1999 and September 30,
1999;
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Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on December 28, 1999; and
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All
documents filed with the SEC by Everest Holdings under Sections
13(a), 13(c) 14, and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of
this document and before the special meeting of stockholders,
are considered to be part of this document, effective as of the
date these documents are filed.
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You can obtain any of the documents listed above
from the SEC, through the SECs web site at the address
described above, or directly from Everest Holdings, by requesting
them in writing or by telephone at the following
address:
Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc.
477 Martinsville Road
P.O. Box 830
Liberty Corner, New Jersey 07938-0830
Attention: Janet J. Burak
(908) 604-3000
Everest Holdings will provide a copy of any of these
documents without charge, excluding any exhibits unless the
exhibit is specifically listed as an exhibit to the registration
statement of which this document is a part. If you would like to
request documents, please do so by February 15, 2000, in order to
receive them before the special meeting of
stockholders.
You should rely only on the information contained or
incorporated by reference in this document to vote on the proposed
restructuring. Neither Everest Holdings nor Everest Group has
authorized anyone to provide you with information that is
different from what is contained in this document. This document
is dated January 14, 2000. You should not assume that the
information contained in this document is accurate as of any date
other than that date, and neither the mailing of this document to
stockholders nor the issuance of Everest Group common shares in
the merger shall create any implication to the
contrary.
For North Carolina residents: Everest Group common
shares have not been approved or disapproved by the Commissioner
of Insurance of the State of North Carolina, nor has the
Commissioner of Insurance ruled upon the accuracy or adequacy of
this document.
INDEX TO BALANCE SHEET
REPORT OF
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS |
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F-2 |
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EVEREST RE GROUP, LTD. (FORMERLY EVEREST REINSURANCE
GROUP, LTD.) BALANCE
SHEET AS OF SEPTEMBER 14, 1999
(date of inception) |
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F-3 |
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EVEREST RE GROUP, LTD. (FORMERLY EVEREST REINSURANCE
GROUP, LTD.) NOTES TO
FINANCIAL STATEMENT |
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F-4 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT
ACCOUNTANTS
The Board of Directors and
Shareholder of Everest Re Group, Ltd. (formerly
Everest Reinsurance Group, Ltd.)
In our opinion, the accompanying balance sheet
presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial
position of Everest Re Group, Ltd. (formerly Everest Reinsurance
Group, Ltd.) at September 14, 1999 in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles in the United States. This
financial statement is the responsibility of the Companys
management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on this
financial statement based on our audit. We conducted our audit
of this statement in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards in the United States, which require that we plan and
perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
the financial statement is free of material misstatement. An
audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statement,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit
provides a reasonable basis for the opinion expressed
above.
PRICEWATERHOUSE
COOPERS
Hamilton, Bermuda
September 17, 1999
EVEREST RE GROUP, LTD.
(FORMERLY EVEREST REINSURANCE GROUP,
LTD.)
BALANCE SHEET
As of September 14, 1999 (date of
inception)
(Expressed in United States
Dollars)
ASSETS |
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Cash |
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$50,000 |
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Total
Assets |
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$50,000 |
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SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY |
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Common
shares, $0.01 par value (1,200,000 shares authorized, issued
and outstanding) |
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$12,000 |
Paid in
capital |
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38,000 |
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Total
Shareholders Equity |
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$50,000 |
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The accompanying notes are an integral part
of this financial statement.
EVEREST RE GROUP, LTD.
(FORMERLY EVEREST REINSURANCE GROUP,
LTD.)
NOTES TO FINANCIAL
STATEMENT
September 14, 1999 (date of
inception)
1. ORGANIZATION
Everest Re Group, Ltd. (formerly Everest Reinsurance
Group, Ltd.) (the Company) was incorporated on
August 26, 1999 as a holding company under the laws of Bermuda.
On September 14, 1999, the initial capitalization of the Company
was made. The Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Everest
Reinsurance Holdings, Inc., a publicly held Delaware holding
company (Everest Holdings).
2. OTHER MATTERS
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A.
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All cash balances are held in a non-interest
bearing account at the Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son
Limited in Hamilton, Bermuda.
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B.
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All amounts are reported in U.S.
dollars.
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3. SUBSEQUENT EVENT (PROPOSED
REORGANIZATION)
On September 16, 1999, the board of directors of
Everest Holdings unanimously approved a proposed corporate
restructuring pursuant to which the Company will become the
parent holding company of Everest Holdings. Everest Holdings,
through its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty
reinsurance and insurance products to national and international
markets.
In connection with the restructuring, the Company
has organized a Delaware subsidiary, Everest Re Merger
Corporation (Everest Merger). Everest Merger will be
merged into Everest Holdings, with Everest Holdings as the
surviving corporation. Upon completion of the merger, Everest
Holdings will become a subsidiary of the Company and each
outstanding share of common stock of Everest Holdings will be
converted into one common share of the Company. The merger must
be approved by the stockholders of Everest Holdings. The board
of directors and shareholder of the Company must approve a
resolution to increase the number of authorized shares prior to
the merger.
After the consummation of the restructuring, the
Company will carry on the holding company functions currently
conducted by Everest Holdings. The Company also intends to form
and capitalize Everest Reinsurance (Bermuda) Ltd., which will be
a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, the purpose of which
will be to expand the Companys underwriting operations
into the Bermuda marketplace.
APPENDIX A
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF
MERGER
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER dated as of September
17, 1999 among Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (Everest Holdings), Everest Reinsurance
Group, Ltd., a Bermuda company and wholly-owned subsidiary of
Everest Holdings (Everest Group), and Everest Re
Merger Corporation, a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned
subsidiary of Everest Group (Everest Merger
).
WHEREAS, the respective Boards of Directors of
Everest Holdings, Everest Group and Everest Merger deem it
advisable and in the best interests of their respective
stockholders to reorganize so that Everest Group becomes the
parent holding company for Everest Holdings;
WHEREAS, the respective Boards of Directors of
Everest Holdings, Everest Group and Everest Merger have approved
the merger of Everest Merger with and into Everest Holdings (the
Merger), upon the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth in this Agreement, whereby each outstanding
share of common stock, par value $.01 per share, of Everest
Holdings (Everest Holdings Common Stock) (other than
those shares held by Everest Holdings or any direct or indirect
wholly-owned subsidiary of Everest Holdings), will be
automatically converted into one common share, par value $.01
per share, of Everest Group (Everest Group Common Share
), and each outstanding share of common stock, par value
$.01 per share, of Everest Merger (Everest Merger Common
Stock), will be automatically converted into one share of
Everest Holdings Common Stock; and
WHEREAS, the Merger requires the approval of Everest
Group, as sole stockholder of Everest Merger, and the approval
of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of
Everest Holdings Common Stock entitled to vote thereon at the
meeting of holders of Everest Holdings Common Stock to be called
therefor (the Everest Holdings Stockholder Approval
);
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as
follows:
ARTICLE I
MERGER
1.01. Merger. Upon the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement,
and in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State
of Delaware (the DGCL), Everest Merger shall be
merged with and into Everest Holdings at the Effective Time (as
defined in Section 1.02). Following the Effective Time, the
separate corporate existence of Everest Merger shall cease and
Everest Holdings shall continue as the surviving corporation
(the Surviving Corporation) and shall succeed to and
assume all the rights and obligations of Everest Merger in
accordance with the DGCL.
1.02. Effective Time.
Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, as soon as
practicable following the satisfaction or waiver of the
conditions set forth in Section 5.01, the parties shall file a
certificate of merger or other appropriate documents (in any
case, the Certificate of Merger) executed in
accordance with the DGCL and shall make all other filings or
recordings required under the DGCL. The Merger shall become
effective at the close of business on the date that the
Certificate of Merger is duly filed with the Secretary of State
of the State of Delaware, or at such later time as Everest
Merger and Everest Holdings shall agree should be specified in
the Certificate of Merger (the time the Merger becomes effective
being hereinafter referred to as the Effective Time
).
1.03. Effects of the
Merger. The Merger shall have the effects set forth in
Section 259 of the DGCL.
ARTICLE II
NAME, CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION,
BY-LAWS,
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF THE SURVIVING
CORPORATION
2.01. Name of the
Surviving Corporation. The name of the Surviving Corporation
shall be Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc.
2.02. Certificate of
Incorporation. The Certificate of Incorporation of Everest
Holdings, as in force and effect immediately prior to the
Effective Time, shall, from and after the Effective Time, be the
certificate of incorporation of the Surviving Corporation until
thereafter changed or amended as provided therein or by
applicable law.
2.03. By-Laws. The
by-laws of Everest Holdings, as in force and effect immediately
prior to the Effective Time, shall, from and after the Effective
Time, be the by-laws of the Surviving Corporation until
thereafter changed or amended as provided therein or by
applicable law.
2.04. Directors. The
directors of Everest Holdings in office immediately prior to the
Effective Time shall be the directors of the Surviving
Corporation and shall hold their respective directorships until
the election and qualification of their respective successors or
until their tenure is otherwise terminated in accordance with
the certificate of incorporation and by-laws of the Surviving
Corporation, or as otherwise provided by applicable
law.
2.05. Officers. The
officers of Everest Holdings in office immediately prior to the
Effective Time shall be the officers of the Surviving
Corporation and shall hold their respective directorships until
the election and qualification of their respective successors or
until their tenure is otherwise terminated in accordance with
the certificate of incorporation and by-laws of the Surviving
Corporation, or as otherwise provided by applicable
law.
ARTICLE III
CONVERSION AND EXCHANGE OF
STOCK
3.01. Conversion. At
the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any
action on the part of the holder of any shares:
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(a)
Conversion of Everest Holdings Common Stock.
Each issued and outstanding share of Everest Holdings
Common Stock (other than shares to be canceled in accordance
with Section 3.01(c)) shall be automatically converted into
and shall become one validly issued, fully paid and
non-assessable Everest Group Common Share.
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(b)
Everest Merger Common Stock. Each issued
and outstanding share of Everest Merger Common Stock shall be
converted into and become one fully paid and nonassessable
share of Everest Holdings Common Stock.
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(c)
Cancellation of Everest Holdings-Owned Stock.
Each outstanding Everest Group Common Share that is owned
by Everest Holdings prior to the Effective Time shall
immediately after the Effective Time be repurchased by Everest
Group for $0.01 per share, or $12,000 in the aggregate, and
shall upon such repurchase be canceled and retired and shall
cease to be issued. Each outstanding share of Everest Holdings
Common Stock that is owned by Everest Holdings or by any
direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Everest Holdings
prior to the Effective Time shall automatically be canceled
and retired and shall cease to be issued and no Everest Group
Common Shares or other consideration shall be delivered or
deliverable in exchange for such shares of Everest Holdings
Common Stock.
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3.02. Exchange of
Stock.
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(a)
Exchange Procedures. Following the
Effective Time, each holder of an outstanding certificate or
certificates theretofore representing shares of Everest
Holdings Common Stock may, but shall not be required to,
surrender the same to Everest Group for cancellation or
transfer, and each such holder or transferee will be entitled
to receive certificates representing the same number of
Everest Group Common Shares as the shares of Everest Holdings
Common Stock previously represented by the stock certificates
surrendered. If any certificate representing Everest Group
Common Shares is to be issued in a name other than that in
which the certificate theretofore representing Everest
Holdings Common Stock surrendered is registered, it shall be a
condition to such issuance that the certificate surrendered
shall be properly endorsed and otherwise in proper form for
transfer and that the person requesting such issuance shall
either: (i) pay Everest Group or its agents any taxes or other
governmental charges required by reason of the issuance of
certificates representing Everest Group Common Shares in a
name other than that of the registered holder of the
certificate so surrendered; or (ii) establish to the
satisfaction of Everest Group or its agents that such taxes or
governmental charges have been paid. Until so surrendered or
presented for transfer, each outstanding certificate which,
prior to the Effective Time, represented Everest Holdings
Common Stock shall be deemed and treated for all corporate
purposes to represent the ownership of the same number of
Everest Group Common Shares as though such surrender or
transfer and exchange had taken place.
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(b)
No Further Ownership Rights in Everest Holdings
Common Stock. All Everest Group Common Shares issued upon
the surrender for exchange of certificates in accordance with
the terms of this Article III shall be deemed to have been
issued and paid in full satisfaction of all rights pertaining
to the shares of Everest Holdings Common Stock theretofore
represented by such certificates, subject, however, to the
Surviving Corporations obligation (if any) to pay any
dividends or make any other distributions with a record date
prior to the Effective Time which may have been declared or
made by Everest Holdings on such shares of Everest Holdings
Common Stock in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or
prior to the date of this Agreement and which remain unpaid at
the Effective Time. Following the Effective Time, there shall
be no further registration of transfers on the stock transfer
books of the Surviving Corporation of the shares of Everest
Holdings Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior
to the Effective Time. If, after the Effective Time,
certificates are presented to the Surviving Corporation, they
shall be canceled and exchanged as provided in this Article
III, except as otherwise provided by law.
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ARTICLE IV
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT AND COMPENSATION
PLANS
4.01. Plans Assumed by
Everest Group. At the Effective Time, Everest Group shall
assume all the rights and obligations of Everest Holdings under
the Annual Incentive Plan, the Executive Performance Annual
Incentive Plan, the 1995 Stock Incentive Plan, the 1995 Stock
Option Plan for Non-Employee Directors, the Senior Executive
Change of Control Plan and all other plans, arrangements or
agreements pursuant to which options with respect to Everest
Holdings Common Stock have been or may be granted, as each such
plan, arrangement or agreement has been or may be amended prior
to the Effective Time (collectively, the Plans). The
outstanding options assumed by Everest Group shall be
exercisable upon the same terms and conditions as under the
Plans and the agreements relating thereto immediately prior to
the Effective Time, except that upon the exercise of such
options Everest Group Common Shares shall be issuable in lieu of
shares of Everest Holdings Common Stock. The number of Everest
Group Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of an option
immediately after the Effective Time and the option price of
each such option shall be the number of shares and option price
in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time.
4.02. Other Benefit Plans.
At the Effective Time, each employee benefit plan and
incentive compensation plan other than the Plans to which
Everest Holdings is then a party shall be assumed by, and
continue to be the plan of, the Surviving
Corporation.
ARTICLE V
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT
5.01. Conditions to Each
Partys Obligation to Effect the Merger. The respective
obligation of each party to effect the Merger is subject to the
satisfaction or waiver of the following conditions:
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(a)
Stockholder Approval. The Everest Holdings
Stockholder Approval shall have been obtained.
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(b)
Form S-4. The registration statement on
Form S-4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by
Everest Group in connection with the issuance of the Everest
Group Common Shares in the Merger shall have become effective
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and shall not be
the subject of any stop order or proceedings seeking a stop
order.
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(c)
NYSE Listing. The Everest Group Common
Shares issuable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall
have been approved for listing by the New York Stock Exchange,
Inc., subject to official notice of issuance.
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(d)
Governmental, Regulatory and Other Consents.
All filings required to be made prior to the Effective
Time with, and all consents, approvals, permits and
authorizations required to be obtained prior to the Effective
Time from, any court or governmental or regulatory authority
or agency, domestic or foreign, or other person, in connection
with the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will have
been made or obtained (as the case may be) and all applicable
waiting periods shall have expired.
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(e)
No Injunctions or Restraints. No temporary
restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction or
other order issued by any court of competent jurisdiction or
other legal restraint or prohibition preventing the
consummation of the Merger or any of the other transactions
contemplated hereby shall be in effect.
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ARTICLE VI
TERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND
WAIVER
6.01. Termination.
This Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the
Effective Time, whether or not the Everest Holdings Stockholder
Approval shall have been obtained, by action of the Board of
Directors of Everest Holdings or of Everest Group.
6.02. Effect of
Termination. In the event of termination of this Agreement
as provided in Section 6.01, this Agreement shall forthwith
become void and have no effect, without any liability or
obligation on the part of Everest Holdings, Everest Merger or
Everest Group, other than the provisions of this Article VI and
Article VII.
6.03. Amendment. This
Agreement may be amended by the parties at any time before or
after the Stockholder Approval shall have been obtained;
provided, however, that after any such approval, there shall be
made no amendment that by law requires further approval by the
stockholders of Everest Holdings without the further approval of
such stockholders. This Agreement may not be amended except by
an instrument in writing signed on behalf of each of the
parties.
6.04. Waiver. At any
time prior to the Effective Time, the parties may waive
compliance by the other parties with any of the agreements or
conditions contained in this Agreement. Any agreement on the
part of a party to any such waiver shall be valid only if set
forth in an instrument in writing signed on behalf of such
party. The failure of any party to assert any of its rights
under this Agreement or otherwise shall not constitute a waiver
of such rights.
6.05. Procedure for
Termination, Amendment, Extension or Waiver. A termination
of this Agreement pursuant to Section 6.01, an amendment of this
Agreement pursuant to Section 6.03 or a waiver pursuant to
Section 6.04 shall, in order to be effective, require in the
case of Everest Holdings, Everest Merger or Everest Group,
action by its Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VII
GENERAL PROVISIONS
7.01 Notices. All
notices, requests, claims, demands and other communications
under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed
given if delivered personally, telecopied (which is confirmed)
or sent by overnight courier (providing proof of delivery) to
the parties at the following addresses (or at such other address
for a party as shall be specified by like notice):
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(a)
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if to Everest Holdings:
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Everest
Reinsurance Holdings, Inc.
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Liberty
Corner, New Jersey 07938-0830
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Everest
Reinsurance Group, Ltd.
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c/o ABG
Financial & Management Services Inc.
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Wildey
Business Park, Wildey Road
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(c)
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if to Everest Merger:
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Everest Re
Merger Corporation
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c/o Everest
Reinsurance Holdings, Inc.
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Liberty
Corner, New Jersey 07938-0830
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7.02. Entire Agreement; No
Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement (including the
documents and instruments referred to herein) (a) constitutes
the entire agreement, and supersedes all prior agreements and
understandings, both written and oral, among the parties with
respect to the subject matter of this Agreement and (b) except
for the provisions of Articles III and IV, are not intended to
confer upon any person other than the parties any rights or
remedies.
7.03. Further
Assurances. The parties shall execute and deliver such
further instruments and do such further acts and things as may
be required to carry out the intent and purposes of this
Agreement.
7.04. Governing Law.
This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in
accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, regardless
of the laws that might otherwise govern under applicable
principles of conflicts of laws thereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused
this Agreement to be executed, by their respective officers
thereunto duly authorized, all as of the date first written
above.
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EVEREST
REINSURANCE
HOLDINGS
, INC
.
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Senior Vice President and
Comptroller
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EVEREST
RE
MERGER
CORPORATION
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Senior Vice President and Secretary
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EVEREST
REINSURANCE
GROUP
, LTD
.
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EVEREST REINSURANCE HOLDINGS,
INC.
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON
BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The undersigned hereby
appoints J.V. Taranto, S.L. Limauro, and J.J. Burak, and each of
them, as proxies of the undersigned, each with full power to act
without the others and with full power of substitution, to vote
all the shares of Common Stock of EVEREST REINSURANCE HOLDINGS,
INC. held in the name of the undersigned at the close of
business on January 10, 2000, at the Special Meeting of
Stockholders to be held on February 23, 2000, at 11:00 a.m.
(local time), and at any adjournment thereof, with all the
powers the undersigned would have if personally present, as
follows:
(CONTINUED ON OTHER SIDE)
[X] PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE AS IN THIS EXAMPLE. THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
1. |
APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE AGREEMENT AND PLAN
OF MERGER, dated as of September 17, 1999, among Everest
Reinsurance Holdings, Inc., Everest Re Group, Ltd. and Everest
Re Merger Corporation, providing for, among other things, the
merger of Everest Re Merger Corporation with and into Everest
Reinsurance Holdings, Inc., the conversion of Everest
Reinsurance Holdings, Inc. Common Stock into Everest Re Group,
Ltd. Common Shares and the conversion of Everest Re Merger
Corporation Common Stock into Everest Reinsurance Holdings,
Inc. Common Stock, as more fully described in the Proxy
Statement dated January 14, 2000 relating to the Special
Meeting. |
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FOR
[ ] |
AGAINST
[ ] |
ABSTAIN
[ ] |
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In their discretion, upon such other matters as may properly
come before the meeting, all in accordance with the
accompanying Notice and Proxy Statement, receipt of which is
acknowledged. |
IF THIS PROXY IS PROPERLY EXECUTED AND RETURNED,
THE SHARES REPRESENTED THEREBY WILL BE VOTED. IF A CHOICE IS
SPECIFIED BY THE STOCKHOLDER, THE SHARES WILL BE VOTED
ACCORDINGLY. IF NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, THE SHARES
REPRESENTED BY THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR ITEM 1. |
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SIGNATURE (S) |
DATE |
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Sign exactly as name appears hereon. When
signing in a representative capacity, please give full
title. |