As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 14, 2017
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
W. R. Berkley Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization of registrant)
22-1867895
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
475 Steamboat Road
Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
(203) 629-3000
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrants principal executive offices)
Matthew M. Ricciardi, Esq.
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
W. R. Berkley Corporation
475 Steamboat Road
Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
(203) 629-3000
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service of registrant)
Please address a copy of all communications to:
Jeffrey S. Hochman, Esq.
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
787 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019-6099
(212) 728-8000
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, smaller reporting company and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ☐ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
Emerging growth company | ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered(1) |
Amount to be Registered/Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Unit/Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price/Amount of Registration Fee(2)(3)(4) | |
Common Stock, par value $.20 per share(4) |
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Preferred Stock, par value $.10 per share |
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Depositary Shares (5) |
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Debt Securities (6) |
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Warrants to Purchase Common Stock |
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Warrants to Purchase Preferred Stock |
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Warrants to Purchase Debt Securities |
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Stock Purchase Contracts |
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Stock Purchase Units |
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(1) | These offered securities may be sold separately, together or as units with other offered securities. |
(2) | Pursuant to Rule 456(b) and Rule 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), the registrant is deferring payment of the registration fee. Separate consideration may or may not be received for securities that are issuable on exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities or that are issued in units or represented by Depositary Shares registered hereunder. |
(3) | An indeterminate number or amount of the securities of each class identified above is being registered as may from time to time be issued at indeterminate prices. |
(4) | Includes such presently indeterminate number of shares of Common Stock as may be issued (a) upon conversion of or exchange for any Debt Securities or Preferred Stock that provide for conversion or exchange into Common Stock, (b) upon exercise of warrants to purchase Common Stock or (c) pursuant to Stock Purchase Contracts. Also includes such presently indeterminate number or amount of offered securities as may be issued in connection with Stock Purchase Units. |
(5) | Each Depositary Share, to be represented by Depositary Receipts, will be issued under a deposit agreement and will represent fractional interests in Debt Securities or fractional shares of either Common Stock or Preferred Stock. |
(6) | Such indeterminate principal amount of Debt Securities (which may be senior or subordinated). |
PROSPECTUS
W. R. Berkley Corporation
Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares, Debt Securities,
Warrants to Purchase Common Stock, Warrants to Purchase Preferred Stock,
Warrants to Purchase Debt Securities, Stock Purchase Contracts and Stock Purchase Units
We will provide the specific terms of these securities in supplements to this prospectus. The prospectus supplements may also add to or update the information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any supplements carefully before you invest.
Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WRB. On November 13, 2017, the closing price of our common stock, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange, was $68.13 per share.
Investing in our securities involves risks. See Risk Factors on Page 3.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of offered securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any supplement. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. We are offering these securities only in states where the offer is permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
The date of this prospectus is November 14, 2017.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE WARRANTS TO PURCHASE |
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DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS |
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This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) utilizing a shelf registration process, relating to the common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities, warrants, stock purchase contracts and stock purchase units described in this prospectus. Under this shelf process, we are registering an unspecified amount of each class of the securities described in this prospectus, and we may sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement as permitted by the rules and regulations of the Commission. For additional information regarding us and the offered securities, please refer to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add to, update, supplement or clarify information contained in this prospectus. The rules of the Commission allow us to incorporate by reference information into this prospectus. This information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the Commission will automatically update and supersede this information.
You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading Where You Can Find More Information and Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.
Unless otherwise indicated, all references in this prospectus to W. R. Berkley, we, us, our, the Company or similar terms refer to W. R. Berkley Corporation together with its subsidiaries.
This prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as believes, expects, potential, continued, may, will, should, seeks, approximately, predicts, intends, plans, estimates, anticipates or the negative version of those words or other comparable words. Any forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including statements related to our outlook for the industry and for our performance for the year 2017 and beyond, are based upon our historical performance and on current plans, estimates and expectations. The inclusion of this forward-looking information is not and should not be regarded as a representation by us, the underwriters or any other person that the future plans, estimates or expectations contemplated by us will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to:
| the cyclical nature of the property casualty industry; |
| the impact of significant competition, including new alternative entrants to the industry; |
| the long-tail and potentially volatile nature of the insurance and reinsurance business; |
| product demand and pricing; |
| claims development and the process of estimating reserves; |
| investment risks, including those of our portfolio of fixed maturity securities and investments in equity securities, including investments in financial institutions, municipal bonds, mortgage-backed securities, loans receivable, investment funds, including real estate, merger arbitrage and private equity investments; |
| the effects of emerging claim and coverage issues; |
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| the uncertain nature of damage theories and loss amounts; |
| natural and man-made catastrophic losses, including as a result of terrorist activities; |
| general economic and market activities, including inflation, interest rates and volatility in the credit and capital markets; |
| the impact of conditions in the financial markets and the global economy, and the potential effect of legislative, regulatory, accounting or other initiatives taken in response to it, on our results and financial condition; |
| foreign currency and political risks (including those associated with the United Kingdoms expected withdrawal from the European Union or Brexit) relating to our international operations; |
| our ability to attract and retain key personnel and qualified employees; |
| continued availability of capital and financing; |
| the success of our new ventures or acquisitions and the availability of other opportunities; |
| the availability of reinsurance; |
| our retention under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015; |
| the ability of our reinsurers to pay reinsurance recoverables owed to us; |
| other legislative and regulatory developments, including those related to business practices in the insurance industry; |
| credit risk relating to our policyholders, independent agents and brokers; |
| changes in the ratings assigned to us or our insurance company subsidiaries by rating agencies; |
| the availability of dividends from our insurance company subsidiaries; |
| potential difficulties with technology and/or data security; |
| the effectiveness of our controls to ensure compliance with guidelines, policies and legal and regulatory standards; and |
| other risks detailed from time to time in our filings with the Commission. |
We describe some of these risks and uncertainties in greater detail under the caption Risk Factors in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 (our Annual Report), which is incorporated herein by reference. These risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results for the year 2017 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement we make. Any projections of growth in our revenues would not necessarily result in commensurate levels of earnings. Our future financial performance is dependent upon factors discussed elsewhere in this prospectus, any related prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. Except to the extent required by applicable law, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. For a discussion of factors that could cause actual results to differ, see Risk Factors below and the information contained in our publicly available filings with the Commission. These filings are described below under the captions Where You Can Find More Information and Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.
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Overview
We are an insurance holding company that is among the largest commercial lines writers in the United States. We operate worldwide in two segments of the property casualty insurance business:
| Insurance commercial insurance business, including excess and surplus lines and admitted lines, throughout the United States as well as insurance business in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, South America, Canada, Mexico, Scandinavia, Asia and Australia; and |
| Reinsurance reinsurance business on a facultative and treaty basis, primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Australia, the Asia-Pacific Region and South Africa. |
Each of our business segments is composed of individual operating units that serve a market defined by geography, products, services or types of customers. Each of our operating units is positioned close to its customer base and participates in a niche market requiring specialized knowledge about a territory or product. This strategy of decentralized operations allows each of our units to identify and respond quickly and effectively to changing market conditions and local customer needs, while capitalizing on the benefits of centralized capital, investment, reinsurance management, and corporate actuarial, financial, enterprise risk management and legal staff support.
Other Information
For further information regarding us and our financial information, you should refer to our recent filings with the Commission.
We were incorporated in Delaware in 1970 as the successor to a New Jersey corporation that was incorporated in 1967. Our principal executive offices are located at 475 Steamboat Road, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830, and our telephone number is (203) 629-3000.
Investing in our securities involves significant risks. You should carefully consider and evaluate the specific risks discussed or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. You should consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed under the caption Risk Factors in Item 1A of our Annual Report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. If any of the events or circumstances described as risks actually occurs, our businesses, results of operations or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, the market value of our securities could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment. These risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the Commission in the future.
Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, we will use the net proceeds from the sale of offered securities for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, stock repurchases and other general corporate purposes. Until we use the net proceeds in the manner described above, we may temporarily use them to make short-term investments or to reduce short-term borrowings.
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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
The following table shows our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the periods indicated. For purposes of the computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings consist of income before income taxes, preferred dividends, change in accounting and extraordinary items plus fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest expense, capitalized interest, amortization of financing costs and one-third of minimum rental payments under operating leases. No preferred stock dividends were paid during such periods.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 |
Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges |
5.7 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE OFFERED SECURITIES
We may from time to time offer under this prospectus, separately or together:
| common stock; |
| preferred stock, which may be represented by depositary shares as described below; |
| unsecured senior or subordinated debt securities; |
| warrants to purchase common stock; |
| warrants to purchase preferred stock; |
| warrants to purchase debt securities; |
| stock purchase contracts; and |
| stock purchase units, each representing ownership of a stock purchase contract and, as security for the holders obligation to purchase common stock or preferred stock under the stock purchase contract, any of our other securities being registered hereby or preferred securities or debt obligations of third parties, including U.S. Treasury securities. |
DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK
Authorized and Outstanding Capital Stock
Pursuant to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation (our certificate of incorporation), our authorized capital stock is 505,000,000 shares, consisting of:
| 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.10 per share, of which 40,000 shares were designated as Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock; and |
| 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.20 per share. |
As of October 31, 2017, we had 121,794,758 outstanding shares of common stock, which excludes unissued shares reserved under various employee compensation plans and shares held by certain of our subsidiaries. No shares of preferred stock are currently outstanding.
No holders of any class of our capital stock are entitled to preemptive rights.
In general, the classes of authorized capital stock are afforded preferences with respect to dividends and liquidation rights in the order listed above. Our board of directors is empowered, without approval of our
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stockholders, to cause the preferred stock to be issued in one or more series, with the numbers of shares of each series and the rights, preferences and limitations of each series to be determined by it. The specific matters that may be determined by our board of directors include the dividend rights, voting rights, redemption rights, liquidation preferences, if any, conversion and exchange rights, retirement and sinking fund provisions and other rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions of any wholly unissued series of preferred stock, the number of shares constituting that series and the terms and conditions of the issue of the shares.
The following is a summary of the material provisions and features of our certificate of incorporation and our Amended and Restated By-Laws (our by-laws). You should refer to our certificate of incorporation and our by-laws for complete information regarding the provisions of our certificate of incorporation and our by-laws, including the definitions of some of the terms used below. Copies of our certificate of incorporation and our by-laws are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Whenever particular sections or defined terms of our certificate of incorporation and our by-laws are referred to, such sections or defined terms are incorporated herein by reference, and the statement in connection with which such reference is made is qualified in its entirety by such reference.
Common Stock
Subject to any preferential rights of any preferred stock created by our board of directors, each outstanding share of our common stock is entitled to such dividends as our board of directors may declare from time to time out of funds that we can legally use to pay dividends. The holders of common stock possess exclusive voting rights, except to the extent our board of directors specifies voting power with respect to any preferred stock that is issued.
Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock and does not have any right to cumulate votes in the election of directors. In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of W. R. Berkley, holders of our common stock will be entitled to receive on a pro-rata basis any assets remaining after provision for payment of creditors and after payment of any liquidation preferences to holders of preferred stock, if any.
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WRB. All shares of our common stock currently issued and outstanding are fully paid and non-assessable. Shares of our common stock offered by a prospectus supplement, upon issuance against full consideration, will be fully paid and non-assessable. A more detailed description of our common stock is set forth in our registration statement filed under the Exchange Act on Form 8-A/A on May 1, 2001, including any further amendment or report for the purpose of updating such description.
Preferred Stock
The particular terms of any series of preferred stock will be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the offering.
The rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including dividend rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, retirement and sinking fund provisions and liquidation preferences, if any, of the preferred stock of each series will be fixed or designated pursuant to a certificate of designation adopted by our board of directors or a duly authorized committee of our board of directors. The terms, if any, on which shares of any series of preferred stock are convertible or exchangeable into common stock will also be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the offering. These terms may include provisions for conversion or exchange, either mandatory, at the option of the holder, or at our option, in which case the number of shares of common stock to be received by the holders of preferred stock would be calculated as of a time and in the manner stated in the
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applicable prospectus supplement. The description of the terms of a particular series of preferred stock that will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the certificate of designation relating to such series.
Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws
Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws may delay or make more difficult unsolicited acquisitions or changes of our control. We believe that these provisions will enable us to develop our business in a manner that will foster long-term growth without disruption caused by the threat of a takeover not thought by our board of directors to be in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders.
Those provisions could have the effect of discouraging third parties from making proposals involving an unsolicited acquisition or change of control of W. R. Berkley, although the proposals, if made, might be considered desirable by a majority of our stockholders. Those provisions may also have the effect of making it more difficult for third parties to cause the replacement of our current management without the concurrence of our board of directors.
These provisions include:
| the establishment of a classified board of directors and the ability of our board to increase its size and to appoint directors to fill newly created directorships; |
| the requirement that 80% of our stockholders entitled to vote in the election of directors approve certain transactions between us and certain of our stockholders, including the merger of W. R. Berkley into such certain stockholder, our disposition of substantial assets to such certain stockholder or our exchange of voting securities with such certain stockholder for the sale or lease to us of securities or assets of such certain stockholder; |
| the need for advance notice in order to raise business or make nominations at stockholders meetings; and |
| the availability of capital stock for issuance from time to time at the discretion of our board of directors (see Authorized and Outstanding Capital Stock and Preferred Stock). |
See Restrictions on Ownership Under Insurance Laws, and Delaware General Corporation Law for other provisions applicable to us that may discourage takeovers.
Classified Board of Directors; Number of Directors; Filling of Vacancies
Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws provide for a board of directors divided into three classes, with one class being elected each year to serve for a three-year term. As a result, at least two annual meetings of stockholders may be required for stockholders to change a majority of our board of directors. Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws also provide that newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of up to 15 directors, or any vacancy, may be filled by a vote of a majority of directors then in office. Accordingly, our board of directors may be able to prevent any stockholder from obtaining majority representation on the board of directors by increasing the size of the board and filling the newly created directorships with its own nominees. Directors may be removed at any time for cause by the majority vote of the directors then in office. Additionally, directors may be removed with or without cause by the vote or consent of 80% of our stockholders entitled to vote in the election of directors.
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Stockholder Approval of Certain Transactions Effecting a Change of Control
The affirmative vote or consent of 80% of our stockholders entitled to vote in the election of directors is required to authorize any of the following transactions:
| our merger or consolidation into any other corporation or entity; |
| the sale, lease, exchange, mortgage or other disposition of all or any substantial part of our assets to any other corporation, person or other entity; or |
| the sale or lease by any other corporation, person or entity to us or any of our subsidiaries of any securities or assets, except assets having an aggregate fair market value of less than $4,000,000, in exchange for our or any of our subsidiaries voting securities, including securities convertible into voting securities or options and warrants or rights to purchase voting securities; |
if such corporation, person or entity is, or has been at any time within the preceding two years, the beneficial owner of 5% or more of the outstanding shares of our stock entitled to vote in the elections of directors. These transactions do not require an 80% stockholder vote if (a) our board of directors approved a memorandum of understanding with the other corporation prior to the time the other corporation became a beneficial owner of 5% or more of the outstanding shares of our stock entitled to vote in the elections of directors or (b) a majority of the outstanding shares of all classes of stock entitled to vote in elections of directors of the target corporation is owned by us.
Advance Notice for Raising Business or Making Nominations at Meetings
Our by-laws establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual or special meeting of stockholders and for nominations by stockholders of candidates for election as directors at an annual or special meeting at which directors are to be elected. Only such business may be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as has been specified in our notice to stockholders of such meeting, which notice will be given not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting. Only such business may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders as has been brought before the meeting by, or at the direction of, the board of directors, or by a stockholder who has given to the secretary of W. R. Berkley timely written notice, in proper form, of the stockholders intention to bring that business before the meeting. The Executive Chairman of the meeting will have the authority to make all determinations with respect to these matters. Only persons who are nominated by, or at the direction of, the board of directors, or who are nominated by a stockholder who has given timely written notice, in proper form, to the secretary prior to a meeting at which directors are to be elected will be eligible for election as directors.
To be timely, notice of business to be brought before an annual meeting, or nominations of candidates for election as directors at an annual meeting, is required to be received by the secretary of W. R. Berkley not less than 60 days nor more than 90 days in advance of the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting. In the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days or delayed by more than 60 days from such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the ninetieth day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the sixtieth day prior to such annual meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made.
Similarly, notice of nominations to be brought before a special meeting of stockholders for the election of directors is required to be delivered to the secretary not earlier than the ninetieth day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the sixtieth day prior to such special meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made.
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The notice of any nomination for election as a director is required to set forth:
| as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a director, all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, or any successor rule or regulation; and |
| as to the stockholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made (1) the name and address of such stockholder, as they appear on our books, and of such beneficial owner, and (2) the class and number of our shares which are owned beneficially and of record by such stockholder and such beneficial owner. |
Restrictions on Ownership Under Insurance Laws
Although our certificate of incorporation and by-laws do not contain any provision restricting ownership as a result of the application of various state insurance laws, these laws will be a significant deterrent to any person interested in acquiring our control. The insurance holding company laws of each of the jurisdictions in which our insurance subsidiaries are incorporated or commercially domiciled, as well as state corporation laws, govern any acquisition of control of our insurance subsidiaries or of us. In general, these laws provide that no person or entity may directly or indirectly acquire control of an insurance company unless that person or entity has received the prior approval of the insurance regulatory authorities. An acquisition of control generally would be presumed in the case of any person or entity who purchases 10% or more of our outstanding common stock, unless the applicable insurance regulatory authorities determine otherwise.
Delaware General Corporation Law
The terms of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law apply to us since we are a Delaware corporation and our certificate of incorporation does not exclude us from the restrictions imposed thereunder. Pursuant to Section 203, with certain exceptions, a Delaware corporation may not engage in any of a broad range of business combinations, such as mergers, consolidations and sales of assets, with an interested stockholder, as defined below, for a period of three years from the date that such person became an interested stockholder unless:
| the transaction that results in a person becoming an interested stockholder, or the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation before the person becomes an interested stockholder; |
| upon consummation of the transaction which results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owns 85% or more of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and shares owned by certain employee stock plans; or |
| on or after the time the person becomes an interested stockholder, the business combination is approved by the corporations board of directors and by holders of at least two-thirds of the corporations outstanding voting stock, excluding shares owned by the interested stockholder, at a meeting of stockholders. |
Under Section 203, an interested stockholder is defined as any person, other than the corporation and any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary, that is:
| the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation; or |
| an affiliate or associate of the corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at any time within the three-year period immediately prior to the date on which it is sought to be determined whether such person is an interested stockholder. |
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Under certain circumstances, Section 203 makes it more difficult for a person who would be an interested stockholder to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period, although the stockholders may elect to exclude a corporation from the restrictions imposed thereunder. The provisions of Section 203 may encourage companies interested in acquiring us to negotiate in advance with our board of directors, because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if a majority of the directors then in office approved either the business combination or the transaction resulting in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our management. It is further possible that such provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interest.
Limitations on Director Liability
Our certificate of incorporation contains a provision that is designed to limit our directors liability to the extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law and any amendments to that law. Specifically, directors will not be held liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary damages for an act or omission in their capacity as a director, except for liability as a result of:
| a breach of the duty of loyalty to the Company or our stockholders; |
| acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
| payment of an improper dividend or improper redemption or repurchase of the Companys stock under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law; or |
| any transaction from which the director received an improper personal benefit. |
The principal effect of the limitation on liability provision is that a stockholder is unable to prosecute an action for monetary damages against a director of the Company unless the stockholder can demonstrate one of the specified bases for liability. This provision, however, does not eliminate or limit director liability arising in connection with causes of action brought under the federal securities laws. Our certificate of incorporation also does not eliminate our directors duty of care. The inclusion of the limitation on liability provision in the certificate may, however, discourage or deter stockholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against directors for a breach of their fiduciary duties, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise have benefited the Company and our stockholders. This provision should not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as injunction or rescission based upon a directors breach of the duty of care.
Our by-laws also provide that we shall indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. We are required to indemnify our directors and officers for all judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement, legal fees and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with pending or threatened legal proceedings because of the directors or officers position with the Company or another entity that the director or officer serves at our request, subject to certain conditions, and to advance funds to our directors and officers to enable them to defend against such proceedings. To receive indemnification, the director or officer must succeed in the legal proceeding or act in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be lawful.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPOSITARY SHARES
General
We may, at our option, elect to offer depositary shares, representing fractional interests in debt securities or fractional shares of our common stock or a particular series of our preferred stock, as described below. In the event we elect to do so, depositary receipts evidencing depositary shares will be issued to the public.
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The interests in a security of a particular series of debt securities or shares of common stock or any class or series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement among us, a depositary selected by us and the holders of the depositary receipts. The depositary will be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, each owner of a depositary share will be entitled, in proportion to the applicable fraction of a debt security or share of common stock or preferred stock represented by such depositary share, to all the rights and preferences of the debt security, common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, represented by the depositary share, including dividend, voting, conversion, redemption, sinking fund, repayment at maturity, subscription and liquidation rights.
The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Depositary receipts will be distributed to those persons purchasing the fractional interests in debt securities or fractional shares of common stock or preferred stock in accordance with the terms of the offering described in the related prospectus supplement. If we issue depositary shares, we will file copies of the forms of deposit agreement and depositary receipt as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Pending the preparation of definitive depositary receipts, the depositary may, upon our written order, issue temporary depositary receipts substantially identical to, and entitling the holders thereof to all the rights pertaining to, the definitive depositary receipts but not in definitive form. Definitive depositary receipts will be prepared thereafter without unreasonable delay, and temporary depositary receipts will be exchangeable for definitive depositary receipts without charge to the holder thereof.
The following description of the depositary shares sets forth the material terms and provisions of the depositary shares to which any prospectus supplement may relate. The particular terms of the depositary shares offered by any prospectus supplement, and the extent to which the general provisions described below may apply to the offered securities, will be described in the prospectus supplement.
Dividends and Other Distributions
The depositary will distribute all payments of interest, cash dividends or other cash distributions received in respect of the debt securities, common stock or class or series of preferred stock, as the case may be, to the record holders of depositary shares relating to such debt securities, common stock or class or series of preferred stock in proportion to the number of such depositary shares owned by such holders.
In the event of a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property received by it to the record holders of depositary shares entitled thereto, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make such distribution, in which case the depositary may, with our approval, sell such property and distribute the net proceeds from such sale to such holders.
Withdrawal of Shares
Upon surrender of the depositary receipts at the corporate trust office of the depositary (unless the related depositary shares have previously been called for redemption), the holder of the depositary shares evidenced thereby is entitled to delivery of the number of whole shares of the related common stock or class or series of preferred stock or any debt securities represented by such depositary shares. Holders of depositary shares will be entitled to receive whole shares of the related common stock or class or series of preferred stock or debt securities on the basis set forth in the prospectus supplement for such common stock or class or series of preferred stock or debt securities, but holders of such whole common stock or preferred stock or such debt securities will not thereafter be entitled to exchange them for depositary shares. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares in excess of the number of depositary shares representing the number of whole common stock or preferred stock or debt securities to be withdrawn, the
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depositary will deliver to such holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing such excess number of depositary shares. In no event will fractional common shares or preferred shares or fractional interests in debt securities be delivered upon surrender of depositary receipts to the depositary.
Redemption of Depositary Shares
Whenever we redeem a debt security, common stock or preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem as of the same redemption date the number of depositary shares representing interests in the debt securities or shares of the common stock or preferred stock so redeemed. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the applicable fraction of the redemption price per debt security or share of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, payable with respect to such redeemed series of debt securities, common stock or preferred stock. If less than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot or pro rata, as may be determined by the depositary.
Exercise of Rights under the Indenture or Voting the Common Stock or Preferred Stock
Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the debt securities, common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, are entitled to vote or respond to requests for instructions or directions, the depositary will transmit the information contained in such notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary shares relating to such debt securities, common stock or preferred stock. Each record holder of such depositary shares on the record date will be entitled to instruct the depositary how to give instructions or directions with respect to the debt securities represented by such holders depositary shares or how to vote the amount of common stock or preferred stock represented by such holders depositary shares. The record date for the depositary shares will be the same date as the record date for the debt securities, common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be. The depositary will endeavor, insofar as practicable, to give instructions or directions with respect to the debt securities or vote the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, represented by the depositary shares in accordance with such instructions, and we will agree to take all action which the depositary deems necessary in order to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary will abstain from giving instructions or directions with respect to fractional interests in the debt securities or voting shares of the common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, to the extent it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares representing such debt securities or shares of common stock or preferred stock.
Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement
The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement may at any time be amended by agreement between us and the depositary. However, any amendment which materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary receipts will not be effective unless such amendment has been approved by the holders of depositary receipts representing at least a majority of the depositary shares then outstanding. Additionally, unless otherwise provided in the related prospectus supplement, in the case of amendments relating to or affecting rights to receive interest, dividends or distributions or instruction, direction, voting, repayment or redemption rights, approval is required by the holders of depositary receipts representing 66 2⁄3% of the depositary shares then outstanding. The deposit agreement may be terminated by us or the depositary only if:
| all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed; |
| if applicable, the debt securities and the preferred stock represented by depository shares have been converted into or exchanged for our common stock; |
| there has been a complete repayment or redemption of the debt securities or a final distribution in respect of the common stock or preferred stock, including in connection with our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, and such repayment, redemption or distribution proceeds, as the case may be, has been distributed to the holders of depositary receipts; or |
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| upon the consent of holders of depositary receipts representing not less than 66 2⁄3% of the depositary shares outstanding. |
Charges of Depositary
We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We will also pay charges of the depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the debt securities, common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be and any repayment or redemption of such debt securities, common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be. Holders of depositary receipts will pay all other transfer and other taxes and governmental charges and such other charges as are expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be for their accounts.
The depositary may refuse to effect any transfer of a depositary receipt or any withdrawal of debt securities or shares of common stock or preferred stock evidenced thereby until all such taxes and charges with respect to such depositary receipt or such debt securities or shares of common stock or preferred stock are paid by the holders thereof.
Miscellaneous
The depositary will forward all reports and communications from us which are delivered to the depositary and which we are required to furnish to the holders of debt securities, common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be.
Neither we nor the depositary will be liable if either is prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond its control in performing its obligations under the deposit agreement. Our obligations and the obligations of the depositary under the deposit agreement will be limited to performance in good faith of our and their respective duties thereunder and neither we nor the depositary will be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary shares, debt securities, common stock or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. We and the depositary may rely on written advice of counsel or accountants, or information provided by persons presenting debt securities or shares of common stock or preferred stock for deposit, holders of depositary shares or other persons believed to be competent and on documents believed to be genuine.
Resignation and Removal of Depositary
The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so, and we may at any time remove the depositary. Any such resignation or removal of the depositary will take effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary, which successor depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or removal and must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DEBT SECURITIES
The following description of our debt securities sets forth the material terms and provisions of the debt securities to which any prospectus supplement may relate. Our senior debt securities are to be issued under an indenture between us and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee, the form of which is incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We refer to this indenture in this prospectus as the senior indenture. Our subordinated debt securities are to be issued under an indenture which we sometimes refer to in this prospectus as the subordinated indenture between us and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee, the form of which is incorporated by reference to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are
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sometimes referred to herein collectively as the W. R. Berkley indentures and each individually as a W. R. Berkley indenture. The particular terms of the debt securities offered by any prospectus supplement, and the extent to which the general provisions described below may apply to the offered debt securities, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The following are summaries of the material terms and provisions of the W. R. Berkley indentures and the related debt securities. You should refer to the forms of the W. R. Berkley indentures and the debt securities for complete information regarding the terms and provisions of the W. R. Berkley indentures, including the definitions of some of the terms used below, and the debt securities. Wherever particular articles, sections or defined terms of a W. R. Berkley indenture are referred to, those articles, sections or defined terms are incorporated herein by reference, and the statement in connection with which such reference is made is qualified in its entirety by such reference. Wherever particular articles, sections or defined terms of a W. R. Berkley indenture, without specific reference to a particular W. R. Berkley indenture, are referred to, those articles, sections or defined terms are contained in all W. R. Berkley indentures. The senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are substantially identical, except for certain covenants of ours and provisions relating to subordination.
General
The W. R. Berkley indentures do not limit the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities which we may issue thereunder and provide that we may issue the debt securities thereunder from time to time in one or more series. (Section 3.1) The W. R. Berkley indentures do not limit the amount of other Indebtedness or the debt securities, other than certain secured Indebtedness as described below, which we or our Subsidiaries may issue.
Unless otherwise provided in a prospectus supplement, the senior debt securities will be unsecured obligations of ours and will rank equally with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. The subordinated debt securities will be unsecured obligations of ours, subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness of ours as described below under Subordination of the Subordinated Debt Securities and in the applicable prospectus supplement. The W. R. Berkley indentures do not limit the amount of senior, pari passu and junior Indebtedness that we may issue.
As of September 30, 2017, we had outstanding approximately $2,521 million face value of senior notes and other debt, including $750 million face value of subordinated debentures. See Notes 16 and 20 to our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
Because we are a holding company, our rights and the rights of our creditors, including the holders of our debt securities, and stockholders to participate in any distribution of assets of any Subsidiary upon the Subsidiarys liquidation or reorganization or otherwise would be subject to the prior claims of the Subsidiarys creditors, except to the extent that we may ourselves be a creditor with recognized claims against the Subsidiary. The rights of our creditors, including the holders of our debt securities, to participate in the distribution of stock owned by us in certain of the Subsidiaries, including our insurance Subsidiaries, may also be subject to approval by certain insurance regulatory authorities having jurisdiction over such Subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2017, our Subsidiaries had approximately $4 million of indebtedness for borrowed money.
The prospectus supplement relating to the particular debt securities offered thereby will describe the following terms of the offered debt securities:
| the title of such debt securities and the series in which such debt securities will be included, which may include medium-term notes; |
| any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of such debt securities; |
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| the date or dates, or the method or methods, if any, by which such date or dates will be determined, on which the principal of such debt securities will be payable; |
| the rate or rates at which such debt securities will bear interest, if any, which rate may be zero in the case of certain debt securities issued at an issue price representing a discount from the principal amount payable at maturity, or the method by which such rate or rates will be determined, including, if applicable, any remarketing option or similar method, and the date or dates from which such interest, if any, will accrue or the method by which such date or dates will be determined; |
| the date or dates on which interest, if any, on such debt securities will be payable and any regular record dates applicable to the date or dates on which interest will be so payable; |
| the place or places where the principal of, any premium or interest on or any additional amounts with respect to such debt securities will be payable, any of such debt securities that are issued in registered form may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and any such debt securities may be surrendered for conversion or exchange; |
| whether any of such debt securities are to be redeemable at our option, whether we will be obligated to redeem or purchase any of such debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of any holder thereof, and the terms of such option or obligation, as described under Redemption below; |
| if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which any debt securities to be issued in registered form will be issuable and, if other than a denomination of $5,000, the denominations in which any debt securities to be issued in bearer form will be issuable; |
| whether the debt securities will be convertible into common stock and/or exchangeable for other securities and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such debt securities will be so convertible or exchangeable; |
| if other than the principal amount, the portion of the principal amount, or the method by which such portion will be determined, of such debt securities that will be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof; |
| if other than United States dollars, the currency of payment, including composite currencies, of the principal of, any premium or interest on or any additional amounts with respect to any of such debt securities; |
| whether the principal of, any premium or interest on or any additional amounts with respect to such debt securities will be payable, at our election or the election of a holder, in a currency other than that in which such debt securities are stated to be payable and the date or dates on which, the period or periods within which, and the other terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made; |
| any index, formula or other method used to determine the amount of payments of principal of, any premium or interest on or any additional amounts with respect to such debt securities; |
| whether such debt securities are to be issued in the form of one or more global securities and, if so, the identity of the depositary for such global security or securities; |
| whether such debt securities are senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities and, if subordinated debt securities, the specific subordination provisions applicable thereto; |
| in the case of subordinated debt securities, the relative degree, if any, to which such subordinated debt securities of the series will be senior to or be subordinated to other series of the subordinated debt securities or other indebtedness of ours in right of payment, whether such other series of the subordinated debt securities or other indebtedness are outstanding or not; |
| any modifications of or additions to the Events of Default or covenants of ours with respect to such debt securities; |
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| whether the provisions described below under Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance will be applicable to such debt securities; |
| whether any of such debt securities are to be issued upon the exercise of warrants, and the time, manner and place for such debt securities to be authenticated and delivered; and |
| any other terms of such debt securities and any modifications or additions to the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture in respect of such debt securities. (Section 3.1) |
We will have the ability under the W. R. Berkley indentures to reopen a previously issued series of the debt securities and issue additional debt securities of that series or establish additional terms of that series. We are also permitted to issue debt securities with the same terms as previously issued debt securities. (Section 3.1)
Unless otherwise provided in the related prospectus supplement, principal, premium, interest and additional amounts, if any, with respect to any debt securities will be payable at the office or agency maintained by us for such purposes. In the case of debt securities issued in registered form, interest may be paid by check mailed to the persons entitled thereto at their addresses appearing on the security register or by transfer to an account maintained by the payee with a bank located in the United States. Interest on debt securities issued in registered form will be payable on any interest payment date to the persons in whose names the debt securities are registered at the close of business on the regular record date with respect to such interest payment date. All paying agents initially designated by us for the debt securities will be named in the related prospectus supplement. We may at any time designate additional paying agents or rescind the designation of any paying agent or approve a change in the office through which any paying agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a paying agent in each place where the principal of, any premium or interest on or any additional amounts with respect to the debt securities are payable. (Sections 3.7 and 10.2)
Unless otherwise provided in the related prospectus supplement, the debt securities may be presented for transfer or exchanged for other debt securities of the same series, containing identical terms and provisions, in any authorized denominations, and of a like aggregate principal amount, at the office or agency maintained by us for such purposes. Such transfer or exchange will be made without service charge, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge and any other expenses then payable. We will not be required to:
| issue, register the transfer of, or exchange, the debt securities during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of transmittal of a notice of redemption of any such debt securities and ending at the close of business on the day of such transmittal; or |
| register the transfer of or exchange any debt security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt security being redeemed in part. (Section 3.5) |
We have appointed the trustee as security registrar. Any transfer agent, in addition to the security registrar, initially designated by us for any debt securities will be named in the related prospectus supplement. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place where the principal of, any premium or interest on or any additional amounts with respect to the debt securities are payable. (Section 10.2)
Unless otherwise provided in the related prospectus supplement, the debt securities will be issued only in fully registered form without coupons in minimum denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. (Section 3.2) The debt securities may be represented in whole or in part by one or more global debt securities registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee and, if so represented, interests in such global debt security will be shown on, and transfers thereof will be effected only through, records maintained by the designated depositary and its participants as described below. Where the debt securities of any series are issued in bearer
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form, the special restrictions and considerations, including special offering restrictions and special United States Federal income tax considerations, applicable to such debt securities and to payment on and transfer and exchange of such debt securities will be described in the related prospectus supplement.
The debt securities may be issued as original issue discount securities, bearing no interest or bearing interest at a rate which at the time of issuance is below market rates, to be sold at a substantial discount below their principal amount. Special United States Federal income tax and other considerations applicable to original issue discount securities will be described in the related prospectus supplement.
If the purchase price of any debt securities is payable in one or more foreign currencies or currency units or if any debt securities are denominated in one or more foreign currencies or currency units or if the principal of, or any premium or interest on, or any additional amounts with respect to, any debt securities is payable in one or more foreign currencies or currency units, the restrictions, elections, certain United States Federal income tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to such debt securities and such foreign currency or currency units will be set forth in the related prospectus supplement.
We will comply with Section 14(e) under the Exchange Act, and any other tender offer rules under the Exchange Act which may then be applicable, in connection with any obligation of ours to purchase debt securities at the option of the holders. Any such obligation applicable to a series of debt securities will be described in the related prospectus supplement.
Unless otherwise described in a prospectus supplement relating to any debt securities, the W. R. Berkley indentures do not contain any provisions that would limit our ability to incur indebtedness or that would afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event of a sudden and significant decline in our credit quality or a takeover, recapitalization or highly leveraged or similar transaction involving us. Accordingly, we could in the future enter into transactions that could increase the amount of indebtedness outstanding at that time or otherwise affect our capital structure or credit rating. You should refer to the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of the debt securities for information regarding any modifications of or additions to the Events of Default described below or our covenants contained in the W. R. Berkley indentures, including any addition of a covenant or other provisions providing event risk or similar protection.
Conversion and Exchange
The terms, if any, on which debt securities of any series are convertible into or exchangeable for common stock, preferred stock or other securities, property or cash, or a combination of any of the foregoing, will be set forth in the related prospectus supplement. Such terms may include provisions for conversion or exchange, either mandatory, at the option of the holder, or at our option, in which the securities, property or cash to be received by the holders of the debt securities would be calculated according to the factors and at such time as described in the related prospectus supplement.
Global Securities
The debt securities of a series may be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more global debt securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, a depositary identified in the prospectus supplement relating to such series.
The specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to a series of the debt securities will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to such series. We anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary arrangements.
Upon the issuance of a global security, the depositary for such global security or its nominee will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the respective principal amounts of the debt securities represented
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by such global security. Such accounts will be designated by the underwriters or agents with respect to such debt securities or by us if such debt securities are offered and sold directly by us. Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be limited to persons that may hold interests through participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in such global security will be shown on, and the transfer of that ownership will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary or its nominee with respect to interests of participants, and on the records of participants with respect to interests of persons other than participants. The laws of some states require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such limits and such laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a global security.
So long as the depositary for a global security, or its nominee, is the registered owner of such global security, such depositary or such nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the debt securities represented by such global security for all purposes under the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture. Except as described below, owners of beneficial interests in a global security will not be entitled to have the debt securities of the series represented by such global security registered in their names and will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the debt securities of that series in definitive form.
Principal of, any premium and interest on, and any additional amounts with respect to, the debt securities registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the global security representing such debt securities. None of the trustee, any paying agent, the security registrar or us will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests of the global security for such debt securities or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.
We expect that the depositary for a series of the debt securities or its nominee, upon receipt of any payment with respect to such debt securities, will credit immediately participants accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interest in the principal amount of the global security for such debt securities as shown on the records of such depositary or its nominee. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in such global security held through such participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers registered in street name, and will be the responsibility of such participants.
The W. R. Berkley indentures provide that if:
| the depositary for a series of the debt securities notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or if such depositary ceases to be eligible under the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture and a successor depositary is not appointed by us within 90 days of written notice; |
| we determine that the debt securities of a particular series will no longer be represented by global securities and we execute and deliver to the trustee a company order to such effect; or |
| an Event of Default with respect to a series of the debt securities has occurred and is continuing, |
then, in an such case, the global securities will be exchanged for the debt securities of such series in definitive form of like tenor and of an equal aggregate principal amount, in authorized denominations. Such definitive debt securities will be registered in such name or names as the depositary shall instruct the trustee. (Section 3.5) It is expected that such instructions may be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in global securities.
Payment of Additional Amounts
We will make all payments of principal of, and premium, if any, interest and any other amounts on, or in respect of, the debt securities of any series without withholding or deduction at source for, or on account of, any present or future taxes, fees, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature imposed or levied
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by or on behalf of a taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, unless such taxes, fees, duties, assessments or governmental charges are required to be withheld or deducted by:
| the laws, or any regulations or rulings promulgated thereunder, of a taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein; or |
| an official position regarding the application, administration, interpretation or enforcement of any such laws, regulations or rulings, including, without limitation, a holding by a court of competent jurisdiction or by a taxing authority in a taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof. |
If a withholding or deduction at source is required, we will, subject to certain limitations and exceptions described below, pay to the holder of any such debt security such additional amounts as may be necessary so that every net payment of principal, premium, if any, interest or any other amount made to such holder, after the withholding or deduction, will not be less than the amount provided for in such debt security and the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture to be then due and payable.
We will not be required to pay any additional amounts for or on account of:
(1) any tax, fee, duty, assessment or governmental charge of whatever nature which would not have been imposed but for the fact that such holder:
| was a resident, domiciliary or national of, or engaged in business or maintained a permanent establishment or was physically present in, the relevant taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof or otherwise had some connection with the relevant taxing jurisdiction other than by reason of the mere ownership of, or receipt of payment under, such debt security; |
| presented such debt security for payment in the relevant taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof, unless such debt security could not have been presented for payment elsewhere; or |
| presented such debt security for payment more than 30 days after the date on which the payment in respect of such debt security became due and payable or provided for, whichever is later, except to the extent that the holder would have been entitled to such additional amounts if it had presented such debt security for payment on any day within that 30-day period; |
(2) any estate, inheritance, gift, sale, transfer, personal property or similar tax, assessment or other governmental charge;
(3) any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed or withheld by reason of the failure by the holder or the beneficial owner of such debt security to comply with any reasonable request by us addressed to the holder within 90 days of such request:
| to provide information concerning the nationality, residence or identity of the holder or such beneficial owner; or |
| to make any declaration or other similar claim or satisfy any information or reporting requirement, which is required or imposed by statute, treaty, regulation or administrative practice of the relevant taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof as a precondition to exemption from all or part of such tax, assessment or other governmental charge; or |
(4) any combination of items (1), (2) and (3) above.
In addition, we will not pay additional amounts with respect to any payment of principal of, or premium, if any, interest or any other amounts on, any such debt security to any holder who is a fiduciary, partnership, other fiscally transparent entity or other than the sole beneficial owner of such debt security to the extent such payment would be required by the laws of the relevant taxing jurisdiction, or any political subdivision or relevant taxing
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authority thereof or therein, to be included in the income for tax purposes of a beneficiary or settlor with respect to such fiduciary, partner, member of such other fiscally transparent entity or a beneficial owner who would not have been entitled to such additional amounts had it been the holder of the debt security. (Section 10.4 of the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture)
Redemption
If provided in the related prospectus supplement, we will have the right to redeem some or all of the debt securities. The prospectus supplement relating to the particular debt securities offered thereby will describe:
| whether and on what terms we will have the option to redeem such debt securities in lieu of paying additional amounts in respect of certain taxes, fees, duties, assessments or governmental charges that might be imposed on holders of such debt securities; |
| whether any of such debt securities are to be redeemable at our option and, if so, the date or dates on which, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such debt securities may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at our option; and |
| whether we will be obligated to redeem or purchase any of such debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of any holder thereof and, if so, the date or dates on which, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such debt securities will be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation, and any provisions for the remarketing of such debt securities so redeemed or purchased. |
If provided in the related prospectus supplement, the holders of the debt securities may have the right to cause us to repay their indebtedness upon a change of control of W. R. Berkley.
Each W. R. Berkley indenture provides that if we do not redeem all of the debt securities thereunder, the securities to be redeemed will be selected in accordance with the procedures of the depositary. If any debt securities are to be redeemed in part only, we will issue a new note for such securities in principal amount equal to the unredeemed principal portion. If a portion of your debt securities is selected for partial redemption and you convert or elect repurchase of a portion of your securities, the converted or repurchased portion will be deemed to be taken from the portion selected for redemption. Unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement, notice of redemption setting forth the redemption date and redemption price must be given at least thirty days and not more than sixty days prior to the redemption date.
Notice of any redemption will be transmitted at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each holder of subordinated debt securities to be redeemed at its registered address. Unless we default in payment of the redemption price, on and after the redemption date interest will cease to accrue on the subordinated debt securities or portions thereof called for redemption.
Consolidation, Amalgamation, Merger and Sale of Assets
Each W. R. Berkley indenture provides that we may not:
(1) consolidate or amalgamate with or merge into any Person or convey, transfer or lease our properties and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to any Person; or
(2) permit any Person to consolidate or amalgamate with or merge into us, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to us, unless:
| in the case of (1) above, such Person is organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any State thereof or the District of Columbia, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or any other country which is on the date of such W.R. Berkley |
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indenture a member of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, and will expressly assume, by supplemental indenture satisfactory in form to the trustee, the due and punctual payment of the principal of, any premium and interest on and any additional amounts with respect to all of the debt securities issued thereunder, and the performance of our obligations under such W. R. Berkley indenture and the debt securities issued thereunder, and provides for conversion or exchange rights in accordance with the provisions of the debt securities of any series that are convertible or exchangeable into common stock or other securities; |
| immediately after giving effect to such transaction and treating any indebtedness which becomes an obligation of ours or a Subsidiary as a result of such transaction as having been incurred by us or such Subsidiary at the time of such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which after notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default, will have happened and be continuing; and |
| certain other conditions are satisfied. (Section 8.1) |
Events of Default
Except as otherwise provided in the related prospectus supplement and specifically deleted or modified in or pursuant to the related supplemental indenture, board resolution or officers certificate establishing the terms of any series of debt securities pursuant to the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture, each of the following events will constitute an Event of Default under the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture with respect to any series of debt securities issued thereunder, whatever the reason for such Event of Default and whether it will be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body:
(1) default in the payment of any interest on any debt security of such series, or any additional amounts payable with respect thereto, when such interest becomes or such additional amounts become due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days;
(2) default in the payment of the principal of or any premium on any debt security of such series, or any additional amounts payable with respect thereto, when such principal or premium becomes or such additional amounts become due and payable either at maturity, upon any redemption, by declaration of acceleration or otherwise;
(3) default in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, when and as due by the terms of any debt security of such series;
(4) default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or warranty of ours contained in the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture for the benefit of such series or in the debt securities of such series, and the continuance of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given written notice as provided in such W. R. Berkley indenture;
(5) if any event of default as defined in any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued, or by which there may be secured or evidenced, any Indebtedness of ours, whether such Indebtedness now exists or is hereafter created or incurred, happens and consists of default in the payment of more than $50,000,000 in principal amount of such Indebtedness at the maturity thereof, after giving effect to any applicable grace period, or results in such Indebtedness in principal amount in excess of $50,000,000 becoming or being declared due and payable prior to the date on which it would otherwise become due and payable, and such default is not cured or such acceleration is not rescinded or annulled within a period of 30 days after there has been given written notice as provided in the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture;
(6) we shall fail within 60 days to pay, bond or otherwise discharge any uninsured judgment or court order for the payment of money in excess of $50,000,000, which is not stayed on appeal or is not otherwise being appropriately contested in good faith;
(7) certain events in our bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization; and
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(8) any other Event of Default provided in or pursuant to the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture with respect to the debt securities of such series. (Section 5.1)
If an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of any series, other than an Event of Default described in (7) of the preceding paragraph, occurs and is continuing, either the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series by written notice as provided in the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture may declare the principal amount, or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the debt securities of such series, of all outstanding debt securities of such series to be due and payable immediately. At any time after a declaration of acceleration has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of money has been obtained by the trustee, and subject to applicable law and certain other provisions of the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of such series may, under certain circumstances, rescind and annul such acceleration. An Event of Default described in (7) of the preceding paragraph will cause the principal amount and accrued interest, or such lesser amount as provided for in the debt securities of such series, to become immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act by the trustee or any holder. (Section 5.2)
Each W. R. Berkley indenture provides that, within 90 days after the occurrence of any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of any series, the trustee will transmit, in the manner set forth in such W. R. Berkley indenture, notice of such default to the holders of the debt securities of such series unless such default has been cured or waived; provided, however, that the trustee may withhold such notice if and so long as the board of directors, the executive committee or the trust committee of directors and/or responsible officers of the trustee in good faith determine that the withholding of such notice is in the best interest of the holders of the debt securities of such series; and provided, further, that in the case of any default of the character described in (5) of the second preceding paragraph, no such notice to holders will be given until at least 30 days after the default occurs. (Section 6.2)
If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the debt securities of any series, the trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the holders of the debt securities of such series by all appropriate judicial proceedings. (Section 5.3) Each W. R. Berkley indenture provides that, subject to the duty of the trustee during any default to act with the required standard of care, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such W. R. Berkley indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the debt securities, unless such holders shall have offered to the trustee indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the trustee. (Section 6.1) Subject to such provisions for the indemnification of the trustee, and subject to applicable law and certain other provisions of the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee, with respect to debt securities of such series. (Section 5.12)
Modification and Waiver
We and the trustee may modify or amend a W. R. Berkley indenture with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected thereby; provided, however, that no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security affected thereby:
| change the stated maturity of the principal of, or any premium or installment of interest on, or any additional amounts with respect to, any debt security; |
| reduce the principal amount of, or the rate, or modify the calculation of such rate, of interest on, or any additional amounts with respect to, or any premium payable upon the redemption of, any debt security; |
| change our obligation to pay additional amounts with respect to any debt security; |
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| reduce the amount of the principal of an original issue discount security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof or the amount thereof provable in bankruptcy; |
| change the redemption provisions of any debt security or adversely affect the right of repayment at the option of any holder of any debt security; |
| change the place of payment or the coin or currency in which the principal of, any premium or interest on or any additional amounts with respect to any debt security is payable; |
| impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or after the stated maturity of any debt security or, in the case of redemption, on or after the redemption date or, in the case of repayment at the option of any holder, on or after the repayment date; |
| reduce the percentage in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities, the consent of whose holders is required in order to take specific actions; |
| reduce the requirements for quorum or voting by holders of debt securities in Section 15.4 of the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture; |
| modify any of the provisions in the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture regarding the waiver of past defaults and the waiver of certain covenants by the holders of the debt securities except to increase any percentage vote required or to provide that other provisions of such W. R. Berkley indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the holder of each debt security affected thereby; |
| make any change that adversely affects the right to convert or exchange any debt security into or for our common stock or other debt securities or other securities, cash or property in accordance with its terms; |
| modify any of the provisions of the subordinated indenture relating to the subordination of the subordinated debt securities in a manner adverse to holders of the subordinated debt securities; or |
| modify any of the above provisions. (Section 9.2) |
In addition, no supplemental indenture may directly or indirectly modify or eliminate the subordination provisions of a subordinated indenture in any manner which might terminate or impair the subordination of the subordinated debt securities to Senior Indebtedness without the prior written consent of the holders of the Senior Indebtedness. (Section 9.7 of the subordinated indenture)
We and the trustee may modify or amend a W. R. Berkley indenture and the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder in order to, among other things:
| provide for our successor pursuant to a consolidation, amalgamation, merger or sale of assets; |
| add to our covenants for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us by the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture; |
| provide for a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of all or any series; |
| cure any ambiguity or correct or supplement any provision in the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision, or to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture which will not adversely affect the interests of the holders of debt securities of any series; |
| change the conditions, limitations and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of debt securities under the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture; |
| add any additional Events of Default with respect to all or any series of debt securities; |
| secure the debt securities; |
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| provide for conversion or exchange rights of the holders of any series of debt securities; or |
| make any other change that does not materially adversely affect the interests of the holders of any debt securities then outstanding under the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture. (Section 9.1) |
The holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of any series may, on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series, waive compliance by us with certain restrictive provisions of the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture. (Section 10.6) The holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may, on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series, waive any past default and its consequences under the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture with respect to debt securities of that series, except a default:
| in the payment of principal of, any premium or interest on or any additional amounts with respect to debt securities of that series; or |
| in respect of a covenant or provision of the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each debt security of any series. (Section 5.13) |
Under each W. R. Berkley indenture, we are required to furnish the trustee annually a statement as to performance by us of certain of our obligations under such W. R. Berkley indenture and as to any default in such performance. We are also required to deliver to the trustee, within five days after occurrence thereof, written notice of any Event of Default or any event which after notice or lapse of time or both would constitute an Event of Default. (Section 10.7)
Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
We may discharge certain obligations to holders of any series of debt securities that have not already been delivered to the trustee for cancellation and that either have become due and payable or will become due and payable within one year, or scheduled for redemption within one year, by depositing with the trustee, in trust, funds in U.S. dollars or in the Foreign Currency in which such debt securities are payable in an amount sufficient to pay the entire indebtedness on such debt securities with respect to principal and any premium, interest and additional amounts to the date of such deposit, if such debt securities have become due and payable, or to the maturity thereof, as the case may be. (Section 4.1)
Each W. R. Berkley indenture provides that, unless the provisions of Section 4.2 thereof are made inapplicable to debt securities of or within any series pursuant to Section 3.1 thereof, we may elect either:
| to defease and be discharged from any and all obligations with respect to such debt securities, except for, among other things, the obligation to pay additional amounts, if any, upon the occurrence of certain events of taxation, assessment or governmental charge with respect to payments on such debt securities and other obligations to register the transfer or exchange of such debt securities, to replace temporary or mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities, to maintain an office or agency with respect to such debt securities and to hold moneys for payment in trust; or |
| to be released from its obligations with respect to such debt securities under certain covenants as described in the related prospectus supplement, and any omission to comply with such obligations will not constitute a default or an Event of Default with respect to such debt securities. |
Such defeasance or such covenant defeasance, as the case may be, will be conditioned upon the irrevocable deposit by us with the trustee, in trust, of an amount in U.S. dollars or in the Foreign Currency in which such debt securities are payable at stated maturity, or Government Obligations, or both, applicable to such debt securities which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in accordance with their terms will provide money in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any additional amounts with respect to, such debt securities on the scheduled due dates. (Section 4.2)
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Such a trust may only be established if, among other things:
| the applicable defeasance or covenant defeasance does not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture or any other material agreement or instrument to which we are a party or by which we are bound; |
| no Event of Default or event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities to be defeased will have occurred and be continuing on the date of establishment of such a trust and, with respect to defeasance only, at any time during the period ending on the 123rd day after such date; and |
| we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel, as specified in the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture, to the effect that the holders of such debt securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States Federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance or covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such defeasance or covenant defeasance had not occurred, and such opinion of counsel, in the case of defeasance, must refer to and be based upon a letter ruling of the Internal Revenue Service received by us, a Revenue Ruling published by the Internal Revenue Service or a change in applicable United States Federal income tax law occurring after the date of the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture. (Section 4.2) |
Foreign Currency means any currency, currency unit or composite currency, including, without limitation, the euro, issued by the government of one or more countries other than the United States of America or by any recognized confederation or association of such governments. (Section 1.1)
Government Obligations means debt securities which are:
(1) direct obligations of the United States of America or the government or the governments which issued the Foreign Currency in which the debt securities of a particular series are payable, for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged; or
(2) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America or such government or governments which issued the Foreign Currency in which the debt securities of such series are payable, the timely payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America or such other government or governments, which, in the case of clauses (1) and (2), are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer or issuers thereof, and will also include a depository receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of or any other amount with respect to any such Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of such depository receipt, provided that, except as required by law, such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian with respect to the Government Obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of or any other amount with respect to the Government Obligation evidenced by such depository receipt. (Section 1.1)
If after we have deposited funds and/or Government Obligations to effect defeasance or covenant defeasance with respect to debt securities of any series:
(1) the holder of a debt security of that series is entitled to, and does, elect pursuant to Section 3.1 of the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture or the terms of such debt security to receive payment in a currency other than that in which such deposit has been made in respect of such debt security; or
(2) a Conversion Event occurs in respect of the Foreign Currency in which such deposit has been made;
then the indebtedness represented by such debt security will be deemed to have been, and will be, fully discharged and satisfied through the payment of the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any additional
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amounts with respect to, such debt security as such debt security becomes due out of the proceeds yielded by converting the amount or other properties so deposited in respect of such debt security into the currency in which such debt security becomes payable as a result of such election or such Conversion Event based on:
| in the case of payments made pursuant to clause (1) above, the applicable market exchange rate for such currency in effect on the second business day prior to such payment date; or |
| with respect to a Conversion Event, the applicable market exchange rate for such Foreign Currency in effect, as nearly as feasible, at the time of the Conversion Event. (Section 4.2) |
Conversion Event means the cessation of use of:
| a Foreign Currency both by the government of the country or countries which issued such Foreign Currency and for the settlement of transactions by a central bank or other public institutions of or within the international banking community; or |
| any currency unit or composite currency for the purposes for which it was established. |
All payments of principal of, any premium and interest on, and any additional amounts with respect to, any debt security that are payable in a Foreign Currency that ceases to be used by the government or governments of issuance will be made in U.S. dollars. (Section 1.1)
In the event we effect covenant defeasance with respect to any debt securities and such debt securities are declared due and payable because of the occurrence of any Event of Default other than an Event of Default with respect to any covenant as to which there has been covenant defeasance, the amount in such Foreign Currency in which such debt securities are payable, and Government Obligations on deposit with the trustee, will be sufficient to pay amounts due on such debt securities at the time of the stated maturity but may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on such debt securities at the time of the acceleration resulting from such Event of Default. However, we would remain liable to make payment of such amounts due at the time of acceleration.
Subordination of the Subordinated Debt Securities
The subordinated debt securities will, to the extent set forth in the subordinated indenture, be subordinate in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness. (Section 16.1 of the subordinated indenture). In the event of:
| any insolvency or bankruptcy case or proceeding, or any receivership, liquidation, reorganization or other similar case or proceeding in connection therewith, relative to us or to our creditors, as such, or to our assets; |
| any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or other winding-up of ours, whether or not involving insolvency or bankruptcy; or |
| any assignment for the benefit of creditors or any other marshalling of assets and liabilities of ours, |
then and in any such event the holders of Senior Indebtedness will be entitled to receive payment in full of all amounts due or to become due on or in respect of all Senior Indebtedness, or provision will be made for such payment in cash, before the holders of the subordinated debt securities are entitled to receive or retain any payment on account of principal of, or any premium or interest on, or any additional amounts with respect to, subordinated debt securities, and to that end the holders of Senior Indebtedness will be entitled to receive, for application to the payment thereof, any payment or distribution of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, including any such payment or distribution which may be payable or deliverable by reason of the payment of any other Indebtedness of ours being subordinated to the payment of subordinated debt securities, which may be payable or deliverable in respect of subordinated debt securities in any such case, proceeding, dissolution, liquidation or other winding-up event. (Section 16.3 of the subordinated indenture)
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By reason of such subordination, in the event of our liquidation or insolvency, holders of Senior Indebtedness and holders of other obligations of ours that are not subordinated to Senior Indebtedness may recover more, ratably, than the holders of subordinated debt securities.
Subject to the payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, the rights of the holders of subordinated debt securities will be subrogated to the rights of the holders of Senior Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions of cash, property or securities of ours applicable to such Senior Indebtedness until the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any additional amounts with respect to, subordinated debt securities have been paid in full. (Section 16.4 of the subordinated indenture)
No payment of principal, including redemption and sinking fund payments, of or any premium or interest on or any additional amounts with respect to the subordinated debt securities may be made:
| if any Senior Indebtedness of ours is not paid when due and any applicable grace period with respect to such default has ended and such default has not been cured or waived or ceased to exist; or |
| if the maturity of any Senior Indebtedness of ours has been accelerated because of a default. (Section 16.2 of the subordinated indenture) |
The subordinated indenture does not limit or prohibit us from incurring additional Senior Indebtedness, which may include Indebtedness that is senior to subordinated debt securities, but subordinate to our other obligations. The senior debt securities will constitute Senior Indebtedness under the subordinated indenture.
The term Senior Indebtedness means all Indebtedness of ours outstanding at any time, except:
| the subordinated debt securities; |
| indebtedness as to which, by the terms of the instrument creating or evidencing the same, it is provided that such Indebtedness is subordinated to or ranks equally with the subordinated debt securities; |
| Indebtedness of ours to an affiliate of ours; |
| interest accruing after the filing of a petition initiating any bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar proceeding unless such interest is an allowed claim enforceable against us in a proceeding under federal or state bankruptcy laws; and |
| trade accounts payable. |
Such Senior Indebtedness will continue to be Senior Indebtedness and be entitled to the benefits of the subordination provisions irrespective of any amendment, modification or waiver of any term of such Senior Indebtedness. (Sections 1.1 and 16.8 of the subordinated indenture)
The subordinated indenture provides that the foregoing subordination provisions, insofar as they relate to any particular issue of subordinated debt securities, may be changed prior to such issuance. Any such change would be described in the related prospectus supplement.
New York Law to Govern
The W. R. Berkley indentures and the debt securities will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made or instruments entered into and, in each case, performed wholly in that state. (Section 1.13)
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Information Concerning the Trustee
We may from time to time borrow from, maintain deposit accounts with and conduct other banking transactions with the trustee and its affiliates in the ordinary course of business. The trustee will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Under each W. R. Berkley indenture, the trustee may be required to transmit annual reports to all holders regarding its eligibility and qualifications as trustee under the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture and related matters. (Section 7.3)
DESCRIPTION OF THE WARRANTS TO PURCHASE
COMMON STOCK OR PREFERRED STOCK
The following statements with respect to the common stock warrants and preferred stock warrants are summaries of the material provisions of a stock warrant agreement to be entered into by us and a stock warrant agent to be selected at the time of issue. The stock warrant agreement may include or incorporate by reference standard warrant provisions substantially in the forms of the Common Stock Warrant Agreement and the Preferred Stock Warrant Agreement filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
General
The stock warrants, evidenced by stock warrant certificates, may be issued under the stock warrant agreement independently or together with any other securities offered by any prospectus supplement and may be attached to or separate from such other offered securities. If stock warrants are offered, the related prospectus supplement will describe the designation and terms of the stock warrants, including, without limitation, the following:
| the offering price, if any; |
| the designation and terms of the common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of the stock warrants; |
| if applicable, the date on and after which the stock warrants and the related offered securities will be separately transferable; |
| the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of one stock warrant and the initial price at which such shares may be purchased upon exercise; |
| the date on which the right to exercise the stock warrants shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire; |
| a discussion of certain United States Federal income tax considerations; |
| the call provisions, if any; |
| the currency, currencies or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and exercise price are payable; |
| the anti-dilution provisions of the stock warrants; and |
| any other terms of the stock warrants. |
The shares of common stock or preferred stock issuable upon exercise of the stock warrants will, when issued in accordance with the stock warrant agreement, be fully paid and non-assessable.
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Exercise of Stock Warrants
Stock warrants may be exercised by surrendering to the stock warrant agent the stock warrant certificate with the form of election to purchase on the reverse thereof duly completed and signed by the warrantholder, or its duly authorized agent, indicating the warrantholders election to exercise all or a portion of the stock warrants evidenced by the certificate. The signature must be guaranteed by a bank or trust company, by a broker or dealer which is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) or by a member of a national securities exchange. Surrendered stock warrant certificates shall be accompanied by payment of the aggregate exercise price of the stock warrants to be exercised, as set forth in the related prospectus supplement, in lawful money of the United States, unless otherwise provided in the related prospectus supplement. Upon receipt thereof by the stock warrant agent, the stock warrant agent will requisition from the transfer agent for the common stock or the preferred stock, as the case may be, for issuance and delivery to or upon the written order of the exercising warrantholder, a certificate representing the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchased. If less than all of the stock warrants evidenced by any stock warrant certificate are exercised, the stock warrant agent shall deliver to the exercising warrantholder a new stock warrant certificate representing the unexercised stock warrants.
Anti-dilution and Other Provisions
The exercise price payable and the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon the exercise of each stock warrant and the number of stock warrants outstanding will be subject to adjustment in certain events, including the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of common stock or preferred stock, respectively, or a combination, subdivision or reclassification of common stock or preferred stock, respectively. In lieu of adjusting the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of each stock warrant, we may elect to adjust the number of stock warrants. No adjustment in the number of shares purchasable upon exercise of the stock warrants will be required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% thereof. We may, at our option, reduce the exercise price at any time. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of stock warrants, but we will pay the cash value of any fractional shares otherwise issuable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in case of our consolidation, merger, or sale or conveyance of our property as an entirety or substantially as an entirety, the holder of each outstanding stock warrant shall have the right to the kind and amount of shares of stock and other securities and property, including cash, receivable by a holder of the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock into which such stock warrants were exercisable immediately prior thereto.
No Rights as Stockholders
Holders of stock warrants will not be entitled, by virtue of being such holders, to vote, to consent, to receive dividends, to receive notice as stockholders with respect to any meeting of stockholders for the election of our directors or any other matter, or to exercise any rights whatsoever as our stockholders.
DESCRIPTION OF THE WARRANTS TO PURCHASE DEBT SECURITIES
The following statements with respect to the debt warrants are summaries of the material provisions of a debt warrant agreement to be entered into by us and a debt warrant agent to be selected at the time of issue. The debt warrant agreement may include or incorporate by reference standard warrant provisions substantially in the form of the Debt Warrant Agreement filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
General
The debt warrants, evidenced by debt warrant certificates, may be issued under the debt warrant agreement independently or together with any other securities offered by any prospectus supplement and may be attached to
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or separate from such other offered securities. If debt warrants are offered, the related prospectus supplement will describe the designation and terms of the debt warrants, including without limitation the following:
| the offering price, if any; |
| the designation, aggregate principal amount and terms of the debt securities purchasable upon exercise of the debt warrants; |
| if applicable, the date on and after which the debt warrants and the related offered securities will be separately transferable; |
| the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one debt warrant and the price at which such principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon exercise; |
| the date on which the right to exercise the debt warrants shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire; |
| a discussion of certain United States Federal income tax considerations; |
| whether the warrants represented by the debt warrant certificates will be issued in registered or bearer form; |
| the currency, currencies or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and exercise price are payable; |
| the anti-dilution provisions of the debt warrants; and |
| any other terms of the debt warrants. |
Warrantholders will not have any of the rights of holders of debt securities, including the right to receive the payment of principal of, any premium or interest on, or any additional amounts with respect to, the debt securities or to enforce any of the covenants of the debt securities or the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture except as otherwise provided in the applicable W. R. Berkley indenture.
Exercise of Debt Warrants
Debt warrants may be exercised by surrendering the debt warrant certificate at the office of the debt warrant agent, with the form of election to purchase on the reverse side of the debt warrant certificate properly completed and executed, and by payment in full of the exercise price, as set forth in the related prospectus supplement. The signature must be guaranteed by a bank or trust company, by a broker or dealer which is a member of FINRA or by a member of a national securities exchange. Upon the exercise of debt warrants, we will issue the debt securities in authorized denominations in accordance with the instructions of the exercising warrantholder. If less than all of the debt warrants evidenced by the debt warrant certificate are exercised, a new debt warrant certificate will be issued for the remaining number of debt warrants.
DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS
AND STOCK PURCHASE UNITS
We may issue stock purchase contracts, representing contracts obligating holders to purchase from us, and obligating us to sell to the holders, a specified number of shares of common stock or preferred stock at a future date or dates. The price per share may be fixed at the time the stock purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific formula set forth in the stock purchase contracts. The stock purchase contracts may be issued separately or as a part of stock purchase units consisting of a stock purchase contract and, as security for the holders obligations to purchase the shares under the stock purchase contracts, either:
| our senior debt securities or our subordinated debt securities, |
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| our common stock; |
| our preferred stock; |
| other stock purchase contracts; |
| depositary shares representing fractional interests in debt securities or shares of common stock or preferred stock; or |
| preferred securities or debt obligations of third parties, including U.S. Treasury securities. |
The stock purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders of the stock purchase units or vice versa, and such payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis. The stock purchase contracts may require holders to secure their obligations in a specified manner and in certain circumstances we may deliver newly issued prepaid stock purchase contracts upon release to a holder of any collateral securing such holders obligations under the original stock purchase contract.
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any stock purchase contracts or stock purchase units and, if applicable, prepaid stock purchase contracts. The description in the prospectus supplement will not purport to be complete and will be qualified in its entirety by reference to:
| the stock purchase contracts; |
| the collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements, if applicable, relating to such stock purchase contracts or stock purchase units; and |
| if applicable, the prepaid stock purchase contracts and the document pursuant to which such prepaid stock purchase contracts will be issued. |
We may sell offered securities in any one or more of the following ways from time to time: through agents; to or through underwriters; through dealers; or directly to purchasers. The prospectus supplement with respect to the offered securities will set forth the terms of the offering of the offered securities, including the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents; the purchase price of the offered securities and the proceeds to us from such sale; any underwriting discounts and commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters or agents compensation; any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers and any securities exchange on which such offered securities may be listed. Any initial public offering price, discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
The distribution of the offered securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.
Offers to purchase offered securities may be solicited by agents designated by us from time to time. Any such agent involved in the offer or sale of the offered securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered will be named, and any commissions payable by us to such agent will be set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise indicated in such prospectus supplement, any such agent will be acting on a reasonable best efforts basis for the period of its appointment. Any such agent may be deemed to be an underwriter, as that term is defined in the Securities Act, of the offered securities so offered and sold.
If offered securities are sold by means of an underwritten offering, we will execute an underwriting agreement with an underwriter or underwriters, and the names of the specific managing underwriter or
30
underwriters, as well as any other underwriters, and the terms of the transaction, including commissions, discounts and any other compensation of the underwriters and dealers, if any, will be set forth in the prospectus supplement that will be used by the underwriters to make resales of the offered securities. If underwriters are utilized in the sale of the offered securities, the offered securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own account and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at fixed public offering prices or at varying prices determined by the underwriters at the time of sale. Our offered securities may be offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or directly by the managing underwriters. If any underwriter or underwriters are utilized in the sale of the offered securities, unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the underwriting agreement will provide that the obligations of the underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent and that the underwriters with respect to a sale of offered securities will be obligated to purchase all such offered securities of a series if any are purchased.
We may grant to the underwriters options to purchase additional offered securities, to cover over-allotments, if any, at the public offering price, with additional underwriting discounts or commissions, as may be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating thereto. If we grant any over-allotment option, the terms of such over-allotment option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offered securities.
If a dealer is utilized in the sales of offered securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will sell such offered securities to the dealer as principal. The dealer may then resell such offered securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale. Any such dealer may be deemed to be an underwriter, as such term is defined in the Securities Act, of the offered securities so offered and sold. The name of the dealer and the terms of the transaction will be set forth in the related prospectus supplement.
Offers to purchase offered securities may be solicited directly by us and the sale thereof may be made by us directly to institutional investors or others, who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any resale thereof. The terms of any such sales will be described in the related prospectus supplement.
Offered securities may also be offered and sold, if so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, in connection with a remarketing upon their purchase, in accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to their terms, or otherwise, by one or more firms, acting as principals for their own accounts or our as agents. Any such remarketing firm will be identified and the terms of its agreements, if any, with us and its compensation will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters, as such term is defined in the Securities Act, in connection with the offered securities remarketed thereby.
Agents, underwriters, dealers and remarketing firms may be entitled under relevant agreements entered into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act that may arise from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in this prospectus, any supplement or amendment hereto, or in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, or to contribution with respect to payments which the agents, underwriters or dealers may be required to make.
If so indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase offered securities from us at the public offering price, pursuant to contracts providing for payments and delivery on a future date. Institutions with which such contracts may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and others, but in all cases such institutions must be approved by us. The obligations of any purchaser under any such contract will be subject to the condition that the purchase of the offered securities shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which such purchaser is subject. The underwriters and such other agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of such contracts. Disclosure in the prospectus supplement of our use of delayed
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delivery contracts will include the commission that underwriters and agents soliciting purchases of the securities under delayed contracts will be entitled to receive in addition to the date when we will demand payment and delivery of the securities under the delayed delivery contracts. These delayed delivery contracts will be subject only to the conditions described in the prospectus supplement.
Each series of offered securities will be a new issue and, other than the shares of common stock that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, will have no established trading market. We may elect to list any series of offered securities on an exchange, and in the case of common stock, on any additional exchange, but, unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we shall not be obligated to do so. We cannot predict the liquidity of the trading market for any of the offered securities.
Underwriters, dealers, agents and remarketing firms, or their affiliates, may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us and our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business.
Unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of any securities offered by us in the applicable prospectus supplement will be passed upon for us by Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, New York, New York. The validity of any securities offered in the applicable prospectus supplement will be passed upon for any underwriters or agents by counsel to be named in the applicable prospectus supplement. As of November 13, 2017, Jack H. Nusbaum, Senior Partner of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and a member of our board of directors, beneficially owned 92,825 shares of our common stock.
The consolidated financial statements and the related financial statement schedules of W. R. Berkley Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, and managements assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, have been incorporated by reference in this prospectus by reference to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed with the Commission a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act, relating to our common stock and other securities. This prospectus is a part of such registration statement, but such registration statement also contains additional information and exhibits.
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act. Accordingly, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Commission. You can read and copy the registration statement and any other document that we file with the Commission at the Commissions public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Our filings with the Commission are also available from the Commissions web site at http://www.sec.gov. Please call the Commissions toll-free telephone number at 1-800-SEC-0330 if you need further information about the operation of the Commissions public reference room. Information about us is also available on our web site at http://www.wrberkley.com. Information on our web site is not a part of this prospectus.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The Commission allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Any statement contained in a document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus is automatically updated and superseded if information contained in this prospectus, or information that we later file with the Commission, modifies or replaces this information. We incorporate by reference the following documents:
| Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016; |
| Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017, June 30, 2017 and September 30, 2017; |
| Our Current Report on Form 8-K, dated May 16, 2017; |
| Our Proxy Statement dated April 6, 2017 for our 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders; and |
| The descriptions of our common stock set forth in our registration statement on Form 8-A/A filed with the Commission on May 1, 2001, including any further amendments or reports for the purposes of updating such descriptions. |
All documents we subsequently file pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the termination of this offering, shall also be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
To receive a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than any exhibits, unless the exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into this prospectus, call us at (203) 629-3000 or write us at the following address: W. R. Berkley Corporation, 475 Steamboat Road, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830, Attention: Matthew M. Ricciardi, Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution |
The following table sets forth the expenses expected to be incurred in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities registered hereby, other than underwriting discounts and commissions. All amounts shown are estimates except the Commission registration fee.
Commission registration fee |
$ | 0 | * | |
Trustees fees and expenses |
$ | 50,000 | ||
Printing and engraving expenses |
$ | 100,000 | ||
Accounting fees and expenses |
$ | 150,000 | ||
Legal fees and expenses |
$ | 150,000 | ||
Miscellaneous |
$ | 50,000 | ||
|
|
|||
Total |
$ | 500,000 |
* | Pursuant to Rule 456(b) and Rule 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant is deferring payment of the registration fee. |
Item 15. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers |
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended, which is applicable to us, provides in regard to indemnification of directors and officers as follows:
145. Indemnification of Officers, Directors, Employees and Agents; Insurance.
(a) A corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the persons conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the persons conduct was unlawful.
(b) A corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person
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shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
(c) To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
(d) Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made with respect to a person who is a director or an officer of the corporation at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or, if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.
(e) Expenses (including attorneys fees) incurred by an officer or director of the corporation in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys fees) incurred by former directors and officers or other employees and agents of the corporation or by persons serving at the request of the corporation as directors, officers, employees or agents of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.
(f) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such persons official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.
(g) A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such persons status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.
(h) For purposes of this section, references to the corporation shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director,
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officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
(i) For purposes of this section, references to other enterprises shall include employee benefit plans; references to fines shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to serving at the request of the corporation shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves
services by, such director, officer, employee, or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner not opposed to the best interests of the corporation as referred to in this section.
(j) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
(k) The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporations obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys fees).
As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, our stockholders approved an amendment to our certificate of incorporation containing provisions eliminating a directors personal liability for monetary damages to us and our stockholders arising from a breach of a directors fiduciary duty except for liability under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, liability for any breach of the directors duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or any transaction from which the director received an improper personal benefit. The amendment also provides for indemnification of directors, officers and other persons under certain circumstances.
We maintain policies of insurance under which we and our directors and officers are insured subject to specified exclusions and deductible and maximum amounts against loss arising from any claim that may be made against us or any of our directors or officers by reason of any breach of duty, neglect, error, misstatement, omission or act done or alleged to have been done while acting in our or their respective capacities.
Item 16. | Exhibits |
Please see the Exhibit Index included herewith, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 17. | Undertakings |
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate,
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represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the Calculation of Registration Fee table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(i), (a)(ii) and (a)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(d) That, for purposes of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(e) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
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(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of such registrants annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plans annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the registrant pursuant to the provisions set forth or described in Item 15 of this registration statement, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by a registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of such registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of their counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by them is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing, as specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.
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EXHIBIT INDEX
* | To be filed, if necessary, subsequent to the effective date of this registration statement by an amendment to this registration statement or incorporated by reference pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K in connection with the offering of securities. |
** | Filed herewith. |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Town of Greenwich, State of Connecticut, on the 14th day of November 2017.
W. R. BERKLEY CORPORATION | ||
By: | /s/ W. Robert Berkley, Jr. | |
W. Robert Berkley, Jr. | ||
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Each individual whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints each of William R. Berkley, W. Robert Berkley, Jr., Richard M. Baio and Matthew M. Ricciardi, and each of them, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents for the undersigned, with full power of substitution, for and in the name, place and stead of the undersigned to sign and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 (i) any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments, to this registration statement, (ii) any registration statement relating to this offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, (iii) any exhibits to any such registration statement or amendments, including post-effective amendments, or (iv) any and all applications and other documents in connection with any such registration statement or amendments, including post-effective amendments, and generally to do all things and perform any and all acts and things whatsoever requisite and necessary or desirable to enable the Registrant to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement on Form S-3 has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 14th day of November 2017.
Signature | Title | |
/s/ William R. Berkley |
Executive Chairman of the Board | |
William R. Berkley | ||
/s/ W. Robert Berkley, Jr. |
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director | |
W. Robert Berkley, Jr. | ||
/s/ Christopher L. Augostini |
Director | |
Christopher L. Augostini | ||
/s/ Ronald E. Blaylock |
Director | |
Ronald E. Blaylock | ||
/s/ Mark E. Brockbank |
Director | |
Mark E. Brockbank | ||
/s/ Mary C. Farrell |
Director | |
Mary C. Farrell | ||
/s/ María Luisa Ferré |
Director | |
María Luisa Ferré | ||
/s/ Jack H. Nusbaum |
Director | |
Jack H. Nusbaum | ||
/s/ Mark L. Shapiro |
Director | |
Mark L. Shapiro | ||
/s/ Richard M. Baio |
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | |
Richard M. Baio | (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) |
Exhibit 4.5
FORM OF SENIOR INDENTURE
W. R. BERKLEY CORPORATION, Issuer
To
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, Trustee
INDENTURE
Dated as of , 20
Senior Debt Securities
Reconciliation and tie between
Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the Trust Indenture Act)
and Indenture
Trust Indenture |
Indenture Section | |||
§§ 310(a)(1) |
6.8 | |||
(a)(2) |
6.8 | |||
(b) |
6.9 | |||
§§ 312(a) |
7.1 | |||
(b) |
7.2 | |||
(c) |
7.2 | |||
§§ 313(a) |
7.3 | |||
(b)(2) |
7.3 | |||
(c) |
7.3 | |||
(d) |
7.3 | |||
§§ 314(a) |
7.4 | |||
(c)(1) |
10.2 | |||
(c)(2) |
10.2 | |||
(e) |
10.2 | |||
(f) |
10.2 | |||
§§ 316(a) (last sentence) |
10.1 | |||
(a)(1)(A) |
5.2, 5.12 | |||
(a)(1)(B) |
5.13 | |||
(b) |
5.8 | |||
§§ 317(a)(1) |
5.3 | |||
(a)(2) |
5.4 | |||
(b) |
10.3 | |||
§§ 318(a) |
10.6 |
Note: | This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture. |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page | ||||||
Article 1 DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION |
1 | |||||
Section 1.1. |
Definitions | 1 | ||||
Section 1.2. |
Compliance Certificates and Opinions | 10 | ||||
Section 1.3. |
Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee | 11 | ||||
Section 1.4. |
Acts of Holders | 11 | ||||
Section 1.5. |
Notices, etc. to Trustee and Company | 14 | ||||
Section 1.6. |
Notice to Holders of Securities; Waiver | 14 | ||||
Section 1.7. |
Language of Notices | 15 | ||||
Section 1.8. |
Conflict with Trust Indenture Act | 15 | ||||
Section 1.9. |
Effect of Headings and Table of Contents | 16 | ||||
Section 1.10. |
Successors and Assigns | 16 | ||||
Section 1.11. |
Separability Clause | 16 | ||||
Section 1.12. |
Benefits of Indenture | 16 | ||||
Section 1.13. |
Governing Law | 16 | ||||
Section 1.14. |
Legal Holidays | 16 | ||||
Section 1.15. |
Counterparts | 17 | ||||
Section 1.16. |
Judgment Currency | 17 | ||||
Section 1.17. |
No Security Interest Created | 17 | ||||
Section 1.18. |
Limitation on Individual Liability | 17 | ||||
Section 1.19. |
Submission to Jurisdiction | 18 | ||||
Section 1.20. |
Waiver of Jury Trial | 18 | ||||
Section 1.21. |
Force Majeure | 18 | ||||
Section 1.22. |
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FACTA) | 19 | ||||
Article 2 SECURITIES FORMS |
19 | |||||
Section 2.1. |
Forms Generally | 19 | ||||
Section 2.2. |
Form of Trustees Certificate of Authentication | 19 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page | ||||||
Section 2.3. |
Securities in Global Form | 20 | ||||
Article 3 THE SECURITIES |
20 | |||||
Section 3.1. |
Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series | 20 | ||||
Section 3.2. |
Currency; Denominations | 24 | ||||
Section 3.3. |
Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating | 25 | ||||
Section 3.4. |
Temporary Securities | 27 | ||||
Section 3.5. |
Registration, Transfer and Exchange | 28 | ||||
Section 3.6. |
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities | 31 | ||||
Section 3.7. |
Payment of Interest and Certain Additional Amounts; Rights to Interest and Certain Additional Amounts Preserved | 32 | ||||
Section 3.8. |
Persons Deemed Owners | 34 | ||||
Section 3.9. |
Cancellation | 34 | ||||
Section 3.10. |
Computation of Interest. | 35 | ||||
Article 4 SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE |
35 | |||||
Section 4.1. |
Satisfaction and Discharge | 35 | ||||
Section 4.2. |
Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance | 37 | ||||
Section 4.3. |
Application of Trust Money | 41 | ||||
Article 5 REMEDIES |
41 | |||||
Section 5.1. |
Events of Default | 41 | ||||
Section 5.2. |
Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment | 43 | ||||
Section 5.3. |
Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee | 44 | ||||
Section 5.4. |
Trustee May File Proofs of Claim | 45 | ||||
Section 5.5. |
Trustee May Enforce Claims without Possession of Securities or Coupons | 46 | ||||
Section 5.6. |
Application of Money Collected | 46 | ||||
Section 5.7. |
Limitations on Suits | 47 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page | ||||||
Section 5.8. |
Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and any Premium, Interest and Additional Amounts | 47 | ||||
Section 5.9. |
Restoration of Rights and Remedies | 48 | ||||
Section 5.10. |
Rights and Remedies Cumulative | 48 | ||||
Section 5.11. |
Delay or Omission Not Waiver | 48 | ||||
Section 5.12. |
Control by Holders of Securities | 48 | ||||
Section 5.13. |
Waiver of Past Defaults | 49 | ||||
Section 5.14. |
Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws | 49 | ||||
Section 5.15. |
Undertaking for Costs | 49 | ||||
Article 6 THE TRUSTEE |
50 | |||||
Section 6.1. |
Certain Duties and Responsibilities | 50 | ||||
Section 6.2. |
Certain Rights of Trustee | 51 | ||||
Section 6.3. |
Notice of Defaults | 53 | ||||
Section 6.4. |
Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities | 53 | ||||
Section 6.5. |
May Hold Securities | 53 | ||||
Section 6.6. |
Money Held in Trust | 53 | ||||
Section 6.7. |
Compensation and Reimbursement | 54 | ||||
Section 6.8. |
Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility | 55 | ||||
Section 6.9. |
Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor | 55 | ||||
Section 6.10. |
Acceptance of Appointment by Successor | 57 | ||||
Section 6.11. |
Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business | 58 | ||||
Section 6.12. |
Appointment of Authenticating Agent | 58 | ||||
Article 7 HOLDERS LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY |
60 | |||||
Section 7.1. |
Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders | 60 | ||||
Section 7.2. |
Preservation of Information; Communications to Holders | 60 | ||||
Section 7.3. |
Reports by Trustee | 61 | ||||
Section 7.4. |
Reports by Company | 61 |
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page | ||||||
Article 8 CONSOLIDATION, AMALGAMATIONS, MERGER AND SALES |
62 | |||||
Section 8.1. |
Company May Consolidate, Etc., Only on Certain Terms | 62 | ||||
Section 8.2. |
Successor Person Substituted for Company | 63 | ||||
Article 9 SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES |
63 | |||||
Section 9.1. |
Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Holders | 63 | ||||
Section 9.2. |
Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders | 65 | ||||
Section 9.3. |
Execution of Supplemental Indentures | 66 | ||||
Section 9.4. |
Effect of Supplemental Indentures | 66 | ||||
Section 9.5. |
Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures | 66 | ||||
Section 9.6. |
Conformity with Trust Indenture Act | 66 | ||||
Section 9.7. |
Notice of Supplemental Indenture | 67 | ||||
Article 10 COVENANTS |
67 | |||||
Section 10.1. |
Payment of Principal, any Premium, Interest and Additional Amounts | 67 | ||||
Section 10.2. |
Maintenance of Office or Agency | 67 | ||||
Section 10.3. |
Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust | 68 | ||||
Section 10.4. |
Additional Amounts | 70 | ||||
Section 10.5. |
Corporate Existence | 72 | ||||
Section 10.6. |
Waiver of Certain Covenants | 72 | ||||
Section 10.7. |
Company Statement as to Compliance; Notice of Certain Defaults | 72 | ||||
Article 11 REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES |
73 | |||||
Section 11.1. |
Applicability of Article | 73 | ||||
Section 11.2. |
Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee | 73 | ||||
Section 11.3. |
Selection by Trustee of Securities to be Redeemed | 73 | ||||
Section 11.4. |
Notice of Redemption | 74 | ||||
Section 11.5. |
Deposit of Redemption Price | 75 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page | ||||||
Section 11.6. |
Securities Payable on Redemption Date | 76 | ||||
Section 11.7. |
Securities Redeemed in Part | 76 | ||||
Article 12 SINKING FUNDS |
77 | |||||
Section 12.1. |
Applicability of Article | 77 | ||||
Section 12.2. |
Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities | 77 | ||||
Section 12.3. |
Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund | 78 | ||||
Article 13 REPAYMENT AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS |
78 | |||||
Section 13.1. |
Applicability of Article | 78 | ||||
Article 14 SECURITIES IN FOREIGN CURRENCIES |
79 | |||||
Section 14.1. |
Applicability of Article | 79 | ||||
Article 15 MEETINGS OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES |
79 | |||||
Section 15.1. |
Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called | 79 | ||||
Section 15.2. |
Call, Notice and Place of Meetings | 79 | ||||
Section 15.3. |
Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings | 80 | ||||
Section 15.4. |
Quorum; Action | 80 | ||||
Section 15.5. |
Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings | 81 | ||||
Section 15.6. |
Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings | 82 |
v
INDENTURE, dated as of , 20 (the Indenture), between W. R. BERKLEY CORPORATION, a company duly organized and existing under the laws of Delaware (hereinafter called the Company), having its principal executive office located at 465 Steamboat Road, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830, and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, a New York banking corporation, as Trustee (hereinafter called the Trustee), having its Corporate Trust Office located at 101 Barclay Street, Floor 7E, New York, New York 10286.
RECITALS
The Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance from time to time of its senior unsecured debentures, notes or other evidences of indebtedness (hereinafter called the Securities), unlimited as to principal amount, to bear such rates of interest, to mature at such time or times, to be issued in one or more series and to have such other provisions as shall be fixed as hereinafter provided.
The Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture. All things necessary to make this Indenture a legally valid and binding agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.
This Indenture is subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder that are required to be part of this Indenture and, to the extent applicable, shall be governed by such provisions.
NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH:
For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders (as herein defined) thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed, for the equal and proportionate benefit of all Holders of the Securities or of any series thereof and any Coupons (as herein defined) as follows:
Article 1
DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION
Section 1.1. Definitions.
Except as otherwise expressly provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or unless the context otherwise requires, for all purposes of this Indenture:
(1) the terms defined in this Article have the meanings assigned to them in this Article, and include the plural as well as the singular;
(2) all other terms used herein which are defined in the Trust Indenture Act, either directly or by reference therein, have the meanings assigned to them therein;
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(3) all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America and, except as otherwise herein expressly provided, the term generally accepted accounting principles with respect to any computation required or permitted hereunder shall mean such accounting principles as are generally accepted in the United States of America at the date or time of such computation;
(4) the words herein, hereof, hereto and hereunder and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision; and
(5) the word or is always used inclusively (for example, the phrase A or B means A or B or both, not either A or B but not both).
Certain terms used principally in certain Articles hereof are defined in those Articles.
Act, when used with respect to any Holders, has the meaning specified in Section 1.4.
Additional Amounts means any additional amounts which are required hereby or by any Security, under circumstances specified herein or therein, to be paid by the Company in respect of certain taxes, assessments or other governmental charges imposed on Holders specified therein and which are owing to such Holders.
Affiliate of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, control, when used with respect to any specified Person, means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms controlling and controlled have the meanings correlative to the foregoing.
Applicable Tax Law has the meaning specified in Section 1.23.
Authenticating Agent means any Person authorized by the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.12 to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of one or more series.
Authorized Newspaper means a newspaper, in an official language of the place of publication or in the English language, customarily published on each day that is a Business Day in the place of publication, whether or not published on days that are Legal Holidays in the place of publication, and of general circulation in each place in connection with which the term is used or in the financial community of each such place. Where successive publications are required to be made in Authorized Newspapers, the successive publications may be made in the same or in different newspapers in the same city meeting the foregoing requirements and in each case on any day that is a Business Day in the place of publication.
Authorized Officer means, when used with respect to the Company, the Chairman or Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, a Vice Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Investment Officer, the Chief Accounting Officer, the General Counsel, the Secretary, or any Vice President of the Company.
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Bearer Security means any Security in the form established pursuant to Section 2.1 which is payable to bearer.
Board of Directors means the board of directors of the Company or any committee of that board duly authorized to act generally or in any particular respect for the Company hereunder.
Board Resolution means a copy of one or more resolutions, certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification, delivered to the Trustee.
Business Day, with respect to any Place of Payment or other location, means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.1, any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which banking institutions in such Place of Payment or other location are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to close.
Capital Stock of any Person means any and all shares, interests, rights to purchase, warrants, options, participations or other equivalents of or interests in (however designated) equity of such Person, including Preferred Stock, but excluding any debt securities convertible into such equity.
Capitalized Lease Obligation means an obligation under a lease that is required to be capitalized for financial reporting purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and the amount of Indebtedness represented by such obligation shall be the capitalized amount of such obligation determined in accordance with such principles.
Commission means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or, if at any time after the execution of this Indenture such Commission is not existing and performing the duties now assigned to it under the Trust Indenture Act, then the body performing such duties at such time.
Common Stock in respect of any Corporation means Capital Stock of any class or classes (however designated) which has no preference as to the payment of dividends, or as to the distribution of assets upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or dissolution of such Corporation, and which is not subject to redemption by such Corporation.
Company means the Person named as the Company in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor Person shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter Company shall mean such successor Person, and any other obligor upon the Securities.
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Company Request and Company Order mean, respectively, a written request or order, as the case may be, signed in the name of the Company by an Authorized Officer, and delivered to the Trustee.
Conversion Event means the cessation of use of (i) a Foreign Currency both by the government of the country or the confederation which issued such Foreign Currency and for the settlement of transactions by a central bank or other public institutions of or within the international banking community or (ii) any currency unit or composite currency for the purposes for which it was established.
Corporate Trust Office means the principal corporate trust office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be administered, which office at the date of original execution of this Indenture is located at 101 Barclay Street, Floor 7E, New York, New York 10286.
Corporation includes corporations and limited liability companies and, except for purposes of Article 8, associations, companies and business trusts.
Coupon means any interest coupon appertaining to a Bearer Security.
Currency, with respect to any payment, deposit or other transfer in respect of the principal of or any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Security, means Dollars or the Foreign Currency, as the case may be, in which such payment, deposit or other transfer is required to be made by or pursuant to the terms hereof or such Security and, with respect to any other payment, deposit or transfer pursuant to or contemplated by the terms hereof or such Security, means Dollars.
CUSIP number means the alphanumeric designation assigned to a Security by S&P Global Ratings, CUSIP Service Bureau.
Defaulted Interest has the meaning specified in Section 3.7.
Depository means, with respect to any Security issuable or issued in the form of one or more global Securities, the Person designated as Depository by the Company in or pursuant to this Indenture, which Person must be, to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, a clearing agency registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, if so provided with respect to any Security, any successor to such Person. If at any time there is more than one such Person, Depository shall mean, with respect to any Securities, the qualifying entity which has been appointed with respect to such Securities.
Dollars or $ means a dollar or other equivalent unit of legal tender for payment of public or private debts in the United States of America.
Event of Default has the meaning specified in Section 5.1.
Foreign Currency means any currency, currency unit or composite currency, including, without limitation, the euro, issued by the government of one or more countries other than the United States of America or by any recognized confederation or association of such governments.
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Government Obligations means securities which are (i) direct obligations of the United States of America or the other government or governments which issued the Foreign Currency in which the principal of or any premium or interest on such Security or any Additional Amounts in respect thereof shall be payable, in each case where the payment or payments thereunder are supported by the full faith and credit of such government or governments or (ii) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America or such other government or governments, in each case where the timely payment or payments thereunder are unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America or such other government or governments, and which, in the case of (i) or (ii), are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer or issuers thereof, and shall also include a depository receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of or other amount with respect to any such Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depository receipt, provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the Government Obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of or other amount with respect to the Government Obligation evidenced by such depository receipt.
Holder, in the case of any Registered Security, means the Person in whose name such Security is registered in the Security Register and, in the case of any Bearer Security, means the bearer thereof and, in the case of any Coupon, means the bearer thereof.
Indebtedness means, with respect to any Person, (i) the principal of and any premium and interest on (a) indebtedness of such Person for money borrowed and (b) indebtedness evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other similar instruments for the payment of which such Person is responsible or liable; (ii) all Capitalized Lease Obligations of such Person; (iii) all obligations of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property, all conditional sale obligations and all obligations under any title retention agreement (but excluding trade accounts payable arising in the ordinary course of business); (iv) all obligations of such Person for the reimbursement of any obligor on any letter of credit, bankers acceptance or similar credit transaction (other than obligations with respect to letters of credit securing obligations (other than obligations described in (i) through (iii) above) entered into in the ordinary course of business of such Person to the extent such letters of credit are not drawn upon or, if and to the extent drawn upon, such drawing is reimbursed no later than the third Business Day following receipt by such Person of a demand for reimbursement following payment on the letter of credit); (v) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (iv) of other Persons and all dividends of other Persons for the payment of which, in either case, such Person is responsible or liable as obligor, guarantor or otherwise, (vi) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (v) of other Persons secured by any Lien on any property or asset of such Person (whether or not such obligation is assumed by such Person), the amount of such obligation being deemed to be the lesser of the value of such property or assets or the amount of the obligation so secured; and (vii) any amendments, modifications, refundings, renewals or extensions of any indebtedness or obligation described as Indebtedness in clauses (i) through (vi) above.
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Indenture means this instrument as it may from time to time be supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof and, with respect to any Security, by the terms and provisions of such Security and any Coupon appertaining thereto established pursuant to Section 3.1 (as such terms and provisions may be amended pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof).
Independent Public Accountants means accountants or a firm of accountants that, with respect to the Company and any other obligor under the Securities or the Coupons, are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder, who may be the independent public accountants regularly retained by the Company or who may be other independent public accountants. Such accountants or firm shall be entitled to rely upon any Opinion of Counsel as to the interpretation of any legal matters relating to this Indenture or certificates required to be provided hereunder.
Indexed Security means a Security the terms of which provide that the principal amount thereof payable at Stated Maturity may be more or less than the principal face amount thereof at original issuance.
Interest, with respect to any Original Issue Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, means interest payable after Maturity and, when used with respect to a Security which provides for the payment of Additional Amounts pursuant to Section 10.4, includes such Additional Amounts.
Interest Payment Date, with respect to any Security, means the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Security.
Judgment Currency has the meaning specified in Section 1.17.
Legal Holidays has the meaning specified in Section 1.15.
Lien means any mortgage, pledge, lien, security interest or other encumbrance.
Maturity, with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security or an installment of principal becomes due and payable as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, notice of redemption or repurchase, notice of option to elect repayment or otherwise, and includes the Redemption Date.
New York Banking Day has the meaning specified in Section 1.17.
Office or Agency, with respect to any Securities, means an office or agency of the Company maintained or designated in a Place of Payment for such Securities pursuant to Section 10.2 or any other office or agency of the Company maintained or designated for such Securities pursuant to Section 10.2 or, to the extent designated or required by Section 10.2 in lieu of such office or agency, the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee.
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Officers Certificate means a certificate signed by an Authorized Officer that complies with the requirements of Section 314(e) of the Trust Indenture Act and is delivered to the Trustee.
Opinion of Counsel means a written opinion, reasonably acceptable to the Trustee, of counsel, who may be an employee of or counsel for the Company and that, if required by the Trust Indenture Act, complies with the requirements of Section 314(e) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Original Issue Discount Security means a Security issued pursuant to this Indenture which provides for declaration of an amount less than the principal face amount thereof to be due and payable upon acceleration pursuant to Section 5.2.
Outstanding, when used with respect to any Securities, means, as of the date of determination, all such Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, except:
(a) any such Security theretofore cancelled by the Trustee or the Security Registrar or delivered to the Trustee or the Security Registrar for cancellation;
(b) any such Security for whose payment at the Maturity thereof money in the necessary amount has been theretofore deposited pursuant hereto (other than pursuant to Section 4.2) with the Trustee or any Paying Agent (other than the Company) in trust or set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent) for the Holders of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, provided that, if such Securities are to be redeemed, notice of such redemption has been duly given pursuant to this Indenture or provision therefor satisfactory to the Trustee has been made;
(c) any such Security with respect to which the Company has effected defeasance pursuant to the terms hereof, except to the extent provided in Section 4.2;
(d) any such Security which has been paid pursuant to Section 3.6 or in exchange for or in lieu of which other Securities have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to this Indenture, unless there shall have been presented to the Trustee proof satisfactory to it that such Security is held by a bona fide purchaser in whose hands such Security is a valid obligation of the Company; and
(e) any such Security converted or exchanged as contemplated by this Indenture into Common Stock of the Company or other securities, if the terms of such Security provide for such conversion or exchange pursuant to Section 3.1;
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provided, however, that in determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of Outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder or are present at a meeting of Holders of Securities for quorum purposes, (i) the principal amount of an Original Issue Discount Security that may be counted in making such determination and that shall be deemed to be Outstanding for such purposes shall be equal to the amount of the principal thereof that pursuant to the terms of such Original Issue Discount Security would be declared (or shall have been declared to be) due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration thereof pursuant to Section 5.2 at the time of such determination, and (ii) the principal amount of any Indexed Security that may be counted in making such determination and that shall be deemed Outstanding for such purposes shall be equal to the principal face amount of such Indexed Security at original issuance, unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, and (iii) the principal amount of a Security denominated in a Foreign Currency shall be the Dollar equivalent, determined on the date of original issuance of such Security, of the principal amount (or, in the case of an Original Issue Discount Security, the Dollar equivalent on the date of original issuance of such Security of the amount determined as provided in (i) above) of such Security, and (iv) Securities owned by the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or such other obligor, shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding, except that, in determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in making any such determination or relying upon any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, only Securities which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows to be so owned shall be so disregarded. Securities so owned which shall have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee (A) the pledgees right so to act with respect to such Securities and (B) that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto or an Affiliate of the Company or such other obligor.
Paying Agent means any Person authorized by the Company to pay the principal of, or any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to, any Security or any Coupon on behalf of the Company.
Person means any individual, Corporation, partnership, joint venture, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.
Place of Payment, with respect to any Security, means the place or places where the principal of, or any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to such Security are payable as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security.
Predecessor Security of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same Indebtedness as that evidenced by such particular Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 3.6 in exchange for or in lieu of a lost, destroyed, mutilated or stolen Security or any Security to which a mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains shall be deemed to evidence the same Indebtedness as the lost, destroyed, mutilated or stolen Security or the Security to which a mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains.
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Preferred Stock in respect of any Corporation means Capital Stock of any class or classes (however designated) which is preferred as to the payment of dividends, or as to the distribution of assets upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or dissolution of such Corporation, over shares of Capital Stock of any other class of such Corporation.
Principal Subsidiary means a Subsidiary of the Company that, as of the end of the Companys most recent fiscal quarter ending at least 45 days prior to the date of determination, is a significant subsidiary of the Company within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any successor provision.
Redemption Date, with respect to any Security or portion thereof to be redeemed, means the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security.
Redemption Price, with respect to any Security or portion thereof to be redeemed, means the price at which it is to be redeemed as determined by or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security.
Registered Security means any Security established pursuant to Section 2.1 which is registered in a Security Register.
Regular Record Date for the interest payable on any Registered Security on any Interest Payment Date therefor means the date, if any, specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security as the Regular Record Date.
Required Currency has the meaning specified in Section 1.17.
Responsible Officer means any officer within the corporate trust department of the Trustee, including vice president, any assistant vice president, any trust officer or any other officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject and who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.
Security or Securities means any note or notes, bond or bonds, debenture or debentures, or any other evidences of Indebtedness, as the case may be, authenticated and delivered under this Indenture; provided, however, that, if at any time there is more than one Person acting as Trustee under this Indenture, Securities, with respect to any such Person, shall mean Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, exclusive, however, of Securities of any series as to which such Person is not Trustee.
Security Register and Security Registrar have the respective meanings specified in Section 3.5.
Special Record Date for the payment of any Defaulted Interest on any Registered Security means a date fixed by the Company pursuant to Section 3.7.
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Stated Maturity, with respect to any Security or any installment of principal thereof or interest thereon or any Additional Amounts with respect thereto, means the date established by or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or such installment of principal or interest is, or such Additional Amounts are, due and payable.
Subsidiary means, in respect of any Person, any Corporation, limited or general partnership or other business entity of which at the time of determination more than 50% of the voting power of the shares of its Capital Stock or other interests (including partnership interests) entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by (i) such Person, (ii) such Person and one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or (iii) one or more Subsidiaries of such Person.
Trust Indenture Act means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and any reference herein to the Trust Indenture Act or a particular provision thereof shall mean such legislative act or provision, as the case may be, as amended or replaced from time to time or as supplemented from time to time by rules or regulations adopted by the Commission under or in furtherance of the purposes of such legislative act or provision, as the case may be.
Trustee means the Person named as the Trustee in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor Trustee shall have become such with respect to one or more series of Securities pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter Trustee shall mean each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder; provided, however, that if at any time there is more than one such Person, Trustee shall mean each such Person and as used with respect to the Securities of any series shall mean the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series.
United States, except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Security, means the United States of America (including the states thereof and the District of Columbia), its territories and possessions and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.
Section 1.2. | Compliance Certificates and Opinions. |
Upon any application or request by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any provision of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officers Certificate stating that all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent, if any, have been complied with, except that in the case of any such application or request as to which the furnishing of such documents or any of them is specifically required by any provision of this Indenture relating to such particular application or request, the certificate or opinion may be combined with the certificate or opinion described above in this Section 1.2.
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Every certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture shall include:
(1) a statement that the individual signing such certificate or opinion has read such condition or covenant and the definitions herein relating thereto;
(2) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;
(3) a statement that, in the opinion of such individual, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such condition or covenant has been complied with; and
(4) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of such individual, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
Section 1.3. | Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee. |
In any case where several matters are required to be certified by, or covered by an opinion of, any specified Person, it is not necessary that all such matters be certified by, or covered by the opinion of, only one such Person, or that they be so certified or covered by only one document, but one such Person may certify or give an opinion with respect to some matters and one or more other such Persons as to other matters, and any such Person may certify or give an opinion as to such matters in one or several documents.
Any certificate or opinion of an officer of the Company may be based, insofar as it relates to legal matters, upon an Opinion of Counsel, provided that such officer, after reasonable inquiry, has no reason to believe and does not believe that the Opinion of Counsel with respect to the matters upon which his certificate or opinion is based is erroneous. Any such Opinion of Counsel may be based, insofar as it relates to factual matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, an officer or officers of the Company stating that the information with respect to such factual matters is in the possession of the Company, provided that such counsel, after reasonable inquiry, has no reason to believe and does not believe that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to such matters are erroneous.
Where any Person is required to make, give or execute two or more applications, requests, consents, certificates, statements, opinions or other instruments under this Indenture or any Security, they may, but need not, be consolidated and form one instrument.
Section 1.4. | Acts of Holders. |
(1) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by or pursuant to this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially similar tenor signed by such Holders in person or by an agent duly appointed in writing. Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided in or pursuant to this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders of Securities of such series may, alternatively, be embodied in and evidenced by the record of Holders of Securities of such series voting in favor thereof, either in person
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or by proxies duly appointed in writing, at any meeting of Holders of Securities of such series duly called and held in accordance with the provisions of Article 15, or a combination of such instruments and any such record. Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, such action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments or record or both are delivered to the Trustee and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Company. Such instrument or instruments and any such record (and the action embodied therein and evidenced thereby) are herein sometimes referred to as the Act of the Holders signing such instrument or instruments or so voting at any such meeting. Proof of execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent, or of the holding by any Person of a Security, shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and (subject to Section 315 of the Trust Indenture Act) conclusive in favor of the Trustee, the Company and any agent of the Trustee or the Company, if made in the manner provided in this Section. The record of any meeting of Holders of Securities shall be proved in the manner provided in Section 15.6.
Without limiting the generality of this Section 1.4, unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, a Holder, including a Depository that is a Holder of a global Security, may make, give or take, by a proxy or proxies duly appointed in writing, any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act provided in or pursuant to this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders, and a Depository that is a Holder of a global Security may provide its proxy or proxies to the beneficial owners of interests in any such global Security through such Depositorys standing instructions and customary practices.
The Company shall fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Persons who are beneficial owners of interest in any permanent global Security held by a Depository entitled under the procedures of such Depository to make, give or take, by a proxy or proxies duly appointed in writing, any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act provided in or pursuant to this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders. If such a record date is fixed, the Holders on such record date or their duly appointed proxy or proxies, and only such Persons, shall be entitled to make, give or take such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, whether or not such Holders remain Holders after such record date. No such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act shall be valid or effective if made, given or taken more than 90 days after such record date.
(2) The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing referred to in this Section 1.4 may be proved in any reasonable manner; and the Trustee may in any instance require further proof with respect to any of the matters referred to in this Section.
(3) The ownership, principal amount and serial numbers of Registered Securities held by any Person, and the date of the commencement and the date of the termination of holding the same, shall be proved solely and conclusively by the Security Register. Where such execution by a signer acting in a capacity other than such signers individual capacity, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute
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sufficient proof of such signers authority. The fact and date of the execution of any such instrument or writing, or the authority of the Person executing the same, may also be proved in any other manner which the Trustee deems sufficient.
(4) The ownership, principal amount and serial numbers of Bearer Securities held by any Person, and the date of the commencement and the date of the termination of holding the same, may be proved by the production of such Bearer Securities or by a certificate executed, as depositary, by any trust company, bank, banker or other depositary reasonably acceptable to the Company, wherever situated, if such certificate shall be deemed by the Company and the Trustee to be satisfactory, showing that at the date therein mentioned such Person had on deposit with such depositary, or exhibited to it, the Bearer Securities therein described; or such facts may be proved by the certificate or affidavit of the Person holding such Bearer Securities, if such certificate or affidavit is deemed by the Trustee to be satisfactory. The Trustee and the Company may assume that such ownership of any Bearer Security continues until (i) another certificate or affidavit bearing a later date issued in respect of the same Bearer Security is produced, or (ii) such Bearer Security is produced to the Trustee by some other Person, or (iii) such Bearer Security is surrendered in exchange for a Registered Security, or (iv) such Bearer Security is no longer Outstanding. The ownership, principal amount and serial numbers of Bearer Securities held by the Person so executing such instrument or writing and the date of the commencement and the date of the termination of holding the same may also be proved in any other manner which the Company and the Trustee deem sufficient.
(5) If the Company shall solicit from the Holders of any Registered Securities any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, the Company may at its option (but is not obligated to), by Board Resolution, fix in advance a record date for the determination of Holders of Registered Securities entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act may be given before or after such record date, but only the Holders of Registered Securities of record at the close of business on such record date shall be deemed to be Holders for the purpose of determining whether Holders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities shall be computed as of such record date; provided that no such authorization, agreement or consent by the Holders of Registered Securities shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than six months after the record date.
(6) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act by the Holder of any Security shall bind every future Holder of the same Security and the Holder of every Security issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof in respect of anything done or suffered to be done by the Trustee, any Security Registrar, any Paying Agent or the Company in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such Act is made upon such Security.
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Section 1.5. | Instructions to Trustee. |
The Trustee agrees to accept and act upon instructions or directions pursuant to this Indenture sent by unsecured e-mail, pdf, facsimile transmission or other similar unsecured electronic methods, provided, however, that the Trustee shall have received an incumbency certificate listing persons designated to give such instructions or directions and containing specimen signatures of such designated persons, which such incumbency certificate shall be amended and replaced whenever a person is to be added or deleted from the listing. If the Company elects to give the Trustee e-mail or facsimile instructions (or instructions by a similar electronic method) and the Trustee in its discretion elects to act upon such instructions, the Trustees understanding of such instructions shall be deemed controlling. The Trustee shall not be liable for any losses, costs or expenses arising directly or indirectly from the Trustees reliance upon and compliance with such instructions notwithstanding such instructions conflict or are inconsistent with a subsequent written instruction. The Company agrees to assume all risks arising out of the use of such electronic methods to submit instructions and directions to the Trustee, including without limitation the risk of the Trustee acting on unauthorized instructions, and the risk or interception and misuse by third parties.
Section 1.6. | Notices, etc. to Trustee and Company. |
Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver, service of process or other Act of Holders or other document provided or permitted by this Indenture to be made upon, given or furnished to, or filed with,
(1) the Trustee by any Holder or the Company shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder if made, given, furnished or filed in writing to or with the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office, or
(2) the Company by the Trustee or any Holder shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and delivered to the Company addressed to the attention of its Treasurer, with a copy to the attention of its General Counsel, at the address of its principal office specified in the first paragraph of this instrument or at any other address previously furnished in writing to the Trustee by the Company.
Section 1.7. | Notice to Holders of Securities; Waiver. |
Except as otherwise expressly provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, where this Indenture provides for notice to Holders of Securities of any event,
(1) such notice shall be sufficiently given to Holders of Registered Securities if in writing and delivered to each Holder of a Registered Security affected by such event, not later than the latest date, and not earlier than the earliest date, prescribed for the giving of such notice; and
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(2) such notice shall be sufficiently given to Holders of Bearer Securities, if any, if published in an Authorized Newspaper in The City of New York and, if such Securities are then listed on any stock exchange outside the United States, in an Authorized Newspaper in such city as the Company shall advise the Trustee that such stock exchange so requires, on a Business Day at least twice, the first such publication to be not earlier than the earliest date and the second such publication not later than the latest date prescribed for the giving of such notice.
In any case where notice to Holders of Registered Securities is given by mail, neither the failure to mail such notice, nor any defect in any notice so mailed, to any particular Holder of a Registered Security shall affect the sufficiency of such notice with respect to other Holders of Registered Securities or the sufficiency of any notice to Holders of Bearer Securities given as provided herein. Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given or provided. In the case by reason of the suspension of regular mail service or by reason of any other cause it shall be impracticable to give such notice by mail, then such notification as shall be made with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute a sufficient notification for every purpose hereunder.
In case by reason of the suspension of publication of any Authorized Newspaper or Authorized Newspapers or by reason of any other cause it shall be impracticable to publish any notice to Holders of Bearer Securities as provided above, then such notification to Holders of Bearer Securities as shall be given with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute sufficient notice to such Holders for every purpose hereunder. Neither failure to give notice by publication to Holders of Bearer Securities as provided above, nor any defect in any notice so published, shall affect the sufficiency of any notice mailed to Holders of Registered Securities as provided above.
Where this Indenture provides for notice in any manner, such notice may be waived in writing by the Person entitled to receive such notice, either before or after the event, and such waiver shall be the equivalent of such notice. Waivers of notice by Holders of Securities shall be filed with the Trustee, but such filing shall not be a condition precedent to the validity of any action taken in reliance upon such waiver.
Section 1.8. | Language of Notices. |
Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, election or waiver required or permitted under this Indenture shall be in the English language, except that, if the Company so elects, any published notice may be in an official language of the country of publication.
Section 1.9. | Conflict with Trust Indenture Act. |
If any provision hereof limits, qualifies or conflicts with any duties under any required provision of the Trust Indenture Act imposed hereon by Section 318(c) thereof, such required provision shall control.
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Section 1.10. | Effect of Headings and Table of Contents. |
The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
Section 1.11. | Successors and Assigns. |
All covenants and agreements in this Indenture by the Company shall bind its successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.
Section 1.12. | Separability Clause. |
In case any provision in this Indenture, any Security or any Coupon shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
Section 1.13. | Benefits of Indenture. |
Nothing in this Indenture, any Security or any Coupon, express or implied, shall give to any Person, other than the parties hereto, any Security Registrar, any Paying Agent, any Authenticating Agent and their successors hereunder and the Holders of Securities or Coupons, any benefit or any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Indenture.
Section 1.14. | Governing Law. |
This Indenture, the Securities and any Coupons shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made or instruments entered into and, in each case, performed wholly in said state.
Section 1.15. | Legal Holidays. |
Unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Securities, in any case where any Interest Payment Date, Stated Maturity or Maturity of any Security, or the last date on which a Holder has the right to convert or exchange Securities of a series that are convertible or exchangeable, shall be a Legal Holiday at any Place of Payment, then (notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, any Security or any Coupon other than a provision in any Security or Coupon that specifically states that such provision shall apply in lieu hereof) payment need not be made at such Place of Payment on such date, and such Securities need not be converted or exchanged on such date but such payment may be made, and such Securities may be converted or exchanged, on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day at such Place of Payment with the same force and effect as if made on the Interest Payment Date or at the Stated Maturity or Maturity or on such last day for conversion or exchange, and no interest shall accrue on the amount payable on such date or at such time for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date, Stated Maturity, Maturity or last day for conversion or exchange, as the case may be, to such next succeeding Business Day.
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Section 1.16. | Counterparts. |
This Indenture may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which shall constitute but one and the same instrument.
Section 1.17. | Judgment Currency. |
The Company agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so under applicable law, that (a) if for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert the sum due in respect of the principal of, or premium or interest, if any, or Additional Amounts on the Securities of any series (the Required Currency) into a currency in which a judgment will be rendered (the Judgment Currency), the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the requisite amount of the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the New York Banking Day preceding the day on which a final unappealable judgment is given and (b) its obligations under this Indenture to make payments in the Required Currency (i) shall not be discharged or satisfied by any tender, or any recovery pursuant to any judgment (whether or not entered in accordance with clause (a)), in any currency other than the Required Currency, except to the extent that such tender or recovery shall result in the actual receipt, by the payee, of the full amount of the Required Currency expressed to be payable in respect of such payments, (ii) shall be enforceable as an alternative or additional cause of action for the purpose of recovering in the Required Currency the amount, if any, by which such actual receipt shall fall short of the full amount of the Required Currency so expressed to be payable and (iii) shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sum due under this Indenture. For purposes of the foregoing, New York Banking Day means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday in The City of New York or a day on which banking institutions in The City of New York are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to be closed.
Section 1.18. | No Security Interest Created. |
Nothing in this Indenture or in any Securities, express or implied, shall be construed to constitute a security interest under the Uniform Commercial Code or similar legislation, as now or hereafter enacted and in effect in any jurisdiction where property of the Company or its Subsidiaries is or may be located.
Section 1.19. | Limitation on Individual Liability. |
No recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in any Security, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, shall be had against any incorporator, shareholder, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company, either directly or through the Company, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly understood that this Indenture and the obligations issued hereunder are solely corporate obligations, and that no such personal liability whatever shall attach to, or is or shall be incurred by, the incorporators, shareholders, officers or directors, as such, of the Company, or any of them, because of the creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the
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obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any Security or implied therefrom; and that any and all such personal liability of every name and nature, either at common law or in equity or by constitution or statute, of, and any and all such rights and claims against, every such incorporator, shareholder, officer or director, as such, because of the creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any Security or implied therefrom, are hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issuance of such Security.
Section 1.20. | Submission to Jurisdiction. |
The Company agrees that any judicial proceedings instituted in relation to any matter arising under this Indenture, the Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto may be brought in any United States Federal or New York State court sitting in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, New York to the extent that such court has subject matter jurisdiction over the controversy, and, by execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company hereby irrevocably accepts, generally and unconditionally, the jurisdiction of the aforesaid courts, acknowledges their competence and irrevocably agrees to be bound by any judgment rendered in such proceeding. The Company also irrevocably and unconditionally waives for the benefit of the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities and Coupons any immunity from jurisdiction and any immunity from legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in the aid of execution, execution or otherwise) in respect of this Indenture. Nothing herein shall affect the right to serve process in any other manner permitted by any law or limit the right of the Trustee or any Holder to institute proceedings against the Company in the courts of any other jurisdiction or jurisdictions.
Section 1.21. | Waiver of Jury Trial. |
EACH OF THE COMPANY, EACH HOLDER, AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE SECURITIES OR THE TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
Section 1.22. | Force Majeure. |
In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.
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Section 1.23. | Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). |
In order to comply with applicable tax laws, rules and regulations (including directives, guidelines and interpretations promulgated by competent authorities) in effect from time to time (Applicable Tax Law), the Company agrees to provide to the Trustee tax-information about holders or the transactions contemplated hereby (including any modification to the terms of such transactions), to the extent such information is directly available to the Company, so that the Trustee can determine whether it has tax-related obligations under Applicable Tax Law and the Company acknowledges that the Trustee shall be entitled to make any withholding or deduction from payments under the Indenture to the extent necessary to comply with Applicable Tax Law.
Article 2
SECURITIES FORMS
Section 2.1. | Forms Generally. |
Each Registered Security, Bearer Security, Coupon and temporary or permanent global Security issued pursuant to this Indenture shall be in the form established by or pursuant to a Board Resolution or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, shall have such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as are required or permitted by or pursuant to this Indenture or any indenture supplemental hereto and may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification and such legends or endorsements placed thereon as may, consistently herewith, be determined by the officers executing such Security or Coupon as evidenced by their execution of such Security or Coupon.
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Securities, the Securities shall be issuable in registered form without Coupons and shall not be issuable upon the exercise of warrants.
Definitive Securities and definitive Coupons shall be printed, lithographed or engraved or produced by any combination of these methods on a steel engraved border or steel engraved borders or may be produced in any other manner, all as determined by the officers of the Company executing such Securities or Coupons, as evidenced by their execution of such Securities or Coupons.
Section 2.2. | Form of Trustees Certificate of Authentication. |
Subject to Section 6.12, the Trustees certificate of authentication shall be in substantially the following form:
This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee
| ||
By: |
| |
Authorized Signatory | ||
Dated: |
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Section 2.3. | Securities in Global Form. |
If Securities of a series shall be issuable in global form, any such Security may provide that it or any number of such Securities shall represent the aggregate amount of all Outstanding Securities of such series (or such lesser amount as is permitted by the terms thereof) from time to time endorsed thereon and may also provide that the aggregate amount of Outstanding Securities represented thereby may from time to time be increased or reduced to reflect exchanges. Any endorsement of any Security in global form to reflect the amount, or any increase or decrease in the amount, or changes in the rights of Holders, of Outstanding Securities represented thereby shall be made in such manner and by such Person or Persons as shall be specified therein or in the Company Order to be delivered pursuant to Section 3.3 or Section 3.4 with respect thereto. Subject to the provisions of Section 3.3 and, if applicable, Section 3.4, the Trustee shall deliver and redeliver, in each case at the Companys expense, any Security in permanent global form in the manner and upon instructions given by the Person or Persons specified therein or in the applicable Company Order. If a Company Order pursuant to Section 3.3 or Section 3.4 has been, or simultaneously is, delivered, any instructions by the Company with respect to a Security in global form shall be in writing.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.7, unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Securities, payment of principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts in respect of, any Security in temporary or permanent global form shall be made to the Person or Persons specified therein.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.8 and except as provided in the preceding paragraph, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall treat as the Holder of such principal amount of Outstanding Securities represented by a global Security (i) in the case of a global Security in registered form, the Holder of such global Security in registered form, or (ii) in the case of a global Security in bearer form, the Person or Persons specified pursuant to Section 3.1.
Article 3
THE SECURITIES
Section 3.1. | Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series. |
The aggregate principal amount of Securities which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more series.
With respect to any Securities to be authenticated and delivered hereunder, there shall be established in or pursuant to a Board Resolution and set forth in an Officers Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto,
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(1) the title of such Securities and the series in which such Securities shall be included;
(2) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such title or the Securities of such series which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of such series pursuant to Section 3.4, Section 3.5, Section 3.6, Section 9.5 or Section 11.7, upon repayment in part of any Registered Security of such series pursuant to Article 13, upon surrender in part of any Registered Security for conversion into Common Stock of the Company or exchange for other securities pursuant to its terms, or pursuant to or as contemplated by the terms of such Securities);
(3) if such Securities are to be issuable as Registered Securities, as Bearer Securities or alternatively as Bearer Securities and Registered Securities, and whether the Bearer Securities are to be issuable with Coupons, without Coupons or both, and any restrictions applicable to the offer, sale or delivery of the Bearer Securities and the terms, if any, upon which Bearer Securities may be exchanged for Registered Securities and vice versa;
(4) if any of such Securities are to be issuable in global form, when any of such Securities are to be issuable in global form and (i) whether such Securities are to be issued in temporary or permanent global form or both, (ii) whether beneficial owners of interests in any such global Security may exchange such interests for Securities of the same series and of like tenor and of any authorized form and denomination, and the circumstances under which any such exchanges may occur, if other than in the manner specified in Section 3.5, and (iii) the name of the Depository with respect to any such global Security;
(5) if any of such Securities are to be issuable as Bearer Securities or in global form, the date as of which any such Bearer Security or global Security shall be dated (if other than the date of original issuance of the first of such Securities to be issued);
(6) if any of such Securities are to be issuable as Bearer Securities, whether interest in respect of any portion of a temporary Bearer Security in global form payable in respect of an Interest Payment Date therefor prior to the exchange, if any, of such temporary Bearer Security for definitive Securities shall be paid to any clearing organization with respect to the portion of such temporary Bearer Security held for its account and, in such event, the terms and conditions (including any certification requirements) upon which any such interest payment received by a clearing organization will be credited to the Persons entitled to interest payable on such Interest Payment Date;
(7) the date or dates, or the method or methods, if any, by which such date or dates shall be determined, on which the principal of such Securities is payable;
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(8) the rate or rates at which such Securities shall bear interest, if any, or the method or methods, if any, by which such rate or rates are to be determined, the date or dates, if any, from which such interest shall accrue or the method or methods, if any, by which such date or dates are to be determined, the Interest Payment Dates, if any, on which such interest shall be payable and the Regular Record Date, if any, for the interest payable on Registered Securities on any Interest Payment Date, whether and under what circumstances Additional Amounts on such Securities or any of them shall be payable, the notice, if any, to Holders regarding the determination of interest on a floating rate Security and the manner of giving such notice, and the basis upon which interest shall be calculated if other than that of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months;
(9) if in addition to or other than the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, the place or places where the principal of, any premium and interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to such Securities shall be payable, any of such Securities that are Registered Securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, any of such Securities may be surrendered for conversion or exchange and notices or demands to or upon the Company in respect of such Securities and this Indenture may be served;
(10) the extent to which, or the manner in which, any interest payment or Additional Amounts on a global Security on an Interest Payment Date, will be paid and the manner in which any principal of or premium, if any, on any global Security will be paid;
(11) whether any of such Securities are to be redeemable at the option of the Company and, if so, the date or dates on which, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such Securities may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;
(12) whether the Company is obligated to redeem or purchase any of such Securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of any Holder thereof and, if so, the date or dates on which, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such Securities shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation, and any provisions for the remarketing of such Securities so redeemed or purchased;
(13) the denominations in which any of such Securities that are Registered Securities shall be issuable if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, and the denominations in which any of such Securities that are Bearer Securities shall be issuable if other than the denomination of $5,000;
(14) whether the Securities of the series will be convertible into shares of Common Stock of the Company and/or exchangeable for other securities, whether or not issued by the Company, and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such
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Securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, and any deletions from or modifications or additions to this Indenture to permit or to facilitate the issuance of such convertible or exchangeable Securities or the administration thereof;
(15) if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of any of such Securities that shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.2 or the method by which such portion is to be determined;
(16) if other than Dollars, the Foreign Currency in which payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any of such Securities shall be payable;
(17) if the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any of such Securities are to be payable, at the election of the Company or a Holder thereof or otherwise, in Dollars or in a Foreign Currency other than that in which such Securities are stated to be payable, the date or dates on which, the period or periods within which, and the other terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made, and the time and manner of determining the exchange rate between the Currency in which such Securities are stated to be payable and the Currency in which such Securities or any of them are to be paid pursuant to such election, and any deletions from or modifications of or additions to the terms of this Indenture to provide for or to facilitate the issuance of Securities denominated or payable, at the election of the Company or a Holder thereof or otherwise, in a Foreign Currency;
(18) whether the amount of payments of principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to such Securities may be determined with reference to an index, formula or other method or methods (which index, formula or method or methods may be based, without limitation, on one or more Currencies, commodities, equity securities, equity indices or other indices), and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which and the manner in which such amounts shall be determined and paid or payable;
(19) any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the Events of Default or covenants of the Company with respect to any of such Securities, whether or not such Events of Default or covenants are consistent with the Events of Default or covenants set forth herein;
(20) whether either or both of Section 4.2(2) relating to defeasance or Section 4.2(3) relating to covenant defeasance shall not be applicable to the Securities of such series, or any covenants in addition to those specified in Section 4.2(3) relating to the Securities of such series which shall be subject to covenant defeasance, and any deletions from, or modifications or additions to, the provisions of Article 4 in respect of the Securities of such series;
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(21) whether any of such Securities are to be issuable upon the exercise of warrants, and the time, manner and place for such Securities to be authenticated and delivered;
(22) if any of such Securities are to be issuable in global form and are to be issuable in definitive form (whether upon original issue or upon exchange of a temporary Security) only upon receipt of certain certificates or other documents or satisfaction of other conditions, then the form and terms of such certificates, documents or conditions;
(23) if there is more than one Trustee, the identity of the Trustee and, if not the Trustee, the identity of each Security Registrar, Paying Agent or Authenticating Agent with respect to such Securities;
(24) any additional covenants of the Company applicable in respect of or in connection with such Securities; and
(25) any other terms of such Securities and any other deletions from or modifications or additions to this Indenture in respect of such Securities.
All Securities of any one series and all Coupons, if any, appertaining to Bearer Securities of such series shall be substantially identical except as to Currency of payments due thereunder, denomination and the rate of interest thereon, or method of determining the rate of interest, if any, Maturity, and the date from which interest, if any, shall accrue and except as may otherwise be provided by the Company in or pursuant to the Board Resolution and set forth in the Officers Certificate or in any indenture or indentures supplemental hereto pertaining to such series of Securities. The terms of the Securities of any series may provide, without limitation, that the Securities shall be authenticated and delivered by the Trustee on original issue from time to time upon written order of persons designated in the Officers Certificate or supplemental indenture and that such persons are authorized to determine, consistent with such Officers Certificate or any applicable supplemental indenture, such terms and conditions of the Securities of such series as are specified in such Officers Certificate or supplemental indenture. All Securities of any one series need not be issued at the same time and, unless otherwise so provided, a series may be reopened for issuances of additional Securities of such series, provided that such additional Securities are fungible with the Securities for the United States federal income tax purposes.
If any of the terms of the Securities of any series shall be established by action taken by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, the Board Resolution shall be delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officers Certificate setting forth the terms of such series.
Section 3.2. Currency; Denominations.
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, the principal of, any premium and interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to the Securities shall be payable in Dollars. Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, Registered Securities denominated in Dollars shall be issuable in registered form without Coupons in denominations of
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$1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, and the Bearer Securities denominated in Dollars shall be issuable in the denomination of $5,000. Securities not denominated in Dollars shall be issuable in such denominations as are established with respect to such Securities in or pursuant to this Indenture.
Section 3.3. Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating.
Securities and Coupons shall be executed on behalf of the Company by an Authorized Officer. The signature of any of these officers on the Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto may be manual or facsimile.
Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto bearing the manual or facsimile signatures of individuals who were at any time the proper officers of the Company shall bind the Company, notwithstanding that such individuals or any of them have ceased to hold such offices prior to the authentication and delivery of such Securities and Coupons or did not hold such offices at the date of original issuance of such Securities or Coupons.
At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities, together with any Coupons appertaining thereto, executed by the Company, to the Trustee for authentication and, provided that the Board Resolution and Officers Certificate or supplemental indenture or indentures with respect to such Securities referred to in Section 3.1 and a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities have been delivered to the Trustee, the Trustee in accordance with the Company Order and subject to the provisions hereof and of such Securities shall authenticate and deliver such Securities. In authenticating such Securities, and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, the Trustee shall be provided with, and (subject to Sections 315(a) through 315(d) of the Trust Indenture Act) shall be fully protected in relying upon,
(1) A copy of the resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors in or pursuant to which the terms and form of the Securities were established, certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect as of the date of such certificate, and if the terms and form of such Securities are established by an Officers Certificate pursuant to general authorization of the Board of Directors, such Officers Certificate;
(2) an executed supplemental indenture, if any;
(3) an Officers Certificate delivered in accordance with Section 1.2; and
(4) an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that:
(a) the form or forms and terms of such Securities and Coupons, if any, have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture;
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(b) all conditions precedent to the authentication and delivery of such Securities and Coupons, if any, appertaining thereto, have been complied with and that such Securities and Coupons, when completed by appropriate insertions, executed and delivered by duly Authorized Officers of the Company to the Trustee for authentication pursuant to this Indenture, and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and issued by the Company in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement thereof may be subject to or limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, arrangement, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors rights generally, and subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a proceeding in equity or at law) and will entitle the Holders thereof to the benefits of this Indenture; such Opinion of Counsel need express no opinion as to the availability of equitable remedies;
(c) all laws and requirements in respect of the execution and delivery by the Company of such Securities and Coupons, if any, have been complied with; and
(d) this Indenture has been qualified under the Trust Indenture Act; and
(5) an Officers Certificate stating that all conditions precedent to the execution, authentication and delivery of such Securities and Coupons, if any, appertaining thereto, have been complied with and that, to the best knowledge of the Persons executing such certificate, no event which is, or after notice or lapse of time would become, an Event of Default with respect to any of the Securities shall have occurred and be continuing.
If all the Securities of any series are not to be issued at one time, it shall not be necessary to deliver an Opinion of Counsel and an Officers Certificate at the time of issuance of each Security, but such opinion and certificate, with appropriate modifications, shall be delivered at or before the time of issuance of the first Security of such series. After any such first delivery, any separate written request by an Authorized Officer of the Company or any person designated in writing by an Authorized Officer that the Trustee authenticate and deliver Securities of such series for original issue will be deemed to be a certification by the Company that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture relating to authentication and delivery of such Securities continue to have been complied with.
The Trustee shall not be required to authenticate or to cause an Authenticating Agent to authenticate any Securities if the issue of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustees own rights, duties or immunities under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner which is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee or if the Trustee, being advised by counsel, determines that such action may not lawfully be taken.
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Each Registered Security shall be dated the date of its authentication. Each Bearer Security and any Bearer Security in global form shall be dated as of the date specified in or pursuant to this Indenture.
No Security or Coupon appertaining thereto shall be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless there appears on such Security a certificate of authentication substantially in the form provided for in Section 2.2 or Section 6.12 executed by or on behalf of the Trustee or by the Authenticating Agent by the manual signature of one of its authorized officers. Such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder. Except as permitted by Section 3.6 or Section 3.7, the Trustee shall not authenticate and deliver any Bearer Security unless all Coupons appertaining thereto then matured have been detached and cancelled.
Section 3.4. Temporary Securities.
Pending the preparation of definitive Securities, the Company may execute and deliver to the Trustee and, upon Company Order, the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in the manner provided in Section 3.3, temporary Securities in lieu thereof which are printed, lithographed, typewritten, mimeographed or otherwise produced, in any authorized denomination, substantially of the tenor of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, in registered form or, if authorized in or pursuant to this Indenture, in bearer form with one or more Coupons or without Coupons and with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers of the Company executing such Securities may determine, as conclusively evidenced by their execution of such Securities. Such temporary Securities may be in global form.
Except in the case of temporary Securities in global form, which shall be exchanged in accordance with the provisions thereof, if temporary Securities are issued, the Company shall cause definitive Securities to be prepared without unreasonable delay. After the preparation of definitive Securities of the same series and containing terms and provisions that are identical to those of any temporary Securities, such temporary Securities shall be exchangeable for such definitive Securities upon surrender of such temporary Securities at an Office or Agency for such Securities, without charge to any Holder thereof. Upon surrender for cancellation of any one or more temporary Securities (accompanied by any unmatured Coupons appertaining thereto), the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a like principal amount of definitive Securities of authorized denominations of the same series and containing identical terms and provisions; provided, however, that no definitive Bearer Security, except as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, shall be delivered in exchange for a temporary Registered Security; and provided, further, that a definitive Bearer Security shall be delivered in exchange for a temporary Bearer Security only in compliance with the conditions set forth in or pursuant to this Indenture. Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture with respect to a temporary global Security, until so exchanged the temporary Securities of any series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such series.
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Section 3.5. Registration, Transfer and Exchange.
With respect to the Registered Securities of each series, if any, the Company shall cause to be kept a register (each such register being herein sometimes referred to as the Security Register) at an Office or Agency for such series in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration of the Registered Securities of such series and of transfers of the Registered Securities of such series. Such Office or Agency shall be the Security Registrar for that series of Securities. Unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities, the Trustee shall be the initial Security Registrar for each series of Securities. The Company shall have the right to remove and replace from time to time the Security Registrar for any series of Securities; provided that no such removal or replacement shall be effective until a successor Security Registrar with respect to such series of Securities shall have been appointed by the Company and shall have accepted such appointment by the Company. In the event that the Trustee shall not be or shall cease to be Security Registrar with respect to a series of Securities, it shall have the right to examine the Security Register for such series at all reasonable times. There shall be only one Security Register for each series of Securities.
Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Registered Security of any series at any Office or Agency for such series, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more new Registered Securities of the same series denominated as authorized in or pursuant to this Indenture, of a like aggregate principal amount bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding and containing identical terms and provisions.
At the option of the Holder, Registered Securities of any series may be exchanged for other Registered Securities of the same series containing identical terms and provisions, in any authorized denominations, and of a like aggregate principal amount, upon surrender of the Securities to be exchanged at any Office or Agency for such series.
If provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, with respect to Securities of any series, at the option of the Holder, Bearer Securities of such series may be exchanged for Registered Securities of such series containing identical terms, denominated as authorized in or pursuant to this Indenture and in the same aggregate principal amount, upon surrender of the Bearer Securities to be exchanged at any Office or Agency for such series, with all unmatured Coupons and all matured Coupons in default thereto appertaining. If the Holder of a Bearer Security is unable to produce any such unmatured Coupon or Coupons or matured Coupon or Coupons in default, such exchange may be effected if the Bearer Securities are accompanied by payment in funds acceptable to the Company and the Trustee in an amount equal to the face amount of such missing Coupon or Coupons, or the surrender of such missing Coupon or Coupons may be waived by the Company and the Trustee if there is furnished to them such security or indemnity as they may require to save each of them and any Paying Agent harmless. If thereafter the Holder of such Bearer Security shall surrender to any Paying Agent any such missing Coupon in respect of which such a payment shall have been made, such Holder shall be entitled to receive the amount of such payment; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2, interest represented by Coupons shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of those
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Coupons at an Office or Agency for such series located outside the United States. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in case a Bearer Security of any series is surrendered at any such Office or Agency for such series in exchange for a Registered Security of such series and like tenor after the close of business at such Office or Agency on (i) any Regular Record Date and before the opening of business at such Office or Agency on the next succeeding Interest Payment Date, or (ii) any Special Record Date and before the opening of business at such Office or Agency on the related date for payment of Defaulted Interest, such Bearer Security shall be surrendered without the Coupon relating to such Interest Payment Date or proposed date of payment, as the case may be (or, if such Coupon is so surrendered with such Bearer Security, such Coupon shall be returned to the Person so surrendering the Bearer Security), and interest or Defaulted Interest, as the case may be, shall not be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, in respect of the Registered Security issued in exchange for such Bearer Security, but shall be payable only to the Holder of such Coupon when due in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.
Whenever any Securities are surrendered for exchange as contemplated by the immediately preceding two paragraphs, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, the Securities which the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, any global Security shall be exchangeable for definitive Securities only if (i) the Depository is at any time unwilling, unable or ineligible to continue as Depository and a successor Depository is not appointed by the Company within 90 days of the date the Company is so informed in writing, (ii) the Company executes and delivers to the Trustee a Company Order to the effect that such global Security shall be so exchangeable, or (iii) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to the Securities. If the beneficial owners of interests in a global Security are entitled to exchange such interests for definitive Securities as the result of an event described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) of the preceding sentence, then without unnecessary delay but in any event not later than the earliest date on which such interests may be so exchanged, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee definitive Securities in such form and denominations as are required by or pursuant to this Indenture, and of the same series, containing identical terms and in aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such global Security, executed by the Company. On or after the earliest date on which such interests may be so exchanged, such global Security shall be surrendered from time to time by such Depository as shall be specified in the Company Order with respect thereto, and in accordance with instructions given to the Trustee and the Depository, (which instructions shall be in writing), as shall be specified in the Company Order with respect thereto to the Trustee, as the Companys agent for such purpose, to be exchanged, in whole or in part, for definitive Securities as described above without charge. The Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery, in exchange for each portion of such surrendered global Security, a like aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of the same series of authorized denominations and of like tenor as the portion of such global Security to be exchanged, which (unless such Securities are not issuable both as Bearer Securities and as Registered Securities, in which case the definitive Securities exchanged for the global Security shall be issuable only in the form in which the Securities are issuable, as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture) shall be in the form of Bearer Securities or Registered
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Securities, or any combination thereof, as shall be specified by the beneficial owner thereof, but subject to the satisfaction of any certification or other requirements to the issuance of Bearer Securities; provided, however, that no such exchanges may occur during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before any selection of Securities of the same series to be redeemed and ending on the relevant Redemption Date; and provided, further, that (unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture) no Bearer Security delivered in exchange for a portion of a global Security shall be mailed or otherwise delivered to any location in the United States. Promptly following any such exchange in part, such global Security shall be returned by the Trustee to such Depository, or such other Depository referred to above in accordance with the instructions of the Company referred to above. If a Registered Security is issued in exchange for any portion of a global Security after the close of business at the Office or Agency for such Security where such exchange occurs on or after (i) any Regular Record Date for such Security and before the opening of business at such Office or Agency on the next succeeding Interest Payment Date, or (ii) any Special Record Date for such Security and before the opening of business at such Office or Agency on the related proposed date for payment of interest or Defaulted Interest, as the case may be, interest shall not be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, in respect of such Registered Security, but shall be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, only to the Person to whom interest in respect of such portion of such global Security shall be payable in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.
All Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities shall be the valid obligations of the Company evidencing the same debt and entitling the Holders thereof to the same benefits under this Indenture as the Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.
Every Registered Security presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange or redemption shall (if so required by the Company or the Security Registrar for such Security) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form reasonably satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar for such Security duly executed by the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing.
No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange, or redemption of Securities, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge and any other expenses (including fees and expenses of the Trustee) that may be imposed in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 3.4, Section 9.5 or Section 11.7 not involving any transfer.
Except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, the Company shall not be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Securities during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of transmittal of a notice of redemption of Securities of like tenor and the same series under Section 11.3 and ending at the close of business on the day of such transmittal, or (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any Registered Security selected for redemption in whole or in part, except in the case of any Security to be redeemed in part, the portion thereof not to be redeemed, or (iii) to exchange any Bearer Security
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selected for redemption except, to the extent provided with respect to such Bearer Security, that such Bearer Security may be exchanged for a Registered Security of like tenor and the same series, provided that such Registered Security shall be immediately surrendered for redemption with written instruction for payment consistent with the provisions of this Indenture or (iv) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security which, in accordance with its terms, has been surrendered for repayment at the option of the Holder, except the portion, if any, of such Security not to be so repaid.
Section 3.6. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.
If any mutilated Security or a Security with a mutilated Coupon appertaining to it is surrendered to the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section 3.6, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same series containing identical terms and of like principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, with Coupons appertaining thereto corresponding to the Coupons, if any, appertaining to the surrendered Security.
If there be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (i) evidence to their reasonable satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security or Coupon, and (ii) such security or indemnity as may be reasonably required by them to save each of them and any agent of either of them harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security or Coupon has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company shall execute and, upon the Companys request the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in exchange for or in lieu of any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security or in exchange for the Security to which a destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains with all appurtenant Coupons not destroyed, lost or stolen, a new Security of the same series containing identical terms and of like principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, with Coupons appertaining thereto corresponding to the Coupons, if any, appertaining to such destroyed, lost or stolen Security or to the Security to which such destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.6, in case any mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security or Coupon has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay such Security or Coupon; provided, however, that payment of principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Bearer Securities shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2, be payable only at an Office or Agency for such Securities located outside the United States and, unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, any interest on Bearer Securities and any Additional Amounts with respect to such interest shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of the Coupons appertaining thereto.
Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section 3.6, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.
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Every new Security, with any Coupons appertaining thereto issued pursuant to this Section 3.6 in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security, or in exchange for a Security to which a destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains shall constitute a separate obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security and Coupons appertaining thereto or the destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of such series and any Coupons, if any, duly issued hereunder.
The provisions of this Section 3.6, as amended or supplemented pursuant to this Indenture with respect to particular Securities or generally, shall be exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities or Coupons.
Section 3.7. Payment of Interest and Certain Additional Amounts; Rights to Interest and Certain Additional Amounts Preserved.
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, any interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to any Registered Security which shall be payable, and are punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered as of the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest.
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, any interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to any Registered Security which shall be payable, but shall not be punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for such Registered Security (herein called Defaulted Interest) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder thereof on the relevant Regular Record Date by virtue of having been such Holder; and such Defaulted Interest may be paid by the Company, at its election in each case, as provided in Clause (1) or (2) below:
(1) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest to the Person in whose name such Registered Security (or a Predecessor Security thereof) shall be registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed by the Company in the following manner. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on such Registered Security, the Special Record Date therefor and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit on or prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when so deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Person entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this Clause provided. The Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest shall be not more than 15 days and not less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 12 days after notification to the Trustee of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall, in the name and at the expense of the Company, cause notice of the proposed
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payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor to be delivered to the Holder of such Registered Security (or a Predecessor Security thereof) at his address as it appears in the Security Register not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date. The Trustee may, in its discretion, in the name and at the expense of the Company cause a similar notice to be published at least once in an Authorized Newspaper of general circulation in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, but such publication shall not be a condition precedent to the establishment of such Special Record Date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Registered Security (or a Predecessor Security thereof) shall be registered at the close of business on such Special Record Date and shall no longer be payable pursuant to the following clause (2).
(2) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Security may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this Clause, such payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities of any particular series pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, at the option of the Company, interest on Registered Securities that bear interest may be paid by mailing a check to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register or by transfer to an account maintained by the payee with a bank located in the United States.
Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section and Section 3.5, each Security delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, which were carried by such other Security.
In the case of any Registered Security of any series that is convertible into shares of Common Stock of the Company or exchangeable for other securities, which Registered Security is converted or exchanged after any Regular Record Date and on or prior to the next succeeding Interest Payment Date (other than any Registered Security with respect to which the Stated Maturity is prior to such Interest Payment Date), interest with respect to which the Stated Maturity is on such Interest Payment Date shall be payable on such Interest Payment Date notwithstanding such conversion or exchange, and such interest (whether or not punctually paid or duly provided for) shall be paid to the Person in whose name that Registered Security (or one or more predecessor Registered Securities) is registered at the close of business on such Regular Record Date. Except as otherwise expressly provided in the immediately preceding sentence, in the case of any Registered Security which is converted or exchanged, interest with respect to which the Stated Maturity is after the date of conversion or exchange of such Registered Security shall not be payable.
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Section 3.8. Persons Deemed Owners.
Prior to due presentment of a Registered Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name such Registered Security is registered in the Security Register as the owner of such Registered Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of, any premium and (subject to Section 3.5 and Section 3.7) interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to such Registered Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not any payment with respect to such Registered Security shall be overdue, and none of the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
The Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the bearer of any Bearer Security or the bearer of any Coupon as the absolute owner of such Security or Coupon for the purpose of receiving payment thereof or on account thereof and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not any payment with respect to such Security or Coupon shall be overdue, and none of the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
No Holder of any beneficial interest in any global Security held on its behalf by a Depository shall have any rights under this Indenture with respect to such global Security, and such Depository may be treated by the Company, the Trustee, and any agent of the Company or the Trustee as the owner of such global Security for all purposes whatsoever. None of the Company, the Trustee, any Paying Agent or the Security Registrar will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests of a global Security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.
Section 3.9. Cancellation.
All Securities and Coupons surrendered for payment, redemption, registration of transfer, exchange or conversion or for credit against any sinking fund payment shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Trustee, be delivered to the Trustee, and any such Securities and Coupons, as well as Securities and Coupons surrendered directly to the Trustee for any such purpose, shall be cancelled promptly by the Trustee. The Company may at any time deliver to the Trustee for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated and delivered hereunder which the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever, and all Securities so delivered shall be cancelled promptly by the Trustee. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities cancelled as provided in this Section, except as expressly permitted by or pursuant to this Indenture. All cancelled Securities and Coupons held by the Trustee shall be disposed of by the Trustee in accordance with its normal operating procedures, unless by a Company Order the Company directs their return to it.
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Section 3.10. Computation of Interest.
Except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or in any Security, interest on the Securities shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
Section 3.11. Bearer Securities.
Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture, any indenture supplemental hereto, any Board Resolution or any Security to the contrary in no event shall any Bearer Securities be issued under this Indenture, or any Securities with Coupons appertaining thereto.
Section 3.12. CUSIP Numbers.
The Company in issuing the Securities may use CUSIP numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use CUSIP numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the CUSIP numbers.
Article 4
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE
Section 4.1. Satisfaction and Discharge.
Upon the direction of the Company by a Company Order, this Indenture shall cease to be of further effect with respect to any series of Securities specified in such Company Order and any Coupons appertaining thereto, and the Trustee, on receipt of a Company Order, at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such series, when
(1) either
(a) all Securities of such series theretofore authenticated and delivered and all Coupons appertaining thereto (other than (i) Coupons appertaining to Bearer Securities of such series surrendered in exchange for Registered Securities of such series and maturing after such exchange whose surrender is not required or has been waived as provided in Section 3.5, (ii) Securities and Coupons of such series which have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 3.6, (iii) Coupons appertaining to Securities of such series called for redemption and maturing after the relevant Redemption Date whose surrender has been waived as provided in Section 11.7, and (iv) Securities and Coupons of such series for whose payment money has theretofore been deposited in trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereafter repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in Section 10.3) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or
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(b) all Securities of such series and, in the case of (i) or (ii) below, any Coupons appertaining thereto not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation
(i) have become due and payable, or
(ii) will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year, or
(iii) if redeemable at the option of the Company, are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company,
and the Company, in the case of (i), (ii) or (iii) above, has deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for such purpose, money in the Currency in which such Securities are payable in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, to the date of such deposit (in the case of Securities which have become due and payable) or to the Maturity thereof, as the case may be;
(2) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company with respect to the Outstanding Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto; and
(3) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such series have been complied with.
In the event there are Securities of two or more series hereunder, the Trustee shall be required to execute an instrument acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture only if requested to do so with respect to Securities of such series as to which it is Trustee and if the other conditions thereto are met.
Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture with respect to any series of Securities, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee under Section 6.7 and, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to subclause (b) of clause (1) of this Section, the obligations of the Company and the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series under Section 3.5, Section 3.6, Section 4.3, Section 10.2 and Section 10.3, with respect to the payment of Additional Amounts, if any, with respect to such Securities as contemplated by Section 10.4 (but only to the extent that the Additional Amounts payable with respect to such
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Securities exceed the amount deposited in respect of such Additional Amounts pursuant to Section 4.1(1)(b)), and with respect to any rights to convert or exchange such Securities into Common Stock of the Company or other securities shall survive such satisfaction and discharge.
Section 4.2. Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance.
(1) Unless pursuant to Section 3.1, either or both of (i) defeasance of the Securities of or within a series under clause (2) of this Section 4.2 shall not be applicable with respect to the Securities of such series or (ii) covenant defeasance of the Securities of or within a series under clause (3) of this Section 4.2 shall not be applicable with respect to the Securities of such series, then such provisions, together with the other provisions of this Section 4.2 (with such modifications thereto as may be specified pursuant to Section 3.1 with respect to any Securities), shall be applicable to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, and the Company may at its option by Board Resolution, at any time, with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, elect to have Section 4.2(2) or Section 4.2(3) be applied to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Section 4.2.
(2) Upon the Companys exercise of the above option applicable to this Section 4.2(2) with respect to any Securities of or within a series, the Company shall be deemed to have been discharged from its obligations with respect to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto on the date the conditions set forth in clause (4) of this Section 4.2 are satisfied (hereinafter, defeasance). For this purpose, such defeasance means that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, which shall thereafter be deemed to be Outstanding only for the purposes of clause (5) of this Section 4.2 and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) below, and to have satisfied all of its other obligations under such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto and this Indenture insofar as such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto are concerned (and the Trustee, at the request and expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except for the following which shall survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder: (i) the rights of Holders of such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto to receive, solely from the trust fund described in clause (4) of this Section 4.2 and as more fully set forth in such clause, payments in respect of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on, and Additional Amounts, if any, with respect to, such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto when such payments are due, and any rights of such Holder to convert such Securities into Common Stock of the Company or exchange such Securities for other securities, (ii) the obligations of the Company and the Trustee with respect to such Securities under Section 3.5, Section 3.6, Section 10.2 and Section 10.3 and with respect to the payment of Additional Amounts, if any, on such Securities as contemplated by Section 10.4 (but only to the extent that the Additional Amounts payable with respect to such Securities exceed the amount deposited in respect of such Additional Amounts pursuant to
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Section 4.2(4)(a) below), and with respect to any rights to convert such Securities into Common Stock of the Company or exchange such Securities for other securities, (iii) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and (iv) this Section 4.2. The Company may exercise its option under this Section 4.2(2) notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under clause (3) of this Section 4.2 with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto.
(3) Upon the Companys exercise of the option to have this Section 4.2(3) apply with respect to any Securities of or within a series, the Company shall be released from its obligations under any covenant applicable to such Securities specified pursuant to Section 3.1(20), with respect to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto on and after the date the conditions set forth in clause (4) of this Section 4.2 are satisfied (hereinafter, covenant defeasance), and such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto shall thereafter be deemed to be not Outstanding for the purposes of any direction, waiver, consent or declaration or Act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with any such covenant, but shall continue to be deemed Outstanding for all other purposes hereunder. For this purpose, such covenant defeasance means that, with respect to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, the Company may omit to comply with, and shall have no liability in respect of, any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such Section or such other covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such Section or such other covenant or by reason of reference in any such Section or such other covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply shall not constitute a default or an Event of Default under Section 5.1(4) or Section 5.1(9) or otherwise, as the case may be, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Securities and Coupons appertaining thereto shall be unaffected thereby.
(4) The following shall be the conditions to application of clause (2) or (3) of this Section 4.2 to any Outstanding Securities of or within a series and any Coupons appertaining thereto:
(a) The Company shall irrevocably have deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or another trustee satisfying the requirements of Section 6.8 who shall agree to comply with the provisions of this Section 4.2 applicable to it) as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, (1) an amount in Dollars or in such Foreign Currency in which such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto are then specified as payable at Stated Maturity, or (2) Government Obligations applicable to such Securities and Coupons appertaining thereto (determined on the basis of the Currency in which such Securities and Coupons appertaining thereto are then specified as payable at Stated Maturity) which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in accordance with their terms will provide, not later than one day
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before the due date of any payment of principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, money in an amount, or (3) a combination thereof, in any case, in an amount, sufficient, without consideration of any reinvestment of such principal and interest, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of Independent Public Accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge, and which shall be applied by the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee) to pay and discharge, (y) the principal of (and premium, if any), interest, if any, on, and Additional Amounts, if any, related to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto at the Stated Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or premium, interest or Additional Amounts and (z) any mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments applicable to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto on the days on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto.
(b) Such defeasance or covenant defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound.
(c) No Event of Default or event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit and, with respect to defeasance only, at any time during the period ending on the 123rd day after the date of such deposit (it being understood that this condition shall not be deemed satisfied until the expiration of such period).
(d) In the case of an election under clause (2) of this Section 4.2, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel stating that (i) the Company has received from the Internal Revenue Service a letter ruling, or there has been published by the Internal Revenue Service a Revenue Ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the Holders of such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such defeasance had not occurred.
(e) In the case of an election under clause (3) of this Section 4.2, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the Holders of such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such covenant defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such covenant defeasance had not occurred.
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(f) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that, after the 123rd day after the date of deposit, all money and Government Obligations (or other property as may be provided pursuant to Section 3.1) (including the proceeds thereof) deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee) pursuant to this clause (4) to be held in trust will not be subject to any case or proceeding (whether voluntary or involuntary) in respect of the Company under any Federal or State bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law, or any decree or order for relief in respect of the Company issued in connection therewith.
(g) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent to the defeasance or covenant defeasance under clause (2) or (3) of this Section 4.2 (as the case may be) have been complied with.
(h) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section 4.2(4), such defeasance or covenant defeasance shall be effected in compliance with any additional or substitute terms, conditions or limitations which may be imposed on the Company in connection therewith pursuant to Section 3.1.
(5) Unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Security, if, after a deposit referred to in Section 4.2(4)(a) has been made, (a) the Holder of a Security in respect of which such deposit was made is entitled to, and does, elect pursuant to Section 3.1 or the terms of such Security to receive payment in a Currency other than that in which the deposit pursuant to Section 4.2(4)(a) has been made in respect of such Security, or (b) a Conversion Event occurs in respect of the Foreign Currency in which the deposit pursuant to Section 4.2(4)(a) has been made, the indebtedness represented by such Security and any Coupons appertaining thereto shall be deemed to have been, and will be, fully discharged and satisfied through the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any), and interest, if any, on, and Additional Amounts, if any, with respect to, such Security as the same becomes due out of the proceeds yielded by converting (from time to time as specified below in the case of any such election) the amount or other property deposited in respect of such Security into the Currency in which such Security becomes payable as a result of such election or Conversion Event based on (x) in the case of payments made pursuant to clause (a) above, the applicable market exchange rate for such Currency in effect on the second Business Day prior to each payment date, or (y) with respect to a Conversion Event, the applicable market exchange rate for such Foreign Currency in effect (as nearly as feasible) at the time of the Conversion Event.
The Company shall pay and indemnify the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this Section 4.2(5) and Section 4.3, the Trustee) against any tax, fee or other charge, imposed on or assessed against the Government Obligations deposited pursuant to this Section 4.2 or the principal or interest received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto.
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Anything in this Section 4.2 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Request any money or Government Obligations (or other property and any proceeds therefrom) held by it as provided in clause (4) of this Section 4.2 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of Independent Public Accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are in excess of the amount thereof which would then be required to be deposited to effect a defeasance or covenant defeasance, as applicable, in accordance with this Section 4.2.
Section 4.3. Application of Trust Money.
Subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 10.3, all money and Government Obligations (or other property as may be provided pursuant to Section 3.1) (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 4.1 or Section 4.2 in respect of any Outstanding Securities of any series and any Coupons appertaining thereto shall be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal (and premium, if any) and interest and Additional Amounts, if any; but such money and Government Obligations need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.
Article 5
REMEDIES
Section 5.1. Events of Default.
Event of Default, wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any series, means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such Event of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body), unless such event is specifically deleted or modified in or pursuant to the supplemental indenture, Board Resolution or Officers Certificate establishing the terms of such Series pursuant to this Indenture:
(1) default in the payment of any interest on any Security of such series, or any Additional Amounts payable with respect thereto, when such interest becomes or such Additional Amounts become due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days; or
(2) default in the payment of the principal of or any premium on any Security of such series, or any Additional Amounts payable with respect thereto, when such principal or premium becomes or such Additional Amounts become due and payable at their Maturity; or
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(3) default in the deposit of any sinking fund payment when and as due by the terms of a Security of such series; or
(4) default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or warranty of the Company in this Indenture or the Securities (other than a covenant or warranty a default in the performance or the breach of which is elsewhere in this Section specifically dealt with or which has been expressly included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of a series of Securities other than such series), and continuance of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a Notice of Default hereunder; or
(5) if any event of default as defined in any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued, or by which there may be secured or evidenced, any Indebtedness of the Company (including an Event of Default under any other series of Securities), whether such Indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created or incurred, shall happen and shall consist of default in the payment of more than $50,000,000 in principal amount of such Indebtedness at the maturity thereof (after giving effect to any applicable grace period) or shall result in such Indebtedness in principal amount in excess of $50,000,000 becoming or being declared due and payable prior to the date on which it would otherwise become due and payable, and such default shall not be cured or such acceleration shall not be rescinded or annulled within a period of 30 days after there shall have been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, a written notice specifying such event of default and requiring the Company to cause such default to be cured or to cause such acceleration to be rescinded or annulled or to cause such Indebtedness to be discharged and stating that such notice is a Notice of Default hereunder; or
(6) the Company shall fail within 60 days to pay, bond or otherwise discharge any uninsured judgment or court order for the payment of money in excess of $50,000,000, which is not stayed on appeal or is not otherwise being appropriately contested in good faith; or
(7) the entry by a court having competent jurisdiction of:
(a) a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company or any Principal Subsidiary in an involuntary proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization (other than a reorganization under a foreign law that does not relate to insolvency), rehabilitation or other similar law and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive days; or
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(b) a decree or order adjudging the Company or any Principal Subsidiary to be insolvent, or approving a petition seeking reorganization (other than a reorganization under a foreign law that does not relate to insolvency), arrangement, adjustment, rehabilitation or composition of the Company or any Principal Subsidiary and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive days; or
(c) a final and non-appealable order appointing a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, rehabilitator or other similar official of the Company or any Principal Subsidiary or of any substantial part of the property of the Company or any Principal Subsidiary or ordering the winding up or liquidation of the affairs of the Company or any Principal Subsidiary; or
(8) the commencement by the Company or any Principal Subsidiary of a voluntary proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization (other than a reorganization under a foreign law that does not relate to insolvency), rehabilitation or other similar law or of a voluntary proceeding seeking to be adjudicated insolvent or the consent by the Company or any Principal Subsidiary to the entry of a decree or order for relief in an involuntary proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law or to the commencement of any insolvency proceedings against it, or the filing by the Company or any Principal Subsidiary of a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, rehabilitation or composition of the Company or any Principal Subsidiary or relief under any applicable law, or the consent by the Company or any Principal Subsidiary to the filing of such petition or to the appointment of or taking possession by a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, rehabilitator or similar official of the Company or any Principal Subsidiary or any substantial part of the property of the Company or any Principal Subsidiary or the making by the Company or any Principal Subsidiary of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the taking of corporate action by the Company or any Principal Subsidiary in furtherance of any such action; or
(9) any other Event of Default provided in or pursuant to this Indenture with respect to Securities of such series.
Section 5.2. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.
If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any series at the time Outstanding (other than an Event of Default specified in clause (7) or (8) of Section 5.1) occurs and is continuing, then the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series may declare the principal of all the Securities of such series, or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the Securities of such series, to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by the Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal or such lesser amount shall become immediately due and payable.
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If an Event of Default specified in clause (7) or (8) of Section 5.1 occurs, all unpaid principal of and accrued interest on the Outstanding Securities of that series (or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the Securities of such series) shall ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder of any Security of that series.
At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to the Securities of any series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if
(1) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum of money sufficient to pay
(a) all overdue installments of any interest on and Additional Amounts with respect to all Securities of such series and any Coupon appertaining thereto,
(b) the principal of and any premium on any Securities of such series which have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and interest thereon and any Additional Amounts with respect thereto at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities,
(c) to the extent that payment of such interest or Additional Amounts is lawful, interest upon overdue installments of any interest and Additional Amounts at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities, and
(d) all sums paid or advanced by the Trustee hereunder and the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Trustee under Section 6.7; and
(2) all Events of Default with respect to Securities of such series, other than the non-payment of the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to Securities of such series which shall have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, shall have been cured or waived as provided in Section 5.13.
No such rescission shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 5.3. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.
The Company covenants that if:
(1) default is made in the payment of any installment of interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Security or any Coupon appertaining thereto when such interest or Additional Amounts shall have become due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days, or
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(2) default is made in the payment of the principal of or any premium on any Security or any Additional Amounts with respect thereto at their Maturity,
the Company shall, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, the whole amount of money then due and payable with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, with interest upon the overdue principal, any premium and, to the extent that payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable, upon any overdue installments of interest and Additional Amounts at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities, and, in addition thereto, such further amount of money as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel and all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.7.
If the Company fails to pay the money it is required to pay the Trustee pursuant to the preceding paragraph forthwith upon the demand of the Trustee, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the money so due and unpaid, and may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto and collect the monies adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, wherever situated.
If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem necessary to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or such Securities or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein or therein, or to enforce any other proper remedy.
Section 5.4. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.
In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities of any series or the property of the Company or such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of any overdue principal, premium, interest or Additional Amounts) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise,
(1) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount, or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the Securities of any applicable series, of the principal and any
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premium, interest and Additional Amounts owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders of Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto allowed in such judicial proceeding, and
(2) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder of Securities or any Coupons to make such payments to the Trustee and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders of Securities or any Coupons, to pay to the Trustee any amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 6.7.
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder of a Security or any Coupon any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or Coupons or the rights of any Holder thereof, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder of a Security or any Coupon in any such proceeding.
Section 5.5. Trustee May Enforce Claims without Possession of Securities or Coupons.
All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or any of the Securities or Coupons may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities or Coupons or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery or judgment, after provision for the payment of the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, shall be for the ratable benefit of each and every Holder of the Securities or Coupons in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.
Section 5.6. Application of Money Collected.
Any money collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money on account of principal, or any premium, interest or Additional Amounts, upon presentation of the Securities or Coupons, or both, as the case may be, and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
First: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee, its agents and any predecessor Trustee under Section 6.7;
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Second: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon the Securities and any Coupons for principal and any premium, interest and Additional Amounts in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the aggregate amounts due and payable on such Securities and Coupons for principal and any premium, interest and Additional Amounts, respectively;
Third: The balance, if any, to the Company or as a court of competent jurisdiction shall direct.
Section 5.7. Limitations on Suits.
No Holder of any Security of any series or any Coupons appertaining thereto shall have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless
(1) such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such series;
(2) the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;
(3) such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee such indemnity as is reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with such request;
(4) the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and
(5) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series;
it being understood and intended that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture or any Security to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other such Holders or Holders of Securities of any other series, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all such Holders.
Section 5.8. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and any Premium, Interest and Additional Amounts.
Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security or Coupon shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of, any premium and (subject to Section 3.5 and Section 3.7) interest on, and any
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Additional Amounts with respect to such Security or payment of such Coupon, as the case may be, on the respective Stated Maturity or Maturities therefor specified in such Security or Coupon (or, in the case of redemption, on the Redemption Date or, in the case of repayment at the option of such Holder if provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, on the date such repayment is due) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such right shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.
Section 5.9. Restoration of Rights and Remedies.
If the Trustee or any Holder of a Security or a Coupon has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case the Company, the Trustee and each such Holder shall, subject to any determination in such proceeding, be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder, and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and each such Holder shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.
Section 5.10. Rights and Remedies Cumulative.
Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities or Coupons in the last paragraph of Section 3.6, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to each and every Holder of a Security or a Coupon is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy, to the extent permitted by law, shall be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not, to the extent permitted by law, prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.
Section 5.11. Delay or Omission Not Waiver.
No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Security or Coupon to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to any Holder of a Security or a Coupon may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by such Holder, as the case may be.
Section 5.12. Control by Holders of Securities.
The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto, provided that
(1) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture or with the Securities of such series,
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(2) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction, and
(3) such direction is not unduly prejudicial to the rights of the other Holders of Securities of such series not joining in such action (it being understood that the Trustee does not have a duty to ascertain whether or not such actions are unduly prejudicial to such Holders.
Section 5.13. Waiver of Past Defaults.
The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto may waive any past default hereunder with respect to such series and its consequences, except a default
(1) in the payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to, any Security of such series or any Coupons appertaining thereto, or
(2) in respect of a covenant or provision hereof which under Article 9 cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of such series affected.
Upon any such waiver, such default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 5.14. Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws.
The Company covenants that (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) it will not at any time insist upon, or plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any usury, stay or extension law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and the Company expressly waives (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted.
Section 5.15. Undertaking for Costs.
All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Security by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of any undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such
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party litigant; but the provisions of this Section 5.15 shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of Outstanding Securities of any series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on or Additional Amounts, if any, with respect to any Security on or after the respective Stated Maturities expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the Redemption Date, and, in the case of repayment, on or after the date for repayment) or for the enforcement of the right, if any, to convert or exchange any Security into Common Stock or other securities in accordance with its terms.
Article 6
THE TRUSTEE
Section 6.1. Certain Duties and Responsibilities.
(a) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default,
(1) the Trustee undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and
(2) in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they substantially conform to the requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein).
(b) In case an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
(c) No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that
(1) this Subsection shall not be construed to limit the effect of Subsection (a) of this Section;
(2) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
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(3) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, determined as provided in Sections 1.1, 1.4 and 5.12, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such series; and
(4) no provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
(d) Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of this Section.
Section 6.2. Certain Rights of Trustee.
Subject to Sections 315(a) through 315(d) of the Trust Indenture Act:
(1) the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, coupon or other paper or document reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;
(2) any request or direction of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Company Request or a Company Order (in each case, other than delivery of any Security, together with any Coupons appertaining thereto, to the Trustee for authentication and delivery pursuant to Section 3.3 which shall be sufficiently evidenced as provided therein except in the case of an exchange) and any resolution of the Board of Directors may be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution;
(3) whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee (unless other evidence shall be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, conclusively rely upon an Officers Certificate;
(4) the Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon;
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(5) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by or pursuant to this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders of Securities of any series or any Coupons appertaining thereto pursuant to this Indenture, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee such security or indemnity as is reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction;
(6) the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, coupon or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may but shall not be obligated to make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine, during business hours and upon reasonable notice, the books, records and premises of the Company, personally or by agent or attorney at the expense of the Company and shall incur no liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation;
(7) the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;
(8) the Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;
(9) the rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder;
(10) the Trustee may request that the Company deliver an Officers Certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture, which Officers Certificate may be signed by any person authorized to sign an Officers Certificate, including any person specified as so authorized in any such certificate previously delivered and not superseded;
(11) in no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, indirect, punitive or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action; and
(12) the Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is received by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Securities and this Indenture.
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Section 6.3. Notice of Defaults.
Within 90 days after receipt of written notice of any default hereunder with respect to the Securities of any series, the Trustee shall transmit to all Holders of Securities of such series entitled to receive reports pursuant to Section 7.3(3), notice of such default, unless such default shall have been cured or waived; provided, however, that the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a trust committee of directors and/or Responsible Officers of the Trustee in good faith determine that the withholding of such notice is in the best interest of the Holders of Securities and Coupons of such series; and provided, further, that in the case of any default of the character specified in Section 5.1(5) with respect to Securities of such series, no such notice to Holders shall be given until at least 30 days after the occurrence thereof. For the purpose of this Section, the term default means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default with respect to Securities of such series.
Section 6.4. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities.
The recitals contained herein and in the Securities, except the Trustees certificate of authentication, and in any Coupons shall be taken as the statements of the Company and neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent assumes any responsibility for their correctness. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities or the Coupons, except that the Trustee represents that it is duly authorized to execute and deliver this Indenture, authenticate the Securities and perform its obligations hereunder and that the statements made by it in a Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 supplied to the Company are true and accurate, subject to the qualifications set forth therein. Neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent shall be accountable for the use or application by the Company of the Securities or the proceeds thereof.
Section 6.5. May Hold Securities.
The Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any Paying Agent, any Security Registrar or any other Person that may be an agent of the Trustee or the Company, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities or Coupons and, subject to Sections 310(b) and 311 of the Trust Indenture Act, may otherwise deal with the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not the Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agent, Security Registrar or such other Person.
Section 6.6. Money Held in Trust.
Except as provided in Section 4.3 and Section 10.3, money held by the Trustee in trust hereunder need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law and shall be held uninvested. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed to in writing with the Company.
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Section 6.7. Compensation and Reimbursement.
The Company agrees:
(1) to pay to the Trustee from time to time such compensation as the Company and the Trustee shall from time to time agree in writing for all services rendered by the Trustee hereunder (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust);
(2) except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture or arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as shall be determined in a court of competent jurisdiction to have been caused by the Trustees negligence or willful misconduct; and
(3) to indemnify the Trustee and its agents, officers, directors and employees for, and to hold them harmless against, any loss, damage, claims, liability or expense including taxes (other than taxes based upon, measured or determined by the income of the Trustee), incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on their part, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder, including the costs and expenses of defending themselves against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of their powers or duties hereunder, except to the extent that any such loss, damage, claims, liability or expense shall be determined in a court of competent jurisdiction to have been caused by the Trustees negligence or willful misconduct.
As security for the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities of any series upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the payment of principal of, and premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto.
To the extent permitted by law, any compensation or expense incurred by the Trustee after a default specified in or pursuant to Section 5.1 is intended to constitute an expense of administration under any then applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law. Trustee for purposes of this Section 6.7 shall include any predecessor Trustee but the negligence or willful misconduct of any Trustee shall not affect the rights of any other Trustee under this Section 6.7.
The provisions of this Section 6.7 shall survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or the earlier resignation or removal of the Trustee and shall apply with equal force and effect to the Trustee in its capacity as Authenticating Agent, Paying Agent or Security Registrar.
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Section 6.8. Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility.
There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder that is a Corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, that is eligible under Section 310(a)(1) of the Trust Indenture Act to act as trustee under an indenture qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and that has a combined capital and surplus (computed in accordance with Section 310(a)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act) of at least $50,000,000, and that is subject to supervision or examination by Federal or state authority. If at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect hereinafter specified in this Article.
Section 6.9. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.
(1) No resignation or removal of the Trustee and no appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to this Article shall become effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee pursuant to Section 6.10.
(2) The Trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Securities of one or more series by giving 30 days prior written notice thereof to the Company. If the instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee required by Section 6.10 shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 30 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may, at the expense of the Company, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to such series.
(3) The Trustee may be removed at any time with respect to the Securities of any series with 30 days prior written notice by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, delivered to the Trustee and the Company. If the instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee required by Section 6.10 shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 30 days after the giving of such notice of removal, the removed Trustee may, at the expense of the Company, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to such series.
(4) If at any time:
(a) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the obligations imposed upon it under Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to Securities of any series after written request therefor by the Company or any Holder of a Security of such series who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such series for at least six months, or
(b) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible under Section 6.8 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or any such Holder, or
(c) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,
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then, in any such case, (i) the Company, by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, may remove the Trustee with respect to all Securities or the Securities of such series, or (ii) subject to Section 315(e) of the Trust Indenture Act, any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such series for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee with respect to all Securities of such series and the appointment of a successor Trustee or Trustees.
(5) If the Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of acting, or if a vacancy shall occur in the office of Trustee for any cause, with respect to the Securities of one or more series, the Company, by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee or Trustees with respect to the Securities of such series (it being understood that any such successor Trustee may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more or all of such series and that at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular series) and shall comply with the applicable requirements of Section 6.10. If, within one year after such resignation, removal or incapacity, or the occurrence of such vacancy, a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series shall be appointed by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series delivered to the Company and the retiring Trustee, the successor Trustee so appointed shall, forthwith upon its acceptance of such appointment in accordance with the applicable requirements of Section 6.10, become the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series and to that extent supersede the successor Trustee appointed by the Company. If no successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series shall have been so appointed by the Company or the Holders of Securities and accepted appointment in the manner required by Section 6.10, any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such series for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series.
(6) The Company shall give notice of each resignation and each removal of the Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series and each appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series by delivering written notice of such event to the Holders of Registered Securities, if any, of such series and, if Securities of such series are issued as Bearer Securities, by publishing notice of such event once in an Authorized Newspaper in each Place of Payment located outside the United States. Each notice shall include the name of the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series and the address of its Corporate Trust Office.
(7) In no event shall any retiring Trustee be liable for the acts or omissions of any successor Trustee hereunder.
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Section 6.10. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.
(1) Upon the appointment hereunder of any successor Trustee with respect to all Securities, such successor Trustee so appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties hereunder of the retiring Trustee; but, on the request of the Company or such successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee, upon payment of its charges, shall execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights, powers and trusts of the retiring Trustee and, subject to Section 10.3, shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder, subject nevertheless to its claim, if any, provided for in Section 6.7.
(2) Upon the appointment hereunder of any successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) series, the Company, the retiring Trustee and such successor Trustee shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto wherein each successor Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (1) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, such successor Trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates, (2) if the retiring Trustee is not retiring with respect to all Securities, shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee, and (3) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust, that each such Trustee shall be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee and that no Trustee shall be responsible for any notice given to, or received by, or any act or failure to act on the part of any other Trustee hereunder, and, upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein, such retiring Trustee shall have no further responsibility for the exercise of rights and powers or for the performance of the duties and obligations vested in the Trustee under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates other than as hereinafter expressly set forth, and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or such successor Trustee, such retiring
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Trustee, upon payment of its charges with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates and subject to Section 10.3 shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee, to the extent contemplated by such supplemental indenture, the property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates, subject to its claim, if any, provided for in Section 6.7.
(3) Upon request of any Person appointed hereunder as a successor Trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor Trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph (1) or (2) of this Section, as the case may be.
(4) No Person shall accept its appointment hereunder as a successor Trustee unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Person shall be qualified and eligible under this Article.
Section 6.11. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.
Any Corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any Corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any Corporation acquiring all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated but not delivered by the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation to such authenticating Trustee may adopt such authentication and deliver the Securities so authenticated with the same effect as if such successor Trustee had itself authenticated such Securities.
Section 6.12. Appointment of Authenticating Agent.
The Trustee may appoint one or more Authenticating Agents acceptable to the Company with respect to one or more series of Securities which shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of that or those series issued upon original issue, exchange, registration of transfer, partial redemption or partial repayment or pursuant to Section 3.6, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. Wherever reference is made in this Indenture to the authentication and delivery of Securities by the Trustee or the Trustees certificate of authentication, such reference shall be deemed to include authentication and delivery on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent and a certificate of authentication executed on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent.
Each Authenticating Agent must be acceptable to the Company and, except as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, shall at all times be a corporation that would be permitted by the Trust Indenture Act to act as trustee under an indenture qualified under the Trust Indenture Act, is authorized under applicable law and by its charter to act as an Authenticating Agent and has a
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combined capital and surplus (computed in accordance with Section 310(a)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act) of at least $50,000,000. If at any time an Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in this Section.
Any Corporation into which an Authenticating Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any Corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which such Authenticating Agent shall be a party, or any Corporation succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate agency or corporate trust business of an Authenticating Agent, shall be the successor of such Authenticating Agent hereunder, provided such Corporation shall be otherwise eligible under this Section, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent.
An Authenticating Agent may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the Trustee and the Company. The Trustee may at any time terminate the agency of an Authenticating Agent by giving written notice thereof to such Authenticating Agent and the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time such Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee may appoint a successor Authenticating Agent which shall be acceptable to the Company and shall (i) transmit written notice of such appointment to all Holders of Registered Securities, if any, of the series with respect to which such Authenticating Agent shall serve, and (ii) if Securities of the series are issued as Bearer Securities, publish notice of such appointment at least once in an Authorized Newspaper in the place where such successor Authenticating Agent has its principal office if such office is located outside the United States. Any successor Authenticating Agent, upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder, shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as an Authenticating Agent. No successor Authenticating Agent shall be appointed unless eligible under the provisions of this Section.
The Company agrees to pay each Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation for its services under this Section. If the Trustee makes such payments, it shall be entitled to be reimbursed for such payments, subject to the provisions of Section 6.7.
The provisions of Section 3.8, Section 6.4 and Section 6.5 shall be applicable to each Authenticating Agent.
If an Authenticating Agent is appointed with respect to one or more series of Securities pursuant to this Section, the Securities of such series may have endorsed thereon, in addition to or in lieu of the Trustees certificate of authentication, an alternate certificate of authentication in substantially the following form:
This is one of the Securities of the series designated herein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee | ||
By: |
| |
as Authenticating Agent | ||
By: |
| |
Authorized Signatory | ||
Dated: |
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If all of the Securities of any series may not be originally issued at one time, and if the Trustee does not have an office capable of authenticating Securities upon original issuance located in a Place of Payment where the Company wishes to have Securities of such series authenticated upon original issuance, the Trustee, if so requested in writing (which writing need not be accompanied by or contained in an Officers Certificate by the Company), shall appoint in accordance with this Section an Authenticating Agent having an office in a Place of Payment designated by the Company with respect to such series of Securities.
Article 7
HOLDERS LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY
Section 7.1. Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders.
In accordance with Section 312(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Company shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee
(1) semi-annually with respect to Securities of each series not later than May 1 and November 1 of the year or upon such other dates as are set forth in or pursuant to the Board Resolution or indenture supplemental hereto authorizing such series, a list, in each case in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of Holders as of the applicable date, and
(2) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished,
provided, however, that so long as the Trustee is the Security Registrar no such list shall be required to be furnished.
Section 7.2. Preservation of Information; Communications to Holders.
The Trustee shall comply with the obligations imposed upon it pursuant to Section 312 of the Trust Indenture Act.
Every Holder of Securities or Coupons, by receiving and holding the same, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that none of the Company, the Trustee, any Paying Agent or any Security Registrar shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any such information as to the names and addresses of the Holders of Securities in accordance with Section 312(c) of
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the Trust Indenture Act, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 7.3. Reports by Trustee.
(1) Within 60 days after September 15 of each year commencing with the first September 15 following the first issuance of Securities pursuant to Section 3.1, if required by Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee shall transmit, pursuant to Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act, a brief report dated as of such September 15 with respect to any of the events specified in said Section 313(a) which may have occurred since the later of the immediately preceding September 15 and the date of this Indenture.
(2) The Trustee shall transmit the reports required by Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act at the times specified therein.
(3) Reports pursuant to this Section shall be transmitted in the manner and to the Persons required by Sections 313(c) and 313(d) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 7.4. Reports by Company.
The Company, pursuant to Section 314(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, shall:
(1) file with the Trustee, within 15 days after the Company is required to file the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) which the Company may be required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; or, if the Company is not required to file information, documents or reports pursuant to either of said Sections, then it shall file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such of the supplementary and periodic information, documents and reports which may be required pursuant to Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in respect of a security listed and registered on a national securities exchange as may be prescribed from time to time in such rules and regulations;
(2) file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such additional information, documents and reports with respect to compliance by the Company, with the conditions and covenants of this Indenture as may be required from time to time by such rules and regulations; and
(3) transmit within 30 days after the filing thereof with the Trustee, in the manner and to the extent provided in Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act, such summaries of any information, documents and reports required to be filed by the Company pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Section as may be required by rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission.
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(4) Delivery of such reports, information and documents to the Trustee is for informational purposes only and the Trustees receipt of such shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Companys compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officers Certificates).
Article 8
CONSOLIDATION, AMALGAMATIONS, MERGER AND SALES
Section 8.1. Company May Consolidate, Etc., Only on Certain Terms.
The Company shall not consolidate or amalgamate with or merge into any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company), or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company), and the Company shall not permit any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company) to consolidate or amalgamate with or merge into the Company or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to the Company, unless:
(1) in case the Company shall consolidate or amalgamate with or merge into another Person or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to any Person, the Person formed by such consolidation or amalgamation or into which the Company is merged or the Person which acquires by conveyance or transfer, or which leases, the properties and assets of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety shall be a Person organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or any other country which is on the date of this Indenture a member of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, and shall expressly assume, by an indenture (or indentures, if at such time there is more than one Trustee) supplemental hereto, executed by the successor Person and delivered to the Trustee the due and punctual payment of the principal of, any premium and interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to all the Securities and the performance of every obligation in this Indenture and the Outstanding Securities on the part of the Company to be performed or observed and shall provide for conversion or exchange rights in accordance with the provisions of the Securities of any series that are convertible or exchangeable into Common Stock or other securities;
(2) immediately after giving effect to such transaction and treating any indebtedness which becomes an obligation of the Company or a Subsidiary as a result of such transaction as having been incurred by the Company or such Subsidiary at the
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time of such transaction, no Event of Default or event which, after notice or lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing; and
(3) either the Company or the successor Person shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and, if a supplemental indenture is required in connection with such transaction, such supplemental indenture comply with this Article and that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to such transaction have been complied with.
Section 8.2. Successor Person Substituted for Company.
Upon any consolidation or amalgamation by the Company with or merger of the Company into any other Person or any conveyance, transfer or lease of the properties and assets of the Company substantially as an entirety to any Person in accordance with Section 8.1, the successor Person formed by such consolidation or amalgamation or into which the Company is merged or to which such conveyance, transfer or lease is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor Person had been named as the Company herein; and thereafter, except in the case of a lease, the predecessor Person shall be released from all obligations and covenants under this Indenture, the Securities and the Coupons.
Article 9
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
Section 9.1. Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Holders.
Without the consent of any Holders of Securities or Coupons, the Company (when authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution) and the Trustee, at any time and from time to time, may enter into one or more indentures supplemental hereto, for any of the following purposes:
(1) to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company, and the assumption by any such successor of the covenants of the Company contained herein and in the Securities; or
(2) to add to the covenants of the Company for the benefit of the Holders of all or any series of Securities (as shall be specified in such supplemental indenture or indentures) or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company; or
(3) to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture to provide that Bearer Securities may be registrable as to principal, to change or eliminate any restrictions on the payment of principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to Securities, to permit Bearer Securities to be issued in exchange for Registered Securities, to permit Bearer Securities to be
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exchanged for Bearer Securities of other authorized denominations or to permit or facilitate the issuance of Securities in uncertificated form, provided any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Outstanding Securities of any series or any Coupons appertaining thereto in any material respect; or
(4) to establish the form or terms of Securities of any series and any Coupons appertaining thereto as permitted by Section 2.1 and Section 3.1; or
(5) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, pursuant to the requirements of Section 6.10; or
(6) to cure any ambiguity or to correct or supplement any provision herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision herein, or to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Indenture which shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Securities of any series then Outstanding or any Coupons appertaining thereto in any material respect; or
(7) to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of Securities, as herein set forth; or
(8) to add any additional Events of Default with respect to all or any series of Securities (as shall be specified in such supplemental indenture); or
(9) to supplement any of the provisions of this Indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to permit or facilitate the defeasance and discharge of any series of Securities pursuant to Article 4, provided that any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of any Holder of an Outstanding Security of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto or any other Outstanding Security or Coupon in any material respect; or
(10) to secure the Securities; or
(11) to make provisions with respect to conversion or exchange rights of Holders of Securities of any series; or
(12) to amend or supplement any provision contained herein or in any supplemental indenture, provided that no such amendment or supplement shall materially adversely affect the interests of the Holders of any Securities then Outstanding.
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Section 9.2. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders.
With the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of each series affected by such supplemental indenture, by Act of said Holders delivered to the Company and the Trustee, the Company (when authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution) and the Trustee may enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series under this Indenture or of the Securities of such series; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture, without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby, shall
(1) change the Stated Maturity of the principal of, or any premium or installment of interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to, any Security, or reduce the principal amount thereof or the rate (or modify the calculation of such rate) of interest thereon or any Additional Amounts with respect thereto, or any premium payable upon the redemption thereof or otherwise, or change the obligation of the Company to pay Additional Amounts pursuant to Section 10.4 (except as contemplated by Section 8.1(1) and permitted by Section 9.1(1)), or reduce the amount of the principal of an Original Issue Discount Security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.2 or the amount thereof provable in bankruptcy pursuant to Section 5.4, change the redemption provisions or adversely affect the right of repayment at the option of any Holder as contemplated by Article 13, or change the Place of Payment, Currency in which the principal of, any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Security is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after the Stated Maturity thereof (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the Redemption Date or, in the case of repayment at the option of the Holder, on or after the date for repayment), or
(2) reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, the consent of whose Holders is required for any such supplemental indenture, or the consent of whose Holders is required for any waiver (of compliance with certain provisions of this Indenture or certain defaults hereunder and their consequences) provided for in this Indenture, or reduce the requirements of Section 15.4 for quorum or voting, or
(3) modify any of the provisions of this Indenture relating to the subordination of the Securities in respect thereof in a manner adverse to Holders of Securities or
(4) modify any of the provisions of this Section, Section 5.13 or Section 10.6, except to increase any such percentage or to provide that certain other provisions of this Indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby, or
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(5) make any change that adversely affects the right to convert or exchange any Security into or for Common Stock of the Company or other securities (whether or not issued by the Company), cash or property in accordance with its terms.
A supplemental indenture which changes or eliminates any covenant or other provision of this Indenture which shall have been included expressly and solely for the benefit of one or more particular series of Securities, or which modifies the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series with respect to such covenant or other provision, shall be deemed not to affect the rights under this Indenture of the Holders of Securities of any other series.
It shall not be necessary for any Act of Holders of Securities under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such Act shall approve the substance thereof.
Section 9.3. Execution of Supplemental Indentures.
As a condition to executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modifications thereby of the trust created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be provided with, and (subject to Section 315 of the Trust Indenture Act) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel and an Officers Certificate, each stating that the execution of such supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture and that all conditions precedent to the execution of such supplemental indenture have been fulfilled. The Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustees own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
Section 9.4. Effect of Supplemental Indentures.
Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture under this Article, this Indenture shall be modified in accordance therewith, and such supplemental indenture shall form a part of this Indenture for all purposes; and every Holder of a Security theretofore or thereafter authenticated and delivered hereunder and of any Coupon appertaining thereto shall be bound thereby.
Section 9.5. Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures.
Securities of any series authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to this Article may, and shall if required by the Trustee, bear a notation in form approved by the Trustee as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company shall so determine, new Securities of any series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Trustee and the Company, to any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in exchange for Outstanding Securities of such series.
Section 9.6. Conformity with Trust Indenture Act.
Every supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article shall conform to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect.
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Section 9.7. Notice of Supplemental Indenture.
Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to Section 9.2, the Company shall transmit to the Holders of Outstanding Securities of any series affected thereby a notice setting forth the substance of such supplemental indenture.
Article 10
COVENANTS
Section 10.1. Payment of Principal, any Premium, Interest and Additional Amounts.
The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of the Securities of each series that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of, any premium and interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to the Securities of such series in accordance with the terms thereof, any Coupons appertaining thereto and this Indenture. Any interest due on any Bearer Security on or before the Maturity thereof, and any Additional Amounts payable with respect to such interest, shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of the Coupons appertaining thereto for such interest as they severally mature.
Section 10.2. Maintenance of Office or Agency.
The Company shall maintain in each Place of Payment for any series of Securities an Office or Agency where Securities of such series (but not Bearer Securities, except as otherwise provided below, unless such Place of Payment is located outside the United States) may be presented or surrendered for payment, where Securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, where Securities of such series that are convertible or exchangeable may be surrendered for conversion or exchange, and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such series relating thereto and this Indenture may be served. If Securities of a series are issuable as Bearer Securities, the Company shall maintain, subject to any laws or regulations applicable thereto, an Office or Agency in a Place of Payment for such series which is located outside the United States where Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto may be presented and surrendered for payment; provided, however, that if the Securities of such series are listed on The Stock Exchange of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland or the Luxembourg Stock Exchange or any other stock exchange located outside the United States and such stock exchange shall so require, the Company shall maintain a Paying Agent in London, Luxembourg or any other required city located outside the United States, as the case may be, so long as the Securities of such series are listed on such exchange. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such Office or Agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required Office or Agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, except that Bearer Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto may be presented and surrendered for payment at the place specified for the purpose with respect to such Securities as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands.
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Except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, no payment of principal, premium, interest or Additional Amounts with respect to Bearer Securities shall be made at any Office or Agency in the United States or by check mailed to any address in the United States or by transfer to an account maintained with a bank located in the United States; provided, however, if amounts owing with respect to any Bearer Securities shall be payable in Dollars, payment of principal of, any premium or interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to any such Security may be made at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee or any Office or Agency designated by the Company in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, if (but only if) payment of the full amount of such principal, premium, interest or Additional Amounts at all offices outside the United States maintained for such purpose by the Company in accordance with this Indenture is illegal or effectively precluded by exchange controls or other similar restrictions.
The Company may also from time to time designate one or more other Offices or Agencies where the Securities of one or more series may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain an Office or Agency in each Place of Payment for Securities of any series for such purposes. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other Office or Agency. Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, the Company hereby designates as the Place of Payment for each series of Securities the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, and initially appoints the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee as the Office or Agency of the Company in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York for such purpose. The Company may subsequently appoint a different Office or Agency in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York for the Securities of any series.
Unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.1, if and so long as the Securities of any series (i) are denominated in a Foreign Currency or (ii) may be payable in a Foreign Currency, or so long as it is required under any other provision of this Indenture, then the Company will maintain with respect to each such series of Securities, or as so required, at least one exchange rate agent.
Section 10.3. Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust.
If the Company shall at any time act as its own Paying Agent with respect to any series of Securities, it shall, on or before each due date of the principal of, any premium or interest on or Additional Amounts with respect to any of the Securities of such series, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.1 for the Securities of such series) sufficient to pay the principal or any premium, interest or Additional Amounts so becoming due until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided, and shall promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.
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Whenever the Company shall have one or more Paying Agents for any series of Securities, it shall, on or prior to each due date of the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Securities of such series, deposit with any Paying Agent a sum (in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies described in the preceding paragraph) sufficient to pay the principal or any premium, interest or Additional Amounts so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto, and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee) the Company will promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.
The Company shall cause each Paying Agent for any series of Securities other than the Trustee to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such Paying Agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section, that such Paying Agent shall:
(1) hold all sums held by it for the payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to Securities of such series in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture;
(2) give the Trustee notice of any default by the Company (or any other obligor upon the Securities of such series) in the making of any payment of principal, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to the Securities of such series; and
(3) at any time during the continuance of any such default, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such Paying Agent.
The Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or by Company Order direct any Paying Agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or such Paying Agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same terms as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such Paying Agent; and, upon such payment by any Paying Agent to the Trustee, such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such sums.
Except as otherwise provided herein or pursuant hereto, any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Company, in trust for the payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Security of any series or any Coupon appertaining thereto and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal or any such premium or interest or any such Additional Amounts shall have become due and payable shall be paid to the Company on Company Request, or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Security or any Coupon appertaining thereto shall thereafter, as an unsecured general creditor, look only to the Company for payment thereof, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect
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to such trust money, and all liability of the Company as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease; provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such repayment, may at the expense of the Company cause to be published once, in an Authorized Newspaper in each Place of Payment for such series or to be mailed to Holders of Registered Securities of such series, or both, notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which shall not be less than 30 days from the date of such publication or mailing nor shall it be later than two years after such principal and any premium or interest or Additional Amounts shall have become due and payable, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be repaid to the Company.
Section 10.4. Additional Amounts.
All payments of principal of and premium, if any, interest and any other amounts on, or in respect of, the Securities of any series or any Coupon appertaining thereto shall be made without withholding or deduction at source for, or on account of, any present or future taxes, fees, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature imposed or levied by or on behalf of a jurisdiction (a taxing jurisdiction) or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, unless such taxes, fees, duties, assessments or governmental charges are required to be withheld or deducted by (i) the laws (or any regulations or ruling promulgated thereunder) of a taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein or (ii) an official position regarding the application, administration, interpretation or enforcement of any such laws, regulations or rulings (including, without limitation, a holding by a court of competent jurisdiction or by a taxing authority in a taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof). If a withholding or deduction at source is required, the Company shall, subject to certain limitations and exceptions set forth below, pay to the Holder of any such Security or any Coupon appertaining thereto such Additional Amounts as may be necessary so that every net payment of principal, premium, if any, interest or any other amount made to such Holder, after such withholding or deduction, shall not be less than the amount provided for in such Security, any Coupons appertaining thereto and this Indenture to be then due and payable; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to make payment of such Additional Amounts for or on account of:
(1) any tax, fee, duty, assessment or governmental charge of whatever nature which would not have been imposed but for the fact that such Holder: (A) was a resident, domiciliary or national of, or engaged in business or maintained a permanent establishment or was physically present in, the relevant taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof or otherwise had some connection with the relevant taxing jurisdiction other than by reason of the mere ownership of, or receipt of payment under, such Security; (B) presented such Security for payment in the relevant taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof, unless such Security could not have been presented for payment elsewhere; or (C) presented such Security more than thirty (30) days after the date on which the payment in respect of such Security first became due and payable or provided for, whichever is later, except to the extent that the Holder would have been entitled to such Additional Amounts if it had presented such Security for payment on any day within such period of thirty (30) days;
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(2) any estate, inheritance, gift, sale, transfer, personal property or similar tax, assessment or other governmental charge;
(3) any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed or withheld by reason of the failure by the Holder or the beneficial owner of such Security to comply with any reasonable request by the Company addressed to the Holder within 90 days of such request (A) to provide information concerning the nationality, residence or identity of the Holder or such beneficial owner or (B) to make any declaration or other similar claim or satisfy any information or reporting requirement, which, in the case of (A) or (B), is required or imposed by statute, treaty, regulation or administrative practice of the relevant taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof as a precondition to exemption from all or part of such tax, assessment or other governmental charge; or
(4) any combination of items (1), (2) and (3);
nor shall Additional Amounts be paid with respect to any payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, interest or any other amounts on, any such Security to any Holder who is a fiduciary or partnership, other fiscally transparent entity, or other than the sole beneficial owner of such Security to the extent such payment would be required by the laws of the relevant taxing jurisdiction (or any political subdivision or relevant taxing authority thereof or therein) to be included in the income for tax purposes of a beneficiary or partner or settlor with respect to such fiduciary, partner, member of such other fiscally transparent entity or a beneficial owner who would not have been entitled to such Additional Amounts had it been the Holder of the Security.
Whenever in this Indenture there is mentioned, in any context, the payment of the principal of or any premium, interest or any other amounts on, or in respect of, any Security of any series or any Coupon or the net proceeds received on the sale or exchange of any Security of any series, such mention shall be deemed to include mention of the payment of Additional Amounts provided by the terms of such series established hereby or pursuant hereto to the extent that, in such context, Additional Amounts are, were or would be payable in respect thereof pursuant to such terms, and express mention of the payment of Additional Amounts (if applicable) in any provision hereof shall not be construed as excluding the payment of Additional Amounts in those provisions hereof where such express mention is not made.
Except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities of the applicable series, at least 10 days prior to the first Interest Payment Date with respect to a series of Securities (or if the Securities of such series shall not bear interest prior to Maturity, the first day on which a payment of principal is made), and at least 10 days prior to each date of payment of principal or interest if there has been any change with respect to the matters set forth in the below-mentioned Officers Certificate, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee and the principal Paying Agent or Paying Agents, if other than the Trustee, an Officers Certificate instructing the Trustee and such Paying Agent or Paying Agents whether such payment of principal of and premium, if any, interest or any other amounts on the Securities of such series shall be made to Holders of Securities of such series or the Coupons appertaining thereto without withholding for or on account of any tax, fee, duty, assessment or other governmental charge described in this
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Section 10.4. If any such withholding shall be required, then such Officers Certificate shall specify by taxing jurisdiction the amount, if any, required to be withheld on such payments to such Holders of Securities or Coupons, and the Company agrees to pay to the Trustee or such Paying Agent the Additional Amounts required by this Section 10.4. The Company covenants to indemnify the Trustee and any Paying Agent for, and to hold them harmless against, any loss, liability or expense incurred without negligence or bad faith on their part arising out of or in connection with actions taken or omitted by any of them in reliance on any Officers Certificate furnished pursuant to this Section 10.4.
Section 10.5. Corporate Existence.
Subject to Article 8, the Company shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence, and its material rights (charter and statutory) and franchises; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not obligate the Company to preserve any such right or franchise if the Company shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of its business and that the loss thereof is not disadvantageous in any material respect to any Holder.
Section 10.6. Waiver of Certain Covenants.
The Company may omit in any particular instance to comply with any term, provision or condition set forth in Section 10.5 with respect to the Securities of any series if before the time for such compliance the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, by Act of such Holders, either shall waive such compliance in such instance or generally shall have waived compliance with such term, provision or condition, but no such waiver shall extend to or affect such term, provision or condition except to the extent so expressly waived, and, until such waiver shall become effective, the obligations of the Company and the duties of the Trustee in respect of any such term, provision or condition shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 10.7. Company Statement as to Compliance; Notice of Certain Defaults.
(1) The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, commencing December 31, 2003 a written statement (which need not be contained in or accompanied by an Officers Certificate) signed by the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer or the principal accounting officer of the Company, stating that
(a) a review of the activities of the Company during such year and of its performance under this Indenture has been made under his or her supervision, and
(b) to the best of his or her knowledge, based on such review, (a) the Company has complied with all the conditions and covenants imposed on it under this Indenture throughout such year, or, if there has been a default in the fulfillment of any such condition or covenant, specifying each such default known to him or her and the nature and status thereof, and (b) no event has occurred and
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is continuing which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default, or, if such an event has occurred and is continuing, specifying each such event known to him and the nature and status thereof.
(2) The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within five days after the occurrence thereof, written notice of any Event of Default or any event which after notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default pursuant to clause (4) of Section 5.1.
(3) The Trustee shall have no duty to monitor the Companys compliance with the covenants contained in this Article 10 other than as specifically set forth in this Section 10.7.
Article 11
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
Section 11.1. Applicability of Article.
Redemption of Securities of any series at the option of the Company as permitted or required by the terms of such Securities shall be made in accordance with the terms of such Securities and (except as otherwise provided herein or pursuant hereto) this Article.
Section 11.2. Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee.
The election of the Company to redeem any Securities shall be evidenced by or pursuant to a Board Resolution. In case of any redemption at the election of the Company of (a) less than all of the Securities of any series or (b) all of the Securities of any series, with the same issue date, interest rate or formula, Stated Maturity and other terms, the Company shall, at least 60 days prior to the Redemption Date fixed by the Company (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), notify the Trustee of such Redemption Date and of the principal amount of Securities of such series to be redeemed.
Section 11.3. Selection of Securities to be Redeemed.
If less than all of the Securities of any series with the same issue date, interest rate or formula, Stated Maturity and other terms are to be redeemed, the particular Securities to be redeemed shall be selected not more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date from the Outstanding Securities of such series not previously called for redemption, in accordance with the procedures of the Depository or in the case of definitive Securities, by lot; provided, however, that no such partial redemption shall reduce the portion of the principal amount of a Registered Security of such series not redeemed to less than the minimum denomination for a Security of such series established herein or pursuant hereto.
The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company and the Security Registrar (if other than itself) in writing of the Securities selected for redemption and, in the case of any Securities selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed.
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For all purposes of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires, all provisions relating to the redemption of Securities shall relate, in the case of any Securities redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the principal of such Securities which has been or is to be redeemed.
Unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities of any series, if any Security selected for partial redemption is converted into Common Stock of the Company or exchanged for other securities in part before termination of the conversion or exchange right with respect to the portion of the Security so selected, the converted portion of such Security shall be deemed (so far as may be) to be the portion selected for redemption. Securities which have been converted or exchanged during a selection of Securities to be redeemed shall be treated by the Trustee as Outstanding for the purpose of such selection.
Section 11.4. Notice of Redemption.
Notice of redemption shall be given in the manner provided in Section 1.7, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date, unless a shorter period is specified in the Securities to be redeemed, to the Holders of Securities to be redeemed. Failure to give notice by mailing in the manner herein provided to the Holder of any Registered Securities designated for redemption as a whole or in part, or any defect in the notice to any such Holder, shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Securities or portion thereof.
Any notice that is mailed to the Holder of any Registered Securities in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not such Holder receives the notice.
All notices of redemption shall state:
(1) the Redemption Date,
(2) the Redemption Price,
(3) if less than all Outstanding Securities of any series are to be redeemed, the identification (and, in the case of partial redemption, the principal amount) of the particular Security or Securities to be redeemed,
(4) in case any Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice which relates to such Security shall state that on and after the Redemption Date, upon surrender of such Security, the Holder of such Security will receive, without charge, a new Security or Securities of authorized denominations for the principal amount thereof remaining unredeemed,
(5) that, on the Redemption Date, the Redemption Price shall become due and payable upon each such Security or portion thereof to be redeemed, and, if applicable, that interest thereon shall cease to accrue on and after said date,
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(6) the place or places where such Securities, together (in the case of Bearer Securities) with all Coupons appertaining thereto, if any, maturing after the Redemption Date, are to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price and any accrued interest and Additional Amounts pertaining thereto,
(7) that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case,
(8) that, unless otherwise specified in such notice, Bearer Securities of any series, if any, surrendered for redemption must be accompanied by all Coupons maturing subsequent to the date fixed for redemption or the amount of any such missing Coupon or Coupons will be deducted from the Redemption Price, unless security or indemnity satisfactory to the Company, the Trustee and any Paying Agent is furnished,
(9) if Bearer Securities of any series are to be redeemed and no Registered Securities of such series are to be redeemed, and if such Bearer Securities may be exchanged for Registered Securities not subject to redemption on the Redemption Date pursuant to Section 3.5 or otherwise, the last date, as determined by the Company, on which such exchanges may be made,
(10) in the case of Securities of any series that are convertible into Common Stock of the Company or exchangeable for other securities, the conversion or exchange price or rate, the date or dates on which the right to convert or exchange the principal of the Securities of such series to be redeemed will commence or terminate and the place or places where such Securities may be surrendered for conversion or exchange, and
(11) the CUSIP number or the Euroclear or the Cedel reference numbers of such Securities, if any (or any other numbers used by a Depository to identify such Securities).
A notice of redemption published as contemplated by Section 1.7 need not identify particular Registered Securities to be redeemed.
Notice of redemption of Securities to be redeemed at the election of the Company shall be given by the Company or, at the Companys request, by the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Company; provided that in the latter case the Company will give the Trustee at least five Business Days notice prior to the requested date of the publication of such notice.
Section 11.5. Deposit of Redemption Price.
On or prior to any Redemption Date, the Company shall deposit, with respect to the Securities of any series called for redemption pursuant to Section 11.4, with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 10.3) an amount of money in the applicable Currency sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of, and (except if the Redemption Date shall be an Interest Payment Date, unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.1 or in the Securities of such series) any accrued interest on and Additional Amounts with respect thereto, all such Securities or portions thereof which are to be redeemed on that date.
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Section 11.6. Securities Payable on Redemption Date.
Notice of redemption having been given as aforesaid, the Securities so to be redeemed shall, on the Redemption Date, become due and payable at the Redemption Price therein specified, and from and after such date (unless the Company shall default in the payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest) such Securities shall cease to bear interest and the Coupons for such interest appertaining to any Bearer Securities so to be redeemed, except to the extent provided below, shall be void. Upon surrender of any such Security for redemption in accordance with said notice, together with all Coupons, if any, appertaining thereto maturing after the Redemption Date, such Security shall be paid by the Company at the Redemption Price, together with any accrued interest and Additional Amounts to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Bearer Securities of such series, installments of interest on Bearer Securities whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Redemption Date shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of Coupons for such interest (at an Office or Agency located outside the United States except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2), and provided, further, that, except as otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Registered Securities of such series, installments of interest on Registered Securities whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Redemption Date shall be payable to the Holders of such Securities, or one or more Predecessor Securities, registered as such at the close of business on the Regular Record Dates therefor according to their terms and the provisions of Section 3.7.
If any Bearer Security surrendered for redemption shall not be accompanied by all appurtenant Coupons maturing after the Redemption Date, such Security may be paid after deducting from the Redemption Price an amount equal to the face amount of all such missing Coupons, or the surrender of such missing Coupon or Coupons may be waived by the Company and the Trustee if there be furnished to them such security or indemnity as they may require to save each of them and any Paying Agent harmless. If thereafter the Holder of such Security shall surrender to the Trustee or any Paying Agent any such missing Coupon in respect of which a deduction shall have been made from the Redemption Price, such Holder shall be entitled to receive the amount so deducted; provided, however, that any interest or Additional Amounts represented by Coupons shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of those Coupons at an Office or Agency for such Security located outside of the United States except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2.
If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon surrender thereof for redemption, the principal and any premium, until paid, shall bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate prescribed therefor in the Security.
Section 11.7. Securities Redeemed in Part.
Any Registered Security which is to be redeemed only in part shall be surrendered at any Office or Agency for such Security (with, if the Company or the Trustee so requires, due
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endorsement by, or a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee duly executed by, the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing) and the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security without service charge, a new Registered Security or Securities of the same series, containing identical terms and provisions, of any authorized denomination as requested by such Holder in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security so surrendered. If a Security in global form is so surrendered, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Depository for such Security in global form as shall be specified in the Company Order with respect thereto to the Trustee, without service charge, a new Security in global form in a denomination equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security in global form so surrendered.
Article 12
SINKING FUNDS
Section 12.1. Applicability of Article.
The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a series, except as otherwise permitted or required in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Security of such series issued pursuant to this Indenture.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a mandatory sinking fund payment, and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of such series is herein referred to as an optional sinking fund payment. If provided for by the terms of Securities of any series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 12.2. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any series as provided for by the terms of Securities of such series and this Indenture.
Section 12.2. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.
The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of any series to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities (1) deliver Outstanding Securities of such series (other than any of such Securities previously called for redemption or any of such Securities in respect of which cash shall have been released to the Company), together in the case of any Bearer Securities of such series with all unmatured Coupons appertaining thereto, and (2) apply as a credit Securities of such series which have been redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such series of Securities or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities, provided that such series of Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the Redemption Price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly. If, as a result of the delivery
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or credit of Securities of any series in lieu of cash payments pursuant to this Section 12.2, the principal amount of Securities of such series to be redeemed in order to satisfy the remaining sinking fund payment shall be less than $100,000, the Trustee need not call Securities of such series for redemption, except upon Company Request, and such cash payment shall be held by the Trustee or a Paying Agent and applied to the next succeeding sinking fund payment, provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent shall at the request of the Company from time to time pay over and deliver to the Company any cash payment so being held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of Securities of that series purchased by the Company having an unpaid principal amount equal to the cash payment requested to be released to the Company.
Section 12.3. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.
Not less than 75 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for any series of Securities, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee an Officers Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that series pursuant to the terms of that series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting of Securities of that series pursuant to Section 12.2, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and will also deliver to the Trustee any Securities to be so credited and not theretofore delivered. If such Officers Certificate shall specify an optional amount to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 60 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 11.3 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in Section 11.4. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Section 11.6 and Section 11.7.
Article 13
REPAYMENT AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS
Section 13.1. Applicability of Article.
Securities of any series which are repayable at the option of the Holders thereof before their Stated Maturity shall be repaid in accordance with the terms of the Securities of such series. The repayment of any principal amount of Securities pursuant to such option of the Holder to require repayment of Securities before their Stated Maturity, for purposes of Section 3.9, shall not operate as a payment, redemption or satisfaction of the Indebtedness represented by such Securities unless and until the Company, at its option, shall deliver or surrender the same to the Trustee with a directive that such Securities be cancelled. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 13.1, in connection with any repayment of Securities, the Company may arrange for the purchase of any Securities by an agreement with one or more investment bankers or other purchasers to purchase such Securities by paying to the Holders of such Securities on or before the close of business on the repayment date an amount not less than
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the repayment price payable by the Company on repayment of such Securities, and the obligation of the Company to pay the repayment price of such Securities shall be satisfied and discharged to the extent such payment is so paid by such purchasers.
Article 14
SECURITIES IN FOREIGN CURRENCIES
Section 14.1. Applicability of Article.
Whenever this Indenture provides for (i) any action by, or the determination of any of the rights of, Holders of Securities of any series in which not all of such Securities are denominated in the same Currency, or (ii) any distribution to Holders of Securities, in the absence of any provision to the contrary in the form of Security of any particular series or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities, any amount in respect of any Security denominated in a Currency other than Dollars shall be treated for any such action or distribution as that amount of Dollars that could be obtained for such amount on such reasonable basis of exchange and as of the record date with respect to Registered Securities of such series (if any) for such action, determination of rights or distribution (or, if there shall be no applicable record date, such other date reasonably proximate to the date of such action, determination of rights or distribution) as the Company may specify in a written notice to the Trustee.
Article 15
MEETINGS OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
Section 15.1. Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called.
A meeting of Holders of Securities of any series may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to this Article to make, give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act provided by this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders of Securities of such series.
Section 15.2. Call, Notice and Place of Meetings.
(1) The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Holders of Securities of any series for any purpose specified in Section 15.1, to be held at such time and at such place in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, or, if Securities of such series have been issued in whole or in part as Bearer Securities, in London or in such place outside the United States as the Trustee shall determine. Notice of every meeting of Holders of Securities of any series, setting forth the time and the place of such meeting and in general terms the action proposed to be taken at such meeting, shall be given, in the manner provided in Section 1.7, not less than 21 nor more than 180 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
(2) In case at any time the Company (by or pursuant to a Board Resolution) or the Holders of at least 10% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of
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any series shall have requested the Trustee to call a meeting of the Holders of Securities of such series for any purpose specified in Section 15.2, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have mailed notice of or made the first publication of the notice of such meeting within 21 days after receipt of such request (whichever shall be required pursuant to Section 1.7) or shall not thereafter proceed to cause the meeting to be held as provided herein, then the Company or the Holders of Securities of such series in the amount above specified, as the case may be, may determine the time and the place in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, or, if Securities of such series are to be issued as Bearer Securities, in London for such meeting and may call such meeting for such purposes by giving notice thereof as provided in clause (1) of this Section.
Section 15.3. Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings.
To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series, a Person shall be (1) a Holder of one or more Outstanding Securities of such series, or (2) a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy for a Holder or Holders of one or more Outstanding Securities of such series by such Holder or Holders. The only Persons who shall be entitled to be present or to speak at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel, any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and its counsel.
Section 15.4. Quorum; Action.
The Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a series shall constitute a quorum for any meeting of Holders of Securities of such series. In the absence of a quorum within 30 minutes after the time appointed for any such meeting, the meeting shall, if convened at the request of Holders of Securities of such series, be dissolved. In any other case the meeting may be adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such meeting. In the absence of a quorum at any reconvened meeting, such reconvened meeting may be further adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such reconvened meeting. Notice of the reconvening of any adjourned meeting shall be given as provided in Section 15.2(1), except that such notice need be given only once not less than five days prior to the date on which the meeting is scheduled to be reconvened. Notice of the reconvening of an adjourned meeting shall state expressly the percentage, as provided above, of the principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series which shall constitute a quorum.
Except as limited by the proviso to Section 9.2, any resolution presented to a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present as aforesaid may be adopted only by the affirmative vote of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series; provided, however, that, except as limited by the proviso to Section 9.2, any resolution with respect to any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act which this Indenture expressly provides may be made, given or taken by the
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Holders of a specified percentage, which is less than a majority, in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a series may be adopted at a meeting or an adjourned meeting duly reconvened and at which a quorum is present as aforesaid by the affirmative vote of the Holders of such specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series.
Any resolution passed or decision taken at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series duly held in accordance with this Section shall be binding on all the Holders of Securities of such series and the Coupons appertaining thereto, whether or not such Holders were present or represented at the meeting.
Section 15.5. Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings.
(1) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Holders of Securities of such series in regard to proof of the holding of Securities of such series and of the appointment of proxies and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall deem appropriate. Except as otherwise permitted or required by any such regulations, the holding of Securities shall be proved in the manner specified in Section 1.4 and the appointment of any proxy shall be proved in the manner specified in Section 1.4 or by having the signature of the person executing the proxy witnessed or guaranteed by any trust company, bank or banker authorized by Section 1.4 to certify to the holding of Bearer Securities. Such regulations may provide that written instruments appointing proxies, regular on their face, may be presumed valid and genuine without the proof specified in Section 1.4 or other proof.
(2) The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing, appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company or by Holders of Securities as provided in Section 15.2(1), in which case the Company or the Holders of Securities of the series calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chairman. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by vote of the Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series represented at the meeting.
(3) At any meeting, each Holder of a Security of such series or proxy shall be entitled to one vote for each $1,000 principal amount of Securities of such series held or represented by him; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Security challenged as not Outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not Outstanding. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote, except as a Holder of a Security of such series or proxy.
(4) Any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series duly called pursuant to Section 15.2 at which a quorum is present may be adjourned from time to time by Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series represented at the meeting; and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.
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Section 15.6. Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings.
The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of the Holders of Securities of such series or of their representatives by proxy and the principal amounts and serial numbers of the Outstanding Securities of such series held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint two inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in triplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record, at least in triplicate, of the proceedings of each meeting of Holders of Securities of any series shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more persons having knowledge of the facts setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was given as provided in Section 15.2 and, if applicable, Section 15.4. Each copy shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one such copy shall be delivered to the Company, and another to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting. Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed, as of the day and year first above written.
W. R. BERKLEY CORPORATION |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
Exhibit 4.6
FORM OF SUBORDINATED INDENTURE
W. R. BERKLEY CORPORATION, Issuer
To
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, Trustee
INDENTURE
Dated as of , 20
Subordinated Debt Securities
Reconciliation and tie between
Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the Trust Indenture Act) and
Indenture
Trust Indenture Act Section |
Indenture Section | |||
§§ 310(a)(1) |
6.8 | |||
(a)(2) 6.7 (b) |
6.9 | |||
§§. 312(a) |
7.1 | |||
(b) |
7.2 | |||
(c) |
7.2 | |||
§§. 313(a) |
7.3 | |||
(b)(2) |
7.3 | |||
(c) |
7.3 | |||
(d) |
7.3 | |||
§§. 314(a) |
7.4 | |||
(c)(1) |
1.2 | |||
(c)(2) |
1.2 | |||
(e) |
1.2 | |||
(f) |
1.2 | |||
§§. 316(a) (last sentence) |
1.1 | |||
(a)(1)(A) |
5.2, 5.12 | |||
(a)(1)(B) |
5.13 | |||
(b) |
5.8 | |||
§§. 317(a)(1) |
5.3 | |||
(a)(2) |
5.4 | |||
(b) |
10.3 | |||
§§. 318(a) |
1.8 |
Note: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture.
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION | 1 | |||||
Section 1.1 |
Definitions |
1 | ||||
Section 1.2 |
Compliance Certificates and Opinions |
11 | ||||
Section 1.3 |
Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee |
12 | ||||
Section 1.4 |
Acts of Holders |
12 | ||||
Section 1.5 |
Notices, etc |
14 | ||||
Section 1.6 |
Instructions to Trustee |
15 | ||||
Section 1.7 |
Notice to Holders of Securities; Waiver |
15 | ||||
Section 1.8 |
Language of Notices |
16 | ||||
Section 1.9 |
Conflict with Trust Indenture Act |
16 | ||||
Section 1.10 |
Effect of Headings and Table of Contents |
16 | ||||
Section 1.11 |
Successors and Assigns |
16 | ||||
Section 1.12 |
Separability Clause |
16 | ||||
Section 1.13 |
Benefits of Indenture |
16 | ||||
Section 1.14 |
Governing Law |
16 | ||||
Section 1.15 |
Legal Holidays |
17 | ||||
Section 1.16 |
Counterparts |
17 | ||||
Section 1.17 |
Judgment Currency |
17 | ||||
Section 1.18 |
No Security Interest Created |
18 | ||||
Section 1.19 |
Limitation on Individual Liability |
18 | ||||
Section 1.20 |
Submission to Jurisdiction |
18 | ||||
Section 1.21 |
Waiver of Jury Trial |
19 | ||||
Section 1.22 |
Force Majeure |
19 | ||||
Section 1.23 |
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) |
19 | ||||
ARTICLE 2 SECURITIES FORMS |
20 | |||||
Section 2.1 |
Forms Generally |
20 | ||||
Section 2.2 |
Form of Trustees Certificate of Authentication |
20 | ||||
Section 2.3 |
Securities in Global Form |
20 | ||||
ARTICLE 3 THE SECURITIES |
21 | |||||
Section 3.1 |
Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series |
21 | ||||
Section 3.2 |
Currency; Denominations |
25 | ||||
Section 3.3 |
Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating |
25 | ||||
Section 3.4 |
Temporary Securities |
28 | ||||
Section 3.5 |
Registration, Transfer and Exchange |
28 | ||||
Section 3.6 |
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities |
32 | ||||
Section 3.7 |
Payment of Interest and Certain Additional Amounts; Rights to Interest and Certain Additional Amounts Preserved |
33 | ||||
Section 3.8 |
Persons Deemed Owners |
34 | ||||
Section 3.9 |
Cancellation |
35 | ||||
Section 3.10 |
Computation of Interest |
35 | ||||
Section 3.11 |
Bearer Securities |
35 |
ii
Section 3.12 |
CUSIP Numbers |
35 | ||||
ARTICLE 4 SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE |
36 | |||||
Section 4.1 |
Satisfaction and Discharge |
36 | ||||
Section 4.2 |
Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance |
37 | ||||
Section 4.3 |
Application of Trust Money |
41 | ||||
ARTICLE 5 REMEDIES |
42 | |||||
Section 5.1 |
Events of Default |
42 | ||||
Section 5.2 |
Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment |
44 | ||||
Section 5.3 |
Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee |
45 | ||||
Section 5.4 |
Trustee May File Proofs of Claim |
46 | ||||
Section 5.5 |
Trustee May Enforce Claims without Possession of Securities or Coupons |
46 | ||||
Section 5.6 |
Application of Money Collected |
47 | ||||
Section 5.7 |
Limitations on Suits |
47 | ||||
Section 5.8 |
Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and any Premium, Interest and Additional Amounts |
48 | ||||
Section 5.9 |
Restoration of Rights and Remedies |
48 | ||||
Section 5.10 |
Rights and Remedies Cumulative |
48 | ||||
Section 5.11 |
Delay or Omission Not Waiver |
48 | ||||
Section 5.12 |
Control by Holders of Securities |
49 | ||||
Section 5.13 |
Waiver of Past Defaults |
49 | ||||
Section 5.14 |
Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws |
49 | ||||
Section 5.15 |
Undertaking for Costs |
50 | ||||
ARTICLE 6 THE TRUSTEE |
50 | |||||
Section 6.1 |
Certain Duties and Responsibilities |
50 | ||||
Section 6.2 |
Certain Rights of Trustee |
51 | ||||
Section 6.3 |
Notice of Defaults |
53 | ||||
Section 6.4 |
Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities |
53 | ||||
Section 6.5 |
May Hold Securities |
53 | ||||
Section 6.6 |
Money Held in Trust |
54 | ||||
Section 6.7 |
Compensation and Reimbursement |
54 | ||||
Section 6.8 |
Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility |
55 | ||||
Section 6.9 |
Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor |
55 | ||||
Section 6.10 |
Acceptance of Appointment by Successor |
57 | ||||
Section 6.11 |
Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business |
58 | ||||
Section 6.12 |
Appointment of Authenticating Agent |
58 | ||||
ARTICLE 7 HOLDERS LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY |
60 | |||||
Section 7.1 |
Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders |
60 | ||||
Section 7.2 |
Preservation of Information; Communications to Holders |
60 | ||||
Section 7.3 |
Reports by Trustee |
61 | ||||
Section 7.4 |
Reports by Company |
61 | ||||
ARTICLE 8 CONSOLIDATION, AMALGAMATIONS, MERGER AND SALES |
62 | |||||
Section 8.1 |
Company May Consolidate, Etc., Only on Certain Terms |
62 |
iii
Section 8.2 |
Successor Person Substituted for Company |
63 | ||||
ARTICLE 9 SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES |
63 | |||||
Section 9.1 |
Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Holders |
63 | ||||
Section 9.2 |
Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders |
64 | ||||
Section 9.3 |
Execution of Supplemental Indentures |
66 | ||||
Section 9.4 |
Effect of Supplemental Indentures |
66 | ||||
Section 9.5 |
Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures |
66 | ||||
Section 9.6 |
Conformity with Trust Indenture Act |
66 | ||||
Section 9.7 |
Effect on Senior Indebtedness |
66 | ||||
Section 9.8 |
Notice of Supplemental Indenture |
67 | ||||
ARTICLE 10 COVENANTS |
67 | |||||
Section 10.1 |
Payment of Principal, any Premium, Interest and Additional Amounts |
67 | ||||
Section 10.2 |
Maintenance of Office or Agency |
67 | ||||
Section 10.3 |
Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust |
68 | ||||
Section 10.4 |
Additional Amounts |
70 | ||||
Section 10.5 |
Corporate Existence |
72 | ||||
Section 10.6 |
Waiver of Certain Covenants |
72 | ||||
Section 10.7 |
Company Statement as to Compliance; Notice of Certain Defaults |
72 | ||||
ARTICLE 11 REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES |
73 | |||||
Section 11.1 |
Applicability of Article |
73 | ||||
Section 11.2 |
Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee |
73 | ||||
Section 11.3 |
Selection of Securities to be Redeemed |
73 | ||||
Section 11.4 |
Notice of Redemption |
74 | ||||
Section 11.5 |
Deposit of Redemption Price |
75 | ||||
Section 11.6 |
Securities Payable on Redemption Date |
75 | ||||
Section 11.7 |
Securities Redeemed in Part |
76 | ||||
ARTICLE 12 SINKING FUNDS |
77 | |||||
Section 12.1 |
Applicability of Article |
77 | ||||
Section 12.2 |
Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities |
77 | ||||
Section 12.3 |
Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund |
77 | ||||
ARTICLE 13 REPAYMENT AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS |
78 | |||||
Section 13.1 |
Applicability of Article |
78 | ||||
ARTICLE 14 SECURITIES IN FOREIGN CURRENCIES |
78 | |||||
Section 14.1 |
Applicability of Article |
78 | ||||
ARTICLE 15 MEETINGS OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES |
79 | |||||
Section 15.1 |
Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called |
79 | ||||
Section 15.2 |
Call, Notice and Place of Meetings |
79 | ||||
Section 15.3 |
Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings |
79 | ||||
Section 15.4 |
Quorum; Action |
80 | ||||
Section 15.5 |
Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings |
80 |
iv
Section 15.6 |
Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings |
81 | ||||
ARTICLE 16 SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES |
82 | |||||
Section 16.1 |
Agreement to Subordinate |
82 | ||||
Section 16.2 |
Default on Senior Indebtedness |
82 | ||||
Section 16.3 |
Liquidation; Dissolution; Bankruptcy |
82 | ||||
Section 16.4 |
Subrogation |
84 | ||||
Section 16.5 |
Trustee to Effectuate Subordination |
85 | ||||
Section 16.6 |
Notice by the Company |
85 | ||||
Section 16.7 |
Rights of the Trustee; Holders of Senior Indebtedness |
86 | ||||
Section 16.8 |
Subordination May Not Be Impaired |
86 | ||||
Section 16.9 |
Rights of Trustee as Holder of Senior Indebtedness; Preservation of Trustees Rights |
87 |
v
INDENTURE, dated as of , 20 (the Indenture), between W. R. BERKLEY CORPORATION, a company duly organized and existing under the laws of Delaware (hereinafter called the Company), having its principal executive office located at 465 Steamboat Road, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, a New York banking corporation, as Trustee (hereinafter called the Trustee), having its Corporate Trust Office located at 101 Barclay Street, Floor 7E, New York, New York 10286.
RECITALS
The Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance from time to time of its subordinated unsecured debentures, notes or other evidences of indebtedness (hereinafter called the Securities), unlimited as to principal amount, to bear such rates of interest, to mature at such time or times, to be issued in one or more series and to have such other provisions as shall be fixed as hereinafter provided.
The Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture. All things necessary to make this Indenture a legally valid and binding agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.
This Indenture is subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder that are required to be part of this Indenture and, to the extent applicable, shall be governed by such provisions.
NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH:
For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders (as herein defined) thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed, for the equal and proportionate benefit of all Holders of the Securities or of any series thereof and any Coupons (as herein defined) as follows:
Article 1
DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION
Section 1.1 | Definitions. |
Except as otherwise expressly provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or unless the context otherwise requires, for all purposes of this Indenture:
(1) the terms defined in this Article have the meanings assigned to them in this Article, and include the plural as well as the singular;
(2) all other terms used herein which are defined in the Trust Indenture Act, either directly or by reference therein, have the meanings assigned to them therein;
(3) all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the
1
United States of America and, except as otherwise herein expressly provided, the term generally accepted accounting principles with respect to any computation required or permitted hereunder shall mean such accounting principles as are generally accepted in the United States of America at the date or time of such computation
(4) the words herein, hereof, hereto and hereunder and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision; and
(5) the word or is always used inclusively (for example, the phrase A or B means A or B or both, not either A or B but not both).
Certain terms used principally in certain Articles hereof are defined in those Articles.
Act, when used with respect to any Holders, has the meaning specified in Section 1.4.
Additional Amounts means any additional amounts which are required hereby or by any Security, under circumstances specified herein or therein, to be paid by the Company in respect of certain taxes, assessments or other governmental charges imposed on Holders specified therein and which are owing to such Holders.
Additional Provisions has the meaning specified in Section 16.1.
Affiliate of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, control, when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms controlling and controlled have the meanings correlative to the foregoing.
Applicable Tax Law has the meaning specified in Section 1.23.
Authenticating Agent means any Person authorized by the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.12 to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of one or more series.
Authorized Newspaper means a newspaper, in an official language of the place of publication or in the English language, customarily published on each day that is a Business Day in the place of publication, whether or not published on days that are Legal Holidays in the place of publication, and of general circulation in each place in connection with which the term is used or in the financial community of each such place. Where successive publications are required to be made in Authorized Newspapers, the successive publications may be made in the same or in different newspapers in the same city meeting the foregoing requirements and in each case on any day that is a Business Day in the place of publication.
2
Authorized Officer means, when used with respect to the Company, the Chairman or Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, a Vice Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Investment Officer, the Chief Accounting Officer, the General Counsel, the Secretary or any Vice President of the Company.
Bearer Security means any Security in the form established pursuant to Section 2.1 which is payable to bearer.
Board of Directors means the board of directors of the Company or any committee of that board duly authorized to act generally or in any particular respect for the Company hereunder.
Board Resolution means a copy of one or more resolutions, certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification, delivered to the Trustee.
Business Day, with respect to any Place of Payment or other location, means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.1, any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which banking institutions in such Place of Payment or other location are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to close.
Capital Stock of any Person means any and all shares, interests, rights to purchase, warrants, options, participations or other equivalents of or interests in (however designated) equity of such Person, including Preferred Stock, but excluding any debt securities convertible into such equity.
Capitalized Lease Obligation means an obligation under a lease that is required to be capitalized for financial reporting purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and the amount of Indebtedness represented by such obligation shall be the capitalized amount of such obligation determined in accordance with such principles.
Commission means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or, if at any time after the execution of this Indenture such Commission is not existing and performing the duties now assigned to it under the Trust Indenture Act, then the body performing such duties at such time.
Common Stock in respect of any Corporation means Capital Stock of any class or classes (however designated) which has no preference as to the payment of dividends, or as to the distribution of assets upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or dissolution of such Corporation, and which is not subject to redemption by such Corporation.
Company means the Person named as the Company in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor Person shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter Company shall mean such successor Person, and any other obligor upon the Securities.
3
Company Request and Company Order mean, respectively, a written request or order, as the case may be, signed in the name of the Company by an Authorized Officer, and delivered to the Trustee.
Conversion Event means the cessation of use of (i) a Foreign Currency both by the government of the country or the confederation which issued such Foreign Currency and for the settlement of transactions by a central bank or other public institutions of or within the international banking community, or (ii) any currency unit or composite currency for the purposes for which it was established.
Corporate Trust Office means the principal corporate trust office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be administered, which office at the date of original execution of this Indenture is located at 101 Barclay Street, Floor 7E, New York, New York 10286.
Corporation includes corporations and limited liability companies and, except for purposes of Article 8, associations, companies and business trusts.
Coupon means any interest coupon appertaining to a Bearer Security.
Currency, with respect to any payment, deposit or other transfer in respect of the principal of or any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Security, means Dollars or the Foreign Currency, as the case may be, in which such payment, deposit or other transfer is required to be made by or pursuant to the terms hereof or such Security and, with respect to any other payment, deposit or transfer pursuant to or contemplated by the terms hereof or such Security, means Dollars.
CUSIP number means the alphanumeric designation assigned to a Security by S&P Global Ratings, CUSIP Service Bureau.
Defaulted Interest has the meaning specified in Section 3.7.
Dollars or $ means a dollar or other equivalent unit of legal tender for payment of public or private debts in the United States of America.
Event of Default has the meaning specified in Section 5.1.
Foreign Currency means any currency, currency unit or composite currency, including, without limitation, the euro, issued by the government of one or more countries other than the United States of America or by any recognized confederation or association of such governments.
Government Obligations means securities which are (i) direct obligations of the United States of America or the other government or governments which issued the Foreign Currency in which the principal of or any premium or interest on such Security or any Additional Amounts in respect thereof shall be payable, in each case where the payment or payments thereunder are supported by the full faith and credit of such government or governments or (ii) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of
4
the United States of America or such other government or governments, in each case where the timely payment or payments thereunder are unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America or such other government or governments, and which, in the case of (i) or (ii), are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer or issuers thereof, and shall also include a depository receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of or other amount with respect to any such Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depository receipt, provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the Government Obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of or other amount with respect to the Government Obligation evidenced by such depository receipt.
Holder, in the case of any Registered Security, means the Person in whose name such Security is registered in the Security Register and, in the case of any Bearer Security, means the bearer thereof and, in the case of any Coupon, means the bearer thereof.
Indebtedness means, with respect to any Person, (i) the principal of and any premium and interest on (a) indebtedness of such Person for money borrowed and (b) indebtedness evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other similar instruments for the payment of which such Person is responsible or liable; (ii) all Capitalized Lease Obligations of such Person; (iii) all obligations of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property, all conditional sale obligations and all obligations under any title retention agreement (but excluding trade accounts payable arising in the ordinary course of business); (iv) all obligations of such Person for the reimbursement of any obligor on any letter of credit, bankers acceptance or similar credit transaction (other than obligations with respect to letters of credit securing obligations (other than obligations described in (i) through (iii) above) entered into in the ordinary course of business of such Person to the extent such letters of credit are not drawn upon or, if and to the extent drawn upon, such drawing is reimbursed no later than the third Business Day following receipt by such Person of a demand for reimbursement following payment on the letter of credit); (v) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (iv) of other Persons and all dividends of other Persons for the payment of which, in either case, such Person is responsible or liable as obligor, guarantor or otherwise; (vi) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (v) of other Persons secured by any Lien on any property or asset of such Person (whether or not such obligation is assumed by such Person), the amount of such obligation being deemed to be the lesser of the value of such property or assets or the amount of the obligation so secured; and (vii) any amendments, modifications, refundings, renewals or extensions of any indebtedness or obligation described as Indebtedness in clauses (i) through (vi) above.
Indenture means this instrument as it may from time to time be supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof and, with respect to any Security, by the terms and provisions of such Security and any Coupon appertaining thereto established pursuant to Section 3.1 (as such terms and provisions may be amended pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof).
5
Independent Public Accountants means accountants or a firm of accountants that, with respect to the Company and any other obligor under the Securities or the Coupons, are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder, who may be the independent public accountants regularly retained by the Company or who may be other independent public accountants. Such accountants or firm shall be entitled to rely upon any Opinion of Counsel as to the interpretation of any legal matters relating to this Indenture or certificates required to be provided hereunder.
Indexed Security means a Security the terms of which provide that the principal amount thereof payable at Stated Maturity may be more or less than the principal face amount thereof at original issuance.
Interest, with respect to any Original Issue Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, means interest payable after Maturity and, when used with respect to a Security which provides for the payment of Additional Amounts pursuant to Section 10.4, includes such Additional Amounts.
Interest Payment Date, with respect to any Security, means the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Security.
Judgment Currency has the meaning specified in Section 1.17.
Legal Holidays has the meaning specified in Section 1.15.
Lien means any mortgage, pledge, lien, security interest or other encumbrance.
Maturity, with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security or an installment of principal becomes due and payable as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, notice of redemption or repurchase, notice of option to elect repayment or otherwise, and includes the Redemption Date.
New York Banking Day has the meaning specified in Section 1.17.
Office or Agency, with respect to any Securities, means an office or agency of the Company maintained or designated in a Place of Payment for such Securities pursuant to Section 10.2 or any other office or agency of the Company maintained or designated for such Securities pursuant to Section 10.2 or, to the extent designated or required by Section 10.2 in lieu of such office or agency, the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee.
Officers Certificate means a certificate signed by an Authorized Officer that complies with the requirements of Section 314(e) of the Trust Indenture Act and is delivered to the Trustee.
6
Opinion of Counsel means a written opinion reasonably acceptable to the Trustee, of counsel who may be an employee of or counsel for the Company that, if required by the Trust Indenture Act, complies with the requirements of Section 314(e) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Original Issue Discount Security means a Security issued pursuant to this Indenture which provides for declaration of an amount less than the principal face amount thereof to be due and payable upon acceleration pursuant to Section 5.2.
Outstanding, when used with respect to any Securities, means, as of the date of determination, all such Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, except:
a. | any such Security theretofore cancelled by the Trustee or the Security Registrar or delivered to the Trustee or the Security Registrar for cancellation; |
b. | any such Security for whose payment at the Maturity thereof money in the necessary amount has been theretofore deposited pursuant hereto (other than pursuant to Section 4.2) with the Trustee or any Paying Agent (other than the Company) in trust or set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent) for the Holders of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, provided that, if such Securities are to be redeemed, notice of such redemption has been duly given pursuant to this Indenture or provision therefor satisfactory to the Trustee has been made; |
c. | any such Security with respect to which the Company has effected defeasance pursuant to the terms hereof, except to the extent provided in Section 4.2; |
d. | any such Security which has been paid pursuant to Section 3.6 or in exchange for or in lieu of which other Securities have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to this Indenture, unless there shall have been presented to the Trustee proof satisfactory to it that such Security is held by a bona fide purchaser in whose hands such Security is a valid obligation of the Company; and |
e. | any such Security converted or exchanged as contemplated by this Indenture into Common Stock of the Company or other securities, if the terms of such Security provide for such conversion or exchange pursuant to Section 3.1; |
provided, however, that in determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of Outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder or are present at a meeting of Holders of Securities for quorum purposes, (i) the principal amount of an Original Issue Discount Security that may be counted in making such determination and that shall be deemed to be Outstanding for such purposes shall be equal to the
7
amount of the principal thereof that pursuant to the terms of such Original Issue Discount Security would be declared (or shall have been declared to be) due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration thereof pursuant to Section 5.2 at the time of such determination, and (ii) the principal amount of any Indexed Security that may be counted in making such determination and that shall be deemed Outstanding for such purposes shall be equal to the principal face amount of such Indexed Security at original issuance, unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, and (iii) the principal amount of a Security denominated in a Foreign Currency shall be the Dollar equivalent, determined on the date of original issuance of such Security, of the principal amount (or, in the case of an Original Issue Discount Security, the Dollar equivalent on the date of original issuance of such Security of the amount determined as provided in (i) above) of such Security, and (iv) Securities owned by the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or such other obligor, shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding, except that, in determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in making any such determination or relying upon any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, only Securities which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows to be so owned shall be so disregarded. Securities so owned which shall have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee (A) the pledgees right so to act with respect to such Securities and (B) that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto or an Affiliate of the Company or such other obligor.
Paying Agent means any Person authorized by the Company to pay the principal of, or any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to, any Security or any Coupon on behalf of the Company.
Person means any individual, Corporation, partnership, joint venture, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.
Place of Payment, with respect to any Security, means the place or places where the principal of, or any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to such Security are payable as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security.
Predecessor Security of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same Indebtedness as that evidenced by such particular Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 3.6 in exchange for or in lieu of a lost, destroyed, mutilated or stolen Security or any Security to which a mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains shall be deemed to evidence the same Indebtedness as the lost, destroyed, mutilated or stolen Security or the Security to which a mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains.
Preferred Stock in respect of any Corporation means Capital Stock of any class or classes (however designated) which is preferred as to the payment of dividends, or as to the distribution of assets upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or dissolution of such Corporation, over shares of Capital Stock of any other class of such Corporation.
8
Redemption Date, with respect to any Security or portion thereof to be redeemed, means the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security.
Redemption Price, with respect to any Security or portion thereof to be redeemed, means the price at which it is to be redeemed as determined by or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security.
Registered Security means any Security established pursuant to Section 2.1 which is registered in a Security Register.
Regular Record Date for the interest payable on any Registered Security on any Interest Payment Date therefor means the date, if any, specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security as the Regular Record Date..
Required Currency has the meaning specified in Section 1.17.
Responsible Officer means any officer within the corporate trust department of the Trustee, including vice president, any assistant vice president, any trust officer or any other officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject and who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.
Security or Securities means any note or notes, bond or bonds, debenture or debentures, or any other evidences of Indebtedness, as the case may be, authenticated and delivered under this Indenture; provided, however, that, if at any time there is more than one Person acting as Trustee under this Indenture, Securities, with respect to any such Person, shall mean Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, exclusive, however, of Securities of any series as to which such Person is not Trustee.
Security Register and Security Registrar have the respective meanings specified in Section 3.5.
Senior Indebtedness means, with respect to the Securities of any particular series, all Indebtedness of the Company outstanding at any time, except (a) the Securities of such series, (b) Indebtedness as to which, by the terms of the instrument creating or evidencing the same, it is provided that such Indebtedness is subordinated to or pari passu with the Securities of such series, (c) Indebtedness of the Company to an Affiliate of the Company, (d) interest accruing after the filing of a petition initiating any proceeding referred to in Section 5.1(7) and Section 5.1(8) unless such interest is an allowed claim enforceable against the Company in a proceeding under federal or state bankruptcy laws and (e) trade accounts payable.
Special Record Date for the payment of any Defaulted Interest on any Registered Security means a date fixed by the Company pursuant to Section 3.7.
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Stated Maturity, with respect to any Security or any installment of principal thereof or interest thereon or any Additional Amounts with respect thereto, means the date established by or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or such installment of principal or interest is, or such Additional Amounts are, due and payable.
Subsidiary means, in respect of any Person, any Corporation, limited or general partnership or other business entity of which at the time of determination more than 50% of the voting power of the shares of its Capital Stock or other interests (including partnership interests) entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by (i) such Person, (ii) such Person and one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or (iii) one or more Subsidiaries of such Person.
Trust Indenture Act means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and any reference herein to the Trust Indenture Act or a particular provision thereof shall mean such legislative act or provision, as the case may be, as amended or replaced from time to time or as supplemented from time to time by rules or regulations adopted by the Commission under or in furtherance of the purposes of such legislative act or provision, as the case may be.
Trustee means the Person named as the Trustee in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor Trustee shall have become such with respect to one or more series of Securities pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter Trustee shall mean each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder; provided, however, that if at any time there is more than one such Person, Trustee shall mean each such Person and as used with respect to the Securities of any series shall mean the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series.
United States, except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Security, means the United States of America (including the states thereof and the District of Columbia), its territories and possessions and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.
U.S. Depository or Depository means, with respect to any Security issuable or issued in the form of one or more global Securities, the Person designated as U.S. Depository or Depository by the Company in or pursuant to this Indenture, which Person must be, to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, a clearing agency registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, if so provided with respect to any Security, any successor to such Person. If at any time there is more than one such Person, U.S. Depository or Depository shall mean, with respect to any Securities, the qualifying entity which has been appointed with respect to such Securities.
Section 1.2 | Compliance Certificates and Opinions. |
Upon any application or request by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any provision of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officers Certificate stating that all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the
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opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent, if any, have been complied with, except that in the case of any such application or request as to which the furnishing of such documents or any of them is specifically required by any provision of this Indenture relating to such particular application or request, the certificate or opinion may be combined with the certificate or opinion described above in this Section 1.2.
Every certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture shall include:
(1) a statement that the individual signing such certificate or opinion has read such condition or covenant and the definitions herein relating thereto;
(2) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;
(3) a statement that, in the opinion of such individual, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such condition or covenant has been complied with; and
(4) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of such individual, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
Section 1.3 | Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee. |
In any case where several matters are required to be certified by, or covered by an opinion of, any specified Person, it is not necessary that all such matters be certified by, or covered by the opinion of, only one such Person, or that they be so certified or covered by only one document, but one such Person may certify or give an opinion with respect to some matters and one or more other such Persons as to other matters, and any such Person may certify or give an opinion as to such matters in one or several documents.
Any certificate or opinion of an officer of the Company may be based, insofar as it relates to legal matters, upon an Opinion of Counsel, provided that such officer, after reasonable inquiry, has no reason to believe and does not believe that the Opinion of Counsel with respect to the matters upon which his certificate or opinion is based is erroneous. Any such Opinion of Counsel may be based, insofar as it relates to factual matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, an officer or officers of the Company stating that the information with respect to such factual matters is in the possession of the Company, provided that such counsel, after reasonable inquiry, has no reason to believe and does not believe that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to such matters are erroneous.
Where any Person is required to make, give or execute two or more applications, requests, consents, certificates, statements, opinions or other instruments under this Indenture or any Security, they may, but need not, be consolidated and form one instrument.
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Section 1.4 | Acts of Holders. |
(1) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by or pursuant to this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially similar tenor signed by such Holders in person or by an agent duly appointed in writing. Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided in or pursuant to this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders of Securities of such series may, alternatively, be embodied in and evidenced by the record of Holders of Securities of such series voting in favor thereof, either in person or by proxies duly appointed in writing, at any meeting of Holders of Securities of such series duly called and held in accordance with the provisions of Article 15, or a combination of such instruments and any such record. Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, such action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments or record or both are delivered to the Trustee and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Company. Such instrument or instruments and any such record (and the action embodied therein and evidenced thereby) are herein sometimes referred to as the Act of the Holders signing such instrument or instruments or so voting at any such meeting. Proof of execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent, or of the holding by any Person of a Security, shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and (subject to Section 315 of the Trust Indenture Act) conclusive in favor of the Trustee, the Company and any agent of the Trustee or the Company, if made in the manner provided in this Section. The record of any meeting of Holders of Securities shall be proved in the manner provided in Section 15.6.
Without limiting the generality of this Section 1.4, unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, a Holder, including a U.S. Depository that is a Holder of a global Security, may make, give or take, by a proxy or proxies duly appointed in writing, any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act provided in or pursuant to this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders, and a U.S. Depository that is a Holder of a global Security may provide its proxy or proxies to the beneficial owners of interests in any such global Security through such U.S. Depositorys standing instructions and customary practices.
The Company shall fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Persons who are beneficial owners of interest in any permanent global Security held by a U.S. Depository entitled under the procedures of such U.S. Depository to make, give or take, by a proxy or proxies duly appointed in writing, any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act provided in or pursuant to this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders. If such a record date is fixed, the Holders on such record date or their duly appointed proxy or proxies, and only such Persons, shall be entitled to make, give or take such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, whether or not such Holders remain Holders after such record date. No such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act shall be valid or effective if made, given or taken more than 90 days after such record date.
(2) The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing referred to in this Section 1.4 may be proved in any reasonable manner; and the Trustee may in any instance require further proof with respect to any of the matters referred to in this Section.
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(3) The ownership, principal amount and serial numbers of Registered Securities held by any Person, and the date of the commencement and the date of the termination of holding the same, shall be proved solely and conclusively by the Security Register. Where such execution is by a signer acting in a capacity other than such signers individual capacity, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute sufficient proof of such signers authority. The fact and date of the execution of any such instrument or writing, or the authority of the Person executing the same, may also be proved in any other manner which the Trustee deems sufficient.
(4) The ownership, principal amount and serial numbers of Bearer Securities held by any Person, and the date of the commencement and the date of the termination of holding the same, may be proved by the production of such Bearer Securities or by a certificate executed, as depositary, by any trust company, bank, banker or other depositary reasonably acceptable to the Company, wherever situated, if such certificate shall be deemed by the Company and the Trustee to be satisfactory, showing that at the date therein mentioned such Person had on deposit with such depositary, or exhibited to it, the Bearer Securities therein described; or such facts may be proved by the certificate or affidavit of the Person holding such Bearer Securities, if such certificate or affidavit is deemed by the Trustee to be satisfactory. The Trustee and the Company may assume that such ownership of any Bearer Security continues until (i) another certificate or affidavit bearing a later date issued in respect of the same Bearer Security is produced, or (ii) such Bearer Security is produced to the Trustee by some other Person, or (iii) such Bearer Security is surrendered in exchange for a Registered Security, or (iv) such Bearer Security is no longer Outstanding. The ownership, principal amount and serial numbers of Bearer Securities held by the Person so executing such instrument or writing and the date of the commencement and the date of the termination of holding the same may also be proved in any other manner which the Company and the Trustee deem sufficient.
(5) If the Company shall solicit from the Holders of any Registered Securities any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, the Company may at its option (but is not obligated to), by Board Resolution, fix in advance a record date for the determination of Holders of Registered Securities entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act may be given before or after such record date, but only the Holders of Registered Securities of record at the close of business on such record date shall be deemed to be Holders for the purpose of determining whether Holders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities shall be computed as of such record date; provided that no such authorization, agreement or consent by the Holders of Registered Securities shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than six months after the record date.
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(6) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act by the Holder of any Security shall bind every future Holder of the same Security and the Holder of every Security issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof in respect of anything done or suffered to be done by the Trustee, any Security Registrar, any Paying Agent or the Company in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such Act is made upon such Security.
Section 1.5 | Notices, etc. to Trustee and Company. |
Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act of Holders or other document provided or permitted by this Indenture to be made upon, given or furnished to, or filed with,
(1) the Trustee by any Holder or the Company shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder if made, given, furnished or filed in writing to or with the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office, or
(2) the Company by the Trustee or any Holder shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to the Company addressed to the attention of its Treasurer, with a copy to the attention of its General Counsel, at the address of its principal office specified in the first paragraph of this instrument or at any other address previously furnished in writing to the Trustee by the Company.
Section 1.6 | Instructions to Trustee. |
The Trustee agrees to accept and act upon instructions or directions pursuant to this Indenture sent by unsecured e-mail, pdf, facsimile transmission or other similar unsecured electronic methods, provided, however, that the Trustee shall have received an incumbency certificate listing persons designated to give such instructions or directions and containing specimen signatures of such designated persons, which such incumbency certificate shall be amended and replaced whenever a person is to be added or deleted from the listing. If the Company elects to give the Trustee e-mail or facsimile instructions (or instructions by a similar electronic method) and the Trustee in its discretion elects to act upon such instructions, the Trustees understanding of such instructions shall be deemed controlling. The Trustee shall not be liable for any losses, costs or expenses arising directly or indirectly from the Trustees reliance upon and compliance with such instructions notwithstanding such instructions conflict or are inconsistent with a subsequent written instruction. The Company agrees to assume all risks arising out of the use of such electronic methods to submit instructions and directions to the Trustee, including without limitation the risk of the Trustee acting on unauthorized instructions, and the risk or interception and misuse by third parties.
Section 1.7 | Notice to Holders of Securities; Waiver. |
Except as otherwise expressly provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, where this Indenture provides for notice to Holders of Securities of any event,
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(1) such notice shall be sufficiently given to Holders of Registered Securities if in writing and delivered, to each Holder of a Registered Security affected by such event, not later than the latest date, and not earlier than the earliest date, prescribed for the giving of such notice; and
(2) such notice shall be sufficiently given to Holders of Bearer Securities, if any, if published in an Authorized Newspaper in The City of New York and, if such Securities are then listed on any stock exchange outside the United States, in an Authorized Newspaper in such city as the Company shall advise the Trustee that such stock exchange so requires, on a Business Day at least twice, the first such publication to be not earlier than the earliest date and the second such publication not later than the latest date prescribed for the giving of such notice.
In any case where notice to Holders of Registered Securities is given by mail, neither the failure to mail such notice, nor any defect in any notice so mailed, to any particular Holder of a Registered Security shall affect the sufficiency of such notice with respect to other Holders of Registered Securities or the sufficiency of any notice to Holders of Bearer Securities given as provided herein. Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given or provided. In the case by reason of the suspension of regular mail service or by reason of any other cause it shall be impracticable to give such notice by mail, then such notification as shall be made with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute a sufficient notification for every purpose hereunder.
In case by reason of the suspension of publication of any Authorized Newspaper or Authorized Newspapers or by reason of any other cause it shall be impracticable to publish any notice to Holders of Bearer Securities as provided above, then such notification to Holders of Bearer Securities as shall be given with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute sufficient notice to such Holders for every purpose hereunder. Neither failure to give notice by publication to Holders of Bearer Securities as provided above, nor any defect in any notice so published, shall affect the sufficiency of any notice mailed to Holders of Registered Securities as provided above.
Where this Indenture provides for notice in any manner, such notice may be waived in writing by the Person entitled to receive such notice, either before or after the event, and such waiver shall be the equivalent of such notice. Waivers of notice by Holders of Securities shall be filed with the Trustee, but such filing shall not be a condition precedent to the validity of any action taken in reliance upon such waiver.
Section 1.8 | Language of Notices. |
Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, election or waiver required or permitted under this Indenture shall be in the English language, except that, if the Company so elects, any published notice may be in an official language of the country of publication.
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Section 1.9 | Conflict with Trust Indenture Act. |
If any provision hereof limits, qualifies or conflicts with any duties under any required provision of the Trust Indenture Act imposed hereon by Section 318(c) thereof, such required provision shall control.
Section 1.10 | Effect of Headings and Table of Contents. |
The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
Section 1.11 | Successors and Assigns. |
All covenants and agreements in this Indenture by the Company shall bind its successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.
Section 1.12 | Separability Clause. |
In case any provision in this Indenture, any Security or any Coupon shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
Section 1.13 | Benefits of Indenture. |
Nothing in this Indenture, any Security or any Coupon, express or implied, shall give to any Person, other than the parties hereto and holders of Senior Indebtedness, any Security Registrar, any Paying Agent, any Authenticating Agent and their successors hereunder and the Holders of Securities or Coupons, any benefit or any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Indenture.
Section 1.14 | Governing Law. |
This Indenture, the Securities and any Coupons shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made or instruments entered into and, in each case, performed wholly in said state.
Section 1.15 | Legal Holidays. |
Unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Securities, in any case where any Interest Payment Date, Stated Maturity or Maturity of any Security, or the last date on which a Holder has the right to convert or exchange Securities of a series that are convertible or exchangeable, shall be a Legal Holiday at any Place of Payment, then (notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, any Security or any Coupon other than a provision in any Security or Coupon that specifically states that such provision shall apply in lieu hereof) payment need not be made at such Place of Payment on such date, and such Securities need not be converted or exchanged on such date but such payment may be made, and such Securities may be converted or exchanged, on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day at such Place of Payment with the same force and effect as if made on the Interest Payment Date or
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at the Stated Maturity or Maturity or on such last day for conversion or exchange, and no interest shall accrue on the amount payable on such date or at such time for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date, Stated Maturity, Maturity or last day for conversion or exchange, as the case may be, to such next succeeding Business Day.
Section 1.16 | Counterparts. |
This Indenture may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which shall constitute but one and the same instrument.
Section 1.17 | Judgment Currency. |
The Company agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so under applicable law, that (a) if for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert the sum due in respect of the principal of, or premium or interest, if any, or Additional Amounts on the Securities of any series (the Required Currency) into a currency in which a judgment will be rendered (the Judgment Currency), the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the requisite amount of the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the New York Banking Day preceding the day on which a final unappealable judgment is given and (b) its obligations under this Indenture to make payments in the Required Currency (i) shall not be discharged or satisfied by any tender, or any recovery pursuant to any judgment (whether or not entered in accordance with clause (a)), in any currency other than the Required Currency, except to the extent that such tender or recovery shall result in the actual receipt, by the payee, of the full amount of the Required Currency expressed to be payable in respect of such payments, (ii) shall be enforceable as an alternative or additional cause of action for the purpose of recovering in the Required Currency the amount, if any, by which such actual receipt shall fall short of the full amount of the Required Currency so expressed to be payable and (iii) shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sum due under this Indenture. For purposes of the foregoing, New York Banking Day means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday in The City of New York or a day on which banking institutions in The City of New York are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to be closed.
Section 1.18 | No Security Interest Created. |
Nothing in this Indenture or in any Securities, express or implied, shall be construed to constitute a security interest under the Uniform Commercial Code or similar legislation, as now or hereafter enacted and in effect in any jurisdiction where property of the Company or its Subsidiaries is or may be located.
Section 1.19 | Limitation on Individual Liability. |
No recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in any Security, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, shall be had against any incorporator, shareholder, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company, either directly or through the Company, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly understood that this Indenture and the obligations issued hereunder
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are solely corporate obligations, and that no such personal liability whatever shall attach to, or is or shall be incurred by, the incorporators, shareholders, officers or directors, as such, of the Company, or any of them, because of the creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any Security or implied therefrom; and that any and all such personal liability of every name and nature, either at common law or in equity or by constitution or statute, of, and any and all such rights and claims against, every such incorporator, shareholder, officer or director, as such, because of the creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any Security or implied therefrom, are hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issuance of such Security.
Section 1.20 | Submission to Jurisdiction. |
The Company agrees that any judicial proceedings instituted in relation to any matter arising under this Indenture, the Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto may be brought in any United States Federal or New York State court sitting in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, New York to the extent that such court has subject matter jurisdiction over the controversy, and, by execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company hereby irrevocably accepts, generally and unconditionally, the jurisdiction of the aforesaid courts, acknowledges their competence and irrevocably agrees to be bound by any judgment rendered in such proceeding. The Company also irrevocably and unconditionally waives for the benefit of the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities and Coupons any immunity from jurisdiction and any immunity from legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in the aid of execution, execution or otherwise) in respect of this Indenture. The Company hereby irrevocably designates and appoints for the benefit of the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities and Coupons for the term of this Indenture [Agent name and address], as its agent to receive on its behalf service of all process (with a copy of all such service of process to be delivered to [Person name, title and address]) brought against it with respect to any such proceeding in any such court in The City of New York, such service being hereby acknowledged by the Company to be effective and binding service on it in every respect whether or not the Company shall then be doing or shall have at any time done business in New York. Such appointment shall be irrevocable so long as any of the Securities or Coupons or the obligations of the Company hereunder remain outstanding until the appointment of a successor by the Company and such successors acceptance of such appointment. Upon such acceptance, the Company shall notify the Trustee of the name and address of such successor. The Company further agrees for the benefit of the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities and the Coupons to take any and all action, including the execution and filing of any and all such documents and instruments, as may be necessary to continue such designation and appointment of said [Agent Name] in full force and effect so long as any of the Securities or Coupons or the obligations of the Company hereunder shall be outstanding. The Trustee shall not be obligated and shall have no responsibility with respect to any failure by the Company to take any such action. Nothing herein shall affect the right to serve process in any other manner permitted by any law or limit the right of the Trustee or any Holder to institute proceedings against the Company in the courts of any other jurisdiction or jurisdictions.
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Section 1.21 | Waiver of Jury Trial. |
EACH OF THE COMPANY, EACH HOLDER, AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE SECURITIES OR THE TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
Section 1.22 | Force Majeure. |
In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.
Section 1.23 | Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). |
In order to comply with applicable tax laws, rules and regulations (including directives, guidelines and interpretations promulgated by competent authorities) in effect from time to time (Applicable Tax Law), the Company agrees to provide to the Trustee tax-information about holders or the transactions contemplated hereby (including any modification to the terms of such transactions), to the extent such information is directly available to the Company, so that the Trustee can determine whether it has tax-related obligations under Applicable Tax Law and the Company acknowledges that the Trustee shall be entitled to make any withholding or deduction from payments under the Indenture to the extent necessary to comply with Applicable Tax Law.
Article 2
SECURITIES FORMS
Section 2.1 | Forms Generally. |
Each Registered Security, Bearer Security, Coupon and temporary or permanent global Security issued pursuant to this Indenture shall be in the form established by or pursuant to a Board Resolution or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, shall have such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as are required or permitted by or pursuant to this Indenture or any indenture supplemental hereto and may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification and such legends or endorsements placed thereon as may, consistently herewith, be determined by the officers executing such Security or Coupon as evidenced by their execution of such Security or Coupon.
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Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Securities, the Securities shall be issuable in registered form without Coupons and shall not be issuable upon the exercise of warrants.
Definitive Securities and definitive Coupons shall be printed, lithographed or engraved or produced by any combination of these methods on a steel engraved border or steel engraved borders or may be produced in any other manner, all as determined by the officers of the Company executing such Securities or Coupons, as evidenced by their execution of such Securities or Coupons.
Section 2.2 | Form of Trustees Certificate of Authentication. |
Subject to Section 6.12, the Trustees certificate of authentication shall be in substantially the following form:
This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee | ||
By: |
| |
Authorized Signatory |
Dated: |
Section 2.3 | Securities in Global Form. |
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Securities, the Securities shall not be issuable in temporary or permanent global form. If Securities of a series shall be issuable in global form, any such Security may provide that it or any number of such Securities shall represent the aggregate amount of all Outstanding Securities of such series (or such lesser amount as is permitted by the terms thereof) from time to time endorsed thereon and may also provide that the aggregate amount of Outstanding Securities represented thereby may from time to time be increased or reduced to reflect exchanges. Any endorsement of any Security in global form to reflect the amount, or any increase or decrease in the amount, or changes in the rights of Holders, of Outstanding Securities represented thereby shall be made in such manner and by such Person or Persons as shall be specified therein or in the Company Order to be delivered pursuant to Section 3.3 or Section 3.4 with respect thereto. Subject to the provisions of Section 3.3 and, if applicable, Section 3.4, the Trustee shall deliver and redeliver, in each case at the Companys expense, any Security in permanent global form in the manner and upon instructions given by the Person or Persons specified therein or in the applicable Company Order. If a Company Order pursuant to Section 3.3 or Section 3.4 has been, or simultaneously is, delivered, any instructions by the Company with respect to a Security in global form shall be in writing.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.7, unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Securities, payment of principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts in respect of, any Security in temporary or permanent global form shall be made to the Person or Persons specified therein.
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Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.8 and except as provided in the preceding paragraph, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall treat as the Holder of such principal amount of Outstanding Securities represented by a global Security (i) in the case of a global Security in registered form, the Holder of such global Security in registered form, or (ii) in the case of a global Security in bearer form, the Person or Persons specified pursuant to Section 3.1.
Article 3
THE SECURITIES
Section 3.1 | Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series. |
The aggregate principal amount of Securities which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more series. The Securities of each series shall be subordinated in right of payment to all Senior Indebtedness with respect to such series as provided in Article 16.
With respect to any Securities to be authenticated and delivered hereunder, there shall be established in or pursuant to a Board Resolution and set forth in an Officers Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto,
(1) the title of such Securities and the series in which such Securities shall be included;
(2) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such title or the Securities of such series which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of such series pursuant to Section 3.3, Section 3.5, Section 3.6, Section 9.5 or Section 11.7, upon repayment in part of any Registered Security of such series pursuant to Article 13, upon surrender in part of any Registered Security for conversion into Common Stock of the Company or exchange for other securities pursuant to its terms, or pursuant to or as contemplated by the terms of such Securities);
(3) if such Securities are to be issuable as Registered Securities, as Bearer Securities or alternatively as Bearer Securities and Registered Securities, and whether the Bearer Securities are to be issuable with Coupons, without Coupons or both, and any restrictions applicable to the offer, sale or delivery of the Bearer Securities and the terms, if any, upon which Bearer Securities may be exchanged for Registered Securities and vice versa;
(4) if any of such Securities are to be issuable in global form, when any of such Securities are to be issuable in global form and (i) whether such Securities are to be issued in temporary or permanent global form or both, (ii) whether beneficial owners of interests in any such global Security may exchange such interests for Securities of the
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same series and of like tenor and of any authorized form and denomination, and the circumstances under which any such exchanges may occur, if other than in the manner specified in Section 3.5, and (iii) the name of the Depository with respect to any such global Security;
(5) if any of such Securities are to be issuable as Bearer Securities or in global form, the date as of which any such Bearer Security or global Security shall be dated (if other than the date of original issuance of the first of such Securities to be issued);
(6) if any of such Securities are to be issuable as Bearer Securities, whether interest in respect of any portion of a temporary Bearer Security in global form payable in respect of an Interest Payment Date therefor prior to the exchange, if any, of such temporary Bearer Security for definitive Securities shall be paid to any clearing organization with respect to the portion of such temporary Bearer Security held for its account and, in such event, the terms and conditions (including any certification requirements) upon which any such interest payment received by a clearing organization will be credited to the Persons entitled to interest payable on such Interest Payment Date;
(7) the date or dates, or the method or methods, if any, by which such date or dates shall be determined, on which the principal of such Securities is payable;
(8) the rate or rates at which such Securities shall bear interest, if any, or the method or methods, if any, by which such rate or rates are to be determined, the date or dates, if any, from which such interest shall accrue or the method or methods, if any, by which such date or dates are to be determined, the Interest Payment Dates, if any, on which such interest shall be payable and the Regular Record Date, if any, for the interest payable on Registered Securities on any Interest Payment Date, whether and under what circumstances Additional Amounts on such Securities or any of them shall be payable, the notice, if any, to Holders regarding the determination of interest on a floating rate Security and the manner of giving such notice, and the basis upon which interest shall be calculated if other than that of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months;
(9) if in addition to or other than the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, the place or places where the principal of, any premium and interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to such Securities shall be payable, any of such Securities that are Registered Securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, any of such Securities may be surrendered for conversion or exchange and notices or demands to or upon the Company in respect of such Securities and this Indenture may be served,
(10) the extent to which, or the manner in which, any interest payment or Additional Amounts on a global Security on an Interest Payment Date, will be paid and the manner in which any principal of or premium, if any, on any global Security will be paid;
(11) whether any of such Securities are to be redeemable at the option of the Company and, if so, the date or dates on which, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such Securities may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;
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(12) whether the Company is obligated to redeem or purchase any of such Securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of any Holder thereof and, if so, the date or dates on which, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such Securities shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation, and any provisions for the remarketing of such Securities so redeemed or purchased;
(13) the denominations in which any of such Securities that are Registered Securities shall be issuable if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, and the denominations in which any of such Securities that are Bearer Securities shall be issuable if other than the denomination of $5,000;
(14) whether the Securities of the series will be convertible into shares of Common Stock of the Company and/or exchangeable for other securities, whether or not issued by the Company, and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such Securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, and any deletions from or modifications or additions to this Indenture to permit or to facilitate the issuance of such convertible or exchangeable Securities or the administration thereof;
(15) if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of any of such Securities that shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.2 or the method by which such portion is to be determined;
(16) if other than Dollars, the Foreign Currency in which payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any of such Securities shall be payable;
(17) if the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any of such Securities are to be payable, at the election of the Company or a Holder thereof or otherwise, in Dollars or in a Foreign Currency other than that in which such Securities are stated to be payable, the date or dates on which, the period or periods within which, and the other terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made, and the time and manner of determining the exchange rate between the Currency in which such Securities are stated to be payable and the Currency in which such Securities or any of them are to be paid pursuant to such election, and any deletions from or modifications of or additions to the terms of this Indenture to provide for or to facilitate the issuance of Securities denominated or payable, at the election of the Company or a Holder thereof or otherwise, in a Foreign Currency;
(18) whether the amount of payments of principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to such Securities may be determined with reference to an index, formula or other method or methods (which index, formula or
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method or methods may be based, without limitation, on one or more Currencies, commodities, equity securities, equity indices or other indices), and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which and the manner in which such amounts shall be determined and paid or payable;
(19) the relative degree, if any, to which Securities of such series shall be senior to or be subordinated to other series of Securities or other Indebtedness of the Company in right of payment, whether such other series of Securities or other Indebtedness is outstanding or not;
(20) any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the Events of Default or covenants of the Company with respect to any of such Securities, whether or not such Events of Default or covenants are consistent with the Events of Default or covenants set forth herein;
(21) whether either or both of Section 4.2(2) relating to defeasance or Section 4.2(3) relating to covenant defeasance shall not be applicable to the Securities of such series, or any covenants in addition to those specified in Section 4.2(3) relating to the Securities of such series which shall be subject to covenant defeasance, and any deletions from, or modifications or additions to, the provisions of Article 4 in respect of the Securities of such series;
(22) whether any of such Securities are to be issuable upon the exercise of warrants, and the time, manner and place for such Securities to be authenticated and delivered;
(23) if any of such Securities are to be issuable in global form and are to be issuable in definitive form (whether upon original issue or upon exchange of a temporary Security) only upon receipt of certain certificates or other documents or satisfaction of other conditions, then the form and terms of such certificates, documents or conditions;
(24) if there is more than one Trustee, the identity of the Trustee and, if not the Trustee, the identity of each Security Registrar, Paying Agent or Authenticating Agent with respect to such Securities;
(25) any additional covenants of the Company applicable in respect of or in connection with such Securities; and
(26) any other terms of such Securities and any other deletions from or modifications or additions to this Indenture in respect of such Securities.
All Securities of any one series and all Coupons, if any, appertaining to Bearer Securities of such series shall be substantially identical except as to Currency of payments due thereunder, denomination and the rate of interest thereon, or method of determining the rate of interest, if any, Maturity, and the date from which interest, if any, shall accrue and except as may otherwise be provided by the Company in or pursuant to the Board Resolution and set forth in the Officers Certificate or in any indenture or indentures supplemental hereto pertaining to such series of Securities. The terms of the Securities of any series may provide, without limitation,
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that the Securities shall be authenticated and delivered by the Trustee on original issue from time to time upon written order of persons designated in the Officers Certificate or supplemental indenture and that such persons are authorized to determine, consistent with such Officers Certificate or any applicable supplemental indenture, such terms and conditions of the Securities of such series as are specified in such Officers Certificate or supplemental indenture. All Securities of any one series need not be issued at the same time and, unless otherwise so provided, a series may be reopened for issuances of additional Securities of such series, provided that such additional Securities are fungible with the Securities for the United States federal income tax purposes.
If any of the terms of the Securities of any series shall be established by action taken by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, the Board Resolution shall be delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officers Certificate setting forth the terms of such series.
Section 3.2 | Currency; Denominations. |
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, the principal of, any premium and interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to the Securities shall be payable in Dollars. Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, Registered Securities denominated in Dollars shall be issuable in registered form without Coupons in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, and the Bearer Securities denominated in Dollars shall be issuable in the denomination of $5,000. Securities not denominated in Dollars shall be issuable in such denominations as are established with respect to such Securities in or pursuant to this Indenture.
Section 3.3 | Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating. |
Securities and Coupons shall be executed on behalf of the Company by an Authorized Officer. The signature of any of these officers on the Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto may be manual or facsimile.
Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto bearing the manual or facsimile signatures of individuals who were at any time the proper officers of the Company shall bind the Company, notwithstanding that such individuals or any of them have ceased to hold such offices prior to the authentication and delivery of such Securities and Coupons or did not hold such offices at the date of original issuance of such Securities or Coupons.
At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities, together with any Coupons appertaining thereto, executed by the Company, to the Trustee for authentication and, provided that the Board Resolution and Officers Certificate or supplemental indenture or indentures with respect to such Securities referred to in Section 3.1 and a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities have been delivered to the Trustee, the Trustee in accordance with the Company Order and subject to the provisions hereof and of such Securities shall authenticate and deliver such Securities. In authenticating such Securities, and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, the Trustee shall be provided with, and (subject to Sections 315(a) through 315(d) of the Trust Indenture Act) shall be fully protected in relying upon,
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(1) A copy of the resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors in or pursuant to which the terms and form of the Securities were established, certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect as of the date of such certificate, and if the terms and form of such Securities are established by an Officers Certificate pursuant to general authorization of the Board of Directors, such Officers Certificate;
(2) an executed supplemental indenture, if any;
(3) an Officers Certificate delivered in accordance with Section 1.2; and
(4) an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that:
(a) the form or forms and terms of such Securities and Coupons, if any, have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture;
(b) all conditions precedent to the authentication and delivery of such Securities and Coupons, if any, appertaining thereto, have been complied with and that such Securities and Coupons, when completed by appropriate insertions, executed and delivered by duly Authorized Officers of the Company to the Trustee for authentication pursuant to this Indenture, and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and issued by the Company in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement thereof may be subject to or limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, arrangement, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors rights generally, and subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a proceeding in equity or at law) and will entitle the Holders thereof to the benefits of this Indenture; such Opinion of Counsel need express no opinion as to the availability of equitable remedies;
(c) all laws and requirements in respect of the execution and delivery by the Company of such Securities and Coupons, if any, have been complied with; and
(d) this Indenture has been qualified under the Trust Indenture Act; and
(5) an Officers Certificate stating that all conditions precedent to the execution, authentication and delivery of such Securities and Coupons, if any, appertaining thereto, have been complied with and that, to the best knowledge of the Persons executing such certificate, no event which is, or after notice or lapse of time would become, an Event of Default with respect to any of the Securities shall have occurred and be continuing.
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If all the Securities of any series are not to be issued at one time, it shall not be necessary to deliver an Opinion of Counsel and an Officers Certificate at the time of issuance of each Security, but such opinion and certificate, with appropriate modifications, shall be delivered at or before the time of issuance of the first Security of such series. After any such first delivery, any separate written request by an Authorized Officer of the Company or any person designated in writing by an Authorized Officer that the Trustee authenticate and deliver Securities of such series for original issue will be deemed to be a certification by the Company that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture relating to authentication and delivery of such Securities continue to have been complied with.
The Trustee shall not be required to authenticate or to cause an Authenticating Agent to authenticate any Securities if the issue of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustees own rights, duties or immunities under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner which is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee or if the Trustee, being advised by counsel, determines that such action may not lawfully be taken.
Each Registered Security shall be dated the date of its authentication. Each Bearer Security and any Bearer Security in global form shall be dated as of the date specified in or pursuant to this Indenture.
No Security or Coupon appertaining thereto shall be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless there appears on such Security a certificate of authentication substantially in the form provided for in Section 2.2 or Section 6.12 executed by or on behalf of the Trustee or by the Authenticating Agent by the manual signature of one of its authorized officers. Such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder. Except as permitted by Section 3.6 or Section 3.7, the Trustee shall not authenticate and deliver any Bearer Security unless all Coupons appertaining thereto then matured have been detached and cancelled.
Section 3.4 | Temporary Securities. |
Pending the preparation of definitive Securities, the Company may execute and deliver to the Trustee and, upon Company Order, the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in the manner provided in Section 3.3, temporary Securities in lieu thereof which are printed, lithographed, typewritten, mimeographed or otherwise produced, in any authorized denomination, substantially of the tenor of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, in registered form or, if authorized in or pursuant to this Indenture, in bearer form with one or more Coupons or without Coupons and with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers of the Company executing such Securities may determine, as conclusively evidenced by their execution of such Securities. Such temporary Securities may be in global form.
Except in the case of temporary Securities in global form, which shall be exchanged in accordance with the provisions thereof, if temporary Securities are issued, the Company shall cause definitive Securities to be prepared without unreasonable delay. After the preparation of definitive Securities of the same series and containing terms and provisions that
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are identical to those of any temporary Securities, such temporary Securities shall be exchangeable for such definitive Securities upon surrender of such temporary Securities at an Office or Agency for such Securities, without charge to any Holder thereof. Upon surrender for cancellation of any one or more temporary Securities (accompanied by any unmatured Coupons appertaining thereto), the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a like principal amount of definitive Securities of authorized denominations of the same series and containing identical terms and provisions; provided, however, that no definitive Bearer Security, except as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, shall be delivered in exchange for a temporary Registered Security; and provided, further, that a definitive Bearer Security shall be delivered in exchange for a temporary Bearer Security only in compliance with the conditions set forth in or pursuant to this Indenture. Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture with respect to a temporary global Security, until so exchanged the temporary Securities of any series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such series.
Section 3.5 | Registration, Transfer and Exchange. |
With respect to the Registered Securities of each series, if any, the Company shall cause to be kept a register (each such register being herein sometimes referred to as the Security Register) at an Office or Agency for such series in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration of the Registered Securities of such series and of transfers of the Registered Securities of such series. Such Office or Agency shall be the Security Registrar for that series of Securities. Unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities, the Trustee shall be the initial Security Registrar for each series of Securities. The Company shall have the right to remove and replace from time to time the Security Registrar for any series of Securities; provided that no such removal or replacement shall be effective until a successor Security Registrar with respect to such series of Securities shall have been appointed by the Company and shall have accepted such appointment by the Company. In the event that the Trustee shall not be or shall cease to be Security Registrar with respect to a series of Securities, it shall have the right to examine the Security Register for such series at all reasonable times. There shall be only one Security Register for each series of Securities.
Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Registered Security of any series at any Office or Agency for such series, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more new Registered Securities of the same series denominated as authorized in or pursuant to this Indenture, of a like aggregate principal amount bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding and containing identical terms and provisions.
At the option of the Holder, Registered Securities of any series may be exchanged for other Registered Securities of the same series containing identical terms and provisions, in any authorized denominations, and of a like aggregate principal amount, upon surrender of the Securities to be exchanged at any Office or Agency for such series.
If provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, with respect to Securities of any series, at the option of the Holder, Bearer Securities of such series may be exchanged for
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Registered Securities of such series containing identical terms, denominated as authorized in or pursuant to this Indenture and in the same aggregate principal amount, upon surrender of the Bearer Securities to be exchanged at any Office or Agency for such series, with all unmatured Coupons and all matured Coupons in default thereto appertaining. If the Holder of a Bearer Security is unable to produce any such unmatured Coupon or Coupons or matured Coupon or Coupons in default, such exchange may be effected if the Bearer Securities are accompanied by payment in funds acceptable to the Company and the Trustee in an amount equal to the face amount of such missing Coupon or Coupons, or the surrender of such missing Coupon or Coupons may be waived by the Company and the Trustee if there is furnished to them such security or indemnity as they may require to save each of them and any Paying Agent harmless. If thereafter the Holder of such Bearer Security shall surrender to any Paying Agent any such missing Coupon in respect of which such a payment shall have been made, such Holder shall be entitled to receive the amount of such payment; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2, interest represented by Coupons shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of those Coupons at an Office or Agency for such series located outside the United States. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in case a Bearer Security of any series is surrendered at any such Office or Agency for such series in exchange for a Registered Security of such series and like tenor after the close of business at such Office or Agency on (i) any Regular Record Date and before the opening of business at such Office or Agency on the next succeeding Interest Payment Date, or (ii) any Special Record Date and before the opening of business at such Office or Agency on the related date for payment of Defaulted Interest, such Bearer Security shall be surrendered without the Coupon relating to such Interest Payment Date or proposed date of payment, as the case may be (or, if such Coupon is so surrendered with such Bearer Security, such Coupon shall be returned to the Person so surrendering the Bearer Security), and interest or Defaulted Interest, as the case may be, shall not be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, in respect of the Registered Security issued in exchange for such Bearer Security, but shall be payable only to the Holder of such Coupon when due in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.
Whenever any Securities are surrendered for exchange as contemplated by the immediately preceding two paragraphs, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, the Securities which the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, any global Security shall be exchangeable for definitive Securities only if (i) the Depository is at any time unwilling, unable or ineligible to continue as Depository and a successor Depository is not appointed by the Company within 90 days of the date the Company is so informed in writing, (ii) the Company executes and delivers to the Trustee a Company Order to the effect that such global Security shall be so exchangeable, or (iii) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to the Securities. If the beneficial owners of interests in a global Security are entitled to exchange such interests for definitive Securities as the result of an event described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) of the preceding sentence, then without unnecessary delay but in any event not later than the earliest date on which such interests may be so exchanged, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee definitive Securities in such form and denominations as are required by or pursuant to this Indenture, and of the same series, containing identical terms and in aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such global
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Security, executed by the Company. On or after the earliest date on which such interests may be so exchanged, such global Security shall be surrendered from time to time by the U.S. Depository or such other Depository as shall be specified in the Company Order with respect thereto, and in accordance with instructions given to the Trustee and the U.S. Depository or such other Depository, as the case may be (which instructions shall be in writing), as shall be specified in the Company Order with respect thereto to the Trustee, as the Companys agent for such purpose, to be exchanged, in whole or in part, for definitive Securities as described above without charge. The Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery, in exchange for each portion of such surrendered global Security, a like aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of the same series of authorized denominations and of like tenor as the portion of such global Security to be exchanged, which (unless such Securities are not issuable both as Bearer Securities and as Registered Securities, in which case the definitive Securities exchanged for the global Security shall be issuable only in the form in which the Securities are issuable, as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture) shall be in the form of Bearer Securities or Registered Securities, or any combination thereof, as shall be specified by the beneficial owner thereof, but subject to the satisfaction of any certification or other requirements to the issuance of Bearer Securities; provided, however, that no such exchanges may occur during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before any selection of Securities of the same series to be redeemed and ending on the relevant Redemption Date; and provided, further, that (unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture) no Bearer Security delivered in exchange for a portion of a global Security shall be mailed or otherwise delivered to any location in the United States. Promptly following any such exchange in part, such global Security shall be returned by the Trustee to such Depository or the U.S. Depository, as the case may be, or such other Depository or U.S. Depository referred to above in accordance with the instructions of the Company referred to above. If a Registered Security is issued in exchange for any portion of a global Security after the close of business at the Office or Agency for such Security where such exchange occurs on or after (i) any Regular Record Date for such Security and before the opening of business at such Office or Agency on the next succeeding Interest Payment Date, or (ii) any Special Record Date for such Security and before the opening of business at such Office or Agency on the related proposed date for payment of interest or Defaulted Interest, as the case may be, interest shall not be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, in respect of such Registered Security, but shall be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, only to the Person to whom interest in respect of such portion of such global Security shall be payable in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.
All Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities shall be the valid obligations of the Company evidencing the same debt and entitling the Holders thereof to the same benefits under this Indenture as the Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.
Every Registered Security presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange or redemption shall (if so required by the Company or the Security Registrar for such Security) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form reasonably satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar for such Security duly executed by the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing.
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No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange, or redemption of Securities, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge and any other expenses (including fees and expenses of the Trustee) that may be imposed in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 3.4, Section 9.5 or Section 11.7 not involving any transfer.
Except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, the Company shall not be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Securities during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of transmittal of a notice of redemption of Securities of like tenor and the same series under Section 11.3 and ending at the close of business on the day of such transmittal, or (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any Registered Security selected for redemption in whole or in part, except in the case of any Security to be redeemed in part, the portion thereof not to be redeemed, or (iii) to exchange any Bearer Security selected for redemption except, to the extent provided with respect to such Bearer Security, that such Bearer Security may be exchanged for a Registered Security of like tenor and the same series, provided that such Registered Security shall be immediately surrendered for redemption with written instruction for payment consistent with the provisions of this Indenture or (iv) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security which, in accordance with its terms, has been surrendered for repayment at the option of the Holder, except the portion, if any, of such Security not to be so repaid.
Section 3.6 | Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities. |
If any mutilated Security or a Security with a mutilated Coupon appertaining to it is surrendered to the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section 3.6, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same series containing identical terms and of like principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, with Coupons appertaining thereto corresponding to the Coupons, if any, appertaining to the surrendered Security.
If there be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (i) evidence to their reasonable satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security or Coupon, and (ii) such security or indemnity as may be reasonably required by them to save each of them and any agent of either of them harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security or Coupon has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company shall execute and, upon the Companys request the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in exchange for or in lieu of any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security or in exchange for the Security to which a destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains with all appurtenant Coupons not destroyed, lost or stolen, a new Security of the same series containing identical terms and of like principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, with Coupons appertaining thereto corresponding to the Coupons, if any, appertaining to such destroyed, lost or stolen Security or to the Security to which such destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.6, in case any mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security or Coupon has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay such
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Security or Coupon; provided, however, that payment of principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Bearer Securities shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2, be payable only at an Office or Agency for such Securities located outside the United States and, unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, any interest on Bearer Securities and any Additional Amounts with respect to such interest shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of the Coupons appertaining thereto.
Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section 3.6, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.
Every new Security, with any Coupons appertaining thereto issued pursuant to this Section 3.6 in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security, or in exchange for a Security to which a destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains shall constitute a separate obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security and Coupons appertaining thereto or the destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of such series and any Coupons, if any, duly issued hereunder.
The provisions of this Section 3.6, as amended or supplemented pursuant to this Indenture with respect to particular Securities or generally, shall be exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities or Coupons.
Section 3.7 | Payment of Interest and Certain Additional Amounts; Rights to Interest and Certain Additional Amounts Preserved. |
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, any interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to any Registered Security which shall be payable, and are punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered as of the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest.
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, any interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to any Registered Security which shall be payable, but shall not be punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for such Registered Security (herein called Defaulted Interest) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder thereof on the relevant Regular Record Date by virtue of having been such Holder; and such Defaulted Interest may be paid by the Company, at its election in each case, as provided in Clause (1) or (2) below:
(1) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest to the Person in whose name such Registered Security (or a Predecessor Security thereof) shall be registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed by the Company in the following manner. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed
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to be paid on such Registered Security, the Special Record Date therefor and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit on or prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when so deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Person entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this Clause provided. The Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest shall be not more than 15 days and not less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 12 days after notification to the Trustee of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall, in the name and at the expense of the Company, cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor to be delivered to the Holder of such Registered Security (or a Predecessor Security thereof) at his address as it appears in the Security Register not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date. The Trustee may, in its discretion, in the name and at the expense of the Company cause a similar notice to be published at least once in an Authorized Newspaper of general circulation in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, but such publication shall not be a condition precedent to the establishment of such Special Record Date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Registered Security (or a Predecessor Security thereof) shall be registered at the close of business on such Special Record Date and shall no longer be payable pursuant to the following clause (2).
(2) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Security may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this Clause, such payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.
Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities of any particular series pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, at the option of the Company, interest on Registered Securities that bear interest may be paid by mailing a check to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register or by transfer to an account maintained by the payee with a bank located in the United States.
Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section and Section 3.5, each Security delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, which were carried by such other Security.
In the case of any Registered Security of any series that is convertible into shares of Common Stock of the Company or exchangeable for other securities, which Registered Security is converted or exchanged after any Regular Record Date and on or prior to the next succeeding Interest Payment Date (other than any Registered Security with respect to which the Stated Maturity is prior to such Interest Payment Date), interest with respect to which the Stated Maturity is on such Interest Payment Date shall be payable on such Interest Payment Date notwithstanding such conversion or exchange, and such interest (whether or not punctually paid
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or duly provided for) shall be paid to the Person in whose name that Registered Security (or one or more predecessor Registered Securities) is registered at the close of business on such Regular Record Date. Except as otherwise expressly provided in the immediately preceding sentence, in the case of any Registered Security which is converted or exchanged, interest with respect to which the Stated Maturity is after the date of conversion or exchange of such Registered Security shall not be payable.
Section 3.8 | Persons Deemed Owners. |
Prior to due presentment of a Registered Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name such Registered Security is registered in the Security Register as the owner of such Registered Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of, any premium and (subject to Section 3.5 and Section 3.7) interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to such Registered Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not any payment with respect to such Registered Security shall be overdue, and none of the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
The Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the bearer of any Bearer Security or the bearer of any Coupon as the absolute owner of such Security or Coupon for the purpose of receiving payment thereof or on account thereof and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not any payment with respect to such Security or Coupon shall be overdue, and none of the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
No Holder of any beneficial interest in any global Security held on its behalf by a Depository shall have any rights under this Indenture with respect to such global Security, and such Depository may be treated by the Company, the Trustee, and any agent of the Company or the Trustee as the owner of such global Security for all purposes whatsoever. None of the Company, the Trustee, any Paying Agent or the Security Registrar will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests of a global Security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.
Section 3.9 | Cancellation. |
All Securities and Coupons surrendered for payment, redemption, registration of transfer, exchange or conversion or for credit against any sinking fund payment shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Trustee, be delivered to the Trustee, and any such Securities and Coupons, as well as Securities and Coupons surrendered directly to the Trustee for any such purpose, shall be cancelled promptly by the Trustee. The Company may at any time deliver to the Trustee for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated and delivered hereunder which the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever, and all Securities so delivered shall be cancelled promptly by the Trustee. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities cancelled as provided in this Section, except as expressly permitted by or pursuant to this Indenture. All cancelled Securities and Coupons held by the Trustee shall be disposed of by the Trustee in accordance with its normal operating procedures, unless by a Company Order the Company directs their return to it.
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Section 3.10 | Computation of Interest. |
Except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or in any Security, interest on the Securities shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
Section 3.11 | Bearer Securities. |
Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture, any indenture supplemental hereto, any Board Resolution or any Security to the contrary in no event shall any Bearer Securities be issued under this Indenture, or any Securities with Coupons appertaining thereto.
Section 3.12 | CUSIP Numbers. |
The Company in issuing the Securities may use CUSIP numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use CUSIP numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the CUSIP numbers.
Article 4
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE
Section 4.1 | Satisfaction and Discharge. |
Upon the direction of the Company by a Company Order, this Indenture shall cease to be of further effect with respect to any series of Securities specified in such Company Order and any Coupons appertaining thereto, and the Trustee, on receipt of a Company Order, at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such series, when
(1) either
(a) all Securities of such series theretofore authenticated and delivered and all Coupons appertaining thereto (other than (i) Coupons appertaining to Bearer Securities of such series surrendered in exchange for Registered Securities of such series and maturing after such exchange whose surrender is not required or has been waived as provided in Section 3.5, (ii) Securities and Coupons of such series which have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 3.6, (iii) Coupons appertaining to Securities of such series called for redemption and maturing after the relevant Redemption Date whose surrender has been waived as provided in Section 11.7, and (iv) Securities
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and Coupons of such series for whose payment money has theretofore been deposited in trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereafter repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in Section 10.3) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or
(b) all Securities of such series and, in the case of (i) or (ii) below, any Coupons appertaining thereto not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation
(i) have become due and payable, or
(ii) will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year, or
(iii) if redeemable at the option of the Company, are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company,
and the Company, in the case of (i), (ii) or (iii) above, has deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for such purpose, money in the Currency in which such Securities are payable in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, to the date of such deposit (in the case of Securities which have become due and payable) or to the Maturity thereof, as the case may be;
(2) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company with respect to the Outstanding Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto; and
(3) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such series have been complied with.
In the event there are Securities of two or more series hereunder, the Trustee shall be required to execute an instrument acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture only if requested to do so with respect to Securities of such series as to which it is Trustee and if the other conditions thereto are met.
Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture with respect to any series of Securities, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee under Section 6.7 and, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to subclause (b) of clause (1) of this Section, the obligations of the Company and the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series under Section 3.5, Section 3.6, Section 4.3, Section 10.2 and Section 10.3, with respect to the payment of Additional Amounts, if any, with respect to such Securities as contemplated by
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Section 10.4(but only to the extent that the Additional Amounts payable with respect to such Securities exceed the amount deposited in respect of such Additional Amounts pursuant to Section 4.1(b)), and with respect to any rights to convert or exchange such Securities into Common Stock of the Company or other securities shall survive such satisfaction and discharge.
Section 4.2 | Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance. |
(1) Unless pursuant to Section 3.1, either or both of (i) defeasance of the Securities of or within a series under clause (2) of this Section 4.2 shall not be applicable with respect to the Securities of such series or (ii) covenant defeasance of the Securities of or within a series under clause (3) of this Section 4.2 shall not be applicable with respect to the Securities of such series, then such provisions, together with the other provisions of this Section 4.2 (with such modifications thereto as may be specified pursuant to Section 3.1 with respect to any Securities), shall be applicable to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, and the Company may at its option by Board Resolution, at any time, with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, elect to have Section 4.2(2) or Section 4.2(3) be applied to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Section 4.2.
(2) Upon the Companys exercise of the above option applicable to this Section 4.2(2) with respect to any Securities of or within a series, the Company shall be deemed to have been discharged from its obligations with respect to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto on the date the conditions set forth in clause (4) of this Section 4.2 are satisfied (hereinafter, defeasance). For this purpose, such defeasance means that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, which shall thereafter be deemed to be Outstanding only for the purposes of clause (5) of this Section 4.2 and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) below, and to have satisfied all of its other obligations under such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto and this Indenture insofar as such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto are concerned (and the Trustee, at the request and expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except for the following which shall survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder: (i) the rights of Holders of such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto to receive, solely from the trust fund described in clause (4) of this Section 4.2 and as more fully set forth in such clause, payments in respect of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on, and Additional Amounts, if any, with respect to, such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto when such payments are due, and any rights of such Holder to convert such Securities into Common Stock of the Company or exchange such Securities for other securities, (ii) the obligations of the Company and the Trustee with respect to such Securities under Section 3.5, Section 3.6, Section 10.2 and Section 10.3 and with respect to the payment of Additional Amounts, if any, on such Securities as contemplated by Section 10.4 (but only to the extent that the Additional Amounts payable with respect to such Securities exceed the amount deposited in respect of such Additional Amounts pursuant to Section 4.2(a) below), and with respect to any rights to convert such Securities into Common Stock of
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the Company or exchange such Securities for other securities, (iii) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and (iv) this Section 4.2 The Company may exercise its option under this Section 4.2(2) notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under clause (3) of this Section 4.2 with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto.
(3) Upon the Companys exercise of the option to have this Section 4.2(3) apply with respect to any Securities of or within a series, the Company shall be released from its obligations under any covenant applicable to such Securities specified pursuant to Section 3.1(21), with respect to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto on and after the date the conditions set forth in clause (4) of this Section 4.2 are satisfied (hereinafter, covenant defeasance), and such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto shall thereafter be deemed to be not Outstanding for the purposes of any direction, waiver, consent or declaration or Act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with any such covenant, but shall continue to be deemed Outstanding for all other purposes hereunder. For this purpose, such covenant defeasance means that, with respect to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, the Company may omit to comply with, and shall have no liability in respect of, any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such Section or such other covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such Section or such other covenant or by reason of reference in any such Section or such other covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply shall not constitute a default or an Event of Default under Section 5.1(4) or Section 5.1(9) or otherwise, as the case may be, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Securities and Coupons appertaining thereto shall be unaffected thereby.
(4) The following shall be the conditions to application of clause (2) or (3) of this Section 4.2 to any Outstanding Securities of or within a series and any Coupons appertaining thereto:
(a) The Company shall irrevocably have deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or another trustee satisfying the requirements of Section 6.8 who shall agree to comply with the provisions of this Section 4.2 applicable to it) as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, (1) an amount in Dollars or in such Foreign Currency in which such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto are then specified as payable at Stated Maturity, or (2) Government Obligations applicable to such Securities and Coupons appertaining thereto (determined on the basis of the Currency in which such Securities and Coupons appertaining thereto are then specified as payable at Stated Maturity) which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in accordance with their terms will provide, not later than one day before the due date of any payment of principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, money in an amount, or (3) a combination thereof, in any case, in an amount, sufficient,
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without consideration of any reinvestment of such principal and interest, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of Independent Public Accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge, and which shall be applied by the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee) to pay and discharge, (y) the principal of (and premium, if any), interest, if any, on, and Additional Amounts, if any, related to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto at the Stated Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or premium, interest or Additional Amounts and (z) any mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments applicable to such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto on the days on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto.
(b) Such defeasance or covenant defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound.
(c) No Event of Default or event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit and, with respect to defeasance only, at any time during the period ending on the 123rd day after the date of such deposit (it being understood that this condition shall not be deemed satisfied until the expiration of such period).
(d) In the case of an election under clause (2) of this Section 4.2, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel stating that (i) the Company has received from the Internal Revenue Service a letter ruling, or there has been published by the Internal Revenue Service a Revenue Ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the Holders of such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such defeasance had not occurred.
(e) In the case of an election under clause (3) of this Section 4.2, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the Holders of such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such covenant defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such covenant defeasance had not occurred.
(f) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that, after the 123rd day after the date of deposit, all money and Government Obligations (or other property as may be provided pursuant to
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Section 3.1) (including the proceeds thereof) deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee) pursuant to this clause (4) to be held in trust will not be subject to any case or proceeding (whether voluntary or involuntary) in respect of the Company under any Federal or State bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law, or any decree or order for relief in respect of the Company issued in connection therewith.
(g) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent to the defeasance or covenant defeasance under clause (2) or (3) of this Section 4.2 (as the case may be) have been complied with.
(h) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section 4.2(4), such defeasance or covenant defeasance shall be effected in compliance with any additional or substitute terms, conditions or limitations which may be imposed on the Company in connection therewith pursuant to Section 3.1.
(5) Unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Security, if, after a deposit referred to in
Section 4.2(4)(a) has been made, (a) the Holder of a Security in respect of which such deposit was made is entitled to, and does, elect pursuant to Section 3.1 or the terms of such Security to receive payment in a Currency other than
that in which the deposit pursuant to Section 4.2(4)(a) has been made in respect of such Security, or (b) a Conversion Event occurs in respect of the Foreign Currency in which the deposit pursuant to Section 4.2(4)(a) has been made,
the indebtedness represented by such Security and any Coupons appertaining thereto shall be deemed to have been, and will be, fully discharged and satisfied through the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any), and interest, if any, on, and
Additional Amounts, if any, with respect to, such Security as the same becomes due out of the proceeds yielded by converting (from time to time as specified below in the case of any such election) the amount or other property deposited in respect of
such Security into the Currency in which such Security becomes payable as a result of such election or Conversion Event based on (x) in the case of payments made pursuant to clause (a) above, the applicable market exchange rate for such
Currency in effect on the second Business Day prior to each payment date, or (y) with respect to a Conversion Event, the applicable market exchange rate for such Foreign Currency in effect (as nearly as feasible) at the time of the Conversion
Event.
The Company shall pay and indemnify the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this
Section 4.2(5) and Section 4.3, the Trustee) against any tax, fee or other charge, imposed on or assessed against the Government Obligations deposited pursuant to this Section 4.2 or the principal or interest
received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of such Outstanding Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto.
Anything in this Section 4.2 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Request any money or Government Obligations (or other property and any proceeds therefrom) held by it as provided in
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clause (4) of this Section 4.2 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of Independent Public Accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are in excess of the amount thereof which would then be required to be deposited to effect a defeasance or covenant defeasance, as applicable, in accordance with this Section 4.2.
Section 4.3 | Application of Trust Money. |
Subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 10.3, all money and Government Obligations (or other property as may be provided pursuant to Section 3.1) (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 4.1 or Section 4.2 in respect of any Outstanding Securities of any series and any Coupons appertaining thereto shall be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal (and premium, if any) and interest and Additional Amounts, if any; but such money and Government Obligations need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.
Article 5
REMEDIES
Section 5.1 | Events of Default. |
Event of Default, wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any series, means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such Event of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body), unless such event is specifically deleted or modified in or pursuant to the supplemental indenture, Board Resolution or Officers Certificate establishing the terms of such Series pursuant to this Indenture:
(1) default in the payment of any interest on any Security of such series, or any Additional Amounts payable with respect thereto, when such interest becomes or such Additional Amounts become due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days; or
(2) default in the payment of the principal of or any premium on any Security of such series, or any Additional Amounts payable with respect thereto, when such principal or premium becomes or such Additional Amounts become due and payable at their Maturity; or
(3) default in the deposit of any sinking fund payment when and as due by the terms of a Security of such series; or
(4) default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or warranty of the Company in this Indenture or the Securities (other than a covenant or warranty a default in the performance or the breach of which is elsewhere in this Section specifically dealt
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with or which has been expressly included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of a series of Securities other than such series), and continuance of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a Notice of Default hereunder; or
(5) if any event of default as defined in any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued, or by which there may be secured or evidenced, any Indebtedness of the Company (including an Event of Default under any other series of Securities), whether such Indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created or incurred, shall happen and shall consist of default in the payment of more than $50,000,000 in principal amount of such Indebtedness at the maturity thereof (after giving effect to any applicable grace period) or shall result in such Indebtedness in principal amount in excess of $50,000,000 becoming or being declared due and payable prior to the date on which it would otherwise become due and payable, and such default shall not be cured or such acceleration shall not be rescinded or annulled within a period of 30 days after there shall have been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, a written notice specifying such event of default and requiring the Company to cause such default to be cured or to cause such acceleration to be rescinded or annulled or to cause such Indebtedness to be discharged and stating that such notice is a Notice of Default hereunder; or
(6) the Company shall fail within 60 days to pay, bond or otherwise discharge any uninsured judgment or court order for the payment of money in excess of $50,000,000, which is not stayed on appeal or is not otherwise being appropriately contested in good faith; or
(7) the entry by a court having competent jurisdiction of:
(a) a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company in an involuntary proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization (other than a reorganization under a foreign law that does not relate to insolvency), rehabilitation or other similar law and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive days; or
(b) a decree or order adjudging the Company to be insolvent, or approving a petition seeking reorganization (other than a reorganization under a foreign law that does not relate to insolvency), arrangement, adjustment, rehabilitation or composition of the Company and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive days; or
(c) a final and non-appealable order appointing a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, rehabilitator or other similar official of the Company or of any substantial part of the property of the Company or ordering the winding up or liquidation of the affairs of the Company; or
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(8) the commencement by the Company of a voluntary proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization (other than a reorganization under a foreign law that does not relate to insolvency), rehabilitation or other similar law or of a voluntary proceeding seeking to be adjudicated insolvent or the consent by the Company to the entry of a decree or order for relief in an involuntary proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law or to the commencement of any insolvency proceedings against it, or the filing by the Company of a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, rehabilitation or composition of the Company or relief under any applicable law, or the consent by the Company to the filing of such petition or to the appointment of or taking possession by a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, rehabilitator or similar official of the Company or any substantial part of the property of the Company or the making by the Company of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the taking of corporate action by the Company in furtherance of any such action; or
(9) any other Event of Default provided in or pursuant to this Indenture with respect to Securities of such series.
Section 5.2 | Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment. |
If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any series at the time Outstanding (other than an Event of Default specified in clause (7) or (8) of Section 5.1) occurs and is continuing, then the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series may declare the principal of all the Securities of such series, or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the Securities of such series, to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by the Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal or such lesser amount shall become immediately due and payable.
If an Event of Default specified in clause (7) or (8) of Section 5.1 occurs, all unpaid principal of and accrued interest on the Outstanding Securities of that series (or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the Securities of such series) shall ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder of any Security of that series.
At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to the Securities of any series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if
(1) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum of money sufficient to pay
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(a) all overdue installments of any interest on and Additional Amounts with respect to all Securities of such series and any Coupon appertaining thereto,
(b) the principal of and any premium on any Securities of such series which have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and interest thereon and any Additional Amounts with respect thereto at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities,
(c) to the extent that payment of such interest or Additional Amounts is lawful, interest upon overdue installments of any interest and Additional Amounts at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities, and
(d) all sums paid or advanced by the Trustee hereunder and the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Trustee under Section 6.7; and
(2) all Events of Default with respect to Securities of such series, other than the non-payment of the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to Securities of such series which shall have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, shall have been cured or waived as provided in Section 5.13.
No such rescission shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 5.3 | Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee. |
The Company covenants that if:
(1) default is made in the payment of any installment of interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Security or any Coupon appertaining thereto when such interest or Additional Amounts shall have become due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days, or
(2) default is made in the payment of the principal of or any premium on any Security or any Additional Amounts with respect thereto at their Maturity,
the Company shall, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, the whole amount of money then due and payable with respect to such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, with interest upon the overdue principal, any premium and, to the extent that payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable, upon any overdue installments of interest and Additional Amounts at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities, and, in addition thereto, such further amount of money as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel and all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.7.
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If the Company fails to pay the money it is required to pay the Trustee pursuant to the preceding paragraph forthwith upon the demand of the Trustee, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the money so due and unpaid, and may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto and collect the monies adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto, wherever situated.
If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem necessary to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or such Securities or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein or therein, or to enforce any other proper remedy.
Section 5.4 | Trustee May File Proofs of Claim. |
In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities of any series or the property of the Company or such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of any overdue principal, premium, interest or Additional Amounts) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise,
(1) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount, or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the Securities of any applicable series, of the principal and any premium, interest and Additional Amounts owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and any Coupons appertaining thereto and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders of Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto allowed in such judicial proceeding, and
(2) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder of Securities or any Coupons to make such payments to the Trustee and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders of Securities or any Coupons, to pay to the Trustee any amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 6.7.
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Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder of a Security or any Coupon any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or Coupons or the rights of any Holder thereof, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder of a Security or any Coupon in any such proceeding.
Section 5.5 | Trustee May Enforce Claims without Possession of Securities or Coupons. |
All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or any of the Securities or Coupons may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities or Coupons or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery or judgment, after provision for the payment of the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, shall be for the ratable benefit of each and every Holder of the Securities or Coupons in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.
Section 5.6 | Application of Money Collected. |
Any money collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money on account of principal, or any premium, interest or Additional Amounts, upon presentation of the Securities or Coupons, or both, as the case may be, and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
FIRST: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee, its agents and any predecessor Trustee under Section 6.7;
SECOND: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon the Securities and any Coupons for principal and any premium, interest and Additional Amounts in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the aggregate amounts due and payable on such Securities and Coupons for principal and any premium, interest and Additional Amounts, respectively;
THIRD: The balance, if any, to the Company or as a court of competent jurisdiction shall direct.
Section 5.7 | Limitations on Suits. |
No Holder of any Security of any series or any Coupons appertaining thereto shall have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless
(1) such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such series;
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(2) the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;
(3) such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee such indemnity as is reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with such request;
(4) the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and
(5) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series;
it being understood and intended that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture or any Security to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other such Holders or Holders of Securities of any other series, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all such Holders.
Section 5.8 | Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and any Premium, Interest and Additional Amounts. |
Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security or Coupon shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of, any premium and (subject to Section 3.5 and Section 3.7) interest on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to such Security or payment of such Coupon, as the case may be, on the respective Stated Maturity or Maturities therefor specified in such Security or Coupon (or, in the case of redemption, on the Redemption Date or, in the case of repayment at the option of such Holder if provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, on the date such repayment is due) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such right shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.
Section 5.9 | Restoration of Rights and Remedies. |
If the Trustee or any Holder of a Security or a Coupon has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case the Company, the Trustee and each such Holder shall, subject to any determination in such proceeding, be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder, and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and each such Holder shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.
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Section 5.10 | Rights and Remedies Cumulative. |
Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities or Coupons in the last paragraph of Section 3.6, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to each and every Holder of a Security or a Coupon is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy, to the extent permitted by law, shall be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not, to the extent permitted by law, prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.
Section 5.11 | Delay or Omission Not Waiver. |
No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Security or Coupon to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to any Holder of a Security or a Coupon may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by such Holder, as the case may be.
Section 5.12 | Control by Holders of Securities. |
The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto, provided that
(1) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture or with the Securities of such series,
(2) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction, and
(3) such direction is not unduly prejudicial to the rights of the other Holders of Securities of such series not joining in such action (it being understood that the Trustee does not have a duty to ascertain whether or not such actions are unduly prejudicial to such Holders).
Section 5.13 | Waiver of Past Defaults. |
The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto may waive any past default hereunder with respect to such series and its consequences, except a default
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(1) in the payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to, any Security of such series or any Coupons appertaining thereto, or
(2) in respect of a covenant or provision hereof which under Article 9 cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of such series affected.
Upon any such waiver, such default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 5.14 | Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws. |
The Company covenants that (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) it will not at any time insist upon, or plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any usury, stay or extension law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and the Company expressly waives (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted.
Section 5.15 | Undertaking for Costs. |
All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Security by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of any undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section 5.15 shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of Outstanding Securities of any series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on or Additional Amounts, if any, with respect to any Security on or after the respective Stated Maturities expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the Redemption Date, and, in the case of repayment, on or after the date for repayment) or for the enforcement of the right, if any, to convert or exchange any Security into Common Stock or other securities in accordance with its terms.
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Article 6
THE TRUSTEE
Section 6.1 | Certain Duties and Responsibilities. |
(a) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default,
(1) the Trustee undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and
(2) in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they substantially conform to the requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein).
(b) In case an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
(c) No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that
(1) this Subsection shall not be construed to limit the effect of Subsection (a) of this Section;
(2) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
(3) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, determined as provided in Sections 1.1, 1.4 and 5.12, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such series; and
(4) no provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
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(d) Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of this Section.
Section 6.2 | Certain Rights of Trustee. |
Subject to Sections 315(a) through 315(d) of the Trust Indenture Act:
(1) the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, coupon or other paper or document reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;
(2) any request or direction of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Company Request or a Company Order (in each case, other than delivery of any Security, together with any Coupons appertaining thereto, to the Trustee for authentication and delivery pursuant to Section 3.3 which shall be sufficiently evidenced as provided therein except in the case of an exchange) and any resolution of the Board of Directors may be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution;
(3) whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee (unless other evidence shall be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, conclusively rely upon an Officers Certificate;
(4) the Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon;
(5) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by or pursuant to this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders of Securities of any series or any Coupons appertaining thereto pursuant to this Indenture, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee such security or indemnity as is reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction;
(6) the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, coupon or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may, but shall not be obligated to make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to
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examine, during business hours and upon reasonable notice, the books, records and premises of the Company, personally or by agent or attorney at the expense of the Company and shall incur no liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation;
(7) the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;
(8) the Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;
(9) the rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder;
(10) the Trustee may request that the Company deliver an Officers Certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture, which Officers Certificate may be signed by any person authorized to sign an Officers Certificate, including any person specified as so authorized in any such certificate previously delivered and not superseded;
(11) in no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, indirect, punitive or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action; and
(12) the Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is received by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Securities and this Indenture.
Section 6.3 | Notice of Defaults. |
Within 90 days after receipt of written notice of any default hereunder with respect to the Securities of any series, the Trustee shall transmit to all Holders of Securities of such series entitled to receive reports pursuant to Section 7.3(3), notice of such default, unless such default shall have been cured or waived; provided, however, that the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a trust committee of directors and/or Responsible Officers of the Trustee in good faith determine that the withholding of such notice is in the best interest of the Holders of Securities and Coupons of such series; and provided, further, that in the case of any default of the character specified in Section 5.1(5) with respect to Securities of such series, no such notice to Holders shall be given until at least 30 days after the occurrence thereof. For the purpose of this Section, the term default means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default with respect to Securities of such series.
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Section 6.4 | Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities. |
The recitals contained herein and in the Securities, except the Trustees certificate of authentication, and in any Coupons shall be taken as the statements of the Company and neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent assumes any responsibility for their correctness. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities or the Coupons, except that the Trustee represents that it is duly authorized to execute and deliver this Indenture, authenticate the Securities and perform its obligations hereunder and that the statements made by it in a Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 supplied to the Company are true and accurate, subject to the qualifications set forth therein. Neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent shall be accountable for the use or application by the Company of the Securities or the proceeds thereof.
Section 6.5 | May Hold Securities. |
The Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any Paying Agent, any Security Registrar or any other Person that may be an agent of the Trustee or the Company, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities or Coupons and, subject to Sections 310(b) and 311 of the Trust Indenture Act, may otherwise deal with the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not the Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agent, Security Registrar or such other Person.
Section 6.6 | Money Held in Trust. |
Except as provided in Section 4.3 and Section 10.3, money held by the Trustee in trust hereunder need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law and shall be held uninvested. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed to in writing with the Company.
Section 6.7 | Compensation and Reimbursement. |
The Company agrees:
(1) to pay to the Trustee from time to time such compensation as the Company and the Trustee shall from time to time agree in writing for all services rendered by the Trustee hereunder (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust);
(2) except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture or arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as shall be determined in a court of competent jurisdiction to have been caused by the Trustees negligence or willful misconduct; and
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(3) to indemnify the Trustee and its agents, officers, directors and employees for, and to hold them harmless against, any loss, damage, claims, liability or expense including taxes (other than taxes based upon, measured or determined by the income of the Trustee), incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on their part, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder, including the costs and expenses of defending themselves against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of their powers or duties hereunder, except to the extent that any such loss, damage, claims, liability or expense shall be determined in a court of competent jurisdiction to have been caused by the Trustees negligence or willful misconduct.
As security for the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities of any series upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the payment of principal of, and premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to Securities or any Coupons appertaining thereto.
To the extent permitted by law, any compensation or expense incurred by the Trustee after a default specified in or pursuant to Section 5.1 is intended to constitute an expense of administration under any then applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law. Trustee for purposes of this Section 6.7 shall include any predecessor Trustee but the negligence or willful misconduct of any Trustee shall not affect the rights of any other Trustee under this Section 6.7.
The provisions of this Section 6.7 shall survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or the earlier resignation or removal of the Trustee and shall apply with equal force and effect to the Trustee in its capacity as Authenticating Agent, Paying Agent or Security Registrar.
Section 6.8 | Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility. |
There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder that is a Corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, that is eligible under Section 310(a)(1) of the Trust Indenture Act to act as trustee under an indenture qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and that has a combined capital and surplus (computed in accordance with Section 310(a)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act) of at least $50,000,000, and that is subject to supervision or examination by Federal or state authority. If at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect hereinafter specified in this Article.
Section 6.9 | Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor. |
(1) No resignation or removal of the Trustee and no appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to this Article shall become effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee pursuant to Section 6.10.
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(2) The Trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Securities of one or more series by giving 30 days prior written notice thereof to the Company. If the instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee required by Section 6.10 shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 30 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may, at the expense of the Company, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to such series.
(3) The Trustee may be removed at any time with respect to the Securities of any series with 30 days prior written notice by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, delivered to the Trustee and the Company. If the instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee required by Section 6.10 shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 30 days after the giving of such notice of removal, the removed Trustee may, at the expense of the Company, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to such series
(4) If at any time:
(a) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the obligations imposed upon it under Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to Securities of any series after written request therefor by the Company or any Holder of a Security of such series who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such series for at least six months, or
(b) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible under Section 6.8 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or any such Holder, or
(c) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,
then, in any such case, (i) the Company, by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, may remove the Trustee with respect to all Securities or the Securities of such series, or (ii) subject to Section 315(e) of the Trust Indenture Act, any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such series for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee with respect to all Securities of such series and the appointment of a successor Trustee or Trustees.
(5) If the Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of acting, or if a vacancy shall occur in the office of Trustee for any cause, with respect to the Securities of one or more series, the Company, by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee or Trustees with respect to the Securities of such series (it being understood that any such successor Trustee may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more or all of such series and that at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular series) and shall comply with the
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applicable requirements of Section 6.10. If, within one year after such resignation, removal or incapacity, or the occurrence of such vacancy, a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series shall be appointed by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series delivered to the Company and the retiring Trustee, the successor Trustee so appointed shall, forthwith upon its acceptance of such appointment in accordance with the applicable requirements of Section 6.10, become the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series and to that extent supersede the successor Trustee appointed by the Company. If no successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series shall have been so appointed by the Company or the Holders of Securities and accepted appointment in the manner required by Section 6.10, any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such series for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series.
(6) The Company shall give notice of each resignation and each removal of the Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series and each appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series by delivering written notice of such event to the Holders of Registered Securities, if any, of such series and, if Securities of such series are issued as Bearer Securities, by publishing notice of such event once in an Authorized Newspaper in each Place of Payment located outside the United States. Each notice shall include the name of the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series and the address of its Corporate Trust Office.
(7) In no event shall any retiring Trustee be liable for the acts or omissions of any successor Trustee hereunder.
Section 6.10 | Acceptance of Appointment by Successor. |
(1) Upon the appointment hereunder of any successor Trustee with respect to all Securities, such successor Trustee so appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties hereunder of the retiring Trustee; but, on the request of the Company or such successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee, upon payment of its charges, shall execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights, powers and trusts of the retiring Trustee and, subject to Section 10.3, shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder, subject nevertheless to its claim, if any, provided for in Section 6.7.
(2) Upon the appointment hereunder of any successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) series, the Company, the retiring Trustee and such successor Trustee shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto wherein each successor Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (1) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and
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to vest in, such successor Trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates, (2) if the retiring Trustee is not retiring with respect to all Securities, shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee, and (3) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust, that each such Trustee shall be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee and that no Trustee shall be responsible for any notice given to, or received by, or any act or failure to act on the part of any other Trustee hereunder, and, upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein, such retiring Trustee shall have no further responsibility for the exercise of rights and powers or for the performance of the duties and obligations vested in the Trustee under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates other than as hereinafter expressly set forth, and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or such successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee, upon payment of its charges with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates and subject to Section 10.3 shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee, to the extent contemplated by such supplemental indenture, the property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates, subject to its claim, if any, provided for in Section 6.7.
(3) Upon request of any Person appointed hereunder as a successor Trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor Trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph (1) or (2) of this Section, as the case may be.
(4) No Person shall accept its appointment hereunder as a successor Trustee unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Person shall be qualified and eligible under this Article.
Section 6.11 | Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business. |
Any Corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any Corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any Corporation acquiring all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of
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any of the parties hereto. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated but not delivered by the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation to such authenticating Trustee may adopt such authentication and deliver the Securities so authenticated with the same effect as if such successor Trustee had itself authenticated such Securities.
Section 6.12 | Appointment of Authenticating Agent. |
The Trustee may appoint one or more Authenticating Agents acceptable to the Company with respect to one or more series of Securities which shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of that or those series issued upon original issue, exchange, registration of transfer, partial redemption or partial repayment or pursuant to Section 3.6, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. Wherever reference is made in this Indenture to the authentication and delivery of Securities by the Trustee or the Trustees certificate of authentication, such reference shall be deemed to include authentication and delivery on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent and a certificate of authentication executed on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent.
Each Authenticating Agent must be acceptable to the Company and, except as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, shall at all times be a corporation that would be permitted by the Trust Indenture Act to act as trustee under an indenture qualified under the Trust Indenture Act, is authorized under applicable law and by its charter to act as an Authenticating Agent and has a combined capital and surplus (computed in accordance with Section 310(a)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act) of at least $50,000,000. If at any time an Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in this Section.
Any Corporation into which an Authenticating Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any Corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which such Authenticating Agent shall be a party, or any Corporation succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate agency or corporate trust business of an Authenticating Agent, shall be the successor of such Authenticating Agent hereunder, provided such Corporation shall be otherwise eligible under this Section, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent.
An Authenticating Agent may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the Trustee and the Company. The Trustee may at any time terminate the agency of an Authenticating Agent by giving written notice thereof to such Authenticating Agent and the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time such Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee may appoint a successor Authenticating Agent which shall be acceptable to the Company and shall (i) transmit written notice of such appointment to all Holders of Registered Securities, if any, of the series with respect to which such Authenticating Agent shall serve, and (ii) if Securities of the series are issued as Bearer Securities, publish notice of such appointment at least once in an Authorized Newspaper in the place where such successor Authenticating Agent has its principal office if such office is located outside the
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United States. Any successor Authenticating Agent, upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder, shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as an Authenticating Agent. No successor Authenticating Agent shall be appointed unless eligible under the provisions of this Section.
The Company agrees to pay each Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation for its services under this Section. If the Trustee makes such payments, it shall be entitled to be reimbursed for such payments, subject to the provisions of Section 6.7.
The provisions of Section 3.8, Section 6.4 and Section 6.5 shall be applicable to each Authenticating Agent.
If an Authenticating Agent is appointed with respect to one or more series of Securities pursuant to this Section, the Securities of such series may have endorsed thereon, in addition to or in lieu of the Trustees certificate of authentication, an alternate certificate of authentication in substantially the following form:
This is one of the Securities of the series designated herein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee | ||
By: |
| |
as Authenticating Agent | ||
By: |
| |
Authorized Signatory | ||
Dated: |
If all of the Securities of any series may not be originally issued at one time, and if the Trustee does not have an office capable of authenticating Securities upon original issuance located in a Place of Payment where the Company wishes to have Securities of such series authenticated upon original issuance, the Trustee, if so requested in writing (which writing need not be accompanied by or contained in an Officers Certificate by the Company), shall appoint in accordance with this Section an Authenticating Agent having an office in a Place of Payment designated by the Company with respect to such series of Securities.
Article 7
HOLDERS LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY
Section 7.1 | Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders. |
In accordance with Section 312(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Company shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee
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(1) semi-annually with respect to Securities of each series not later than May 1 and November 1 of the year or upon such other dates as are set forth in or pursuant to the Board Resolution or indenture supplemental hereto authorizing such series, a list, in each case in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of Holders as of the applicable date, and
(2) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished,
provided, however, that so long as the Trustee is the Security Registrar no such list shall be required to be furnished.
Section 7.2 | Preservation of Information; Communications to Holders. |
The Trustee shall comply with the obligations imposed upon it pursuant to Section 312 of the Trust Indenture Act.
Every Holder of Securities or Coupons, by receiving and holding the same, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that none of the Company, the Trustee, any Paying Agent or any Security Registrar shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any such information as to the names and addresses of the Holders of Securities in accordance with Section 312(c) of the Trust Indenture Act, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 7.3 | Reports by Trustee. |
(1) Within 60 days after September 15 of each year commencing with the first September 15 following the first issuance of Securities pursuant to Section 3.1, if required by Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee shall transmit, pursuant to Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act, a brief report dated as of such September 15 with respect to any of the events specified in said Section 313(a) which may have occurred since the later of the immediately preceding September 15 and the date of this Indenture.
(2) The Trustee shall transmit the reports required by Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act at the times specified therein.
(3) Reports pursuant to this Section shall be transmitted in the manner and to the Persons required by Sections 313(c) and 313(d) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 7.4 | Reports by Company. |
The Company, pursuant to Section 314(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, shall:
(1) file with the Trustee, within 15 days after the Company is required to file the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information,
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documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) which the Company may be required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; or, if the Company is not required to file information, documents or reports pursuant to either of said Sections, then it shall file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such of the supplementary and periodic information, documents and reports which may be required pursuant to Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in respect of a security listed and registered on a national securities exchange as may be prescribed from time to time in such rules and regulations;
(2) file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such additional information, documents and reports with respect to compliance by the Company, with the conditions and covenants of this Indenture as may be required from time to time by such rules and regulations; and
(3) transmit within 30 days after the filing thereof with the Trustee, in the manner and to the extent provided in Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act, such summaries of any information, documents and reports required to be filed by the Company pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Section as may be required by rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission.
(4) Delivery of such reports, information and documents to the Trustee is for informational purposes only and the Trustees receipt of such shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Companys compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officers Certificates).
Article 8
CONSOLIDATION, AMALGAMATIONS, MERGER AND SALES
Section 8.1 | Company May Consolidate, Etc., Only on Certain Terms. |
The Company shall not consolidate or amalgamate with or merge into any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company), or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company), and the Company shall not permit any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company) to consolidate or amalgamate with or merge into the Company or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to the Company; unless:
(1) in case the Company shall consolidate or amalgamate with or merge into another Person or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to any Person, the Person formed by such consolidation or
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amalgamation or into which the Company is merged or the Person which acquires by conveyance or transfer, or which leases, the properties and assets of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety shall be a Person organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or any other country which is on the date of this Indenture a member of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, and shall expressly assume, by an indenture (or indentures, if at such time there is more than one Trustee) supplemental hereto, executed by the successor Person and delivered to the Trustee the due and punctual payment of the principal of, any premium and interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to all the Securities and the performance of every obligation in this Indenture and the Outstanding Securities on the part of the Company to be performed or observed and shall provide for conversion or exchange rights in accordance with the provisions of the Securities of any series that are convertible or exchangeable into Common Stock or other securities;
(2) immediately after giving effect to such transaction and treating any indebtedness which becomes an obligation of the Company or a Subsidiary as a result of such transaction as having been incurred by the Company or such Subsidiary at the time of such transaction, no Event of Default or event which, after notice or lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing; and
(3) either the Company or the successor Person shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and, if a supplemental indenture is required in connection with such transaction, such supplemental indenture comply with this Article and that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to such transaction have been complied with.
Section 8.2 | Successor Person Substituted for Company. |
Upon any consolidation or amalgamation by the Company with or merger of the Company into any other Person or any conveyance, transfer or lease of the properties and assets of the Company substantially as an entirety to any Person in accordance with Section 8.1, the successor Person formed by such consolidation or amalgamation or into which the Company is merged or to which such conveyance, transfer or lease is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor Person had been named as the Company herein; and thereafter, except in the case of a lease, the predecessor Person shall be released from all obligations and covenants under this Indenture, the Securities and the Coupons.
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Article 9
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
Section 9.1 | Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Holders. |
Without the consent of any Holders of Securities or Coupons, the Company (when authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution) and the Trustee, at any time and from time to time, may enter into one or more indentures supplemental hereto, for any of the following purposes:
(1) to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company, and the assumption by any such successor of the covenants of the Company contained herein and in the Securities; or
(2) to add to the covenants of the Company for the benefit of the Holders of all or any series of Securities (as shall be specified in such supplemental indenture or indentures) or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company; or
(3) to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture to provide that Bearer Securities may be registrable as to principal, to change or eliminate any restrictions on the payment of principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to Securities, to permit Bearer Securities to be issued in exchange for Registered Securities, to permit Bearer Securities to be exchanged for Bearer Securities of other authorized denominations or to permit or facilitate the issuance of Securities in uncertificated form, provided any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Outstanding Securities of any series or any Coupons appertaining thereto in any material respect; or
(4) to establish the form or terms of Securities of any series and any Coupons appertaining thereto as permitted by Section 2.1 and Section 3.1; or
(5) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, pursuant to the requirements of Section 6.10; or
(6) to cure any ambiguity or to correct or supplement any provision herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision herein, or to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Indenture which shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Securities of any series then Outstanding or any Coupons appertaining thereto in any material respect; or
(7) to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of Securities, as herein set forth; or
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(8) to add any additional Events of Default with respect to all or any series of Securities (as shall be specified in such supplemental indenture); or
(9) to supplement any of the provisions of this Indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to permit or facilitate the defeasance and discharge of any series of Securities pursuant to Article 4, provided that any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of any Holder of an Outstanding Security of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto or any other Outstanding Security or Coupon in any material respect; or
(10) to secure the Securities; or
(11) to make provisions with respect to conversion or exchange rights of Holders of Securities of any series; or
(12) to amend or supplement any provision contained herein or in any supplemental indenture, provided that no such amendment or supplement shall materially adversely affect the interests of the Holders of any Securities then Outstanding.
Section 9.2 | Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders. |
With the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of each series affected by such supplemental indenture, by Act of said Holders delivered to the Company and the Trustee, the Company (when authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution) and the Trustee may enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series under this Indenture or of the Securities of such series; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture, without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby, shall
(1) change the Stated Maturity of the principal of, or any premium or installment of interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to, any Security, or reduce the principal amount thereof or the rate (or modify the calculation of such rate) of interest thereon or any Additional Amounts with respect thereto, or any premium payable upon the redemption thereof or otherwise, or change the obligation of the Company to pay Additional Amounts pursuant to Section 10.4 (except as contemplated by Section 8.1(1) and permitted by Section 9.1(1)), or reduce the amount of the principal of an Original Issue Discount Security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.2 or the amount thereof provable in bankruptcy pursuant to Section 5.4, change the redemption provisions or adversely affect the right of repayment at the option of any Holder as contemplated by Article 13, or change the Place of Payment, Currency in which the principal of, any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Security is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after the Stated Maturity thereof (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the Redemption Date or, in the case of repayment at the option of the Holder, on or after the date for repayment), or
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(2) reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, the consent of whose Holders is required for any such supplemental indenture, or the consent of whose Holders is required for any waiver (of compliance with certain provisions of this Indenture or certain defaults hereunder and their consequences) provided for in this Indenture, or reduce the requirements of Section 15.4 for quorum or voting, or
(3) modify any of the provisions of this Indenture relating to the subordination of the Securities in respect thereof in a manner adverse to Holders of Securities, or
(4) modify any of the provisions of this Section, Section 5.13 or Section 10.6, except to increase any such percentage or to provide that certain other provisions of this Indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby, or
(5) make any change that adversely affects the right to convert or exchange any Security into or for Common Stock of the Company or other securities (whether or not issued by the Company), cash or property in accordance with its terms.
A supplemental indenture which changes or eliminates any covenant or other provision of this Indenture which shall have been included expressly and solely for the benefit of one or more particular series of Securities, or which modifies the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series with respect to such covenant or other provision, shall be deemed not to affect the rights under this Indenture of the Holders of Securities of any other series.
It shall not be necessary for any Act of Holders of Securities under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such Act shall approve the substance thereof.
Section 9.3 | Execution of Supplemental Indentures. |
As a condition to executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modifications thereby of the trust created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be provided with, and (subject to Section 315 of the Trust Indenture Act) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel and an Officers Certificate, each stating that the execution of such supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture and that all conditions precedent to the execution of such supplemental indenture have been fulfilled. The Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustees own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
Section 9.4 | Effect of Supplemental Indentures. |
Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture under this Article, this Indenture shall be modified in accordance therewith, and such supplemental indenture shall form
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a part of this Indenture for all purposes; and every Holder of a Security theretofore or thereafter authenticated and delivered hereunder and of any Coupon appertaining thereto shall be bound thereby.
Section 9.5 | Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures. |
Securities of any series authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to this Article may, and shall if required by the Trustee, bear a notation in form approved by the Trustee as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company shall so determine, new Securities of any series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Trustee and the Company, to any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in exchange for Outstanding Securities of such series.
Section 9.6 | Conformity with Trust Indenture Act. |
Every supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article shall conform to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect.
Section 9.7 | Effect on Senior Indebtedness. |
No supplemental indenture shall directly or indirectly modify or eliminate the provisions of Article 16 in any manner which might terminate or impair the subordination of the Securities of any series to Senior Indebtedness with respect to such series without the prior written consent of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness.
Section 9.8 | Notice of Supplemental Indenture. |
Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to Section 9.2, the Company shall transmit to the Holders of Outstanding Securities of any series affected thereby a notice setting forth the substance of such supplemental indenture.
Article 10
COVENANTS
Section 10.1 | Payment of Principal, any Premium, Interest and Additional Amounts. |
The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of the Securities of each series that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of, any premium and interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to the Securities of such series in accordance with the terms thereof, any Coupons appertaining thereto and this Indenture. Any interest due on any Bearer Security on or before the Maturity thereof, and any Additional Amounts payable with respect to such interest, shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of the Coupons appertaining thereto for such interest as they severally mature.
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Section 10.2 | Maintenance of Office or Agency. |
The Company shall maintain in each Place of Payment for any series of Securities an Office or Agency where Securities of such series (but not Bearer Securities, except as otherwise provided below, unless such Place of Payment is located outside the United States) may be presented or surrendered for payment, where Securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, where Securities of such series that are convertible or exchangeable may be surrendered for conversion or exchange, and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such series relating thereto and this Indenture may be served. If Securities of a series are issuable as Bearer Securities, the Company shall maintain, subject to any laws or regulations applicable thereto, an Office or Agency in a Place of Payment for such series which is located outside the United States where Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto may be presented and surrendered for payment; provided, however, that if the Securities of such series are listed on The Stock Exchange of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland or the Luxembourg Stock Exchange or any other stock exchange located outside the United States and such stock exchange shall so require, the Company shall maintain a Paying Agent in London, Luxembourg or any other required city located outside the United States, as the case may be, so long as the Securities of such series are listed on such exchange. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such Office or Agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required Office or Agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, except that Bearer Securities of such series and any Coupons appertaining thereto may be presented and surrendered for payment at the place specified for the purpose with respect to such Securities as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands.
Except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, no payment of principal, premium, interest or Additional Amounts with respect to Bearer Securities shall be made at any Office or Agency in the United States or by check mailed to any address in the United States or by transfer to an account maintained with a bank located in the United States; provided, however, if amounts owing with respect to any Bearer Securities shall be payable in Dollars, payment of principal of, any premium or interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to any such Security may be made at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee or any Office or Agency designated by the Company in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, if (but only if) payment of the full amount of such principal, premium, interest or Additional Amounts at all offices outside the United States maintained for such purpose by the Company in accordance with this Indenture is illegal or effectively precluded by exchange controls or other similar restrictions.
The Company may also from time to time designate one or more other Offices or Agencies where the Securities of one or more series may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain an Office or Agency in each Place of Payment for Securities of any series for such purposes. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation
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or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other Office or Agency. Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture, the Company hereby designates as the Place of Payment for each series of Securities the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, and initially appoints the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee as the Office or Agency of the Company in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York for such purpose. The Company may subsequently appoint a different Office or Agency in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York for the Securities of any series.
Unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.1, if and so long as the Securities of any series (i) are denominated in a Foreign Currency or (ii) may be payable in a Foreign Currency, or so long as it is required under any other provision of this Indenture, then the Company will maintain with respect to each such series of Securities, or as so required, at least one exchange rate agent.
Section 10.3 | Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust. |
If the Company shall at any time act as its own Paying Agent with respect to any series of Securities, it shall, on or before each due date of the principal of, any premium or interest on or Additional Amounts with respect to any of the Securities of such series, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.1 for the Securities of such series) sufficient to pay the principal or any premium, interest or Additional Amounts so becoming due until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided, and shall promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.
Whenever the Company shall have one or more Paying Agents for any series of Securities, it shall, on or prior to each due date of the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Securities of such series, deposit with any Paying Agent a sum (in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies described in the preceding paragraph) sufficient to pay the principal or any premium, interest or Additional Amounts so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto, and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee) the Company will promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.
The Company shall cause each Paying Agent for any series of Securities other than the Trustee to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such Paying Agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section, that such Paying Agent shall:
(1) hold all sums held by it for the payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to Securities of such series in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as provided in or pursuant to this Indenture;
(2) give the Trustee notice of any default by the Company (or any other obligor upon the Securities of such series) in the making of any payment of principal, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to the Securities of such series; and
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(3) at any time during the continuance of any such default, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such Paying Agent.
The Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or by Company Order direct any Paying Agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or such Paying Agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same terms as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such Paying Agent; and, upon such payment by any Paying Agent to the Trustee, such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such sums.
Except as otherwise provided herein or pursuant hereto, any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Company, in trust for the payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Security of any series or any Coupon appertaining thereto and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal or any such premium or interest or any such Additional Amounts shall have become due and payable shall be paid to the Company on Company Request, or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Security or any Coupon appertaining thereto shall thereafter, as an unsecured general creditor, look only to the Company for payment thereof, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Company as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease; provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such repayment, may at the expense of the Company cause to be published once, in an Authorized Newspaper in each Place of Payment for such series or to be mailed to Holders of Registered Securities of such series, or both, notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which shall not be less than 30 days from the date of such publication or mailing nor shall it be later than two years after such principal and any premium or interest or Additional Amounts shall have become due and payable, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be repaid to the Company.
Section 10.4 | Additional Amounts. |
All payments of principal of and premium, if any, interest and any other amounts on, or in respect of, the Securities of any series or any Coupon appertaining thereto shall be made without withholding or deduction at source for, or on account of, any present or future taxes, fees, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature imposed or levied by or on behalf of a jurisdiction (a taxing jurisdiction) or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, unless such taxes, fees, duties, assessments or governmental charges are required to be withheld or deducted by (i) the laws (or any regulations or ruling promulgated thereunder) of a taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein or (ii) an official position regarding the application, administration, interpretation or enforcement of any such laws, regulations or rulings (including, without limitation, a holding by a court of competent jurisdiction or by a taxing authority in a taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof). If a withholding or deduction at source is required, the Company shall,
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subject to certain limitations and exceptions set forth below, pay to the Holder of any such Security or any Coupon appertaining thereto such Additional Amounts as may be necessary so that every net payment of principal, premium, if any, interest or any other amount made to such Holder, after such withholding or deduction, shall not be less than the amount provided for in such Security, any Coupons appertaining thereto and this Indenture to be then due and payable; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to make payment of such Additional Amounts for or on account of:
(1) any tax, fee, duty, assessment or governmental charge of whatever nature which would not have been imposed but for the fact that such Holder: (A) was a resident, domiciliary or national of, or engaged in business or maintained a permanent establishment or was physically present in, the relevant taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof or otherwise had some connection with the relevant taxing jurisdiction other than by reason of the mere ownership of, or receipt of payment under, such Security; (B) presented such Security for payment in the relevant taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof, unless such Security could not have been presented for payment elsewhere; or (C) presented such Security more than thirty (30) days after the date on which the payment in respect of such Security first became due and payable or provided for, whichever is later, except to the extent that the Holder would have been entitled to such Additional Amounts if it had presented such Security for payment on any day within such period of thirty (30) days;
(2) any estate, inheritance, gift, sale, transfer, personal property or similar tax, assessment or other governmental charge;
(3) any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed or withheld by reason of the failure by the Holder or the beneficial owner of such Security to comply with any reasonable request by the Company addressed to the Holder within 90 days of such request (A) to provide information concerning the nationality, residence or identity of the Holder or such beneficial owner or (B) to make any declaration or other similar claim or satisfy any information or reporting requirement, which, in the case of (A) or (B), is required or imposed by statute, treaty, regulation or administrative practice of the relevant taxing jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof as a precondition to exemption from all or part of such tax, assessment or other governmental charge; or
(4) any combination of items (1), (2) and (3);
nor shall Additional Amounts be paid with respect to any payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, interest or any other amounts on, any such Security to any Holder who is a fiduciary, partnership, other fiscally transparent entity, or other than the sole beneficial owner of such Security to the extent such payment would be required by the laws of the relevant taxing jurisdiction (or any political subdivision or relevant taxing authority thereof or therein) to be included in the income for tax purposes of a beneficiary or settlor with respect to such fiduciary, partner, member of such other fiscally transparent entity or a beneficial owner who would not have been entitled to such Additional Amounts had it been the Holder of the Security.
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Whenever in this Indenture there is mentioned, in any context, the payment of the principal of or any premium, interest or any other amounts on, or in respect of, any Security of any series or any Coupon or the net proceeds received on the sale or exchange of any Security of any series, such mention shall be deemed to include mention of the payment of Additional Amounts provided by the terms of such series established hereby or pursuant hereto to the extent that, in such context, Additional Amounts are, were or would be payable in respect thereof pursuant to such terms, and express mention of the payment of Additional Amounts (if applicable) in any provision hereof shall not be construed as excluding the payment of Additional Amounts in those provisions hereof where such express mention is not made.
Except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities of the applicable series, at least 10 days prior to the first Interest Payment Date with respect to a series of Securities (or if the Securities of such series shall not bear interest prior to Maturity, the first day on which a payment of principal is made), and at least 10 days prior to each date of payment of principal or interest if there has been any change with respect to the matters set forth in the below-mentioned Officers Certificate, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee and the principal Paying Agent or Paying Agents, if other than the Trustee, an Officers Certificate instructing the Trustee and such Paying Agent or Paying Agents whether such payment of principal of and premium, if any, interest or any other amounts on the Securities of such series shall be made to Holders of Securities of such series or the Coupons appertaining thereto without withholding for or on account of any tax, fee, duty, assessment or other governmental charge described in this Section 10.4. If any such withholding shall be required, then such Officers Certificate shall specify by taxing jurisdiction the amount, if any, required to be withheld on such payments to such Holders of Securities or Coupons, and the Company agrees to pay to the Trustee or such Paying Agent the Additional Amounts required by this Section 10.4 The Company covenants to indemnify the Trustee and any Paying Agent for, and to hold them harmless against, any loss, liability or expense incurred without negligence or bad faith on their part arising out of or in connection with actions taken or omitted by any of them in reliance on any Officers Certificate furnished pursuant to this Section 10.4.
Section 10.5 | Corporate Existence. |
Subject to Article 8, the Company shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence, and that of each of its Subsidiaries, and their respective rights (charter and statutory) and franchises; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not obligate the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to preserve any such right or franchise if the Company or any such Subsidiary shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of its business or the business of such Subsidiary and that the loss thereof is not disadvantageous in any material respect to any Holder.
Section 10.6 | Waiver of Certain Covenants. |
The Company may omit in any particular instance to comply with any term, provision or condition set forth in Section 10.5 with respect to the Securities of any series if before the time for such compliance the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, by Act of such Holders, either shall waive such compliance in such instance or generally shall have waived compliance with such term,
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provision or condition, but no such waiver shall extend to or affect such term, provision or condition except to the extent so expressly waived, and, until such waiver shall become effective, the obligations of the Company and the duties of the Trustee in respect of any such term, provision or condition shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 10.7 | Company Statement as to Compliance; Notice of Certain Defaults. |
(1) The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, commencing , a written statement (which need not be contained in or accompanied by an Officers Certificate) signed by the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer or the principal accounting officer of the Company, stating that
(a) a review of the activities of the Company during such year and of its performance under this Indenture has been made under his or her supervision, and
(b) to the best of his or her knowledge, based on such review, (a) the Company has complied with all the conditions and covenants imposed on it under this Indenture throughout such year, or, if there has been a default in the fulfillment of any such condition or covenant, specifying each such default known to him or her and the nature and status thereof, and (b) no event has occurred and is continuing which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default, or, if such an event has occurred and is continuing, specifying each such event known to him and the nature and status thereof.
(2) The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within five days after the occurrence thereof, written notice of any Event of Default or any event which after notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default pursuant to clause (4) of Section 5.1.
(c) The Trustee shall have no duty to monitor the Companys compliance with the covenants contained in this Article 10 other than as specifically set forth in this Section 10.7.
Article 11
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
Section 11.1 | Applicability of Article. |
Redemption of Securities of any series at the option of the Company as permitted or required by the terms of such Securities shall be made in accordance with the terms of such Securities and (except as otherwise provided herein or pursuant hereto) this Article.
Section 11.2 | Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee. |
The election of the Company to redeem any Securities shall be evidenced by or pursuant to a Board Resolution. In case of any redemption at the election of the Company of (a)
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less than all of the Securities of any series or (b) all of the Securities of any series, with the same issue date, interest rate or formula, Stated Maturity and other terms, the Company shall, at least 60 days prior to the Redemption Date fixed by the Company (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), notify the Trustee of such Redemption Date and of the principal amount of Securities of such series to be redeemed.
Section 11.3 | Selection of Securities to be Redeemed. |
If less than all of the Securities of any series with the same issue date, interest rate or formula, Stated Maturity and other terms are to be redeemed, the particular Securities to be redeemed shall be selected not more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date from the Outstanding Securities of such series not previously called for redemption, in accordance with the procedures of the Depository or, in the case of definitive Securities, by lot; provided, however, that no such partial redemption shall reduce the portion of the principal amount of a Registered Security of such series not redeemed to less than the minimum denomination for a Security of such series established herein or pursuant hereto.
The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company and the Security Registrar (if other than itself) in writing of the Securities selected for redemption and, in the case of any Securities selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed.
For all purposes of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires, all provisions relating to the redemption of Securities shall relate, in the case of any Securities redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the principal of such Securities which has been or is to be redeemed.
Unless otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities of any series, if any Security selected for partial redemption is converted into Common Stock of the Company or exchanged for other securities in part before termination of the conversion or exchange right with respect to the portion of the Security so selected, the converted portion of such Security shall be deemed (so far as may be) to be the portion selected for redemption. Securities which have been converted or exchanged during a selection of Securities to be redeemed shall be treated by the Trustee as Outstanding for the purpose of such selection.
Section 11.4 | Notice of Redemption. |
Notice of redemption shall be given in the manner provided in Section 1.6, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date, unless a shorter period is specified in the Securities to be redeemed, to the Holders of Securities to be redeemed. Failure to give notice by mailing in the manner herein provided to the Holder of any Registered Securities designated for redemption as a whole or in part, or any defect in the notice to any such Holder, shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Securities or portion thereof.
Any notice that is mailed to the Holder of any Registered Securities in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not such Holder receives the notice.
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All notices of redemption shall state:
(1) the Redemption Date,
(2) the Redemption Price,
(3) if less than all Outstanding Securities of any series are to be redeemed, the identification (and, in the case of partial redemption, the principal amount) of the particular Security or Securities to be redeemed,
(4) in case any Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice which relates to such Security shall state that on and after the Redemption Date, upon surrender of such Security, the Holder of such Security will receive, without charge, a new Security or Securities of authorized denominations for the principal amount thereof remaining unredeemed,
(5) that, on the Redemption Date, the Redemption Price shall become due and payable upon each such Security or portion thereof to be redeemed, and, if applicable, that interest thereon shall cease to accrue on and after said date,
(6) the place or places where such Securities, together (in the case of Bearer Securities) with all Coupons appertaining thereto, if any, maturing after the Redemption Date, are to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price and any accrued interest and Additional Amounts pertaining thereto,
(7) that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case,
(8) that, unless otherwise specified in such notice, Bearer Securities of any series, if any, surrendered for redemption must be accompanied by all Coupons maturing subsequent to the date fixed for redemption or the amount of any such missing Coupon or Coupons will be deducted from the Redemption Price, unless security or indemnity satisfactory to the Company, the Trustee and any Paying Agent is furnished,
(9) if Bearer Securities of any series are to be redeemed and no Registered Securities of such series are to be redeemed, and if such Bearer Securities may be exchanged for Registered Securities not subject to redemption on the Redemption Date pursuant to Section 3.5 or otherwise, the last date, as determined by the Company, on which such exchanges may be made,
(10) in the case of Securities of any series that are convertible into Common Stock of the Company or exchangeable for other securities, the conversion or exchange price or rate, the date or dates on which the right to convert or exchange the principal of the Securities of such series to be redeemed will commence or terminate and the place or places where such Securities may be surrendered for conversion or exchange, and
(11) the CUSIP number or the Euroclear or the Cedel reference numbers of such Securities, if any (or any other numbers used by a Depository to identify such Securities).
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A notice of redemption published as contemplated by Section 1.7 need not identify particular Registered Securities to be redeemed.
Notice of redemption of Securities to be redeemed at the election of the Company shall be given by the Company or, at the Companys request, by the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Company; provided that in the latter case the Company will give the Trustee at least five Business Days notice prior to the requested date of the publication of such notice.
Section 11.5 | Deposit of Redemption Price. |
On or prior to any Redemption Date, the Company shall deposit, with respect to the Securities of any series called for redemption pursuant to Section 11.4, with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 10.3) an amount of money in the applicable Currency sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of, and (except if the Redemption Date shall be an Interest Payment Date, unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.1 or in the Securities of such series) any accrued interest on and Additional Amounts with respect thereto, all such Securities or portions thereof which are to be redeemed on that date.
Section 11.6 | Securities Payable on Redemption Date. |
Notice of redemption having been given as aforesaid, the Securities so to be redeemed shall, on the Redemption Date, become due and payable at the Redemption Price therein specified, and from and after such date (unless the Company shall default in the payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest) such Securities shall cease to bear interest and the Coupons for such interest appertaining to any Bearer Securities so to be redeemed, except to the extent provided below, shall be void. Upon surrender of any such Security for redemption in accordance with said notice, together with all Coupons, if any, appertaining thereto maturing after the Redemption Date, such Security shall be paid by the Company at the Redemption Price, together with any accrued interest and Additional Amounts to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Bearer Securities of such series, installments of interest on Bearer Securities whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Redemption Date shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of Coupons for such interest (at an Office or Agency located outside the United States except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2), and provided, further, that, except as otherwise specified in or pursuant to this Indenture or the Registered Securities of such series, installments of interest on Registered Securities whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Redemption Date shall be payable to the Holders of such Securities, or one or more Predecessor Securities, registered as such at the close of business on the Regular Record Dates therefor according to their terms and the provisions of Section 3.7.
If any Bearer Security surrendered for redemption shall not be accompanied by all appurtenant Coupons maturing after the Redemption Date, such Security may be paid after deducting from the Redemption Price an amount equal to the face amount of all such missing Coupons, or the surrender of such missing Coupon or Coupons may be waived by the Company and the Trustee if there be furnished to them such security or indemnity as they may require to save each of them and any Paying Agent harmless. If thereafter the Holder of such Security shall
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surrender to the Trustee or any Paying Agent any such missing Coupon in respect of which a deduction shall have been made from the Redemption Price, such Holder shall be entitled to receive the amount so deducted; provided, however, that any interest or Additional Amounts represented by Coupons shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of those Coupons at an Office or Agency for such Security located outside of the United States except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2.
If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon surrender thereof for redemption, the principal and any premium, until paid, shall bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate prescribed therefor in the Security.
Section 11.7 | Securities Redeemed in Part. |
Any Registered Security which is to be redeemed only in part shall be surrendered at any Office or Agency for such Security (with, if the Company or the Trustee so requires, due endorsement by, or a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee duly executed by, the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing) and the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security without service charge, a new Registered Security or Securities of the same series, containing identical terms and provisions, of any authorized denomination as requested by such Holder in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security so surrendered. If a Security in global form is so surrendered, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the U.S. Depository or other Depository for such Security in global form as shall be specified in the Company Order with respect thereto to the Trustee, without service charge, a new Security in global form in a denomination equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security in global form so surrendered.
Article 12
SINKING FUNDS
Section 12.1 | Applicability of Article. |
The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a series, except as otherwise permitted or required in or pursuant to this Indenture or any Security of such series issued pursuant to this Indenture.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a mandatory sinking fund payment, and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of such series is herein referred to as an optional sinking fund payment. If provided for by the terms of Securities of any series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 12.2. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any series as provided for by the terms of Securities of such series and this Indenture.
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Section 12.2 | Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities. |
The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of any series to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities (1) deliver Outstanding Securities of such series (other than any of such Securities previously called for redemption or any of such Securities in respect of which cash shall have been released to the Company), together in the case of any Bearer Securities of such series with all unmatured Coupons appertaining thereto, and (2) apply as a credit Securities of such series which have been redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such series of Securities or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities, provided that such series of Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the Redemption Price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly. If, as a result of the delivery or credit of Securities of any series in lieu of cash payments pursuant to this Section 12.2, the principal amount of Securities of such series to be redeemed in order to satisfy the remaining sinking fund payment shall be less than $100,000, the Trustee need not call Securities of such series for redemption, except upon Company Request, and such cash payment shall be held by the Trustee or a Paying Agent and applied to the next succeeding sinking fund payment, provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent shall at the request of the Company from time to time pay over and deliver to the Company any cash payment so being held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of Securities of that series purchased by the Company having an unpaid principal amount equal to the cash payment requested to be released to the Company.
Section 12.3 | Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund. |
Not less than 75 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for any series of Securities, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee an Officers Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that series pursuant to the terms of that series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting of Securities of that series pursuant to Section 12.2, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and will also deliver to the Trustee any Securities to be so credited and not theretofore delivered. If such Officers Certificate shall specify an optional amount to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 60 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 11.3 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in Section 11.4. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Section 11.6 and Section 11.7.
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Article 13
REPAYMENT AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS
Section 13.1 | Applicability of Article. |
Securities of any series which are repayable at the option of the Holders thereof before their Stated Maturity shall be repaid in accordance with the terms of the Securities of such series. The repayment of any principal amount of Securities pursuant to such option of the Holder to require repayment of Securities before their Stated Maturity, for purposes of Section 3.9, shall not operate as a payment, redemption or satisfaction of the Indebtedness represented by such Securities unless and until the Company, at its option, shall deliver or surrender the same to the Trustee with a directive that such Securities be cancelled. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 13.1, in connection with any repayment of Securities, the Company may arrange for the purchase of any Securities by an agreement with one or more investment bankers or other purchasers to purchase such Securities by paying to the Holders of such Securities on or before the close of business on the repayment date an amount not less than the repayment price payable by the Company on repayment of such Securities, and the obligation of the Company to pay the repayment price of such Securities shall be satisfied and discharged to the extent such payment is so paid by such purchasers.
Article 14
SECURITIES IN FOREIGN CURRENCIES
Section 14.1 | Applicability of Article. |
Whenever this Indenture provides for (i) any action by, or the determination of any of the rights of, Holders of Securities of any series in which not all of such Securities are denominated in the same Currency, or (ii) any distribution to Holders of Securities, in the absence of any provision to the contrary in the form of Security of any particular series or pursuant to this Indenture or the Securities, any amount in respect of any Security denominated in a Currency other than Dollars shall be treated for any such action or distribution as that amount of Dollars that could be obtained for such amount on such reasonable basis of exchange and as of the record date with respect to Registered Securities of such series (if any) for such action, determination of rights or distribution (or, if there shall be no applicable record date, such other date reasonably proximate to the date of such action, determination of rights or distribution) as the Company may specify in a written notice to the Trustee.
Article 15
MEETINGS OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
Section 15.1 | Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called. |
A meeting of Holders of Securities of any series may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to this Article to make, give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act provided by this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders of Securities of such series.
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Section 15.2 | Call, Notice and Place of Meetings. |
(1) The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Holders of Securities of any series for any purpose specified in Section 15.1, to be held at such time and at such place in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, or, if Securities of such series have been issued in whole or in part as Bearer Securities, in London or in such place outside the United States as the Trustee shall determine. Notice of every meeting of Holders of Securities of any series, setting forth the time and the place of such meeting and in general terms the action proposed to be taken at such meeting, shall be given, in the manner provided in Section 1.7, not less than 21 nor more than 180 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
(2) In case at any time the Company (by or pursuant to a Board Resolution) or the Holders of at least 10% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series shall have requested the Trustee to call a meeting of the Holders of Securities of such series for any purpose specified in Section 15.1, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have mailed notice of or made the first publication of the notice of such meeting within 21 days after receipt of such request (whichever shall be required pursuant to Section 1.7) or shall not thereafter proceed to cause the meeting to be held as provided herein, then the Company or the Holders of Securities of such series in the amount above specified, as the case may be, may determine the time and the place in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, or, if Securities of such series are to be issued as Bearer Securities, in London for such meeting and may call such meeting for such purposes by giving notice thereof as provided in clause (1) of this Section.
Section 15.3 | Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings. |
To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series, a Person shall be (1) a Holder of one or more Outstanding Securities of such series, or (2) a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy for a Holder or Holders of one or more Outstanding Securities of such series by such Holder or Holders. The only Persons who shall be entitled to be present or to speak at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel, any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and its counsel.
Section 15.4 | Quorum; Action. |
The Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a series shall constitute a quorum for any meeting of Holders of Securities of such series. In the absence of a quorum within 30 minutes after the time appointed for any such meeting, the meeting shall, if convened at the request of Holders of Securities of such series, be dissolved. In any other case the meeting may be adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such meeting. In the absence of a quorum at any reconvened meeting, such reconvened meeting may be further adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such reconvened meeting. Notice of the reconvening of any
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adjourned meeting shall be given as provided in Section 15.2(1), except that such notice need be given only once not less than five days prior to the date on which the meeting is scheduled to be reconvened. Notice of the reconvening of an adjourned meeting shall state expressly the percentage, as provided above, of the principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series which shall constitute a quorum.
Except as limited by the proviso to Section 9.2, any resolution presented to a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present as aforesaid may be adopted only by the affirmative vote of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series; provided, however, that, except as limited by the proviso to Section 9.2, any resolution with respect to any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act which this Indenture expressly provides may be made, given or taken by the Holders of a specified percentage, which is less than a majority, in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a series may be adopted at a meeting or an adjourned meeting duly reconvened and at which a quorum is present as aforesaid by the affirmative vote of the Holders of such specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series.
Any resolution passed or decision taken at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series duly held in accordance with this Section shall be binding on all the Holders of Securities of such series and the Coupons appertaining thereto, whether or not such Holders were present or represented at the meeting.
Section 15.5 | Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings. |
(1) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Holders of Securities of such series in regard to proof of the holding of Securities of such series and of the appointment of proxies and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall deem appropriate. Except as otherwise permitted or required by any such regulations, the holding of Securities shall be proved in the manner specified in Section 1.4 and the appointment of any proxy shall be proved in the manner specified in Section 1.4 or by having the signature of the person executing the proxy witnessed or guaranteed by any trust company, bank or banker authorized by Section 1.4 to certify to the holding of Bearer Securities. Such regulations may provide that written instruments appointing proxies, regular on their face, may be presumed valid and genuine without the proof specified in Section 1.4 or other proof.
(2) The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing, appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company or by Holders of Securities as provided in Section 15.2(2), in which case the Company or the Holders of Securities of the series calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chairman. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by vote of the Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series represented at the meeting.
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(3) At any meeting, each Holder of a Security of such series or proxy shall be entitled to one vote for each $1,000 principal amount of Securities of such series held or represented by him; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Security challenged as not Outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not Outstanding. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote, except as a Holder of a Security of such series or proxy.
(4) Any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series duly called pursuant to Section 15.2 at which a quorum is present may be adjourned from time to time by Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series represented at the meeting; and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.
Section 15.6 | Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings. |
The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of the Holders of Securities of such series or of their representatives by proxy and the principal amounts and serial numbers of the Outstanding Securities of such series held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint two inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in triplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record, at least in triplicate, of the proceedings of each meeting of Holders of Securities of any series shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more persons having knowledge of the facts setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was given as provided in Section 15.2 and, if applicable, Section 15.4. Each copy shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one such copy shall be delivered to the Company, and another to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting. Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.
Article 16
SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES
Section 16.1 | Agreement to Subordinate. |
The Company covenants and agrees, and each Holder of Securities issued hereunder and under any indenture supplemental hereto or pursuant to a Board Resolution and Officers Certificate (Additional Provisions) by such Holders acceptance thereof likewise covenants and agrees, that all Securities shall be issued subject to the provisions of this Article 16; and each Holder of a Security, whether upon original issue or upon transfer or assignment thereof, accepts and agrees to be bound by such provisions.
The payment by the Company of the principal of, any premium and interest on and any Additional Amounts with respect to all Securities of each series issued hereunder and
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under any Additional Provisions shall, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, be subordinate in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness with respect to such series, whether outstanding at the date of this Indenture or thereafter incurred.
No provision of this Article 16 shall prevent the occurrence of any default or Event of Default hereunder.
Section 16.2 | Default on Senior Indebtedness. |
In the event and during the continuation of any default by the Company in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any other amount due on any Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of any series, or in the event that the maturity of any Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of any series has been accelerated because of a default, then, in either case, no payment shall be made by the Company with respect to the principal (including redemption and sinking fund payments) of, any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to, the Securities of such series.
In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment shall be received by the Trustee when such payment is prohibited by the preceding paragraph of this Section 16.2, such payment shall be held in trust for the benefit of, and shall be paid over or delivered to, the holders of such Senior Indebtedness or their respective representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any of such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, but only to the extent that the holders of such Senior Indebtedness (or their representative or representatives or a trustee) notify the Trustee in writing within 90 days of such payment of the amounts then due and owing on such Senior Indebtedness and only the amounts specified in such notice to the Trustee shall be paid to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness.
Section 16.3 | Liquidation; Dissolution; Bankruptcy. |
Upon any payment by the Company or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to creditors upon any dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other proceedings, all amounts due upon all Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of any series shall first be paid in full, or payment thereof provided for in money in accordance with its terms, before any payment is made by the Company on account of the principal of, premium or interest on, or Additional Amounts with respect to, the Securities of such series; and upon any such dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization, or in any such bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other proceeding, any payment by the Company, or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to which the Holders or the Trustee would be entitled to receive from the Company, except for the provisions of this Article 16, shall be paid by the Company or by any receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidating trustee, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, or by the Holders or by the Trustee under this Indenture if received by them or it, directly to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness (pro rata to such holders on the basis of the respective amounts of such Senior Indebtedness held by such holders, as calculated by the Company) or their representative or representatives, or to the trustee or
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trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any instruments evidencing such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, to the extent necessary to pay such Senior Indebtedness in full, in money or moneys worth, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, before any payment or distribution is made to the Holders of the Securities of such series or to the Trustee.
In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, prohibited by the foregoing shall be received by the Trustee before all such Senior Indebtedness is paid in full, or provision is made for such payment in money in accordance with its terms, such payment or distribution shall be held in trust for the benefit of and shall be paid over or delivered to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness or their representative or representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any instruments evidencing such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, as calculated by the Company, for application to the payment of all such Senior Indebtedness remaining unpaid to the extent necessary to pay such Senior Indebtedness in full in money in accordance with its terms, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the benefit of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness.
For purposes of this Article 16, the words cash, property or securities shall not be deemed to include shares of stock of the Company as reorganized or readjusted, or securities of the Company or any other corporation provided for by a plan of reorganization or readjustment, the payment of which is subordinated at least to the extent provided in this Article 16 with respect to the Securities of the relevant series to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of such series that may at the time be outstanding, provided that (i) such Senior Indebtedness is assumed by the new corporation, if any, resulting from any such reorganization or readjustment, and (ii) the rights of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness are not, without the consent of such holders, altered by such reorganization or readjustment. The consolidation of the Company with, or the merger of the Company into, another Person or the liquidation or dissolution of the Company following the conveyance, transfer or lease of its property as an entirety, or substantially as an entirety, to another Person upon the terms and conditions provided for in Article 16 of this Indenture shall not be deemed a dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization for the purposes of this Section 16.3 if such other Person shall, as a part of such consolidation, merger, conveyance or transfer, comply with the conditions stated in Article 16 of this Indenture. Nothing in Section 16.2 or in this Section 16.3 shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.6 of this Indenture.
Section 16.4 | Subrogation. |
Subject to the payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of any series, the rights of the Holders of the Securities of such series shall be subrogated to the rights of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions of cash, property or securities of the Company applicable to such Senior Indebtedness until the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to, the Securities of such series shall be paid in full; and, for the purposes of such
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subrogation, no payments or distributions to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness of any cash, property or securities to which the Holders or the Trustee would be entitled except for the provisions of this Article 16, and no payment over pursuant to the provisions of this Article 16 to or for the benefit of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness by Holders of the Securities of such series or the Trustee, shall, as between the Company, its creditors other than holders of such Senior Indebtedness, and the Holders of the Securities of such series, be deemed to be a payment by the Company to or on account of such Senior Indebtedness. It is understood that the provisions of this Article 16 are and are intended solely for the purposes of defining the relative rights of the Holders of the Securities of each series, on the one hand, and the holders of the Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of such series on the other hand.
Nothing contained in this Article 16 or elsewhere in this Indenture, any Additional Provisions or in the Securities of any series is intended to or shall impair, as between the Company, its creditors other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of such series, and the Holders of the Securities of such series, the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay to the Holders of the Securities of such series the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to, the Securities of such series as and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with their terms, or is intended to or shall affect the relative rights of the Holders of the Securities of such series and creditors of the Company, other than the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, nor shall anything herein or therein prevent the Trustee or the Holder of any Security of such series from exercising all remedies otherwise permitted by applicable law upon default under this Indenture, subject to the rights, if any, under this Article 16 of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness in respect of cash, property or securities of the Company, as the case may be, received upon the exercise of any such remedy.
Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article 16, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article 6 of this Indenture, and the Holders shall be entitled to conclusively rely upon any order or decree made by any court of competent jurisdiction in which such dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization proceedings are pending, or a certificate of the receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidation trustee, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, delivered to the Trustee or to the Holders of the Securities of any series, for the purposes of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such distribution, the holders of Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of such series and other indebtedness of the Company, as the case may be, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article 16.
Section 16.5 | Trustee to Effectuate Subordination. |
Each Holder of Securities by such Holders acceptance thereof authorizes and directs the Trustee on such Holders behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination provided in this Article 16 and appoints the Trustee such Holders attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes.
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Section 16.6 | Notice by the Company. |
The Company shall give prompt written notice to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee of any fact known to the Company that would prohibit the making of any payment of monies to or by the Trustee in respect of the Securities of any series pursuant to the provisions of this Article 16. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article 16 or any other provision of this Indenture or any Additional Provisions, the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of the existence of any facts that would prohibit the making of any payment of monies to or by the Trustee in respect of the Securities of any series pursuant to the provisions of this Article 16, unless and until a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have received written notice thereof from the Company or a holder or holders of Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of such series or from any trustee therefor; and before the receipt of any such written notice, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article 6 of this Indenture, shall be entitled in all respects to assume that no such facts exist; provided, however, that if the Trustee shall not have received the notice provided for in this Section 16.6 at least two Business Days prior to the date upon which by the terms hereof any money may become payable for any purpose (including, without limitation, the payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to, any Security of such series), then, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall have full power and authority to receive such money and to apply the same to the purposes for which they were received, and shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary that may be received by it within two Business Days prior to such date.
The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article 6 of this Indenture, shall be entitled to conclusively rely on the delivery to it of a written notice by a Person representing himself to be a holder of Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of any series (or a trustee on behalf of such holder), to establish that such notice has been given by a holder of such Senior Indebtedness or a trustee on behalf of any such holder or holders. In the event that the Trustee determines in good faith that further evidence is required with respect to the right of any Person as a holder of such Senior Indebtedness to participate in any payment or distribution pursuant to this Article 16, the Trustee may request such Person to furnish evidence to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee as to the amount of such Senior Indebtedness held by such Person, the extent to which such Person is entitled to participate in such payment or distribution and any other facts pertinent to the rights of such Person under this Article 16, and, if such evidence is not furnished, the Trustee may defer any payment to such Person pending judicial determination as to the right of such Person to receive such payment.
Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article 16, the Trustee and the Holders shall be entitled to rely upon any order or decree entered by any court of competent jurisdiction in which such insolvency, bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation, reorganization, dissolution, winding-up or similar case or proceeding is pending, or a certificate of the trustee in bankruptcy, liquidating trustee, custodian, receiver, assignee for the benefit of creditors, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, delivered to the Trustee or to the Holders of the Securities of any series, for the purpose of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such payment or distribution, the holders of Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of such series and other indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article 16.
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Section 16.7 | Rights of the Trustee; Holders of Senior Indebtedness. |
The Trustee in its individual capacity shall be entitled to all the rights set forth in this Article 16 in respect of any Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of any series at any time held by it, to the same extent as any other holder of such Senior Indebtedness, and nothing in this Indenture or any Additional Provisions shall deprive the Trustee of any of its rights as such holder.
With respect to the holders of Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of any series, the Trustee undertakes to perform or to observe only such of its covenants and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Article 16, and no implied covenants or obligations with respect to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness shall be read into this Indenture or any Additional Provisions against the Trustee. The Trustee shall not be deemed to owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness and, subject to the provisions of Article 6 of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be liable to any holder of such Senior Indebtedness if it shall pay over or deliver to Holders of the Securities of such series, the Company or any other Person money or assets to which any holder of such Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled by virtue of this Article 16 or otherwise.
Nothing in this Article 16 shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.7.
Section 16.8 | Subordination May Not Be Impaired. |
No right of any present or future holder of any Senior Indebtedness to enforce subordination as herein provided shall at any time in any way be prejudiced or impaired by any act or failure to act on the part of the Company, or by any act or failure to act, in good faith, by any such holder, or by any noncompliance by the Company with the terms, provisions and covenants of this Indenture, regardless of any knowledge thereof that any such holder may have or otherwise be charged with.
Without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing paragraph, the holders of Senior Indebtedness with respect to the Securities of any series may, at any time and from time to time, without the consent of or notice to the Trustee or the Holders of Securities of such series, without incurring responsibility to such Holders and without impairing or releasing the subordination provided in this Article 16 or the obligations hereunder of the Holders of the Securities of such series to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, do any one or more of the following: (i) change the manner, place or terms of payment or extend the time of payment of, or renew or alter, such Senior Indebtedness, or otherwise amend or supplement in any manner such Senior Indebtedness or any instrument evidencing the same or any agreement under which such Senior Indebtedness is outstanding; (ii) sell, exchange, release or otherwise deal with any property pledged, mortgaged or otherwise securing such Senior Indebtedness; (iii) release any Person liable in any manner for the collection of such Senior Indebtedness; and (iv) exercise or refrain from exercising any rights against the Company and any other Person.
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Section 16.9 | Rights of Trustee as Holder of Senior Indebtedness; Preservation of Trustees Rights. |
The Trustee or any Authenticating Agent in its individual capacity shall be entitled to all the rights set forth in this Article with respect to any Senior Indebtedness which may at any time be held by it, to the same extent as any other holder of Senior Indebtedness, and nothing in this Indenture shall deprive the Trustee or any Authenticating Agent of any of its rights as such holder.
Nothing in this Article shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.7.
* * * * *
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
W. R. BERKLEY CORPORATION |
By |
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Name: | ||
Title: |
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee |
By |
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Name: | ||
Title: |
88
Exhibit 5.1
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787 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10019-6099 Tel: 212 728 8000 Fax: 212 728 8111 |
November 14, 2017
W. R. Berkley Corporation
475 Steamboat Road
Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to W. R. Berkley Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the Company), in connection with the Companys Registration Statement on Form S-3 to which this opinion is filed as an exhibit (the Registration Statement), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), for the registration of the sale by the Company from time to time of (i) common stock, par value $.20 per share (Common Stock), of the Company, (ii) preferred stock, par value $.10 per share (Preferred Stock), of the Company, (iii) depositary shares (the Depositary Shares) representing fractional interests in the Debt Securities (as defined below) or fractional shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock, (iv) debt securities (the Debt Securities) of the Company, (v) warrants to purchase Common Stock, warrants to purchase Preferred Stock and warrants to purchase Debt Securities (collectively, the Warrants), (vi) stock purchase contracts (the Stock Purchase Contracts) representing rights to purchase Preferred Stock or Common Stock, and (vii) stock purchase units (the Stock Purchase Units), representing ownership of Stock Purchase Contracts, with Debt Securities, Common Stock, Preferred Stock, other stock purchase contracts, Depositary Shares, or preferred securities or debt obligations of third parties, including U.S. Treasury Securities, to be deposited as security thereunder. The Debt Securities are to be issued pursuant to one or more Indentures (collectively, the Indentures) to be entered into between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee.
We have examined copies of the Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended to date (the Restated Certificate of Incorporation), the Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Company, forms of the Indentures, the Registration Statement and other records and documents that we have deemed necessary for the purpose of this opinion. We have also examined such other documents, papers, statutes and authorities as we have deemed necessary to form a basis for the opinions hereinafter expressed. In addition, our opinion in paragraph (1) below that the Company is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware is based solely upon our review of a recent Certificate of Good Standing issued by the Secretary of State of Delaware.
In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures and the conformity to original documents of all copies submitted to us. As to various questions of fact material to our opinion, we have relied on statements and certificates of officers and representatives of the Company and public officials.
W. R. Berkley Corporation
November 14, 2017
Page 2
In connection with the opinions expressed below, we have assumed that, at or prior to the time of the delivery of any such security, (i) the Company shall have duly established the terms of such security and duly authorized the issuance and sale of such security and such authorization shall not have been modified or rescinded; (ii) such parties other than the Company shall have the power, corporate or other, to enter into and perform all obligations in accordance with the documents to be executed by such parties, and we have also assumed that upon the execution and delivery by such parties of such documents that such documents shall constitute valid and binding obligations of such parties; (iii) the Registration Statement shall be effective and such effectiveness shall not have been terminated or rescinded; and (iv) there shall not have occurred any change in law affecting the validity or enforceability of such security. We have also assumed that none of the terms of any security to be established subsequent to the date hereof, nor the issuance and delivery of such security, nor the compliance by the Company with the terms of such security will violate any applicable law or will result in a violation of any provision of any instrument or agreement then binding upon the Company, or any restriction imposed by any court or governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company.
Based on and subject to the foregoing and to the other qualifications and limitations set forth herein, we are of the opinion that:
1. The Company is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.
2. When (i) the applicable Indenture and any supplemental indenture to be entered into in connection with the issuance of any Debt Security have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the relevant trustee and the Company, (ii) the specific terms of a particular Debt Security have been duly authorized and established in accordance with the applicable Indenture and supplemental indenture and (iii) such Debt Security has been duly authorized, executed, authenticated, issued, delivered and paid for as contemplated by the Registration Statement and any prospectus supplement relating thereto, and in accordance with the applicable Indenture and the applicable underwriting or other agreement, such Debt Security will constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except to the extent that enforcement may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium or similar other laws now or hereinafter in effect relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors rights generally and (b) general principles of equity (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity).
3. Upon (i) designation of the relative rights, preferences and limitations of any series of Preferred Stock and approval of the terms of the offering thereof and related matters by the Board of Directors of the Company (the Board of Directors) in accordance with the Companys Restated Certificate of Incorporation and (ii) the proper filing with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware of a Certificate of Designations relating to such series of Preferred Stock, all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company will have been taken to authorize the issuance and sale of such series of Preferred Stock proposed to be sold by the Company, and when such shares of Preferred
W. R. Berkley Corporation
November 14, 2017
Page 3
Stock are issued, delivered and paid for as contemplated by the Registration Statement and any prospectus supplement relating thereto, and in accordance with the applicable underwriting or other agreement, such shares of Preferred Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
4. When (i) the creation of and the issuance and terms of the Depositary Shares, the terms of the offering thereof and related matters have been duly approved by all necessary corporate action of the Board of Directors, (ii) the deposit agreement relating to the Depositary Shares has been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and the depositary appointed by the Company and (iii) the Depositary Shares or certificates representing the Depositary Shares have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment of the consideration fixed therefor, as contemplated by the Registration Statement and any prospectus supplement relating thereto, and in accordance with the deposit agreement relating to the Depositary Shares and the applicable underwriting or other agreement, such Depositary Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and will entitle the holders thereof to the rights specified in the deposit agreement relating to such Depositary Shares.
5. When (i) all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company has been taken to authorize the issuance and sale of such shares of Common Stock proposed to be sold by the Company under the Registration Statement and any prospectus supplement relating thereto, including upon conversion of the Debt Securities or the Preferred Stock or exercise of the Warrants, and (ii) such shares of Common Stock are issued, delivered and paid for as contemplated by the Registration Statement and any prospectus supplement relating thereto, and in accordance with the applicable underwriting or other agreement and the terms of such Debt Securities, Preferred Stock or Warrants, as applicable, such shares of Common Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
6. When (i) the creation of and the issuance and terms of the Warrants, the terms of the offering thereof and related matters have been duly approved by all necessary corporate action of the Board of Directors, (ii) the warrant agreement or agreements relating to the Warrants have been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and the warrant agent appointed by the Company and (iii) the Warrants or certificates representing the Warrants have been duly executed, authenticated, issued, delivered and paid for as contemplated by the Registration Statement and any prospectus supplement relating thereto, and in accordance with the applicable underwriting or other agreement, the Warrants will be duly authorized and validly issued and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except to the extent that enforcement may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium or similar other laws now or hereinafter in effect relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors rights generally and (b) general principles of equity (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity).
7. When (i) the creation of and the issuance and terms of the Stock Purchase Contracts, the terms of the offering thereof and related matters have been duly approved by all necessary corporate action of the Board of Directors and (ii) the Stock Purchase Contracts have been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company against payment of the consideration fixed therefor, as contemplated by the Registration Statement and any prospectus supplement relating thereto, and in accordance with the applicable underwriting or other agreement,
W. R. Berkley Corporation
November 14, 2017
Page 4
the Stock Purchase Contracts will be duly authorized and validly issued and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except to the extent that enforcement may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium or similar other laws now or hereinafter in effect relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors rights generally and (b) general principles of equity (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity).
8. When (i) the creation of and the issuance and terms of the Stock Purchase Units, the terms of the offering thereof and related matters have been duly approved by all necessary corporate action of the Board of Directors, (ii) the deposit agreement relating to the Stock Purchase Units has been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and the depositary appointed by the Company and (iii) the Stock Purchase Units or certificates representing the Stock Purchase Units have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment of the consideration fixed therefor, as contemplated by the Registration Statement and any prospectus supplement relating thereto, and in accordance with the applicable underwriting or other agreement, the Stock Purchase Units will be duly authorized and validly issued and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except to the extent that enforcement may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium or similar other laws now or hereinafter in effect relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors rights generally and (b) general principles of equity (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity).
The opinions expressed herein are limited to the laws of the State of New York, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the federal laws of the United States of America, and we express no opinion with respect to the laws of any other country, state or jurisdiction.
This opinion is limited to matters expressly set forth herein, and no opinion is to be implied or may be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated herein.
The opinions expressed herein are given as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update or supplement such opinions after the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the use of our name under the heading Legal Matters in the Registration Statement and in the related prospectus or any supplemental prospectus thereto. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
Very truly yours,
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/s/ WILLKIE FARR & GALLAGHER LLP |
Exhibit 12.1
Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 |
Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands, except ratio) |
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Income before income taxes and cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, but after noncontrolling interest |
$ | 568,810 | $ | 894,842 | $ | 731,617 | $ | 951,477 | $ | 693,512 | $ | 701,877 | ||||||||||||
Add: |
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Portion of rents representative of the interest factor |
11,863 | 15,818 | 15,424 | 15,066 | 14,917 | 12,726 | ||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
110,419 | 140,896 | 130,946 | 128,174 | 123,177 | 126,302 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Income as adjusted |
$ | 691,092 | $ | 1,051,556 | $ | 877,987 | $ | 1,094,717 | $ | 831,606 | $ | 840,905 | ||||||||||||
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Fixed charges: |
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Interest expense |
$ | 110,419 | $ | 140,896 | $ | 130,946 | $ | 128,174 | $ | 123,177 | $ | 126,302 | ||||||||||||
Portion of rents representative of the interest factor |
11,863 | 15,818 | 15,424 | 15,066 | 14,917 | 12,726 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Total |
$ | 122,282 | $ | 156,714 | $ | 146,370 | $ | 143,240 | $ | 138,094 | $ | 139,028 | ||||||||||||
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Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges |
5.7 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 6.0 | 6.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors
W. R. Berkley Corporation:
We consent to the use of our reports dated February 27, 2017, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of W. R. Berkley Corporation and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, stockholders equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, and all related financial statement schedules, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, incorporated by reference herein and to the reference to our firm under the heading Experts in the prospectus.
/s/ KPMG LLP
New York, New York
November 14, 2017
Exhibit 25.1
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM T-1
STATEMENT OF ELIGIBILITY
UNDER THE TRUST INDENTURE ACT OF 1939
OF A CORPORATION DESIGNATED TO ACT AS TRUSTEE
☐ | CHECK IF AN APPLICATION TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY OF A TRUSTEE PURSUANT TO SECTION 305(b)(2) |
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
(Exact name of trustee as specified in its charter)
New York | 13-5160382 | |
(Jurisdiction of incorporation if not a U.S. national bank) |
(I.R.S. employer identification no.) | |
225 Liberty Street, New York, N.Y. | 10286 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip code) |
W. R. Berkley Corporation
(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 22-1867895 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. employer identification no.) | |
475 Steamboat Road Greenwich, Connecticut |
06830 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip code) |
Senior Debt Securities
(Title of the indenture securities)
1. | General information. Furnish the following information as to the Trustee: |
(a) | Name and address of each examining or supervising authority to which it is subject. |
Name |
Address | |
Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services of the State of New York |
One State Street, New York, N.Y. 10004-1417, and Albany, N.Y. 12223 | |
Federal Reserve Bank of New York | 33 Liberty Street, New York, N.Y. 10045 | |
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | 550 17th Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20429 | |
The Clearing House Association L.L.C. | 100 Broad Street New York, N.Y. 10004 |
(b) | Whether it is authorized to exercise corporate trust powers. |
Yes. |
2. | Affiliations with Obligor. |
If the obligor is an affiliate of the trustee, describe each such affiliation.
None.
16. | List of Exhibits. |
Exhibits identified in parentheses below, on file with the Commission, are incorporated herein by reference as an exhibit hereto, pursuant to Rule 7a-29 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the Act) and 17 C.F.R. 229.10(d).
1. | A copy of the Organization Certificate of The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as The Bank of New York, itself formerly Irving Trust Company) as now in effect, which contains the authority to commence business and a grant of powers to exercise corporate trust powers. (Exhibit 1 to Amendment No. 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 33-6215, Exhibits 1a and 1b to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 33-21672, Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 33-29637, Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-121195 and Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-152735). |
- 2 -
4. | A copy of the existing By-laws of the Trustee (Exhibit 4 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-207042). |
6. | The consent of the Trustee required by Section 321(b) of the Act (Exhibit 6 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-188382). |
7. | A copy of the latest report of condition of the Trustee published pursuant to law or to the requirements of its supervising or examining authority. |
- 3 -
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Act, the Trustee, The Bank of New York Mellon, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, has duly caused this statement of eligibility to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, all in The City of New York, and State of New York, on the 26th day of October, 2017.
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON | ||||
By: | /s/ Francine Kincaid | |||
Name: Francine Kincaid | ||||
Title: Vice President |
- 4 -
EXHIBIT 7
Consolidated Report of Condition of
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
of 225 Liberty Street, New York, N.Y. 10286
And Foreign and Domestic Subsidiaries,
a member of the Federal Reserve System, at the close of business June 30, 2017, published in accordance with a call made by the Federal Reserve Bank of this District pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Reserve Act.
Dollar amounts in thousands | ||||
ASSETS |
||||
Cash and balances due from depository institutions: |
||||
Noninterest-bearing balances and currency and coin |
4,189,000 | |||
Interest-bearing balances |
85,914,000 | |||
Securities: |
||||
Held-to-maturity securities |
40,424,000 | |||
Available-for-sale securities |
74,557,000 | |||
Federal funds sold and securities purchased under agreements to resell: |
||||
Federal funds sold in domestic offices |
0 | |||
Securities purchased under agreements to resell |
13,632,000 | |||
Loans and lease financing receivables: |
||||
Loans and leases held for sale |
0 | |||
Loans and leases held for investment |
32,260,000 | |||
LESS: Allowance for loan and lease losses |
137,000 | |||
Loans and leases held for investment, net of allowance |
32,123,000 | |||
Trading assets |
3,022,000 | |||
Premises and fixed assets (including capitalized leases) |
1,391,000 | |||
Other real estate owned |
4,000 | |||
Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries and associated companies |
570,000 | |||
Direct and indirect investments in real estate ventures |
0 | |||
Intangible assets: |
||||
Goodwill |
6,308,000 | |||
Other intangible assets |
876,000 | |||
Other assets |
17,866,000 | |||
|
|
|||
Total assets |
280,876,000 | |||
|
|
LIABILITIES |
||||
Deposits: |
||||
In domestic offices |
126,191,000 | |||
Noninterest-bearing |
80,114,000 | |||
Interest-bearing |
46,077,000 | |||
In foreign offices, Edge and Agreement subsidiaries, and IBFs |
112,793,000 | |||
Noninterest-bearing |
9,023,000 | |||
Interest-bearing |
103,770,000 | |||
Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase: |
||||
Federal funds purchased in domestic offices |
693,000 | |||
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase |
2,388,000 | |||
Trading liabilities |
3,136,000 | |||
Other borrowed money: |
2,784,000 | |||
Not applicable |
||||
Not applicable |
||||
Subordinated notes and debentures |
515,000 | |||
Other liabilities |
6,552,000 | |||
|
|
|||
Total liabilities |
255,052,000 | |||
|
|
|||
EQUITY CAPITAL |
||||
Perpetual preferred stock and related surplus |
0 | |||
Common stock |
1,135,000 | |||
Surplus (exclude all surplus related to preferred stock) |
10,643,000 | |||
Retained earnings |
15,327,000 | |||
Accumulated other comprehensive income |
-1,631,000 | |||
Other equity capital components |
0 | |||
Total bank equity capital |
25,474,000 | |||
Noncontrolling (minority) interests in consolidated subsidiaries |
350,000 | |||
Total equity capital |
25,824,000 | |||
|
|
|||
Total liabilities and equity capital |
280,876,000 | |||
|
|
I, Thomas P. Gibbons, Chief Financial Officer of the above-named bank do hereby declare that this Report of Condition is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Thomas P. Gibbons,
Chief Financial Officer
We, the undersigned directors, attest to the correctness of this statement of resources and liabilities. We declare that it has been examined by us, and to the best of our knowledge and belief has been prepared in conformance with the instructions and is true and correct.
Gerald L. Hassell Samuel C. Scott Joseph J. Echevarria |
Directors |
Exhibit 25.2
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM T-1
STATEMENT OF ELIGIBILITY
UNDER THE TRUST INDENTURE ACT OF 1939
OF A CORPORATION DESIGNATED TO ACT AS TRUSTEE
☐ | CHECK IF AN APPLICATION TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY OF A TRUSTEE PURSUANT TO SECTION 305(b)(2) |
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
(Exact name of trustee as specified in its charter)
New York | 13-5160382 | |
(Jurisdiction of incorporation if not a U.S. national bank) |
(I.R.S. employer identification no.) | |
225 Liberty Street, New York, N.Y. | 10286 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip code) |
W. R. Berkley Corporation
(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 22-1867895 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. employer identification no.) | |
475 Steamboat Road Greenwich, Connecticut |
06830 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip code) |
Subordinated Debt Securities
(Title of the indenture securities)
1. | General information. Furnish the following information as to the Trustee: |
(a) | Name and address of each examining or supervising authority to which it is subject. |
Name |
Address | |
Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services of the State of New York |
One State Street, New York, N.Y. 10004-1417, and Albany, N.Y. 12223 | |
Federal Reserve Bank of New York | 33 Liberty Street, New York, N.Y. 10045 | |
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | 550 17th Street, NWWashington, D.C. 20429 | |
The Clearing House Association L.L.C. | 100 Broad Street New York, N.Y. 10004 |
(b) | Whether it is authorized to exercise corporate trust powers. |
Yes.
2. | Affiliations with Obligor. |
If the obligor is an affiliate of the trustee, describe each such affiliation.
None.
16. | List of Exhibits. |
Exhibits identified in parentheses below, on file with the Commission, are incorporated herein by reference as an exhibit hereto, pursuant to Rule 7a-29 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the Act) and 17 C.F.R. 229.10(d).
1. | A copy of the Organization Certificate of The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as The Bank of New York, itself formerly Irving Trust Company) as now in effect, which contains the authority to commence business and a grant of powers to exercise corporate trust powers. (Exhibit 1 to Amendment No. 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 33-6215, Exhibits 1a and 1b to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 33-21672, Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 33-29637, Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-121195 and Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-152735). |
- 2 -
4. | A copy of the existing By-laws of the Trustee (Exhibit 4 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-207042). |
6. | The consent of the Trustee required by Section 321(b) of the Act (Exhibit 6 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-188382). |
7. | A copy of the latest report of condition of the Trustee published pursuant to law or to the requirements of its supervising or examining authority. |
- 3 -
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Act, the Trustee, The Bank of New York Mellon, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, has duly caused this statement of eligibility to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, all in The City of New York, and State of New York, on the 26th day of October, 2017.
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON | ||
By: | /s/ Francine Kincaid | |
Name: Francine Kincaid | ||
Title: Vice President |
- 4 -
EXHIBIT 7
Consolidated Report of Condition of
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
of 225 Liberty Street, New York, N.Y. 10286
And Foreign and Domestic Subsidiaries,
a member of the Federal Reserve System, at the close of business June 30, 2017, published in accordance with a call made by the Federal Reserve Bank of this District pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Reserve Act.
Dollar amounts in thousands | ||||
ASSETS |
||||
Cash and balances due from depository institutions: |
||||
Noninterest-bearing balances and currency and coin |
4,189,000 | |||
Interest-bearing balances |
85,914,000 | |||
Securities: |
||||
Held-to-maturity securities |
40,424,000 | |||
Available-for-sale securities |
74,557,000 | |||
Federal funds sold and securities purchased under agreements to resell: |
||||
Federal funds sold in domestic offices |
0 | |||
Securities purchased under agreements to resell |
13,632,000 | |||
Loans and lease financing receivables: |
||||
Loans and leases held for sale |
0 | |||
Loans and leases held for investment |
32,260,000 | |||
LESS: Allowance for loan and lease losses |
137,000 | |||
Loans and leases held for investment, net of allowance |
32,123,000 | |||
Trading assets |
3,022,000 | |||
Premises and fixed assets (including capitalized leases) |
1,391,000 | |||
Other real estate owned |
4,000 | |||
Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries and associated companies |
570,000 | |||
Direct and indirect investments in real estate ventures |
0 | |||
Intangible assets: |
||||
Goodwill |
6,308,000 | |||
Other intangible assets |
876,000 | |||
Other assets |
17,866,000 | |||
|
|
|||
Total assets |
280,876,000 | |||
|
|
LIABILITIES |
||||
Deposits: |
||||
In domestic offices |
126,191,000 | |||
Noninterest-bearing |
80,114,000 | |||
Interest-bearing |
46,077,000 | |||
In foreign offices, Edge and Agreement subsidiaries, and IBFs |
112,793,000 | |||
Noninterest-bearing |
9,023,000 | |||
Interest-bearing |
103,770,000 | |||
Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase: |
||||
Federal funds purchased in domestic offices . |
693,000 | |||
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase |
2,388,000 | |||
Trading liabilities |
3,136,000 | |||
Other borrowed money:(includes mortgage indebtedness and obligations under capitalized leases) |
2,784,000 | |||
Not applicable |
||||
Not applicable |
||||
Subordinated notes and debentures |
515,000 | |||
Other liabilities |
6,552,000 | |||
|
|
|||
Total liabilities |
255,052,000 | |||
|
|
|||
EQUITY CAPITAL |
||||
Perpetual preferred stock and related surplus |
0 | |||
Common stock |
1,135,000 | |||
Surplus (exclude all surplus related to preferred stock) |
10,643,000 | |||
Retained earnings |
15,327,000 | |||
Accumulated other comprehensive income |
-1,631,000 | |||
Other equity capital components |
0 | |||
Total bank equity capital |
25,474,000 | |||
Noncontrolling (minority) interests in consolidated subsidiaries |
350,000 | |||
Total equity capital |
25,824,000 | |||
|
|
|||
Total liabilities and equity capital |
280,876,000 | |||
|
|
I, Thomas P. Gibbons, Chief Financial Officer of the above-named bank do hereby declare that this Report of Condition is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Thomas P. Gibbons,
Chief Financial Officer
We, the undersigned directors, attest to the correctness of this statement of resources and liabilities. We declare that it has been examined by us, and to the best of our knowledge and belief has been prepared in conformance with the instructions and is true and correct.
Gerald L. Hassell Samuel C. Scott Joseph J. Echevarria |
Directors |
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end