EX-5.2 4 dp116101_ex0502.htm EXHIBIT 5.2

Exhibit 5.2

 

  New York
Northern California
Washington DC
São Paulo
London
Paris
Madrid
Tokyo
Beijing
Hong Kong

 

 

 

Davis Polk & Wardwell London LLP

5 Aldermanbury Square

London EC2V 7HR

020 7418 1300 tel

020 7418 1400 fax

  

November 20, 2019

 

 

Lloyds Banking Group plc
25 Gresham Street
London EC2V 7HN
United Kingdom

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have acted as special United States counsel for Lloyds Banking Group plc, a public limited company organized under the laws of Scotland (the “Company”), in connection with the Company’s offering of £500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 5.125% Fixed Rate Reset Additional Tier 1 Perpetual Subordinated Contingent Convertible Securities (Callable December 27, 2024 and on any day until June 27, 2025 and Every Five Years Thereafter) (the “Securities”) in an underwritten public offering pursuant to (i) the Underwriting Agreement dated November 13, 2019 (the “Base Underwriting Agreement”) and (ii) the Pricing Agreement dated as of November 13, 2019 (the “Pricing Agreement” and, together with the Base Underwriting Agreement, the “Underwriting Agreement”). The Securities are to be issued pursuant to the provisions of the capital securities indenture dated as of March 6, 2014 (the “Base Indenture”) between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon, acting through its London Branch, as trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by the fourth supplemental indenture dated as of the date hereof between the Company and the Trustee (the “Fourth Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”).

 

We, as your counsel, have examined originals or copies of such documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or advisable for the purpose of rendering this opinion.

 

In rendering the opinions expressed herein, we have, without independent inquiry or investigation, assumed that (i) all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic and complete, (ii) all documents submitted to us as copies conform to authentic, complete originals, (iii) all signatures on all documents that we reviewed are genuine, (iv) all natural persons executing documents had and have the legal capacity to do so, (v) all statements in certificates of public officials and officers of the Company that we reviewed were and are accurate and (vi)

 

 

Lloyds Banking Group plcNovember 20, 2019pg. 2

 

all representations made by the Company as to matters of fact in the documents that we reviewed were and are accurate.

 

Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the additional assumptions and qualifications set forth below, we advise you that, in our opinion:

 

(1)Assuming that the Base Indenture and the Fourth Supplemental Indenture have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company insofar as Scots law is concerned, the Base Indenture and the Fourth Supplemental Indenture have been duly executed and delivered by the Company, and assuming that the Base Indenture and the Fourth Supplemental Indenture have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by each of the Company and the Trustee and that each of the Trustee and the Company has full power, authority and legal right to enter into and perform its obligations thereunder, the Base Indenture and the Fourth Supplemental Indenture constitute valid and binding agreements of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, provided that we express no opinion as to the validity, legally binding effect or enforceability (i) of any provision expressed to be governed by Scots law or (ii) of any provision that permits holders to collect any portion of stated principal amount upon acceleration of the Securities to the extent determined to constitute unearned interest; and

 

(2)Assuming that the Securities have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company insofar as Scots law is concerned, the Securities, when authenticated in accordance with the terms of the Indenture and delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits of the Indenture, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, provided that we express no opinion as to the validity, legally binding effect or enforceability (i) of any provision expressed to be governed by Scots law or (ii) of any provision that permits holders to collect any portion of stated principal amount upon acceleration of the Securities to the extent determined to constitute unearned interest.

 

Our opinions in paragraphs (1) and (2) are subject to (i) the effects of applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, concepts of reasonableness and equitable principles of general applicability and (ii) possible judicial or regulatory actions giving effect to governmental actions or foreign laws affecting creditors’ rights.

 

We express no opinion with respect to the provisions in the Securities relating to the acknowledgement of and consent to the exercise of any U.K. bail-in power (as defined therein) or Section 2.21 of the Fourth Supplemental Indenture.

 

We are members of the Bar of the State of New York, and the foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of New York and the federal laws of the United States, except that we express no opinion as to any law, rule or regulation that is applicable to the Company, the Documents or the transactions contemplated thereby solely because such law, rule or regulation is part of a regulatory regime applicable to any party to any of the Documents or any of its affiliates due to the specific assets or business of such party or such affiliate. Insofar as the foregoing opinion involves matters governed by Scots law, we have relied, without independent inquiry or

 

 

Lloyds Banking Group plcNovember 20, 2019pg. 3

 

investigation, on the opinion of CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, special legal counsel in Scotland for the Company, dated as of November 20, 2019, to be filed as an exhibit to a report on Form 6-K concurrently with this opinion.

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to a report on Form 6-K to be filed by the Company on the date hereof. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

Very truly yours,

 

/s/ Davis Polk & Wardwell London LLP