Maryland | 001-13100 | 56-1871668 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (Commission File Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
North Carolina | 000-21731 | 56-1869557 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (Commission File Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
Item 1.01. | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
Item 2.03. | Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant. |
Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
4.1 | Form of 3.875% Notes due March 1, 2027 |
4.2 | Officers' Certificate Establishing the Terms of the 3.875% Notes, dated February 23, 2017 |
5 | Opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) re legality |
8 | Opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) re tax matters |
23 | Consent of DLA Piper LLP (US) (included in Exhibits 5 and 8) |
HIGHWOODS PROPERTIES, INC. | |||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey D. Miller | ||
Jeffrey D. Miller | |||
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary |
HIGHWOODS REALTY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP | |||
By: Highwoods Properties, Inc., its general partner | |||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey D. Miller | ||
Jeffrey D. Miller | |||
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary |
REGISTERED | PRINCIPAL AMOUNT | ||
No.: 1 | $ | 300,000,000 | |
CUSIP No: 431282 AP7 |
HIGHWOODS REALTY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP | |||
By: Highwoods Properties, Inc., its general partner | |||
By: | |||
Edward J. Fritsch | |||
President and Chief Executive Officer |
By: | ||
Jeffrey D. Miller | ||
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary |
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | |||
as Trustee | |||
By: | |||
Paul E. Vaden | |||
Vice President | |||
1. | The Notes shall constitute one series of Securities having the title 3.875% Notes due March 1, 2027 (the “Notes”). |
2. | The Notes will initially be limited to $300,000,000 million aggregate principal amount. We may in the future, without the consent of the Holders, increase the principal amount of the Notes by issuing additional Notes on the same terms and conditions. |
3. | The Notes shall be issued at 100% of the principal amount thereof. |
4. | The Notes will mature on March 1, 2027 (the “Maturity Date”), subject to prior redemption at the option of the Issuer as described in paragraph 5 below. |
5. | The rate at which the Notes shall bear interest shall be 3.875% per annum. The date from which such interest shall accrue shall be February 23, 2017. The Interest Payment Dates on which interest will be payable shall be March 1 and September 1 in each year, beginning September 1, 2017; the Regular Record Date for the interest payable on the Notes on any Interest Payment Date shall be the 15th calendar day prior to each Interest Payment Date regardless of whether such day is a Business Day. |
6. | The Notes will be issued only in fully registered form in minimum denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. |
7. | The Notes will be redeemable at the Issuer’s option and in its sole discretion, at any time in whole or from time to time in part, on any date (a “Redemption Date”). Before December 1, 2026 (a date that is 90 days prior to the Maturity Date, the “Par Call Date”), the Issuer may redeem the Notes at a redemption price equal to the sum of: (i) the principal amount of the Notes being redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the Redemption Date; and (ii) the Make-Whole Amount, if any, with respect to such Notes. If the Notes are redeemed on or after the Par Call Date, the Issuer may redeem the Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed to, but excluding, the Redemption Date. |
8. | The Issuer shall not be obligated to redeem, repay or purchase Notes pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of a Holder thereof. |
9. | The principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Notes may not be paid in a currency other than U.S. Dollars. |
10. | The Notes are issuable only as Registered Securities and will be represented by a permanent global security (the “Global Note”) without coupons registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee. DTC or its nominee will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the respective amounts of Notes represented by the Global Note. Ownership of beneficial interest in the Global Note will be limited to institutions that have accounts with DTC or its nominee (“Participants”) and to persons that may hold interests through Participants. DTC shall be the depositary of the Global Note. The form of the Global Note, attached hereto, is hereby approved. Beneficial owners of interests in the Global Note may not exchange such interests for certificated Notes other than in the manner provided in Section 305 of the Indenture. |
11. | The Notes are not Guaranteed Securities. |
12. | The Issuer shall not pay Additional Amounts (as contemplated by Section 1004 of the Indenture) on the Notes. |
13. | Other than as set forth herein, there shall be no deletions from, modifications or additions to the Events of Default or the covenants of the Issuer with respect to the Notes from those set forth in the Indenture. Notwithstanding the foregoing, solely for purposes of the Notes: |
a. | Section 1012 of the Indenture is hereby deemed to be amended and restated in its entirety as follows: “The Issuer will maintain Total Unencumbered Assets of not less than 150% of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of all outstanding Unsecured Debt of the Issuer.” |
b. | The definition of “Total Unencumbered Assets” under Section 101 of the Indenture is hereby deemed to be amended and restated in its entirety as follows: “Total Unencumbered Assets” means the sum of (i) those Undepreciated Real Estate Assets not subject to an encumbrance and (ii) all other assets of the Issuer and its Subsidiaries not subject to an encumbrance determined in accordance with GAAP (but excluding intangibles and accounts receivable); provided, however, that all investments by the Issuer and its Subsidiaries in unconsolidated joint ventures, unconsolidated limited partnerships, unconsolidated limited liability companies and other unconsolidated entities are excluded from the calculation of Total Unencumbered Assets to the extent that such investments would have otherwise been included.” |
c. | The second paragraph of Section 1014 of the Indenture is hereby deemed to be amended and restated in its entirety as follows: “The Issuer will also in any event (unless available on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (or successor system)) (x) within 15 days of each Required Filing Date (i) |
d. | Effective upon the time that all Securities issued under the Indenture prior to the date of this Certificate are no longer Outstanding, Section 501(5) of the Indenture shall automatically be amended and restated in its entirety as follows: |
i. | “(5) default under any evidence of recourse Indebtedness of the Issuer or under any mortgage, indenture or other instrument of the Issuer (including a default with respect to Securities of any series other than the Notes) under which there may be issued or by which there may be secured any recourse Indebtedness of the Issuer (or by any Subsidiary, the repayment of which the Issuer has guaranteed or for which the Issuer is directly responsible or liable as obligor or guarantor), whether such Indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created, which default shall constitute a failure to pay an aggregate principal amount exceeding $25,000,000 of such Indebtedness when due and payable after the expiration of any applicable grace period with respect thereto and shall have resulted in such Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount exceeding $25,000,000 becoming or being declared due and payable prior to the date on which it would otherwise have become due and payable, without such Indebtedness having been discharged, or such acceleration having been rescinded or annulled, within a period of 10 days after there shall have been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Issuer by the Trustee or to the Issuer and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 10% in principal amount of the Notes a written notice specifying such default and requiring the Issuer to cause such indebtedness to be discharged or cause such acceleration to be rescinded or annulled and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or” |
14. | Holders shall have no special rights in addition to those provided in the Indenture or this Certificate upon the occurrence of any particular events. |
15. | The place where the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes shall be payable and the Notes may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices or demands to or upon the Issuer in respect of the Notes and the Indenture may be served shall be U.S. Bank National Association (as successor in interest to Wachovia Bank, N.A. as merged with and into First Union National Bank of North Carolina), 100 Wall Street, Suite 1600, New York, New York 10005. |
16. | This Officers’ Certificate shall constitute the Officers’ Certificate referenced under Section 301 of the Indenture. |
/s/Edward J. Fritsch | ||
Edward J. Fritsch | ||
President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
/s/ Jeffrey D. Miller | ||
Jeffrey D. Miller | ||
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ||
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | |||
as Trustee | |||
By: | /s/ Paul Vaden | ||
Paul Vaden | |||
Vice President | |||
DLA Piper LLP (US) 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 27th Floor New York, New York 10020-1104 www.dlapiper.com T 212.335.4500 F 212.335.4501 | |
(a) | the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Operating Partnership, together with all amendments thereto, as certified by the Secretary of State of the State of North Carolina as of January 30, 2017 and by the Secretary of the Company, as the general partner of the Operating Partnership, as of the date hereof; |
(b) | the Second Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Operating Partnership, together with all amendments and supplements thereto, as certified by the Secretary of the Company, as general partner of the Operating Partnership, as of the date hereof; |
(c) | copies of resolutions duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company on November 4, 1996 and January 25, 2017, as certified by the Secretary of the Company as of the date hereof; |
(d) | the Registration Statement; |
(e) | the Operating Partnership’s prospectus supplement, dated February 13, 2017, as filed with the Commission on February 14, 2017, pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, together with the base prospectus, dated February 7, 2017 (collectively, the “Final Prospectus”); |
(f) | an executed copy of the Underwriting Agreement; |
(g) | an executed copy of the Indenture; |
(h) | the form of the definitive global note representing the Notes; |
(i) | an executed copy of the certificate of the Secretary of the Company, dated the date hereof, as to certain factual matters; |
(j) | the certificate of the Secretary of State of the State of North Carolina as to the existence of the Operating Partnership in the State of North Carolina dated February 17, 2017 (the “North Carolina Certificate”); and |
(k) | such other documents and matters as we have deemed necessary or appropriate to express the opinion set forth below, subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein. |
1. | the Operating Partnership is a limited partnership duly formed and validly existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina, and has the requisite partnership power to issue the Notes; and |
2. | the Notes have been duly authorized for issuance by the Operating Partnership, and when executed by the Operating Partnership and authenticated by the Trustee in the manner provided in the Indenture (assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Indenture by the Trustee) and delivered against payment of the purchase price therefor as provided in the Underwriting Agreement and the Indenture, the Notes will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Operating Partnership under New York law, enforceable against the Operating Partnership under New York law in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws relating to or affecting enforcement of the rights and remedies of creditors or by general principles of equity. |
DLA Piper LLP (US) IDS Center 80 South Eighth Street Suite 2800 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-2103 T 312.368.4000 F 312.236.7516 W www.dlapiper.com | |
(i) | The Company, the Operating Partnership and their respective subsidiaries will each be operated in the manner described in the Charter, the Bylaws, the Partnership Agreement, the other organizational documents of each such entity and their subsidiaries, as the case may be, and all terms and provisions of such agreements and documents will be complied with by all parties thereto; |
(ii) | The Company is a duly formed corporation under the laws of the State of Maryland; and |
(iii) | The Operating Partnership is a duly organized and validly existing limited partnership under the laws of the State of North Carolina. |