SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 20, 2002

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

       Washington                 0-20355                   33-0572969
(State or Other Jurisdiction    (Commission              (I.R.S. Employer
     of Incorporation)          File Number)           Identification Number)

999 Lake Drive
Issaquah, Washington 98027
(Address of principal executive office)

(425) 313-8100
(Registrant's telephone number including area code)

Item 5. Other Events

On March 20, 2002, Costco Wholesale Corporation entered into a terms agreement with Banc of America Securities LLC and Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation, as representatives of the underwriters, for the public offering of $300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 5 1/2% Senior Notes Due March 15, 2007 under the Company's shelf Registration Statements on Form S-3 (Reg. Nos. 333-01127 and 333-72122). The senior notes are to be issued under a supplemental indenture, dated March 20, 2002, to an indenture dated, October 26, 2001, between us and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, relating to our senior debt securities. Closing of the issuance and sale of the senior notes is schedule for March 25, 2002. A copy of the terms agreement, form of senior note, and first supplemental indenture are filed herewith.


Item 7. Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits

(c) Exhibits.

The exhibits listed in the accompanying Index to Exhibits relate to the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-72122) of the Registrant and are filed herewith for incorporation by reference in such Registration Statement.

Exhibit   Description

  1.1     Terms Agreement dated March 20, 2002.

  4.1     First Supplemental Indenture between Costco Wholesale
          Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee,
          dated as of March 20, 2002.

  4.2     Costco Wholesale Corporation Standard Multiple-Series
          Indenture Provisions, dated as of March 20, 2002.

  4.3     Form of Note for Costco Wholesale Corporation's
          5-1/2% Senior Notes due March 15, 2007.

  5.1     Opinion of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP.

 12.1     Statement re computation of ratios.


SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date: March 22, 2002

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

By:      /s/ Richard A. Galanti
         ----------------------------------
         Richard A. Galanti
         Executive Vice President and
          Chief Financial Officer


EXHIBIT 1.1

EXECUTION COPY

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
("Company")

Debt Securities

TERMS AGREEMENT

March 20, 2002

To: The Representatives of the Underwriters identified herein

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned agrees to sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto for their respective accounts, on and subject to the terms and conditions of the Underwriting Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A ("Underwriting Agreement"), the following securities ("Offered Securities") on the following terms:

Title: 5 1/2% Notes due 2007.

Principal Amount: $300,000,000.

Interest: 5 1/2% per annum, from March 25, 2002, payable semiannually on March 15 and September 15 of each year, commencing September 15, 2002, to holders of record on the preceding March 1 and September 1, respectively.

Maturity: March 15, 2007

Optional Redemption: The Notes are to be redeemable at the option of the Company at any time and from time to time by paying the redemption price as set forth in the indenture.

Sinking Fund: None.

Listing: None.

Purchase Price: 99.196% of principal amount, plus accrued interest, if any, from March 25 2002.


Expected Reoffering Price: 99.796% of principal amount, plus accrued interest, if any, from March 25, 2002, subject to change by the Representatives.

Closing: 10:00 A.M. (New York City Time) on March 25, 2002, at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, LLP, 875 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022, in Federal (same day) funds.

Settlement and Trading: Book-Entry Only via The Depository Trust Company.

Names of the Representatives: Banc of America Securities LLC and Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation.

The respective principal amounts of the Offered Securities to be purchased by each of the Underwriters are set forth opposite their names in Schedule A hereto.

The provisions of the Underwriting Agreement are incorporated herein by reference.

The Offered Securities will be made available for checking and packaging at the office of Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation at least 24 hours prior to the Closing Date.

For purposes of Section 6 of the Underwriting Agreement, the only information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter for use in the Prospectus consists of (i) the seventh paragraph and the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the third paragraph under the caption "Underwriting" in the prospectus supplement, and (ii) the information in the ninth paragraph furnished on behalf of First Union Securities, Inc. under the caption "Underwriting" in the prospectus supplement.

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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company one of the counterparts hereof, whereupon it will become a binding agreement between the Company and the several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.

Very truly yours,

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

By:
Name:
Title:

The foregoing Terms Agreement
is hereby confirmed and accepted as
of the date first above written

BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC

CREDIT SUISSE FIRST BOSTON CORPORATION

Acting on behalf of themselves and as the Representatives of the several Underwriters.

By: BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC

By: ________________________________
Title:

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SCHEDULE A

                                                                    Principal
                          Underwriter                                Amount

Banc of America Securities LLC...............................      $105,000,000
Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation.......................      $105,000,000
ABN AMRO Incorporated........................................      $ 12,000,000
Banc One Capital Markets, Inc...............................       $ 12,000,000
First Union Securities, Inc.................................       $ 12,000,000
Fleet Securities, Inc.......................................       $ 12,000,000
Tokyo-Mitsubishi International plc..........................       $ 12,000,000
U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc..............................       $ 12,000,000
Wells Fargo Brokerage Services, LLC.........................       $ 12,000,000
M. R. Beal & Company........................................       $  6,000,000
                                                                   ------------
         Total..............................................       $300,000,000
                                                                   ============

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EXHIBIT A

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

Debt Securities

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

1. Introductory. COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION, a Washington corporation ("Company"), proposes to issue and sell from time to time certain of its unsecured debt securities registered under the registration statement referred to in Section 2(a) ("Registered Securities"). The Registered Securities will be issued under a first supplemental indenture, dated as of March 20, 2002, ("First Supplemental Indenture") to an indenture between the Company and U.S. Bank, as Trustee, (collectively with the First Supplemental Indenture, "Indenture") in one or more series, which series may vary as to interest rates or formulas, maturities, redemption provisions, selling prices and other terms, with all such terms for any particular series of the Registered Securities being determined at the time of sale. Particular series of the Registered Securities will be sold pursuant to a terms agreement referred to in Section 3 ("Terms Agreement") for resale in accordance with terms of offering determined at the time of sale.

The Registered Securities involved in any such offering are hereinafter referred to as the "Offered Securities". The firm or firms which agree to purchase the Offered Securities are hereinafter referred to as the "Underwriters" of such securities, and the representative or representatives of the Underwriters, if any, specified in the Terms Agreement are hereinafter referred to as the "Representatives"; provided, however, that if the Terms Agreement does not specify any representative of the Underwriters, the term "Representatives", as used in this Agreement (other than in Sections 2(b), 5(c) and 6 and the second sentence of Section 3), shall mean the Underwriters.

2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company, as of the date of the Terms Agreement, represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter that:

(a) Two registration statements (Nos. 333-01127 and 333-72122), including a combined prospectus pursuant to Rule 429(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Act"), relating to the Registered Securities have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission") and each has become effective. Such registration statements, including all material incorporated by reference therein, as amended prior to the time the applicable Terms Agreement is executed and delivered, are hereinafter referred to as collectively as the "Registration Statement", and the final prospectus, dated March 20, 2002, included in the Registration Statement, as supplemented as contemplated by Section 3 to reflect the terms of the Offered Securities and the terms of offering thereof, including all material incorporated by reference therein, is hereinafter referred to as the "Prospectus". No document has been or will be prepared or distributed in reliance on Rule 434 under the Act.

(b) On the initial effective date of the registration statement relating to the Registered Securities and on each date on which any post-effective amendment thereto became effective, such registration statement and any amendment thereto conformed in all respects to the requirements of the Act, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended ("Trust Indenture Act"), and the rules and regulations of the Commission ("Rules and Regulations") and did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. On the date of the Terms Agreement and on the Closing Date (as defined in Section 3), the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto will conform in all respects to the requirements of the Act, the Trust Indenture Act and the Rules and Regulations. The material incorporated into the Registration Statement and the Prospectus by reference conformed, when filed with the Commission, in all respects to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act"), and the Rules and Regulations. On the date of the Terms Agreement and on the Closing Date, none of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any related preliminary prospectus or preliminary prospectus supplement, will include any


untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements statements in or omissions from any of the foregoing documents based upon written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives, if any, specifically for use therein.

(c) The Company has been duly incorporated and is an existing corporation under the laws of the State of Washington, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus. The Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification except for such failure to qualify which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole ("Material Adverse Effect")

(d) Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated and is a validly existing corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus. Each subsidiary of the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification except for such failure to qualify which would not individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect. All of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company has been duly authorized and validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free from liens, encumbrances and defects. The Company does not have any subsidiary other than Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., Costco Wholesale Membership, Inc. and Price Costco Canada Holdings Inc. that, individually or in the aggregate, is a "significant subsidiary" within the meaning of Regulation S-X under the Act.

(e) The Indenture has been duly authorized and has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act. The Offered Securities have been duly authorized. When the Offered Securities are delivered and paid for pursuant to the Terms Agreement on the Closing Date, the Indenture will have been duly executed and delivered, such Offered Securities will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and the Indenture and such Offered Securities will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general equity principles and will conform to the descriptions thereof contained in the Prospectus.

(f) No consent, approval, authorization, or order of, or filing with, any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, is required for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities by the Company, except such as have been obtained and made under the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and such as may be required under state securities laws.

(g) The execution, delivery and performance of the Indenture and the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) and the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities and compliance with the terms and provisions thereof will not result in any breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of any agreement or instrument to which the Company or any such subsidiary is a party or by which the Company or any such subsidiary is bound or to which any of the properties of the Company or any such subsidiary is subject, or in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company pursuant to any agreement or instrument to which the Company or any such subsidiary is a party or by which the Company or any such subsidiary is bound or to which any of the properties of the Company or any such subsidiary is subject, except for such breach, violation or default which would not individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect, nor will such action result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, any statute, any rule, regulation or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or

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any subsidiary of the Company or any of their respective properties, or the charter or by-laws of the Company or any such subsidiary, and the Company has full power and authority to authorize, issue and sell the Offered Securities as contemplated by the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement).

(h) The Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(i) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real properties and all other properties and assets owned by them, in each case free from liens, encumbrances and defects that would materially affect the value thereof or materially interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries hold any leased real or personal property under valid and enforceable leases with no exceptions that would materially interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them.

(j) The Company and its subsidiaries possess adequate certificates, authorities or permits issued by appropriate governmental agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them and have not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authority or permit that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.

(k) No labor dispute with the employees of the Company, Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., Costco Wholesale Membership, Inc. or Price Costco Canada Holdings Inc. exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent that might have a Material Adverse Effect.

(l) The Company and its subsidiaries own, possess or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate trademarks, trade names and other rights to inventions, know-how, patents, copyrights, confidential information and other intellectual property (collectively, "intellectual property rights") necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, or presently employed by them, and have not received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any intellectual property rights that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.

(m) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any statute, any rule, regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic substances (collectively, "environmental laws"), owns or operates any real property contaminated with any substance that is subject to any environmental laws, is liable for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any environmental laws, or is subject to any claim relating to any environmental laws, which violation, contamination, liability or claim would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is not aware of any pending investigation which might lead to such a claim.

(n) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, there are no pending actions, suits or proceedings against or affecting the Company, any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect or would materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Indenture or the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) or which are otherwise material in the context of the sale of the Offered Securities. No such actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or, to the Company's knowledge, contemplated.

(o) The financial statements (including the notes and supporting schedules) included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and Prospectus present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates shown and their results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and, except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with the generally accepted accounting principles

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in the United States applied on a consistent basis. Any schedules included in the Registration Statement and Prospectus present fairly the information required to be stated therein. If pro forma financial statements are included in the Registration Statement and Prospectus:
the assumptions used in preparing the pro forma financial statements included in the Registration Statement and Prospectus provide a reasonable basis for presenting the significant effects directly attributable to the transactions or events described therein, the related pro forma adjustments give appropriate effect to those assumptions, and the pro forma columns therein reflect the proper application of those adjustments to the corresponding historical financial statement amounts.

(p) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Prospectus there has been no material adverse change, nor any development or event involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition (financial or other), business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole and, except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.

(q) The Company is subject to the reporting requirements of either Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act and files reports with the Commission on the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system.

(r) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Offered Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be an "investment company" as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("Investment Company Act").

3. Purchase and Offering of Offered Securities. The obligation of the Underwriters to purchase the Offered Securities will be evidenced by the Terms Agreement at the time the Company determines to sell the Offered Securities. The Terms Agreement will incorporate by reference the provisions of this Agreement, except as otherwise provided therein, and will specify the firm or firms which will be Underwriters, the name of any Representative, the principal amount to be purchased by each Underwriter, the purchase price to be paid by the Underwriters and the terms of the Offered Securities not already specified in the Indenture, including, but not limited to, interest rate or formula, maturity, any redemption provisions and any sinking fund requirements. The Terms Agreement will also specify the time and date of delivery and payment (such time and date, or such other time not later than seven full business days thereafter as the Underwriter first named in the Terms Agreement ("Lead Underwriter") and the Company agree as the time for payment and delivery, being herein and in the Terms Agreement referred to as the "Closing Date"), the place of delivery and payment and any details of the terms of offering that should be reflected in the prospectus supplement relating to the offering of the Offered Securities. For purposes of Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act, the Closing Date (if later than the otherwise applicable settlement date) shall be the date for payment of funds and delivery of securities for all the Offered Securities sold pursuant to the offering. The obligations of Underwriters to purchase the Offered Securities will be several and not joint. It is understood that the Underwriters propose to offer the Offered Securities for sale as set forth in the Prospectus.

If the Terms Agreement specifies "Book-Entry Only" settlement or otherwise states that the provisions of this paragraph shall apply, the Company will deliver against payment of the purchase price the Offered Securities in the form of one or more permanent global securities in definitive form ("Global Securities") deposited with the Trustee as custodian for The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC. Interests in any permanent global securities will be held only in book-entry form through DTC, except in the limited circumstances described in the Prospectus. Payment for the Offered Securities shall be made by the Underwriters in Federal (same day) funds by official check or checks or wire transfer to an account previously designated by the Company at a bank acceptable to the Lead Underwriter, in each case drawn to the order of the Company at the place of payment specified in the Terms Agreement on the Closing Date, against delivery to the Trustee as custodian for DTC of the Global Securities representing all of the Offered Securities.

4. Certain Agreements of the Company. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that it will furnish to counsel for the Underwriters, one signed copy of the registration statement relating to the Registered

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Securities, including all exhibits, in the form it became effective, and of all amendments thereto, and that, in connection with each offering of Offered Securities:

(a) The Company will file the Prospectus with the Commission pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 424(b)(2) (or, if applicable and if consented to by the Lead Underwriter, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, subparagraph (5)) not later than the second business day following the execution and delivery of the Terms Agreement.

(b) The Company will advise the Lead Underwriter promptly of any proposal to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and will afford the Lead Underwriter a reasonable opportunity to comment on any such proposed amendment or supplement. The Company will also advise the Lead Underwriter promptly of the filing of any such amendment or supplement and of the institution by the Commission of any stop order proceedings in respect of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof and will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order and to obtain as soon as possible its lifting, if issued.

(c) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Offered Securities is required to be delivered under the Act in connection with sales by any Underwriter or dealer, any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend the Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company promptly will notify the Lead Underwriter of such event and will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, at its own expense, an amendment or supplement which will correct such statement or omission or an amendment which will effect such compliance. Neither the Lead Underwriter's consent to, nor the Underwriters' delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the conditions set forth in Section 5 hereof.

(d) As soon as practicable, but not later than 16 months, after the date of each Terms Agreement, the Company will make generally available to its securityholders an earnings statement covering a period of at least 12 months beginning after the later of (i) the effective date of the registration statement relating to the Registered Securities, (ii) the effective date of the most recent post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement to become effective prior to the date of such Terms Agreement and (iii) the date of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission prior to the date of such Terms Agreement, which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act.

(e) The Company will furnish to the Representatives copies of the Registration Statement, including all exhibits, any related preliminary prospectus, any related preliminary prospectus supplement and the Prospectus, and all amendments and supplements to any of such documents, in each case as soon as available and in such quantities as the Lead Underwriter reasonably requests. The Company will pay the expenses of printing and distributing to the Underwriters all such documents.

(f) The Company will arrange for the qualification of the Offered Securities for sale and the determination of their eligibility for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Lead Underwriter designates and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution, provided that the Company and its subsidiaries shall not be obligated to qualify as foreign corporations in any jurisdiction in which they are not so qualified or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction.

(g) The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement), for any filing fees or other expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel) in connection with qualification of the Registered Securities for sale and any determination of their eligibility for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Lead Underwriter may designate and the printing of memoranda relating thereto, for any fees charged by investment rating agencies for the rating of the Offered Securities, for any travel expenses of the Company's officers and employees and any other expenses of the Company in connection with attending or hosting meetings with prospective purchasers of Registered Securities and for expenses incurred in

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distributing the Prospectus, any preliminary prospectuses, any preliminary prospectus supplements or any other amendments or supplements to the Prospectus to the Underwriters.

(h) The Company will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to United States dollar-denominated debt securities issued or guaranteed by the Company and having a maturity of more than one year from the date of issue or publicly disclose the intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing, without the prior written consent of the Lead Underwriter for a period beginning at the time of execution of the Terms Agreement and ending at the later of the Closing Date or the date specified under "Blackout" in the Terms Agreement.

5. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Offered Securities will be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein or in the Terms Agreement, to the accuracy of the statements of Company officers made pursuant to the provisions hereof or thereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations contained herein or therein and to the following additional conditions precedent:

(a) On or prior to the date of the Terms Agreement, the Representatives shall have received a letter, dated the date of delivery thereof, of Arthur Andersen LLP confirming that they are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Act and the applicable published Rules and Regulations thereunder and stating to the effect that:

(i) their opinion the financial statements and any schedules and any summary of earnings examined by them and included in the Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act, the Exchange Act and the related published Rules and Regulations;

(ii) they have performed the procedures specified by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for a review of interim financial information as described in Statement of Auditing Standards No. 71, Interim Financial Information, on any unaudited financial statements included in the Prospectus;

(iii)on the basis of the review referred to in clause (ii) above, a reading of the latest available interim financial statements of the Company, inquiries of officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters and other specified procedures, nothing came to their attention that caused them to believe that:

(A) the unaudited financial statements, if any, and any summary of earnings included in the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act, the Exchange Act and the related published Rules and Regulations or any material modifications should be made to such unaudited financial statements and summary of earnings for them to be in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a basis substantially consistent with the audited financial statements included in the Prospectus;

(B) if any unaudited "capsule" information is contained in the Prospectus, the unaudited consolidated net sales, net operating income, net income and net income per share amounts or other amounts constituting such "capsule" information and described in such letter do not agree with the corresponding amounts set forth in the unaudited consolidated financial statements or were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with that of the corresponding amounts in the audited statements of income;

(C) at the date of the latest available balance sheet read by such accountants, or at a subsequent specified date not more than three business days prior to the date

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of the such letter, there was any change in the capital stock or any increase in short-term indebtedness or long-term debt of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries or, at the date of the latest available balance sheet read by such accountants, there was any decrease in consolidated net current assets or net assets as compared with amounts shown on the latest balance sheet included in the Prospectus; or

(D) for the period from the closing date of the latest income statement included in the Prospectus to the closing date of the latest available income statement read by such accountants, there were any decreases, as compared with the corresponding period of the previous year and with the period of corresponding length ended the date of the latest income statement included in the Prospectus, in consolidated net sales, net operating income, consolidated income before extraordinary items or net income or in the ratio of earnings to fixed charges;

except in all cases set forth in clauses (C) and (D) above for changes, increases or decreases which the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or which are described in such letter; and

(iv) they have compared specified dollar amounts (or percentages derived from such dollar amounts) and other financial information contained in the Prospectus (in each case to the extent that such dollar amounts, percentages and other financial information are derived from the general accounting records of the Company and its subsidiaries subject to the internal controls of the Company's accounting system or are derived directly from such records by analysis or computation) with the results obtained from inquiries, a reading of such general accounting records and other procedures specified in such letter and have found such dollar amounts, percentages and other financial information to be in agreement with such results, except as otherwise specified in such letter.

(b) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with the Rules and Regulations and Section 4(a) of this Agreement. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Underwriter, shall be contemplated by the Commission.

(c) Subsequent to the execution of the Terms Agreement, there shall not have occurred (i) any change, or any development or event involving a prospective change, in the condition (financial or other), business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as one enterprise which, in the judgment of a majority in interest of the Underwriters (including any Representatives), is material and adverse and makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with completion of the public offering or the sale of and payment for the Offered Securities; (ii) any downgrading in the rating of any debt securities or preferred stock of the Company by any "nationally recognized statistical rating organization" (as defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) under the Act), or any public announcement that any such organization has under surveillance or review its rating of any debt securities or preferred stock of the Company (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading, and no implication of a possible downgrading, of such rating); (iii) any change in U.S. or international financial, political or economic conditions or currency exchange rates or exchange controls as would, in the judgment of a majority in interest of the Underwriters (including any Representatives), be likely to prejudice materially the success of the proposed issue, sale or disposition of the Offered Securities, whether in the primary market or in respect of dealings in the secondary market; (iv) any material suspension or material limitation of trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ National Market, or any setting of minimum prices for trading on any such exchange or market, or any suspension of trading of any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market; (v) any banking moratorium declared by U.S. Federal or New York authorities; (vi) any major disruption of settlements of securities or clearance services in the United States or (vii) any attack on, outbreak or escalation of hostilities or act of terrorism involving the United States, any declaration of war by Congress or any other national or international calamity or emergency if, in the judgment of a majority in interest of the Underwriters (including any Representatives), the effect of any such attack, outbreak,

7

escalation, act, declaration, calamity or emergency makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with completion of the public offering or the sale of and payment for the Offered Securities.

(d) The Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP, counsel for the Company, to the effect that:

(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is an existing corporation under the laws of the State of Washington, with corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus;

(ii) Costco Wholesale Membership, Inc. has been duly incorporated and is a validly existing corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus; and all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Costco Wholesale Membership, Inc. has been duly authorized and validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries;

(iii)The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act; the Offered Securities have been duly authorized, and issued by the Company, and assuming due authentication thereof by the trustee under the Indenture and upon payment and delivery in accordance with this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued and outstanding; the Indenture and the Offered Securities constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general equity principles, whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law; and the Indenture and the Offered Securities conform to the descriptions thereof contained in the Prospectus in all material respects;

(iv) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Offered Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be an "investment company" as defined in the Investment Company Act;

(v) No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing with, any governmental agency or body or any court is required for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) in connection with the issuance or sale of the Offered Securities by the Company, except such as have been obtained and made under the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and such as may be required under state securities laws;

(vi) The execution, delivery and performance of the Indenture and the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) and the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities and compliance with the terms and provisions thereof will not result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under,
(i) any statute, any rule or regulation of any governmental agency or body or, to such counsel's knowledge, any order or judgment of any court having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties,
(ii) pursuant to any agreement listed as an exhibit to the Company's reports filed by the company pursuant to the Exchange Act, or (iii) the charter or by-laws of the Company and the Company has full corporate power and authority to authorize, issue and sell the Offered Securities as contemplated by the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement);

(vii)The Registration Statement has become effective under the Act, the Prospectus was properly filed with the Commission pursuant to the subparagraph of Rule 424(b) specified in such opinion on the date specified therein, and, to the best of the knowledge of such counsel, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or contemplated under the Act, and the registration statement relating to the Registered Securities, as of its effective date,

8

the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as of the date of the Terms Agreement, and any amendment or supplement thereto, as of its date, each complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act, the Trust Indenture and, with respect to material incorporated by reference therein, the Exchange Act and, in each case, the Rules and Regulations; such counsel have no reason to believe that such registration statement, as of its effective date, the Registration Statement, as of the date of the Terms Agreement or as of the Closing Date, or any amendment thereto, as of its date or as of the Closing Date, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or that the Prospectus, as of the date of the Terms Agreement or as of the Closing Date, or any amendment or supplement thereto, as of its date or as of the Closing Date, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; the descriptions in the Registration Statement and Prospectus of statutes, legal and governmental proceedings and contracts and other documents are accurate and fairly present the information required to be shown; and such counsel do not know of any legal or governmental proceedings required to be described in the Prospectus which are not described as required or of any contracts or documents of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which are not described and filed as required; it being understood that such counsel need express no opinion as to the financial statements or other financial data contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto and the portion of the Registration Statement constituting Form T-1 of the Trustee; and

(viii) The Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(e) The Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Lapointe Rosenstein, a general partnership, special counsel for the Company, to the effect that:

(i) Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. has been duly incorporated and is a validly existing corporation in good standing under the laws of Canada, with corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus; and all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. has been duly authorized and validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries; and

(ii) Price Costco Canada Holdings Inc. has been duly incorporated and is a validly existing corporation in good standing under the laws of Canada, with corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus; and all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Price Costco Canada Holdings Inc. has been duly authorized and validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries.

(f) The Representatives shall have received from Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date, with respect to the incorporation of the Company, the validity of the Offered Securities, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and other related matters as the Representatives may require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters. In rendering such opinion, Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP may rely as to the incorporation of the Company and all other matters governed by Washington law upon the opinion of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP referred to above.

(g) The Representatives shall have received a certificate, dated the Closing Date, of the President or any Vice President and a principal financial or accounting officer of the Company in which such officers, to the best of their knowledge after reasonable investigation, shall state that the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct, that the Company

9

has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date, that no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are contemplated by the Commission and that, subsequent to the date of the most recent financial statements in the Prospectus, there has been no material adverse change, nor any development or event involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition (financial or other), business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole except as set forth in the Prospectus.

(h) The Representatives shall have received a letter, dated the Closing Date, of Arthur Andersen LLP which meets the requirements of subsection (a) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to in such subsection will be a date not more than three days prior to the Closing Date for the purposes of this subsection.

The Company will furnish the Representatives with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and documents as the Representatives reasonably request. The Lead Underwriter may in its sole discretion waive on behalf of the Underwriters compliance with any conditions to the obligations of the Underwriters under this Agreement and the Terms Agreement.

6. Indemnification and Contribution. The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its partners, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any related preliminary prospectus or preliminary prospectus supplement, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement in or omission or alleged omission from any of such documents in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives, if any, specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in the Terms Agreement.

(a) Each Underwriter will severally and not jointly indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any related preliminary prospectus or preliminary prospectus supplement, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or the alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives, if any, specifically for use therein, and will reimburse any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in the Terms Agreement.

(b) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under subsection (a) or (b) above, notify the indemnifying party of the

10

commencement thereof, but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under subsection (a) or (b) above. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of more than one separate firm of attorneys (in addition to local counsel, if applicable) at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened action in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party unless such settlement (i) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on any claims that are the subject matter of such action and (ii) does not include a statement as to, or an admission of, fault, culpability or a failure to act by or behalf of an indemnified party.

(c) If the indemnification provided for in this Section is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection
(a) or (b) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in subsection (a) or (b) above (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Offered Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Underwriters and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim which is the subject of this subsection (d). Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Offered Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of
Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters' obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

(d) The obligations of the Company under this Section shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each director of the Company, to each officer of the Company who has signed the Registration Statement and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.

11

7. Default of Underwriters. If any Underwriter or Underwriters default in its obligation or their obligations, as the case may be, to purchase Offered Securities under the Terms Agreement and the aggregate principal amount of Offered Securities that such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase does not exceed 10% of the total principal amount of Offered Securities, the Lead Underwriter may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Offered Securities by other persons, including any of the Underwriters, but if no such arrangements are made by the Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated severally, in proportion to their respective commitments under the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement), to purchase the Offered Securities that such defaulting Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase. If any Underwriter or Underwriters so default and the aggregate principal amount of Offered Securities with respect to which such default or defaults occur exceeds 10% of the total principal amount of Offered Securities and arrangements satisfactory to the Lead Underwriter and the Company for the purchase of such Offered Securities by other persons are not made within 36 hours after such default, the Terms Agreement will terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except as provided in Section 8. As used in this Agreement, the term "Underwriter" includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section. Nothing herein will relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

8. Survival of Certain Representations and Obligations. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation, or statement as to the results thereof, made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or any of their respective representatives, officers or directors or any controlling person, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities. If the Terms Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 7 or if for any reason the purchase of the Offered Securities by the Underwriters is not consummated, the Company shall remain responsible for the expenses to be paid or reimbursed by it pursuant to Section 4 and the respective obligations of the Company and the Underwriters pursuant to Section 6 shall remain in effect. If the purchase of the Offered Securities by the Underwriters is not consummated for any reason other than solely because of the termination of the Terms Agreement pursuant to Section 7 or the occurrence of any event specified in clause (iii), (iv), (v), (vi) or (vii) of Section 5(c), the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel) reasonably incurred by them in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities.

9. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and, if sent to the Underwriters, will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to them at their address furnished to the Company in writing for the purpose of communications hereunder or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to it at 999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, Washington 98027, Attention: General Counsel.

10. Successors. The Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and such Underwriters as are identified in the Terms Agreement and their respective successors and the officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in
Section 6, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.

11. Representation of Underwriters. Any Representatives will act for the several Underwriters in connection with the financing described in the Terms Agreement, and any action under such Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) taken by the Representatives jointly or by the Lead Underwriter will be binding upon all the Underwriters.

12. Counterparts. The Terms Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.

13. Applicable Law. This Agreement and the Terms Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

The Company hereby submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal and state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Terms Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement) or the transactions contemplated thereby.

12

EXHIBIT 4.1

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

and

U.S. BANK National Association, as Trustee


Senior Debt Securities

First Supplemental Indenture


Dated as of March 20, 2002


First Supplemental Indenture

THIS FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE, dated as of March 20, 2002 (the "First Supplemental Indenture"), between COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION, a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Washington (herein called the "Company"), having its principal offices at 999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, Washington 98027, and U.S. BANK National Association, as Trustee (herein called the "Trustee"), under the Indenture, dated as of October 26, 2001, between the Company and the Trustee (the "Base Indenture").

RECITALS OF THE COMPANY

Whereas, the Company executed and delivered the Base Indenture to the Trustee to provide for the issuance from time to time of the Company's senior debt securities to be issued in one or more series as might be determined by the Company under the Base Indenture;

Whereas, the Base Indenture provides that the Company and the Trustee may enter into a supplemental indenture for the purposes of adding terms of senior debt securities or curing ambiguities or inconsistencies in such Base Indenture or making other provisions;

Whereas, the Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this First Supplemental Indenture to provide for the issuance from time to time of its senior debt securities, to be issued in one or more series as in this First Supplemental Indenture provided; and

Whereas, all things necessary to make this First Supplemental Indenture a valid agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.

NOW, THEREFORE, THIS FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE WITNESSETH:

For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed, for the equal and proportionate benefit of all Holders of the Securities or of any series thereof, as follows:

Paragraph A. INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Articles I through XV of the Costco Wholesale Corporation Standard Multiple-Series Indenture Provisions, dated as of March 20, 2002, a copy of which is attached hereto as Annex "A", are hereby incorporated herein by reference with the same force and effect as though fully set out herein.

[Signature Pages Follow]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this First Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed and attested as of the day and year first above written.

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

By
Executive Vice President

Attest


Title: Assistant Secretary

U.S. BANK National Association, as Trustee

By
Title: Authorized Signatory

Attest


Title: Assistant Secretary

First Supplemental Indenture Signature Page


EXHBIT 4.2

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION


Standard Multiple-Series

Indenture Provisions


Dated as of March 20, 2002


                                TABLE OF CONTENTS
                                                                                                                Page
ARTICLE I Definitions and Other Provisions of General Application.................................................1
         1.1      Definitions.....................................................................................1
         1.2      Compliance Certificates and Opinions............................................................7
         1.3      Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee..........................................................8
         1.4      Acts of Holders; Record Dates...................................................................8
         1.5      Notices, etc., to Trustee and Company..........................................................10
         1.6      Notice to Holders; Waiver......................................................................10
         1.7      Conflict with Trust Indenture Act..............................................................11
         1.8      Effect of Headings and Table of Contents.......................................................11
         1.9      Successors and Assigns.........................................................................11
         1.10     Separability Clause............................................................................11
         1.11     Benefits of Indenture..........................................................................11
         1.12     Governing Law..................................................................................11
         1.13     Legal Holidays.................................................................................11
         1.14     Language of Notices, Etc.......................................................................12
         1.15     Counterparts...................................................................................12

ARTICLE II Security Forms........................................................................................12
         2.1      Forms Generally................................................................................12
         2.2      Form of Trustee's Certificate of Authentication................................................12
         2.3      Securities in Global Form......................................................................13

ARTICLE III The Securities.......................................................................................14
         3.1      Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series...........................................................14
         3.2      Denominations..................................................................................16
         3.3      Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating.................................................17
         3.4      Temporary Securities...........................................................................19
         3.5      Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange............................................21
         3.6      Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities...............................................25
         3.7      Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved.................................................26
         3.8      Persons Deemed Owners..........................................................................27
         3.9      Cancellation...................................................................................27
         3.10     Computation of Interest........................................................................28
         3.11     Manner of Payments in Respect of Securities....................................................28
         3.12     Compliance with Certain Laws and Regulations...................................................29

ARTICLE IV Satisfaction and Discharge............................................................................29
         4.1      Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture........................................................29
         4.2      Application of Trust Money.....................................................................30
         4.3      Satisfaction, Discharge and Defeasances of Securities of Any Series............................30
         4.4      Reinstatement..................................................................................31

                                       i

                               Table of Contents
                                  (Continued)
                                                                                                                Page

         4.5      Definitions....................................................................................32

ARTICLE V Remedies...............................................................................................32
         5.1      Events of Default..............................................................................32
         5.2      Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.............................................34
         5.3      Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee................................35
         5.4      Trustee May File Proofs of Claim...............................................................35
         5.5      Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities....................................35
         5.6      Application of Money Collected.................................................................36
         5.7      Limitation on Suits............................................................................36
         5.8      Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium and interest......................37
         5.9      Restoration of Rights and Remedies.............................................................37
         5.10     Rights and Remedies Cumulative.................................................................37
         5.11     Delay or Omission Not Waiver...................................................................37
         5.12     Control by Holders.............................................................................37
         5.13     Waiver of Past Defaults........................................................................38
         5.14     Undertaking for Costs..........................................................................38

ARTICLE VI The Trustee...........................................................................................38
         6.1      Certain Duties and Responsibilities............................................................38
         6.2      Notice of Defaults.............................................................................40
         6.3      Certain Rights of Trustee......................................................................40
         6.4      Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities.........................................41
         6.5      May Hold Securities............................................................................41
         6.6      Money Held in Trust............................................................................42
         6.7      Compensation and Reimbursement.................................................................42
         6.8      Disqualification; Conflicting Interests........................................................42
         6.9      Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility........................................................42
         6.10     Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor..............................................43
         6.11     Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.........................................................44
         6.12     Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business....................................45
         6.13     Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company..............................................45
         6.14     Appointment of Authenticating Agent............................................................45

ARTICLE VII Holders' Lists and Reports by Trustee and Company....................................................47
         7.1      Company To Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders......................................47
         7.2      Preservation of Information; Communications to Holders.........................................48
         7.3      Reports by Trustee.............................................................................48
         7.4      Reports by Company.............................................................................48

                                       ii

                               Table of Contents
                                  (Continued)
                                                                                                                Page

ARTICLE VIII Consolidation, Merger, Conveyance, Transfer or Lease................................................49
         8.1      Company May Consolidate, Etc...................................................................49
         8.2      Successor Corporation Substituted..............................................................49

ARTICLE IX Supplemental Indentures...............................................................................50
         9.1      Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders.............................................50
         9.2      Supplemental Indentures With Consent of Holders................................................51
         9.3      Execution of Supplemental Indentures...........................................................52
         9.4      Effect of Supplemental Indentures..............................................................52
         9.5      Conformity With Trust Indenture Act............................................................52
         9.6      Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures.............................................52

ARTICLE X Covenants..............................................................................................53
         10.1     Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest.....................................................53
         10.2     Maintenance of Office or Agency................................................................53
         10.3     Money for Securities Payments to be Held in Trust..............................................54
         10.4     Additional Amounts.............................................................................55
         10.5     Statement as to Compliance.....................................................................56

ARTICLE XI Redemption of Securities..............................................................................56
         11.1     Applicability of Article.......................................................................56
         11.2     Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee..........................................................56
         11.3     Selection by Trustee of Securities to be Redeemed..............................................57
         11.4     Notice of Redemption...........................................................................57
         11.5     Deposit of Redemption Price....................................................................58
         11.6     Securities Payable on Redemption Date..........................................................58
         11.7     Security Redeemed in Part......................................................................59

ARTICLE XII Sinking Funds........................................................................................59
         12.1     Applicability of Article.......................................................................59
         12.2     Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments With Securities..........................................60
         12.3     Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund......................................................60

ARTICLE XIII Meetings of Holders of Securities...................................................................61
         13.1     Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called......................................................61
         13.2     Call, Notice and Place of Meetings.............................................................61
         13.3     Persons Entitled To Vote at Meetings...........................................................61
         13.4     Quorum; Action.................................................................................61
         13.5     Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings............................62
         13.6     Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings................................................63

                                      iii

                               Table of Contents
                                  (Continued)
                                                                                                                Page

ARTICLE XIV Immunity of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers and Directors......................................64
         14.1     Immunity of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers and Directors................................64

ARTICLE XV Subordination.........................................................................................64
         15.1     Agreement to Subordinate.......................................................................64
         15.2     No Payments to Holders of Securities in Certain Circumstances..................................65
         15.3     Payments by Trustee or Holders of Securities to Holders of Senior Debt.........................66
         15.4     Subrogation....................................................................................66
         15.5     Obligation of Company Unconditional............................................................66
         15.6     Payments on Securities Permitted...............................................................67
         15.7     Effectuation of Subordination by Trustee.......................................................68
         15.8     Knowledge of Trustee...........................................................................68
         15.9     Trustee May Hold Senior Debt...................................................................68
         15.10    Rights of Holders of Senior Debt Not Impaired..................................................68
         15.11    Rights and Obligations Subject to Power of Court...............................................69
         15.12    Definitions....................................................................................69

iv

ARTICLE I
Definitions and Other Provisions of General Application

1.1 Definitions. For all purposes of this Indenture, except as otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) the terms defined in this Article have the meanings assigned to them in this Article and include the plural as well as the singular;

(b) 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;

(c) all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, 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 at the date of such computation; and

(d) the words "herein", "hereof" 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.

Certain terms, used principally within an Article of this Indenture, may be defined in that Article.

"Act" when used with respect to any Holder, has the meaning specified in Section 1.4.

"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 meanings correlative to the foregoing.

"Authenticating Agent" means any Person authorized by the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.14 to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate securities of one or more series.

"Authorized Newspaper" means a newspaper of general circulation in the place of publication, printed in the official language of the country of publication and customarily published on each Business Day, whether or not published on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. Whenever successive weekly publications in an Authorized Newspaper are authorized or required hereunder, they may be made (unless otherwise expressly provided herein) on the same or different days of the week and in the same or different Authorized Newspapers.

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"Bearer Security" means any Security in the form of a bearer security established pursuant to Section 3.1 which is payable to bearer and is not a Registered Security (including without limitation any Security in temporary or definitive global bearer form).

"Board of Directors" means either the board of directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee of that board.

"Board Resolution" means a copy of a resolution 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, and delivered to the Trustee.

"Business Day", when used with respect to any Place of Payment or place of publication, means each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in that Place of Payment or place of publication are authorized or obligated by or pursuant to law regulation or executive order to close or as specified for a series of Securities pursuant to
Section 3.1 or as specified for any Security in such Security.

"Commission" means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or, if at any time after the execution of this instrument 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 Depositary" has the meaning specified in Section 3.4.

"Company" means the Person named as the "Company" in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor corporation shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter "Company" shall mean such successor corporation.

"Company Request", "Request of the Company", "Company Order" or "Order of the Company" means a written request or order signed in the name of the Company by its Chairman of the Board, its President or a Vice-President, and by its Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, its Controller, an Assistant Controller, its Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, and delivered to the Trustee.

"Consolidated Subsidiary" means every Subsidiary which does not transact any substantial portion of its business or regularly maintain any substantial portion of its operating assets outside the United States or Canada other than (i) a Subsidiary acquired or organized after the date of this Indenture which, prior to the date of acquisition or organization, shall have been classified by resolution of the Board of Directors or Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company as an Unconsolidated Subsidiary unless and until the Board of Directors or Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company shall by resolution reclassify such Subsidiary as a Consolidated Subsidiary; and (ii) any Subsidiary of an Unconsolidated Subsidiary; provided, however, that an Unconsolidated Subsidiary shall not be a successor, directly or indirectly, to any Consolidated Subsidiary.

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"Corporate Trust Office" means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be administered, which office at the date hereof is located at 101 East Fifth Street, St. Paul, MN 55101, except that with respect to the presentation of Securities (or Coupons, if any, representing an installment of interest) for payment or for registration of transfer and exchange, a "Corporate Trust Office" is also maintained at the date hereof at New York Bond Drop Window, U.S. Bank Trust New York, 100 Wall Street, Suite 1600, New York, NY 10005.

"Corporation" includes corporations, associations, companies and business trusts.

"Coupon" or "coupon" means any interest coupon appertaining to a Bearer Security.

"Debt" means indebtedness of the Company or any Consolidated Subsidiary representing money borrowed (which term shall include evidences of indebtedness representing extensions of credit whether or not representing obligations for money borrowed), except indebtedness owed to the Company by any Consolidated Subsidiary or owed to any Consolidated Subsidiary by the Company or any other Consolidated Subsidiary, and shall include indebtedness of any other person for money borrowed when such indebtedness is guaranteed by the Company or any Consolidated Subsidiary. The term "Debt" shall be deemed to include the liability of the Company or any Consolidated Subsidiary in respect of any investment or similar certificate, except to the extent such certificates are pledged by purchasers as collateral for, and are offset by, receivables.

"Defaulted Interest" has the meaning specified in Section 3.7.

"Depositary" means, with respect to the Securities of any series issuable or issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, the Person designated as Depositary by the Company pursuant to
Section 3.1 until a successor Depositary shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter "Depositary" shall mean or include each Person who is then a Depositary hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such Person, "Depositary" as used with respect to the Securities of any such series shall mean the Depositary with respect to the Securities of that series.

"Dollar" means the coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.

"Euro-clear" means the operator of the Euro-clear System.

"Event of Default" has the meaning specified in Section 5.1.

"Exchange Date" has the meaning specified in Section 3.4.

"Global Security" or "global Security" means a Registered or Bearer Security evidencing all or part of a series of Securities issued to the Depositary for such series in accordance with Section 3.3.

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"Holder" or "holder" means, with respect to a Registered Security, the Person in whose name at the time a particular Registered Security is registered in the Security Register and, with respect to a Bearer Security and/or Coupon, the bearer thereof.

"Indenture" means this instrument as originally executed or 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, including, for all purposes of this instrument and any such supplemental indenture, the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act that are deemed to be a part of and govern this instrument and any such supplemental indenture, respectively. The term "Indenture" shall also include the terms of particular series of Securities established as contemplated by Section 3.1.

"Interest", when used with respect to an Original Issue Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, means interest payable after Maturity.

"Interest Payment Date", when used with respect to any Security, means the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Security.

"Maturity", when used 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 therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by acceleration, notice of redemption or repurchase, notice of option to elect repayment or otherwise, and includes the Redemption Date.

"Officers' Certificate" means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the President or a Vice President of the Company and by the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, and delivered to the Trustee.

"Opinion of Counsel" means a written opinion of counsel, who may be counsel for the Company or be an employee of the Company and who shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee.

"Original Issue Discount Security" means any Security which provides for an amount less than the principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof upon the occurrence of an Event of Default and the continuation thereof.

"Outstanding" when used with respect to Securities, means, as of the date of determination, all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, except:

(i) Securities theretofore canceled by the Trustee or the Security Registrar or delivered to the Trustee or the Security Registrar for cancellation;

(ii) Securities, or portions thereof, for whose payment money in the necessary amount has been theretofore deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent in trust 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 satisfactory to the Trustee has been made; or

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(iii) Securities in substitution for or in lieu of which other Securities have been authenticated and delivered or which have been paid pursuant to Section 3.6, unless proof satisfactory to the Trustee is presented that any such Securities are valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company;

provided, however, that in determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of the Outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, (i) the principal amount of an Original Issue Discount Security that may be counted in making such determination or calculation and that shall be deemed to be Outstanding for such purpose shall be equal to the amount of principal thereof that would be (or shall have been declared to be) due and payable, at the time of such determination or calculation, upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.2, and (ii) Securities owned by the Company or such 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 such determination or calculation or in 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 have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee's right so to act with respect to such Securities and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Issuer or of such other obligor.

"Paying Agent" means any Person authorized by the Company to pay the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on any Securities on behalf of the Company.

"Person" or "person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.

"Place of Payment", when used with respect to the Securities of any series, means the place or places where the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on the Securities of that series are payable as specified in accordance with Section 3.1.

"Predecessor Security" of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt 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 mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security.

"Redemption Date", when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, in whole or in part, means the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture or such Security.

"Redemption Price", when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, means the price at which it is to be redeemed pursuant to this Indenture or such Security.

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"Registered Security" means any Security in the form of a registered security established pursuant to Section 3.1 which is registered in the Security Register as to principal and any interest (including without limitation any Security in temporary or definitive global registered form).

"Regular Record Date" for the interest payable on any Interest Payment Date on the Registered Securities of any series means the date specified for that purpose as contemplated by Section 3.1, which date shall be, unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.1, the fifteenth day preceding such Interest Payment Date, whether or not such day shall be a Business Day.

"Responsible Officer", when used with respect to the Trustee means any vice president, the secretary, 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 knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.

"Securities" has the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture and more particularly means any Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.

"Security Register" and "Security Registrar" have the respective meanings specified in Section 3.5.

"Senior Debt" has the meaning specified in Section 15.12.

"Special Record Date" for the payment of any Defaulted Interest means a date fixed by the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.7.

"Stated Maturity", when used with respect to any Security (or upon, if any, representing an installment of interest) or any installment of principal thereof or interest thereon, means the date specified in such Security (or Coupon) as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or such installment of principal or interest is due and payable.

"Subordinated Debt" has the meaning specified in Section 15.12.

"Subsidiary" means any corporation at least a majority of the outstanding voting stock of which shall at the time be owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company or by one or more Subsidiaries of the Company, where voting stock means stock (or such equivalent) of any class or classes, however designated, having ordinary voting power for the election of at least a majority of the members of the board of directors (or other governing body) of such corporation, other than stock (or such equivalent) having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency.

"Trustee" means the Person named as the "Trustee" in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor Trustee shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter "Trustee" shall mean or include each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such Person, "Trustee" as

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used with respect to the Securities of any series shall mean the Trustee with respect to Securities of that series.

"Trust Indenture Act" means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, as in force at the date as of which this instrument was executed; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, "Trust Indenture Act" means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 as so amended.

"Unconsolidated Subsidiary" means any Subsidiary other than a Consolidated Subsidiary.

"United States" means the United States of America (including the states and the District of Columbia), its territories, its possessions, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.

"Vice President", when used with respect to the Company or the Trustee, means any vice president, whether or not designated by a number or a word or words added before or after the title "vice president".

"Yield to Maturity", when used with respect to any Original Issue Discount Security, means the annual yield to maturity, if any, set forth on the face thereof.

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.

Every certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture, except the certificate of destruction pursuant to Section 3.9, shall include

(a) a statement that each individual signing such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition and the definitions herein relating thereto;

(b) 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;

(c) a statement that, in the opinion of each 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 covenant or condition has been complied with; and

(d) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of each such individual, such condition or covenant has been complied with.

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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 a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, counsel, unless such officer knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to the matters upon which his certificate or opinion is based are erroneous. Any such certificate or 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, unless such counsel knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, 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, they may, but need not, be consolidated and form one instrument.

1.4 Acts of Holders; Record Dates.

(a) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by 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 agent duly appointed in writing. If Securities of a series are issuable as Bearer Securities, any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders 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 XIII, 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 are delivered to the Trustee and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Company. Such instrument or instruments (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 shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and (subject to Section 6.1) conclusive in favor of the Trustee and 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 13.6.

(b) The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing may be proved by the affidavit of a witness of such execution or by a certificate of a notary public or other officer authorized bylaw to take acknowledgments of deeds, certifying that

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the individual signing such instrument or writing acknowledged to him the execution thereof. Where such execution is by a signer acting in a capacity other than his individual capacity, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute sufficient proof of his 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.

(c) The principal amount and serial numbers of Bearer Securities held by any Person, and the date of holding the same, may be proved by the production of such Bearer Securities or by certificate executed by any trust company, bank, banker or other depositary, wherever situated, 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 certificates 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 (1) another certificate or affidavit bearing a later date issued in respect of the same Bearer Security is produced, (2) such Bearer Security is produced to the Trustee by some other Person, (3) such Bearer Security is surrendered in exchange for a Registered Security or (4) such Bearer Security is no longer Outstanding.

(d) The fact and date of execution of any such instrument or writing pursuant to clause (c) above, the authority of the Person executing the same and the principal amount and serial numbers of Bearer Securities held by the Person so executing such instrument or writing and the date of holding the same may also be proved in any other manner which the Trustee deems sufficient; and the Trustee may in any instance require further proof with respect to any of the matters referred to in this clause.

(e) The principal amount and serial numbers of Registered Securities held by any Person and the date of holding the same shall be proved by the Security Register.

(f) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act of a Holder shall bind every future Holder of the same Security and/or Coupon and the Holder of every Security and/or Coupon issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof in respect of anything done, omitted or suffered to be done by the Trustee or the Company in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such action is made upon such Security and/or Coupon.

(g) If the Company shall solicit from the Holders any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, or in the circumstances permitted by the Trust Indenture Act, the Company may, at its option, by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, fix in advance a record date for the determination of Holders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. Where the Company does not fix a record date prior to the first solicitation of a Holder made by any Person in respect of any such Act, the record date for any such Act shall be the 30th day (or, if later, the date of the most recent list of Holders required to be provided pursuant to
Section 7.1) prior to such first solicitation. With regard to any record date, any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act may be

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given before or after such record date, but only the Holders of record at the close of business on such record date shall be deemed to be Holders for the purposes 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 on such record date 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.

1.5 Notices, etc., to Trustee and Company. Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or Act of Holders or other document provided or permitted by this Indenture to be made upon, given or furnished to, or filed with,

(a) the Trustee by any Holder or by the Company shall be made, given, furnished or filed in writing to or with the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office and unless otherwise herein expressly provided, any such document shall be deemed to be sufficiently made, given, furnished or filed upon its receipt by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, or

(b) the Company by the Trustee or by 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 it 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, Attention: Secretary.

1.6 Notice to Holders; Waiver. Where this Indenture provides for notice to Holders of any event:

(a) if any of the Securities affected by such event are Registered Securities, such notice shall be sufficiently given (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to each Holder affected by such event, at his address as it appears in the Security Register, within the time prescribed for the giving of such notice, and

(b) if any of the Securities affected by such event are Bearer Securities, such notice shall be sufficiently given (unless otherwise herein expressly provided or unless otherwise specified in such Securities) if published once in an Authorized Newspaper in New York City and London and mailed to such Persons whose names and addresses were previously filed with the Trustee, within the time prescribed for the giving of such notice. In 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 to Holders by mail, then such notification as the Company shall direct the Trustee in writing to give shall constitute a sufficient notification for every purpose hereunder. In any case where notice to Holders is given by mail, neither the failure to mail such notice, nor any defect in any notice so mailed, to any particular Holder shall affect the sufficiency of such notice with respect to other Holders.

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

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any notice to Holders of Bearer Securities as provided above, then such notification to Holders of Bearer Securities as the Company shall direct the Trustee in writing to give shall constitute sufficient notice to such Holders for every purpose hereunder. Neither the 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 to Holders of Registered Securities given as provided herein.

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.

1.7 Conflict with Trust Indenture Act. This Indenture is subject to, and shall be governed by, the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act that are required to be a part of this Indenture. If any provision hereof limits, qualifies or conflicts with a provision of the Trust Indenture Act that is required under such Act to be a part of and govern this Indenture, the latter provision shall control. If any provision of this Indenture modifies or excludes any provision of the Trust Indenture Act that may be so modified or excluded, the latter provision shall be deemed to apply to this Indenture as so modified or to be excluded, as the case may be.

1.8 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.

1.9 Successors and Assigns. All covenants and agreements in this Indenture by the Company shall bind its successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.

1.10 Separability Clause. In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Securities 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.

1.11 Benefits of Indenture. Nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities or Coupons, express or implied, shall give to any Person other than the parties hereto and their successors hereunder and the Holders, any benefit or any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Indenture.

1.12 Governing Law. This Indenture and the Securities and Coupons shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of laws provisions thereof other than Section 5-1401 of the New York General Obligations Law.

1.13 Legal Holidays. Except as otherwise specified as contemplated by
Section 3.1, in any case where any Interest Payment Date Redemption Date or Stated Maturity of any Security shall not be a Business Day at any Place of Payment, then (notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or of the Securities or Coupons, if any) payment of interest or principal (and

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premium, if any) need not be made at such Place of Payment on such date, but may be made on the next succeeding Business Day at such Place of Payment with the same force and effect as if made on the Interest Payment Date or Redemption Date, or at the Stated Maturity, provided that no interest shall accrue for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Stated Maturity, as the case may be, to the next succeeding Business Day at such Place of Payment.

1.14 Language of Notices, Etc. Any request, demand authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver required or permitted under this Indenture shall be in the English language, except that any published notice may be in an official language of the country of publication.

1.15 Counterparts. This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.

ARTICLE II
Security Forms

2.1 Forms Generally. The Securities of each series and the Coupons, if any, to be attached thereto shall be in substantially the forms as shall be established by or pursuant to a Board Resolution or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, in each case with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as are required or permitted by this Indenture, and may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification and such legends or endorsements placed thereon as may be required to comply with the rules of any securities exchange or as may, consistently herewith, be determined by the officers executing such Securities and Coupons, if any, as evidenced by their execution of the Securities and Coupons, if any. If the form of Securities of any series is established by or by action taken pursuant to a Board Resolution, a copy of the Board Resolution together with an appropriate record of any action taken pursuant thereto, which Board Resolution or record of such action shall have attached thereto a true and correct copy of the forms of Security approved by or pursuant to such Board Resolution, shall be certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Company Order contemplated by Section 3.3 for the authentication and delivery of such Securities.

The definitive Securities and Coupons, if any, shall be printed, typed, lithographed or engraved on steel engraved borders or may be produced in any other manner, all as determined by the officers executing such Securities and Coupons, if any, as evidenced by their execution of such Securities and Coupons, if any.

2.2 Form of Trustee's Certificate of Authentication. The Trustee's certificate of authentication shall be in substantially the following form:

This is one of the Securities of the series designated and issued under the within-mentioned Indenture.

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U.S. Bank National Association as Trustee

By: --------------------------------------------
Authorized Signatory

2.3 Securities in Global Form. If Securities of a series are issuable in global form, as specified as contemplated by Section 3.1 then, notwithstanding clause (h) of Section 3.1 and the provisions of Section 3.2, such Security shall represent such of the Outstanding Securities of such series as shall be specified therein and may provide that it shall represent the aggregate amount of Outstanding Securities from time to time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate amount of Outstanding Securities represented thereby may from time to time be reduced to reflect exchanges. Any endorsement of a Security in global form to reflect the amount, or any increase or decrease in the amount, of Outstanding Securities represented thereby shall be made by the Trustee in such manner and upon instructions given by such Person or Persons as shall be specified therein or in the Company Order to be delivered to the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.3 or Section 3.4. Subject to the provisions of Section 3.3 and, if applicable, Section 3.4, the Trustee shall deliver and redeliver any Security in definitive global bearer form in the manner and upon written 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 3.4 has been, or simultaneously is, delivered, any instructions by the Company with respect to endorsement or delivery or redelivery of a Security in global form shall be in writing but need not comply with Section 1.2 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel.

The provisions of the last sentence of the eighth paragraph of Section 3.3 shall apply to any Security represented by a Security in global form if such Security was never issued and sold by the Company and the Company delivers to the Trustee the Security in global form together with written instructions (which need not comply with Section 1.2 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel) with regard to the reduction in the principal amount of Securities represented thereby, together with the written statement contemplated by the last sentence of the eighth paragraph of Section 3.3.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.7, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.1, payment of principal of and any premium and any interest on any Security in definitive global form shall be made to the Person or Persons specified therein.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.6 and except as provided in the preceding paragraph, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company and the Trustee shall treat a Person as the Holder of such principal amount of outstanding Securities represented by a definitive global security as shall be specified in a written statement of the Holder of such definitive global Security or, in the case of a definitive global Security in bearer form, of Euro-clear or Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme which is produced to the Trustee by such Person.

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ARTICLE III
The Securities

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 from time to time in one or more series. 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, prior to the issuance of Securities of any series,

(a) the title of the Securities of the series (which shall distinguish the Securities of the series from all other Securities);

(b) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the 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 the series pursuant to
Section 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 9.6 or 11.7 and except for any Securities which, pursuant to Section 3.3, are deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered hereunder);

(c) the date or dates on which the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any of the Securities of the series are payable or the method of determination thereof and the amount or amounts of any installment of principal payable on such dates;

(d) the rate or rates, or the method of determination thereof, at which any of the Securities of the series shall bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which such interest shall accrue, the Interest Payment Dates on which such interest shall be payable and the Regular Record Date for the interest payable on any Registered Securities on any Interest Payment Date;

(e) the place or places where the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on any of the Securities and Coupons, if any, of the series shall be payable and the office or agency for the Securities of the series maintained by the Company pursuant to Section 10.2;

(f) the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which any of the Securities and any Coupons of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;

(g) the terms of any sinking fund and the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase Securities of the series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a Holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

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(h) if other than denominations of $1,000, if registered, and $5,000, if bearer, and any integral multiple of the applicable denominations, the denominations in which the Securities of the series shall be issuable;

(i) if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of any of the Securities of the series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.2;

(j) the application, if any, of Section 4.3, or such other means of satisfaction and discharge as may be specified for the Securities and Coupons, if any, for a series;

(k) any deletions or modifications of or additions to the Events of Default set forth in Section 5.1 or covenants of the Company set forth in Article X pertaining to the Securities of the series;

(l) the forms of the Securities and Coupons, if any, of the series;

(m) whether the Securities of the series are to be issued as Registered Securities or Bearer Securities (with or without Coupons), or a combination thereof, whether Bearer Securities may be exchanged for Registered Securities of the series and whether Registered Securities may be exchanged for Bearer Securities of the series (if permitted by applicable laws and regulations) and the circumstances under which and the place or places where any such exchanges, if permitted, may be made; and whether any Securities of the series are to be issuable initially in temporary global form and whether any Securities of the series are to be issuable in definitive global form with or without Coupons and, if so, whether beneficial owners of interests in any such definitive global Security may exchange such interests for Securities of such series and of like tenor of any authorized form and denomination and the circumstances under which and the place or places where any such exchanges may occur, if other than in the manner provided in Section 3.5;

(n) if the Securities and Coupons, if any, of the series are to be issued upon the exercise of warrants, the time, manner and place for Securities to be authenticated and delivered;

(o) whether and under what circumstances and with what procedures and documentation the Company will pay additional amounts on any of the Securities and Coupons, if any, of the series to any Holder who is not a United States person (including a definition of such term), in respect of any tax, assessment or other governmental charge withheld or deducted from a payment thereon and, if so, whether the Company will have the option to redeem such Securities rather than pay additional amounts (and the terms of any such option);

(p) the Person to whom any interest on any Registered Security of the series shall be payable, if other than the Person in whose name that Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, the manner in which, or the Person to whom, any interest on any Bearer Security of the series shall be payable, if otherwise than upon presentation and surrender of the Coupons

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appertaining thereto as they severally mature and the extent to which, or the manner in which, any interest payable on a temporary global Security on an Interest Payment Date will be paid if other than in the manner provided in
Section 3.4.

(q) whether the Securities of the series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and, in such case, the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities;

(r) whether the Securities of the series are convertible into or exchangeable for any other security or property of the Company or any other person and the terms upon which such conversion or exchange will occur;

(s) whether the Securities of the series are to be issuable as Subordinated Debt; and

(t) any other terms of any of the Securities of the series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture).

All Securities of any one series and the Coupons appertaining to any Bearer Securities of such series shall be substantially identical except as to denomination, the rate or rates of interest, if any, and the Maturity and except as may otherwise be provided in or pursuant to the Board Resolution referred to above and (subject to Section 3.3) set forth in the Officers, Certificate referred to above or in any such indenture supplemental hereto.

All Securities of any one series need not be issued at the same time and, unless otherwise provided, a series may be reopened, without the consent of the Holders, for issuances of additional Securities of such series.

The Securities shall be payable as to principal and interest, if any, and any premium payable upon the redemption thereof in Dollars.

If any of the terms of the Securities of any series are established by action taken pursuant to a Board Resolution, a copy of an appropriate record of such action together with such Board Resolution shall be certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officers, Certificate setting forth the terms of the Securities of such series.

3.2 Denominations. The Securities of each series shall be issuable in such denominations as shall be specified as contemplated by Section 3.1. In the absence of any such provisions with respect to the Securities of any series, the Securities of such series shall be issuable in denominations of $1,000, if registered, and $5,000, if bearer, and in any integral multiple of the applicable denominations. Securities of each series shall be numbered, lettered or otherwise distinguished in such manner or in accordance with such plan as the officers of the Company executing the same may determine with the approval of the Trustee.

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3.3 Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating. The Securities shall be executed in the name and on behalf of the Company by manual or facsimile signatures of its Chairman of the Board, its President or any of its Vice Presidents, attested by the manual or facsimile signature of its Secretary or one of its Assistant Secretaries. Any Coupons shall be executed on behalf of the Company by the manual or facsimile signature of any such officer of the Company.

Securities and Coupons 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 or did not hold such offices at the date of such Securities.

At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities of any series, together with any Coupons appertaining thereto, executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities, and the Trustee in accordance with the Company Order shall authenticate and deliver such Securities; provided, however, that, in connection with the sale of a Bearer Security during the "restricted period" as defined in United States Treasury regulation Section 1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(7), no Bearer Security shall be mailed or otherwise delivered to any location in the United States; and provided, further, that a definitive Bearer Security sold during the restricted period may be delivered only outside the United States and only if the Person entitled to receive such definitive Bearer Security shall have furnished a certificate in the form set forth in Exhibit A.1 to this Indenture, dated no earlier than 15 days prior to the earlier of the date on which such definitive Bearer Security is delivered and the date on which any temporary bearer Global Security first becomes exchangeable for such definitive Bearer Security in accordance with the terms of such temporary Security and this Indenture. Except as permitted by Section 3.6, the Trustee shall not authenticate and deliver any Bearer Security unless all appurtenant Coupons for interest then matured have been detached and canceled.

If all the Securities of a series are not to be originally issued at one time, and if the Board Resolution, Officers' Certificate or supplemental indenture establishing such series shall so permit, such Company Order may set forth procedures acceptable to the Trustee for the issuance of such Securities and the determination of the terms of particular Securities of such series such as interest rate or rates (or the method in which such rate or rates are to be determined), if any, Stated Maturity, date of issuance and date from which interest, if any, shall accrue.

If the forms or terms of the Securities of the series and any related Coupons have been established by or pursuant to one or more Board Resolutions as permitted by Sections 2.1 and 3.1, in authenticating such Securities, and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to
Section 6.1) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel stating:

(a) if the forms of such Securities and any Coupons have been established by or pursuant to a Board Resolution as permitted by Section 2.1, that such forms have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture; and

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(b) if the terms of such Securities and any Coupons have been established by or pursuant to a Board Resolution as permitted by Section 3.1, that such terms have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.1 and of the preceding paragraph, if all Securities of a series are not to be originally issued at one time, it shall not be necessary to deliver the Officers' Certificate otherwise required pursuant to Section 3.1 or the Company Order and Opinion of Counsel otherwise required pursuant to such preceding paragraph at or prior to the time of authentication of each Security of such series if such documents are delivered at or prior to the authentication upon original issuance of the first Security of such series to be issued.

Each Registered Security shall be dated the date of its authentication; and each Bearer Security and any Bearer Security in global form shall be dated as of the date of original issuance of the first Security of such series to be issued.

No Security or Coupon 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 herein executed by the Trustee by manual signature, and such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Security shall have been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder but never issued and sold by the Company, and the Company shall deliver such Security to the Trustee for cancellation as provided in Section 3.9 together with a written statement (which need not comply with Section 1.2 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel) stating that such Security has never been issued and sold by the Company, for all purposes of this Indenture such Security shall be deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered hereunder and shall never be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.

If the Company shall establish pursuant to Section 3.1 that the Securities of a series are to be issued in whole or in part in the form of a Global Security, then the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall in accordance with this Section and the Company Order with respect to such series authenticate and deliver the Global Security that (i) shall represent and shall be denominated in an aggregate amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of Outstanding Securities of such series to be represented by the Global Security,
(ii) shall be registered, if in registered form, in the name of the Depositary for such Global Security or the nominee of such Depositary, (iii) shall be delivered by the Trustee to such Depositary or pursuant to such Depositary's instruction, and (iv) shall bear a legend substantially to the following effect:
"Unless and until this Security is exchanged in whole or in part for Securities in definitive form, registered in the names of the various beneficial holders hereof as then certified to the Company by the Depositary or a successor Depositary, this Security may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary to a nominee of the Depositary or by a nominee of the Depositary to the Depositary or another nominee of the Depositary or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such successor Depositary" or to such other effect as the Depositary and the Trustee may agree.

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Each Depositary designated pursuant to Section 3.1 for a Global Security in registered form must, at the time of its designation and at all times while it serves as Depositary, be a clearing agency registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and any other applicable statute or regulation. The Trustee shall have no responsibility to determine if the Depositary is so registered.

3.4 Temporary Securities. Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any series, the Company may execute, and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities 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, (i) in registered form or (ii) in bearer form, with one or more Coupons or without Coupons, and with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers executing such Securities may determine, as evidenced conclusively by their execution of such Securities. Such temporary Securities may be (in the case of Registered Securities) and shall be (in the case of Bearer Securities) in global form.

Except in the case of temporary Global Securities in bearer form (which are exchangeable for definitive Bearer Securities in accordance with the provisions of the following paragraphs), if temporary Securities of any series are issued, the Company will cause definitive Securities of that series to be prepared without unreasonable delay. After the preparation of definitive Securities of such series, the temporary Securities of such series shall be exchangeable for definitive Securities of such series upon surrender of the temporary Securities of such series at the office of agency of the Company maintained pursuant to Section 10.2 in a Place of Payment for such series for the purpose of exchanges of Securities of such series, without charge to the Holder. Upon surrender for cancellation of any one or more temporary Securities of any series (accompanied by any unmatured Coupons appertaining thereto) the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a like aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of the same series and of like tenor and authorized denominations; provided, however, that no definitive Bearer Security shall be delivered in exchange for a temporary Registered Security; and provided, further, that a definitive Bearer Security (including a definitive Bearer Security in global form) shall be delivered in exchange for a temporary Bearer Security only in compliance with the conditions set forth in Section 3.3.

If temporary Global Securities in bearer form of any series are issued, any such temporary global Securities in bearer form shall, unless otherwise provided therein, be delivered to the London office of a Depositary (the "Common Depositary"), for the benefit of Euro-clear and Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme, for credit to the respective accounts of the beneficial owners of such Securities (or to such other accounts as they may direct).

Without unnecessary delay but in any event not later than the date specified in, or determined pursuant to the terms of, any such temporary global Security in bearer form (the "Exchange Date"), the Company shall deliver to the Trustee definitive Securities, in aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such temporary global Security in bearer form, executed by the Company. On or after the Exchange Date, such temporary global Security in bearer form shall be surrendered by the Common Depositary to the Trustee, as the Company's

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agent for such purpose, to be exchanged, in whole or from time to time in part, for definitive Securities without charge and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in exchange for each portion of such temporary global Security in bearer form, an equal aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of the same series of authorized denominations and of like tenor as the portion of such temporary global Security in bearer form to be exchanged. The definitive Securities to be delivered in exchange for any such temporary global Security in bearer form shall be in bearer form, registered form, definitive global form (registered or bearer), or a combination thereof, as specified as contemplated by Section 3.1, and, if a combination thereof is so specified, as requested by the beneficial owner thereof; provided, however, that, unless otherwise specified in such temporary global Security in bearer form, upon such presentation by the Common Depositary, such temporary global Security in bearer form shall be accompanied by a certificate dated the Exchange Date or a subsequent date and signed by Euro-clear as to the portion of such temporary global Security in bearer form held for its account then to be exchanged and a certificate dated the Exchange Date or a subsequent date and signed by Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme as to the portion of such temporary global Security in bearer form held for its account then to be exchanged, each in the form set forth in Exhibit A.2 to this Indenture; and provided, further, that definitive Bearer Securities shall be delivered in exchange for a portion of a temporary global Security in bearer form only in compliance with the requirements of Section 3.3.

Unless otherwise specified in such temporary global Security in bearer form, the interest of a beneficial owner of Securities of a series in a temporary global Security in bearer form shall be exchanged for definitive Securities of the same series and of like tenor following the Exchange Date when the beneficial owner instructs Euro-clear or Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme, as the case may be, to request such exchange on his behalf and delivers to Euro-clear or Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme, as the case may be, a certificate in the form set forth in Exhibit A.1 of this Indenture, dated no earlier than 15 days prior to the Exchange Date, copies of which certificate shall be available from the offices of Euro-clear, Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent appointed for such series of Securities and any Paying Agent appointed for such series of Securities. Unless otherwise specified in such temporary global Security in bearer form, any such exchange shall be made free of charge to the beneficial owners of such temporary global Security in bearer form, except that a Person receiving definitive Securities must bear the cost of insurance, postage, transportation and the like in the event that such Person does not take delivery of such definitive Securities in person at the offices of Euro-clear or Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme. The definitive Securities in bearer form to be delivered in exchange for any portion of a temporary global Security in bearer form shall be delivered only outside the United States.

Until exchanged in full as hereinabove provided, the temporary Securities of any series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of the same series and of like tenor authenticated and delivered hereunder, except that, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.1, interest payable on a temporary global Security in bearer form on an Interest Payment Date for Securities of such series occurring prior to the applicable Exchange Date shall be payable to Euro-clear and Clearstream Banking,

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societe anonyme on such Interest Payment Date upon delivery by Euro-clear and Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme to the Trustee of a certificate or certificates in the form set forth in Exhibit A.2 to this Indenture, for credit without further interest on or after such Interest Payment Date to the respective accounts of the Persons who are the beneficial owners of such temporary global Security in bearer form (or to such other accounts as they may direct) on such Interest Payment Date and, who have each delivered to Euro-Clear or Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme, as the case may, be a certificate in the form set forth Exhibit A.1 to this Indenture. Any interest so received by Euro-Clear and Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme and not: paid as herein provided shall be returned to the Trustee immediately prior to the expiration of two years after such Interest Payment Date in order to be repaid to the Company in accordance with Section 10.3.

3.5 Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange. The Company shall cause to be kept at an office or agency to be maintained by the Company in accordance with Section 10.2 a register (being the combined register of the Security Registrar and all transfer agents designated pursuant to Section 10.2 for the purpose of registration of transfer of Securities and sometimes collectively referred to as the "Security Register") in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration of Registered Securities and the registration of transfers of Registered Securities. The Trustee is hereby appointed "Security Registrar" for the purpose of registering Registered Securities and transfers of Registered Securities as herein provided.

Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Registered Security of any series at the office or agency of the Company maintained pursuant to
Section 10.2 for such purpose in a Place of Payment 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 of any authorized denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount and tenor.

At the option of the Holder, Registered Securities of any series (except a Global Security representing all or a portion of the Securities of such series) may be exchanged for other Registered Securities of the same series of any authorized denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount and tenor, upon surrender of the Registered Securities to be exchanged at any such office or agency. Whenever any Registered Securities are so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, the Registered Securities which the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive. Bearer Securities may not be issued in exchange for Registered Securities.

The Company may establish pursuant to Section 3.1 that, at the option of the Holder (subject to Section 3.3), Bearer Securities of any series may be exchanged for Registered Securities of the same series of any authorized denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount and tenor, upon surrender of the Bearer Securities to be exchanged at any such office or agency, 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 in an amount equal to the face amount of such missing Coupon or Coupons, or the surrender of such missing Coupon or

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Coupons may be waived by the Company and the Trustee if there if there is furnished to each of them such security or indemnity as each may require to save each of them and any Paying Agent harmless. If thereafter the Holder of such 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 located outside the United States. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in case a Bearer Security of any series is surrendered at any such office or agency in exchange for a Registered Security of the same 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 relevant Interest Payment Date, or (ii) any Special Record Date and before the opening of business at such office or agency on the related proposed date for payment of Defaulted Interest, such Bearer Security shall be surrendered without the Coupon relating to such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, and interest or Defaulted Interest, as the case may be, will 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 will be payable only to the Holder of such Coupon when due in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.

Whenever any Securities are so surrendered for exchange, 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 specified as contemplated by Section 3.1, any definitive global Bearer Security shall be exchangeable only as provided in this paragraph. If the beneficial owners of interests in a definitive global Bearer Security are entitled to exchange such interests for Securities of such series and of like tenor and principal amount of another authorized form and denomination, as specified as contemplated by
Section 3.1, 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 aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such definitive global Bearer Security, executed by the Company. On or after the earliest date on which such interests may be so exchanged, such definitive global Bearer Security shall be surrendered by the Common Depositary or such or other depositary or Common Depositary as shall be specified in the Company Order with respect thereto to the Trustee, as the Company's agent for such purpose, to be exchanged in whole or from time to time in part, for definitive Securities without charge and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in exchange for each portion of such definitive global Bearer Security, an equal aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of the same series of authorized denominations and of like tenor as the portion of such definitive global Bearer Security to be exchanged which, unless the Securities of the series are not issuable both as Bearer Securities and as Registered Securities, as specified as contemplated by Section 3.1, shall be in the form of Bearer Securities or Registered Securities or any combination thereof, as shall be specified by the beneficial owner thereof; 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 that series to be redeemed and ending on the relevant Redemption Date; and provided, further,

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that no Bearer Security delivered in exchange for a portion of a definitive global Security shall be mailed or otherwise delivered to any location in the United States. If a Registered Security is issued in exchange for any portion of a definitive global Bearer Security after the close of business at the office or agency where such exchange occurs on (i) any Regular Record Date and before the opening of business at such office or agency on the relevant Interest Payment Date, or (ii) any Special Record Date and before the opening of business at such office or agency on the related proposed date for payment of Defaulted Interest, interest or Defaulted Interest, as the case maybe, will 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 will 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 definitive global Bearer Security is 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 entitled 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 shall (if so required by the Company or the Trustee or any transfer agent) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar or any transfer agent 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 of Securities, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 3.4, 9.6 or 11.7 not involving any transfer.

The Company shall not be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before any selection of Securities of that series to be redeemed and ending at the close of business on (A) if Securities of the series are issuable only as Registered Securities, the day of the mailing of the relevant notice of redemption and (B) if Securities of the series are issuable as Bearer Securities, the day of the first publication of the relevant notice of redemption or, if Securities of the series are also issuable as Registered Securities and there is no publication, the mailing of the relevant notice of redemption, or (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any Registered Security so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Security being redeemed in part, or (iii) to exchange any Bearer Security so selected for redemption except that such a Bearer Security may be exchanged for a Registered Security of that series and like tenor; provided, that such Registered Security shall be simultaneously surrendered for redemption.

If at any time the Depositary for the Securities of a series notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for the Securities of such series or if at any time the Depositary for the Securities of such series shall no longer be eligible under Section 3.3, the Company shall appoint a successor Depositary with respect to the Securities of such series. If a successor Depositary for the Securities of such series is not appointed by the Company within 90

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days after the Company receives such notice or becomes aware of such ineligibility or if an event of default relating to the Securities of such series has occurred and is continuing, the Company's election pursuant to
Section 3.1 shall no longer be effective with respect to the Securities of such series and the Company will execute, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of definitive Securities of such series, will authenticate and deliver, Securities of such series in definitive form in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security representing such series in exchange for such Global Security.

Unless otherwise specified by the Company pursuant to Section 3.1 with respect to a series of Securities, the Company may at any time and in its sole discretion determine that the Securities of any series issued in the form of one or more Global Securities shall no longer be represented by such Global Security or Securities. In such event the Company will execute, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of definitive Securities of such series, will authenticate and deliver Securities of such series in definitive form and in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security or Securities representing such series in exchange for such Global Security or Securities.

If specified by the Company pursuant to Section 3.1 with respect to a series of Securities, the Depositary for such series of Securities may surrender a Global Security for such series of Securities in exchange in whole or in part for Securities of such series in definitive form on such terms as are acceptable to the Company and such Depositary; provided, however, that no portion of a Global Security in registered form may be surrendered in exchange for Securities in bearer form. Thereupon, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of definitive Securities of such series, shall authenticate and deliver, without charge to the Holders,

(i) a new Security or Securities of the series of any authorized denomination as requested by such Depositary in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the related beneficial interests in the Global Security; and

(ii) to such Depositary a new Global Security in a denomination equal to the difference, if any, between the principal amount of the surrendered, Global Security and the aggregate principal amount of Securities delivered to Holders thereof.

In any exchange provided for in any of the preceding three paragraphs, the Company will execute and the Trustee will authenticate and deliver Securities (a) in definitive registered form in authorized denominations, if the Securities of such series are issuable as Registered Securities, (b) in definitive bearer form in authorized denominations, with coupons attached, if the Securities of such series are issuable as Bearer Securities or (c) as either Registered or Bearer Securities, if the Securities of such series are issuable in either form; provided, however, that a Bearer Security may not be delivered in exchange for a Registered Security, and provided, further, that a definitive Bearer Security shall be delivered in exchange for a temporary Global Security in bearer form only in compliance with the conditions set forth in Section 3.3 and provided, further, that delivery of a Bearer Security shall be made only outside the United States.

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Upon the exchange of a Global Security for Securities in definitive form, such Global Security shall be canceled by the Trustee, Registered Securities issued in exchange for a Global Security pursuant to this Section shall be registered in such names and in such authorized denominations as the Depositary for such Global Security, pursuant to instructions from its direct or indirect participants or otherwise, shall instruct the Trustee in writing. The Trustee shall deliver such Registered Securities to the persons in whose names such Securities are so registered.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section to the contrary, unless and until a Global Security is exchanged in whole for Securities in definitive form, a Global Security representing all or a portion of the Securities of a series may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary for such series to a nominee of such Depositary or by a nominee of such Depositary to such Depositary or another nominee of such Depositary or by such Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary for such series or a nominee of such successor Depositary.

3.6 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities. If any mutilated Security or Security with a mutilated Coupon appertaining to it is surrendered to the Trustee, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding with Coupons corresponding to the Coupons, if any, appertaining to the surrendered Security.

If there shall be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (i) evidence to each of their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security or Coupon and (ii) such security or indemnity as may be reasonably required by each of 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 the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen Security or in exchange for the Security to which a destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains (upon surrender to the Trustee of such Security with all appurtenant Coupons not destroyed, lost or stolen), a new Security of the same series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, with Coupons corresponding to the Coupons, it any, appertaining to such destroyed, lost or stolen Security or to the Security to which such destroyed, lost or stolen Coupon appertains.

In case any such 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 or Coupon, pay such Security or Coupon; provided, however, that principal of (and premium, if any) and any interest on Bearer Securities shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2, be payable only at an office or agency located outside the United States and, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.1, any interest on Bearer Securities shall be payable only upon presentation and surrender of the Coupons appertaining thereto.

Upon the issuance of any new Security or Coupon under this Section, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed

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in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.

Every new Security or Coupon of any series issued pursuant to this
Section in lieu of any mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security or Coupon shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security 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 or Coupons of that series duly issued hereunder.

The provisions of this Section are 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.

3.7 Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved. Unless otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 3.1 with respect to any series of Securities, interest on any Registered Security which is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name that Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest.

Any interest on any Registered Security of any series which is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date (herein called "Defaulted Interest") shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder 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:

(a) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest to the Persons in whose names the Registered Securities of such series (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each Security of such series 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 prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this Clause provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall not all be more than 10 days and not less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such Special Record Date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor to be mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to each Holder of Securities of such series at his address as it appears in the Security Register, not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor having been so mailed, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names the Securities of such series

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(or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on such Special Record Date and shall no longer be payable pursuant to the following Clause (2).

(b) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on the Registered Securities of any series in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities 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 manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.

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, and, subject as aforesaid, each such Security shall be so dated, or have attached thereto such Coupons, that neither gain nor loss in interest shall result from such transfer, exchange or substitution.

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 as the owner of such Registered Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of (and premium, if any) and (subject to Sections 3.5 and 3.7) any interest on such Security, and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not such Security be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

Title to any Bearer Security and any Coupons appertaining thereto shall pass by delivery. The Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Holder of any Bearer Security and the Holder 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 such Security or Coupon be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Global Security, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee, or any agent of the Company or the Trustee, from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by any Depositary, as a Holder, with respect to such Global Security or impair, as between such Depositary and owners of beneficial interests in such Global Security, the operation of customary practices governing the exercise of the rights of such Depositary (or its nominee) as Holder of such Global Security. Neither the Company or the Trustee, nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee, will have any responsibility or liability for any aspects of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in a Global Security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.

3.9 Cancellation. All Securities and Coupons surrendered for payment, redemption, registration of transfer or exchange or for credit against any sinking fund payment shall, if

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surrendered to any Person other than the Trustee, be delivered to the Trustee. All such Securities and Coupons so delivered, and all such Securities and Coupons so surrendered to the Trustee, shall be promptly canceled by the Trustee. All Bearer Securities and unmatured Coupons held by the Trustee pending such cancellation shall be deemed to be delivered for cancellation for all purposes of this Indenture and the Securities. 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 may deliver to the Trustee (or to any other Person for delivery to the Trustee) for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated hereunder which the Company has not issued and sold, and all Securities so delivered shall be promptly canceled by the Trustee. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities canceled as provided in this Section, except as expressly permitted by this Indenture. All canceled Securities and Coupons held by the Trustee shall be disposed of in a manner selected by the Trustee and the Trustee shall deliver a certificate evidencing such destruction to the Company.

3.10 Computation of Interest. Except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.1 for Securities of any series, interest on the Securities of each series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.

3.11 Manner of Payments in Respect of Securities. The provisions of this Section shall apply to the Securities of any series unless otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 3.1.

(a) The following payment provisions shall apply to any Registered Security of any series:

(i) Except as provided in subparagraph (a)(ii) below, payment of principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on such Registered Security at Maturity will be made at the Place of Payment in immediately available funds against surrender of such Registered Security, and any interest on any Registered Security payable on an Interest Payment Date will be paid, unless otherwise specified pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.1 or in the related Registered Security, at the Place of Payment by mailing a check by first class mail to the Person entitled thereto at the address of such Person appearing on the Security Register.

(ii) Payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on such Security may also, subject to applicable laws and regulations, be made at such other place or places as may be designated by the Company by any appropriate method.

(b) Payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on any Bearer Security will be made, except as provided in Section 3.4 with respect to temporary global Securities, unless otherwise specified pursuant to
Section 3.1 and/or Section 9.2(a), at such place or places outside the United States as may be designated by the Company pursuant to any applicable laws or regulations by any appropriate method on the payment date therefor against surrender of the Bearer Security, in the case of payment of principal and premium, if any, or the relevant Coupon, in the case of payment of interest, if any, to a Paying Agent designated for such series pursuant to Section 10.2.

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(c) Not later than 10 Business Days (with respect to any Place of Payment) prior to each payment date, the Trustee shall deliver to the Company a copy of its record of the respective aggregate amounts of principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the Securities to be made on such payment date, specifying the amounts so payable in respect of Registered Securities and Bearer Securities.

3.12 Compliance with Certain Laws and Regulations. If any Bearer Securities are to be issued in any series of Securities, the Company will use reasonable efforts to provide for arrangements and Procedures designed pursuant to then applicable laws and regulations, if any, to ensure that such Bearer Securities are sold or resold, exchanged, transferred and paid only in compliance with such laws and regulations and without adverse consequences to the Company, the Holders and the Trustee.

ARTICLE IV
Satisfaction and Discharge

4.1 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture. This Indenture shall upon Company Request cease to be of further effect (except as to any surviving rights of (as applicable) registration of transfer or exchange of Securities and Coupons, if any, of any series herein expressly provided for), and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture when

(1) either

(a) all Securities and Coupons theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than (i) Securities and Coupons which have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 3.6 and (ii) Securities and Coupons 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 such Securities and Coupons 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) 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 (b) (i) , (ii) or (iii) above, has deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose an amount

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sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such Securities and Coupons not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, principal (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, to the date of such deposit in the case of Securities and Coupons which have become due and payable or to the Stated Maturity or Redemption Date, as the case may be;

(2) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; 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 have been complied with.

Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee under Section 6.7, the obligations of the Company to any Authenticating Agent under Section 6.14 and, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to subclause (B) of clause (1) of this Section, the obligations of the Trustee under Section 4.2 and the last paragraph of Section 10.3 shall survive.

4.2 Application of Trust Money. Subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 10.3, all money deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Sections 4.1 and 4.3 shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Coupons, if any, 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 Persons entitled thereto, of the principal (and premium, if any) and any interest for whose payment such money has been deposited with the Trustee; but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

4.3 Satisfaction, Discharge and Defeasances of Securities of Any Series. If this Section is specified, as contemplated by Section 3.1, to be applicable to Securities and Coupons, if any, of any series, the Company will be deemed to have been Discharged (as defined below) from its obligations with respect to Securities and Coupons, if any, of such series when

(a) either

(i) with respect to all Outstanding Securities and Coupons of such series, the Company has deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as a trust fund specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of the Securities and Coupons, if any, of such series,

(1) money in an amount as will, or

(2) U.S. Government Obligations (as defined below) as will, together with the predetermined and certain income to accrue thereon without consideration of any reinvestment thereof, or

(3) a combination of (1) and (2) as will,

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(in each case, a written opinion with respect to (2) or (3) of independent public accountants delivered to the Trustee), be sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on all Outstanding Securities and Coupons of such series for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, to the Stated Maturity or any Redemption Date as contemplated by the last paragraph of this Section 4.3, as the case may be; or

(ii) with respect to all Outstanding Securities and Coupons of such series, the Company has properly fulfilled such other means of satisfaction and discharge as is specified by Section 3.1 to be applicable to the Securities and Coupons, if any, of such series; and

(b) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable with respect to the Outstanding Securities and Coupons, if any, of such series;

(c) 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 the entire indebtedness on all Outstanding Securities and Coupons, if any, of any such series have been complied with; and

(d) with respect to subsection 1(a) above, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee (A) a ruling directed to the Company and the Trustee received from the United States Internal Revenue Service to the effect that the Holders of the Securities of such series will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of the Company's exercise of its option under this Section 4.3 and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit and discharge had not occurred and (B) an Opinion of Counsel to the same effect as the ruling described in clause (A) above and based upon a change in law.

Any deposits with the Trustee referred to in Section 4.3(a) above shall be irrevocable and shall be made under the terms of an escrow trust agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Trustee. If any Outstanding Securities and Coupons, if any, of such series are to be redeemed prior to their Stated Maturity pursuant to any mandatory redemption provisions or in accordance with any mandatory sinking fund requirement, the applicable escrow trust agreement will provide therefor and the Company will make arrangements for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company.

4.4 Reinstatement. If the Trustee is unable to apply any money or U.S. Government Obligations in accordance with Section 4.1 or 4.3 by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the Company's obligations under this Indenture and the Securities and Coupons, if any, of such series shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 4.1 or 4.3 until such time as the Trustee is permitted to apply all such money or U.S. Governmental Obligations in accordance with Section 4.1 or 4.3; provided, however, that if the Company has made any payment of interest on or principal of (and premium, if any, on) any Securities and Coupons, if any, of such series because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of

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such series of Securities and Coupons, if any, to receive such payment from the money or U.S. Government Obligations held by the Trustee.

4.5 Definitions. The following terms, as used in this Article IV, shall have the following meanings:

"Discharged" means that the Company will be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness represented by, and obligations under, the Securities and Coupons, if any, of the series as to which Section 4.3 is specified as applicable as aforesaid and to have satisfied all the obligations under this Indenture relating to the Securities and Coupons, if any, of such series (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, will execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except (A) the rights of Holders thereof to receive, from the trust fund described in Section 4.3(a)(i) above, payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and the interest, if any, on such Securities and Coupons, if any, when such payments are due, (B) the Company's obligations with respect to such Securities and Coupons, if any, under Sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6 (insofar as applicable to Securities of such series), 4.2, 10.2 and 10.3 (last paragraph only) and the Company's obligations to the Trustee under Sections 6.7 and 6.10, and (C) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder, will survive such discharge.

"U.S. Government Obligations" means securities that are (i) direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (ii) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America the timely payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation of the United States of America, which, in either case under clauses (i) or (ii), are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and will also include a depository receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such U.S. Government Obligation or a specified payment of interest on or principal of any such U.S. 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 U.S. Government obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of the U.S. Government Obligation evidenced by such depository receipt.

ARTICLE V
Remedies

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, unless it is either inapplicable to a particular series or it is specifically deleted or modified in or pursuant to the supplemental indenture or Board Resolution establishing such series of Securities or in the form of Security for such series:

(a) the failure of the Company to pay any installment of interest on any of the Securities of that series, when and as the same shall become payable, which failure shall have

32

continued unremedied for a period of 30 days (whether or not such payment is prohibited under the provisions of Article XV);

(b) the failure of the Company to pay the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any of the Securities of that series, when and as the same shall become payable, whether at Stated Maturity as therein expressed, by call for redemption, pursuant to any sinking fund, by acceleration as authorized by this Indenture or otherwise (whether or not such payment is prohibited under the provisions of Article XV);

(c) the failure of the Company to observe and perform any other of the covenants or agreements on the part of the Company contained in this Indenture (other then a covenant or agreement included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of a series of Securities other than that series), which failure shall have continued unremedied for a period of 90 days after written notice shall have been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee, or shall have been given to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the Securities of that series then Outstanding, specifying such failure and requiring the Company to remedy the same and stating that such notice is a "Notice of Default" hereunder;

(d) the entry of a decree or order for relief by a court having jurisdiction in the premises in respect of the Company in an involuntary case under the Federal bankruptcy laws, as now or hereafter constituted, or any other applicable Federal or State bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or other similar official) of the Company or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding up or liquidation of its affairs and the continuance of any such decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days;

(e) the commencement by the Company of a voluntary case under the Federal bankruptcy laws, as now constituted or hereafter amended, or any other applicable Federal or State bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or the consent by it to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of the Company or for any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of any assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or the admission by the Company in writing of its inability to pay its debts generally as such debts become due;

(f) an event of default, as defined in any mortgage, indenture (including this Indenture), trust agreement or other instrument securing, evidencing or providing for any Debt of the Company as a result of which Debt of the Company in excess of $25,000,000 aggregate principal amount shall be or become due and payable prior to the date on which the same would otherwise become due and payable (except that such amount shall be $20,000,000 in respect of a default on Securities of another series) and such acceleration shall not have been rescinded or such Debt discharged within a period of 30 days after notice to the Company; or

(g) any other Event of Default provided with respect to the Securities of that series.

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5.2 Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment. If an Event of Default specified in Section 5.1(d) or (e) shall occur and be continuing, then the principal of (or, with respect to a series of Original Discount Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of such series), and any accrued and unpaid interest on and any additional amounts payable under Section 10.4 in respect of the Securities shall immediately become due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any holders of the Securities. If one or more Events of Default specified in Sections 5.1(a), (b), (c), (f) and (g) with respect to Securities of any series at the time Outstanding occurs and is continuing, then in every such case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series may declare the principal amount (or, if the Securities of that series are Original Issue Discount Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) of all of the Securities of that series to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal amount (or specified amount) shall become immediately due and payable.

At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to 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 a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if

(a) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay

(i) all overdue interest on all Securities of that series and any additional amounts payable under Section 10.4,

(ii) the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any Securities of that series which have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and interest thereon at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities,

(iii) to the extent that payment of such interest is lawful, interest upon overdue interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities or, in the case of Original Issue Discount Securities, the Securities, Yield to Maturity, and

(iv) 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

(b) all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that series, other than the nonpayment of the principal of Securities of that series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, 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.

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5.3 Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee. The Company covenants that if the Company shall fail for a period of 30 days to pay any installment of interest on the Securities of any series or shall fail to pay the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any of the Securities of any series when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at Stated Maturity, or by call for redemption, pursuant to any sinking fund, by declaration as authorized by this Indenture, or otherwise, the Company will, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to it, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities and Coupons, if any, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities and Coupons, if any, for principal (and premium, if any) and interest and, to the extent that payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable, interest on any overdue principal (and premium, if any) and on any overdue interest, at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities (or, in the case of Original Issue Discount Securities, the Securities; Yield to Maturity) and Coupons, if any, and, in addition thereto, such further amount 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.

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities and Coupons, if any, 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 by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein, or to enforce any other proper remedy.

5.4 Trustee May File Proofs of Claim. In case of any judicial proceeding relative to the Company (or any other obligor upon the Securities), its property or its creditors, the Trustee shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise, to take any and all actions authorized under the Trust Indenture Act in order to have claims of the Holders and the Trustee allowed in any such proceeding. In particular, the Trustee shall be authorized to collect and receive any moneys 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 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, to pay to the Trustee any amount due 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.

No provision of this Indenture shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.

5.5 Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities. All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or the Securities and Coupons, if any, may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities 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 of judgment shall,

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after provision for the payment of the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, be for the ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities and Coupons, if any, in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.

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 premium, if any) or interest, if any, upon presentation of the Securities 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 under Section 6.7;

SECOND: to the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid for principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on the Securities 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 amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, respectively; and

THIRD: the balance, if any, ratably to the Person or Persons entitled thereto.

5.7 Limitation on Suits. No Holder of any Security of any series 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

(a) an Event of Default with respect to Securities of such series shall have occurred and be continuing and such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of such continuing Event of Default;

(b) the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that 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;

(c) such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with such request;

(d) the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and

(e) 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 that series; it being understood and intended that no one or more of such Holders shall have the right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture (including without limitation the provisions of Section 5.12) to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain

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priority or preference over any other of such Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all of such Holders.

5.8 Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium and interest. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security or any Coupon shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and (subject to Section 3.7) any interest on such Security or Coupon on the Stated Maturity or Maturities expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the Redemption Date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.

5.9 Restoration of Rights and Remedies. If the Trustee or any Holder 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, subject to any determination in such proceeding, the Company, the Trustee and the Holders shall be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.

5.10 Rights and Remedies Cumulative. Except as provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities in the last paragraph of Section 3.6, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, 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 prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.

5.11 Delay or Omission Not Waiver. No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Securities 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 any acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders, as the case may be.

5.12 Control by Holders. The Holders of not less than 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, provided that

(a) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture,

(b) the Trustee shall not determine that the action so directed would be unjustly prejudicial to the Holders not taking part in such direction,

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(c) the Holders have provided the Trustee reasonable indemnity against costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred, and

(d) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction.

5.13 Waiver of Past Defaults. The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series may on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such series waive any past default hereunder with respect to such series and its consequences, except a default

(a) in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security of such series, or

(b) in respect of a covenant or provision hereof which under Article IX 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 with respect to such series, and any Event of Default with respect to such series 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.

5.14 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, 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 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 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on 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).

ARTICLE VI
The Trustee

6.1 Certain Duties and Responsibilities.

(a) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default.

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(i) 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

(ii) 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 of this Indenture 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 conform to the requirements of this Indenture.

(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 man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his 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

(i) this Subsection shall not be construed to limit the effect of Subsection (a) of this Section;

(ii) 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 pertinent facts;

(iii) 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

(iv) 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 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.

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6.2 Notice of Defaults. If a default occurs hereunder with respect to Securities of any series, the Trustee shall give the Holders of Securities of such series notice of such default actually known to the Trustee as and to the extent provided by the Trust Indenture Act; provided, however, that in the case of any default of the character specified in Section 5.1(c) with respect to Securities of such series, no such notice to Holders shall be given until at least 30 days after the occurrence thereof and if such default is corrected within such period, the Trustee may conclude, consistent with the Trust Indenture Act, that notice of such a default need not be provided to such Holders of Securities. 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.

6.3 Certain Rights of Trustee. Subject to the provisions of Section 6.1:

(a) the Trustee may rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, Officers' Certificate, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, Security or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;

(b) any request or direction of the Company shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Company Request or Company Order and any resolution of the Board of Directors may be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution;

(c) 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 be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, rely upon an Officers' Certificate;

(d) before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, the Trustee may consult with counsel and the advice of such 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;

(e) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders pursuant to this Indenture, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction;

(f) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default hereunder and after the curing or waiving of all Events of Default, the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, Officers' Certificate, other certificate, statement, instrument opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order approval, appraisal, bond, debenture, note, coupon, security, or other paper or document unless requested in writing so to do by any Holder; provided that, if the payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such

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investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the security afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require reasonable indemnity against such expenses or liabilities as a condition to proceeding; the reasonable expenses of every such examination shall be paid by the Company or, if advanced by the Trustee, shall be repaid by the Company upon demand;

(g) 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;

(h) the Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;

(i) the Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the performance of its power and duties hereunder;

(j) the Trustee shall not be bound to ascertain or inquire as to the performance or observance of any covenants, conditions, or agreements on the part of the Company, except as otherwise set forth herein, but the Trustee may require of the Company full information and advice as to the performance of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein and shall be entitled in connection herewith to examine the books, records and premises of the Company;

(k) the permissive rights of the Trustee to do things enumerated in this Indenture shall not be construed as a duty and the Trustee shall not be answerable for other than its negligence or willful default; and

(l) the Trustee shall not be deemed to have actual knowledge of an Event of Default except for (i) a default under Sections 5.1(a) or 5.1(b) hereof, or (ii) any other event of which the Trustee has "actual knowledge" and which event with the giving of notice or the passage of time or both, would constitute an Event of Default under this Indenture or event unless specifically notified in writing of such event by the Company or any Holder; the term "actual knowledge" means the actual fact or statement of knowing, without any duty to make any investigation with regard thereto.

6.4 Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities. The recitals contained herein and in the Securities, except the Trustee's certificates of authentication, shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee assumes no responsibility for their correctness. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities. Neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent shall be accountable for the use or application by the Company of Securities or the proceeds thereof.

6.5 May Hold Securities. The Trustee, any Paying Agent, any Security Registrar or any other agent of the Company, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or

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pledgee of Securities or warrants to purchase Securities and, subject to Sections 6.8 and 6.13, may otherwise deal with the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee, Paying Agent, Security Registrar or such other agent.

6.6 Money Held in Trust. Money held by the Trustee or any Paying Agent in trust hereunder need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee or any Paying Agent shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed with the Company.

6.7 Compensation and Reimbursement. The Company agrees

(a) to pay to the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust);

(b) 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 (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence or bad faith; and

(c) to indemnify the Trustee for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, damage, claim, liability or expense incurred without negligence or bad faith on its 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 itself against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder. The costs and expenses of enforcing this right to indemnification shall also be paid by the Company.

As security for the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest, if any, on particular Securities.

6.8 Disqualification; Conflicting Interests. If the Trustee has or shall acquire any conflicting interest within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee shall comply with the relevant provisions thereof.

6.9 Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility. There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder which shall be a Person that is eligible pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act to act as such and has a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. If such Person publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of its supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such Person shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. 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.

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6.10 Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.

(a) 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 in accordance with the applicable requirements of Section 6.11.

(b) The Trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Securities of one or more series by giving written notice thereof to the Company. If the instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee required by Section 6.11 shall not have been delivered to the resigning Trustee within 30 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series.

(c) The Trustee may be removed at any time with respect to the Securities of any series by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, delivered to the Trustee and to the Company.

(d) If at any time:

(i) the Trustee shall fail to comply with Section 6.8 after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least six months, or

(ii) the Trustee for a series shall cease to be eligible under Section 6.9 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder of Securities of such series, or

(iii) 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 its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,

then, in any such case, (i) the Company by a Board Resolution may remove the Trustee with respect to all Securities, or (ii) subject to Section 5.14, any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security 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 and the appointment of a successor Trustee or Trustees.

(e) If the Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of acting, or if a vacancy shall occur in the office of the Trustee for any cause, with respect to the Securities of one or more series, the Company, by a Board Resolution, shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee or Trustees with respect to the Securities of that or those 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 each successor Trustee or Trustees shall comply with the applicable

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requirements of Section 6.11. If, within one year after such resignation, removal or incapability, 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 6.11, 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 and accepted appointment in the manner required by Section 6.11, any Holder 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.

(f) 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 giving notice of such event to all Holders of Securities of such series as provided by
Section 1.6. 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.

6.11 Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.

(a) In case of the appointment hereunder of a Successor Trustee with respect to all Securities, every such successor Trustee so appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to 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 of the retiring Trustee; but, on the request of the Company or the successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee shall, upon payment of its charges, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights, powers and trusts of the retiring Trustee and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder.

(b) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) series, the Company, the retiring Trustee and each successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series 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, each 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

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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 and that 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 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 and each 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 any successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all 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.

(c) Upon request of any such 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 (a) or (b) of this Section, as the case may be.

(d) No successor Trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Trustee shall be qualified and eligible under this Article.

6.12 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 into which the Trustee shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to all or substantially all the corporate business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided such corporation shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under this Article, 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.

6.13 Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company. If and when the Trustee shall be or become a creditor of the Company (or any other obligor upon the Securities or the Coupons, if any), the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act regarding the collection of claims against the Company (or any such other obligor).

6.14 Appointment of Authenticating Agent. The Trustee may appoint an Authenticating Agent or Agents with respect to one or more series of Securities which shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of such series issued upon original issue or upon exchange, registration of transfer or partial redemption thereof 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

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the Trustee or the Trustee's 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 shall be acceptable to the Company and shall at all times be a corporation having a combined capital and surplus of not less than the equivalent of $50,000,000 and subject to supervision or examination by Federal or State authority or the equivalent foreign authority, in the case of an Authenticating Agent who is not organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America, any State thereof or the District of Columbia. If such Authenticating Agent publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of said supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such Authenticating Agent shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. If at any time an Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, such Authenticating Agent 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 the corporate agency or corporate trust business of such Authenticating Agent, shall continue to be an Authenticating Agent; 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 such Authenticating Agent.

An Authenticating Agent may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the Trustee and to 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 to 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 mail written notice of such appointment by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to all Holders of Registered Securities, if any, of the series with respect to which such Authenticating Agent will serve, as their names and addresses appear in the Security Register. 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 to each Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation for its services under this Section.

If an appointment with respect to one or more series is made pursuant to this Section, the Securities of such series may have endorsed thereon, in addition to the Trustee's certificate of authentication, an alternative certificate of authentication in the following form:

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This is one of the Securities of the series designated and issued under the within-mentioned Indenture.

U.S. Bank National Association

As Trustee

By

As Authenticating Agent

By

Authorized [Officer] [Secretary]

If all of the Securities of a 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 or other place where the Company wishes to have Securities of such series authenticated upon original issuance, the Trustee, if so requested by the Company in writing (which writing need not comply with Section 1.2 and need not be accompanied by an opinion of Counsel), shall appoint in accordance with this Section an Authenticating Agent (which may be an Affiliate of the Company if eligible to be appointed as an Authenticating Agent hereunder) having an office in such Place of Payment or other place designated by the Company with respect to such series of Securities.

ARTICLE VII
Holders' Lists and Reports by Trustee and Company

7.1 Company To Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders. The Company will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee:

(a) semi-annually, not later than January 15 and July 15 in each year (commencing with the first January 15 or July 15 after the first issuance of Securities pursuant to this Indenture), a list, in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of all information in the possession or control of the Company or any Paying Agent as to the Holders of each series of the preceding January 1 or be,

(b) 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, and

(c) such information concerning the Holders of Bearer Securities which is known to the Company; provided, however, that the Company shall have no obligation to investigate any matter relating to any Holder of a Bearer Security or a Coupon;

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provided, however, that so long as Trustee is the Security Registrar, no such list shall be required to be furnished.

7.2 Preservation of Information; Communications to Holders.

(a) The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably practicable, the names and addresses of Holders contained in the most recent list furnished to the Trustee as provided in Section 7.1 and the names and addresses of Holders received by the Trustee in its capacity as Security Registrar. The Trustee may destroy any list furnished to it as provided in
Section 7.1 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.

(b) The rights of the Holders to communicate with other Holders with respect to their rights under this Indenture or under the Securities, and the corresponding rights and privileges of the Trustee, shall be as provided by the Trust Indenture Act.

(c) Every Holder of Securities or Coupons, by receiving and holding the same, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any agent of either of them shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any such information as to the names and addresses of the Holders in accordance with Section 3.12 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 3.12(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.

7.3 Reports by Trustee.

(a) On or before May 15 of each year commencing with the first May 15 after the first issuance of Securities pursuant to this Indenture, the Trustee shall transmit to the Holders of Securities, in the manner and to the extent provided in Section 3.13(c) of the Trust Indenture Act, a brief report if required by Section 3.13(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, dated as of a date no more than 60 nor less than 45 days prior thereto. The Trustee also shall comply with Section 3.13(b) of the Trust Indenture Act and shall transmit to Holders, in the manner and to the extent provided is said Section 3.13(c), such other reports, if any, as may be required pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act.

(b) A copy of each such report shall, at the time of such transmission to Holders, be filed by the Trustee with each stock exchange upon which any Securities are listed, with the Commission and with the Company. The Company will notify the Trustee when any Securities are listed on any stock exchange.

7.4 Reports by Company. The Company shall file with the Trustee and the Commission, and transmit to Holders, such information, documents and reports, and such summaries thereof, as may be required pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act at the times and in the manner provided pursuant to such Act; provided that any such information, documents or reports required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 shall be filed with the Trustee within 15 days after the same is so required to be filed with the Commission. Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee

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under this Indenture is for information purposes only and the Trustee's receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company's compliance with any of their covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officers' Certificates).

ARTICLE VIII
Consolidation, Merger, Conveyance, Transfer or Lease

8.1 Company May Consolidate, Etc. Only on Certain Terms. The Company shall not consolidate with or merge into any other Person or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any Person, and the Company shall not permit any Person to consolidate with or merge into the Company, unless:

(a) in case the Company shall consolidate with or merge into another Person or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any Person, the Person formed by such consolidation 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 substantially as an entirety shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any State thereof or the District of Columbia and shall expressly assume, by an indenture supplemental hereto, executed and delivered to the Trustee, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on all the Outstanding Securities of all series and the performance of every covenant of such Securities and this Indenture on the part of the Company to be performed or observed;

(b) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have happened and be continuing; and

(c) the Company 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 such supplemental indenture comply with this Article and that all conditions precedent herein provided or relating to such transaction have been complied with.

8.2 Successor Corporation Substituted. Upon any consolidation by the Company with or merger by the Company into any other corporation or any conveyance, transfer or lease of the properties and assets of the Company substantially as an entirety in accordance with Section 8.1, the successor corporation formed by such consolidation 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 corporation had been named as the Company herein, and thereafter, the predecessor corporation shall be relieved of the performance and observance of all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto), including but not limited to the obligation to make payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on all the Outstanding Securities of all series (and

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any Coupons appertaining thereto), and, in the event of such conveyance, transfer or lease, may be liquidated and dissolved.

ARTICLE IX
Supplemental Indentures

9.1 Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders. Without the consent of any Holders, 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, in form satisfactory to the Trustee, for any of the following purposes:

(a) to evidence the succession of another corporation to the Company and the assumption by any such successor of the covenants of the Company herein and in the Securities;

(b) to add to the covenants of the Company for the benefit of the Holders of all or any series of Securities (and if such covenants are to be for the benefit of less than all series of Securities, stating that such covenants are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such series) or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company;

(c) to add any additional Events of Default with respect to all or any series of the Securities (and, if such Event of Default is applicable to less than all series of Securities specifying the series to which such Event of Default is applicable);

(d) to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to facilitate the issuance of Securities in bearer form, registrable or not registrable as to principal, and with or without interest coupons; to change or eliminate any restrictions on the payment of principal of or any premium or interest on Bearer Securities, to permit Bearer Securities to be issued in exchange for Registered Securities, to permit Bearer Securities to be issued in exchange for Bearer Securities of other authorized denominations; provided that any such addition or change shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Securities of any series or any related Coupons in any material respect;

(e) to change or eliminate any of the provisions of this Indenture; provided that any such change or elimination shall become effective only when there is no Security Outstanding of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture which is adversely affected by such change in or elimination of such provision;

(f) to establish the form or terms of Securities of any series as permitted by Sections 2.1 and 3.1;

(g) 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 6.11(b);

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(h) if allowed under applicable laws and regulations, to permit payment in the United States of principal, premium or interest on Bearer Securities or Coupons, if any;

(i) to provide for the issuance of uncertificated Securities of one or more series in addition to or in place of certificated Securities; or

(j) to cure any ambiguity, 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; provided such other provisions as may be made shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Securities of any series in any material respect.

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 all series affected by such supplemental indenture (acting as one class), 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; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall, without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby,

(a) change the Stated Maturity of the principal of, or premium, if any, on any installment of principal of or interest on, any Security, or reduce the principal amount thereof or the rate or amount (or manner of calculation of the amount) of interest thereon or change the timing or reduce the amount payable upon the redemption thereof, 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 adversely affect any right of repayment at the option of the Holder of any Security, or change any Place of Payment where, or the coin or currency in which, any Security or any premium or the interest thereon 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),

(b) 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,

(c) change any obligation of the Company, with respect to Outstanding Securities of a series, to maintain an office or agency in the places and for the purposes specified in Section 10.2 for such series, or

(d) modify any of the provisions of this Section or Section 5.13 except to increase any such percentage or to provide with respect to any particular series the right to condition the effectiveness of any supplemental indenture as to that series on the consent of the Holders of a specified percentage of the aggregate principal amount of Outstanding Securities of

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such series (which provision may be made pursuant to Section 3.1 without the consent of any Holder) 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; provided, however, that this clause shall not be deemed to require the consent of any Holder with respect to changes in the references to the Trustee and concomitant changes in this Section, or the deletion of this proviso, in accordance with the requirements of Sections 6.11(b) and 9.1(7).

For purposes of this Section 9.2, if the Securities of any series are issuable upon the exercise of warrants, each holder of an unexercised and unexpired warrant with respect to such series shall be deemed to be a Holder of Outstanding Securities of such series in the amount issuable upon the exercise of such warrant. For such purposes, the ownership of any such warrant shall be determined by the Company in a manner consistent with customary commercial practices. The Trustee for such series shall be entitled to rely on an Officers' Certificate as to the principal amount of Securities of such series in respect of which consents shall have been executed by holders of such warrants.

A supplemental indenture which changes or eliminates any covenant or other provision of this Indenture which has expressly been included 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 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.

9.3 Execution of Supplemental Indentures. In executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modifications thereby of the trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 6.1) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture. The Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustee's own rights, duties, immunities or liabilities under this Indenture or otherwise.

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 Securities theretofore or thereafter authenticated and delivered hereunder shall be bound thereby.

9.5 Conformity With Trust Indenture Act. Every supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article shall conform to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act.

9.6 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

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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.

ARTICLE X
Covenants

10.1 Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest. The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of each series of Securities and Coupons, if any, that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of (and premium, if any, on) each of the Securities and Coupons, if any, of that series, and the interest, if any, which shall have accrued thereon, in accordance with the terms of the Securities and Coupons, if any, of such series and this Indenture.

10.2 Maintenance of Office or Agency. If Securities of a series are issuable only as Registered Securities, until all the Securities of each such series shall have been paid or payment thereof provided for, the Company will maintain in each Place of Payment for such series an office or agency where Securities of that series may be presented or surrendered for payment, where Securities of that series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of that series and this Indenture may be served. If Securities of a series are issuable as Bearer Securities, until all the Securities of each such series shall have been paid or payment thereof provided for, the Company will maintain (a) in The City of New York, an office or agency where any Registered Securities of that series may be presented or surrendered for payment, where any Registered Securities of that series may be surrendered for registration of transfer, where Securities of that series may be surrendered for exchange, where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of that series and this Indenture may be served and where Bearer Securities of that series and related Coupons may be presented or surrendered for payment in the circumstances described in this paragraph (and not otherwise), (b) subject to any laws or regulations applicable thereto, in a Place of Payment for that series which is located outside the United States, an office or agency where Securities of that series and related Coupons may be presented and surrendered for payment (including payment of any additional amounts payable on Securities of that series pursuant to Section 10.4); provided, however, that if the Securities of that series are listed on The International Stock Exchange of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland Limited, the Luxembourg Stock Exchange or any other stock exchange located outside the United States and such stock exchange shall so require, the Company will maintain a Paying Agent for the Securities of that series in London, Luxembourg or any other required city located outside the United States, as the case may be, so long as the Securities of that series are listed on such exchange, and (c) subject to any laws or regulations applicable thereto, in a Place of Payment for that series located in Europe, an office or agency where any Registered Securities of that series may be surrendered for registration of transfer, where Securities of that series may be surrendered for exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of that series and this Indenture may be served. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee and the Holders of the location, and any change in the location, of

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any such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency in respect of any series of Securities or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations and surrenders of securities of that series may be made and notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, except that Bearer Securities of that series and the related Coupons may be presented and surrendered for payment (including payment of any additional amounts payable on Bearer Securities of that series pursuant to Section 10.4) at the London office of the Trustee (or an agent with a London office appointed by the Trustee and acceptable to the Company), and the Company hereby appoints the same as its agent to receive such respective presentations, surrenders, notices and demands. Presentation of Coupons for payment or other demands for payment of Bearer Securities must be made outside the United States, and no payment of principal, premium or interest on Bearer Securities shall be made at any office or agency of the Company 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, that payment of principal of and any premium and interest on any Bearer Security (including any additional amounts payable on Securities of such series pursuant to Section 10.4) shall be made at the office of the Company's Paying Agent in The City of New York, if (but only if) (i) despite the appointment of Paying Agents outside the United States, payment of the full amount of such principal, premium, interest or additional amounts, as the case may be, at the offices of all such Paying Agents maintained for the purpose by the Company in accordance with this Indenture is illegal or effectively precluded by exchange controls or other similar restrictions, (ii) such payment is then permitted by applicable laws and (iii) in appointing a Paying Agent in The City of New York, the Company would not suffer any fiscal or other sanction under applicable laws as a result of such appointment or of any payment being made through such Paying Agent.

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 accordance with the requirements set forth above for Securities of any series for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee and the Holders of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency.

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 will, on or before each due date of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on any of the Securities of that series, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum sufficient to pay the principal (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, so becoming due until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided and will promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.

Whenever the Company shall have one or more Paying Agents or any series of Securities, it will, at or prior to the opening of business on each due date of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on any Securities of that series, deposit with a Paying Agent a sum sufficient to pay the principal (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, so becoming due, such

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sum to be held as provided by the Trust Indenture Act, 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 will 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 will (i) comply with the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act applicable to it as a Paying Agent and (ii) during the continuance of any default by the Company (or any other obligor upon the Securities of that series) in the making of any payment in respect of the Securities of that series, and upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums held in trust by such Paying Agent for payment in respect of the Securities of that series.

Anything in this Section 10.3 to the contrary notwithstanding, 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 trusts 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 money.

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 (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security of any series and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal (and premium, if any) or interest has become due and payable shall be paid to the Company, or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Security and Coupons, if any, 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, shall at the expense and at the written direction of the Company cause to be published once, in a newspaper published in the English language, customarily published on each Business Day and of general circulation in The City of New York, notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified herein, which shall not be less than 30 days from the date of such publication, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be repaid to the Company.

10.4 Additional Amounts. If the Securities of a series provide for the payment of additional amounts, the Company will pay to the Holder of any Security of such series or any Coupon appertaining thereto additional amounts as provided and subject to the conditions set forth therein. Whenever in this Indenture there is mentioned, in any context, the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on, or in respect of, any Security of any series or payment of any related 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 for in this Section to the extent that, in such context, additional amounts are, were or would be payable in respect thereof pursuant to the provisions of this Section and express mention of the payment of additional amounts (if applicable) in any provisions hereof shall not

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be construed as excluding additional amounts in those provisions hereof where such express mention is not made.

If the Securities of a series provide for the payment of additional amounts, at least 10 days prior to the first Interest Payment Date with respect to that series of Securities (or if the Securities of that series will not bear interest prior to Maturity, the first day on which a payment of principal and any premium is made), and at least 10 days prior to each date of payment of principal and any premium or interest if there has been any change with respect to the matters set forth in the below-mentioned Officers' Certificate, the Company will furnish the Trustee and the Company's Paying Agent or Paying Agents, if other than the Trustee, with an Officers' Certificate instructing the Trustee and such Paying Agent or Paying Agents whether such payment of principal of and any premium or interest on the Securities of that series shall be made to Holders of Securities of that series or any related Coupons who are United States Aliens (as defined in the Securities) without withholding for or on account of any tax, assessment or other governmental charge described in the Securities of that series. If any such withholding shall be required, then such Officers' Certificate shall specify by country the amount, if any, required to be withheld on such payments to such Holders of Securities or Coupons and the Company will pay to the Trustee or such Paying Agent the additional amounts required by this Section. The Company covenants to indemnify the Trustee and any Paying Agent for, and to hold them harmless against, any loss, liability or expense reasonably 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 an Officers' Certificate furnished pursuant to this Section.

10.5 Statement as to Compliance. Within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company (beginning with the fiscal year ending nearest to September 1, 2002), the Company shall deliver to the Trustee a certificate of the principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer of the Company, stating whether or not to the best knowledge of such officer the Company is in default in the performance and observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions of this Indenture (without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice provided hereunder) and, if the Company shall be in default, specifying all such defaults and the nature and status thereof of which such officer may have knowledge.

ARTICLE XI
Redemption of Securities

11.1 Applicability of Article. Securities (including any Coupons) of any series which are redeemable before their Stated Maturity shall be redeemable in accordance with their terms and (except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.1 for Securities of any series (including any Coupons of any such series)) in accordance with this Article.

11.2 Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee. The election of the Company to redeem any Securities (including any Coupons) shall be evidenced by a Board Resolution or by an action taken pursuant to a Board Resolution. In case of any redemption at the election of the Company of less than all the Securities (including any Coupons) of any series, the Company shall, at least

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45 days prior to the giving of notice of redemption in Section 11.4 (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), notify the Trustee of such Redemption Date and of the aggregate principal amount of Securities (including any Coupons) of such series to be redeemed. In the case of any redemption of Securities (including any Coupons) prior to the expiration of any restriction on such redemption provided in the terms of such Securities (including any Coupons) or elsewhere in this Indenture, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officers' Certificate evidencing compliance with such restriction.

11.3 Selection by Trustee of Securities to be Redeemed. If less than all the Securities (including any Coupons) of any series are to be redeemed, the particular Securities (including any Coupons) to be redeemed shall be selected not more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date by the Trustee, from the Outstanding Securities (including any Coupons) of such series not previously called for redemption, by such method as the Trustee shall deem fair and appropriate and which may provide for the selection for redemption of portions (equal to the minimum authorized denomination for Securities (including any Coupons) of that series or any integral multiple thereof) of the principal amount of Securities (including any Coupons) of such series of a denomination larger than the minimum authorized denomination for Securities (including any Coupons) of that series.

In any case where Securities (including any Coupons) of such series are registered in the same name, the Trustee in its discretion may treat the aggregate principal amount so registered as if it were represented by one Security of such series. If the Securities of any series (including any Coupons) to be redeemed consist of Securities having different Stated Maturities or different rates of interest (or methods of computing interest), then the Company may, in the written notice delivered to the Trustee pursuant to Section 11.2, direct that the Securities (including any Coupons) of such series to be redeemed shall be selected from among groups of such Securities having specified Stated Maturities or rates of interest (or methods of computing interest) and the Trustee shall thereafter select the particular Securities (including any Coupons) to be redeemed in the manner set forth above from among the groups of such Securities so specified.

The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the Securities (including any Coupons) selected for redemption and, in the case of any Securities (including any Coupons) 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 (including any Coupons) shall relate, in the case of any Securities (including any Coupons) redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the principal amount of such Securities (including any Coupons) which has been or is to be redeemed.

11.4 Notice of Redemption. Notice of redemption shall be given not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date, to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed, as provided in Section 1.6.

Each such notice of redemption shall specify the Redemption Date, the Redemption Price, the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be redeemed, the Place or Places of

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Payment, that the Securities of such series are being redeemed at the option of the Company pursuant to provisions contained in the terms of the Securities of such series or in a supplemental indenture establishing such series, if such be the case, together with a brief statement of the facts permitting such redemption, that on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price will become due and payable upon each Security redeemed, that payment will be made upon presentation and surrender of the applicable Securities, that all Coupons, if any, maturing subsequent to the date fixed for redemption shall be void, that any interest accrued to the Redemption Date will be paid as specified in said notice, and that on and after said Redemption Date any interest thereon or on the portions thereof to be redeemed will cease to accrue. If less than all the Securities of any series are to be redeemed the notice of redemption shall specify the numbers of the Securities of such series to be redeemed, and, if only Bearer Securities of any series are to be redeemed, and if such Bearer Securities may be exchanged for Registered Securities, the last date on which exchanges of Bearer Securities for Registered Securities not subject to redemption may be made. In case any Security of any series is to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed and shall state that on and after the Redemption Date, upon surrender of such Security and any Coupons appertaining thereto, a new Security or Securities of such series in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof and with appropriate Coupons will be issued, or, in the case of Registered Securities providing appropriate space for such notation, at the option of the Holders, the Trustee, in lieu of delivering a new Security or Securities as aforesaid, may make a notation on such Security of the payment of the redeemed portion thereof.

Notice of redemption of Securities and Coupons, if any, to be redeemed at the election of the Company shall be given by the Company or, at the Company's request, by the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Company. The Company will provide the Trustee not less than 45 days notice prior to the Redemption Date if the Trustee is to provide such notice of redemption.

11.5 Deposit of Redemption Price. On or before the opening of business on any Redemption Date, the Company shall deposit 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 sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of, and (except if the Redemption Date shall be an Interest Payment Date) accrued interest on, all the Securities and Coupons, if any, which are to be redeemed on that date.

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, if any) 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 accrued interest, if any, to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that installments of interest on Bearer Securities whose

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Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Redemption Date shall be payable only at an office or agency located outside the United States (except as otherwise provided in Section 10.2) and, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by
Section 3.1, only upon presentation and surrender of Coupons for such interest, and provided, further, that, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by
Section 3.1, 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 relevant Record Dates 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 interest represented by Coupons shall be payable only at an office or agency located outside the United States (except as otherwise provided in
Section 10.2) and, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.1, only upon presentation and surrender of those Coupons.

If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon surrender thereof for redemption, the principal and any premium shall, until paid, bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate prescribed therefor in the Security (or, in the case of any Original Issue Discount Securities, the Security's Yield to Maturity).

11.7 Security Redeemed in Part. Any Security (including any Coupons appertaining thereto) which is to be redeemed only in part shall be surrendered at a Place of Payment therefor (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 (including any Coupons appertaining thereto) without service charge, a new Security (including any Coupons appertaining thereto) or Securities (including any Coupons appertaining thereto) of the same series and Stated Maturity and like tenor, 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 (including any Coupons appertaining thereto) so surrendered.

ARTICLE XII
Sinking Funds

12.1 Applicability of Article. The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of Securities (including any Coupons) of a series except as

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otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.1 for Securities (including any Coupons) of such series.

The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities (including any Coupons) 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 (including any Coupons) of any series is herein referred to as an "optional sinking fund payment". If provided for by the terms of Securities (including any Coupons) 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 (including any Coupons) of any series as provided for by the terms of Securities (including any Coupons) of such series.

12.2 Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments With Securities. The Company
(1) may deliver Outstanding Securities (including any Coupons) of a series (other than any previously called for redemption) and (2) may apply as a credit Securities (including any Coupons) of a series which have been redeemed (or called for redemption and for which the Redemption Price, together with accrued interest, if any, has been deposited pursuant to Section 11.5), either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Securities (including any Coupons) or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities (including any Coupons), in each case in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities (including any Coupons) of such series required to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities (including any Coupons) as provided for by the terms of such series; provided that such Securities (including any Coupons) have not been previously so credited. Such Securities (including any Coupons) shall be received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the Redemption Price specified in such Securities (including any Coupons) for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly.

12.3 Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund. Not less than 60 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for any series of Securities (including any Coupons), the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing 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 Securities (including any Coupons) 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 (including any Coupons) to be so 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 30 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities (including any Coupons) 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

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Securities (including any Coupons) shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 11.6 and 11.7.

ARTICLE XIII
Meetings of Holders of Securities

13.1 Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called. If Securities of a series are issuable as Bearer Securities, a meeting of Holders of Securities of such 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 action provided by this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders of Securities of such series.

13.2 Call, Notice and Place of Meetings.

(a) The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Holders of Securities of any series for any purpose specified in Section 13.1, to be held at such time and at such place in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, Chicago, Illinois or in London, England, 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 1.6, not less than 21 nor more than 180 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.

(b) 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 13.1, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have made the first publication of the notice of such meeting within 21 days after receipt of such request 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, Chicago, Illinois or in London, England for such meeting and may call such meeting for such purposes by giving notice thereof as provided in subsection (a) of this Section.

13.3 Persons Entitled To Vote at Meetings. To been titled 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.

13.4 Quorum; Action. The Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a series shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of Holders of

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Securities of such series. In the absence of a quorum within 30 minutes of 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 such adjourned meeting, such adjourned 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 adjourned meeting. Notice of the reconvening of any adjourned meeting shall be given as provided in
Section 13.2(a), 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. Subject to the foregoing, at the reconvening of any such further adjourned meeting, the Persons entitled to vote 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series shall constitute a quorum for the taking of any action set forth in the notice of the original meeting. Notice of the reconvening of an adjourned meeting which was adjourned for lack of a quorum 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, and subject to the provisions described in the next succeeding paragraph, any resolution presented to a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present as aforesaid may be adopted by the affirmative vote of the lesser of (i) the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series and (ii) 66 2/3% in principal amount of Outstanding Securities of such series represented and voting at such meeting or adjourned meeting; provided, however, that any resolution with respect to any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action 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 lesser of (i) the Holders of such specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series and (ii) a majority in principal amount of Outstanding Securities of such series represented and voting at such meeting or adjourned meeting. 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 related Coupons, whether or not present or represented at the meeting.

With respect to any consent, waiver or other action which this Indenture expressly provides may be given by the Holders of a specified percentage of Outstanding Securities of all series affected thereby (acting as one class), only the principal amount of Outstanding Securities of any series represented at a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum was present, held in accordance with this Section, and voting in favor of such action, shall be counted for purposes of calculating the aggregate principal amount of Outstanding Securities of all series affected thereby favoring such action.

13.5 Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings.

(a) 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

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Securities of a 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 holder 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.

(b) 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 13.2(b), 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.

(c) 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 the Outstanding 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.

(d) Any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series duly called pursuant to
Section 13.2 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.

13.6 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 duplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record, at least in duplicate, 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 13.2 and, if applicable, Section 13.4. Each copy shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the

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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 XIV
Immunity of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers and Directors

14.1 Immunity of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers and Directors. No recourse shall be had for the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) or interest, if any, on, any Security of any series (or any Coupon appertaining thereto), or any part thereof, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, or of the indebtedness represented thereby, or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of this Indenture, against any incorporator, direct or indirect stockholder, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company, or of any successor corporation, either directly or through the Company or any successor corporation, whether by virtue of any constitutional provision, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly agreed and understood that this Indenture and all the Securities of all series (and any Coupons appertaining thereto) are solely corporate obligations, and that no personal liability whatsoever shall attach to, or be incurred by, any incorporator, direct or indirect stockholder, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor corporation, either directly or through the Company or any successor corporation, because of the incurring of the indebtedness hereby authorized or under or by reason of any of the obligations, covenants, promises or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities of any series (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) or to be implied here from or therefrom, and that all liability, if any, of that character against every such incorporator, stockholder, officer and director is, by the acceptance of the Securities of any series (or any Coupons appertaining thereto), and as a condition of, and as part of the consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto), expressly waived and released.

ARTICLE XV
Subordination

15.1 Agreement to Subordinate. Anything to the contrary herein notwithstanding, the Company covenants and agrees, and each Holder of Securities of any series designated as Subordinated Debt (as defined below) (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) by acceptance thereof likewise covenants and agrees, that the indebtedness represented by the Securities of such series (and any Coupons appertaining thereto) and the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on each and all of the Securities of such series (and any Coupons appertaining thereto) shall be subordinate and junior in right of payment, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, to the prior payment in full of all Senior Debt (as defined below), whether outstanding at the date hereof or incurred after the date hereof, but shall in all respects rank pari passu with all other Subordinated Debt.

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15.2 No Payments to Holders of Securities in Certain Circumstances.

(a) In the event of any sale under or in accordance with any judgment or decree rendered in any proceeding by or on behalf of any Holder of Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) or in the event of any distribution, division or application, partial or complete, voluntary or involuntary, by operation of law or otherwise, of all or any part of the assets of the Company, or the proceeds thereof, to creditors of the Company occurring by reason of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, or in the event of any receivership, insolvency, bankruptcy, liquidation, readjustment, reorganization or other similar proceeding relative to the Company or its debts or properties, then in any such event the holders of any and all Senior Debt shall be preferred in the payment of their claims over the Holders of Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto), and such Senior Debt shall be first paid and satisfied in full before any payment or distribution of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities (other than securities which are subordinate and junior in right of payment to the payment of all Senior Debt which may at the time be outstanding), shall be made upon the Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto); and in any such event any dividend or distribution of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities (other than in securities which are subordinate and junior in right of payment to the payment of all Senior Debt which may at the time be outstanding) which shall be made upon or in respect of the indebtedness evidenced by the Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto), or any renewals or extensions thereof, shall be paid over to the holders of such Senior Debt, pro rata, for application in payment thereof unless and until such Senior Debt shall have been paid and satisfied in full; and

(b) In the event that pursuant to the provisions hereof any Security is declared or becomes due and payable before its Stated Maturity because of an occurrence of an Event of Default (under circumstances when paragraph (a) of this Section 15.2 shall not be applicable), no amount shall be paid by the Company in respect of the principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) in excess of current interest payments as provided herein, except at the Stated Maturity thereof or in accordance with any regular mandatory prepayments as contemplated by Section 3.1 for Securities of any series (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) (all subject to paragraph (a) of this Section 15.2), unless and until all Senior Debt outstanding at the time such Security so becomes due and payable because of any such event shall have been paid in full or payment thereof shall have been provided for in a manner satisfactory to the holders of such outstanding Senior Debt; and

(c) without limiting the effect of any of the other provisions of this Article XV, during the continuance of any default with respect to any Senior Debt, no payment of principal, sinking fund, interest or premium shall be made on or with respect to the indebtedness evidenced by the Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) or any renewals or extensions hereof, if either
(l) notice of such default in writing or by telegram has been given to the Company by any holder or holders of any Senior Debt, provided that judicial proceedings shall be commenced with respect to such default within 120 days thereafter or (2) judicial proceedings shall be pending in respect of such default.

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The Company covenants and agrees, for the benefit of each and every present and future holder of Senior Debt, that in the event that pursuant to the provisions hereof any Security is declared or becomes due and payable because of an occurrence of an Event of Default, then each holder of any Senior Debt then outstanding shall have the right to declare immediately due and payable on demand all or any part of such Senior Debt owing and payable to such holder, regardless of any other maturity or terms of said Senior Debt; and if and when any such default has occurred, or any notice of default under the terms hereof may be served upon the Company, then in each such event the Company shall and hereby agrees that it will immediately notify the holders of the Senior Debt of such default or notice thereof, as the case may be.

15.3 Payments by Trustee or Holders of Securities to Holders of Senior Debt. In the event that any payment by, or distribution of assets of, the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, shall be received by the Trustee or the Holders of Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) before all Senior Debt is paid in full, contrary to the provisions of Section 15.2, such payment or distribution shall be paid over to the holders of such Senior Debt or their representative or representatives or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture under which any instruments evidencing any of such Senior Debt may have been issued, ratably as aforesaid, for application to the payment of all Senior Debt remaining unpaid until all such Senior Debt shall have been paid in full, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution (or provision therefor) to the holders of such Senior Debt.

15.4 Subrogation. Subject to the payment in full of all Senior Debt, the Holders of Securities land any Coupons appertaining thereto) shall be subrogated to the rights of the holders of Senior Debt to receive payments or distributions of cash, property or securities of the Company applicable to the Senior Debt until all amounts owing on the Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto) shall be paid in full, and, as between the Company, its creditors other than holders of Senior Debt, and the Holders of Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto), no such payment or distribution made to the holders of Senior Debt by virtue of this Article XV which otherwise would have been made to the Holders of Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto) shall be deemed to be a payment by the Company on account of the Senior Debt, it being understood that the provisions of this Article XV are and are intended solely for the purpose of defining the relative rights of the Holders of Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto), on the one hand, and the holders of Senior Debt, on the other hand.

15.5 Obligation of Company Unconditional. Nothing herein shall impair, as between the Company and the Holders of Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto), the right of the Holder of any Security or any Coupon, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, thereon in accordance with their terms, or shall prevent the Trustee or any Paying Agent from applying any moneys deposited with it hereunder to the payment of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on any of the Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto), in each case except as otherwise provided in this Article XV, nor shall anything herein prevent any Holder of Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) from exercising all remedies otherwise permitted by applicable law or hereunder upon default hereunder, subject to the rights, if any, of holders of Senior Debt

66

as herein provided. Each and every holder of Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) by acceptance thereof shall undertake and agree for the benefit of each holder of Senior Debt to execute, verify, deliver and file any proofs of claim, consents, assignments or other instruments which any holder of Senior Debt may at any time require in order to prove and realize upon any rights or claims pertaining to the Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) and to effectuate the full benefit of the subordination contained in this Article XV.

Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article XV, the Trustee and the Holders of Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) shall be entitled to rely upon any order or decree made by any court of competent jurisdiction in which any such dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization proceeding affecting the affairs of the Company is pending or upon a certificate of the liquidating trustee or agent or other person making any payment or distribution to the Trustee or to the Holders of Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) for the purpose of ascertaining the persons entitled to participate in such payment or distribution, the holders of the Senior Debt and other indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article XV. 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 Senior Debt to participate in any payment or distribution pursuant to this Article XV, the Trustee may request such person to furnish evidence to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee as to the amount of Senior Debt held by such person, as to the extent to which such person is entitled to participate in such payment or distribution, and as to other facts pertinent to the rights of such person under this Article XV, 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.

15.6 Payments on Securities Permitted. Nothing contained in this Article XV or elsewhere in this Indenture, or in any of the Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto), shall (a) affect the obligation of the Company to make, or prevent the Company from making, at any time except in the event of any event specified in Section 15.2, payments at any time of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on the Securities of any series (or any Coupons appertaining thereto) or of any sinking fund payments with respect to the Securities of any series, or (b) prevent the application by the Trustee or any Paying Agent of any moneys held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent in trust for the benefit of the holders of Securities of any series (and any Coupons appertaining thereto) as to which notice of redemption shall have been mailed or published at least once prior to the happening of an event specified in paragraph (b) or (c) of Section 15.2 to the payment of or on account of the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on such Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto), or (c) prevent the application by the Trustee or any Paying Agent of any moneys deposited prior to the happening of any event specified in paragraph (b) or (c) of Section 15.2 with the Trustee or such Paying Agent in trust for the purpose of paying a specified installment or installments of interest on the Securities of any series (or any Coupons appertaining thereto), to the payment of such installments of interest on the Securities of any series (or any Coupons appertaining thereto).

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15.7 Effectuation of Subordination by Trustee. Each holder of Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto), by his acceptance thereof, authorizes and directs the Trustee in his behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination provided in this Article XV and appoints the Trustee his attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes.

The Trustee shall not be deemed to owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of Senior Debt and, with respect to the holders of Senior Debt, the Trustee undertakes to perform or to observe only such of its covenants and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Article XV, and no implied covenants or obligations with respect to the holders of Senior Debt shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. Subject to the provisions of
Section 6.1, the Trustee shall not be liable to any holder of Senior Debt if it shall mistakenly pay over or deliver to holders of Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto), the Company or any other person moneys or assets to which any holder of Senior Debt shall be entitled by virtue of this Article XV or otherwise.

15.8 Knowledge of Trustee. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article XV or any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of the existence of any facts which would prohibit the making of any payment of moneys to or by the Trustee, or the taking of any other action by the Trustee, unless and until the Trustee shall have received written notice thereof from the Company, any Holder, any Paying Agent or the holder or representative of any class of Senior Debt.

Prior to the receipt of any such written notice, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Section 6.1, shall be entitled in all respects to assume that no such facts exist; provided, that if on a date not less than one day prior to the date upon which by the terms hereof any such moneys may become payable for any purpose (including, without limitation, the payment of the principal of or interest, if any, on any Securities (or any Coupons appertaining thereto)), the Trustee shall not have received with respect to such moneys the notice provided for in this Section 15.8, then, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall have full power and authority to receive such moneys and to apply the same to the purpose for which they were received, and shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary which may be received by it on or after such prior date.

15.9 Trustee May Hold Senior Debt. The Trustee shall be entitled to all the rights set forth in this Article XV with respect to any Senior Debt at the time held by it, to the same extent as any other holder of Senior Debt, and nothing in Section 6.13 or elsewhere in this Indenture shall deprive the Trustee of any of its rights as such holder.

15.10 Rights of Holders of Senior Debt Not Impaired. No right of any present or future holder of any Senior Debt to enforce the subordination herein shall at any time or in any way be prejudiced or impaired by any act or failure to act on the part of the Company or by any non-compliance by the Company with the terms, provisions and covenants of this Indenture, regardless of any knowledge thereof any such holder may have or be otherwise charged with.

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15.11 Rights and Obligations Subject to Power of Court. The right of the holders of Senior Debt and the obligations of the Trustee and the Holders of Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto) set forth in this Article XV are subject to the power of a court of competent jurisdiction to make other equitable provision reflecting the rights conferred in this Indenture upon the Senior Debt and the holders thereof with respect to the Securities (and any Coupons appertaining thereto) and the holders thereof by a plan of reorganization under applicable bankruptcy law.

15.12 Definitions. The following terms shall have the following meanings:

"Senior Debt" means all Debt of the Company except Subordinated Debt in respect of such Debt.

"Subordinated Debt" means any Debt which is subordinate and junior in right of payment to any other Debt of the Company by the terms of the instrument creating or evidencing such Subordinated Debt.

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EXHIBIT A

[FORMS OF CERTIFICATION]

A-1

[FORM OF CERTIFICATE TO BE GIVEN BY PERSON ENTITLED TO RECEIVE BEARER

SECURITY OR TO OBTAIN INTEREST PRIOR TO AN EXCHANGE DATE]

EXHIBIT A.1. COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
[Insert title or sufficient description
of Securities to be delivered]
(the "Securities")

This is to certify that, as of the date hereof, and except as set forth below, the above-referenced Securities held by you for our account are owned by
(i) (a) persons that are not individual citizens or residents of the United States, (b) a corporation or partnership organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (c) an estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source or (d) a trust the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and for which one or more United States fiduciaries have the authority to control all substantial decisions ("United States persons"), (ii) United States persons that (a) are foreign branches of United States financial institutions (as defined in U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.165-12 (c) (1) (v) ) ("financial institutions") purchasing for their own accounts or for resale or (b) acquired the Securities through foreign branches of United States financial institutions and that hold the Securities through such United States financial institutions on the date hereof (and in the case of either (a) or (b), each such United States financial institution hereby agrees, on its own behalf or through its agent, that you may advise the issuer or the issuer's agent that it will comply with, the requirements of Section 165(j)(3)(A), (B) or (C) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations thereunder), or (iii) financial institutions for purposes of resale during the restricted period (as defined in U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(7)), and in addition, if we are a financial institution described in this clause (iii) (whether or not also described in clause (i) or (ii)), we certify that we have not acquired the Securities for purposes of resale directly or indirectly to a United States person or to a person within the United States.

As used herein, "United States" means the United States of America (including the States and the District of Columbia), its territories, its possessions, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.

We undertake to advise you promptly by tested telex on or prior to the date on which you intend to submit your certification relating to the Securities held by you for our account in accordance with your Operating Procedures if any applicable statement herein is not correct on such date and, in the absence of any such notification, it may be assumed that this Certification applies as of such date.

This certification excepts and does not relate to $____________ principal amount of such Securities, in respect of which we are not able to certify as above and as to which we understand

A-2

exchange and delivery of definitive Securities (or, if relevant, exercise of any rights or collection of any interest) cannot be made until we do so certify.

We understand that this certification is required in connection with certain tax laws of the United States. In connection therewith, if administrative or legal proceedings are commenced or threatened in connection with which this certification is or would be relevant, we irrevocably authorize you to produce this certification to any interested party in such proceedings.

Dated:
[To be dated no earlier than 15 days prior to the Exchange Date or the first interest payment date prior to the Exchange Date, as relevant]

By:
As, or as agent for, the beneficial owner(s) of the Securities to which this certificate relates.

A-3

EXHIBIT A.2

[FORM OF CERTIFICATE TO BE GIVEN BY EURO-CLEAR OR CLEARSTREAM BANKING, SOCIETE
ANONYME IN CONNECTION WITH THE EXCHANGE OF A PORTION OF A TEMPORARY GLOBAL
SECURITY OR TO OBTAIN INTEREST PRIOR TO AN EXCHANGE DATE]

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
[Insert title or sufficient description
of Securities to be delivered]
(the "Securities")

This is to certify that, based solely on certifications we have received in writing, by tested telex or by electronic transmission from member organizations appearing in our records as persons being entitled to a portion of the principal amount set forth below (our "Member Organizations"), substantially as set forth in the Temporary Global Security with respect to the Securities, as of the date hereof, $____________ principal amount of the above-captioned Securities is owned by (i) (a) persons that are not individual citizens or residents of the United States, (b) a corporation or partnership organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (c) an estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source or (d) a trust the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and for which one or more United States fiduciaries have the authority to control all substantial decisions ("United States persons"), (ii) United States persons that (a) are foreign branches of United States financial institutions (as defined in U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.165-12(c)(1)(v)) ("financial institutions") purchasing for their own accounts or for resale or
(b) acquired the Securities through foreign branches of United States financial institutions and that hold the Securities through such United States financial institutions on the date hereof (and in the case of either (a) or (b), each such United States financial institution has agreed, on its own behalf or through its agent, that we may advise the issuer or the issuer's agent that it will comply with the requirements of Section 165(j)(3)(A), (B) or (C) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations thereunder), or
(iii) financial institutions for purposes of resale during the restricted period (as defined in U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(7)), which financial institutions described in this clause (iii) whether or not also described in clause (i) or (ii)) have certified that they have not acquired the Securities for purposes of resale directly or indirectly to a United States person or to a person within the United States.

As used herein, "United States" means the United States of America (including the States and the District of Columbia), its territories, its possessions, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.

A-4

We further certify (i) that we are not making available herewith for exchange (or, if relevant, exercise of any rights or collection of any interest) any portion of the Temporary Global Security excepted in such certifications and
(ii) that as of the date hereof we have not received any notification from any of our Member Organizations to the effect that the statements made by such Member Organizations with respect to any portion of the part submitted herewith for exchange (or, if relevant, exercise of any rights or collection of any interest) are no longer true and cannot be relied upon as the date hereof.

We understand that this certification is required in connection with certain tax laws of the United States. In connection therewith, if administrative or legal proceedings are commenced or threatened in connection with which this certification is or would be relevant, we irrevocably authorize you to produce this certification to any interested party in such.

*Dated: _____________, 200_ Yours faithfully,

MORGAN GUARANTY TRUST
COMPANY OF NEW YORK,
Brussels office as operator
of the Euro-clear System

or

CLEARSTREAM BANKING, SOCIETE ANONYME

By:___________________________________

* [Not earlier than the Exchange Date or the first interest payment date prior to the Exchange Date, as relevant.]

A-5

EXHIBIT 4.3

UNLESS THIS SECURITY IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (THE "DEPOSITORY"), TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE TO BE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY AND ANY AMOUNT PAYABLE THEREUNDER IS MADE PAYABLE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER NAME, ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

UNLESS AND UNTIL THIS SECURITY IS EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR CERTIFICATED SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAMES OF THE VARIOUS BENEFICIAL HOLDERS HEREOF AS THEN CERTIFIED TO THE COMPANY BY THE DEPOSITORY OR A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITORY, THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITORY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITORY OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITORY TO THE DEPOSITORY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITORY OR BY THE DEPOSITORY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITORY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITORY.

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

5 1/2% SENIOR NOTE DUE MARCH 15, 2007

No. 1 $300,000,000
CUSIP: 22160K AA3

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION, a Washington corporation (herein called the "Company", which term shall refer to such Company until a successor corporation shall have become such pursuant to the provisions of the Indenture referred to herein and thereafter "Company" shall mean such successor corporation), for value received, hereby promises to pay to Cede & Co., or registered assigns, the principal sum of THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS ($300,000,000) on March 15, 2007 (the "Stated Maturity Date"), unless redeemed in full prior to such date in accordance with the provisions specified herein, and to pay interest on the outstanding principal amount hereof from March 25, 2002, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, semiannually on March 15 and September 15 in each year, commencing September 15, 2002, at the rate of 5 1/2% per annum, until the principal hereof is paid or made duly available for payment.

The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, which shall be (in each case whether or not a Business Day) the March 1 or September 1 as the case may be, next preceding such Interest Payment Date. Any interest not


punctually paid or duly provided for shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record Date and may either be paid to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed by the Trustee referred to herein, notice whereof shall be given to Holders of Securities of this series not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date, or be paid at any time in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which the Securities of this series may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, all as more fully provided in said Indenture.

Payment of the principal of and Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest on this Security will be made in immediately available funds at the corporate trust office of U.S. Bank National Association in St. Paul, Minnesota or in the Borough of Manhattan, in The City of New York, in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts.

This Security is one of a duly authorized issue of debt securities of the Company (the "Debt Securities"), issued and to be issued in one or more series under an Indenture, dated as of October 26, 2001, as supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture thereto, dated as of March 20, 2002 (as so supplemented, the "Indenture," which term includes any future indentures supplemental thereto), between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee (the "Trustee," which term includes any successor trustee or trustees under the Indenture), to which Indenture reference is hereby made for a statement of the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of the Debt Securities and of the terms upon which the Debt Securities are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. This Security is one of the series of Debt Securities designated as "5 1/2% Senior Notes due March 15, 2007" (the "Securities") limited initially in aggregate principal amount to $300,000,000, subject to the provisions of the Indenture.

This Security shall be redeemable at the option of the Company, at any time in whole or from time to time in part, at a Redemption Price equal to the sum of 100% of the aggregate principal amount being redeemed, accrued but unpaid interest thereon to the Redemption Date, and the Make-Whole Amount, if any, with respect thereto; provided, however, that installments of interest on this Security due on an Interest Payment Date which occurs on or before any Redemption Date shall be payable to the Holder of this Security as of the close of business on the Regular Record Date immediately preceding such Interest Payment Date. If the Company has given notice as provided in the Indenture and made funds available for redemption of this Security if called for redemption on the Redemption Date, this Security will cease to bear interest on that Redemption Date and the only right of the Holder of this Security will be to receive payment of the Redemption Price. The Company shall give written notice of any redemption of this Security to the Holder of this Security at the addresses of such Holder, as shown in the Security Register, not more than 60 nor less than 30 days prior to the Redemption Date. The notice of redemption will specify, among other items, the Redemption Price and the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be


redeemed. If less than all of the Outstanding Securities are to be redeemed, then the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed in principal amounts of $1,000 or integral multiples of $1,000 by lot, pro rata or by another method the Trustee considers fair and appropriate.

Notwithstanding anything contained in the Indenture to the contrary, "Make-Whole Amount", "Reinvestment Rate" and "Statistical Release", as used with respect to this Security, shall have the following meaning:

"Make Whole Amount" means, in connection with any redemption of this Security, the excess, if any, of (a) the aggregate present value as of the date of such redemption of each dollar of principal hereof being redeemed and the amount of interest, exclusive of interest accrued to the date of redemption, that would have been payable in respect of each such dollar if such redemption had not been made, determined by discounting, on a semiannual basis, such principal and interest at the Reinvestment Rate, determined on the third Business Day preceding the date notice of such redemption is given, from the respective dates on which such principal and interest would have been payable if such redemption had not been made, to the date of redemption, over (b) the aggregate principal hereof being redeemed.

"Reinvestment Rate" means .15% plus the arithmetic mean of the yields under the heading "Week Ending" published in the most recent Statistical Release under the caption "Treasury Constant Maturities" for the maturity, rounded to the nearest month, corresponding to the remaining life to maturity, as of the redemption date, of the principal hereof being redeemed. If no maturity exactly corresponds to such maturity, yields for the two published maturities most closely corresponding to such maturity shall be calculated pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence and the Reinvestment Rate shall be interpolated or extrapolated from such yields on a straight-line basis, rounding in each of such relevant periods to the nearest month. For the purposes of calculating the Reinvestment Rate, the most recent Statistical Release published prior to the date of determination of the Make-Whole Amount shall be used. If the format or content of the Statistical Release changes in a manner that precludes determination of the Treasury yield in the above manner, then the Treasury yield shall be determined in the manner that most closely approximates the above manner, as reasonably determined by the Company.

"Statistical Release" means the statistical release designated "H.15(519)" or any successor publication which is published weekly by the Federal Reserve System and which reports yields on actively traded United States Government securities adjusted to constant maturities, or, if such statistical release is not published at the time of any required determination under the Indenture, then such other reasonably comparable index which shall be designated by the Company.

Interest payable on this Security on any Interest Payment Date, Stated Maturity Date and Redemption Date, as the case may be, will be the amount of interest accrued during the applicable Interest Period.

An "Interest Period" is each period from and including the immediately preceding Interest


Payment Date (or from and including March 25, 2002 in the case of the initial Interest Period) to but excluding the applicable Interest Payment Date, Stated Maturity Date or the Redemption Date, as the case may be. If any Interest Payment Date, Stated Maturity Date or Redemption Date falls on a day that is not a Business Day, principal, Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest payable on such date will be paid on the succeeding Business Day with the same force and effect as if it were paid on the date such payment was due, and no interest will accrue on the amount so payable for the period from and after such date to such succeeding Business Day.

"Business Day" means any day, other than a Saturday or a Sunday, on which banking institutions in New York, New York are not required or authorized by law or executive order to close.

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities shall occur and be continuing, the principal of the Securities may, and in certain cases, shall be declared due and payable in the manner and with the effect provided in the Indenture.

The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Company and the rights of the Holders of the Debt Securities of each series to be affected under the Indenture at any time by the Company and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Securities at the time Outstanding of all series to be affected (voting as one class). The Indenture also provides that, regarding the Debt Securities of any series, the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Debt Securities at the time Outstanding of such series may waive certain past defaults and their consequences on behalf of the Holders of all Debt Securities of such series. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Security and of any Security issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Security.

No reference herein to the Indenture and no provisions of this Security or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and any Make-Whole Amount and interest on this Security at the times, place and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein and in the Indenture provided; subject, however, to the provisions for the discharge of the Company from its obligations under the Securities upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the Indenture.

As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations herein and therein set forth, the transfer of this Security is registrable in the Security Register, upon surrender of this Security for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company in any place where the principal of and Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest on this Security are payable, when duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar duly executed by, the Holder hereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Securities, of authorized denominations and for a like aggregate principal amount and tenor will be issued to the designated transferee or transferees.


The Securities are issuable only in registered form without coupons in denominations of $1,000 and any larger amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000. As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations herein and therein set forth, Securities are exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount and tenor of Securities of a different authorized denomination, upon surrender of the Securities to be exchanged at the office or agency of the Company in any place where the principal of and Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest on this Security are payable .

No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of this Security, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.

Prior to due presentment of this 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 this Security is registered as the owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Security be overdue, and none of the Company, the Trustee or any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

This Security is not subject to a sinking fund requirement.

As provided in the Indenture, no recourse shall be had for the payment of the principal of or Make-Whole Amount or the interest on this Security, or any part hereof, or for any claim based hereon or otherwise in respect hereof, or of the indebtedness represented hereby, or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in the Indenture, against any incorporator, direct or indirect stockholder, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor corporation (either directly or through the Company or any such successor corporation), whether by virtue of any constitutional provision, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise, all liability, if any, of that character against every such incorporator, stockholder, officer and director being by the acceptance hereof, and as a condition of and as part of the consideration for the issue hereof, expressly waived and released.

The Indenture and this Security shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Except as otherwise provided herein, all terms used in this Security which are defined in the Indenture shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

Unless the certificate of authentication hereon has been executed by the Trustee by manual signature, this Security shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly executed under its corporate seal.

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

By: ___________________________
Executive Vice President

Attest:


Assistant Secretary

TRUSTEE'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the Securities of the series designated and issued under the within mentioned Indenture.

Dated: March __, 2002

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Trustee

By:_____________________________
Authorized Signatory



ABBREVIATIONS

The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on this Security, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations.

TEN COM --   as tenants in common                     UNIF GIFT MIN ACT
TEN ENT --   as tenants by the
             entireties with right
             of survivorship and not                  _______________Custodian
             as tenants in common                     (Cust)
JT TEN --    as joint tenants
             with right of survivor-
             ship and not as tenants
             in common                               (Minor)
                                                     Under Uniform Gifts
                                                     to Minor Act

                                                     (State)

Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.



FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns and transfers to

INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR
OTHER IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF
ASSIGNEE


PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS OF ASSIGNEE



the within Security of Costco Wholesale Corporation, and irrevocably constitutes

and appoints__________________________________________________________________

to transfer said Security on the books of the within named Company, with full power of substitution in the premises.

Dated: _____ _________________________________________________________________


The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the Security in every particular without alteration or enlargement, or any change whatsoever.

Signatures must be guaranteed by an "eligible guarantor institution" meeting the requirements of the Security Registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Security Transfer Agent Medallion Program ("STAMP") or such other "signature guarantee program" as may be determined by the Security Registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.


EXHIBIT 5.1

March 25, 2002

Costco Wholesale Corporation
999 Lake Drive
Issaquah, Washington 98027

Re: Costco Wholesale Corporation - Public Offering of 5 1/2% Senior Notes Due March 15, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to Costco Wholesale Corporation, a Washington corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the filing by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-01127) and a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-72122) (together, the "Registration Statement") pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), as declared effective under the Securities Act, and the related prospectus dated March 20, 2002, as supplemented by a prospectus supplement dated March 20, 2002 (the final prospectus, in the form filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations under the Act, the "Prospectus"), relating to the offering by the Company of $300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 5 1/2% Senior Notes Due March 15, 2007 (the "Securities"). The Securities will be issued pursuant to a Senior Debt Securities Indenture dated October 26, 2001 and the First Supplemental Indenture dated March 20, 2002, each between U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, and the Company (collectively, the "Indenture").

I.

We have assumed the authenticity of all records, documents and instruments submitted to us as originals, the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons and the conformity to the originals of all records, documents and instruments submitted to us as copies. We have based our opinion upon our review of the following records, documents, instruments and certificates and such additional certificates relating to factual matters as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for our opinion:

(a) The Registration Statement;


Costco Wholesale Corporation March 25, 2002

Page 2

(b) The Indenture;

(c) The Prospectus;

(d) The Securities;

(e) The Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (including all amendments thereto) of the Company certified by the Washington Secretary of State as of March 21, 2002, and certified to us by an officer of the Company as being complete and in full force and effect as of the date of this opinion;

(f) A Certificate of Existence relating to the Company issued by the Washington Secretary of State, dated March 21, 2002;

(g) The Bylaws of the Company (and all amendments thereto) certified to us by an officer of the Company as being complete and in full force and effect as of the date of this opinion;

(h) Records certified to us by an officer of the Company as constituting all records of proceedings and actions of the board of directors of the Company relating to the issuance of the Securities by the Company; and

(i) A certificate (the "Officer's Certificate") of an officer of the Company as to certain factual matters.

II.

This opinion is limited to the federal laws of the United States of America, the laws of the State of Washington, and the laws of the State of New York, and we disclaim any opinion as to the laws of any other jurisdiction. We express no opinion as to the applicable choice of law rules that may affect the interpretation or enforcement of the Securities. We further disclaim any opinion as to any statute, rule, regulation, ordinance, order or other promulgation of any regional or local governmental body or as to any related judicial or administrative opinion.

III.

Based upon the foregoing and our examination of such questions of law as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for the purpose of our opinion, and subject to the limitations and qualifications expressed herein, it is our opinion that the Securities, when

2

Costco Wholesale Corporation March 25, 2002

Page 3

sold and after receipt of payment therefor, will be legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject, as to enforcement, (i) to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and (ii) to general principles of equity, whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.

IV.

We further advise you that:

A. As noted, the enforceability of the Securities is subject to the effect of general principles of equity. These principles include, without limitation, concepts of commercial reasonableness, materiality and good faith and fair dealing. As applied to the Securities, these principles will require the parties thereto to act reasonably, in good faith and in a manner that is not arbitrary or capricious in the administration and enforcement of the Securities and will preclude the parties thereto from invoking penalties for defaults that bear no reasonable relation to the damage suffered or that would otherwise work a forfeiture.

B. The enforceability of the Securities is subject to the effects of (i)
Section 1-102 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code (the "New York UCC"), which provides that obligations of good faith, diligence, reasonableness and care prescribed by the New York UCC may not be disclaimed by agreement, although the parties may by agreement determine the standards by which the performance of such obligations is to be measured if those standards are not manifestly unreasonable,
(ii) Section 1-203 of the New York UCC, which imposes an obligation of good faith in the performance or enforcement of a contract and (iii) legal principles under which a court may refuse to enforce, or may limit the enforcement of, a contract or any clause of a contract that a court finds as a matter of law to have been unconscionable at the time it was made.

C. The effectiveness of indemnities, rights of contribution, exculpatory provisions and waivers of the benefits of statutory provisions may be limited on public policy grounds.

D. Provisions of the Securities requiring that waivers must be in writing may not be binding or enforceable if a non-executory oral agreement has been created

3

Costco Wholesale Corporation March 25, 2002

Page 4

modifying any such provision or an implied agreement by trade practice or course of conduct has given rise to a waiver.

V.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Current Report of the Company on Form 8-K and to the Registration Statement and to the reference to this firm under the heading "Legal Opinions" in the Prospectus or any supplement thereto constituting a part of the Registration Statement.

This opinion is rendered to you in connection with the filing of the Current Report of the Company on Form 8-K and is solely for your benefit and the benefit of the purchasers of the Securities. This opinion may not be relied upon by any other person, firm, corporation or other entity without our prior written consent. We disclaim any obligation to advise you of any change of law that occurs, or any facts of which we become aware, after the date of this opinion.

Very truly yours,

Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP

4

EXHIBIT 12.1

                                                           Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

                                                  52 weeks    52 weeks       53 weeks      52 weeks      24 weeks        24 weeks
                                52 weeks ended     ended        ended         ended         ended          ended          ended
                                   8/31/1997     8/30/1998    8/29/1999      9/3/2000      9/2/2001       2/18/01        2/17/02
                                 -------------  ------------ ------------  ------------- -------------  ------------   ------------
"Consolidated Net Earnings"
  Net income..................     312,197,000   459,842,000  397,298,000    631,437,000   602,089,000   306,098,000    322,212,000
  Add back:
    Interest Expense..........      76,281,000    47,535,000   45,527,000     39,281,000    32,024,000    15,866,000     12,437,000
    Tax Expense...............     208,132,000   306,561,000  343,545,000    420,958,000   401,392,000   204,065,000    214,809,000
    Interest Component of Rent
      Expense.................      17,826,270    18,273,750   19,556,790     22,402,380    23,229,924    10,228,000     10,479,000
    Cum Effect of Change in Acct    65,000,000                118,023,000
                                 -------------  ------------ ------------  ------------- -------------  ------------   ------------
  Total Consolidated Net
    Earnings (A)..............     679,436,270   832,211,750  923,949,790  1,114,078,380 1,058,734,924   536,257,000    559,937,000
"Fixed Charges"
  Interest Expense............      76,281,000    47,535,000   45,527,000     39,281,000    32,024,000    15,866,000     12,437,000
    Capitalized Interest......       4,096,973     3,541,667    4,380,202     10,756,752    19,156,744     8,798,000      6,777,000
  Interest Component of Rent
    Expense...................      17,826,270    18,273,750   19,556,790     22,402,380    23,229,924    10,228,000     10,479,000
                                 -------------  ------------ ------------  ------------- -------------  ------------   ------------
  Total Fixed Charges (B).....      98,204,243    69,350,417   69,463,992     72,440,132    74,410,668    34,892,000     29,693,000
                                 -------------  ------------ ------------  ------------- -------------  ------------   ------------
Coverage (A)/(B)...............           6.92         12.00        13.30          15.38         14.23         15.37          18.86
                                 -------------  ------------ ------------  ------------- -------------  ------------   ------------