As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 19, 2015

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

  UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
 

LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
     
Delaware   36-2229304
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)   (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
 

8770 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, Illinois 60631

(773) 304-5050

 
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
     

Neil Jenkins

Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel

8770 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, Illinois 60631

Telephone: (773) 304-5050

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
     
 

Copy to:

Heidi Steele

McDermott Will & Emery LLP

227 West Monroe Street, Suite 4700

Chicago, IL 60606

Telephone: (312) 372-2000

 
     

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time following the effectiveness of this registration statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ¨

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. x

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

 
 

 

 

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ¨   Accelerated filer x
Non-accelerated filer ¨   Smaller reporting company ¨
     
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of
Securities to be Registered (1)
Amount to be Registered Proposed Maximum Offering Price
Per Unit (2)
Proposed Maximum Aggregate
Offering Price (2)
Amount of
Registration Fee
Primary Offering:        
Debt Securities
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants to Purchase Debt Securities
Warrants to Purchase Common Stock or Preferred Stock
Depositary Shares (3)
Stock Purchase Contracts
Stock Purchase Units
Total Primary Offering (4) $100,000,000 $ $100,000,000 $11,620 (5)
Secondary Offering of Common Stock 3,662,450 shares $24.89 (6) $91,158,380 (6) $10,593
Total Registration Fee       $22,213
         
(1) Pursuant to Rule 457(i) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act (the “Securities Act”), with respect to the primary offering, the securities registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, depositary shares, stock purchase contracts and units and principal amount of debt securities as may be issued upon conversion or exchange of any common stock, preferred stock, warrants, depositary shares, stock purchase contracts or units or debt securities registered hereunder that provide for conversion or exchange, upon exercise of warrants or pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of any such securities.
(2) The proposed maximum offering price per security and the proposed maximum aggregate offering price per class of security will be determined from time to time in connection with the issuance by the Registrant of the securities registered hereunder in the primary offering and is not specified as to each class of security pursuant to General Instruction II.D. of Form S-3 under the Securities Act.
(3) Represents depositary shares, evidenced by depositary receipts, issued pursuant to a deposit agreement.  In the event the Registrant issues fractional interests in shares of the preferred stock registered hereunder, depositary receipts will be distributed to purchasers of such fractional interests, and such shares of preferred stock will be issued to a depositary under the terms of a deposit agreement.
(4) Any securities registered hereunder with respect to the primary offering may be sold separately or as units or stock purchase contracts with other securities registered hereunder.  The proposed maximum
               

 

 
 

 

 

offering price per unit will be determined by us in connection with the issuance of the securities. In no event will the aggregate offering price of all securities issued by the Registrant from time to time pursuant to this Registration Statement exceed $100,000,000 or the equivalent thereof in one or more foreign currencies, foreign currency units or composite currencies.

 

(5)

Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act with respect to the primary offering.

 

(6) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee required by Section 6(b) of the Securities Act and computed pursuant to 457(c) under the Securities Act based on the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant’s common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market on February 17, 2015.

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a), may determine.

 
 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We and the selling stockholders may not sell these securities or accept an offer to buy these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED FEBRUARY 19, 2015

PROSPECTUS

LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.

Debt Securities
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Depositary Shares
Stock Purchase Contracts
Stock Purchase Units

3,662,450 Shares of Common Stock Offered by Selling Stockholders

 

______________________

From time to time, we may sell up to an aggregate of 3,662,450 of any combination of the securities described in this prospectus. We will specify the terms of any offering of securities by us in a prospectus supplement.

In addition, the selling stockholders identified in this prospectus may from time to time offer and sell up to an aggregate of 3,662,450 shares of our common stock in one or more transactions. Unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares offered by the selling stockholders.

We and the selling stockholders may offer the securities on a continuous or delayed basis from time to time directly or through underwriters, dealers or agents, in one or more public or private transactions, or through any other means described in the section of this prospectus titled “Plan of Distribution.” The securities may be offered at fixed prices, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. If any offering involves underwriters, dealers or agents, we will describe our arrangements with them in the prospectus supplement that relates to that offering.

You should read this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the information incorporated by reference herein or therein carefully before you invest.

Our common stock is quoted and traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “LAWS.” On February 18, 2015, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market was $25.00. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market or any securities market or exchange of the securities covered by the prospectus supplement.

______________________

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risk factors described in the applicable prospectus supplement and certain of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as described under “Risk Factors” on page 1 of this prospectus.

 
 

 

 

This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell any securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

______________________

The date of this prospectus is ________________, 2015

 
 

Table of Contents

THE COMPANY 1
RISK FACTORS 1
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 2
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES 3
USE OF PROCEEDS 3
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES 4
DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK AND PREFERRED STOCK 8
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS 11
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES 12
DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS AND STOCK PURCHASE UNITS 14
SELLING STOCKHOLDERS 14
BOOK-ENTRY ISSUANCE 16
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION 17
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION 19
INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION BY REFERENCE 20
LEGAL MATTERS 20
EXPERTS 20
i
 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf process, we may sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. In addition, the selling stockholders named in this prospectus may from time to time sell up to 3,662,450 shares of our common stock in one or more transactions.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we or the selling stockholders may offer. Each time we or the selling stockholders sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information other than the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement.

We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

The information contained in this prospectus speaks only as of the date of this prospectus and the information in the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus speaks only as of the respective dates those documents were filed with the SEC. To the extent that any statement that we make in a prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in this prospectus or a document that is incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference in this prospectus, the statements made in this prospectus will be deemed modified or superseded by those made in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The terms “Lawson,” “Lawson Products,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Lawson Products, Inc.

We have filed or incorporated by reference exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you.

THE COMPANY

Lawson Products is an industrial distributor of approximately 300,000 maintenance and repair products. Lawson Products serves the industrial, commercial, institutional and government maintenance, repair and operations (“MRO”) market. The Company ships products to customers in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean from five strategically located distribution centers in North America. Under its Kent Automotive brand, the Company supplies products to collision and mechanical repair shops as well as automotive OEMs.

The Company was founded in 1952 in Illinois and incorporated in Delaware in 1972.

Each prospectus supplement may include additional information about us.

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves risks. Before you invest in our securities, in addition to the other information, documents or reports included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement, you should carefully consider the risk factors set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in any prospectus supplement as well as in “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and in “Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed subsequent to such Form 10-K, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement in their entirety, as the same may be updated from time to time by our future filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Each of the risks described in these sections and documents could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and the market price of our shares and any

1
 

 

other securities we may issue. Moreover, the risks and uncertainties discussed in the foregoing documents are not the only risks and uncertainties that we face, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and the market price of our shares and any other securities we may issue could be materially adversely affected by other matters that are not known to us or that we currently do not consider to be material risks to our business.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information both included and incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement may contain forward-looking statements, concerning, among other things, our outlook, financial projections and business strategies, all of which are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms such as “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “continue,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “project” and similar terms. These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses that we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We cannot guarantee that we will achieve these plans, intentions or expectations. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of them in light of new information, future events or otherwise.

Factors that may impact forward-looking statements include, without limitation:

· A downturn in the economy;
· Our inability to fund our operating and working capital needs through available cash generated from operations and our loan agreement;
· Any noncompliance with the covenant requirements of our loan agreement;
· Inventory obsolescence;
· Work stoppages and other disruptions at transportation centers or shipping ports impairing our ability to obtain inventory and make deliveries to our customers;
· Changes in our customers, product mix and pricing pressure;
· Increases in energy costs and the cost of raw materials used in our products;
· Disruptions of our information and communication systems;
· Cyber attacks or other information security breaches;
· The inability to successfully recruit, integrate and retain productive sales representatives;
· Failure to retain talented employees, managers and executives;
· The inability of management to successfully implement changes in operating processes;
· We are unable to compete effectively with our competitors;
· Changes in laws that affect governmental and other tax-supported entities;
· Noncompliance with Federal, state or local environmental protection regulations; and
· Changes in taxation rules and policies.
2
 

 

 

We are affected by other factors identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, some of which are set forth in the section entitled “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in “Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors,” in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed subsequent to such Form 10-K, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement in their entirety, as the same may be updated from time to time by our future filings under the Exchange Act. Although we have attempted to list these important factors, we also wish to caution investors that other factors may prove to be important in the future in affecting our operating results. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of these factors, nor can we assess the impact each factor or combination of factors may have on our business.

These risks and uncertainties, along with the risk factors discussed under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement, should be considered in evaluating any forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are qualified by the cautionary statements in this section.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the periods indicated. For purposes of computing these ratios, earnings consists of pre-tax income from continuing operations plus fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest expense (including amortization of debt issuance premiums, discounts and issuance costs) and the interest portion of rental expense. You should read these ratios in connection with our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our reports that we file with the SEC.

                 
        2014 (1) 2013 (2) 2012 (3) 2011 (4) 2010 (5)
                 
Earnings (Loss).........................     $(4,535,000) $(5,370,000) $(44,570,000) $(5,436,000) $16,994,000
Fixed Charges(6).........................     $1,299,000 $1,752,000 $1,528,000 $920,000 $815,000
Earnings to Fixed Charges     na na na na 20.9x
Coverage Deficit on Fixed Charges     $4,535,000 $5,370,000 $44,570,000 $5,436,000 ---
                 
   
(1) The 2014 loss includes a $3.0 million impairment charge related to the Reno, Nevada, distribution center.
(2) The 2013 loss includes a $2.9 million charge related to the sub-lease of a portion of the leased headquarters and a $0.4 million benefit from the resolution of an employment tax matter.
(3) The 2012 loss includes a goodwill impairment charge of $28.3 million, a $3.9 million charge related to discontinuing certain products and a $3.7 million gain on the sale of assets.
(4) The 2011 loss includes a $1.2 million provision for the estimated cost of settling an employment tax matter.
(5) The 2010 earnings include a $4.1 million benefit from legal settlements and a $1.7 million gain on sale of assets.
(6) Includes estimate of interest within operating leases that was calculated under the assumption that 30% of operating lease expense is representative of interest costs.

As of the date of this prospectus, we have no shares of preferred stock outstanding, and consequently, our ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred share dividends and ratio of earnings to fixed charges would be identical.

For further information on these ratios, see Exhibit 12.1, “Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges,” filed with Registration Statement of which this prospectus is a part.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, the net proceeds from the sale of the securities by the Company will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital expenditure, other corporate expenses and acquisitions of complementary products, technologies and businesses. The timing and

3
 

 

amount of our actual expenditures will be based on many factors, including cash flows from operations and the anticipated growth of our business. As a result, unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, our management will have broad discretion to allocate the net proceeds of the offerings. Pending their ultimate use, we intend to invest the net proceeds in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments.

We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. The debt securities will be our direct general obligations and may include debentures, notes, bonds or other evidences of indebtedness. The debt securities will be either senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities. The debt securities will be issued under one or more separate indentures. Senior debt securities will be issued under a senior debt indenture, and subordinated debt securities will be issued under a subordinated debt indenture. We use the term “indentures” to refer to both the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture. A form of each of the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act. We use the term “indenture trustee” to refer to either the senior trustee or the subordinated trustee, as applicable.

The following summaries of material provisions of the debt securities and indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities and the description thereof contained in the prospectus supplement.

General

We will describe in each prospectus supplement the following terms relating to a series of debt securities:

· The title or designation;
· Any limit on the principal amount that may be issued;
· Whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form, the terms and the Depositary;
· The maturity date;
· The annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;
· Whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt;
· The terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt;
· The place where payments will be payable;
· Our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;
· The date, if any, after which, and the price at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional redemption provisions;
· The date, if any, on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option to purchase, the series of debt securities;
· Whether the indenture will restrict our ability to pay dividends, or will require us to maintain any asset ratios or reserves;
4
 

 

 

· Whether we will be restricted from incurring any additional indebtedness;
· A discussion on any material or special U.S. Federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities;
· The denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof; and
· Any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities.

Conversion or Exchange Rights

We will set forth in the prospectus supplement the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for common stock or other securities. We will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of common stock or other securities that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.

Consolidation, Merger or Sale

The indentures will not contain any covenant which restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. However, any successor to or acquirer of our assets must assume all of our obligations under the indentures or the debt securities, as appropriate.

Events of Default Under the Indenture

The following may be events of default under the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

· If we fail to pay interest when due and our failure continues for a period of thirty (30) days and the time for payment has not been extended or deferred;
· If we fail to pay the principal, or premium, if any, when due and the time for payment has not been extended or delayed;
· If we fail to observe or perform any other covenant contained in the debt securities or the indentures (other than defaults under the above two bullets or a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities) and our failure continues for a period of 90 days after we receive notice from the indenture trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and
· If specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur as to us.

If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, the indenture trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the indenture trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately; provided that if an event of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occurs, such amounts shall automatically become due and payable without any declaration or other action on the part of the trustee or any holder.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the indenture. Any waiver will cure the default or event of default.

Subject to the terms of the indentures, if an event of default under an indenture occurs and is continuing, the indenture trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the

5
 

 

request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the indenture trustee reasonable indemnity. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the indenture trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the indenture trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:

· The direction given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and
·

Subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act, the indenture trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability. 

A holder of the debt securities of any series will only have the right to institute a proceeding under the indentures or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies if:

· The holder has given written notice to the indenture trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;
· The holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made a written request, and such holders have offered reasonable indemnity to the indenture trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee; and
· The indenture trustee does not institute the proceeding, and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 60 days after the notice, request and offer.

These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities.

We will periodically file statements with the indenture trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indentures.

Modification of Indenture; Waiver

We and the indenture trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters, including:

· To fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture; and
· To change anything that does not materially adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series.

In addition, under the indentures, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the indenture trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, we and the indenture trustee may only make the following changes with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:

· Changing the fixed maturity of the series of debt securities or any installment of principal of or interest on any series of debt securities;
· Reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or any premium payable upon the redemption of any debt securities; or
· Reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment.
6
 

 

 

Discharge

Each indenture provides that we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except for obligations to:

· Register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;
· Replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;
· Maintain paying agencies;
· Hold monies for payment in trust;
· Compensate and indemnify the indenture trustee; and
· Appoint any successor indenture trustee.

In order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must deposit with the indenture trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, any premium, if any, and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.

Form, Exchange and Transfer

We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depositary Trust Company or another Depositary named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement with respect to that series. See “Book-Entry Issuance” for a further description of the terms relating to any book-entry securities.

Subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holder of the debt securities of any series, at its option, can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.

Subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, no service charge will be required for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.

We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.

If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

· Issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or
7
 

 

 

· Register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.

Payment and Paying Agents

Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.

We will pay principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make interest payments by check which we will mail to the holder. Unless we otherwise indicate in a prospectus supplement, we will designate the corporate trust office of the indenture trustee in the City of New York as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

All money we pay to a paying agent or the indenture trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities which remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.

Governing Law

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.

Subordination of Subordinated Notes

The subordinated notes will be unsecured and will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement. The subordinated indenture does not limit the amount of subordinated notes which we may issue. It also does not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

Regarding the Indenture Trustee

We will name the indenture trustee for debt securities issued under the applicable indenture in the applicable supplement to this prospectus and, unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, the indenture trustee will also act as Transfer Agent and Paying Agent with respect to the debt securities. The indenture trustee may be removed at any time with respect to the debt securities of any series by act of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series delivered to the indenture trustee and to us.

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK AND PREFERRED STOCK

The following summary is a description of the material terms of our capital stock. This summary is not meant to be complete and is qualified by reference to the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each as amended. You are urged to read those documents carefully. Copies of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference”.

Authorized Capitalization

We are currently authorized to issue 35,000,000 shares of common stock, $1.00 par value per share, and 500,000 shares of preferred stock, $1.00 par value per share. Each share of our common stock has the same relative

8
 

 

rights with each other share of our common stock. On January 31, 2015, there were 8,706,467 shares of our common stock outstanding. There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Common Stock

Issuance of Common Stock . Shares of common stock may be issued from time to time as our board shall determine and on such terms and for such consideration as shall be fixed by the board. The authorized number of shares of common stock may, without a class or series vote, be increased or decreased from time to time by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the stock of the Company entitled to vote.

Dividends and Rights Upon Liquidation . After the requirements with respect to preferential dividends on preferred stock, if any, are met, the holders of our outstanding common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of assets legally available at the time and in the amounts as the board may from time to time determine. Our common stock is not convertible or exchangeable into other securities. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive the assets that are legally available for distribution on a pro rata basis, after payment of all of our debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights of holders of any preferred stock then outstanding. The Company does not currently pay a dividend on its common stock.

Voting Rights . The holders of the common stock are entitled to vote at all meetings of the stockholders and are entitled to cast one vote for each share of common stock held by them respectively and standing in their respective names on the books of the Company. Each stockholder is entitled to cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors which entitles stockholders to add all of the votes they have for directors and cast such votes for any single director or distribute them among directors.

Preemptive Rights . Holders of our common stock do not have preemptive rights with respect to any shares that may be issued. Shares of our common stock are not subject to redemption.

Business Combinations . The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation requires (i) the affirmative vote of holders of not less than 75% of the voting power of the Company to approve any merger, any sale of the Company or substantially all of its assets or the issuance of any securities in exchange for assets having a value equal or greater to 5% of the assets of the Company in a transaction with a stockholder holding 10% or more of our common stock (the “10% stockholder”) and (ii) the approval of such transaction by holders of a majority of the voting power not owned by the 10% stockholder. The above requirements do not apply to (y) transactions approved by two-thirds of the directors who are not representatives or affiliates of the 10% stockholder or, (z) a transaction if the Board of Directors has approved a memorandum of understanding at the time such other entity becomes a 10% stockholder.

Relevant Provisions of the Delaware Business Corporation Law

We are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. A “business combination” includes mergers, asset sales or other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to the stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years of the date on which it is sought to be determined whether such person is an “interested stockholder,” did own, 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock. These provisions may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control.

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaw Provisions

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws include a number of provisions that could deter hostile takeovers or delay or prevent changes in control of our management team, including the following:

    Board of Directors Vacancies .  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and a restated bylaws authorize only our board of directors to fill vacant directorships, including newly created seats.  In addition, the number of directors constituting our board of directors is permitted to be set only by resolution adopted by a majority vote of our entire board of directors.  These provisions prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of our board of directors and then gaining control of our board of directors by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees.  This makes it more difficult to change the composition of our board of directors but promotes continuity of management.

 

9
 

 

 

    Classified Board .  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that our board is classified into three classes of directors.  A third party may be discouraged from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us as it is more difficult and time consuming for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors on a classified board of directors.

 

    Stockholder Action; Special Meeting of Stockholders .  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our stockholders may not take action by written consent, but may only take action at annual or special meetings of our stockholders. As a result, a holder controlling a majority of our capital stock would not be able to amend our amended and restated bylaws or remove directors without holding a meeting of our stockholders called in accordance with our amended and restated bylaws.  Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the Chairman of our board of directors, our Chief Executive Officer or our president, or the request of three directors, thus prohibiting a stockholder from calling a special meeting.  These provisions might delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or for stockholders controlling a majority of our capital stock to take any action, including the removal of directors.

 

    Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations .  Our amended and restated bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.  Our amended and restated bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholder’s notice.  These provisions might preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders if the proper procedures are not followed.  We expect that these provisions may also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.

 

    Business Combinations .  The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation requires (i) the affirmative vote of holders of not less than 75% of the voting power of the Company to approve any merger, any sale of the Company or substantially all of its assets or the issuance of any securities in exchange for assets having a value equal or greater to 5% of the assets of the Company in a transaction with a stockholder holding 10% or more of our common stock stockholder (the “10% stockholder”) and (ii) the approval of such transaction by holders of a majority of the voting power not owned by the 10% stockholder.  The above requirements do not apply to (y) transactions approved by two-thirds of the directors of the Company who are not representatives or affiliates of the 10% stockholder or, (z) to a transaction if the Board of Directors has approved a memorandum of understanding at the time such other entity becomes a 10% stockholder.  This provision might deter a potential acquirer from investing in our securities.

 

    Amendment of Charter Provisions .  Any amendment of the above provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require approval by holders of at least seventy-five percent (75%) of our then outstanding voting power.

 

    Issuance of Undesignated Preferred Stock .  Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock with rights and preferences, including voting rights, designated from time to time by our board of directors.  The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock enables our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or other means.

 

    Choice of Forum .  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a state or federal court located within the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty by any director, officer or other employee, any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

 

10
 

 

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare, 2 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60602, and its telephone number is (800) 446-2617.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “LAWS”.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus. The following statements with respect to the warrants are summaries of, and subject to, the detailed provisions of a warrant agreement to be entered into by the Company and a warrant agent to be selected at the time of issue (the “warrant agent”), a form of which will be filed with the SEC.

General

The warrants, evidenced by warrant certificates, may be issued under the warrant agreement independently or together with any securities offered by any prospectus supplement and may be attached to or separate from such securities. If warrants are offered, the prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the warrants, including the following:

· The offering price, if any;
· If applicable, the designation, aggregate principal amount, and terms of the debt securities purchasable upon exercise of the debt warrants;
· If applicable, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one debt warrant and the price at which such principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;
· If applicable, the number of shares of preferred stock or common stock purchasable upon exercise of each warrant and the initial price at which such shares may be purchased upon exercise;
· If applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security;
· If applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;
· The date on which the right to exercise the warrants shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire;
· Federal income tax consequences;
· Call provisions of such warrants, if any;
· Anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, if any;
· Whether the warrants represented by the warrant certificates will be issued in registered or bearer form; and
· Any additional or other terms, procedures, rights, preferences, privileges, limitations and restrictions relating to the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants.
11
 

 

 

The shares of preferred stock or common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants will, when issued in accordance with the warrant agreement, be fully paid and non-assessable.

DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the depositary shares that we may offer under this prospectus. The following statements with respect to the depositary shares and depositary receipts are summaries of, and subject to, the detailed provisions of a deposit agreement to be entered into by the Company and a depositary to be selected at the time of issue (the “depositary”) and the form of depositary receipt. The form of deposit agreement and the form of depositary receipt will be filed with the SEC.

General

We may, at our option, elect to issue fractional shares of preferred stock, rather than full shares of preferred stock. In the event such option is exercised, we may elect to have a depositary issue receipts for depositary shares, each receipt representing a fraction, to be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of preferred stock, of a share of a particular series of preferred stock as described below.

The shares of any series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement between us and a bank or trust company that we select. Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, each owner of a depositary share will be entitled, in proportion to the applicable fraction of a share of preferred stock represented by such depositary share, to all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock represented by the depositary share, including dividend, voting, redemption and liquidation rights.

Depositary Receipts

The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Depositary receipts will be distributed to those persons purchasing the fractional shares of preferred stock in accordance with the terms of an offering of the preferred stock.

Withdrawal of Preferred Stock

Upon surrender of depositary receipts at the office of the depositary and upon payment of the charges provided in the deposit agreement, a holder of depositary receipts may have the depositary deliver to the holder the whole shares of preferred stock relating to the surrendered depositary receipts. Holders of depositary shares may receive whole shares of the related series of preferred stock on the basis set forth in the related prospectus supplement for such series of preferred stock, but holders of such whole shares will not after the exchange be entitled to receive depositary shares for their whole shares. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares in excess of the number of depositary shares representing the number of whole shares of the related series of preferred stock to be withdrawn, the depositary will deliver to the holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing such excess number of depositary shares.

Dividends and Other Distributions

The depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions received for the preferred stock to the record holders of depositary shares relating to the preferred stock in proportion to the numbers of such depositary shares owned by such holders.

In the event of a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property received by it to the record holders of depositary shares entitled thereto, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make distribution of the property. In that case the depositary may, with our approval, sell such property and distribute the net proceeds from the sale to such holders.

12
 

 

 

Redemption of Depositary Shares

If a series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares is subject to redemption, the depositary shares will be redeemed from the proceeds received by the depositary resulting from the redemption, in whole or in part, of the series of preferred stock held by the depositary. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the applicable fraction of the redemption price per share payable with respect to the series of the preferred stock. Whenever we redeem shares of preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem as of the same redemption date the number of depositary shares representing shares of preferred stock redeemed by us. If less than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot or pro rata as may be determined by the depositary.

Voting the Preferred Stock

Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the preferred stock are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in such notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary shares relating to such preferred stock. Each record holder of such depositary shares on the record date, which will be the same date as the record date for the preferred stock, will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the amount of the preferred stock represented by such holder’s depositary shares. The depositary will endeavor, insofar as practicable, to vote the amount of the preferred stock represented by such depositary shares in accordance with such instructions, and we will agree to take all action which may be deemed necessary by the depositary in order to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary will not vote the preferred stock to the extent it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares representing such preferred stock.

Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement

We and the depositary at any time may amend the form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement. However, any amendment which materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary shares will not be effective unless such amendment has been approved by the holders of at least a majority of the depositary shares then outstanding. We or the depositary may terminate the deposit agreement only if all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed, or there has been a final distribution in respect of the preferred stock in connection with any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company and such distribution has been distributed to the holders of depositary receipts.

Charges of Depositary

We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We will pay charges of the depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the preferred stock and any redemption of the preferred stock. Holders of depositary receipts will pay other transfer and other taxes and governmental charges and such other charges as are expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be for their accounts.

Miscellaneous

The depositary will forward to the record holders of the depositary shares relating to such preferred stock all reports and communications from us which are delivered to the depositary.

Neither we nor the depositary will be liable if either one is prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond their control in performing the obligations under the deposit agreement. The obligations of the Company and the depositary under the deposit agreement will be limited to performance in good faith of their duties thereunder, and they will not be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary shares or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. The depositary may rely upon written advice of counsel or accountants, or information provided by persons presenting preferred stock for deposit, holders of depositary receipts or other persons believed to be competent and on documents believed to be genuine.

13
 

 

 

Resignation and Removal of Depositary

The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so, and we may at any time remove the depositary, any such resignation or removal to take effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment. Such successor depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or removal.

DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS AND STOCK PURCHASE UNITS

We may issue stock purchase contracts, representing contracts obligating holders to purchase from us, and we may sell to the holders, a specified number of shares of common stock at a future date or dates. The price per share of common stock may be fixed at the time the stock purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific formula set forth in the stock purchase contracts. Stock purchase contracts may be issued separately or as a part of units (“stock purchase units”) consisting of a stock purchase contract and either (i) senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities or (ii) debt obligations of third parties, including U.S. Treasury securities, securing the holder’s obligations to purchase the common stock under the stock purchase contracts. The stock purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders of the stock purchase units or vice versa, and such payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis. The stock purchase contracts may require holders to secure their obligations thereunder in a specified manner, and in certain circumstances we may deliver newly issued prepaid stock purchase contracts (“prepaid securities”) upon release to a holder of any collateral securing such holder’s obligations under the original stock purchase contract.

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any stock purchase contracts or stock purchase units and, if applicable, prepaid securities. Certain material United States Federal income tax considerations applicable to the stock purchase units and stock purchase contracts will be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating thereto.

SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

We are registering the resale from time to time by the selling stockholders of up to 3,662,450 shares of our common stock in one or more offerings.

The following table sets forth the number of shares of our common stock being offered by the selling stockholders. The selling stockholders are not making any representation that any shares of our common stock currently held by the selling stockholders will be offered for sale. The selling stockholders reserve the right to accept or reject, in whole or in part, any proposed sale of any shares of our common stock currently held by the selling stockholders. The following table assumes that all of the shares of our common stock currently held by the selling stockholders being registered pursuant to this prospectus will be sold and that no acquisitions by the selling stockholders of additional shares of common stock will take place.

The selling stockholders are members of the Port family (collectively referred to as the “selling stockholders”). The selling stockholders acquired the shares of common stock owned by them directly from Sidney L. Port, the Company’s founder, who acquired the shares directly from the Company.

We do not know if, when or in what amounts the selling stockholders may offer their shares for sale. The selling stockholders may sell some, all or none of the shares held by them. Because the number of shares the selling stockholders may offer and sell is not presently known, we cannot estimate the number of shares that will continue to be held by the selling stockholders. The table, however, presents the maximum number of shares of common stock that the selling stockholders may offer pursuant to this prospectus and the number of shares of common stock that would be beneficially owned after the sale of the maximum number of shares of common stock held by each selling stockholder, assuming no acquisitions of additional shares of common stock take place.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and includes voting or investment power with respect to our common stock. Unless otherwise indicated below, to our knowledge, all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares of our common stock beneficially owned by them. Ron Port is the Chairman of the Board of the Company and James Errant is a director of the Company.

14
 

 

 


Name of Selling Stockholder

Beneficial Ownership Prior to the Offering
 
Beneficial Ownership Following the Offering
           
  Number of Shares Percentage of Outstanding Common Stock (1) Number of Shares Being Offered Number of Shares  
Trusts for the benefit of  Ron Port’s family(2)

1,399,436

16.1%


1,399,436


--
 
Jenna Walsh(3) 452,649 5.2% 452,649 --  
Samantha Borstein(4) 439,648 5.1% 439,648 --  
James K. Gardner, Trustee(5) 875,977 10.1% 875,977 --  
James S. Errant(6) 494,740 5.7% 494,740 --  
           
   
* Less than 0.1%
(1) Applicable percentage ownership is based on 8,706,467 shares of common stock outstanding as of January 31, 2015, together with securities exercisable or convertible into shares of common stock within 60 days of such date.
(2) Includes 1,629,678 shares owned by trust established for the benefit of Dr. Port and his family.  Dr. Port and Charles Levun are co-trustees of these trusts, and accordingly share voting and dispositive with regard to those shares.  Includes options to purchase 4,286 share of common stock.  The address of this stockholder is c/o Levun, Goodman & Cohen, LLP, 500 Skokie Blvd., Suite 650, Northbrook, Illinois 60062.
(3) Includes 437,989 shares of common stock held as co-trustee of the Jenna Walsh Exempt Trust.  James Gardner is co-trustee of this trust and those shares are reflected in the shares that he beneficially owns in this table.  Jenna Walsh is the daughter of James Errant.  The address of this stockholder is 666 Dundee Road, Suite 1701, Northbrook, Illinois 60062.
(4) Includes 437,988 shares of common stock held as co-trustee of the Samantha E. Borstein Exempt Trust. James Gardner is co-trustee of this trust and those shares are reflected in the shares that he beneficially owns in this table.  Samantha Borstein is the daughter of James Errant.  The address of this stockholder is 666 Dundee Road, Suite 1701, Northbrook, Illinois 60062.
(5) James Gardner is the co-trustee of the Samantha E. Borstein Exempt Trust (437,988 shares) and the Jenna Walsh Exempt Trust (437,989 shares), Samantha Borstein is co-trustee of the Samantha E. Borstein Trust and Jenna Walsh is co-trustee of the Jenna Walsh Exempt Trust.  Mr. Gardner has no monetary interest in the shares held by the trusts. The address of this stockholder is c/o James Gardner, Neil Gerber & Eisenberg, LLP, Two North LaSalle Street, Suite 1700, Chicago, Illinois 60602-3801.
(6) Consists of 20,366 shares held directly by James Errant and 470,088 shares owned by trusts for the benefit of Mr. Errant’s family.  Mr. Errant is the sole trustee of these trusts. The address of this stockholder is 8770 Bryn Mawr, Chicago, Illinois 60631.
           
                       

 

15
 

 

BOOK-ENTRY ISSUANCE

Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, the debt securities of a series offered by us will be issued in the form of one or more fully registered global securities. We anticipate that these global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), which will act as depository, and registered in the name of its nominee. Except as described below, the global securities may be transferred, in whole and not in part, only to DTC or to another nominee of DTC.

DTC has advised us that it is:

· A limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law;
· A “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law;
· A member of the Federal Reserve System;
· A “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and
· A “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

DTC was created to hold securities for institutions that have accounts with DTC (“participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among its participants through electronic book-entry changes in participants’ accounts. Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. Access to DTC’s book-entry system is also available to others that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a participant, either directly or indirectly. DTC administers its book-entry system in accordance with its rules and bylaws and legal requirements.

Upon issuance of a global security representing offered securities, DTC will credit on its book-entry registration and transfer system the principal amount to participants’ accounts. Ownership of beneficial interests in the global security will be limited to participants or to persons that hold interests through participants. Ownership of interests in the global security will be shown on, and the transfer of those ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to participants’ interests) and the participants (with respect to the owners of beneficial interests in the global security). The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of those securities in definitive form. These limits and laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a global security.

So long as DTC (or its nominee) is the registered holder and owner of a global security, DTC (or its nominee) will be considered, for all purposes under the applicable indenture, the sole owner and holder of the related offered securities. Except as described below, owners of beneficial interests in a global security will not:

· Be entitled to have the securities registered in their names; or
· Receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificated securities in definitive form.

Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of each actual purchaser of each global security (“beneficial owner”) is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. A beneficial owner does not receive written confirmation from DTC of its purchase, but is expected to receive a written confirmation providing details of the transaction, as well as periodic statements of its holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which such beneficial owner entered into the action. Transfers of ownership interests in securities are accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners do not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in securities, except in the event that use of the book-entry system for the securities is discontinued.

16
 

 

 

To facilitate subsequent transfers, the securities are registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co. The deposit of the securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. will effect no change in beneficial ownership. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities; DTC records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants remain responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

Delivery of notice and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants, and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners are governed by arrangements among them, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time.

Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. consents or votes with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC mails a proxy (an “Omnibus Proxy”) to the issuer as soon as possible after the record date. The Omnibus Proxy assigns Cede & Co.’s consenting or voting rights to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited on the record date (identified on a list attached to the Omnibus Proxy).

Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments, if any, on the securities will be made to DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings as shown on DTC’s records, unless DTC has reason to believe that it will not receive payment on the payment date. Payments by participants to beneficial owners are governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name,” and are the responsibility of such participant and not of DTC, the trustee or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time. Payment of principal and interest, if any, to DTC is our or the trustee’s responsibility, disbursement of such payments to direct participants is DTC’s responsibility, and disbursement of such payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.

DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depository with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us or, if applicable, the trustee. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor securities depository is not appointed, debt security certificates are required to be printed and delivered.

We may decide to discontinue use of the system of book-entry transfers through DTC or a successor securities depository. In that event, debt security certificates will be printed and delivered.

We have obtained the information in this section concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.

None of us, any underwriter or agent, the trustee or any applicable paying agent will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial interests in a global security, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial interest.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

The Company and the selling stockholders may sell the securities in one or more of the following ways (or in any combination thereof) from time to time:

· Through underwriters or dealers;
· Directly to one or more purchasers;
· Through agents;
· Through a block trade, in which a broker or dealer engaged to handle the block trade will attempt to sell the securities as an agent, but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; or
17
 

 

 

· Through any other methods described in a prospectus supplement.

The applicable prospectus supplement will state the terms of the offering of any securities, including:

· The name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents and the amount of securities underwritten or purchased by each of them;
· The purchase price of such securities and the net proceeds to be received by the Company;
· Any discounts, commissions, agency fees, or concessions or other items constituting compensation allowed, reallowed or paid to underwriters, dealers or agents, if any;
· Any public offering price;
· Any delayed delivery arrangements; and
· Any securities exchanges on which the securities may be listed.

Any public offering price and any discounts, commissions or concessions or other items constituting compensation allowed or reallowed or paid to underwriters, dealers or agents may be changed from time to time.

Securities may also be sold in one or more of the following transactions, or in any transactions described in a prospectus supplement:

· Block transactions in which a broker-dealer may sell all or a portion of the securities as agent but may position and resell all or a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;
· Purchase by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its own account;
· A special offering, an exchange distribution or a secondary distribution in accordance with the rules of any exchange on which the securities are listed;
· Ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which a broker-dealer solicits purchasers;
· Sales “at the market” to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise; or
· Sales in other ways not involving market makers or established trading markets, including direct sales to purchasers.

The securities we sell by any of the methods described above may be sold to the public, in one or more transactions, either:

· At a fixed public offering price or prices, which may be changed;
· At market prices prevailing at the time of sale;
· At prices related to prevailing market prices; or
· At negotiated prices.

We or the selling stockholders may sell the securities through agents from time to time. The applicable prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the securities and any commissions we or the selling stockholders pay to them. Generally, any agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

18
 

 

 

We or the selling stockholders may authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers by certain purchasers to purchase the securities from the Company, if applicable, at the public offering price set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts will be subject only to those conditions set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, and the applicable prospectus supplement will set forth any commissions we or the selling stockholders pay for solicitation of these contracts.

We, the underwriters or other agents may engage in derivative transactions involving the securities. These derivatives may consist of short sale transactions and other hedging activities. The underwriters or agents may acquire a long or short position in the securities, hold or resell securities acquired and purchase options or futures on the securities and other derivative instruments with returns linked to or related to changes in the price of the securities. In order to facilitate these derivative transactions, we may enter into security lending or repurchase agreements with the underwriters or agents. The underwriters or agents may effect the derivative transactions through sales of the securities to the public, including short sales, or by lending the securities in order to facilitate short sale transactions by others. The underwriters or agents may also use the securities purchased or borrowed from us or others (or, in the case of derivatives, securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives) to directly or indirectly settle sales of the securities or close out any related open borrowings of the securities.

We or the selling stockholders may also make sales through the Internet or through other electronic means. Since we or the selling stockholders may from time to time elect to offer securities directly to the public, with or without the involvement of agents, underwriters or dealers, utilizing the Internet or other forms of electronic bidding or ordering systems for the pricing and allocation of such securities, you should pay particular attention to the description of that system we will provide in a prospectus supplement.

Such electronic system may allow bidders to directly participate, through electronic access to an auction site, by submitting conditional offers to buy that are subject to acceptance by us, and which may directly affect the price or other terms and conditions at which such securities are sold. These bidding or ordering systems may present to each bidder, on a so-called “real-time” basis, relevant information to assist in making a bid, such as the clearing spread at which the offering would be sold, based on the bids submitted, and whether a bidder’s individual bids would be accepted, prorated or rejected. For example, in the case of a debt security, the clearing spread could be indicated as a number of “basis points” above an index treasury note. Of course, many pricing methods can and may also be used.

Upon completion of such an electronic auction process, securities will be allocated based on prices bid, terms of bid or other factors. The final offering price at which securities would be sold and the allocation of securities among bidders would be based in whole or in part on the results of the Internet or other electronic bidding process or auction.

Underwriters and agents may be entitled under agreements entered into with the Company to indemnification by the Company against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, or to contribution with respect to payments which the underwriters or agents may be required to make. Underwriters and agents may engage in transactions with, or perform services for the Company and its affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the aggregate maximum discount, commission or agency fees or other items constituting underwriting compensation to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker-dealer will not exceed 8% of any offering pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, as the case may be.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The public may read and copy any reports, statements or other information that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information regarding the Public Reference Room. Our public filings also are available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and may be obtained without charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Our filings with the SEC are also available on our website at www.merge.com. The information on our website is

19
 

 

not incorporated by reference in this prospectus or our other securities filings and you should not consider it a part of this prospectus or our other securities filings.

As noted above, we have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 to register the securities. This prospectus is part of that registration statement and, as permitted by the SEC’s rules, does not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement. For further information you may refer to the registration statement and to the exhibits and schedules filed as part of the registration statement. You can review and copy the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC as described above. The registration statement, including its exhibits and schedules, is also available on the SEC’s website.

INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate information into this prospectus “by reference,” which means that we can disclose important information by referring to another document or information filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, except for any information amended or superseded by information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus. This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents and information set forth below that we have previously filed (but not furnished) with the SEC. These documents contain important information about us and our financial condition.

· The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014;
· The Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated January 15, 2015;
· The Company’s s Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, as filed with the SEC on March 31, 2014 (other than such information that is included in the proxy statement but not deemed to be filed with the SEC);
· The description of the Company’s common stock set forth in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A, as filed with the SEC, including all amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

The Company does not incorporate portions of any document that is either (a) described in paragraphs (d)(1) through (3) and (e)(5) of Item 407 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC or (b) furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K. The Company hereby incorporates by reference all future filings by the Company made pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, after the date of this prospectus. Nothing in this prospectus shall be deemed to incorporate information furnished but not filed with the SEC.

The Company will provide without charge upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, other than exhibits which are specifically incorporated by reference into those documents. Requests should be directed to Corporate Secretary, Lawson Products, Inc., 8770 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, Illinois 60631, telephone: (773) 304-5050.

LEGAL MATTERS

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplements, certain legal matters in connection with the securities will be passed upon for us by McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Chicago, Illinois. Additional legal matters may be passed on for us, or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of the Company as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2014 and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014 incorporated by reference in this Prospectus have been so

20
 

 

incorporated in reliance on the reports of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

The consolidated financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2012 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in its report thereon, included therein and incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

21
 

 

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

Our estimated expenses in connection with the distribution of the securities being registered, other than underwriting compensation, are as set forth in the following table:

SEC Registration Fee $ 22,213  
Printing and Engraving Expenses 10,000  
Legal Fees and Expenses 75,000*
Accounting Fees and Expenses 30,000*
Miscellaneous 25,000 *
Total $162,213
   

* Estimated to nearest thousand U.S. dollars.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

The Registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that eliminate, to the maximum extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, the personal liability of the Registrant’s directors and executive officers for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as directors or officers. The Registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that the Registrant must indemnify its directors and executive officers and may indemnify its employees and other agents to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

Sections 145 and 102(b)(7) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware provide that a corporation may indemnify any person made a party to an action by reason of the fact that he or she was a director, executive officer, employee or agent of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of a corporation against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with such action if he or she acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of an action by or in right of the corporation, no indemnification may generally be made in respect of any claim as to which such person is adjudged to be liable to the corporation.

The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers in addition to the indemnification provided for in its amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, and the Registrant intends to enter into indemnification agreements with any new directors and executive officers in the future.

The Registrant has purchased and intends to maintain insurance on behalf of each and any person who is or was a director or officer of the Company against any loss arising from any claim asserted against him or her and incurred by him or her in any such capacity, subject to certain exclusions.

See also the undertakings set out in response to Item 17 herein.

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

Exhibits

1.1* Form of Underwriting Agreement for Equity Securities
1.2* Form of Underwriting Agreement for Debt Securities and Related Warrants

 

22
 

 

 

1.3* Form of Underwriting Agreement for Stock Purchase Contracts and Stock Purchase Units
3.1 Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3(a) to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1988)
3.2 Amended and Restated By-laws of the Registrant (incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated October 20, 2009)
4.1** Form of Indenture for Senior Debt
4.2** Form of Indenture for Subordinated Debt Securities
4.3 Lawson Products, Inc. 2009 Equity Compensation Plan (incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A for the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed March 28, 2014)
4.8* Form of Debt Security
4.9* Form of Deposit Agreement
4.10* Form of Depositary Receipt
4.11* Form of Stock Warrant Agreement
4.12* Form of Debt Warrant Agreement
4.13* Form of Stock Purchase Contract
4.14* Form of Stock Purchase Unit
5.1** Opinion of McDermott Will & Emery LLP
12.1** Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

23.1**

23.2**

Consent of BDO USA, LLP

Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

23.4 Consent of McDermott Will & Emery LLP (included in the opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)
24 Powers of Attorney (included on the signature pages hereto)
25*** Statement of Eligibility of the Trustee on Form T-1 with respect to the Indentures for Senior Debt Securities and Subordinated Debt Securities
   
* To be subsequently filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K.
** Filed herewith.
*** To be subsequently filed by amendment, as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K or requisite filing under the Trust Indenture Act.
           
23
 

 

Item 17. Undertakings

(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
  (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
    (i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act;
    (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
    (iii) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;
    provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
  (2) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
  (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
  (4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser,
    (i) each prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
    (ii) each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i)(x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

 

24
 

 

 

  (5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser,
    (i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
    (ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
    (iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and
    (iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.
(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in this registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(d) (1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act will be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
  (2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus will be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time will be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(e) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.

 

25
 

 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Chicago, State of Illinois on February 17, 2015.

   
LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.
   
By: /s/ Ronald J. Knutson
Name: Ronald J. Knutson
Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
   

POWER OF ATTORNEY

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Lawson Products, Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Neil Jenkins and Ronald J. Knutson, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys with full power to any of them, and to each of them singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below any and all amendments to this registration statement and any related registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (in each case, including, without limitation, any post-effective amendments), and generally to do all such things in our name and behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable Lawson Products, Inc. To comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said registration statements and any and all amendments thereto.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on February 17, 2015.

   
Signature Title
   
/s/ Michael G. DeCata

President and Chief Executive Officer, Director

(principal executive officer)

Michael G. DeCata  
   
/s/ Ronald J. Knutson Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(principal financial and accounting officer)
Ronald J. Knutson  
   
/s/ Andrew B. Albert Director
Andrew B. Albert  
   
/s/ I. Steven Edelson Director
I. Steven Edelson  
   
/s/ James S. Errant Director
James S. Errant  
   
/s/ Lee S. Hillman Director
Lee S. Hillman  
   
26
 

 

/s/ Ronald B. Port, M.D. Director
Ronald B. Port, M.D.  
   
/s/ Thomas S. Postek Director
Thomas S. Postek  
/s/ Wilma J. Smelcer Director
Wilma J. Smelcer  

 

 

Exhibit 4.1

 

 

 

 

 



LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.

INDENTURE

Dated as of , 20

[ ]
Trustee



Senior Debt Securities

 

 

 
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 2
Section 1.1 Definitions 3
Section 1.2 Other Definitions 6
Section 1.3 Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act 7
Section 1.4 Rules of Construction 7
ARTICLE II THE SECURITIES 8
Section 2.1 Issuable in Series 5
Section 2.2 Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities 5
Section 2.3 Denominations; Provision for Payment 7
Section 2.4 Execution and Authentication 7
Section 2.5 Registrar and Paying Agent 11
Section 2.6 Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust 12
Section 2.7 Securityholder Lists 12
Section 2.8 Transfer and Exchange 13
Section 2.9 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities 13
Section 2.10 Outstanding Securities 14
Section 2.11 Treasury Securities 14
Section 2.12 Temporary Securities 15
Section 2.13 Cancellation 15
Section 2.14 Defaulted Interest 15
Section 2.15 Global Securities 15
Section 2.16 CUSIP Numbers 17
ARTICLE III REDEMPTION 17
Section 3.1 Notice to Trustee 17
Section 3.2 Selection of Securities to be Redeemed 17
Section 3.3 Notice of Redemption 17
Section 3.4 Effect of Notice of Redemption 18
Section 3.5 Deposit of Redemption Price 19
Section 3.6 Securities Redeemed in Part 19
ARTICLE IV COVENANTS 19
Section 4.1 Payment of Principal and Interest 19
Section 4.2 Reports by Company 20
Section 4.3 Compliance Certificate 20
Section 4.4 Stay, Extension and Usury Laws 20
Section 4.5 Corporate Existence 21

- i -
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(continued)

    Page
ARTICLE V SUCCESSORS 21
Section 5.1 Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets 21
Section 5.2 Successor Person Substituted 21
ARTICLE VI DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES 22
Section 6.1 Events of Default 22
Section 6.2 Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment 23
Section 6.3 Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee 24
Section 6.4 Trustee May File Proofs of Claim 24
Section 6.5 Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities 25
Section 6.6 Application of Money Collected 25
Section 6.7 Limitation on Suits 26
Section 6.8 Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest 26
Section 6.9 Restoration of Rights and Remedies 26
Section 6.10 Rights and Remedies Cumulative 27
Section 6.11 Delay or Omission Not Waiver 27
Section 6.12 Control by Holders 27
Section 6.13 Waiver of Past Defaults 28
Section 6.14 Undertaking for Costs 28
ARTICLE VII TRUSTEE 28
Section 7.1 Duties of Trustee 28
Section 7.2 Rights of Trustee 29
Section 7.3 Individual Rights of Trustee 31
Section 7.4 Trustee’s Disclaimer 31
Section 7.5 Notice of Defaults 31
Section 7.6 Reports by Trustee to Holders 31
Section 7.7 Compensation and Indemnity 32
Section 7.8 Replacement of Trustee 32
Section 7.9 Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc 33
Section 7.10 Eligibility; Disqualification 33
Section 7.11 Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company 34
ARTICLE VIII SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE 34
Section 8.1 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture 34
Section 8.2 Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification 35
Section 8.3 Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series 35
Section 8.4 Covenant Defeasance 37

- ii -
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

(continued)

 

    Page
Section 8.5 Repayment to Company 38
Section 8.6 Reinstatement 38
ARTICLE IX AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS 38
Section 9.1 Without Consent of Holders 38
Section 9.2 With Consent of Holders 39
Section 9.3 Limitations 40
Section 9.4 Compliance with Trust Indenture Act 40
Section 9.5 Revocation and Effect of Consents 41
Section 9.6 Notation on or Exchange of Securities 41
Section 9.7 Trustee Protected 41
ARTICLE X MISCELLANEOUS 42
Section 10.1 Trust Indenture Act Controls 42
Section 10.2 Notices 42
Section 10.3 Communication by Holders with Other Holders 43
Section 10.4 Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent 43
Section 10.5 Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion 43
Section 10.6 Rules by Trustee and Agents 43
Section 10.7 Legal Holidays 44
Section 10.8 No Recourse Against Others 44
Section 10.9 Counterparts 44
Section 10.10 Governing Law; Jury Trial Waiver 44
Section 10.11 No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements 44
Section 10.12 Successors 45
Section 10.13 Severability 45
Section 10.14 Table of Contents, Headings, Etc 45
Section 10.15 Securities in a Foreign Currency 45
Section 10.16 Judgment Currency 45
Section 10.17 Force Majeure 46
ARTICLE XI SINKING FUNDS 46
Section 11.1 Applicability of Article 46
Section 11.2 Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities 47
Section 11.3 Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund 47

 

- iii -
 

LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.

Reconciliation and tie between Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and Indenture

dated as of ____________, 20

 

§ 310(a)(1) 7.10
(a)(2) 7.10
(a)(3) Not Applicable
(a)(4) Not Applicable
(a)(5) 7.10
(b) 7.10
§ 311(a) 7.11
(b) 7.11
§ 312(a) 2.7
(b) 10.3
(c) 10.3
§ 313(a) 7.6
(b)(1) 7.6
(b)(2) 7.6
(c)(1) 7.6
(d) 7.6
§ 314(a) 4.2, 10.5
(b) Not Applicable
(c)(1) 10.4
(c)(2) 10.4
(c)(3) Not Applicable
(d) Not Applicable
(e) 10.5
(f) Not Applicable
§ 315(a) 7.1
(b) 7.5
(c) 7.1
(d) 7.1

 

- iv -
 

 

 

(e) 6.14
§ 316(a) 2.11
(a)(1)(A) 6.12
(a)(1)(B) 6.13
(b) 6.8
§ 317(a)(1) 6.3
(a)(2) 6.4
(b) 2.6
§ 318(a) 10.1

Note: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture.

 

- v -
 

Indenture dated as of __________, 20__, between LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC., a Delaware corporation (“ Company ”), and _______________, as trustee (“ Trustee ”).

Each party agrees as follows for the benefit of the other party and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities issued under this Indenture.

ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Section 1.1             Definitions .

Affiliate ” of any specified person means any other person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with such specified person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such person, whether through the ownership of voting securities or by agreement or otherwise.

Agent ” means any Registrar or Paying Agent.

Board of Directors ” means the board of directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee thereof.

Board Resolution ” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been adopted by the Board of Directors or pursuant to authorization by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of the certification and delivered to the Trustee.

Business Day ” means, for a particular Series, any day except a Saturday, Sunday or any day, including a legal holiday, on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close in The City of New York (or in connection with any payment, the place of payment).

Capital Stock ” of any person means any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of the equity of such person.

Certificated Securities ” means definitive Securities in registered non-global certificated form.

Company ” means the party named as such above until a successor, which duly assumes the obligations under this Indenture, replaces it and thereafter means the successor.

Company Order ” means a written order signed in the name of the Company by an Officer.

Corporate Trust Office ” means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business related to this Indenture shall be principally administered, which

 
 

 

office at the date hereof is located at __________________,; Attention: _______________, or such other address as the Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Company, or the corporate trust office of any successor Trustee at which this Indenture shall be administered (or such other address as a successor Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders of the Company).

Default ” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.

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 for such Series by the Company, which Depositary shall be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act; and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Depositary” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Depositary with respect to the Securities of such Series.

Discount Security ” means any Security that provides for an amount less than the stated principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.

Dollars ” and “ $ ” means the currency of The United States of America.

Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Foreign Currency ” means any currency or currency unit issued by a government other than the government of The United States of America.

Foreign Government Obligations ” means, with respect to Securities of any Series that are denominated in a Foreign Currency, direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.

GAAP ” means accounting principles generally accepted in The United States of America set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect as of the date of determination.

Global Security ” or “ Global Securities ” means a Security or Securities, as the case may be, in the form established pursuant to Section 2.2 evidencing all or part of a Series of Securities, issued to the Depositary for such Series or its nominee, and registered in the name of such Depositary or nominee.

Holder ” or “ Securityholder ” means a person in whose name a Security is registered on the books of the Registrar.

 
 

 

 

Indenture ” means this Indenture as amended or supplemented from time to time and shall include the form and terms of particular Series of Securities established as contemplated hereunder.

interest ” means, with respect to any Security, any interest on such Security, and with respect to any Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, interest payable after Maturity.

Maturity ,” when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security becomes due and payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise.

Officer ” means the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the President, any Senior Vice President or Vice President, the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company.

Officer’s Certificate ” means a certificate signed by any Officer (or any person designated in writing by an Officer of the Company as authorized to execute and deliver Officer’s Certificates) and delivered to the Trustee.

Opinion of Counsel ” means a written opinion of legal counsel. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company. Opinions of Counsel required to be delivered under this Indenture may have qualifications customary for opinions of the type required.

person ” means any individual, corporation, company, voluntary association, partnership, trust, joint venture, limited liability company, unincorporated organization or government or any agency, instrumentality or political subdivision thereof.

principal ” of a Security means the principal of the Security plus, when appropriate, the premium, if any, on the Security.

Responsible Officer ” means any officer of the Trustee in its Corporate Trust Office having direct responsibility for administration of this Indenture and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with a particular subject and who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

SEC ” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securities ” means the debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company of any Series authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.

Series ” or “ Series of Securities ” means each series of debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company created pursuant to Sections 2.1 and 2.2 hereof.

Stated Maturity ” when used with respect to any Security, means the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security is due and payable.

2
 

 

 

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any person, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the outstanding shares of Capital Stock or other interests having the power to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time directly or indirectly owned or controlled by such person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of such person, or a combination thereof.

TIA ” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S. Code §§ 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date of this Indenture; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, “TIA” means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act as so amended.

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

United States ” or “ U.S .” means The United States of America (including the states thereof and the District of Columbia), its territories and possessions and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.

U . S. Government Obligations ” means securities which are direct obligations of, or guaranteed by, The United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and shall 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 specific 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 evidenced by such depository receipt.

Section 1.2             Other Definitions .

TERM DEFINED IN SECTION
Bankruptcy Law 6.1
Custodian 6.1
Event of Default 6.1
Judgment Currency 10.16
Legal Holiday 10.7
mandatory sinking fund payment 11.1
optional sinking fund payment 11.1

 

3
 

 

 

Paying Agent 2.5
Registrar 2.5
Required Currency 10.16
successor person 5.1
   

Section 1.3             Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act .

Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:

Commission ” means the SEC.

indenture securities ” means the Securities.

indenture security holder ” means a Securityholder.

indenture to be qualified ” means this Indenture.

indenture trustee ” or “ institutional trustee ” means the Trustee.

obligor ” on the indenture securities means the Company and any successor obligor upon the Securities.

All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the TIA and not otherwise defined herein are used herein as so defined.

Section 1.4             Rules of Construction .

Unless the context otherwise requires:

(a)                 a term has the meaning assigned to it;

(b)                an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;

(c)                 or ” is not exclusive;

(d)                words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular; and

(e)                 provisions apply to successive events and transactions.

4
 

 

 

ARTICLE II
THE SECURITIES

Section 2.1             Issuable in Series .

The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more Series. All Securities of a Series shall be identical except as may be set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate establishing the terms of such Series. In the case of Securities of a Series to be issued from time to time, the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture establishing the terms thereof may provide for the method by which specified terms (such as interest rate, maturity date, record date or date from which interest shall accrue) are to be determined. Securities may differ between Series in respect of any matters, provided that all Series of Securities shall be equally and ratably entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.

Section 2.2             Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities .

At or prior to the issuance of any Securities within a Series, the following shall be established (as to the Series generally, in the case of Subsection 2.2.1 and either as to such Securities within the Series or as to the Series generally in the case of Subsections 2.2.2 through 2.2.23) by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate:

2.2.1         the title (which shall distinguish the Securities of that particular Series from the Securities of any other Series) of the Series;

2.2.2         the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount thereof) at which the Securities of the Series will be issued;

2.2.3         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 2.8, 2.9, 2.12, 3.6 or 9.6);

2.2.4         the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the Series is payable;

2.2.5         the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates (including, but not limited to, any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the Securities of the Series shall bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which such interest, if any, shall accrue, the date or dates on which such interest, if any, shall commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;

2.2.6         the place or places where the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series shall be payable, where the Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company

5
 

 

in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered, and the method of such payment, if by wire transfer, mail or other means;

2.2.7         if applicable, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which the Securities of the Series must be redeemed or may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;

2.2.8         the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase the 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;

2.2.9         the dates, if any, on which and the price or prices at which the Securities of the Series will be repurchased by the Company at the option of the Holders thereof and other detailed terms and provisions of such repurchase obligations;

2.2.10     if other than denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the Series shall be issuable;

2.2.11     the forms of the Securities of the Series and whether the Securities will be issuable as Global Securities;

2.2.12     if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of the Securities of the Series that shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2;

2.2.13     the currency of denomination of the Securities of the Series, which may be Dollars or any Foreign Currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

2.2.14     the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be made;

2.2.15     if payments of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which such Securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;

2.2.16     the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be determined, if such amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

2.2.17     the provisions, if any, relating to any security provided for the Securities of the Series;

6
 

 

 

2.2.18     any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the Series and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 6.2;

2.2.19     any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants set forth in Articles IV or V which applies to Securities of the Series;

2.2.20     any Depositaries, trustees, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to Securities of such Series if other than those appointed herein;

2.2.21     the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any Securities of such Series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price, the conversion or exchange period, the securities or other property into which the Securities will be convertible, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, at the option of the Holders thereof or at the option of the Company, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange if such Series of Securities are redeemed;

2.2.22     whether any of the Company’s direct or indirect Subsidiaries will guarantee the Securities of that Series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees; and

2.2.23     any other terms of the Series (which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of this Indenture insofar as it applies to such Series), including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that Series.

All Securities of any one Series need not be issued at the same time and may be issued from time to time, consistent with the terms of this Indenture, if so provided by or pursuant to the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate referred to above.

Section 2.3             Denominations; Provision for Payment .

The Securities of any Series shall be issuable, except as otherwise provided with respect to Securities of any Series pursuant to Section 2.2, as registered Securities in the denominations of one thousand Dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. Unless otherwise provided with respect to Securities of any Series pursuant to Section 2.2, the principal of and the interest on the Securities of any Series, if any, thereon, shall by payable in Dollars at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. Unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 2.2 with respect to any Securities of any Series, interest on the Securities of any Series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months.

Section 2.4             Execution and Authentication .

Two Officers shall sign the Securities for the Company by manual or facsimile signature.

7
 

 

 

If an Officer whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Security is authenticated, the Security shall nevertheless be valid.

A Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security has been authenticated under this Indenture.

The Trustee shall at any time, and from time to time, authenticate Securities for original issue in the principal amount provided in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate, upon receipt by the Trustee of a Company Order. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.

The aggregate principal amount of Securities of any Series outstanding at any time may not exceed any limit upon the maximum principal amount for such Series set forth in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2, except as provided in Section 2.9.

Prior to the issuance of Securities of any Series, the Trustee shall have received and (subject to Section 7.1) shall be fully protected in conclusively relying on: (a) the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 establishing the form of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series and the terms of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series, (b) an Officer’s Certificate complying with Section 9.7 (with respect to the execution of supplemental indentures) and Section 10.4, and (c) an Opinion of Counsel complying with Section 9.7 (with respect to the execution of supplemental indentures) and Section 10.4.

The Trustee shall have the right, but not the obligation, to decline to authenticate and deliver any Securities of such Series: (a) if the Trustee, being advised by counsel, determines that such action may not be taken lawfully; or (b) if the Trustee in good faith determines that such action would expose the Trustee to personal liability.

The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Company to authenticate Securities. An authenticating agent may authenticate Securities whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company.

Section 2.5             Registrar and Paying Agent .

The Company shall maintain, with respect to each Series of Securities, at the place or places specified with respect to such Series, an office or agency where Securities of such Series may be presented or surrendered for payment (“Paying Agent”) and where Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange (“Registrar”). The Registrar shall keep a register with respect to each Series of Securities and to their transfer and exchange. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the name and address, and any change in the name or address, of each Registrar or Paying Agent. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required Registrar or Paying Agent or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the name and address thereof, such presentations and surrenders may be made or

8
 

 

served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations and surrenders.

The Company may also from time to time designate one or more co-registrars or additional paying agents 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 obligations to maintain a Registrar or Paying Agent in each place so specified for Securities of any Series for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the name or address of any such co-registrar or additional paying agent. The term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar; and the term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent. The Company or any of its Affiliates may serve as Registrar or Paying Agent.

The Company hereby appoints the Trustee as the initial Registrar and Paying Agent for each Series unless another Registrar or Paying Agent, as the case may be, is appointed prior to the time Securities of that Series are first issued.

Section 2.6             Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust .

The Company shall require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying Agent will hold in trust, for the benefit of Securityholders of any Series of Securities, or the Trustee, all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of or interest on the Securities of that Series, and will notify the Trustee in writing of any default by the Company in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company) shall have no further liability for the money. If the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate and hold in a separate trust fund for the benefit of Securityholders of any Series of Securities all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy, reorganization or similar proceeding with respect to the Company, the Trustee shall serve as Paying Agent for the Securities.

Section 2.7             Securityholder Lists .

The Trustee shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities and shall otherwise comply with TIA § 312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee at least ten days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing a list, in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities.

Section 2.8             Transfer and Exchange .

Where Securities of a Series are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer or to exchange them for an equal principal amount of Securities of the same Series, the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange if its requirements for such

9
 

 

transactions are met. To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Trustee shall authenticate Securities at the Registrar’s request. No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange (except as otherwise expressly permitted herein), but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable upon exchanges pursuant to Sections 2.12, 3.6 or 9.6).

Neither the Company nor the Registrar shall be required (a) to issue, register the transfer of, or exchange Securities of any Series for the period beginning at the opening of business fifteen days immediately preceding the mailing of a notice of redemption of Securities of that Series selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing, or (b) to register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any Series selected, called or being called for redemption as a whole or the portion being redeemed of any such Securities selected, called or being called for redemption in part.

Section 2.9             Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities .

If any mutilated Security 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.

If there shall be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (a) evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security and (b) such security or indemnity bond as may be required by each of them to hold itself and any of its agents harmless, then, in the absence of written notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company shall execute and upon receipt of a Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.

In case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay such Security.

Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section 2.9, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.

Every new Security of any Series issued pursuant to this Section 2.9 in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the 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 of that Series duly issued hereunder.

10
 

 

 

The provisions of this Section 2.9 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.

Section 2.10         Outstanding Securities .

The Securities outstanding at any time are all the Securities authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by the Registrar and those described in this Section 2.10 as not outstanding.

If a Security is replaced pursuant to Section 2.9, it ceases to be outstanding unless the Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Security is held by a bona fide purchaser.

If the Paying Agent (other than the Company, a Subsidiary of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company) holds on the Maturity of Securities of a Series money sufficient to pay such Securities payable on that date, then on and after that date such Securities of the Series cease to be outstanding and interest on them ceases to accrue.

The Company may purchase or otherwise acquire the Securities, whether by open market purchases, negotiated transactions or otherwise. A Security does not cease to be outstanding because the Company or an Affiliate of the Company holds the Security.

In determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, the principal amount of a Discount Security that shall be deemed to be outstanding for such purposes shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.

Section 2.11         Treasury Securities .

In determining whether the Holders of the required principal amount of Securities of a Series have concurred in any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, Securities of a Series owned by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company shall be disregarded, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in conclusively relying on any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, only Securities of a Series that a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. Securities so owned which have been pledged in good faith shall not be disregarded if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right to deliver any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver with respect to the Securities and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor.

Section 2.12         Temporary Securities .

Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Company may prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate temporary Securities upon a Company Order. Temporary Securities

11
 

 

shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Company considers appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall prepare and the Trustee upon receipt of a Company Order shall authenticate definitive Securities of the same Series and date of maturity in exchange for temporary Securities. Until so exchanged, temporary Securities shall have the same rights under this Indenture as the definitive Securities.

Section 2.13         Cancellation .

The Company at any time may deliver Securities to the Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar and the Paying Agent, if not the Trustee, shall forward to the Trustee any Securities surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee shall cancel all Securities surrendered for transfer, exchange, payment, replacement, conversion or cancellation and shall dispose of such canceled Securities (subject to the record retention requirement of the Exchange Act and the Trustee) in accordance with its customary procedures and deliver a certificate of such cancellation to the Company upon written request of the Company. The Company may not issue new Securities to replace Securities that it has paid or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.

Section 2.14         Defaulted Interest .

If the Company defaults in a payment of interest on a Series of Securities, it may pay the defaulted interest, plus, to the extent permitted by law, any interest payable on the defaulted interest, to the persons who are Securityholders of the Series on a subsequent special record date. The Company shall fix the record date and payment date. At least 10 days before the special record date, the Company shall mail to the Trustee and to each Securityholder of the Series a notice that states the special record date, the payment date and the amount of interest to be paid. The Company may pay defaulted interest in any other lawful manner.

Section 2.15         Global Securities .

2.15.1     Terms of Securities . A Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate shall establish whether the Securities of a Series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities.

2.15.2     Transfer and Exchange . Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in Section 2.8 of this Indenture and in addition thereto, any Global Security shall be exchangeable pursuant to Section 2.8 of this Indenture for Securities registered in the names of Holders other than the Depositary for such Security or its nominee only if (a) such Depositary notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for such Global Security or if at any time such Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and, in either case, the Company fails to appoint a successor Depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act within 90 days of such event or (b) the Company determines in its sole discretion not to have such Securities represented by one or more Global Securities and executes and delivers to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate to the effect that such Global Security shall be so exchangeable. Any Global Security that is exchangeable

12
 

 

pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be exchangeable for Securities registered in such names as the Depositary shall direct in writing in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security with like tenor and terms.

Except as provided in this Section 2.15.2, a Global Security may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary with respect to such Global Security to a nominee of such Depositary, by a nominee of such Depositary to such Depositary or another nominee of such Depositary or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such a successor Depositary.

2.15.3     Legend . Any Global Security issued hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:

“THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY. THIS SECURITY IS EXCHANGEABLE FOR SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A PERSON OTHER THAN THE DEPOSITARY OR ITS NOMINEE ONLY IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE, AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, 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 A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.”

2.15.4     Acts of Holders . The Depositary, as a Holder, may appoint agents and otherwise authorize participants to give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which a Holder is entitled to give or take under this Indenture.

2.15.5     Payments . Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Indenture, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.2, payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on any Global Security shall be made to the Holder thereof, which in the case of a Depositary therefor will be made in accordance with its applicable procedures.

2.15.6     Consents, Declaration and Directions . The Company, the Trustee and any Agent shall treat a person as the Holder of such principal amount of outstanding Securities of such Series represented by a Global Security as shall be specified in a written statement of the Depositary or by the applicable procedures of such Depositary with respect to such Global Security, for purposes of obtaining any consents, declarations, waivers or directions required to be given by the Holders pursuant to this Indenture.

Section 2.16         CUSIP Numbers .

The Company in issuing the Securities may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any

13
 

 

notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other elements of identification printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Trustee shall have no liability for any defect in the “CUSIP” numbers as they appear on any Security, notice or elsewhere. The Company will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the “CUSIP” numbers.

ARTICLE III
REDEMPTION

Section 3.1             Notice to Trustee .

The Company may, with respect to any Series of Securities, reserve the right to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or may covenant to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or any part thereof prior to the Stated Maturity thereof at such time and on such terms as provided for in such Securities. If a Series of Securities is redeemable and the Company wants or is obligated to redeem prior to the Stated Maturity thereof all or part of the Series of Securities pursuant to the terms of such Securities, it shall notify the Trustee in writing of the redemption date and the principal amount of Series of Securities to be redeemed. The Company shall give the notice to the Trustee at least 45 days before the redemption date, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the Trustee.

Section 3.2             Selection of Securities to be Redeemed .

Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, if less than all the Securities of a Series are to be redeemed, the Trustee shall select the Securities of the Series to be redeemed in any manner that the Trustee deems fair and appropriate, including selecting by lot or other method, unless otherwise required by law or applicable stock exchange requirements, subject, in the case of Global Securities, to the applicable rules and procedures of the Depositary; provided tha t the unredeemed portion of the principal amount of any Security shall be in an authorized denomination (which shall not be less than the minimum authorized denomination) for such Security. The Trustee shall make the selection from Securities of the Series outstanding not previously called for redemption. Provisions of this Indenture that apply to Securities of a Series called for redemption also apply to portions of Securities of that Series called for redemption.

Section 3.3             Notice of Redemption .

Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Company shall mail a notice of redemption by first-class mail to each Holder whose Securities are to be redeemed.

The notice shall identify the Securities of the Series to be redeemed and shall state:

(a)                 the redemption date;

(b)                the redemption price and the amount of accrued interest, if any, to be paid;

14
 

 

 

(c)                 the name and address of the Paying Agent and, if applicable, the conversion Agent;

(d)                for convertible Securities, the conversion price;

(e)                 if any Global Security is being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Global Security to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date upon surrender of such Global Security, the principal amount thereof will be decreased by the portion thereof redeemed pursuant thereto;

(f)                 if any Certificated Security is being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Security to be redeemed, and that, after the redemption date, upon surrender of such Security, a new Certificated Security in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Certificated Security;

(g)                that Securities of the Series (or portion thereof) called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price;

(h)                that interest on Securities of the Series called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date unless the Company defaults in the deposit of the redemption price;

(i)                  the CUSIP number, if any, and state that no representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of the CUSIP number, if any, listed in the SEC’s notice or printed on the Securities; and

(j)                  any other information as may be required by the terms of the particular Series or the Securities of a Series being redeemed.

At the Company’s request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption in the Company’s name and at its expense, provided, however, that the Company has delivered to the Trustee, at least 15 days (unless a shorter time shall be acceptable to the Trustee) prior to the notice date, an Officer’s Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice.

Section 3.4             Effect of Notice of Redemption .

Once notice of redemption is mailed as provided in Section 3.3, Securities of a Series called for redemption become due and payable on the redemption date and at the redemption price. Except as otherwise provided in the supplemental indenture, Board Resolution or Officer’s Certificate for a Series, a notice of redemption may not be conditional. Upon surrender to the Paying Agent, such Securities shall be paid at the redemption price plus accrued interest to the redemption date other than Securities or portions of Securities called for redemption which have been delivered by the Company to the Registrar for cancellation. The Paying Agent shall return to the Company any money not required for that purpose.

15
 

 

 

Unless the Company shall default in the payment of Securities (and accrued interest) called for redemption, interest on such Securities shall cease to accrue after the redemption date. Convertible Securities called for redemption shall cease to be convertible after the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the redemption date, unless the Company shall default in the payment of such Securities on the redemption date, in which event the Securities shall remain convertible until paid (together with accrued interest).

Failure to give notice of redemption, or any defect in such notice to the Holder of any Security of a Series designated for redemption, in whole or in part, shall not affect the sufficiency of any notice of redemption with respect to the Holder of any other Security of such Series.

Section 3.5             Deposit of Redemption Price .

On or before 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the redemption date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption price of and accrued interest, if any, on all Securities to be redeemed on that date.

Section 3.6             Securities Redeemed in Part .

Upon surrender of a Certificated Security that is redeemed in part, the Trustee shall authenticate for the Holder a new Certificated Security of the same Series and the same maturity equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Security surrendered and concurrently cancel the surrendered Certificated Security.

ARTICLE IV
COVENANTS

Section 4.1             Payment of Principal and Interest .

The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of each Series of Securities that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture. On or before 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the applicable payment date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of each Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture. Principal and interest shall be considered paid on the date due if the Paying Agent holds in accordance with this Indenture on that date money sufficient to pay all principal and interest then due and the Paying Agent is not prohibited from paying such money to the Holders on such date pursuant to the terms of this Indenture.

Section 4.2             Reports by Company .

(a)                 As long as any Securities are outstanding, the Company shall file with the Trustee, and transmit to the Holders, such information, documents and other reports, and such summaries thereof, as may be required pursuant to TIA § 314(a). All reports, information and documents referred to in this Section 4.2 will be deemed to be filed with the Trustee and transmitted to the Holders at the time such reports, information or documents are publicly filed

16
 

 

with the SEC via the SEC’s EDGAR filing system (or any successor system), it being understood that the Trustee shall have no responsibility whatsoever to determine if such filings have been made.

(b)                Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under this Section 4.2 are for informational purposes only and shall not constitute a representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the reports, information and documents. The Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates).

Section 4.3             Compliance Certificate .

To the extent any Securities of a Series are outstanding, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, an Officer’s Certificate (which need not contain the statements provided for in Section 10.4) from its principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer stating that a review of the activities of the Company and its Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officer with a view to determining whether the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled its obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to such Officer signing such certificate, that to his or her knowledge the Company is not in default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions hereof (or, if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which the Officer has knowledge). Such Officer’s Certificate need not include a reference to any non-compliance that has been fully cured prior to the date as of which such certificate speaks.

Section 4.4             Stay, Extension and Usury Laws .

The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture or the Securities; and the Company (to the extent it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.

Section 4.5             Corporate Existence .

Subject to Article V, the Company will do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence and rights (charter and statutory); provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to preserve any such right if the Board of Directors shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole and that the loss thereof is not adverse in any material respect to the Holders.

17
 

 

 

ARTICLE V
SUCCESSORS

Section 5.1             Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets .

The Company may not consolidate with or merge with or into, sell, convey, transfer or dispose of all or substantially all of its assets to any other person (a “ successor person ”), whether in one transaction or a series of related transactions, unless:

(a)                 (i) the Company is the surviving corporation or (ii) the successor person (if other than the Company) (A) is a corporation, limited liability corporation, partnership or trust organized under the laws of the United States; and (B) expressly assumes, by an indenture supplemental hereto, the Company’s obligations on the Securities and under this Indenture; and

(b)                immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default shall have happened and be continuing.

The Company shall deliver to the Trustee prior to the consummation of the proposed transaction an Officer’s Certificate to the foregoing effect and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the proposed transaction and any supplemental indenture comply with Section 5.1 of this Indenture.

Notwithstanding the above, any Subsidiary of the Company may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to the Company. Neither an Officer’s Certificate nor an Opinion of Counsel shall be required to be delivered in connection therewith.

Section 5.2             Successor Person Substituted .

Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, conveyance, transfer, or lease of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries in accordance with Section 5.1, the successor person formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Company is merged or to which such sale, 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 and the Securities with the same effect as if such successor person has been named as the Company herein; and, thereafter, the predecessor Company, in the case of a sale, conveyance or transfer (other than a lease), shall be released from all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.

ARTICLE VI
DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES

Section 6.1             Events of Default .

Event of Default ,” wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any Series, means any one of the following events, unless in the establishing Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officer’s Certificate, it is provided that such Series shall not have the benefit of said Event of Default:

18
 

 

 

(a)                 failure to pay any interest on any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of such payment is deposited by the Company with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the 30th day of such period);

(b)                failure to pay principal of any Security of that Series at its Maturity;

(c)                 default in the performance or breach of any covenant of the Company in this Indenture (other than defaults pursuant to sub-clauses (a) through (c) above or defaults related to a covenant that has been included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of a Series of Securities other than that Series), which default continues uncured for a period of 90 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder;

(d)                the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law:

(i)                  commences a voluntary case,

(ii)                consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case,

(iii)              consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property, or

(iv)              makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors;

(e)                 a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:

(i)                  is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case,

(ii)                appoints a Custodian of the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or

(iii)              orders the liquidation of the Company, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 days; or

(f)                 any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of that Series, which is specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, in accordance with Section 2.2.18.

The term “ Bankruptcy Law ” means title 11, U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors. The term “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.

19
 

 

 

A Default under one Series of Securities issued under this Indenture will not necessarily be a default under another Series of Securities under this Indenture.

The Company will, so long as any of the Securities are outstanding, deliver to the Trustee, within 30 days of becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, an Officer’s Certificate specifying such Default or Event of Default and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto.

Section 6.2             Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment .

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing (other than an Event of Default referred to in Section 6.1(d) or (e)) 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 any Securities of that Series are Discount Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of such Securities) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on 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) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, shall become immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) shall occur, the principal amount (or specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding Securities shall ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder.

At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to 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 all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that Series, other than the non-payment of the principal and interest, if any, of Securities of that Series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 6.13.

No such rescission shall affect any subsequent Default.

Section 6.3             Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee .

The Company covenants that if

(a)                 default is made in the payment of any interest on any Security when such interest becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days, or

(b)                default is made in the payment of principal of any Security at the Maturity thereof, or

(c)                 default is made in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, if any, when and as due by the terms of a Security,

20
 

 

 

then , the Company will, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to it, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest and, to the extent that payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable, interest on any overdue principal and any overdue interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities, 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 the Company fails to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and collect the moneys adjudged or deemed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities, wherever situated.

If an Event of Default with respect to any Securities of any Series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series 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.

Section 6.4             Trustee May File Proofs of Claim .

In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relating to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or the property of the Company or of such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of overdue principal or interest) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise,

(a)                 to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and

(b)                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,

21
 

 

expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.7.

Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder 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.

Section 6.5             Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities .

All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or the Securities 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, 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 in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.

Section 6.6             Application of Money Collected .

Any money or property 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 or property on account of principal or interest, 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 to the Trustee under this Indenture; and

Second: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid for principal of and interest 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 interest, respectively; and

Third: To the Company.

Section 6.7             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)                 such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that Series;

(b)                the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;

22
 

 

 

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

(d)                the Trustee has failed to institute any such proceeding for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity; 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, intended and expressly covenanted by the Holder of every Security with every other Holder and the Trustee that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain 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 such Holders of the applicable Series; provided , however , that the Trustee does not have an affirmative duty to ascertain whether or not such actions or forbearances are unduly prejudicial to such Holders.

Section 6.8             Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest .

Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security has the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on such Security on the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity 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.

Section 6.9             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.

Section 6.10         Rights and Remedies Cumulative .

Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities in Section 2.9, 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

23
 

 

not, to the extent permitted by law, prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.

Section 6.11         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 an 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.

Section 6.12         Control by Holders .

The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee, with respect to the Securities of such Series, provided that:

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

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

(c)                 subject to the provisions of Section 7.1, the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall, by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, determine that the proceeding so directed would involve the Trustee in personal liability; and

(d)                prior to taking any action as directed under this Section 6.12, the Trustee shall be entitled to indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

Section 6.13         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 in the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security of such Series ( provided , however , that the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from such acceleration). Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default.

24
 

 

 

Section 6.14         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, suffered or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section 6.14 shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Company, to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security on or after the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date).

ARTICLE VII
TRUSTEE

Section 7.1             Duties of Trustee .

(a)                 If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

(b)                Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:

(i)                  The Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no others.

(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 Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; however, in the case of any such Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel which by any provisions hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall examine such Officer’s Certificates and Opinions of Counsel to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein).

(c)                 The Trustee may not be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:

(i)                  This sub-clause (c) does not limit the effect of sub-clause (b) of this Section 7.1.

25
 

 

 

(ii)                The Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts.

(iii)              The Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it with respect to Securities of any Series in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series 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 in accordance with Section 6.12.

(d)                Every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to sub-clauses (a), (b) and (c) of this Section 7.1.

(e)                 The Trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any right or power unless it receives indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power.

(f)                 The Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money received by it. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

(g)                No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if adequate indemnity against such risk is not assured to the Trustee in its satisfaction.

(h)                The Paying Agent, the Registrar and any authenticating agent shall be entitled to the protections and immunities as are set forth in sub-clauses (e), (f) and (g) of this Section 7.1 and in Section 7.2, each with respect to the Trustee.

Section 7.2             Rights of Trustee .

(a)                 The Trustee may conclusively rely on and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any document (whether in its original or facsimile form) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.

(b)                Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it shall be entitled to receive an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in conclusive reliance on such Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel.

(c)                 The Trustee may act through agents and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care. No Depositary shall be deemed an agent of the Trustee and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any act or omission by any Depositary.

26
 

 

 

(d)                The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith which it believes to be authorized or within its rights or powers, provided that the Trustee’s conduct does not constitute willful misconduct or negligence.

(e)                 The Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon.

(f)                 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 of Securities unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

(g)                The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit and shall incur no liability or additional liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation.

(h)                The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge thereof or unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is received by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Securities generally or the Securities of a particular Series and this Indenture.

(i)                  In no event shall the Trustee be liable to any person for special, punitive, indirect, consequential or incidental loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage.

(j)                  The permissive right of the Trustee to take the actions permitted by this Indenture shall not be construed as an obligation or duty to do so.

(k)                The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder.

(l)                  The Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the performance of its powers and duties hereunder.

(m)              The Trustee may request that the Company deliver a certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture.

27
 

 

 

Section 7.3             Individual Rights of Trustee .

The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights. However, the Trustee is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11 hereof.

Section 7.4             Trustee’s Disclaimer .

The Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Securities, it shall not be accountable for the Company’s use of the proceeds from the Securities, and it shall not be responsible for any statement in the Securities other than its authentication.

Section 7.5             Notice of Defaults .

If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Securities of any Series and if it is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall mail to each Securityholder of the Securities of that Series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. Except in the case of a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal of or interest on any Security of any Series, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as it in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of Securityholders of that Series.

Section 7.6             Reports by Trustee to Holders .

Within 60 days after each anniversary of the date of this Indenture, the Trustee shall transmit by mail to all Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear on the register kept by the Registrar, a brief report dated as of such reporting date, in accordance with, and to the extent required under, TIA § 313.

A copy of each report at the time of its mailing to Securityholders of any Series shall be filed with the SEC and each national securities exchange on which the Securities of that Series are listed. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing when Securities of any Series are listed on any national securities exchange or of any delisting thereof.

Section 7.7             Compensation and Indemnity .

The Company shall pay to the Trustee from time to time compensation for its services as the Company and the Trustee shall from time to time agree upon in writing. The Trustee’s compensation shall not be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee upon request for all reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred by it. Such expenses shall include the reasonable compensation and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.

The Company shall indemnify each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee against any cost, expense, claim (whether asserted by the Company, a Holder or any other person) or

28
 

 

liability (including the cost of defending itself), including taxes (other than taxes based upon, measured by or determined by the income of the Trustee), incurred by it except as set forth in the next paragraph in the performance of its duties under this Indenture as Trustee or Agent. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of its obligations hereunder, unless and to the extent that the Company is materially prejudiced thereby. The Company shall defend the claim and the Trustee shall cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may have one separate counsel and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. This indemnification shall apply to officers, directors, employees, shareholders and agents of the Trustee.

The Company need not reimburse any expense or indemnify against any loss or liability incurred by the Trustee or by any officer, director, employee or shareholder of the Trustee through willful misconduct or negligence.

To secure the Company’s payment obligations in this Section 7.7, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities of any Series on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of and interest on particular Securities of that Series.

When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(f) or (g) occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.

The provisions of this Section 7.7 shall survive the termination of this Indenture or the resignation or removal of the Trustee.

Section 7.8             Replacement of Trustee .

A resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee shall become effective only upon the successor Trustee’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section 7.8.

The Trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Securities of one or more Series by so notifying the Company at least 30 days prior to the date of the proposed resignation. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any Series may remove the Trustee with respect to that Series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company in writing. The Company may remove the Trustee with respect to Securities of one or more Series if:

(a)                 the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10;

(b)                the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;

(c)                 a Custodian or public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or

(d)                the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.

29
 

 

 

If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Securities may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Company.

If a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any one or more Series does not take office within 30 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Securities of the applicable Series may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee at the expense of the Company.

A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company. Immediately after that, the retiring Trustee shall transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee subject to the lien provided for in Section 7.7, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective, and the successor Trustee shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee with respect to each Series of Securities for which it is acting as Trustee under this Indenture. A successor Trustee shall mail a notice of its succession to each Securityholder of each such Series. Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.8, the Company’s obligations under Section 7.7 hereof shall continue for the benefit of the retiring Trustee with respect to expenses and liabilities incurred by it for actions taken or omitted to be taken in accordance with its rights, powers and duties under this Indenture prior to such replacement.

Section 7.9             Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc .

If the Trustee consolidates with, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust business to, another corporation, the successor corporation without any further act shall be the successor Trustee, if such successor corporation is eligible and qualified under Section 7.10.

Section 7.10         Eligibility; Disqualification .

This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA § 310(a)(1), (2) and (5). The Trustee shall always have a combined capital and surplus of at least $25,000,000 as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. The Trustee shall comply with TIA § 310(b).

Section 7.11         Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company .

The Trustee is subject to TIA § 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA § 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA § 311(a) to the extent indicated.

30
 

 

 

ARTICLE VIII
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE

Section 8.1             Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture .

This Indenture shall upon Company Order cease to be of further effect (except as hereinafter provided in this Section 8.1), and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, when

(a)                 either

(i)                  all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than Securities that have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.9) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or

(ii)                all such Securities not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation:

(1)                have become due and payable, or

(2)                will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year, or

(3)                have been called for redemption or 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 (1), (2) or (3) above, has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust an amount of money or U.S. Government Obligations sufficient for the purpose of paying and discharging the entire indebtedness on such Securities not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, for principal and interest to the date of such deposit (in the case of Securities which have become due and payable on or prior to the date of such deposit) or to the Stated Maturity or redemption date, as the case may be;

(b)                the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; and

(c)                 the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s 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 7.7, and, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to sub-clause (a) of this Section 8.1, the provisions of Sections 2.5, 2.8, 2.9, 8.2 and 8.5 shall survive.

31
 

 

 

Section 8.2             Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification .

(a)                 Subject to the provisions of Section 8.5, all money or U.S. Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.1, all money and U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.3 or 8.4 and all money received by the Trustee in respect of U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.3 or 8.4, shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities 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 interest for whose payment such money has been deposited with or received by the Trustee or to make mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments as contemplated by Sections 8.3 or 8.4.

(b)                The Company shall pay and shall indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Sections 8.3 or 8.4 or the interest and principal received in respect of such obligations other than any payable by or on behalf of Holders.

(c)                 The Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Order any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money held by it as provided in Sections 8.3 or 8.4 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are then in excess of the amount thereof which then would have been required to be deposited for the purpose for which such U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money were deposited or received. This provision shall not authorize the sale by the Trustee of any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations held under this Indenture.

Section 8.3             Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series .

Unless this Section 8.3 is otherwise specified, pursuant to Section 2.2, to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness on all the outstanding Securities of any Series on the 91st day after the date of the deposit referred to in sub-clause (d) hereof, and the provisions of this Indenture, as it relates to such outstanding Securities of such Series, shall no longer be in effect (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, execute instruments acknowledging the same), except as to:

(a)                 the rights of Holders of Securities of such Series to receive, from the trust funds described in sub-clause (d) hereof, (i) payment of the principal of and each installment of principal of and interest on the outstanding Securities of such Series on the Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or interest and (ii) the benefit of any mandatory sinking fund payments applicable to the Securities of such Series on the day on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and the Securities of such Series;

(b)                the provisions of Sections 2.5, 2.8, 2.9, 8.2, 8.3 and 8.5; and

32
 

 

 

(c)                 the rights, powers, trust and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith;

provided that, the following conditions shall have been satisfied:

(d)                the Company shall have deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for and dedicated solely to the benefit of the Holders of such Securities: (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations, or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms (and without reinvestment), will provide, not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal of and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of interest or principal and such sinking fund payments are due;

(e)                 such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;

(f)                 no Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or during the period ending on the 91st day after such date;

(g)                the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable U.S. federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm that, the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to U.S. 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, defeasance and discharge had not occurred;

(h)                the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and

(i)                  the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to the defeasance contemplated by this Section 8.3 have been complied with.

Section 8.4             Covenant Defeasance .

33
 

 

 

Unless this Section 8.4 is otherwise specified pursuant to Section 2.2 to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company may omit to comply with respect to the Securities of any Series with any term, provision or condition set forth under Sections 4.2 and 4.3, 4.4 and 5.1as well as any additional covenants specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 (and the failure to comply with any such covenants shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default with respect to such Series under Section 6.1) and the occurrence of any event specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2.18 and designated as an Event of Default shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default hereunder, with respect to the Securities of such Series, provided that the following conditions shall have been satisfied:

(a)                 With reference to this Section 8.4, the Company has deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities: (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations, or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms (and without reinvestment), will provide, not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal of and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of interest or principal and such sinking fund payments are due;

(b)                Such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;

(c)                 No Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit;

(d)                The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit and covenant defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit and covenant defeasance had not occurred;

(e)                 The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and

(f)                 The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the covenant defeasance contemplated by this Section 8.4 have been complied with.

34
 

 

 

Section 8.5             Repayment to Company .

Subject to applicable abandoned property law, the Trustee and the Paying Agent shall pay to the Company upon request any money held by them for the payment of principal or interest that remains unclaimed for two years after such principal or interest has become due and payable. After that, Securityholders entitled to the money must look to the Company for payment as general creditors unless an applicable abandoned property law designates another person.

Section 8.6             Reinstatement .

If the Trustee or the Paying Agent is unable to apply any money deposited with respect to Securities of any Series in accordance with Section 8.1 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 obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series and under the Securities of such Series shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.1 until such time as the Trustee or the Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.1; provided, however, that if the Company has made any payment of principal of or interest on any Securities because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Securities to receive such payment from the money or U.S. Government Obligations held by the Trustee or Paying Agent after payment in full to the Holders.

ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS

Section 9.1             Without Consent of Holders .

The Company and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series without the consent of any Securityholder:

(a)                 to add guarantees with respect to any Series of Securities or secure any Series of Securities;

(b)                to surrender any of the Company’s rights or powers under this Indenture;

(c)                 to add covenants or Events of Default for the benefit of the Securityholders of any Series of Securities;

(d)                to comply with the applicable rules or procedures of the Depositary;

(e)                 to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency, as described in the Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 10.4;

(f)                 to comply with Article V;

35
 

 

 

(g)                to provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities;

(h)                to make any change that does not materially adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder;

(i)                  to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of Securities of any Series as permitted by this Indenture;

(j)                  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;

(k)                to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA;

(l)                  to comply with the rules or regulations of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which any of the Securities may be listed or traded; and

(m)              to change or eliminate any of the provisions of this Indenture, provided that any such change or elimination shall not be effective with respect to any outstanding Securities of any Series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture which is entitled to the benefit of such provision.

Section 9.2             With Consent of Holders .

The Company and the Trustee may enter into a supplemental indenture with the written consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of each Series affected by such supplemental indenture (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series), for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Securityholders of each such Series. Except as provided in Section 6.13, the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series by written notice to the Trustee (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series) may waive compliance by the Company with any provision of this Indenture or the Securities with respect to such Series.

It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders of Securities under this Section 9.2 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof. After a supplemental indenture or waiver under this Section 9.2 becomes effective, the Company shall mail to the Holders of Securities affected thereby, a notice briefly describing the supplemental indenture or waiver. Any failure by the Company to mail or publish such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture or waiver.

36
 

 

 

Section 9.3             Limitations .

Without the consent of each Securityholder affected, an amendment or waiver may not:

(a)                 reduce the principal amount of Securities whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

(b)                reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any Security or that Series;

(c)                 reduce the principal of, or change the Stated Maturity of, any Security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation;

(d)                reduce the principal amount of Discount Securities payable upon acceleration of the maturity thereof;

(e)                 waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security (except a rescission of acceleration of the Securities of any Series by the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Securities of such Series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

(f)                 make the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security payable in any currency other than that stated in the Security;

(g)                make any change in Sections 6.8 or 6.13 or this Section 9.3; or

(h)                waive a redemption payment with respect to any Security.

Section 9.4             Compliance with Trust Indenture Act .

Every amendment to this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series shall be set forth in a supplemental indenture hereto that complies with the TIA as then in effect.

Section 9.5             Revocation and Effect of Consents .

Until an amendment is set forth in a supplemental indenture or a waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Security is a continuing consent by the Holder and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Security.

Any amendment or waiver once effective shall bind every Securityholder of each Series affected by such amendment or waiver unless it is of the type described in any of sub-clauses (a) through (h) of Section 9.3. In that case, the amendment or waiver shall bind each Holder of a Security who has consented to it and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security.

37
 

 

 

The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders entitled to give their consent or take any other action described above or required or permitted to be taken pursuant to this Indenture. If a record date is fixed, then notwithstanding the immediately preceding paragraph, those Persons who were Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies), and only those persons, shall be entitled to give such consent or to revoke any consent previously given or take any such action, whether or not such Persons continue to be Holders after such record date. No such consent shall be valid or effective for more than 120 days after such record date.

Section 9.6             Notation on or Exchange of Securities .

The Company or the Trustee may place an appropriate notation about an amendment or waiver on any Security of any Series thereafter authenticated. The Company in exchange for Securities of that Series may issue and the Trustee shall authenticate upon request new Securities of that Series that reflect the amendment or waiver.

Section 9.7             Trustee Protected .

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 receive, and (subject to Section 7.1) shall be fully protected in conclusively relying upon, an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both complying with Section 10.4 and stating that the supplemental indenture is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject to customary exceptions. The Trustee shall sign all supplemental indentures upon delivery of such an Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel or both, except that the Trustee need not sign any supplemental indenture that, in its sole discretion, adversely affects its rights.

ARTICLE X
MISCELLANEOUS

Section 10.1         Trust Indenture Act Controls .

If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies, or conflicts with another provision which is required or deemed to be included in this Indenture by the TIA, such required or deemed provision shall control.

Section 10.2         Notices .

Any request, demand, notice or communication by the Company or the Trustee to the other, or by a Holder to the Company or the Trustee, is duly given if in writing and delivered in person or mailed by first-class mail:

38
 

 

 

if to the Company:

Lawson Products, Inc.
8770 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 900
Chicago, Illinois 60631
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
Telephone: (773) 304-5050

if to the Trustee:

Attention:

The Company or the Trustee by notice to the other may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.

Any notice or communication to a Securityholder shall be mailed by first-class mail to his address shown on the register kept by the Registrar. Failure to mail a notice or communication to a Securityholder of any Series or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Securityholders of that or any other Series.

If a notice or communication is mailed or published in the manner provided above, within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the Securityholder receives it.

If the Company mails a notice or communication to Securityholders, it shall mail a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or any Security, where this Indenture or any Security provides for notice of any event (including any notice of redemption) to a Holder of a Global Security (whether by mail or otherwise), such notice shall be sufficiently given to the Depositary for such Security (or its designee) pursuant to the customary procedures of such Depositary.

Section 10.3         Communication by Holders with Other Holders .

Securityholders of any Series may communicate pursuant to TIA § 312(b) with other Securityholders of that Series or any other Series with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Securities of that Series or all Series. The Company, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA § 312(c).

Section 10.4         Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent .

Upon any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee:

(a)                 an Officer’s Certificate stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with; and

39
 

 

 

(b)                an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent have been complied with.

Section 10.5         Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion .

Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to TIA § 314(a)(4)) shall comply with the provisions of TIA § 314(e) and shall include:

(a)                 a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;

(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 such person, 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 or not, in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.

Section 10.6         Rules by Trustee and Agents .

The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or a meeting of Securityholders of one or more Series. Any Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions.

Section 10.7         Legal Holidays .

Unless otherwise provided by Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture hereto for a particular Series, a “ Legal Holiday ” is any day that is not a Business Day. If a payment date is a Legal Holiday at a place of payment, payment may be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is not a Legal Holiday, and no interest shall accrue for the intervening period.

Section 10.8         No Recourse Against Others .

A director, officer, employee or stockholder (past or present), as such, of the Company shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the Securities or this Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of such obligations or their creation. Each Securityholder by accepting a Security waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issue of the Securities.

40
 

 

 

Section 10.9         Counterparts .

This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. The exchange of copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or PDF transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or PDF shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.

Section 10.10     Governing Law; Jury Trial Waiver .

THIS INDENTURE AND THE SECURITIES, INCLUDING ANY CLAIM OR CONTROVERSY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE OR THE SECURITIES, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICTS OF LAWS PROVISIONS THEREOF OTHER THAN SECTION 5-1401 OF THE GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).

EACH OF THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE SECURITIES OR THE TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

Section 10.11     No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements .

This Indenture may not be used to interpret another indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.

Section 10.12     Successors .

All agreements of the Company in this Indenture and the Securities shall bind its successor. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture shall bind its successor.

Section 10.13     Severability .

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.

Section 10.14     Table of Contents, Headings, Etc .

The Table of Contents, Cross Reference Table, and headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof, and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.

41
 

 

 

Section 10.15     Securities in a Foreign Currency .

Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, whenever for purposes of this Indenture any action may be taken by the Holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of Securities of all Series or all Series affected by a particular action at the time outstanding and, at such time, there are outstanding Securities of any Series which are denominated in more than one currency, then the principal amount of Securities of such Series which shall be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of taking such action shall be determined by converting any such other currency into a currency that is designated upon issuance of any particular Series of Securities. Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, such conversion shall be at the spot rate for the purchase of the designated currency as published in The Financial Times in the “Currency Rates” section (or, if The Financial Times is no longer published, or if such information is no longer available in The Financial Times, such source as may be selected in good faith by the Company) on any date of determination. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply in determining the equivalent principal amount in respect of Securities of a Series denominated in currency other than Dollars in connection with any action taken by Holders of Securities pursuant to the terms of this Indenture.

All decisions and determinations provided for in the preceding paragraph shall, in the absence of manifest error, to the extent permitted by law, be conclusive for all purposes and irrevocably binding upon the Trustee and all Holders.

Section 10.16     Judgment Currency .

The Company agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so under applicable law, that (a) if for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert the sum due in respect of the principal of or interest or other amount on the Securities of any Series (the “ Required Currency ”) into a currency in which a judgment will be rendered (the “ Judgment Currency ”), the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered, unless such day is not a Business Day, then the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the Business Day preceding the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered and (b) its obligations under this Indenture to make payments in the Required Currency (i) shall not be discharged or satisfied by any tender, or any recovery pursuant to any judgment (whether or not entered in accordance with subsection (a)), in any currency other than the Required Currency, except to the extent that such tender or recovery shall result in the actual receipt, by the payee, of the full amount of the Required Currency expressed to be payable in respect of such payments, (ii) shall be enforceable as an alternative or additional cause of action for the purpose of recovering in the Required Currency the amount, if any, by which such actual receipt shall fall short of the full amount of the Required Currency so expressed to be payable, and (iii) shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sum due under this Indenture.

42
 

 

 

Section 10.17     Force Majeure .

In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services, it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable best efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.

Section 10.18     U.S.A. Patriot Act .

The parties hereto acknowledge that in accordance with Section 326 of the U.S.A. Patriot Act, the Trustee, like all financial institutions and in order to help fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering, is required to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that establishes a relationship or opens an account with the Trustee. The parties to this Indenture agree that they will provide the Trustee with such information as it may request in order for the Trustee to satisfy the requirements of the U.S.A. Patriot Act.

ARTICLE XI
SINKING FUNDS

Section 11.1         Applicability of Article .

The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of the Securities of a Series if so provided by the terms of such Securities pursuant to Section 2.2 and except as otherwise permitted or required by any form of Security of such Series issued pursuant to this Indenture.

The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of the Securities of any Series is herein referred to as a “ mandatory sinking fund payment ” and any other amount provided for by the terms of Securities of such Series is herein referred to as an “ optional sinking fund payment .” If provided for by the terms of Securities of any Series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 11.2. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any Series as provided for by the terms of the Securities of such Series.

Section 11.2         Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities .

The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of any Series to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities (a) deliver outstanding Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable (other than any of such Securities previously called for mandatory sinking fund redemption) and (b) apply as credit Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable and which have been repurchased by the Company or redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of the Securities of such Series (except pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund) or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments

43
 

 

or other optional redemptions pursuant to the terms of such Securities, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received by the Trustee, together with an Officer’s Certificate with respect thereto, not later than 15 days prior to the date on which the Trustee begins the process of selecting Securities for redemption, and shall be credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly. If as a result of the delivery or credit of Securities in lieu of cash payments pursuant to this Section 11.2, the principal amount of Securities of such Series to be redeemed in order to exhaust the aforesaid cash payment shall be less than $100,000, the Trustee need not call Securities of such Series for redemption, except upon receipt of a Company Order that such action be taken, and such cash payment shall be held by the Trustee or a Paying Agent and applied to the next succeeding sinking fund payment, provided , however , that the Trustee or such Paying Agent shall from time to time upon receipt of a Company Order pay over and deliver to the Company any cash payment so being held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of Securities of that Series purchased by the Company having an unpaid principal amount equal to the cash payment required to be released to the Company.

Section 11.3         Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund .

Not less than 45 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate in respect of a particular Series of Securities) prior to each sinking fund payment date for any Series of Securities, the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that Series pursuant to the terms of that Series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting of Securities of that Series pursuant to Section 11.2, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 30 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture in respect of a particular Series of Securities) before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 3.2 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 3.3. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6.

[ Signature page follows ]

44
 

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

LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC., as Issuer

   
   
By:
 
  Name:
 
  Its:
 
    , as Trustee
     
By:
 
  Name:
 
  Its:
 
     

 

Exhibit 4.2

 

 

 

 

 



LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.

INDENTURE

Dated as of , 20

[ ]
Trustee



Subordinated Debt Securities

 

 

 

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 1

Section 1.1 Definitions 1

Section 1.2 Other Definitions 4

Section 1.3 Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act 5

Section 1.4 Rules of Construction 5

ARTICLE II THE SECURITIES 6

Section 2.1 Issuable in Series 6

Section 2.2 Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities 6

Section 2.3 Denominations; Provision for Payment 8

Section 2.4 Execution and Authentication 8

Section 2.5 Registrar and Paying Agent 9

Section 2.6 Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust 10

Section 2.7 Securityholder Lists 10

Section 2.8 Transfer and Exchange 10

Section 2.9 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities 11

Section 2.10 Outstanding Securities 12

Section 2.11 Treasury Securities 12

Section 2.12 Temporary Securities 12

Section 2.13 Cancellation 13

Section 2.14 Defaulted Interest 13

Section 2.15 Global Securities 13

Section 2.16 CUSIP Numbers 14

ARTICLE III REDEMPTION 15

Section 3.1 Notice to Trustee 15

Section 3.2 Selection of Securities to be Redeemed 15

Section 3.3 Notice of Redemption 15

Section 3.4 Effect of Notice of Redemption 16

Section 3.5 Deposit of Redemption Price 17

Section 3.6 Securities Redeemed in Part 17

ARTICLE IV COVENANTS 17

Section 4.1 Payment of Principal and Interest 17

Section 4.2 Reports by Company 17

Section 4.3 Compliance Certificate 18

Section 4.4 Stay, Extension and Usury Laws 18

Section 4.5 Corporate Existence 18

ARTICLE V SUCCESSORS 19

Section 5.1 Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets 19

-i-
 

 

 

Section 5.2 Successor Person Substituted 19

ARTICLE VI DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES 20

Section 6.1 Events of Default 20

Section 6.2 Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment 21

Section 6.3 Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee 21

Section 6.4 Trustee May File Proofs of Claim 22

Section 6.5 Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities 23

Section 6.6 Application of Money Collected 23

Section 6.7 Limitation on Suits 24

Section 6.8 Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest 24

Section 6.9 Restoration of Rights and Remedies 24

Section 6.10 Rights and Remedies Cumulative 25

Section 6.11 Delay or Omission Not Waiver 25

Section 6.12 Control by Holders 25

Section 6.13 Waiver of Past Defaults 25

Section 6.14 Undertaking for Costs 26

ARTICLE VII TRUSTEE 26

Section 7.1 Duties of Trustee 26

Section 7.2 Rights of Trustee 27

Section 7.3 Individual Rights of Trustee 29

Section 7.4 Trustee’s Disclaimer 29

Section 7.5 Notice of Defaults 29

Section 7.6 Reports by Trustee to Holders 29

Section 7.7 Compensation and Indemnity 29

Section 7.8 Replacement of Trustee 30

Section 7.9 Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc 31

Section 7.10 Eligibility; Disqualification 31

Section 7.11 Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company 32

ARTICLE VIII SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE 32

Section 8.1 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture 32

Section 8.2 Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification 33

Section 8.3 Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series 33

Section 8.4 Covenant Defeasance 35

Section 8.5 Repayment to Company 36

Section 8.6 Reinstatement 36

-ii-
 

 

 

 

ARTICLE IX AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS 36

Section 9.1 Without Consent of Holders 36

Section 9.2 With Consent of Holders 37

Section 9.3 Limitations 38

Section 9.4 Compliance with Trust Indenture Act 38

Section 9.5 Revocation and Effect of Consents 38

Section 9.6 Notation on or Exchange of Securities 39

Section 9.7 Trustee Protected 39

ARTICLE X MISCELLANEOUS 39

Section 10.1 Trust Indenture Act Controls 39

Section 10.2 Notices 40

Section 10.3 Communication by Holders with Other Holders 40

Section 10.4 Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent 40

Section 10.5 Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion 41

Section 10.6 Rules by Trustee and Agents 41

Section 10.7 Legal Holidays 41

Section 10.8 No Recourse Against Others 41

Section 10.9 Counterparts 42

Section 10.10 Governing Law; Jury Trial Waiver 42

Section 10.11 No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements 42

Section 10.12 Successors 42

Section 10.13 Severability 42

Section 10.14 Table of Contents, Headings, Etc 42

Section 10.15 Securities in a Foreign Currency 43

Section 10.16 Judgment Currency 43

Section 10.17 Force Majeure 44

Section 10.18 U.S.A. Patriot Act 44

ARTICLE XI SINKING FUNDS 44

Section 11.1 Applicability of Article 44

Section 11.2 Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities 44

Section 11.3 Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund 45

ARTICLE XII SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES 46

Section 12.1 Subordination of Terms 46

-iii-
 

LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.

Reconciliation and tie between Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and
Indenture, dated as of , 20

§ 310(a)(1) 7.10
(a)(2) 7.10
(a)(3) Not Applicable
(a)(4) Not Applicable
(a)(5) 7.10
(b) 7.10
§ 311(a) 7.11
(b) 7.11
§ 312(a) 2.7
(b) 10.3
(c) 10.3
§ 313(a) 7.6
(b)(1) 7.6
(b)(2) 7.6
(c)(1) 7.6
(d) 7.6
§ 314(a) 4.2, 10.5
(b) Not Applicable
(c)(1) 10.4
(c)(2) 10.4
(c)(3) Not Applicable
(d) Not Applicable
(e) 10.5
(f) Not Applicable
§ 315(a) 7.1
(b) 7.5
(c) 7.1
(d) 7.1
(e) 6.14

 

-iv-
 

 

 

§ 316(a) 2.11
(a)(1)(A) 6.12
(a)(1)(B) 6.13
(b) 6.8
§ 317(a)(1) 6.3
(a)(2) 6.4
(b) 2.6
§ 318(a) 10.1

Note: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture.

 

-v-
 

Indenture dated as of , 20 , between LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC., a Delaware corporation (“Company”), and , as trustee (“ Trustee ”).

Each party agrees as follows for the benefit of the other party and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities issued under this Indenture.

ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Section 1.1             Definitions .

“Affiliate” of any specified person means any other person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with such specified person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such person, whether through the ownership of voting securities or by agreement or otherwise.

“Agent” means any Registrar or Paying Agent.

“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee thereof.

“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been adopted by the Board of Directors or pursuant to authorization by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of the certification and delivered to the Trustee.

“Business Day” means, for a particular Series, any day except a Saturday, Sunday or any day, including a legal holiday, on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close in The City of New York (or in connection with any payment, the place of payment).

“Capital Stock” of any person means any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of the equity of such person.

“Certificated Securities” means definitive Securities in registered non-global certificated form.

“Company” means the party named as such above until a successor, which duly assumes the obligations under this Indenture, replaces it and thereafter means the successor.

“Company Order” means a written order signed in the name of the Company by an Officer.

“Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business related to this Indenture shall be principally administered, which

- 1 -
 

 

office at the date hereof is located at , Attention: , or such other address as the Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Company, or the corporate trust office of any successor Trustee at which this Indenture shall be administered (or such other address as a successor Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders of the Company).

“Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.

“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 for such Series by the Company, which Depositary shall be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act; and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Depositary” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Depositary with respect to the Securities of such Series.

“Discount Security” means any Security that provides for an amount less than the stated principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.

“Dollars” and “$” means the currency of The United States of America.

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

“Foreign Currency” means any currency or currency unit issued by a government other than the government of The United States of America.

“Foreign Government Obligations” means, with respect to Securities of any Series that are denominated in a Foreign Currency, direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.

“GAAP” means accounting principles generally accepted in The United States of America set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect as of the date of determination.

“Global Security” or “Global Securities” means a Security or Securities, as the case may be, in the form established pursuant to Section 2.2 evidencing all or part of a Series of Securities, issued to the Depositary for such Series or its nominee, and registered in the name of such Depositary or nominee.

“Holder” or “Securityholder” means a person in whose name a Security is registered on the books of the Registrar.

- 2 -
 

 

 

“Indenture” means this Indenture as amended or supplemented from time to time and shall include the form and terms of particular Series of Securities established as contemplated hereunder.

“interest” means, with respect to any Security, any interest on such Security, and with respect to any Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, interest payable after Maturity.

“Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security becomes due and payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise.

“Officer” means the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the President, any Senior Vice President or Vice President, the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company.

“Officer’s Certificate” means a certificate signed by any Officer (or any person designated in writing by an Officer of the Company as authorized to execute and deliver Officer’s Certificates) and delivered to the Trustee.

“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of legal counsel. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company. Opinions of Counsel required to be delivered under this Indenture may have qualifications customary for opinions of the type required.

“person” means any individual, corporation, company, voluntary association, partnership, trust, joint venture, limited liability company, unincorporated organization or government or any agency, instrumentality or political subdivision thereof.

“principal” of a Security means the principal of the Security plus, when appropriate, the premium, if any, on the Security.

“Responsible Officer” means any officer of the Trustee in its Corporate Trust Office having direct responsibility for administration of this Indenture and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with a particular subject and who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Securities” means the subordinated debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company of any Series authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.

“Series” or “Series of Securities” means each series of debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company created pursuant to Sections 2.1 and 2.2 hereof.

“Stated Maturity” when used with respect to any Security, means the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security is due and payable.

- 3 -
 

 

 

“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any person, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the outstanding shares of Capital Stock or other interests having the power to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time directly or indirectly owned or controlled by such person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of such person, or a combination thereof.

“TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S. Code §§ 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date of this Indenture; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, “TIA” means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act as so amended.

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

“United States” or “U.S.” means The United States of America (including the states thereof and the District of Columbia), its territories and possessions and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.

“U.S. Government Obligations” means securities which are direct obligations of, or guaranteed by, The United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and shall 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 specific 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 evidenced by such depository receipt.

Section 1.2             Other Definitions .

TERM DEFINED IN SECTION
“Bankruptcy Law” 6.1
“Custodian” 6.1
“Event of Default” 6.1
“Judgment Currency” 10.16
“Legal Holiday” 10.7
“mandatory sinking fund payment” 11.1
“optional sinking fund payment” 11.1

 

- 4 -
 

 

 

“Paying Agent” 2.5
“Registrar” 2.5
“Required Currency” 10.16
“successor person” 5.1
   

Section 1.3             Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act .

Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:

“Commission” means the SEC.

“indenture securities” means the Securities.

“indenture security holder” means a Securityholder.

“indenture to be qualified” means this Indenture.

“indenture trustee” or “institutional trustee” means the Trustee.

“obligor” on the indenture securities means the Company and any successor obligor upon the Securities.

All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the TIA and not otherwise defined herein are used herein as so defined.

Section 1.4             Rules of Construction .

Unless the context otherwise requires:

(a)                 a term has the meaning assigned to it;

(b)                an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;

(c)                 “or” is not exclusive;

(d)                words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular; and

(e)                 provisions apply to successive events and transactions.

- 5 -
 

 

 

ARTICLE II
THE SECURITIES

Section 2.1             Issuable in Series .

The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more Series. All Securities of a Series shall be identical except as may be set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate establishing the terms of such Series. In the case of Securities of a Series to be issued from time to time, the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture establishing the terms thereof may provide for the method by which specified terms (such as interest rate, maturity date, record date or date from which interest shall accrue) are to be determined. Securities may differ between Series in respect of any matters, provided that all Series of Securities shall be equally and ratably entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.

Section 2.2             Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities .

At or prior to the issuance of any Securities within a Series, the following shall be established (as to the Series generally, in the case of Subsection 2.2.1 and either as to such Securities within the Series or as to the Series generally in the case of Subsections 2.2.2 through 2.2.24) by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate:

2.2.1         the title (which shall distinguish the Securities of that particular Series from the Securities of any other Series) of the Series;

2.2.2         the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount thereof) at which the Securities of the Series will be issued;

2.2.3         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 2.8, 2.9, 2.12, 3.6 or 9.6);

2.2.4         the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the Series is payable;

2.2.5         the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates (including, but not limited to, any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the Securities of the Series shall bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which such interest, if any, shall accrue, the date or dates on which such interest, if any, shall commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;

2.2.6         the place or places where the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series shall be payable, where the Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company

- 6 -
 

 

in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered, and the method of such payment, if by wire transfer, mail or other means;

2.2.7         if applicable, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which the Securities of the Series must be redeemed or may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;

2.2.8         the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase the 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;

2.2.9         the dates, if any, on which and the price or prices at which the Securities of the Series will be repurchased by the Company at the option of the Holders thereof and other detailed terms and provisions of such repurchase obligations;

2.2.10     if other than denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the Series shall be issuable;

2.2.11     the forms of the Securities of the Series and whether the Securities will be issuable as Global Securities;

2.2.12     if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of the Securities of the Series that shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2;

2.2.13     the currency of denomination of the Securities of the Series, which may be Dollars or any Foreign Currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

2.2.14     the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be made;

2.2.15     if payments of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which such Securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;

2.2.16     the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be determined, if such amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

2.2.17     the provisions, if any, relating to any security provided for the Securities of the Series;

-7 -
 

 

 

2.2.18     any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the Series and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 6.2;

2.2.19     any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants set forth in Articles IV or V which applies to Securities of the Series;

2.2.20     any Depositaries, trustees, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to Securities of such Series if other than those appointed herein;

2.2.21     the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any Securities of such Series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price, the conversion or exchange period, the securities or other property into which the Securities will be convertible, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, at the option of the Holders thereof or at the option of the Company, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange if such Series of Securities are redeemed;

2.2.22     whether any of the Company’s direct or indirect Subsidiaries will guarantee the Securities of that Series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees;

2.2.23     the subordination terms of the Securities of the Series; and

2.2.24     any other terms of the Series (which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of this Indenture insofar as it applies to such Series), including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that Series.

All Securities of any one Series need not be issued at the same time and may be issued from time to time, consistent with the terms of this Indenture, if so provided by or pursuant to the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate referred to above.

Section 2.3             Denominations; Provision for Payment .

The Securities of any Series shall be issuable, except as otherwise provided with respect to Securities of any Series pursuant to Section 2.2, as registered Securities in the denominations of one thousand Dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. Unless otherwise provided with respect to Securities of any Series pursuant to Section 2.2, the principal of and the interest on the Securities of any Series, if any, thereon, shall by payable in Dollars at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. Unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 2.2 with respect to any Securities of any Series, interest on the Securities of any Series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months.

- 8 -
 

 

 

Section 2.4             Execution and Authentication .

Two Officers shall sign the Securities for the Company by manual or facsimile signature.

If an Officer whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Security is authenticated, the Security shall nevertheless be valid.

A Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security has been authenticated under this Indenture.

The Trustee shall at any time, and from time to time, authenticate Securities for original issue in the principal amount provided in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate, upon receipt by the Trustee of a Company Order. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.

The aggregate principal amount of Securities of any Series outstanding at any time may not exceed any limit upon the maximum principal amount for such Series set forth in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2, except as provided in Section 2.9.

Prior to the issuance of Securities of any Series, the Trustee shall have received and (subject to Section 7.1) shall be fully protected in conclusively relying on: (a) the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 establishing the form of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series and the terms of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series, (b) an Officer’s Certificate complying with Section 9.7 (with respect to the execution of supplemental indentures) and Section 10.4, and (c) an Opinion of Counsel complying with Section 9.7 (with respect to the execution of supplemental indentures) and Section 10.4.

The Trustee shall have the right, but not the obligation, to decline to authenticate and deliver any Securities of such Series: (a) if the Trustee, being advised by counsel, determines that such action may not be taken lawfully; or (b) if the Trustee in good faith determines that such action would expose the Trustee to personal liability.

The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Company to authenticate Securities. An authenticating agent may authenticate Securities whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company.

Section 2.5             Registrar and Paying Agent .

The Company shall maintain, with respect to each Series of Securities, at the place or places specified with respect to such Series, an office or agency where Securities of such Series may be presented or surrendered for payment (“ Paying Agent ”) and where Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange (“ Registrar ”). The Registrar shall keep a register with respect to each Series of Securities and to their transfer and exchange.

- 9 -
 

 

The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the name and address, and any change in the name or address, of each Registrar or Paying Agent. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required Registrar or Paying Agent or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the name and address thereof, such presentations and surrenders may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations and surrenders.

The Company may also from time to time designate one or more co-registrars or additional paying agents 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 obligations to maintain a Registrar or Paying Agent in each place so specified for Securities of any Series for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the name or address of any such co-registrar or additional paying agent. The term “ Registrar ” includes any co-registrar; and the term “ Paying Agent ” includes any additional paying agent. The Company or any of its Affiliates may serve as Registrar or Paying Agent.

The Company hereby appoints the Trustee as the initial Registrar and Paying Agent for each Series unless another Registrar or Paying Agent, as the case may be, is appointed prior to the time Securities of that Series are first issued.

Section 2.6             Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust .

The Company shall require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying Agent will hold in trust, for the benefit of Securityholders of any Series of Securities, or the Trustee, all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of or interest on the Securities of that Series, and will notify the Trustee in writing of any default by the Company in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company) shall have no further liability for the money. If the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate and hold in a separate trust fund for the benefit of Securityholders of any Series of Securities all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy, reorganization or similar proceeding with respect to the Company, the Trustee shall serve as Paying Agent for the Securities.

Section 2.7             Securityholder Lists .

The Trustee shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities and shall otherwise comply with TIA § 312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee at least ten days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing a list, in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities.

- 10 -
 

 

 

Section 2.8             Transfer and Exchange .

Where Securities of a Series are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer or to exchange them for an equal principal amount of Securities of the same Series, the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange if its requirements for such transactions are met. To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Trustee shall authenticate Securities at the Registrar’s request. No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange (except as otherwise expressly permitted herein), but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable upon exchanges pursuant to Sections 2.12, 3.6 or 9.6).

Neither the Company nor the Registrar shall be required (a) to issue, register the transfer of, or exchange Securities of any Series for the period beginning at the opening of business fifteen days immediately preceding the mailing of a notice of redemption of Securities of that Series selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing, or (b) to register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any Series selected, called or being called for redemption as a whole or the portion being redeemed of any such Securities selected, called or being called for redemption in part.

Section 2.9             Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities .

If any mutilated Security 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.

If there shall be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (a) evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security and (b) such security or indemnity bond as may be required by each of them to hold itself and any of its agents harmless, then, in the absence of written notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company shall execute and upon receipt of a Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.

In case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay such Security.

Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section 2.9, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.

Every new Security of any Series issued pursuant to this Section 2.9 in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time

- 11 -
 

 

 

enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that Series duly issued hereunder.

The provisions of this Section 2.9 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.

Section 2.10         Outstanding Securities .

The Securities outstanding at any time are all the Securities authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by the Registrar and those described in this Section 2.10 as not outstanding.

If a Security is replaced pursuant to Section 2.9, it ceases to be outstanding unless the Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Security is held by a bona fide purchaser.

If the Paying Agent (other than the Company, a Subsidiary of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company) holds on the Maturity of Securities of a Series money sufficient to pay such Securities payable on that date, then on and after that date such Securities of the Series cease to be outstanding and interest on them ceases to accrue.

The Company may purchase or otherwise acquire the Securities, whether by open market purchases, negotiated transactions or otherwise. A Security does not cease to be outstanding because the Company or an Affiliate of the Company holds the Security.

In determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, the principal amount of a Discount Security that shall be deemed to be outstanding for such purposes shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.

Section 2.11         Treasury Securities .

In determining whether the Holders of the required principal amount of Securities of a Series have concurred in any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, Securities of a Series owned by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company shall be disregarded, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in conclusively relying on any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, only Securities of a Series that a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. Securities so owned which have been pledged in good faith shall not be disregarded if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right to deliver any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver with respect to the Securities and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor.

- 12 -
 

 

 

Section 2.12         Temporary Securities .

Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Company may prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate temporary Securities upon a Company Order. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Company considers appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall prepare and the Trustee upon receipt of a Company Order shall authenticate definitive Securities of the same Series and date of maturity in exchange for temporary Securities. Until so exchanged, temporary Securities shall have the same rights under this Indenture as the definitive Securities.

Section 2.13         Cancellation .

The Company at any time may deliver Securities to the Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar and the Paying Agent, if not the Trustee, shall forward to the Trustee any Securities surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee shall cancel all Securities surrendered for transfer, exchange, payment, replacement, conversion or cancellation and shall dispose of such canceled Securities (subject to the record retention requirement of the Exchange Act and the Trustee) in accordance with its customary procedures and deliver a certificate of such cancellation to the Company upon written request of the Company. The Company may not issue new Securities to replace Securities that it has paid or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.

Section 2.14         Defaulted Interest .

If the Company defaults in a payment of interest on a Series of Securities, it may pay the defaulted interest, plus, to the extent permitted by law, any interest payable on the defaulted interest, to the persons who are Securityholders of the Series on a subsequent special record date. The Company shall fix the record date and payment date. At least 10 days before the special record date, the Company shall mail to the Trustee and to each Securityholder of the Series a notice that states the special record date, the payment date and the amount of interest to be paid. The Company may pay defaulted interest in any other lawful manner.

Section 2.15         Global Securities .

2.15.1     Terms of Securities . A Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate shall establish whether the Securities of a Series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities.

2.15.2     Transfer and Exchange . Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in Section 2.8 of this Indenture and in addition thereto, any Global Security shall be exchangeable pursuant to Section 2.8 of this Indenture for Securities registered in the names of Holders other than the Depositary for such Security or its nominee only if (a) such Depositary notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for such Global Security or if at any time such Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and, in either case, the Company fails to appoint a successor Depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act within 90 days of such event or (b) the

- 13 -
 

 

Company determines in its sole discretion not to have such Securities represented by one or more Global Securities and executes and delivers to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate to the effect that such Global Security shall be so exchangeable. Any Global Security that is exchangeable pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be exchangeable for Securities registered in such names as the Depositary shall direct in writing in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security with like tenor and terms.

Except as provided in this Section 2.15.2, a Global Security may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary with respect to such Global Security to a nominee of such Depositary, by a nominee of such Depositary to such Depositary or another nominee of such Depositary or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such a successor Depositary.

2.15.3     Legend . Any Global Security issued hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:

“THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY. THIS SECURITY IS EXCHANGEABLE FOR SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A PERSON OTHER THAN THE DEPOSITARY OR ITS NOMINEE ONLY IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE, AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, 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 A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.”

2.15.4     Acts of Holders . The Depositary, as a Holder, may appoint agents and otherwise authorize participants to give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which a Holder is entitled to give or take under this Indenture.

2.15.5     Payments . Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Indenture, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.2, payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on any Global Security shall be made to the Holder thereof, which in the case of a Depositary therefor will be made in accordance with its applicable procedures.

2.15.6     Consents, Declaration and Directions . The Company, the Trustee and any Agent shall treat a person as the Holder of such principal amount of outstanding Securities of such Series represented by a Global Security as shall be specified in a written statement of the Depositary or by the applicable procedures of such Depositary with respect to such Global Security, for purposes of obtaining any consents, declarations, waivers or directions required to be given by the Holders pursuant to this Indenture.

- 14 -
 

 

 

Section 2.16         CUSIP Numbers .

The Company in issuing the Securities may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other elements of identification printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Trustee shall have no liability for any defect in the “CUSIP” numbers as they appear on any Security, notice or elsewhere. The Company will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the “CUSIP” numbers.

ARTICLE III
REDEMPTION

Section 3.1             Notice to Trustee .

The Company may, with respect to any Series of Securities, reserve the right to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or may covenant to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or any part thereof prior to the Stated Maturity thereof at such time and on such terms as provided for in such Securities. If a Series of Securities is redeemable and the Company wants or is obligated to redeem prior to the Stated Maturity thereof all or part of the Series of Securities pursuant to the terms of such Securities, it shall notify the Trustee in writing of the redemption date and the principal amount of Series of Securities to be redeemed. The Company shall give the notice to the Trustee at least 45 days before the redemption date, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the Trustee.

Section 3.2             Selection of Securities to be Redeemed .

Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, if less than all the Securities of a Series are to be redeemed, the Trustee shall select the Securities of the Series to be redeemed in any manner that the Trustee deems fair and appropriate, including selecting by lot or other method, unless otherwise required by law or applicable stock exchange requirements, subject, in the case of Global Securities, to the applicable rules and procedures of the Depositary; provided that the unredeemed portion of the principal amount of any Security shall be in an authorized denomination (which shall not be less than the minimum authorized denomination) for such Security. The Trustee shall make the selection from Securities of the Series outstanding not previously called for redemption. Provisions of this Indenture that apply to Securities of a Series called for redemption also apply to portions of Securities of that Series called for redemption.

Section 3.3             Notice of Redemption .

Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Company shall mail a notice of redemption by first-class mail to each Holder whose Securities are to be redeemed.

- 15 -
 

 

 

The notice shall identify the Securities of the Series to be redeemed and shall state:

(a)                 the redemption date;

(b)                the redemption price and the amount of accrued interest, if any, to be paid;

(c)                 the name and address of the Paying Agent and, if applicable, the conversion Agent;

(d)                for convertible Securities, the conversion price;

(e)                 if any Global Security is being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Global Security to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date upon surrender of such Global Security, the principal amount thereof will be decreased by the portion thereof redeemed pursuant thereto;

(f)                 if any Certificated Security is being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Security to be redeemed, and that, after the redemption date, upon surrender of such Security, a new Certificated Security in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Certificated Security;

(g)                that Securities of the Series (or portion thereof) called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price;

(h)                that interest on Securities of the Series called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date unless the Company defaults in the deposit of the redemption price;

(i)                  the CUSIP number, if any, and state that no representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of the CUSIP number, if any, listed in the SEC’s notice or printed on the Securities; and

(j)                  any other information as may be required by the terms of the particular Series or the Securities of a Series being redeemed.

At the Company’s request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption in the Company’s name and at its expense, provided, however, that the Company has delivered to the Trustee, at least 15 days (unless a shorter time shall be acceptable to the Trustee) prior to the notice date, an Officer’s Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice.

Section 3.4             Effect of Notice of Redemption .

Once notice of redemption is mailed as provided in Section 3.3, Securities of a Series called for redemption become due and payable on the redemption date and at the redemption price. Except as otherwise provided in the supplemental indenture, Board Resolution or Officer’s Certificate for a Series, a notice of redemption may not be conditional. Upon surrender to the

- 16 -
 

 

Paying Agent, such Securities shall be paid at the redemption price plus accrued interest to the redemption date other than Securities or portions of Securities called for redemption which have been delivered by the Company to the Registrar for cancellation. The Paying Agent shall return to the Company any money not required for that purpose.

Unless the Company shall default in the payment of Securities (and accrued interest) called for redemption, interest on such Securities shall cease to accrue after the redemption date. Convertible Securities called for redemption shall cease to be convertible after the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the redemption date, unless the Company shall default in the payment of such Securities on the redemption date, in which event the Securities shall remain convertible until paid (together with accrued interest).

Failure to give notice of redemption, or any defect in such notice to the Holder of any Security of a Series designated for redemption, in whole or in part, shall not affect the sufficiency of any notice of redemption with respect to the Holder of any other Security of such Series.

Section 3.5             Deposit of Redemption Price .

On or before 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the redemption date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption price of and accrued interest, if any, on all Securities to be redeemed on that date.

Section 3.6             Securities Redeemed in Part .

Upon surrender of a Certificated Security that is redeemed in part, the Trustee shall authenticate for the Holder a new Certificated Security of the same Series and the same maturity equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Security surrendered and concurrently cancel the surrendered Certificated Security.

ARTICLE IV
COVENANTS

Section 4.1             Payment of Principal and Interest .

The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of each Series of Securities that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture. On or before 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the applicable payment date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of each Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture. Principal and interest shall be considered paid on the date due if the Paying Agent holds in accordance with this Indenture on that date money sufficient to pay all principal and interest then due and the Paying Agent is not prohibited from paying such money to the Holders on such date pursuant to the terms of this Indenture.

- 17 -
 

 

 

Section 4.2             Reports by Company .

(a)                 As long as any Securities are outstanding, the Company shall file with the Trustee, and transmit to the Holders, such information, documents and other reports, and such summaries thereof, as may be required pursuant to TIA § 314(a). All reports, information and documents referred to in this Section 4.2 will be deemed to be filed with the Trustee and transmitted to the Holders at the time such reports, information or documents are publicly filed with the SEC via the SEC’s EDGAR filing system (or any successor system), it being understood that the Trustee shall have no responsibility whatsoever to determine if such filings have been made.

(b)                Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under this Section 4.2 are for informational purposes only and shall not constitute a representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the reports, information and documents. The Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates).

Section 4.3             Compliance Certificate .

To the extent any Securities of a Series are outstanding, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, an Officer’s Certificate (which need not contain the statements provided for in Section 10.4) from its principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer stating that a review of the activities of the Company and its Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officer with a view to determining whether the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled its obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to such Officer signing such certificate, that to his or her knowledge the Company is not in default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions hereof (or, if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which the Officer has knowledge). Such Officer’s Certificate need not include a reference to any non-compliance that has been fully cured prior to the date as of which such certificate speaks.

Section 4.4             Stay, Extension and Usury Laws .

The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture or the Securities; and the Company (to the extent it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.

- 18 -
 

 

 

Section 4.5             Corporate Existence .

Subject to Article V, the Company will do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence and rights (charter and statutory); provided , however , that the Company shall not be required to preserve any such right if the Board of Directors shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole and that the loss thereof is not adverse in any material respect to the Holders.

ARTICLE V
SUCCESSORS

Section 5.1             Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets .

The Company may not consolidate with or merge with or into, sell, convey, transfer or dispose of all or substantially all of its assets to any other person (a “ successor person ”), whether in one transaction or a series of related transactions, unless:

(a)                 (i) the Company is the surviving corporation or (ii) the successor person (if other than the Company) (A) is a corporation, limited liability corporation, partnership or trust organized under the laws of the United States; and (B) expressly assumes, by an indenture supplemental hereto, the Company’s obligations on the Securities and under this Indenture; and

(b)                immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default shall have happened and be continuing.

The Company shall deliver to the Trustee prior to the consummation of the proposed transaction an Officer’s Certificate to the foregoing effect and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the proposed transaction and any supplemental indenture comply with Section 5.1 of this Indenture.

Notwithstanding the above, any Subsidiary of the Company may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to the Company. Neither an Officer’s Certificate nor an Opinion of Counsel shall be required to be delivered in connection therewith.

Section 5.2             Successor Person Substituted .

Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, conveyance, transfer, or lease of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries in accordance with Section 5.1, the successor person formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Company is merged or to which such sale, 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 and the Securities with the same effect as if such successor person has been named as the Company herein; and, thereafter, the predecessor Company, in the case of a sale, conveyance or transfer (other than a lease), shall be released from all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.

- 19 -
 

 

 

ARTICLE VI
DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES

Section 6.1             Events of Default .

Event of Default ,” wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any Series, means any one of the following events, unless in the establishing Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officer’s Certificate, it is provided that such Series shall not have the benefit of said Event of Default:

(a)                 failure to pay any interest on any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of such payment is deposited by the Company with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the 30th day of such period);

(b)                failure to pay principal of any Security of that Series at its Maturity;

(c)                 default in the performance or breach of any covenant of the Company in this Indenture (other than defaults pursuant to sub-clauses (a) through (c) above or defaults related to a covenant that has been included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of a Series of Securities other than that Series), which default continues uncured for a period of 90 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder;

(d)                the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law:

(i)                  commences a voluntary case,

(ii)                consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case,

(iii)              consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property, or

(iv)              makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors;

(e)                 a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:

(i)                  is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case,

(ii)                appoints a Custodian of the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or

(iii)              orders the liquidation of the Company, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 days; or

- 20 -
 

 

 

(f)                 any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of that Series, which is specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, in accordance with Section 2.2.18.

The term “Bankruptcy Law” means title 11, U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors. The term “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.

A Default under one Series of Securities issued under this Indenture will not necessarily be a default under another Series of Securities under this Indenture.

The Company will, so long as any of the Securities are outstanding, deliver to the Trustee, within 30 days of becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, an Officer’s Certificate specifying such Default or Event of Default and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto.

Section 6.2             Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment .

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing (other than an Event of Default referred to in Section 6.1(d) or (e)) 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 any Securities of that Series are Discount Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of such Securities) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on 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) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, shall become immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) shall occur, the principal amount (or specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding Securities shall ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder.

At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to 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 all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that Series, other than the non-payment of the principal and interest, if any, of Securities of that Series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 6.13.

No such rescission shall affect any subsequent Default.

- 21 -
 

 

 

Section 6.3             Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee .

The Company covenants that if

(a)                 default is made in the payment of any interest on any Security when such interest becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days, or

(b)                default is made in the payment of principal of any Security at the Maturity thereof, or

(c)                 default is made in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, if any, when and as due by the terms of a Security,

then , the Company will, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to it, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest and, to the extent that payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable, interest on any overdue principal and any overdue interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities, 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 the Company fails to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and collect the moneys adjudged or deemed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities, wherever situated.

If an Event of Default with respect to any Securities of any Series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series 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.

Section 6.4             Trustee May File Proofs of Claim .

In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relating to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or the property of the Company or of such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of overdue principal or interest) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise,

(a)                 to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may

- 22 -
 

 

be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and

(b)                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 7.7.

Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder 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.

Section 6.5             Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities .

All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or the Securities 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, 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 in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.

Section 6.6             Application of Money Collected .

Any money or property 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 or property on account of principal or interest, 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 to the Trustee under this Indenture; and

Second: To the payment of all indebtedness of the Company to which such Series of Securities is subordinated to the extent required by Article 12 of this Indenture; and

Third: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid for principal of and interest 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 interest, respectively; and

Fourth: To the Company.

- 23 -
 

 

 

Section 6.7             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)                 such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that Series;

(b)                the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series 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 indemnity or security satisfactory to the Trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by the Trustee in compliance with such request;

(d)                the Trustee has failed to institute any such proceeding for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity; 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, intended and expressly covenanted by the Holder of every Security with every other Holder and the Trustee that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain 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 such Holders of the applicable Series; provided, however, that the Trustee does not have an affirmative duty to ascertain whether or not such actions or forbearances are unduly prejudicial to such Holders.

Section 6.8             Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest .

Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security has the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on such Security on the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity 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.

Section 6.9             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

- 24 -
 

 

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.

Section 6.10         Rights and Remedies Cumulative .

Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities in Section 2.9, 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, to the extent permitted by law, prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.

Section 6.11         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 an 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.

Section 6.12         Control by Holders .

The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee, with respect to the Securities of such Series, provided that:

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

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

(c)                 subject to the provisions of Section 7.1, the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall, by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, determine that the proceeding so directed would involve the Trustee in personal liability; and

(d)                prior to taking any action as directed under this Section 6.12, the Trustee shall be entitled to indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

- 25 -
 

 

(e)                  

Section 6.13         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 in the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security of such Series (provided, however, that the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from such acceleration). Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default.

Section 6.14         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, suffered or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section 6.14 shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Company, to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security on or after the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date).

ARTICLE VII
TRUSTEE

Section 7.1             Duties of Trustee .

(a)                 If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

(b)                Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:

(i)                  The Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no others.

(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 Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; however, in the case of any such Officer’s

- 26 -
 

 

Certificates or Opinions of Counsel which by any provisions hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall examine such Officer’s Certificates and Opinions of Counsel to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein).

(c)                 The Trustee may not be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:

(i)                  This sub-clause (c) does not limit the effect of sub-clause (b) of this Section 7.1.

(ii)                The Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts.

(iii)              The Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it with respect to Securities of any Series in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series 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 in accordance with Section 6.12.

(d)                Every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to sub-clauses (a), (b) and (c) of this Section 7.1.

(e)                 The Trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any right or power unless it receives indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power.

(f)                 The Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money received by it. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

(g)                No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if adequate indemnity against such risk is not assured to the Trustee in its satisfaction.

(h)                The Paying Agent, the Registrar and any authenticating agent shall be entitled to the protections and immunities as are set forth in sub-clauses (e), (f) and (g) of this Section 7.1 and in Section 7.2, each with respect to the Trustee.

Section 7.2             Rights of Trustee .

(a)                 The Trustee may conclusively rely on and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any document (whether in its original or facsimile form) believed by

- 27 -
 

 

it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.

(b)                Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it shall be entitled to receive an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in conclusive reliance on such Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel.

(c)                 The Trustee may act through agents and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care. No Depositary shall be deemed an agent of the Trustee and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any act or omission by any Depositary.

(d)                The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith which it believes to be authorized or within its rights or powers, provided that the Trustee’s conduct does not constitute willful misconduct or negligence.

(e)                 The Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon.

(f)                 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 of Securities unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

(g)                The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit and shall incur no liability or additional liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation.

(h)                The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge thereof or unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is received by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Securities generally or the Securities of a particular Series and this Indenture.

(i)                  In no event shall the Trustee be liable to any person for special, punitive, indirect, consequential or incidental loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage.

(j)                  The permissive right of the Trustee to take the actions permitted by this Indenture shall not be construed as an obligation or duty to do so.

- 28 -
 

 

 

(k)                The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder.

(l)                  The Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the performance of its powers and duties hereunder.

(m)              The Trustee may request that the Company deliver a certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture.

Section 7.3             Individual Rights of Trustee .

The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights. However, the Trustee is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11 hereof.

Section 7.4             Trustee’s Disclaimer .

The Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Securities, it shall not be accountable for the Company’s use of the proceeds from the Securities, and it shall not be responsible for any statement in the Securities other than its authentication.

Section 7.5             Notice of Defaults .

If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Securities of any Series and if it is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall mail to each Securityholder of the Securities of that Series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. Except in the case of a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal of or interest on any Security of any Series, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as it in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of Securityholders of that Series.

Section 7.6             Reports by Trustee to Holders .

Within 60 days after each anniversary of the date of this Indenture, the Trustee shall transmit by mail to all Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear on the register kept by the Registrar, a brief report dated as of such reporting date, in accordance with, and to the extent required under, TIA § 313.

A copy of each report at the time of its mailing to Securityholders of any Series shall be filed with the SEC and each national securities exchange on which the Securities of that Series are listed. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing when Securities of any Series are listed on any national securities exchange or of any delisting thereof.

- 29 -
 

 

 

Section 7.7             Compensation and Indemnity .

The Company shall pay to the Trustee from time to time compensation for its services as the Company and the Trustee shall from time to time agree upon in writing. The Trustee’s compensation shall not be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee upon request for all reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred by it. Such expenses shall include the reasonable compensation and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.

The Company shall indemnify each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee against any cost, expense, claim (whether asserted by the Company, a Holder or any other person) or liability (including the cost of defending itself), including taxes (other than taxes based upon, measured by or determined by the income of the Trustee), incurred by it except as set forth in the next paragraph in the performance of its duties under this Indenture as Trustee or Agent. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of its obligations hereunder, unless and to the extent that the Company is materially prejudiced thereby. The Company shall defend the claim and the Trustee shall cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may have one separate counsel and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. This indemnification shall apply to officers, directors, employees, shareholders and agents of the Trustee.

The Company need not reimburse any expense or indemnify against any loss or liability incurred by the Trustee or by any officer, director, employee or shareholder of the Trustee through willful misconduct or negligence.

To secure the Company’s payment obligations in this Section 7.7, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities of any Series on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of and interest on particular Securities of that Series.

When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(f) or (g) occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.

The provisions of this Section 7.7 shall survive the termination of this Indenture or the resignation or removal of the Trustee.

Section 7.8             Replacement of Trustee .

A resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee shall become effective only upon the successor Trustee’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section 7.8.

The Trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Securities of one or more Series by so notifying the Company at least 30 days prior to the date of the proposed resignation. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any Series may remove the Trustee

- 30 -
 

 

with respect to that Series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company in writing. The Company may remove the Trustee with respect to Securities of one or more Series if:

(a)                 the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10;

(b)                the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;

(c)                 a Custodian or public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or

(d)                the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.

If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Securities may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Company.

If a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any one or more Series does not take office within 30 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Securities of the applicable Series may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee at the expense of the Company.

A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company. Immediately after that, the retiring Trustee shall transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee subject to the lien provided for in Section 7.7, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective, and the successor Trustee shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee with respect to each Series of Securities for which it is acting as Trustee under this Indenture. A successor Trustee shall mail a notice of its succession to each Securityholder of each such Series. Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.8, the Company’s obligations under Section 7.7 hereof shall continue for the benefit of the retiring Trustee with respect to expenses and liabilities incurred by it for actions taken or omitted to be taken in accordance with its rights, powers and duties under this Indenture prior to such replacement.

Section 7.9             Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc .

If the Trustee consolidates with, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust business to, another corporation, the successor corporation without any further act shall be the successor Trustee, if such successor corporation is eligible and qualified under Section 7.10.

Section 7.10         Eligibility; Disqualification .

This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA § 310(a)(1), (2) and (5). The Trustee shall always have a combined capital and surplus of at least

- 31 -
 

 

$25,000,000 as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. The Trustee shall comply with TIA § 310(b).

Section 7.11         Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company .

The Trustee is subject to TIA § 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA § 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA § 311(a) to the extent indicated.

ARTICLE VIII
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE

Section 8.1             Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture .

This Indenture shall upon Company Order cease to be of further effect (except as hereinafter provided in this Section 8.1), and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, when

(a)                 either

(i)                  all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than Securities that have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.9) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or

(ii)                all such Securities not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation:

(1)                have become due and payable, or

(2)                will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year, or

(3)                have been called for redemption or 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 (1), (2) or (3) above, has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust an amount of money or U.S. Government Obligations sufficient for the purpose of paying and discharging the entire indebtedness on such Securities not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, for principal and interest to the date of such deposit (in the case of Securities which have become due and payable on or prior to the date of such deposit) or to the Stated Maturity or redemption date, as the case may be;

(b)                the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; and

- 32 -
 

 

 

(c)                 the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s 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 7.7, and, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to sub-clause (a) of this Section 8.1, the provisions of Sections 2.5, 2.8, 2.9, 8.2 and 8.5 shall survive.

Section 8.2             Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification .

(a)                 Subject to the provisions of Section 8.5, all money or U.S. Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.1, all money and U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.3 or 8.4 and all money received by the Trustee in respect of U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.3 or 8.4, shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities 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 interest for whose payment such money has been deposited with or received by the Trustee or to make mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments as contemplated by Sections 8.3 or 8.4.

(b)                The Company shall pay and shall indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Sections 8.3 or 8.4 or the interest and principal received in respect of such obligations other than any payable by or on behalf of Holders.

(c)                 The Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Order any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money held by it as provided in Sections 8.3 or 8.4 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are then in excess of the amount thereof which then would have been required to be deposited for the purpose for which such U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money were deposited or received. This provision shall not authorize the sale by the Trustee of any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations held under this Indenture.

Section 8.3             Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series .

Unless this Section 8.3 is otherwise specified, pursuant to Section 2.2, to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness on all the outstanding Securities of any Series on the 91st day after the date of the deposit referred to in sub-clause (d) hereof, and the provisions of this Indenture, as it relates to such outstanding Securities of such Series, shall no longer be in effect (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, execute instruments acknowledging the same), except as to:

- 33 -
 

 

 

(a)                 the rights of Holders of Securities of such Series to receive, from the trust funds described in sub-clause (d) hereof, (i) payment of the principal of and each installment of principal of and interest on the outstanding Securities of such Series on the Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or interest and (ii) the benefit of any mandatory sinking fund payments applicable to the Securities of such Series on the day on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and the Securities of such Series;

(b)                the provisions of Sections 2.5, 2.8, 2.9, 8.2, 8.3 and 8.5; and

(c)                 the rights, powers, trust and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith;

provided that, the following conditions shall have been satisfied:

(d)                the Company shall have deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for and dedicated solely to the benefit of the Holders of such Securities: (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations, or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms (and without reinvestment), will provide, not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal of and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of interest or principal and such sinking fund payments are due;

(e)                 such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;

(f)                 no Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or during the period ending on the 91st day after such date;

(g)                the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable U.S. federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm that, the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to U.S. 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, defeasance and discharge had not occurred;

- 34 -
 

 

 

(h)                the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and

(i)                  the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to the defeasance contemplated by this Section 8.3 have been complied with.

Section 8.4             Covenant Defeasance .

Unless this Section 8.4 is otherwise specified pursuant to Section 2.2 to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company may omit to comply with respect to the Securities of any Series with any term, provision or condition set forth under Sections 4.2 and 4.3, 4.4 and 5.1as well as any additional covenants specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 (and the failure to comply with any such covenants shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default with respect to such Series under Section 6.1) and the occurrence of any event specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2.18 and designated as an Event of Default shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default hereunder, with respect to the Securities of such Series, provided that the following conditions shall have been satisfied:

(a)                 With reference to this Section 8.4, the Company has deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities: (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations, or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms (and without reinvestment), will provide, not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal of and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of interest or principal and such sinking fund payments are due;

(b)                Such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;

(c)                 No Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit;

(d)                The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit and covenant defeasance and will

- 35 -
 

 

be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit and covenant defeasance had not occurred;

(e)                 The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and

(f)                 The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the covenant defeasance contemplated by this Section 8.4 have been complied with.

Section 8.5             Repayment to Company .

Subject to applicable abandoned property law, the Trustee and the Paying Agent shall pay to the Company upon request any money held by them for the payment of principal or interest that remains unclaimed for two years after such principal or interest has become due and payable. After that, Securityholders entitled to the money must look to the Company for payment as general creditors unless an applicable abandoned property law designates another person.

Section 8.6             Reinstatement .

If the Trustee or the Paying Agent is unable to apply any money deposited with respect to Securities of any Series in accordance with Section 8.1 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 obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series and under the Securities of such Series shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.1 until such time as the Trustee or the Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.1; provided, however, that if the Company has made any payment of principal of or interest on any Securities because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Securities to receive such payment from the money or U.S. Government Obligations held by the Trustee or Paying Agent after payment in full to the Holders.

ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS

Section 9.1             Without Consent of Holders .

The Company and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series without the consent of any Securityholder:

(a)                 to add guarantees with respect to any Series of Securities or secure any Series of Securities;

(b)                to surrender any of the Company’s rights or powers under this Indenture;

- 36 -
 

 

 

(c)                 to add covenants or Events of Default for the benefit of the Securityholders of any Series of Securities;

(d)                to comply with the applicable rules or procedures of the Depositary;

(e)                 to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency, as described in the Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 10.4;

(f)                 to comply with Article V;

(g)                to provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities;

(h)                to make any change that does not materially adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder;

(i)                  to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of Securities of any Series as permitted by this Indenture;

(j)                  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;

(k)                to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA;

(l)                  to comply with the rules or regulations of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which any of the Securities may be listed or traded; and

(m)              to change or eliminate any of the provisions of this Indenture, provided that any such change or elimination shall not be effective with respect to any outstanding Securities of any Series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture which is entitled to the benefit of such provision.

Section 9.2             With Consent of Holders .

The Company and the Trustee may enter into a supplemental indenture with the written consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of each Series affected by such supplemental indenture (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series), for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Securityholders of each such Series. Except as provided in Section 6.13, the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series by written notice to the Trustee (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series) may waive compliance by the Company with any provision of this Indenture or the Securities with respect to such Series.

- 37 -
 

 

 

It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders of Securities under this Section 9.2 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof. After a supplemental indenture or waiver under this Section 9.2 becomes effective, the Company shall mail to the Holders of Securities affected thereby, a notice briefly describing the supplemental indenture or waiver. Any failure by the Company to mail or publish such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture or waiver.

Section 9.3             Limitations .

Without the consent of each Securityholder affected, an amendment or waiver may not:

(a)                 reduce the principal amount of Securities whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

(b)                reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any Security or that Series;

(c)                 reduce the principal of, or change the Stated Maturity of, any Security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation;

(d)                reduce the principal amount of Discount Securities payable upon acceleration of the maturity thereof;

(e)                 waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security (except a rescission of acceleration of the Securities of any Series by the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Securities of such Series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

(f)                 make the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security payable in any currency other than that stated in the Security;

(g)                make any change in Sections 6.8 or 6.13 or this Section 9.3; or

(h)                waive a redemption payment with respect to any Security.

Section 9.4             Compliance with Trust Indenture Act .

Every amendment to this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series shall be set forth in a supplemental indenture hereto that complies with the TIA as then in effect.

Section 9.5             Revocation and Effect of Consents .

Until an amendment is set forth in a supplemental indenture or a waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Security is a continuing consent by the Holder and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Security.

- 38 -
 

 

 

Any amendment or waiver once effective shall bind every Securityholder of each Series affected by such amendment or waiver unless it is of the type described in any of sub-clauses (a) through (h) of Section 9.3. In that case, the amendment or waiver shall bind each Holder of a Security who has consented to it and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security.

The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders entitled to give their consent or take any other action described above or required or permitted to be taken pursuant to this Indenture. If a record date is fixed, then notwithstanding the immediately preceding paragraph, those Persons who were Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies), and only those persons, shall be entitled to give such consent or to revoke any consent previously given or take any such action, whether or not such Persons continue to be Holders after such record date. No such consent shall be valid or effective for more than 120 days after such record date.

Section 9.6             Notation on or Exchange of Securities .

The Company or the Trustee may place an appropriate notation about an amendment or waiver on any Security of any Series thereafter authenticated. The Company in exchange for Securities of that Series may issue and the Trustee shall authenticate upon request new Securities of that Series that reflect the amendment or waiver.

Section 9.7             Trustee Protected .

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 receive, and (subject to Section 7.1) shall be fully protected in conclusively relying upon, an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both complying with Section 10.4 and stating that the supplemental indenture is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject to customary exceptions. The Trustee shall sign all supplemental indentures upon delivery of such an Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel or both, except that the Trustee need not sign any supplemental indenture that, in its sole discretion, adversely affects its rights.

 

ARTICLE X
MISCELLANEOUS

Section 10.1         Trust Indenture Act Controls .

If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies, or conflicts with another provision which is required or deemed to be included in this Indenture by the TIA, such required or deemed provision shall control.

- 39 -
 

 

 

Section 10.2         Notices .

Any request, demand, notice or communication by the Company or the Trustee to the other, or by a Holder to the Company or the Trustee, is duly given if in writing and delivered in person or mailed by first-class mail:

if to the Company:

Lawson Products, Inc.
8770 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 900
Chicago, Illinois 60631
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
Telephone: (773) 304-5050

 

if to the Trustee:

Attention:

The Company or the Trustee by notice to the other may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.

Any notice or communication to a Securityholder shall be mailed by first-class mail to his address shown on the register kept by the Registrar. Failure to mail a notice or communication to a Securityholder of any Series or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Securityholders of that or any other Series.

If a notice or communication is mailed or published in the manner provided above, within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the Securityholder receives it.

If the Company mails a notice or communication to Securityholders, it shall mail a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or any Security, where this Indenture or any Security provides for notice of any event (including any notice of redemption) to a Holder of a Global Security (whether by mail or otherwise), such notice shall be sufficiently given to the Depositary for such Security (or its designee) pursuant to the customary procedures of such Depositary.

Section 10.3         Communication by Holders with Other Holders .

Securityholders of any Series may communicate pursuant to TIA § 312(b) with other Securityholders of that Series or any other Series with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Securities of that Series or all Series. The Company, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA § 312(c).

- 40 -
 

 

 

Section 10.4         Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent .

Upon any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee:

(a)                 an Officer’s Certificate stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with; and

(b)                an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent have been complied with.

Section 10.5         Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion .

Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to TIA § 314(a)(4)) shall comply with the provisions of TIA § 314(e) and shall include:

(a)                 a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;

(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 such person, 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 or not, in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.

Section 10.6         Rules by Trustee and Agents .

The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or a meeting of Securityholders of one or more Series. Any Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions.

Section 10.7         Legal Holidays .

Unless otherwise provided by Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture hereto for a particular Series, a “ Legal Holiday ” is any day that is not a Business Day. If a payment date is a Legal Holiday at a place of payment, payment may be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is not a Legal Holiday, and no interest shall accrue for the intervening period.

- 41 -
 

 

 

Section 10.8         No Recourse Against Others .

A director, officer, employee or stockholder (past or present), as such, of the Company shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the Securities or this Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of such obligations or their creation. Each Securityholder by accepting a Security waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issue of the Securities.

Section 10.9         Counterparts .

This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. The exchange of copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or PDF transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or PDF shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.

Section 10.10     Governing Law; Jury Trial Waiver .

THIS INDENTURE AND THE SECURITIES, INCLUDING ANY CLAIM OR CONTROVERSY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE OR THE SECURITIES, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICTS OF LAWS PROVISIONS THEREOF OTHER THAN SECTION 5-1401 OF THE GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).

EACH OF THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE SECURITIES OR THE TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY .

Section 10.11     No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements .

This Indenture may not be used to interpret another indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.

Section 10.12     Successors .

All agreements of the Company in this Indenture and the Securities shall bind its successor. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture shall bind its successor.

- 42 -
 

 

 

Section 10.13     Severability .

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.

Section 10.14     Table of Contents, Headings, Etc .

The Table of Contents, Cross Reference Table, and headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof, and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.

Section 10.15     Securities in a Foreign Currency .

Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, whenever for purposes of this Indenture any action may be taken by the Holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of Securities of all Series or all Series affected by a particular action at the time outstanding and, at such time, there are outstanding Securities of any Series which are denominated in more than one currency, then the principal amount of Securities of such Series which shall be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of taking such action shall be determined by converting any such other currency into a currency that is designated upon issuance of any particular Series of Securities. Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, such conversion shall be at the spot rate for the purchase of the designated currency as published in The Financial Times in the “Currency Rates” section (or, if The Financial Times is no longer published, or if such information is no longer available in The Financial Times, such source as may be selected in good faith by the Company) on any date of determination. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply in determining the equivalent principal amount in respect of Securities of a Series denominated in currency other than Dollars in connection with any action taken by Holders of Securities pursuant to the terms of this Indenture.

All decisions and determinations provided for in the preceding paragraph shall, in the absence of manifest error, to the extent permitted by law, be conclusive for all purposes and irrevocably binding upon the Trustee and all Holders.

Section 10.16     Judgment Currency .

The Company agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so under applicable law, that (a) if for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert the sum due in respect of the principal of or interest or other amount on the Securities of any Series (the “Required Currency” ) into a currency in which a judgment will be rendered (the “Judgment Currency” ), the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered, unless such day is not a Business Day, then the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New

- 43 -
 

 

York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the Business Day preceding the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered and (b) its obligations under this Indenture to make payments in the Required Currency (i) shall not be discharged or satisfied by any tender, or any recovery pursuant to any judgment (whether or not entered in accordance with subsection (a)), in any currency other than the Required Currency, except to the extent that such tender or recovery shall result in the actual receipt, by the payee, of the full amount of the Required Currency expressed to be payable in respect of such payments, (ii) shall be enforceable as an alternative or additional cause of action for the purpose of recovering in the Required Currency the amount, if any, by which such actual receipt shall fall short of the full amount of the Required Currency so expressed to be payable, and (iii) shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sum due under this Indenture.

Section 10.17     Force Majeure .

In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services, it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable best efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.

Section 10.18     U.S.A. Patriot Act .

The parties hereto acknowledge that in accordance with Section 326 of the U.S.A. Patriot Act, the Trustee, like all financial institutions and in order to help fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering, is required to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that establishes a relationship or opens an account with the Trustee. The parties to this Indenture agree that they will provide the Trustee with such information as it may request in order for the Trustee to satisfy the requirements of the U.S.A. Patriot Act.

ARTICLE XI
SINKING FUNDS

Section 11.1         Applicability of Article .

The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of the Securities of a Series if so provided by the terms of such Securities pursuant to Section 2.2 and except as otherwise permitted or required by any form of Security of such Series issued pursuant to this Indenture.

The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of the Securities of any Series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment” and any other amount provided for by the terms of Securities of such Series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment.” If provided for by the terms of Securities of any Series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section

- 44 -
 

 

11.2. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any Series as provided for by the terms of the Securities of such Series.

Section 11.2         Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities .

The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of any Series to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities (a) deliver outstanding Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable (other than any of such Securities previously called for mandatory sinking fund redemption) and (b) apply as credit Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable and which have been repurchased by the Company or redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of the Securities of such Series (except pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund) or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments or other optional redemptions pursuant to the terms of such Securities, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received by the Trustee, together with an Officer’s Certificate with respect thereto, not later than 15 days prior to the date on which the Trustee begins the process of selecting Securities for redemption, and shall be credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly. If as a result of the delivery or credit of Securities in lieu of cash payments pursuant to this Section 11.2, the principal amount of Securities of such Series to be redeemed in order to exhaust the aforesaid cash payment shall be less than $100,000, the Trustee need not call Securities of such Series for redemption, except upon receipt of a Company Order that such action be taken, and such cash payment shall be held by the Trustee or a Paying Agent and applied to the next succeeding sinking fund payment, provided , however , that the Trustee or such Paying Agent shall from time to time upon receipt of a Company Order pay over and deliver to the Company any cash payment so being held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of Securities of that Series purchased by the Company having an unpaid principal amount equal to the cash payment required to be released to the Company.

Section 11.3         Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund .

Not less than 45 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate in respect of a particular Series of Securities) prior to each sinking fund payment date for any Series of Securities, the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that Series pursuant to the terms of that Series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting of Securities of that Series pursuant to Section 11.2, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 30 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture in respect of a particular Series of Securities) before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 3.2 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

- 45 -
 

 

3.3. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6.

 

ARTICLE XII
SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES

Section 12.1         Subordination of Terms .

The payment by the Company of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on any Series of Securities issued under this Indenture shall be subordinated to the extent set forth in a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate relating to such Series of Securities.

[Signature page follows]

- 46 -
 

 

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

 

LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC., as Issuer
   
   
By:  
   
  Name:  
   
  Its:  
   
   
, as Trustee
   
   
By:  
   
  Name:  
   
  Its:  
   
   
   
   
       

 

February 19, 2015

Lawson Products, Inc.

8770 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue

Suite 900

Chicago, IL 60631

Re: Registration Statement on Form S-3

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to Lawson Products, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), in connection with the registration statement on Form S-3 (the “ Registration Statement ”), being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Act ”), relating to the proposed public offering on a delayed basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Act of (a) up to $100,000,000 in aggregate amount of (i) one or more series of its debt securities (“ Debt Securities ”), (ii) shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share (the “ Common Stock ”), (iii) shares of one or more classes of the Company’s preferred stock as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors of the Company (“ Preferred Stock ”), (iv) depositary shares, (v) warrants to purchase debt securities, (vi) warrants to purchase Common Stock or Preferred Stock, (vii) stock purchase contracts, and (viii) stock purchase units, (collectively, the “ Primary Securities ”), and (b) the proposed sale from time to time of an aggregate 3,662,450 shares of Common Stock by selling stockholders named in the Registration Statement (the “ Selling Stockholders Securities ” and with the Primary Securities, collectively, the “ Securities ”). All of which Securities may be sold from time to time as set forth in the prospectus which forms a part of the Registration Statement (the “ Prospectus ”), and as to be set forth in one or more supplements to the Prospectus (each, a “ Prospectus Supplement ”). In the event the Securities will be sold pursuant to an underwriting or purchase agreement, such agreement will be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K.

In arriving at the opinions expressed below, we have examined and relied, to the extent we deemed proper, on certificates of officers of the Company as to factual matters, and on originals or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of all such corporate records of the Company and such other instruments and certificates of public officials and other persons as we have deemed appropriate. In our examination, we have assumed the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to the original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies, the genuineness of all signatures on documents reviewed by us and the legal capacity of natural persons.

 
 

Lawson Products, Inc.

February 19, 2015

Page 2

We have also assumed that (i) the issuance, sale, amount and terms of the Primary Securities to be offered from time to time will be duly authorized and determined by proper action of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “ Board ”) consistent with the procedures and terms described in the Registration Statement (each, a “ Board Action ”) and in accordance with the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, the Company’s Amended and Restated Bylaws and applicable Delaware law, (ii) the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto (including post-effective amendments) are effective under the Act, (iii) a Prospectus Supplement will have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission describing the Securities offered thereby, (iv) all Securities will be issued and sold in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and in the manner stated in the Registration Statement and the applicable Prospectus Supplement, (v) a definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement with respect to any Securities offered will have been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and the other parties thereto, (vi) any securities issuable upon conversion, exchange, redemption or exercise of any Securities being offered will be duly authorized, created and, if appropriate, reserved for issuance upon such conversion, exchange, redemption or exercise, (vii) the Securities as executed and delivered do not result in a default under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding upon the Company, and (viii) the legal capacity of all natural persons.

To the extent that the obligations of the Company under a deposit agreement or the obligations of the Company under an indenture may be dependent upon such matters, we have assumed for purposes of this opinion (i) that the applicable depositary or trustee, as the case may be, is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization and is duly qualified to engage in the activities contemplated by the applicable deposit agreement or the indenture, as the case may be, (ii) that such deposit agreement or indenture, as the case may be, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by and constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of such depositary or trustee, as the case may be, enforceable in accordance with its respective terms, except that the enforceability thereof may be limited by or subject to bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium or other similar laws now or hereafter existing which affect the rights and remedies of creditors generally and equitable principles of general applicability, (iii) that such depositary or trustee, as the case may be, is in compliance, generally and with respect to acting as a depositary or trustee, respectively, under the applicable deposit agreement or the Indenture, with all applicable laws and regulations and (iv) that such depositary or trustee, as the case may be, has the requisite organizational and legal power and authority to perform its obligations under the applicable deposit agreement or the indenture, as the case may be.

Based upon, subject to and limited by the foregoing, we are of the opinion that, as of the date hereof:

1.                   With respect to the Selling Stockholder Securities, the Selling Stockholder Securities have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock.

 
 

 

Lawson Products, Inc.

February 19, 2015

Page 3

2.                   With respect to the Common Stock included in the Primary Securities, upon the authorization by Board Action of an issuance of Common Stock, and upon issuance and delivery of the Common Stock against payment of valid consideration therefor in accordance with the terms of such Board Action and any applicable underwriting or purchase agreement, and as contemplated by the Registration Statement and/or the applicable Prospectus Supplement, such shares of Common Stock will be legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

3.                   With respect to the Preferred Stock, upon due authorization by Board Action of an issuance of a series of preferred stock, and upon issuance and delivery of the series of preferred stock against payment of valid consideration therefor in accordance with the terms of such Board Action and any applicable underwriting or purchase agreement, and as contemplated by the Registration Statement and/or the applicable Prospectus Supplement, such shares of the series of preferred stock will be legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

4.                   When the indenture governing the Debt Securities has been duly executed on behalf of the Company and the trustee thereunder (the “ Trustee ”), and when the Debt Securities have been (a) duly established by the indenture related to such Debt Securities or any supplemental indenture thereto, (b) duly authorized and established by applicable Board Action and duly authenticated by the Trustee, and (c) duly executed and delivered on behalf of the Company against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of such Board Action, any applicable underwriting agreement, the indenture and any applicable supplemental indenture thereto, and as contemplated by the Registration Statement and/or the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the Debt Securities will constitute binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except that the enforceability thereof may be limited by or subject to bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium or other similar laws now or hereafter existing which affect the rights and remedies of creditors generally and equitable principles of general applicability.

5.                   When the warrants to purchase Debt Securities have been (i) duly authorized and established by applicable Board Action, and (ii) duly executed and delivered on behalf of the Company against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of such Board Action, any applicable underwriting agreement, and as contemplated by the Registration Statement and/or the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the warrants to purchase Debt Securities will constitute binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except that the enforceability thereof may be limited by or subject to bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium or other similar laws now or hereafter existing which affect the rights and remedies of creditors generally and equitable principles of general applicability.

6.                   When the warrants to purchase Common Stock or Preferred Stock have been (i) duly authorized and established by applicable Board Action, and (ii) duly executed and delivered on behalf of the Company against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of such Board Action, any applicable underwriting agreement, and as contemplated by the Registration Statement and/or the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the warrants to purchase Common Stock

 
 

Lawson Products, Inc.

February 19, 2015

Page 4

or Preferred Stock will constitute binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except that the enforceability thereof may be limited by or subject to bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium or other similar laws now or hereafter existing which affect the rights and remedies of creditors generally and equitable principles of general applicability.

7.                   With respect to stock purchase contracts, when (i) the Board has taken the appropriate Board Action to approve and establish the terms of such stock purchase contracts and to authorize and approve the issuance thereof, the terms of the offering thereof and related matters; and (ii) the stock purchase contracts have been duly executed and delivered in accordance with the applicable purchase agreement and the applicable definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement approved by or on behalf of the Board, upon payment of the consideration therefor provided for therein and as described in the Registration Statement, any amendment thereto, the Prospectus and any Prospectus Supplement relating thereto, the stock purchase contracts will constitute binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except that the enforceability thereof may be limited by or subject to bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium or other similar laws now or hereafter existing which affect the rights and remedies of creditors generally and equitable principles of general applicability.

8.                   With respect to stock purchase units, when (i) the Board has taken the appropriate Board Action to approve and establish the terms of the stock purchase units and to authorize and approve the issuance thereof, the terms of the offering and related matters; and (ii) the stock purchase units have been duly executed and delivered in accordance with the purchase agreement and the applicable definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement approved by or on behalf of the Board, upon payment of the consideration therefor provided therein and as described in the Registration Statement, any amendment thereto, the Prospectus and any Prospectus Supplement relating thereto, the stock purchase units will constitute binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except that the enforceability thereof may be limited by or subject to bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium or other similar laws now or hereafter existing which affect the rights and remedies of creditors generally and equitable principles of general applicability.

9.                   With respect to Depositary Shares, when the Depositary Shares and the underlying Preferred Stock have been duly authorized and established by applicable Board Action, in accordance with the terms of the Certificate and applicable law, and when (a) a deposit agreement substantially as described in the Registration Statement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and a depositary, and (b) the depositary receipts representing the Depositary Shares in the form contemplated and authorized by such deposit agreement have been duly executed and delivered by such depositary and delivered to and paid for by the purchasers thereof in the manner contemplated by the Registration Statement and/or the applicable Prospectus Supplement, upon issuance and delivery of the Preferred Stock against

 
 

Lawson Products, Inc.

February 19, 2015

Page 5

payment of valid consideration therefore in accordance with the terms of such Board Action and any applicable underwriting or purchase agreement, and as contemplated by the Registration Statement and/or the applicable Prospectus Supplement, such Depositary Shares will be legally issued and will entitle the holders thereof to the rights specified in the depositary receipts and the deposit agreement relating to such Depositary Shares.

We express no opinion as to the applicability of, compliance with or effect of, the law of any jurisdiction other than United States Federal law, the laws of the State of New York and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

We hereby consent to the references to our firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement and any Prospectus Supplement and to the use of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not hereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.

Very truly yours,

 

/s/ McDermott Will & Emery

HS/lr

 

Exhibit 12.1

 

 

LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.

STATEMENT REGARDING COMPUTATION OF RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

 

 

    Year Ended December 31,
    2014 (1)   2013 (2)   2012 (3)   2011 (4)   2010 (5)
Computation of Earnings (Loss):                              
Pre-Tax Loss on Continuing Operations   $ (5,834,000 )   $ (7,122,000 )   $ (46,098,000 )   $ (6,356,000 )   $ 16,179,000  
Fixed Charges   1,299,000     1,752,000     1,528,000     920,000     815,000  
Total Earnings (Loss)   $ (4,535,000 )   $ (5,370,000 )   $ (44,570,000 )   $ (5,436,000 )   $ 16,994,000  
                               
Computation of Fixed Charges:                              
Credit Line Interest   $ 416,000     $ 722,000     $ 551,000     $ 604,000     $ 292,000  
Financing Lease Interest   341,000     363,000     203,000          
Capital Lease Interest   15,000     12,000     21,000     77,000     99,000  
Estimate of Interest Within Operating Leases (6)   527,000     655,000     753,000     239,000     424,000  
Total Fixed Charges   $ 1,299,000     $ 1,752,000     $ 1,528,000     $ 920,000     $ 815,000  
                               
Earnings to Fixed Charges   (na)   (na)   (na)   (na)   20.9x
                               
Coverage Deficit on Fixed Charges   $ 4,535,000     $ 5,370,000     $ 44,570,000     $ 5,436,000     $  

 

(1) The 2014 loss includes a $3.0 million impairment charge related to the Reno, Nevada, distribution center.
     
(2) The 2013 loss includes a $2.9 million charge related to the sub-lease of a portion of the leased headquarters and a $0.4 million benefit from the resolution of an employment tax matter.

 

(3) The 2012 loss includes a goodwill impairment charge of $28.3 million, a $3.9 million charge related to discontinuing certain products and a $3.7 million gain on the sale of assets.

 

(4) The 2011 loss includes a $1.2 million provision for the estimated cost of settling an employment tax matter.

 

(5) The 2010 earnings include a $4.1 million benefit from legal settlements and a $1.7 million gain on sale of assets.

 

(6) Estimate of interest within operating leases is calculated under the assumption that 30% of operating lease expense is representative of interest costs.

23.1

CON S ENT O F I N D E PE N D E NT R E G I ST E RED P UB L IC ACC O UN TIN G F IRM

 

 

Law s o n Products, I n c.

C h icag o , Illi n ois

 

We h e re b y co n se n t to t h e i n c o rp o ration b y refere n ce in t h e Pr o s p ect u s c o nstit u ti n g a p art of t h is Re g istrati o n Stateme n t of o u r r ep o rts dated F e b r uary 1 9 , 2 01 5 , relat i ng t o t h e c on s oli d ated fin a n c ial state m ents, t h e effecti v en e ss of Law so n Pr od u cts In c .’s i n te r n al con t rol ov e r financial r e p o rt i n g , a nd sch edu le of L a w so n Pr od u cts, In c . appe a ri n g i n t h e C o m p an y ’s A nn u al Rep o rt o n F or m 10-K f o r t h e y ear e nd e d D e ce m b er 3 1 , 2 0 1 4 .

 

We al s o c ons e n t to t h e ref e r e nce to u s u n der t h e c a pti o n E xp e rts” in t h e Pr o spec t us.

 

 

 

/s/ BDO U S A, LLP
C h icag o , Illi n ois

 

Febr u a ry 19 , 2 0 15

Exhibit 23.2

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption "Experts" in this Registration Statement (Form S-3) and related Prospectus of Lawson Products, Inc. for the registration of Debt Securities, Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Warrants to Purchase Debt Securities, Warrants to Purchase Common Stock or Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares, Stock Purchase Contracts and Stock Purchase Units and to the incorporation by reference therein of our report dated February 25, 2013, except for Note 13, as to which date is February 20, 2014, with respect to the consolidated financial statements and schedule of Lawson Products, Inc. for the year ending December 31, 2012 included in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Chicago, Illinois
February 19, 2015