SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 8-K
Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
May 15, 2001
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
TEXAS AND VIRGINIA 1-10042 75-1743247 ---------------------------- --------------- ------------------- (State or Other Jurisdiction Commission File (I.R.S. Employer of Incorporation or Number Identification No.) Organization) 1800 THREE LINCOLN CENTRE, 5430 LBJ FREEWAY, DALLAS, TEXAS 75240 ------------------------------- ---------------- (Address of Principal (Zip Code) Executive Offices) |
ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
On May 15, 2001, Atmos Energy Corporation ("Registrant") and Banc of America Securities LLC, on behalf of the underwriters named in Schedule A to that certain Purchase Agreement (collectively the "Underwriters"), executed the Purchase Agreement in connection with the sale by Registrant to the Underwriters of a total of $350,000,000 of the Company's Senior Notes, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.
On May 22, 2001, Registrant executed that certain Global Security representing a total of $350,000,000 in 7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2011, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2.
On May 22, 2001, Registrant and SunTrust Bank executed that certain Indenture, relating to the issuance of a total of $350,000,000 in 7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2011, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.3.
ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.
(c) Exhibits
99.1 Purchase Agreement dated May 15, 2001
99.2 Global Security dated May 22, 2001
99.3 Indenture dated May 22, 2001
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION
(Registrant)
DATE: May 22, 2001 By: /s/ LOUIS P. GREGORY ------------------------------ Louis P. Gregory Senior Vice President and General Counsel |
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit Number Description -------------- ----------- 99.1 Purchase Agreement dated May 15, 2001 99.2 Global Security dated May 22, 2001 99.3 Indenture dated May 22, 2001 |
Exhibit 99.1
EXECUTION COPY
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION
(a Texas and Virginia corporation)
7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2011
PURCHASE AGREEMENT
Dated: May 15, 2001
Table of Contents
Page ---- SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties......................................... 2 (a) Representations and Warranties by the Company.......................... 2 (i) Compliance with Registration Requirements..................... 2 ----------------------------------------- (ii) Incorporated Documents........................................ 3 ---------------------- (iii) Independent Accountants....................................... 3 ----------------------- (iv) Financial Statements.......................................... 4 -------------------- (v) No Material Adverse Change in Business........................ 4 -------------------------------------- (vi) Good Standing of the Company.................................. 4 ---------------------------- (vii) Good Standing of Subsidiaries................................. 4 ----------------------------- (viii) Capitalization................................................ 5 -------------- (ix) Authorization of Agreement.................................... 5 -------------------------- (x) Authorization of Indenture.................................... 5 -------------------------- (xi) Authorization of Securities................................... 5 --------------------------- (xii) Description of Securities and the Indenture................... 6 ------------------------------------------- (xiii) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts............................. 6 --------------------------------- (xiv) Absence of Labor Dispute...................................... 6 ------------------------ (xv) Absence of Proceedings........................................ 7 ---------------------- (xvi) Accuracy of Exhibits.......................................... 7 -------------------- (xvii) Possession of Intellectual Property........................... 7 ----------------------------------- (xviii) Absence of Further Requirements............................... 7 ------------------------------- (xix) Possession of Licenses and Permits............................ 8 ---------------------------------- (xx) Title to Property............................................. 8 ----------------- (xxi) Investment Company Act........................................ 8 ---------------------- (xxii) Environmental Laws............................................ 8 ------------------ (xxiii) Registration Rights........................................... 9 ------------------- (b) Officer's Certificates................................................. 9 SECTION 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing............................. 9 (a) Securities............................................................. 9 (b) Payment................................................................ 9 (c) Denominations; Registration............................................ 10 SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company............................................... 10 (a) Prospectus Supplement; Delivery of Prospectus.......................... 10 (b) Filing of Amendments................................................... 10 (c) Delivery of Registration Statements.................................... 10 (d) Delivery of Prospectuses............................................... 11 (e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws.............................. 11 (f) Blue Sky Qualifications................................................ 11 (g) Rule 158............................................................... 12 |
(h) Use of Proceeds........................................................ 12 (i) Notice upon Effectiveness; Commission Requests......................... 12 (j) Restriction on Sale of Securities...................................... 12 (k) Reporting Requirements................................................. 12 (l) Rating of Securities................................................... 12 (m) The Depository Trust Company........................................... 12 SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses.................................................... 13 (a) Expenses............................................................... 13 (b) Termination of Agreement............................................... 13 SECTION 5. Conditions of Underwriters' Obligations................................ 13 (a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement................................ 13 (b) Opinion of Counsel for Company......................................... 13 (c) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.................................... 14 (d) Officers' Certificate.................................................. 14 (e) Accountants' Comfort Letter............................................ 14 (f) Bring-down Comfort Letter.............................................. 14 (g) Maintenance of Rating.................................................. 15 (h) No Objection........................................................... 15 (i) Additional Documents................................................... 15 (j) Termination of Agreement............................................... 15 SECTION 6. Indemnification........................................................ 15 (a) Indemnification of Underwriters........................................ 15 (b) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers..................... 16 (c) Actions Against Parties; Notification.................................. 17 (d) Settlement Without Consent If Failure to Reimburse..................... 17 SECTION 7. Contribution........................................................... 17 SECTION 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery......... 19 SECTION 9. Termination of Agreement............................................... 19 (a) Termination; General................................................... 19 (b) Liabilities............................................................ 19 SECTION 10. Default by One or More of the Underwriters............................. 19 |
SECTION 11. Notices................................................................ 20 SECTION 12. Parties................................................................ 20 SECTION 13. Representation of Underwriters......................................... 21 SECTION 14. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME................................................. 21 SECTION 15. Effect of Headings..................................................... 21 SECTION 16. Counterparts........................................................... 21 |
SCHEDULES
Schedule A - List of Underwriters
Schedule B - Pricing Information
Schedule C - List of Subsidiaries
EXHIBITS
Exhibit A - Form of Opinion of Company's Counsel
Exhibit B - Form of Opinion of Virginia Counsel to the Company
Exhibit C - Form of Opinion of General Counsel of the Company
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION
(a Texas and Virginia corporation)
7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2011
May 15, 2001
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
as Representative of the several Underwriters named in Schedule A
c/o Banc of America Securities LLC
Banc of America Corporate Center
100 North Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28255
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Atmos Energy Corporation, a Texas and Virginia corporation (the "Company"), confirms its agreement with Banc of America Securities LLC ("Banc of America") and each of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the "Underwriters", which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), for whom Banc of America is acting as representative (in such capacity, the "Representative"), with respect to the issue and sale by the Company to the Underwriters of its 7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2011 (the "Securities") on the terms and conditions stated herein and in Schedule B. The Securities are to be sold to each Underwriter, acting severally and not jointly, in the respective principal amounts as are set forth in Schedule A hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter. The Securities are to be issued pursuant to an indenture to be dated as of May 22, 2001 (the "Indenture"), between the Company and SunTrust Bank, as trustee (the "Trustee"). The Securities and the Indenture are more fully described in the Prospectus (defined below).
The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") a registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-93705). Such registration statement, as amended at the date hereof, including the exhibits thereto, schedules thereto, if any, and the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein, is hereinafter referred to as the "Registration Statement". The Registration Statement includes a prospectus prepared in accordance with Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), relating to certain debt securities and common stock of the Company, as the case may be, and the offering thereof from time to time in accordance with Rule 415 under the 1933 Act pursuant to the Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission and the Indenture has been qualified under the
Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the "1939 Act"). As provided in Section
3(a), a prospectus supplement reflecting the terms of the Securities, the terms
of the offering thereof and other matters set forth therein has been prepared
and will be filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act. Such prospectus
supplement, in the form first filed after the date hereof pursuant to Rule 424,
is herein referred to as the "Prospectus Supplement." The base prospectus
included in the Registration Statement relating to all offerings of securities
under the Registration Statement, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement,
is herein called the "Prospectus," except that, if such base prospectus is
amended or supplemented on or prior to the date on which the Prospectus
Supplement is first filed pursuant to Rule 424, the term "Prospectus" shall
refer to the base prospectus as so amended or supplemented and as supplemented
by the Prospectus Supplement, in either case including the documents filed with
the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
"1934 Act"), that are incorporated by reference therein. Any preliminary
prospectus supplement attached to the base prospectus that was filed omitting
certain information regarding the public offering price and description of
Securities pursuant to Rule 424 of the rules and regulations of the Commission
under the 1933 Act and used prior to the execution and delivery of this
Agreement, is herein called a "preliminary prospectus." For purposes of this
Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary
prospectus, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant
to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system ("EDGAR").
All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is "contained", "included" or "stated" in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the 1934 Act which is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be.
The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representative deems advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.
(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Time referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:
are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with.
At the respective times the Registration Statement and any post- effective amendments thereto became effective and at the time of the filing by the Company of any annual report on Form 10-K or any quarterly report on Form 10-Q and at the Closing Time, the Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the published rules and regulations under the 1933 Act (the "1933 Act Regulations"), the 1939 Act and the published rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1939 Act (the "1939 Act Regulations") and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued and at the Closing Time, included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by any Underwriter through Banc of America expressly for use in the Registration Statement or Prospectus.
Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and (b) has power and authority or business trust power and authority, as the case may be, to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign entity to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock or limited liability company membership interests, as the case may be, of each such Subsidiary have been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock or limited liability company membership interests, as the case may be, of any Subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such Subsidiary. The only Subsidiaries of the Company are the subsidiaries listed on Schedule C hereto.
to or affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights generally and by equitable principles of general applicability, regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding at equity or at law, and will be in the form contemplated by, and entitled to the benefits of, the Indenture.
employees of any of its or any subsidiary's principal suppliers, manufacturers, customers or contractors, which, in either case, may reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
for the due execution, delivery or performance of the Indenture by the Company, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or state securities or blue sky laws.
relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, "Hazardous Materials") or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, "Environmental Laws"), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances that might reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.
(b) Officer's Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered to the Representative or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.
(a) Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price to the Underwriters set forth in Schedule B, the principal amount of Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule A, plus any additional principal amount of Securities that such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to Section 10 of this Agreement.
(b) Payment. Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Securities shall be made at the offices of Shearman & Sterling, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10022, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Underwriters, at 9:00 A.M. (Eastern Standard Time) on May 22, 2001 (unless postponed pursuant to Section 10), or at such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Underwriters and the Company (such date and time of payment and delivery being herein called the "Closing Time"). Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account designated by the Company, against delivery to the Underwriters for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters of the Securities to be purchased by them.
(c) Denominations; Registration. The Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters shall be in such denominations ($1,000 or integral multiples thereof) and registered in such names as the Underwriters may request in writing at least one full business day before the Closing Time. The Securities will be made available in New York City for examination by the Underwriters not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern Standard Time) on the last business day prior to the Closing Time.
(a) Prospectus Supplement; Delivery of Prospectus. Immediately following the execution of this Agreement, the Company will, if it has not already done so, prepare a Prospectus Supplement that complies with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and that sets forth the principal amount of the Securities and their terms not otherwise specified in the Indenture, the name of each Underwriter participating in the offering and the principal amount of the Securities that each severally and not jointly has agreed to purchase, the name of each Underwriter, if any, acting as representative of the Underwriters in connection with the offering, the price at which the Securities are to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company, any initial public offering price, any selling concession and reallowance and any delayed delivery arrangements, and such other information as the Underwriters and the Company deem appropriate in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will promptly transmit copies of the Prospectus Supplement to the Commission for filing pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act and will furnish to the Underwriters as many copies of the Prospectus as the Underwriters shall reasonably request.
(b) Filing of Amendments. The Company will give the Representative notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement, or any amendment, supplement or revision to either the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it became effective or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, or otherwise, will furnish the Representative with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representative shall reasonably object.
(c) Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Representative, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(d) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations and the 1939 Act and the 1939 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b), such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such untrue statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.
(g) Rule 158. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.
(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus under "Use of Proceeds".
(i) Notice upon Effectiveness; Commission Requests. During the period when a prospectus is required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, the Company will notify the Underwriters immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) of the effectiveness of any amendment to the Registration Statement, (ii) of the mailing or the delivery to the Commission for filing of any supplement to the Prospectus or any document that would as a result thereof be incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, (iii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission with respect to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement, (iv) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information relating thereto or to any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus and (v) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the institution or threatening of any proceeding for any of such purposes. The Company will use every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or of any order suspending such qualification and, if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
(j) Restriction on Sale of Securities. Between the date hereof and the Closing Time, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Underwriters, directly or indirectly, issue, sell, offer or contract to sell, grant any option for the sale of, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, any debt securities issued or guaranteed by the Company.
(k) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act in connection with sales of the Securities, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.
(l) Rating of Securities. The Company shall take all reasonable action necessary to enable Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, a division of McGraw Hill, Inc. ("S&P"), Moody's Investors Service Inc. ("Moody's") and Fitch IBCA, Inc. ("Fitch") to provide their respective credit ratings of the Securities.
(m) The Depository Trust Company. The Company will cooperate with the Underwriters and use its best efforts to permit the Securities to be eligible for clearance and settlement through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company.
(a) Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the
performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the
preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including
financial statements and exhibits, including any documents incorporated therein
by reference) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the
preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement, the
Indenture, any Agreement among Underwriters and such other documents as may be
required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery
of the Securities, (iii) the delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters,
(iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company's counsel, accountants and other
advisors, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in
accordance with the provisions of Section 3(f) hereof, including the filing fees
incident to any necessary filings under state securities laws and the reasonable
fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith
and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement
thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each
preliminary prospectus, and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements
thereto, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of
copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (viii) the filing fees
incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the
Underwriters in connection with, the review by the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD") of the terms of the sale of the
Securities, if any, (ix) any fees payable in connection with the rating of the
Securities and (x) the reasonable fees and expenses of the Trustee, including
the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee, in connection with the
Indenture and the Securities.
(b) Termination of Agreement. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representative in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 or Section 9(a)(i) hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of- pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has become effective and at Closing Time no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated, pending or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A Prospectus Supplement shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b).
(b) Opinion of Counsel for Company. At Closing Time, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of (i) Gibson, Dunn
& Crutcher LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto, (ii) Hunton & Williams, Virginia counsel for the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto and (iii) Louis P. Gregory, General Counsel of the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit C hereto.
(c) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At Closing Time, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Shearman & Sterling, counsel for the Underwriters, as the Representative may reasonably require. In giving such opinion such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York and the federal law of the United States, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representative. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.
(d) Officers' Certificate. At Closing Time, there shall not have
been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which
information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change or a
development known to the Company involving a prospective material adverse
change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings,
business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries
considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course
of business, and the Representative shall have received a certificate of
the President or a Senior Vice President of the Company and of the
Treasurer of the Company, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that (i)
there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations
and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct with the same
force and effect as though expressly made at and as of Closing Time, (iii)
the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions
on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to Closing Time, and
(iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been
instituted or are pending or are contemplated by the Commission.
(e) Accountants' Comfort Letter. At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representative shall have received from Ernst & Young a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants' "comfort letters" to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(f) Bring-down Comfort Letter. At Closing Time, the Representative shall have received from Ernst & Young a letter, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that
they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to Closing Time.
(g) Maintenance of Rating. At the Closing Time, the Securities shall be rated at least A3 by Moody's Investor's Service Inc., A- by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and A- by Fitch IBCA, Inc., and the Company shall have delivered to the Underwriters a letter dated the Closing Time, from each such rating agency, or other evidence satisfactory to the Underwriters, confirming that the Securities have such ratings; and since the date of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred a downgrading in the rating assigned to the Securities or any of the Company's other debt securities by any "nationally recognized statistical rating agency", as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the 1933 Act, and no such securities rating agency shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of the Securities or any of the Company's other debt securities.
(h) No Objection. If required, the NASD has confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.
(i) Additional Documents. At Closing Time, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters.
(j) Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this
Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled,
this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative by notice to the
Company at any time at or prior to Closing Time, and such termination shall
be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in
Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive any such
termination and remain in full force and effect.
(a) Indemnification of Underwriters. (1) The Company agrees to
indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and each person, if any, who
controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or
Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:
(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and
(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by Banc of America), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;
(b) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any
amendment thereto), or any preliminary prospectus, Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through Banc of America expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).
(d) Settlement Without Consent If Failure to Reimburse. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel and such indemnified party shall be entitled to such reimbursement, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.
damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in
such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by
the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the
offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation
provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as
is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause
(i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the
Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions
which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well
as any other relevant equitable considerations.
The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth on such cover.
The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
For purposes of this Section, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the
same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company. The Underwriters' respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section are several in proportion to the number of Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.
(a) Termination; General. The Representative may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representative, impracticable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange, or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq National Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or any other governmental authority, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal, New York, Texas or Virginia authorities.
(b) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.
the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representative shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:
(a) if the aggregate principal amount of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased on such date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, each severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or
(b) if the aggregate principal amount of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the aggregate principal amount of Securities to be purchased on such date, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.
No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.
In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement, either the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone Closing Time, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term "Underwriter" includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION
By: /s/ Laurie M. Sherwood ------------------------------- Name: Laurie M. Sherwood Title: Vice President, Corporate Development and Treasurer |
CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written:
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
As Representative of the several Underwriters
By: BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
By: /s/ Lynn McConnell ----------------------- Authorized Signatory |
For themselves and as Representative of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.
SCHEDULE A
Principal Amount of Name of Underwriter Securities ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- Banc of America Securities LLC............................................ $227,500,000 Banc One Capital Markets, Inc............................................. $ 70,000,000 First Union Securities, Inc............................................... $ 17,500,000 Fleet Securities, Inc..................................................... $ 17,500,000 SG Cowen Securities Corporation........................................... $ 17,500,000 ------------ Total........................................................... $350,000,000 ============ |
SCHEDULE B
Dated: May 15, 2001
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION, as Issuer
7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2011
Principal amount to be issued: $350,000,000
Current ratings: Moody's A3, Standard & Poor's A-, Fitch A-
Interest rate: 7 3/8% payable semiannually on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning November 15, 2001
Interest accrues from: May 22, 2001
Date of maturity: May 15, 2011
Redemption provisions: The Securities will be redeemable, as a whole or in part, at the option of the Company, at any time or from time to time, at a redemption price equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the principal amount of the Securities to be redeemed or (ii) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the Securities discounted to the redemption date on a semi-annual basis at the treasury rate plus 25 basis points, plus, in the case of each clause (i) and (ii), accrued interest to the date of redemption.
Sinking fund requirements: None
Initial public offering price: 99.940% of the principal amount plus accrued interest from May 22, 2001
Purchase price to be paid by the Underwriters: 99.290% of the principal amount plus accrued interest from May 22, 2001
Closing date, time and location: May 22, 2001, 9:00 A.M., New York City time, at Shearman & Sterling, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York
Delayed delivery contracts: Not authorized
Listing requirement: None
Other terms and conditions: None
SCHEDULE C
1. Atmos Energy Holdings, Inc.
2. Atmos Energy Services, LLC
3. Atmos Energy Marketing, LLC
FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY'S COUNSEL
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 5(b)(i)
For the purposes of this opinion the term "Prospectus" shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement and shall include the Prospectus Supplement, the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2000, the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2000, the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2001 and any other document incorporated by reference therein.
(i) The Company is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Texas.
(ii) The Company has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Purchase Agreement.
(iii) The Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(iv) The Registration Statement has been declared effective under the 1933 Act; any required filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) has been made in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); and, to the best of our knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or threatened by the Commission.
(v) The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and (assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Trustee) constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms.
(vi) The Securities are in the form contemplated by the Indenture, have been duly authorized by the Company and, assuming that the Securities have been duly authenticated by the Trustee in the manner described in its certificate delivered to you today (which fact such counsel need not determine by an inspection of the Securities), the Securities have been duly executed, issued and delivered by the Company and constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.
(vii) The Registration Statement, the Prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, and each amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement and Prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, as of their respective effective or issue dates (other than the financial statements and supporting schedules and other financial data included therein or omitted therefrom, and the Statements of Eligibility of Trustee on Form T-1 included as exhibits to the Registration Statement (the "Form T-1"), as to which we express no comment) complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Regulations, as applicable.
(viii) The Securities and the Indenture conform in all material respects to the respective descriptions thereof in the Prospectus under the captions "Description of Debt Securities" and "Description of the Notes."
(ix) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus (other than the financial statements and supporting schedules and other financial data included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we need express no opinion), when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, as applicable, and the published rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(x) To the best of our knowledge, there is not pending or threatened any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party, or to which the property of the Company or any subsidiary is subject, before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, which might reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which might reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Purchase Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder or that are required to be described in the Prospectus that are not described as required (except for regulatory proceedings, as to which we express no opinion).
(xi) The information in the Prospectus under "Description of Common Stock", "Description of Debt Securities" and "Description of Notes" and in the Registration Statement under Item 15, to the extent that it constitutes matters of law, summaries of legal matters, the Company's charter and bylaws or legal proceedings, or legal conclusions, has been reviewed by us and is correct in all material respects.
(xii) No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign, (other than under the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, which have been obtained, or as may be required under the securities or blue sky laws of the various states or the regulatory authorities of the various states, and except for the qualification of the Indenture under the 1939 Act, as to which we express no opinion) is necessary or required in connection with the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Purchase Agreement or the due execution, delivery and performance of the Indenture by the Company or for the offering, issuance, sale or delivery of the Securities.
(xiii) The execution, delivery and performance of the Purchase Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Purchase Agreement, the Indenture and in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Prospectus under the caption "Use of Proceeds") by the Company, and compliance by the Company with its obligations under the Purchase Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined in Section 1(a)(xiii) of the Purchase Agreement) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to, any document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or incorporated by reference therein or any document incorporated as an exhibit into the Registration Statement (except for such conflicts, breaches or defaults or liens, charges or encumbrances that would not have a Material Adverse Effect), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or bylaws of the Company, or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree, known to us, of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, assets or operations. (other than as to regulatory matters, as to which we express no opinion).
(xiv) The Company is not an "investment company" or an entity "controlled" by an "investment company," as such terms are defined in the 1940 Act.
(xv) To the best of our knowledge, no person or corporation which is a "holding company" or a "subsidiary of a holding company", within the meaning of such terms as defined in the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, directly or indirectly owns, controls or holds with power to vote 10% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the Company; and the Company is not a "holding company" or to the best of our knowledge, a "subsidiary of a holding company" as so defined.
(xvi) The Indenture has been qualified under the 1939 Act, as amended.
During the course of the preparation of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, we have participated in conferences with representatives of the Company and the Underwriters at which the contents of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and related matters were discussed. Based upon the foregoing, no facts have come to our attention that would lead us to believe that the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto (except for financial statements and schedules and other financial data included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom and the Form T-1, as to which we make no statement and except as to any Incorporated Document, which is dealt with below), at the time such Registration Statement or any such amendment became effective, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or that the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (except for financial statements and schedules and other financial data included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom and the Form T-1, as to which we make no statement), at the time the Prospectus was issued, at the time any such amended or supplemented prospectus was issued or at the Closing Time, included or includes an untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or that any document incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement (each an "Incorporated Document") or any amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to the Closing Time, when they were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, contained (except for financial statements and schedules and other financial data included or incorporated by reference or omitted therefrom, as to which we make no statement) an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. We have not independently verified the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement or incorporated by reference therein, and we are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of such statements.
In rendering such opinion, such counsel may state that its opinion is limited to the Federal laws of the United States and the laws of the State of Texas and the State of New York. Such opinion shall not state that it is to be governed or qualified by, or that it is otherwise subject to, any treatise, written policy or other document relating to legal opinions, including, without limitation, the Legal Opinion Accord of the ABA Section of Business Law (1991).
This opinion is furnished by us as counsel for the Company to you pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement and is solely for your benefit. Without our prior written consent, this opinion may not be relied upon by you in any other context or by any other person. We are aware that Shearman & Sterling, your counsel, is relying, solely with respect to matters involving the laws of the State of Texas, on opinion paragraphs 1-3 and 5-6 herein in rendering their opinion to you required under Section 5(c) of the Purchase Agreement. This opinion may not be quoted, in whole or in part, or copies thereof furnished, to any other person without our prior written consent, except that you may furnish copies hereof (a) to your independent auditors and attorneys, (b) to any state or federal authority having regulatory jurisdiction over you or the Company, (c) pursuant to order or legal process of any court or governmental agency, and (d) in connection with any legal or governmental action, proceeding or investigation to which you are a party arising out of the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement.
FORM OF OPINION OF VIRGINIA COUNSEL TO THE COMPANY
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(b)(ii)
For the purposes of this opinion the term "Prospectus" shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement and shall include the Prospectus Supplement, the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2000, the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2000, the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2001 and any other document incorporated by reference therein.
(i) The Company is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
(ii) The Company has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Purchase Agreement.
(iii) The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(iv) The Securities are in the form contemplated by the Indenture, have been duly authorized by the Company and, assuming that the Securities have been duly authenticated by the Trustee in the manner described in its certificate delivered to you today (which fact such counsel need not determine by an inspection of the Securities), the Securities have been duly executed, issued and delivered by the Company and constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.
In rendering such opinion, such counsel may state that its opinion is limited to the Federal laws of the United States and the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Except with our prior written consent, no person other than the addressees of this opinion and Shearman & Sterling, counsel for the Underwriters shall be entitled to rely upon it. We are aware that this opinion will be relied upon by Shearman & Sterling.
FORM OF OPINION OF GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE COMPANY
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(b)(iii)
For the purposes of this opinion the term "Prospectus" shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement and shall include the Prospectus Supplement, the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2000, the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2000, the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2001 and any other document incorporated by reference therein.
(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Texas and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
(ii) The Company has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Purchase Agreement.
(iii) The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(iv) The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Prospectus in the column entitled "Actual" under the caption "Capitalization" (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to the Purchase Agreement or pursuant to reservations, agreements, employee benefit plans referred to in the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of convertible securities or options referred to in the Prospectus); the shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; and none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.
(v) Each subsidiary (other than EnerMart Energy Services Trust, a Pennsylvania business trust ("EnerMart Trust") and Energas Energy Services Trust, a Pennsylvania business trust ("EnerGas Trust"), has been duly incorporated or formed, as the case may be, and is validly existing as an entity in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation, as the case may be, has the power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign entity to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property
or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each subsidiary or limited liability company membership interests of each subsidiary (other than EnerMart Trust and EnerGas Trust) has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and, to the best of my knowledge, is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock or limited liability company membership interests of any subsidiary (other than EnerMart Trust and EnerGas Trust) was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such subsidiary.
(vi) EnerMart Trust and EnerGas Trust has been duly organized and validly existing as a business trust under laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, is duly qualified as a foreign business trust to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect and is wholly-owned, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.
(vii) The Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(viii) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus (other than the financial statements and data and supporting schedules included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which I need express no opinion), when they were filed with the Commission complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.
(ix) To the best of my knowledge, there is not pending or threatened any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party, or to which the property of the Company or any subsidiary is subject, before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, which might reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which might reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Purchase Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder or that are required to be described in the Prospectus that are not described as required.
(x) The information in (a) the Prospectus under "Atmos-- Operations" "Atmos--Recent Developments", (b) the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2000 (the "Form 10-K") under "Part I, Item 1-Business-Regulation", "Part I, Item 1-Business-Rates", "Item 2- Properties" and Item 3-Litigation Matters and (c) Note 5 to the Company's 2000 Consolidated Financial Statements (contained in the Form 10-K), (d) the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2000 under Note 2, Note 3 and Note 7 to the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) December 31, 2000 and "Part I, Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Ratemaking Activity", (e) the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2001 under Note 2, Note 3, Note 7 and Note 8 to the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) March 31, 2001 and "Part I, Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations -Ratemaking Activity", "Part I, Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Status of Pending Acquisition" to the extent that it constitutes matters of law, summaries of legal matters, the Company's Restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended, and Amended and Restated Bylaws or legal proceedings, or legal conclusions, has been reviewed by me and is correct in all material respects.
(xi) To the best of my knowledge, there are no statutes or regulations that are required to be described in the Prospectus that are not described as required.
(xii) All descriptions in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus of contracts and other documents to which the Company or its subsidiaries are a party are accurate in all material respects; to the best of my knowledge, there are no franchises, contracts, indentures, mortgages, loan agreements, notes, leases or other instruments required to be described or referred to in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits thereto other than those described or referred to therein or filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits thereto, and the descriptions thereof or references thereto are correct in all material respects.
(xiii) To the best of my knowledge, neither the Company nor any subsidiary is in violation of its charter, bylaws or other organizational document and no default by the Company or any subsidiary exists in the due performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument that is described or referred to in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.
(xiv) The material franchises, permits and rights of the Company and its subsidiaries in each jurisdiction in which such franchise, permit or right is required are valid and adequate for the business in which it is engaged, and there do not exist, to the best of my knowledge, any restrictions in connection therewith that, solely or in the aggregate, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xv) There have been issued and, as of the dated hereof, are in full force and effect orders or authorizations of the regulatory authorities of Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia, respectively, authorizing the issuance and sale of the Securities on the terms set forth or contemplated in the Purchase Agreement; and no other filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign (other than under the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, which have been obtained, or as may be required under the securities or blue sky laws of the various states, as to which I express no opinion), is necessary or required in connection with the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Purchase Agreement, the Indenture or for the offering, issuance, sale or delivery of the Securities.
(xvi) The execution, delivery and performance of the Purchase Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Purchase Agreement, the Indenture and in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Prospectus under the caption "Use of Proceeds") and compliance by the Company with its obligations under the Purchase Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined in Section 1(a)(xiii) of the Purchase Agreement) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to, any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or any other agreement or instrument, known to me, to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary is subject (except for such conflicts, breaches or defaults or liens, charges or encumbrances that would not have a Material Adverse Effect), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or bylaws of the Company or the charter, bylaws or other organizational documents of any subsidiary, or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree, known to me, of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary or any of their respective properties, assets or operations.
Nothing has come to my attention that would lead me to believe that the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto (except for financial statements and schedules and other financial data included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom and Statements of Eligibility of Trustee on Form T-1 included as exhibits to the Registration Statement (the "Form T-1"), as to which I make no statement), at the time such Registration Statement or any such amendment became effective, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or that the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (except for financial statements and schedules and other financial data included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom and the Form T-1, as to which I make no statement), at the time the Prospectus was issued, at the time any such amended or supplemented prospectus was issued or at the Closing Time, included or includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
[In rendering such opinion, such counsel may state that his opinion is limited to the Federal laws of the United States, the laws of the State of Texas and the Virginia Stock Corporation Act.]
Except with our prior written consent, no person other than the addressees of this opinion and Shearman & Sterling, counsel for the Underwriters shall be entitled to rely upon it. We are aware that this opinion will be relied upon by Shearman & Sterling.
Exhibit 99.2
THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A DEPOSITORY OR A NOMINEE THEREOF. THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR A SECURITY REGISTERED, AND NO TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IN WHOLE OR IN PART MAY BE REGISTERED, IN THE NAME OF ANY PERSON OTHER THAN SUCH DEPOSITORY OR ITS NOMINEE EXCEPT IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE.
UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY (55 WATER STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK) TO THE ISSUER OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND SUCH CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO., OR SUCH OTHER NAME AS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY, ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL, SINCE THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION
7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2011
No. 1 CUSIP NO. 049560 AB1
Atmos Energy Corporation, a Texas and Virginia corporation (herein called the "Company", which term includes any successor entity under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for value received, hereby promises to pay to Cede & Co. or registered assigns the principal sum of THREE HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS ($350,000,000) on May 15, 2011 (the "Maturity Date"), at the office or agency of the Company referred to below, and to pay interest thereon from May 22, 2001, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, semiannually on May 15 and November 15 in each year (each, an "Interest Payment Date"), commencing November 15, 2001 at 7 3/8% per annum until the principal hereof is paid or duly provided for.
Any payment of principal or interest required to be made on a day that is not a Business Day need not be made on such day, but may be made on the next succeeding Business Day with the same force and effect as if made on such day and no interest shall accrue as a result of such delayed payment. Interest payable on each Interest Payment Date will include interest accrued from and including May 22, 2001, or from and including the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, as the case may be, to but excluding such Interest Payment Date.
The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the person (the "Holder") in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the May 1 and November 1 (whether or not a Business Day) next preceding such Interest Payment Date (a "Regular Record Date"). Any such interest not so punctually paid or duly provided for ("Defaulted Interest") will forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record Date and either may be paid to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on a special record date (the "Special Record Date") for the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed by the Trustee (referred to herein), notice whereof shall be given to the Holder of this Security not less than ten days prior to such Special Record Date, or may be paid at any time in any other lawful manner, all as more fully provided in the Indenture.
For purposes of this Security, "Business Day" means any day that, in the city of the principal Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee and in the City of New York, is neither a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law or regulation to close.
Payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on this Security will be made at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York, or at such other office or agency of the Company as may be maintained for such purpose, in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts. So long as this Security remains in book-entry form, all payments of principal and interest will be made by the Company in immediately available funds.
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Security set forth on the reverse hereof, which further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as if set forth at this place.
Unless the certificate of authentication hereon has been duly executed by the Trustee referred to on the reverse hereof by manual signature, this Security shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture, or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.
This Security is one of a duly authorized issue of securities of the Company designated as its 7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2011 (herein called the "Securities"), limited (except as otherwise provided in the Indenture referred to below) in aggregate principal amount to $350,000,000, which may be issued in one or more series under an Indenture, dated as of May 22, 2001 (as it may be supplemented from time to time herein called the "Indenture"), between the Company and SunTrust Bank, as trustee (herein called the "Trustee", which term includes any successor trustee under the Indenture with respect to the series of which this Security is a part), to which Indenture and all indentures supplemental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties, obligations and immunities thereunder of the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities, and of the terms upon which the Securities are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered.
(a) 100% of the principal amount of the Securities, or
(b) as determined by the Quotation Agent, the sum of the present values of the Remaining Scheduled Payments of principal and interest on the Securities discounted to the Redemption Date on a semi-annual basis assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30 day months at the Adjusted Treasury Rate plus 25 basis points;
plus, in either case, accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of Securities being redeemed to the Redemption Date.
"Adjusted Treasury Rate" means, for any Redemption Date, the rate per annum equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price of the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for that Redemption Date.
"Comparable Treasury Issue" means the United States treasury security selected by the Quotation Agent as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the Securities to be redeemed that would be used, at the time of a selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of the Securities.
"Comparable Treasury Price" means, for any Redemption Date, the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotation for that Redemption Date.
"Quotation Agent" means the Reference Treasury Dealer appointed by us.
"Reference Treasury Dealer" means Banc of America Securities LLC and its successors; provided, however, if Banc of America Securities LLC ceases to be a primary U.S. government securities dealer in New York City (a "Primary Treasury Dealer"), we will substitute another Primary Treasury Dealer.
"Reference Treasury Dealer Quotation" means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Trustee, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed, in each case, as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Trustee by the Reference Treasury Dealer by 5:00 p.m. on the third business day preceding the Redemption Date.
"Remaining Scheduled Payments" means, with respect to each Security to be redeemed, the remaining scheduled payments of the principal and interest on such Security that would be due after the related Redemption Date but for such redemption; provided, however, that if such Redemption Date is not an Interest Payment Date, the amount of the next succeeding scheduled interest payment on such note will be reduced by the amount of interest accrued on such note to such Redemption Date.
In the event that less than all of the Securities are to be redeemed at any time, selection of such Securities for redemption will be made by the Trustee on a pro rata basis, by lot or by such method as the Trustee in its sole discretion shall deem fair and appropriate; provided, however, that no Securities of a principal amount of $1,000 or less shall be redeemed in part. Notice of redemption shall be given by first-class mail, postage prepaid, mailed not less than 30 nor more than 60 days before the Redemption Date, to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed, at its address as shown in the Security Register. If the Securities are to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption that relates to such Securities shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. A new Security in a principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon surrender for cancellation of the original Security. On and after the Redemption Date, interest will cease to accrue on Securities or portions thereof called for redemption unless the Company defaults in the payment of the Redemption Price.
Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by or on behalf of the Holder of this Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Security and of any Security issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Security.
No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Security or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on this Security at the times, place and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed.
As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, the Securities are exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of Securities of a different authorized denomination, as requested by the Holder surrendering the same.
No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange or redemption of Securities, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to pay all documentary, stamp or similar issue or transfer taxes or other governmental charges payable in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange.
Prior to the time of due presentment of this Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name this Security is registered as the owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Security be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly executed.
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION
By: /s/ Louis P. Gregory ----------------------------- Name: Louis P. Gregory Title: Sr. Vice President & General Counsel Attest: By: /s/ Shirley A. Hines ----------------------------- Name: Shirley A. Hines Title: Corporate Secretary |
TRUSTEE'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
Dated: May 22, 2001 SUNTRUST BANK, as Trustee By: /s/ Jack Ellerin ------------------- Authorized Officer |
ASSIGNMENT FORM
To assign this Security, fill in the form below:
(I) or (we) assign and transfer this Security to
Date: Signature: --------- ------------------------------------------------------ (sign exactly as name appears on the other side of this Security) |
Signature guaranteed by:
EXHIBIT 99.3
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION,
Issuer,
to
SUNTRUST BANK,
Trustee
Indenture
Dated as of May 22, 2001
Debt Securities
Reconciliation and tie between Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and Indenture, dated as of May 22, 2001
Trust Indenture Act Section Indenture Section (S) 310(a)(1) ..................................... 608 (a)(2) ..................................... 608 (b) ..................................... 604, 607, 609(d)(1) (S) 311(a) ..................................... 101(2), 604, 613 (b) ..................................... 101(2), 604, 613 (S) 312(c) ..................................... 701 (S) 313 ..................................... 702 (S) 314(a) ..................................... 703 (a)(4) ..................................... 1004 (c)(1) ..................................... 102 (c)(2) ..................................... 102 (e) ..................................... 101 ("Opinion of ..................................... Counsel"), 102 (S) 315(b) ..................................... 601 (S) 316(a)(last sentence) ..................................... 101 ("Outstanding") (a)(1)(A) ..................................... 512 (a)(1)(B) ..................................... 513 (b) ..................................... 508 (c) ..................................... 104(d) (S) 317(a)(1) ..................................... 503 (a)(2) ..................................... 504 (b) ..................................... 1003 (S) 318(a) ..................................... 107 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ---- ARTICLE ONE DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION SECTION 101. Definitions............................................. 1 "Act"................................................................. 2 "Additional Amounts".................................................. 2 "Affiliate"........................................................... 2 "Attributable Debt"................................................... 2 "Authenticating Agent"................................................ 2 "Authorized Newspaper"................................................ 2 "Authorized Officer".................................................. 2 "Bankruptcy Law"...................................................... 3 "Board of Directors".................................................. 3 "Board Resolution".................................................... 3 "Book-Entry Security"................................................. 3 "Business Day"........................................................ 3 "Capital Stock"....................................................... 3 "Commission".......................................................... 3 "Company"............................................................. 3 "Company Request" or "Company Order".................................. 3 "Consolidated Net Tangible Assets".................................... 4 "Corporate Trust Office".............................................. 4 "corporation"......................................................... 4 "covenant defeasance"................................................. 4 "Custodian"........................................................... 4 "Default"............................................................. 4 "Defaulted Interest".................................................. 4 "defeasance".......................................................... 4 "Definitive Security"................................................. 4 "Depository".......................................................... 4 "Euroclear"........................................................... 4 "Event of Default".................................................... 4 "Exchange Act"........................................................ 4 "Extension Notice" and "Extension Period"............................. 4 "Final Maturity"...................................................... 4 "Funded Indebtedness"................................................. 5 ------------------------- Note: This table of contents shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be a part of the Indenture. |
Page ---- "generally accepted accounting principles" or "GAAP".................. 5 "Global Securities"................................................... 5 "Government Obligations".............................................. 5 "Greeley Indenture"................................................... 5 "guarantee"........................................................... 5 "Holder".............................................................. 6 "incorporated provision".............................................. 6 "Indebtedness"........................................................ 6 "Indenture"........................................................... 6 "Indexed Security".................................................... 6 "interest"............................................................ 6 "Interest Payment Date"............................................... 6 "Lien"................................................................ 6 "mandatory sinking fund payment"...................................... 7 "Maturity"............................................................ 7 "Non-Recourse Indebtedness"........................................... 7 "Note Purchase Agreements"............................................ 7 "Officers' Certificate"............................................... 8 "Opinion of Counsel".................................................. 8 "Option to Elect Repayment"........................................... 8 "Optional Reset Date"................................................. 8 "optional sinking fund payment"....................................... 8 "Original Issue Discount Security".................................... 8 "Original Stated Maturity"............................................ 8 "Outstanding"......................................................... 8 "Participants"........................................................ 9 "Paying Agent"........................................................ 9 "Person".............................................................. 9 "Place of Payment".................................................... 9 "Predecessor Security"................................................ 10 "Principal Property".................................................. 10 "Redemption Date"..................................................... 10 "Redemption Price".................................................... 10 "Regular Record Date"................................................. 10 "Repayment Date"...................................................... 10 "Repayment Price"..................................................... 10 "Reset Notice"........................................................ 10 "Restricted Securities"............................................... 10 "Restricted Subsidiary"............................................... 10 "Sale and Leaseback Transaction"...................................... 10 "Securities".......................................................... 11 |
Page ---- "Security Register" and "Security Registrar".......................... 11 "Special Record Date"................................................. 11 "Stated Maturity"..................................................... 11 "Subsequent Interest Period".......................................... 11 "Subsidiary".......................................................... 11 "Trust Indenture Act" or "TIA"........................................ 11 "Trustee"............................................................. 11 "Trustee Payments".................................................... 11 "United Cities Indenture"............................................. 11 "United States"....................................................... 12 "United States person"................................................ 12 "Vice President"...................................................... 12 "Yield to Maturity"................................................... 12 SECTION 102. Compliance Certificates and Opinions.................... 12 SECTION 103. Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee.................. 13 SECTION 104. Acts of Holders......................................... 14 SECTION 105. Notices, etc. to Trustee and Company.................... 15 SECTION 106. Notice to Holders; Waiver............................... 15 SECTION 107. Conflict of any Provision of Indenture with Trust Indenture Act......................................... 16 SECTION 108. Effect of Headings and Table of Contents................ 16 SECTION 109. Successors and Assigns.................................. 16 SECTION 110. Separability Clause..................................... 16 SECTION 111. Benefits of Indenture................................... 16 SECTION 112. Governing Law........................................... 16 SECTION 113. Legal Holidays.......................................... 17 SECTION 114. No Recourse Against Others.............................. 17 ARTICLE TWO SECURITY FORMS SECTION 201. Forms Generally......................................... 17 SECTION 202. Form of Trustee's Certificate of Authentication......... 18 SECTION 203. Securities Issuable in Global Form...................... 18 SECTION 204. Form of Legend for Book-Entry Securities................ 19 |
Page ---- ARTICLE THREE THE SECURITIES SECTION 301. Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series.................... 19 SECTION 302. Denominations........................................... 22 SECTION 303. Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating.......... 22 SECTION 304. Book-Entry Securities................................... 24 SECTION 305. Temporary Securities.................................... 26 SECTION 306. Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange..... 26 SECTION 307. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities........ 28 SECTION 308. Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved; Optional Interest Reset............................... 28 SECTION 309. Optional Extension of Stated Maturity................... 31 SECTION 310. Persons Deemed Owners................................... 32 SECTION 311. Cancellation............................................ 32 SECTION 312. Computation of Interest................................. 33 SECTION 313. CUSIP Numbers........................................... 33 ARTICLE FOUR SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE SECTION 401. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture................. 33 SECTION 402. Application of Trust Money.............................. 34 ARTICLE FIVE REMEDIES SECTION 501. Events of Default....................................... 35 SECTION 502. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment...... 36 SECTION 503. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee............................................ 37 SECTION 504. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim........................ 38 SECTION 505. Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities............................................ 39 SECTION 506. Application of Money Collected.......................... 39 SECTION 507. Limitation on Suits..................................... 39 |
Page ---- SECTION 508. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium and Interest.................................... 40 SECTION 509. Restoration of Rights and Remedies...................... 40 SECTION 510. Rights and Remedies Cumulative.......................... 41 SECTION 511. Delay or Omission Not Waiver............................ 41 SECTION 512. Control by Holders...................................... 41 SECTION 513. Waiver of Past Defaults................................. 41 SECTION 514. Undertaking for Costs................................... 42 SECTION 515. Waiver of Stay or Extension Laws........................ 42 ARTICLE SIX |
THE TRUSTEE
SECTION 601. Notice of Defaults...................................... 43 SECTION 602. Certain Rights of Trustee............................... 43 SECTION 603. Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities.............................................. 45 SECTION 604. May Hold Securities..................................... 45 SECTION 605. Money Held in Trust..................................... 45 SECTION 606. Compensation and Reimbursement.......................... 45 SECTION 607. Conflicting Interests................................... 46 SECTION 608. Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility; Conflicting Interests............................................... 46 SECTION 609. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor....... 47 SECTION 610. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.................. 48 SECTION 611. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business................................................ 49 SECTION 612. Appointment of Authenticating Agent..................... 50 SECTION 613. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company....... 52 |
ARTICLE SEVEN
HOLDERS' LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY
SECTION 701. Disclosure of Names and Addresses of Holders............ 52 SECTION 702. Reports by Trustee...................................... 52 SECTION 703. Reports by Company...................................... 52 |
ARTICLE EIGHT
CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, CONVEYANCE, TRANSFER OR LEASE
SECTION 801. Company May Consolidate, Etc., Only on Certain Terms.... 53 SECTION 802. Rights and Duties of Successor Corporation.............. 54 SECTION 803. Securities to be Secured in Certain Events.............. 54 |
ARTICLE NINE
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
SECTION 901. Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders...... 55 SECTION 902. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders......... 56 SECTION 903. Execution of Supplemental Indentures.................... 57 SECTION 904. Effect of Supplemental Indentures....................... 57 SECTION 905. Conformity with Trust Indenture Act..................... 58 SECTION 906. Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures...... 58 SECTION 907. Notice of Supplemental Indentures....................... 58 |
ARTICLE TEN
COVENANTS
SECTION 1001. Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest.............. 58 SECTION 1002. Maintenance of Office or Agency......................... 58 SECTION 1003. Money for Security Payments to Be Held in Trust......... 59 SECTION 1004. Statement as to Compliance.............................. 60 SECTION 1005. Corporate Existence..................................... 60 SECTION 1006. Limitations on Liens.................................... 61 SECTION 1007. Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions........... 62 SECTION 1008. Additional Amounts...................................... 63 SECTION 1009. Waiver of Certain Covenants............................. 64 |
ARTICLE ELEVEN
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
SECTION 1101. Applicability of Article................................ 64
SECTION 1102. Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee................... 64
Page ---- SECTION 1103. Selection by Trustee of Securities to Be Redeemed....... 64 SECTION 1104. Notice of Redemption.................................... 65 SECTION 1105. Deposit of Redemption Price............................. 66 SECTION 1106. Securities Payable on Redemption Date................... 66 SECTION 1107. Securities Redeemed in Part............................. 66 ARTICLE TWELVE |
SINKING FUNDS
SECTION 1201. Applicability of Article................................ 67 SECTION 1202. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities... 68 SECTION 1203. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund............... 68 |
ARTICLE THIRTEEN
REPAYMENT AT OPTION OF HOLDERS
SECTION 1301. Applicability of Article................................ 69 SECTION 1302. Repayment of Securities................................. 69 SECTION 1303. Exercise of Option...................................... 70 |
SECTION 1304. When Securities Presented for Repayment Become Due and
Payable................................................. 70
SECTION 1305. Securities Repaid in Part............................... 71
ARTICLE FOURTEEN
DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE
SECTION 1401. Company's Option to Effect Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.............................................. 71 SECTION 1402. Defeasance and Discharge................................ 71 SECTION 1403. Covenant Defeasance..................................... 72 SECTION 1404. Conditions to Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance......... 72 |
SECTION 1405. Deposited Money and Government Obligations to Be Held
in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions................ 74
SECTION 1406. Reinstatement........................................... 74
INDENTURE, dated as of May 22, 2001, between Atmos Energy Corporation, a Texas and Virginia corporation (herein called the "Company"), and SunTrust Bank, a banking corporation with trust powers organized and existing under the laws of the State of Georgia, trustee (herein called the "Trustee").
RECITALS OF THE COMPANY
The Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance from time to time of its senior debt securities (herein called the "Securities"), to be issued in one or more series as in this Indenture provided.
This Indenture is subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, that are required to be part of this Indenture and shall, to the extent applicable, be governed by such provisions.
All things necessary to make this Indenture a valid agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.
NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH:
For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed, for the equal and proportionate benefit of all Holders of the Securities or of series thereof, as follows:
ARTICLE ONE
DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION
(1) the terms defined in this Article have the meanings assigned to them in this Article and include the plural as well as the singular;
(2) all other terms used herein which are defined in the Trust Indenture Act, either directly or by reference therein, have the meanings assigned to them therein, and the terms "cash transaction" and "self- liquidating paper", as used in TIA Section 311, shall have the meanings assigned to them in the rules of the Commission adopted under the Trust Indenture Act;
(3) all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and except as otherwise herein expressly provided, the term "generally accepted accounting principles" with respect to any computation required or permitted hereunder shall mean such accounting principles as are generally accepted in the United States; and
(4) the words "herein", "hereof" and "hereunder" and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.
Certain terms, used principally in Article Three, are defined in that Article.
"Act", when used with respect to any Holder, has the meaning specified in Section 104.
"Additional Amounts" has the meaning specified in Section 1008.
"Affiliate" means, with respect to any specified Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, "control" when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms "controlling" and "controlled" have meanings correlative to the foregoing.
"Attributable Debt" means, as to any particular lease under which any Person is at the time liable for rent, at any date as of which the amount thereof is to be determined, the total net amount of rent required to be paid by such Person under such lease during the remaining term thereof (excluding amounts required to be paid on account of maintenance and repairs, services, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates and similar charges and contingent rents), discounted from the respective due dates thereof at the weighted average of the rates of interest (or Yield to Maturity, in the case of Original Issue Discount Securities) borne by the then Outstanding Securities compounded annually.
"Authenticating Agent" means any Person appointed by the Trustee to act on behalf of the Trustee pursuant to Section 612 to authenticate Securities.
"Authorized Newspaper" means a newspaper, in the English language or in an official language of the country of publication, customarily published on each Business Day, whether or not published on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, and of general circulation in each place in connection with which the term is used or in the financial community of each such place. Where successive publications are required to be made in Authorized Newspapers, the successive publications may be made in the same or in different newspapers in the same city meeting the foregoing requirements and in each case on any Business Day.
"Authorized Officer", when used with respect to the Trustee, means any vice-president, assistant vice president, any assistant secretary, any assistant treasurer, any trust officer or assistant trust officer, the controller and any assistant controller or any other officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above- designated officers, in each case who is assigned by the Trustee to administer corporate trust matters at its Corporate Trust Office, and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust
matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of his knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
"Bankruptcy Law" means Title 11, U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
"Board of Directors" means the Board of Directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee of such Board.
"Board Resolution" means a copy of a resolution certified by the Corporate Secretary or an Assistant Corporate Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification, and delivered to the Trustee.
"Book-Entry Security" has the meaning specified in Section 304.
"Business Day", means any day that, in the city of the principal Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee and in the City of New York, is neither a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law or regulation to close.
"Capital Stock" means, with respect to any corporation, any and all shares, interests, rights to purchase, warrants, options, participations or other equivalents of or interests (however designated) in stock issued by that corporation.
"Commission" means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Exchange Act or, if at any time after the execution of this Indenture such Commission is not existing and performing the duties now assigned to it under the Trust Indenture Act, then the body performing such duties at such time.
"Company" means the Person named as the "Company" in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor Person shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter "Company" shall mean such successor Person. To the extent necessary to comply with the requirements of the provisions of TIA Sections 310 through 317 as they are applicable to the Company, the term "Company" shall include any other obligor with respect to the Securities for the purposes of complying with such provisions.
"Consolidated Net Tangible Assets" means the aggregate amount of assets (less applicable reserves and other properly deductible items) after deducting therefrom (i) all current liabilities (excluding any portion thereof constituting Funded Indebtedness) and (ii) all goodwill, trade names, trademarks, patents, unamortized debt discount and expense and other like intangibles, all as set forth on the most recent consolidated balance sheet of the Company contained in the latest quarterly or annual report of the Company filed with the Commission under the Exchange Act and computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
"Corporate Trust Office" means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be principally administered, which office on the date of execution of this Indenture is located at SunTrust Bank, Corporate Trust Division, 25 Park Place, 24th Floor, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-2900, Attention: Corporate Trust Department.
"corporation" includes corporations, associations, partnerships, limited liability companies, companies and business trusts.
"covenant defeasance" has the meaning specified in Section 1403 hereof.
"Custodian" means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator, sequestrator or similar officer under any Bankruptcy Law.
"Default" means any event that is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.
"Defaulted Interest" has the meaning specified in Section 308 hereof.
"defeasance" has the meaning specified in Section 1402 hereof.
"Definitive Security" has the meaning specified in Section 304 hereof.
"Depository" has the meaning specified in Section 304.
"Euroclear" means Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York, Brussels Office, or its successor as operator of the Euroclear System.
"Event of Default" has the meaning specified in Section 501.
"Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
"Extension Notice" and "Extension Period" shall have the meanings specified in Section 309.
"Final Maturity" has the meaning specified in Section 309.
"Funded Indebtedness" as applied to any Person, means all Indebtedness of such Person maturing after, or renewable or extendable at the option of such Person beyond 12 months from the date of determination.
"generally accepted accounting principles" or "GAAP" means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.
"Global Securities" means one or more Securities evidencing all or
part of the Securities to be issued as Book-Entry Securities, issued to the
Depository in accordance with Section 304 and bearing the legend prescribed in
Section 204.
"Greeley Indenture" means that certain Indenture of Mortgage and Deed of Trust, dated as of March 1, 1957, from Greeley Gas Company to U.S. Bank National Association (formerly The Central Bank and Trust Company), as Trustee, as amended and supplemented through December 1,1993, the Indenture of Mortgage and Deed of Trust through the Tenth Supplemental Indenture by the Company to U.S. Bank National Association (formerly The Central Bank and Trust Company), as Trustee, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
"guarantee" means, as applied to any obligation, (i) a guarantee (other than by endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business), direct or indirect, in any manner, of any part or all of such obligation or (ii) an agreement, direct or indirect, contingent or otherwise, providing assurance of the payment or performance (or payment of damages in the event of non-performance) of any part or all of such obligation, including, without limiting the foregoing, the payment of amounts drawn down by letters of credit. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, a guarantee shall not include any agreement solely because such agreement creates a Lien on the assets of any Person. The amount of a guarantee shall be deemed to be the maximum amount of the obligation guaranteed for which the guarantor could be held liable under such guarantee.
"Holder" means the Person in whose name a Security is registered in the Security Register.
"incorporated provision" has the meaning specified in Section 107.
"Indebtedness" means obligations for money borrowed, evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or other similar evidences of indebtedness.
"Indexed Security" means a Security the terms of which provide that the principal amount thereof payable at Stated Maturity may be more or less than the principal face amount thereof at original issuance.
"interest", when used with respect to an Original Issue Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, means interest payable after Maturity at the rate prescribed in such Original Issue Discount Security.
"Interest Payment Date", when used with respect to any series of Securities, means the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Securities.
payment to such Person or Persons of the Company's or the Restricted Subsidiary's proportionate part of such development or operating expenses, (iv) any hedging arrangements entered into in the ordinary course of business, including any obligation to deliver any mineral, commodity or asset in connection therewith or (v) any guarantees by the Company of the repayment of Indebtedness of any Subsidiary or guarantees by the Company or any Subsidiary of the repayment of Indebtedness of any entity, including, but not limited to, Indebtedness of Woodward Marketing, L.L.C.
"mandatory sinking fund payment" shall have the meaning specified in
Section 1201.
"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, by declaration of acceleration, notice of redemption, notice of option to elect repayment or otherwise.
"Note Purchase Agreements" collectively refers to the following Note Purchase Agreements, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, which were executed by and between the Company and the following parties on the dates indicated: (i) John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, dated December 21, 1987; (ii) Mellon Bank, N.A., Trustee under Master Trust Agreement of AT&T Corporation, dated January 1, 1984, for Employee Pension Plans - AT&T - John Hancock - Private Placement, dated December 21, 1987 (Agreement is identical to Hancock Agreement listed above except as to the parties thereto and the amounts thereof); (iii) John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, dated October 11, 1989; (iv) The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, dated August 29, 1991; (v) The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, dated August 31, 1992; and (vi) New York Life
Insurance Company, New York Life Insurance and Annuity Corporation, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, American General Life Insurance Company and Merit Life Insurance Company, dated November 14, 1994.
"Opinion of Counsel" means a written opinion of counsel, who may be counsel for the Company, and who shall be acceptable to the Trustee. Each such opinion shall include the statements provided for in TIA Section 314(e) to the extent applicable.
"Option to Elect Repayment" shall have the meaning specified in
Section 1303.
"Optional Reset Date" shall have the meaning specified in Section 308.
"optional sinking fund payment" shall have the meaning specified in
Section 1201.
"Original Issue Discount Security" means any Security which provides for an amount less than the principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 502.
"Original Stated Maturity" shall have the meaning specified in Section 309.
"Outstanding" when used with respect to Securities means, as of the date of determination, all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, except:
(i) Securities theretofore cancelled by the Trustee or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation;
(iii) Securities, except to the extent provided in Sections 1402 and 1403, with respect to which the Company has effected defeasance and/or covenant defeasance as provided in Article Fourteen; and
(iv) Securities paid pursuant to Section 307 or Securities in exchange for or in lieu of which other Securities have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to this Indenture, other than any such Securities in respect of which there shall have been presented to the Trustee proof satisfactory to it that such Securities are held by a bona fide purchaser in whose hands such Securities are valid obligations of the Company;
"Participants" has the meaning specified in Section 304.
"Paying Agent" means any Person (including the Company acting as Paying Agent) authorized by the Company to pay the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on any Securities on behalf of the Company.
"Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.
"Place of Payment" means, when used with respect to the Securities of or within any series, the place or places where the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities are payable as specified as contemplated by Sections 301 and 1002.
"Predecessor Security" of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 307 in exchange for a mutilated Security or in lieu of a destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security.
"Principal Property" means any natural gas distribution property or propane property located in the United States, except any such property that in the opinion of the Board of Directors of the Company is not of material importance to the total business conducted by the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries.
"Redemption Date", when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, in whole or in part, means the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture.
"Redemption Price", when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, means the price at which it is to be redeemed pursuant to this Indenture.
"Regular Record Date" for the interest payable on any Interest Payment Date on the Securities of or within any series means the date specified for that purpose as contemplated by Section 301.
"Repayment Date" means, when used with respect to any Security to be repaid at the option of the Holder, the date fixed for such repayment pursuant to this Indenture.
"Repayment Price" means, when used with respect to any Security to be repaid at the option of the Holder, the price at which it is to be repaid pursuant to this Indenture.
"Reset Notice" shall have the meaning specified in Section 308.
"Restricted Securities" has the meaning specified in Section 1006.
"Restricted Subsidiary" means any Subsidiary the amount of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets of which constitutes more than 5% of the aggregate amount of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
"Sale and Leaseback Transaction" means any arrangement with any Person
pursuant to which the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary leases any Principal
Property that has been or is to be sold or transferred by the Company or the
Restricted Subsidiary to such Person, other than (i) a lease for a term,
including renewals at the option of the lessee, of not more than three years or
classified as an operating lease under generally accepted accounting principles,
(ii) leases between the Company and a Restricted Subsidiary or between
Restricted Subsidiaries and (iii) leases of a Principal Property executed by the
time of, or within 12 months after the latest of, the acquisition, the
completion of construction or improvement, or the commencement of commercial
operation, of the Principal Property.
"Security Register" and "Security Registrar" have the respective meanings specified in Section 306.
"Special Record Date" means a date fixed by the Trustee for the payment of any Defaulted Interest pursuant to Section 308.
"Stated Maturity", when used with respect to any Security or any installment of principal thereof or interest thereon, means the date specified in such Security representing such installment of principal or interest as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or such installment of principal or interest is due and payable, as such date may be extended pursuant to the provisions of Section 309.
"Subsequent Interest Period" shall have the meaning specified in
Section 308.
"Subsidiary" of the Company means (i) a corporation, a majority of whose Capital Stock with voting power, under ordinary circumstances, to elect directors is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by the Company, by one or more Subsidiaries or by the Company and one or more Subsidiaries or (ii) any other Person (other than a corporation) in which at the date of determination the Company, one or more Subsidiaries or the Company and one or more Subsidiaries, directly or indirectly, has at least a majority ownership and power to direct the policies, management and affairs thereof.
"Trust Indenture Act" or "TIA" means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and as in force at the date as of which this Indenture was executed, except as provided in Section 905.
"Trustee Payments" shall have the meaning specified in Section 610.
"United Cities Indenture" means that certain Indenture of Mortgage, dated as of July 15, 1959, from United Cities Gas Company to U.S. Bank Trust National Association
(formerly First Trust of Illinois, National Association), and M.J. Kruger, as Trustees, as amended supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Indenture of Mortgage through the Twenty-Second Supplemental Indenture by the Company to U.S. Bank Trust National Association (formerly First Trust National Association) and Russell C. Bergman, as Trustees, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
"United States" means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 301, the United States of America (including the states and the District of Columbia), its territories, its possessions and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.
"United States person" means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 301, an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, a corporation, partnership or other entity created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or an estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source.
"Vice President", when used with respect to the Company or the Trustee, means any vice president, whether or not designated by a number or a word or words added before or after the title "vice president".
"Yield to Maturity" means the yield to maturity, computed at the time of issuance of a Security (or, if applicable, at the most recent redetermination of interest on such Security) and as set forth in such Security in accordance with generally accepted United States bond yield computation principles.
Upon any application or request by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any provision of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate stating that all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture (including any covenant compliance with which constitutes a condition precedent) relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such conditions precedent, if any, have been complied with, except that in the case of any such application or request as to which the furnishing of such documents is specifically required by any provision of this Indenture relating to such particular application or request, no additional certificate or opinion need be furnished.
Every certificate or opinion (other than the certificates required by
Section 1004) with respect to compliance with a covenant or condition provided
for in this Indenture shall include:
(1) a statement that each individual signing such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition and the definitions herein relating thereto;
(2) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;
(3) a statement that, in the opinion of each such individual, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
(4) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of each such individual, such covenant or condition has been complied with.
In any case where several matters are required to be certified by, or covered by an opinion of, any specified Person, it is not necessary that all such matters be certified by, or covered by the opinion of, only one such Person, or that they be so certified or covered by only one document, but one such Person may certify or give an opinion with respect to some matters and one or more other such Persons as to other matters, and any such Person may certify or give an opinion as to such matters in one or several documents.
Any certificate or opinion of an officer of the Company may be based, insofar as it relates to legal matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, counsel, unless such officer knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to the matters upon which his certificate or opinion is based are erroneous. Any such certificate or Opinion of Counsel may be based, insofar as it relates to factual matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, an officer or officers of the Company stating that the information with respect to such factual matters is in the possession of the Company, unless such counsel knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to such matters are erroneous.
Where any Person is required to make, give or execute two or more applications, requests, consents, certificates, statements, opinions or other instruments under this Indenture, they may, but need not, be consolidated and form one instrument.
(a) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders of the Outstanding Securities of any series may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially similar tenor signed by such Holders in person or by agents duly appointed in writing. Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, such action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments or record or both are delivered to the Trustee and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Company. Such instrument or instruments and any such record (and the action embodied therein and evidenced thereby) are herein sometimes referred to as the "Act" of the Holders signing such instrument or instruments or so voting at any such meeting. Proof of execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent, or of the holding by any Person of a Security, shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and (subject to TIA Section 315) conclusive in favor of the Trustee and the Company, if made in the manner provided in this Section.
(b) The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing may be proved in any reasonable manner which the Trustee deems sufficient.
(c) The ownership of Securities shall be proved by the Security Register.
(e) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act by the Holder of any Security shall bind every future Holder of the same Security or the Holder of every Security issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof, in respect of anything done, suffered or omitted to be done by the Trustee, any
Paying Agent or the Company in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such action is made upon such Security.
Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or Act of Holders or other document provided or permitted by this Indenture to be made upon, given or furnished to, or filed with,
(1) the Trustee by any Holder, an agent of any bank or the Company shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder if made, given, furnished or delivered, in writing, to or with the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office, Attention: Corporate Trust Department; or
(2) the Company by the Trustee or by any Holder shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if made, given, furnished or delivered, in writing, to the Company, addressed to it c/o 1800 Three Lincoln Centre, 5430 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75240, Attention: Treasurer, or at any other address previously furnished in writing to the Trustee by the Company.
Where this Indenture provides for notice of any event to Holders of Securities by the Company or the Trustee, such notice shall be sufficiently given (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to each Holder affected by such event, at his address as it appears in the Security Register, not later than the latest date, and not earlier than the earliest date, prescribed for the giving of such notice. In any case where notice to Holders of Securities is given by mail, neither the failure to mail such notice, nor any defect in any notice so mailed, to any particular Holder shall affect the sufficiency of such notice with respect to other Holders of Securities. Any notice mailed to a Holder in the aforesaid manner shall be conclusively deemed to have been received by such Holder, whether or not such Holder actually receives such notice.
In case, by reason of the suspension of or irregularities in regular mail service or by reason of any other cause, it shall be impractical to mail notice of any event to Holders of Securities when such notice is required to be given pursuant to any provision of this Indenture, then any manner of giving such notice as shall be satisfactory to the Trustee shall be deemed to be sufficient giving of such notice for every purpose hereunder.
Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver required or permitted under this Indenture shall be in the English language, except that any published notice may be in an official language of the country of publication.
Where this Indenture provides for notice in any manner, such notice may be waived in writing by the Person entitled to receive such notice, either before or after the event, and such waiver shall be the equivalent of such notice. Waivers of notice by Holders shall be filed with the Trustee, but such filing shall not be a condition precedent to the validity of any action taken in reliance upon such waiver.
If and to the extent that any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by TIA Sections 310 to 318, inclusive, or conflicts with any provision (an "incorporated provision") required by or deemed to be included in this Indenture by operation of such TIA Sections, such imposed duties or incorporated provision shall control. If any provision of this Indenture modifies or excludes any provision of the Trust Indenture Act that may be so modified or excluded, the latter provision shall be deemed to apply to this Indenture as so modified or excluded, as the case may be.
The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
All covenants and agreements in this Indenture by the Company shall bind its successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.
In case any provision in this Indenture or in any Security 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.
Nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities, express or implied, shall give to any Person, other than the parties hereto, any Authenticating Agent, any Paying Agent, any Securities Registrar and their successors hereunder and the Holders of Securities, any benefit or any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Indenture.
This Indenture and the Securities shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of laws principles that would apply any other law. This Indenture is subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture
Act that are required to be part of this Indenture and shall, to the extent applicable, be governed by such provisions.
A director, officer, employee or stockholder, 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 Holder by accepting any of the Securities waives and releases all such liability.
ARTICLE TWO
SECURITY FORMS
The Securities shall be in substantially the forms as shall be established by or pursuant to a Board Resolution or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, in each case with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as are required or permitted by this Indenture, and may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification and such legends or endorsements placed thereon as may be required to comply with the rules of any securities exchange or as may, consistently herewith, be determined by the officers executing such Securities, as evidenced by their execution of the Securities. If the forms of Securities of any series are established by action taken pursuant to a Board Resolution, a copy of an appropriate record of such action shall be certified by the Corporate Secretary or an Assistant Corporate Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Company Order contemplated by Section 303 for the authentication and delivery of such Securities. Any portion of the text of any Security may be set forth on the reverse thereof, with an appropriate reference thereto on the face of the Security.
The Trustee's certificate of authentication on all Securities shall be in substantially the form set forth in this Article.
The definitive Securities shall be printed, lithographed or engraved on steel-engraved borders or may be produced in any other manner, all as determined by the officers of the Company executing such Securities, as evidenced by their execution of such Securities.
Subject to Section 612, the Trustee's certificate of authentication shall be in substantially the following form:
TRUSTEE'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
Dated: ____________________
This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
SUNTRUST BANK, as Trustee
By ______________________
Authorized Officer
When Securities of or within a series are issued in global form, as specified as contemplated by Section 301, then, any such Security shall represent such of the Outstanding Securities of such series as shall be specified therein and may provide that it shall represent the aggregate amount of Outstanding Securities of such series from time to time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate amount of Outstanding Securities of such series represented thereby may from time to time be increased or decreased to reflect exchanges. Any endorsement of a Security in global form to reflect the amount, or any increase or decrease in the amount, of Outstanding Securities represented thereby shall be made by the Trustee in such manner and upon instructions given by such Person or Persons as shall be specified therein or in the Company Order to be delivered to the Trustee pursuant to Section 303 or Section 305. Subject to the provisions of Section 303 and, if applicable, Section 305, the Trustee shall deliver and redeliver any Security in permanent global form in the manner and upon instructions given by the Person or Persons specified therein or in the applicable Company Order. If a Company Order pursuant to Section 303 or Section 305 has been, or simultaneously is, delivered, any instructions by the Company with respect to endorsement or delivery or redelivery of a Security in global form shall be in writing but need not comply with Section 102 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel.
The provisions of the last sentence of Section 303 shall apply to any Security represented by a Security in global form if such Security was never issued and sold by the Company and the Company delivers to the Trustee the Security in global form together with written instructions (which need not comply with Section 102 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel) with regard to the reduction in the principal amount of Securities represented thereby, together with the written statement contemplated by the last sentence of Section 303.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 308, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301, payment of principal of (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on any Security in permanent global form shall be made to the Person or Persons specified therein.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 310 and except as provided in the preceding paragraph, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company and the Trustee shall treat as the Holder of such principal amount of Outstanding Securities represented by a permanent Global Security the Holder of such permanent Global Security.
Any Global Security authenticated and delivered hereunder shall bear a legend (which would be in addition to any other legends required in the case of a Restricted Security) 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 A DEPOSITORY OR A NOMINEE THEREOF. THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR A SECURITY REGISTERED, AND NO TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IN WHOLE OR IN PART MAY BE REGISTERED, IN THE NAME OF ANY PERSON OTHER THAN SUCH DEPOSITORY OR ITS NOMINEE EXCEPT IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE.
ARTICLE THREE
THE SECURITIES
The aggregate principal amount of Securities which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited.
The Securities may be issued in one or more series. There shall be established in one or more Board Resolutions or pursuant to authority granted by one or more Board Resolutions and, subject to Section 303, set forth in, or determined in the manner provided in, an Officers' Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, prior to the issuance of Securities of any series, any or all of the following, as applicable (each of which (except for the matters set forth in clauses (1) and (2) below), if so provided, may be determined from time to time by the Company with respect to unissued Securities of the series and set forth in such Securities of the series when issued from time to time):
(1) The title of the Securities of the series (which shall distinguish the Securities of the series from all other series of Securities);
(2) The aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the series, the percentage of their principal amount at which the Securities of the series shall be issued and the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the series shall be payable or the method by which such date or dates shall be determined or extended;
(3) The rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) at which the Securities of the series shall bear interest, if any, and, if variable, the method by which such rate or rates shall be determined;
(4) The date or dates from which any interest shall accrue or the method by which such date or dates will be determined, the date or dates on which any interest will be payable (including the Regular Record Dates for such Interest Payment Dates) and the basis on which any interest will be calculated if other than on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months;
(5) The place or places, if any, other than or in addition to New York City, where the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on the Securities of the series will be payable, where any Securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer, where the Securities of the series may be surrendered for exchange and where notices or demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of the series may be served;
(6) The period or periods within which, the price or prices at which, and the other terms and conditions upon which, the Securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company, if the Company is to have that option;
(7) The obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem, purchase or repay the Securities of the series, in whole or in part, pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of a holder thereof, and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which, and the other terms and conditions upon which, the Securities of the series will be so redeemed, purchased or repaid;
(8) Whether the amount of payments of principal of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on the Securities of the series may be determined with reference to an index, formula or other method (which index, formula or method may, without limitation, be based on one or more commodities, equity indices or other indices) and the manner in which such amounts shall be determined;
(9) Any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the Events of Default or covenants of the Company with respect to the Securities of the series (which Events of Default or covenants may not be consistent with the Events of Default or covenants set forth in the general provisions of this Indenture);
(10) If other than the entire 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 502 or the method by which such portion shall be determined;
(11) Any provisions in modification of, in addition to or in lieu of any provisions of Article Fourteen of this Indenture relating to defeasance and covenant defeasance that shall be applicable to the Securities of the series;
(12) Any provisions granting special rights to the Holders of the Securities of the series upon the occurrence of such events as may be specified;
(13) If other than the Trustee, the designation of any Paying Agent or Security Registrar for the Securities of the series, and the designation of any transfer or other agents or depositories for the Securities of the series;
(14) Whether the Securities of the series shall be issuable initially in temporary global form, whether any of the Securities of the series is to be issuable in permanent global form and, if so, whether beneficial owners of interests in any Global Security may exchange such interests for Definitive Securities of like tenor of any authorized form and denomination and the circumstances under which any such exchanges may occur, if other than in the manner provided in the Indenture, and, if the Securities are to be issuable as a Global Security, the identity of the depository for the Securities of the series;
(15) The person to whom any interest on any Security shall be payable, if other than the person in whose name the Securities of the series (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, or the manner in which any interest payable on a temporary Security issued in global form shall be paid (if other than as described in Section 304);
(16) The denomination or denominations in which the Securities of the series shall be issuable, if other than $1,000 or any integral multiple thereof;
(17) Whether and under what circumstances the Company shall pay Additional Amounts, as contemplated by Section 1008 of this Indenture, on the Securities of the series to any Holder who is not a United States person (including any modification of the definition of such term as contained in this Indenture) in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge and, if so, whether the Company shall have the option to redeem the Securities of the series rather than pay such Additional Amounts (and the terms of any such option); and
(18) Any other terms, conditions, rights and preferences (or limitations on such rights and preferences) of the Securities of the series which may not be consistent with the other provisions of this Indenture.
All Securities of any one series shall be substantially identical except as may otherwise be provided in or pursuant to such Board Resolution (subject to Section 303) and set forth in such Officers' Certificate or in any such indenture supplemental hereto. Not all Securities of any one series need be issued at the same time, and, unless otherwise provided, a series may be reopened for issuances of additional Securities of such series.
If any of the terms of the series are established by action taken pursuant to one or more Board Resolutions, such Board Resolutions shall be delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officers' Certificate setting forth the terms of the series.
The Securities of each series shall be issuable in such denominations as shall be specified as contemplated by Section 301. In the absence of any such provisions, the Securities of such series, other than Securities issued in global form (which may be of any denomination), shall be issuable in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof.
The Securities shall be executed on behalf of the Company by any one of the following: its Chairman, its Chief Executive Officer, its President or one of its Vice Presidents, and attested by one of its Vice Presidents, its Corporate Secretary or one of its Assistant Corporate Secretaries. The signature of any of these officers on the Securities may be manual or facsimile.
Securities bearing the manual or facsimile signatures of individuals who were at any time the proper officers of the Company shall bind the Company, notwithstanding that such individuals or any of them have ceased to hold such offices prior to the authentication and delivery of such Securities or did not hold such offices at the date of such Securities.
At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities of any series, executed by the Company to the
Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities, and the Trustee in accordance with such Company Order shall authenticate and make available for delivery such Securities. If not all the Securities of any series are to be issued at one time and if the Board Resolution or supplemental indenture establishing such series shall so permit, such Company Order may set forth procedures acceptable to the Trustee for the issuance of such Securities and determining terms of particular Securities of such series such as interest rate, stated maturity, date of issuance and date from which interest shall accrue.
In authenticating such Securities, and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to TIA Sections 315(a) through 315(d)) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel stating:
(1) that the form or forms of such Securities have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture;
(2) that the terms of such Securities have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture;
(3) that such Securities, when completed by appropriate insertions and executed and delivered by the Company to the Trustee for authentication in accordance with this Indenture, authenticated and made available for delivery by the Trustee in accordance with this Indenture and issued by the Company in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights, to general equitable principles and to such other qualifications as such counsel shall conclude do not materially affect the rights of Holders of such Securities;
(4) that all laws and requirements in respect of the execution and delivery by the Company of such Securities, and of the supplemental indentures, if any, have been complied with and that authentication and delivery of such Securities and the execution and delivery of the supplemental indenture, if any, by the Trustee will not violate the terms of the Indenture;
(5) that the Company has the corporate power to issue such Securities, and all necessary corporate action with respect to such issuance has been taken ; and
(6) that the issuance of such Securities will not contravene the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the Company or result in any violation of any of the terms or provisions of any law or regulation or of any indenture, mortgage or other agreement known to such Counsel by which the Company is bound.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 301 and of the preceding two paragraphs, if not all the Securities of any series are to be issued at one time, so long as the terms and provisions of such Securities are substantially identical to the other Securities of such series, it shall not be necessary to deliver the Officers' Certificate otherwise required pursuant to Section 301 or the Company Order and Opinion of Counsel otherwise required pursuant to the preceding two paragraphs prior to or at the time of issuance of each Security, but such documents shall be delivered prior to or at the time of issuance of the first Security of such series.
The Trustee shall not be required to authenticate and make available for delivery any such Securities if the issuance of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustee's own rights, duties, immunities, protections, privileges, indemnities and benefits under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner which is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.
Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.
No Security shall be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose unless there appears on such Security a certificate of authentication substantially in the form provided for herein duly executed by the Trustee by manual signature of an authorized signatory, and such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Security shall have been authenticated and delivered hereunder but never issued and sold by the Company, and the Company shall deliver such Security to the Trustee for cancellation as provided in Section 311 together with a written statement (which need not comply with Section 102 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel) stating that such Security has never been issued and sold by the Company, for all purposes of this Indenture such Security shall be deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered hereunder and shall never be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.
(a) The Securities of a series may be issuable in whole or in part in
the form of one or more Global Securities ("Book-Entry Securities") deposited
with, or on behalf of, a Depository (the "Depository"). In the case of Book-
Entry Securities, one or more Global Securities will be issued in a denomination
or aggregate denomination equal to the portion of the aggregate principal amount
of Outstanding Securities of the series to be represented by such Global
Security or Global Securities. The additional provisions set forth in this
Section 304 shall apply to Book-Entry Securities.
credited to or through accounts maintained at the Depository by or on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream International. The accounts to be credited will be designated by the underwriters or agents of such Securities or, if such Securities are offered and sold directly by the Company, by the Company. Ownership of beneficial interests in Book-Entry Securities will be limited to Persons that may hold interests through Participants.
Participants shall have no rights under this Indenture or any indenture supplemental hereto with respect to any Book-Entry Security held on their behalf by the Depository, or the Trustee as its custodian, and the Depository may be treated by the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee as the absolute owner of the Book-Entry Security for all purposes whatsoever. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Indenture or any such supplemental indenture shall prevent the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by the Depository or impair, as between a Depository and its Participants, the operation of customary practices governing the exercise of the rights of a Holder of any Security.
(c) Transfers of Book-Entry Securities shall be limited to transfers in whole, but not in part, to the Depository, its successors or their respective nominees. Interests of beneficial owners in Book-Entry Securities may be transferred or exchanged for Securities in fully registered, certificated form ("Definitive Securities") only if (i) the Depository notifies the Trustee in writing that the Depository is no longer willing or able to continue as Depository and a qualified successor Depository is not appointed by the Company within 60 days following such notice, (ii) the Company, at any time and in its sole discretion, determines not to have any Securities of one or more series represented by Global Securities or (iii) after the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to such Securities, a holder of Securities notifies the Trustee in writing that it wishes to receive a Definitive Security and provides to the Trustee evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee of its ownership interest in such Securities. In any such instance, an owner of a beneficial interest in a Global Security will be entitled to physical delivery of Definitive Securities equal in principal amount to such beneficial interest and registered in its name.
(d) In connection with any transfer or exchange of a portion of the beneficial interest in any Book-Entry Security to beneficial owners pursuant to paragraph (c) above, the Security Registrar shall reflect on its books and records the date and a decrease in the principal amount of the Book-Entry Security in an amount equal to the principal amount of the beneficial interest in the Book-Entry Security to be transferred, and the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, one or more Definitive Securities of like tenor and principal amount of authorized denominations.
(e) In connection with the transfer of Book-Entry Securities as an entirety to beneficial owners pursuant to paragraph (c) above, the Book-Entry Securities shall be deemed to be surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation and the Company shall execute, and the Trustee
shall authenticate and deliver, to each beneficial owner identified by the Depository in exchange for its beneficial interest in the Book-Entry Securities, an equal aggregate principal amount of Definitive Securities of like tenor of authorized denominations.
(f) The Holder of any Book-Entry Security may grant proxies and otherwise authorize any Person, including Participants and Persons that may hold interests through Participants, to take any action which a Holder is entitled to take under this Indenture or the Securities.
Pending the preparation of Definitive Securities of any series, the Company may execute, and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities which are typewritten, printed, lithographed, engraved or otherwise produced by any combination of these methods, in any authorized denomination, substantially of the tenor of the Definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, in registered form and with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers executing such Securities may determine, as evidenced by their execution of such Securities. Such temporary Securities may be in global form.
If temporary Securities of any series are issued, the Company will cause Definitive Securities of that series to be prepared without unreasonable delay. After the preparation of Definitive Securities of such series, the temporary Securities of such series shall be exchangeable for Definitive Securities of such series upon surrender of the temporary Securities of such series at the office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment for that series, without charge to the Holder. Upon surrender for cancellation of any one or more temporary Securities of any series, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a like principal amount of Definitive Securities of the same series of authorized denominations. Until so exchanged the temporary Securities of any series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as Definitive Securities of such series.
Until exchanged in full as hereinabove provided, the temporary Securities of any series, including temporary Global Securities (whether or not issued as Book-Entry Securities as provided in Section 304), shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as Definitive Securities of the same series and of like tenor authenticated and delivered hereunder.
The Company shall cause to be kept at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee a register for each series of Securities (the registers maintained in such office of the Trustee and in any other office or agency designated pursuant to Section 1002 being herein sometimes referred to as the "Security Register") in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe,
the Company shall provide for the registration of Securities and of transfers of Securities. The Trustee is hereby initially appointed "Security Registrar" for the purpose of registering Securities and transfers of Securities as herein provided.
Except as otherwise described in this Article Three, upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Security of any series at the office or agency of the Security Registrar in a Place of Payment for that series, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more new Securities of the same series, in each case, of any authorized denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount.
At the option of the Holder, Securities of any series may be exchanged for other Securities of the same series, of any authorized denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount, upon surrender of the Securities to be exchanged at such office or agency. Whenever any Securities are so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery, the Securities which the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive.
All Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities shall be the valid obligations of the Company, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.
Every Security presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange shall (if so required by the Company or the Security Registrar) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer, in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar, duly executed by the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing.
No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to pay all documentary, stamp, similar issue or transfer taxes or other governmental charges that may be imposed in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 305, 906, 1107 or 1305 not involving any transfer.
Neither the Company nor the Security Registrar shall be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of the selection for redemption of Securities of that series under Section 1103 or 1203 and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing of the relevant notice of redemption, or (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Security being redeemed in part, or (iii) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security which has been surrendered for repayment at the option of the Holder, except the portion, if any, of such Security not to be so repaid.
If any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee together with, in proper cases, such security or indemnity as may be required by the Company or the Trustee to save each of them and any agent of either of them harmless, 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, or, in case any such mutilated 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.
If there shall be delivered to the Company and to the Trustee (i) evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security and (ii) such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them and any agent of either of them harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or an Authorized Officer of the Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company shall execute and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, 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.
Notwithstanding the provisions of the previous two paragraphs, 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, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to pay all documentary, stamp or similar issue or transfer taxes or other governmental charges 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, if any, issued pursuant to this
Section in lieu of any mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall
constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether
or not the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time
enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this
Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that
series duly issued hereunder.
The provisions of this Section 307 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.
(a) Unless otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to any series of Securities, interest, if any, on any Security which is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name
Any interest on any Security of any series which is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on the relevant Regular Record Date by virtue of having been such Holder, and such defaulted interest and, if applicable, interest on such defaulted interest (to the extent lawful) at the rate specified in the Securities of such series (such defaulted interest and, if applicable, interest thereon herein collectively called "Defaulted Interest") may be paid by the Company, at its election in each case, as provided in Subsection (1) or (2) below:
(1) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest
to the Persons in whose names the Securities of such series (or their
respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business
on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which
shall be fixed in the following manner. The Company shall notify the
Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid
on each Security of such series and the date of the proposed payment, and
at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of
money (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 301 for the
Securities of such series) equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be
paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements
satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit on or prior to the date of the
proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the
benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this
Subsection provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a Special Record Date
for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall be not more than 15
days and not less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment
and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of
the proposed payment. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such
Special Record Date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company,
shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and
the Special Record Date therefor to be given in the manner provided in
Section 106, not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date.
Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special
Record Date therefor having been so given, such Defaulted Interest shall be
paid to the Persons in whose name the Securities of such series (or their
respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business
on such Special Record Date and shall no longer be payable pursuant to the
following Subsection (2).
(2) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on the Securities of any series in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.
(b) The provisions of this Section 308(b) may be made applicable to
any series of Securities pursuant to Section 301 (with such modifications,
additions or substitutions as may be specified pursuant to such Section 301).
The interest rate (or the spread or spread multiplier used to calculate such
interest rate, if applicable) on any Security of such series may be reset by the
Company on the date or dates specified on the face of such Security (each an
"Optional Reset Date"). The Company may exercise such option with respect to
such Security by notifying the Trustee of such exercise at least 50 but not more
than 60 days prior to an Optional Reset Date for such Security, which notice
shall contain such information as may be required by the Trustee to transmit the
Reset Notice (as hereinafter defined). Not later than 40 days prior to each
Optional Reset Date, the Trustee shall transmit, in the manner provided for in
Section 106, to the Holder of any such Security a notice (the "Reset Notice")
indicating whether the Company has elected to reset the interest rate (or the
spread or spread multiplier used to calculate such interest rate, if
applicable), and if so (i) such new interest rate (or such new spread or spread
multiplier, if applicable) and (ii) the provisions, if any, for redemption
during the period from such Optional Reset Date to the next Optional Reset Date
or if there is no such next Optional Reset Date, to the Stated Maturity of such
Security (each such period a "Subsequent Interest Period"), including the date
or dates on which or the period or periods during which and the price or prices
at which such redemption may occur during the Subsequent Interest Period.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, not later than 20 days prior to the Optional Reset Date, the Company may, at its option, revoke the interest rate (or the spread or spread multiplier used to calculate such interest rate, if applicable) provided for in the Reset Notice and establish an interest rate (or a spread or spread multiplier used to calculate such interest rate, if applicable) that is higher than the interest rate (or the spread or spread multiplier, if applicable) provided for in the Reset Notice, for the Subsequent Interest Period by causing the Trustee to transmit, in the manner provided for in Section 106, notice of such higher interest rate (or such higher spread or spread multiplier, if applicable) to the Holder of such Security; and such notice shall be irrevocable. All Securities with respect to which the interest rate (or the spread or spread multiplier used to calculate such interest rate, if applicable) is reset on an Optional Reset Date, and with respect to which the Holders of such Securities have not tendered such Securities for repayment (or have validly revoked any such tender) pursuant to the next succeeding paragraph, will bear such higher interest rate (or such higher spread or spread multiplier, if applicable).
The Holder of any such Security will have the option to elect repayment by the Company of the principal of such Security on each Optional Reset Date at a price equal to the principal amount thereof plus interest accrued to such Optional Reset Date. In order to obtain
repayment on an Optional Reset Date, the Holder must follow the procedures set forth in Article Thirteen for repayment at the option of Holders except that the period for delivery or notification to the Trustee shall be at least 25 but not more than 35 days prior to such Optional Reset Date and except that, if the Holder has tendered any Security for repayment pursuant to the Reset Notice, the Holder may, by written notice to the Trustee, revoke such tender or repayment until the close of business on the tenth day (or if such day is not a Business Day, on the immediately succeeding Business Day) before such Optional Reset Date.
Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section and Section 306, each Security delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, which were carried by such other Security.
The provisions of this Section 309 may be made applicable to any series of Securities pursuant to Section 301 (with such modifications, additions or substitutions as may be specified pursuant to such Section 301). The Stated Maturity of any Security of such series may be extended at the option of the Company for the period or periods specified on the face of such Security (each an "Extension Period") up to but not beyond the date (the "Final Maturity") set forth on the face of such Security. The Company may exercise such option with respect to any Security by notifying the Trustee of such exercise at least 50 but not more than 60 days prior to the Stated Maturity of such Security in effect prior to the exercise of such option (the "Original Stated Maturity"). If the Company exercises such option, the Trustee shall transmit, in the manner provided for in Section 106, to the Holder of such Security not later than 40 days prior to the Original Stated Maturity a notice (the "Extension Notice") indicating (i) the election of the Company to extend the Stated Maturity, (ii) the new Stated Maturity, (iii) the interest rate, if any, applicable to the Extension Period and (iv) the provisions, if any, for redemption during such Extension Period. Upon the Trustee's transmittal of the Extension Notice, the Stated Maturity of such Security shall be extended automatically and, except as modified by the Extension Notice and as described in the next paragraph, such Security will have the same terms as prior to the transmittal of such Extension Notice.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, not later than 20 days before the Original Stated Maturity of such Security, the Company may, at its option, revoke the interest rate provided for in the Extension Notice and establish a higher interest rate for the Extension Period by causing the Trustee to transmit, in the manner provided for in Section 106, notice of such higher interest rate to the Holder of such Security; and such notice shall be irrevocable. All Securities with respect to which the Stated Maturity is extended will bear such higher interest rate.
If the Company extends the Maturity of any Security, the Holder will have the option to elect repayment of such Security by the Company on the Original Stated Maturity at a price equal to the principal amount thereof, plus interest accrued to such date. In order to obtain repayment on the Original Stated Maturity once the Company has extended the Maturity of such
Security, the Holder must follow the procedures set forth in Article Thirteen for repayment at the option of Holders, except that the period for delivery or notification to the Trustee shall be at least 25 but not more than 35 days prior to the Original Stated Maturity and except that, if the Holder has tendered any Security for repayment pursuant to an Extension Notice, the Holder may by written notice to the Trustee revoke such tender for repayment until the close of business on the tenth day (or if such day is not a Business Day, on the immediately succeeding Business Day) before the Original Stated Maturity.
Prior to due presentment of a Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name such Security is registered as the owner of such Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of (and premium, if any) and (subject to Sections 306 and 308) interest, if any, on such Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not such Security be overdue, and none of the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
None of the Company, the Trustee, any Paying Agent or the Security Registrar will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of (i) the records relating to or payments made on account of any Participants or any beneficial ownership interests of a Security in global form, (ii) maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records maintained by any Depository or Participant or any other Person relating to such beneficial ownership interests, (iii) the delivery or timeliness of delivery of any notice to any beneficial owner of Securities which is required or permitted under the terms of this Indenture or such Securities, (iv) the selection of the beneficial owners to receive payments in the event of a partial redemption or repayment, or (v) any consent given or other action taken by the Depository or other Holder of a Security, as the registered holder thereof.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Global Security, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee, or any agent of the Company or the Trustee, from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by any Depository, as a Holder, with respect to such Global Security or impair, as between such Depository and owners of beneficial interests in such Global Security, the operation of customary practices governing the exercise of the rights of such Depository (or its nominee) as Holder of such Global Security.
All Securities surrendered for payment, redemption, repayment at the option of the Holder, registration of transfer or exchange or for credit against any current or future sinking fund payment shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Trustee, be delivered to the Trustee. All Securities so delivered to the Trustee shall be promptly cancelled by it. The Company may at any time deliver to the Trustee for cancellation any Securities previously
authenticated and delivered hereunder which the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever, and may deliver to the Trustee (or to any other Person for delivery to the Trustee) for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated hereunder which the Company has not issued and sold, and all Securities so delivered shall be promptly cancelled by the Trustee. If the Company shall so acquire any of the Securities, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Securities unless and until the same are surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities cancelled as provided in this Section, except as expressly permitted by this Indenture. All cancelled Securities held by the Trustee shall be disposed of by the Trustee in accordance with its customary procedures, unless by Company Order the Company shall direct that cancelled Securities be returned to it.
Interest, if any, on the Securities of each series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
ARTICLE FOUR
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
This Indenture shall, upon Company Request, cease to be of further effect with respect to any series of Securities specified in such Company Request (except as to any surviving rights of registration of transfer or exchange of Securities of such series expressly provided for herein or pursuant hereto) and the Trustee, on demand of and at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such series when
(1) either
(A) all Securities of such series theretofore authenticated and delivered have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or
(B) all Securities of such series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation
(i) have become due and payable, or
(ii) will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year, or
(iii) if redeemable at the option of the Company, are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company,
and the Company, in the case of (i), (ii) or (iii) above, has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for such purpose an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such Securities not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, to the date of such deposit (in the case of Securities which have become due and payable) or to the Stated Maturity or Redemption Date, as the case may be;
(2) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company with respect to such series; and
(3) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such series have been complied with.
Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to
such series, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee under Section 606,
the obligations of the Trustee to any Authenticating Agent under Section 612
and, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to subclause
(B) of Subsection (1) of this Section, the obligations of the Trustee under
Section 402 and the last paragraph of Section 1003 shall survive.
Subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 1003, all money deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 401 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 premium, if any) and interest, if any, for whose payment such money has been deposited with the Trustee.
ARTICLE FIVE
REMEDIES
"Event of Default", wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any series, means any one of the following events:
(1) default in the payment of any installment of interest upon any Security of such series when it becomes due and payable, continued for 30 days; or
(2) default in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any Security of such series at its Maturity; or
(3) default in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, when and as due by the terms of the Securities of such series and Article Twelve; or
(4) failure on the part of the Company to observe or perform any other covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture (other than a covenant or agreement included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of less than all series of Securities or a covenant the default in the performance of which would be covered by clause (7) below) for 60 days after written notice of such failure, requiring the Company to remedy the same, has been given to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of outstanding Securities of such series; or
(6) the entry of a decree or order by court having jurisdiction in the premises adjudging the Company a bankrupt or insolvent, or approving as properly filed a petition seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition of or in respect of the Company under the Bankruptcy Law or any other applicable federal or state law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator (or other similar official) of the Company or of any substantial part of the property of the Company, or ordering the winding up or liquidation of the affairs of the Company, and the continuance of any such decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or
(7) the institution by the Company of proceedings to be adjudicated a bankrupt or insolvent, or the consent by the Company to the institution of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings against it, or the filing by the Company of a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief under the Bankruptcy Law or any other applicable federal or state law, or the consent by the Company to the filing of any such petition or to the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator (or other similar official) of the Company or of any substantial part of the property of the Company of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the admission by the Company in writing of its inability to pay its debts generally as they become due; or
(8) any other Event of Default provided for the benefit of Securities of such series.
If any Event of Default described in Section 501 with respect to Securities of any series at the time Outstanding occurs and is continuing, then in every such case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series may declare the principal amount (or, if the Securities of that series are Original Issue Discount Securities or Indexed Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) of all of the Securities of that series and all accrued interest thereon 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 portion thereof) shall become immediately due and payable.
At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to securities of any series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series, by written notice to the Company, and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if:
(a) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay;
(1) all overdue interest, if any, on all Outstanding Securities of that series,
(2) all unpaid principal of (and premium, if any, on) any Outstanding Securities of that series which has become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration, and interest on such unpaid principal (and premium, if any) at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities,
(3) interest upon such overdue interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities, and
(4) all sums paid or advanced by the Trustee for such series hereunder and reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of such Trustee, its agents and counsel;
(b) all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that series, other than the non-payment of principal of (or premium, if any, on) or interest, if any, on Securities of that series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 513.
No such rescission shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
The Company covenants that if:
(1) 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
(2) default is made in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any Security at the Maturity thereof,
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 premium, if any) and interest, if any, and interest on any overdue principal (and premium, if any) and on 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 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 decreed 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 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 under this Indenture by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce such rights.
In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities 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, premium, if any, or interest) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise,
(i) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of principal (and premium, if any), or such portion of the principal amount of any series of Original Issue Discount Securities or Indexed Securities as may be specified in the terms of such series, and interest, if any, 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
(ii) 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 606.
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 proposal, plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition or other similar arrangement 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.
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 and 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.
Any money collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money on account of principal (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, upon presentation of the Securities and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
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
(1) such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that series;
(2) the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of an Event of Default described in Section 501 in its own name as Trustee hereunder;
(3) such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with such request;
(4) the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and
(5) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority or more in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that series;
it being understood and intended that no one or more of such Holders shall have 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 Holders of Securities of the same series, in respect of any Event of Default described in Section 501, 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 Holders of Securities of the same series, in respect of such Event of Default.
Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of
any Security shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to
receive payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and (subject to
Section 308) interest, if any, on, such Security on the respective Stated
Maturities expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the
Redemption Date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment,
and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.
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 the Company, the Trustee and the Holders shall, subject to any determination in such proceeding, be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 307, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders of Securities is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.
No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Security 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.
(1) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture or expose the Trustee to personal liability, and
(2) subject to the provisions of the TIA Section 315, the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction.
Subject to Section 502, 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 or Event of Default in Section 501 in respect of such series and its consequences, except a Default or Event of Default,
(1) in respect of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security of such series, or
(2) in respect of a covenant or provision of such series which under Article Nine cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of such series affected.
Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, or 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; and the Company (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted.
ARTICLE SIX
THE TRUSTEE
Subject to the provisions of TIA Sections 315(a) through 315(d):
(1) the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;
(2) any request or direction of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Company Request or Company Order and any resolution of the Board of Directors may be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution;
(3) whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee (unless other evidence be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, rely upon an Officers' Certificate;
(4) the Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon;
(5) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders of Securities of any series pursuant to this Indenture, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction;
(6) the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, 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, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books, records and premises of the Company, personally or by agent or attorney;
(7) the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;
(8) no provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it;
(9) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by an Authorized Officer, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
(10) The Trustee is not required to take notice or deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default hereunder, unless an Authorized Officer of the Trustee has received notice in writing of such Default or Event of Default from the Company or from the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of the series so affected, and in absence of any such notice, the Trustee may conclusively assume that no Default or Event of Default exists;
(11) The Trustee is not required to give any bond or surety with respect to the performance of its duties or the exercise of its powers under this Indenture;
(12) The Trustee's immunities and protections from liability and its rights to compensation and indemnification in connection with the performance of its duties under this Indenture shall extend to the Trustee's officers, directors, agents and employees. Such immunities and protections and right to indemnification, together with the Trustees
right to compensation, shall survive the Trustee's resignation or removal and final payment of the Securities; and
(13) The Trustee shall have no responsibility for any information in any offering memorandum or other disclosure material distributed with respect to any series of Securities, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility for compliance with any state or federal securities laws in connection with the Securities, other than the filing of any documents required to be filed by an indenture trustee pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act.
The recitals contained herein and in the Securities, except for the Trustee's certificates of authentication, shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent assumes any responsibility for their correctness. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities. The Trustee shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of Securities or the proceeds thereof, except that the Trustee represents that it is duly authorized to execute and deliver this Indenture, authenticate the Securities and perform its obligations hereunder and that the statements to be made by it in a Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 supplied to the Company are true and accurate, subject to the qualifications set forth therein. Neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent shall be accountable for the use or application by the Company of Securities or the proceeds thereof.
The Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any Paying Agent, any Security Registrar or any other agent of the Company or of the Trustee, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and, subject to TIA Sections 310(b) and 311, may otherwise deal with the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agent, Security Registrar or such other agent.
Money held by the Trustee in trust hereunder need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed in writing with the Company.
The Company agrees:
(1) to pay to the Trustee from time to time such compensation as shall be agreed to in writing between the Company and the Trustee for all services rendered by it
hereunder (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust);
(2) except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence or willful misconduct; and
(3) to indemnify each of Trustee or any predecessor Trustee for, and to hold it harmless against, any and all loss, damage, claim, liability or expense including taxes (other than taxes based on the income of the Trustee) incurred without negligence or bad faith on its part, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this trust, including the costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in connection with any action taken, suffered or omitted by the Trustee hereunder.
As security for the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Section 606, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the payment of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on particular Securities.
The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Indenture.
The Trustee shall comply with the provisions of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder qualified or to be
qualified under TIA Section 310(a)(1) and which, to the extent there is such an
institution eligible and willing to serve, shall have a combined capital and
surplus of at least $50,000,000. If such Trustee publishes or files reports of
condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of federal,
state, territorial or District of Columbia supervising or examining authority,
then for the purposes of this Section 608, the combined capital and surplus of
the Trustee shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth
in its most recent report of condition so published or filed. If at any time the
Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 608, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect
hereinafter specified in this Article.
(a) No resignation or removal of the Trustee and no appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to this Article shall become effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee under Section 610.
(b) The Trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Securities of one or more series by giving written notice thereof to the Company. If the instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee required by Section 610 shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 30 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may, at the expense of the Company, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series.
(c) The Trustee may be removed at any time with respect to the Securities of any series by Act of the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, delivered to the Trustee and the Company. If an instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 30 days after the giving of such notice of removal, the removed Trustee may, at the expense of the Company, petition a court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.
(d) If at any time:
(1) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of TIA
Section 310(b) after written request therefor by the Company or by any
Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least six
months, or
(2) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible under Section 608 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least six months, or
(3) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,
then, in any such case, (i) the Company, by a Board Resolution, may remove the Trustee with respect to all Securities, or (ii) subject to TIA Section 514, the Holder of any Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee with respect to all Securities and the appointment of a successor Trustee or Trustees.
(e) If the Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of acting, or if a vacancy shall occur in the office of Trustee for any cause, with respect to the Securities of one
or more series, the Company, by a Board Resolution, shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee or Trustees with respect to the Securities of that or those series (it being understood that any such successor Trustee may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more or all of such series and that at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular series). If, within one year after such resignation, removal or incapability, or the occurrence of such vacancy, a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series shall be appointed by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series delivered to the Company and the retiring Trustee, the successor Trustee so appointed shall, forthwith upon its acceptance of such appointment in accordance with Section 610, become the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series and to that extent supersede the successor Trustee appointed by the Company. If no successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series shall have been so appointed by the Company or the Holders and accepted appointment in the manner hereinafter provided, any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such series for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series.
(f) The Company shall give notice of each resignation and each
removal of the Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series and each
appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series
to the Holders of Securities of such series in the manner provided for in
Section 106. Each notice shall include the name of the successor Trustee with
respect to the Securities of such series and the address of its Corporate Trust
Office.
(b) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) series and after receipt by the retiring Trustee of the Trustee Payments, the Company, the retiring Trustee and each successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto wherein each successor Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (1) shall contain such
provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor Trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates, (2) if the retiring Trustee is not retiring with respect to all Securities, shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee, and (3) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust and that each such Trustee shall be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee; and upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein and each such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or any successor Trustee and after receipt by the retiring Trustee of all Trustee Payments, such retiring Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates.
(c) Upon request of any such successor Trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor Trustee all rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, as the case may be.
(d) No successor Trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Trustee shall be qualified and eligible under this Article.
At any time when any of the Securities remain Outstanding, the Trustee
may appoint an Authenticating Agent or Agents with respect to one or more series
of Securities which shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to
authenticate Securities of such series and the Trustee shall give written notice
of such appointment to all Holders of Securities of the series with respect to
which such Authenticating Agent will serve, in the manner provided for in
Section 106. Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of
this Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if
authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. Any such appointment shall be evidenced
by an instrument in writing signed by an Authorized Officer of the Trustee, and
a copy of such instrument shall be promptly furnished to the Company. Wherever
reference is made in this Indenture to the authentication and delivery of
Securities by the Trustee or the Trustee's certificate of authentication, such
reference shall be deemed to include authentication and delivery on behalf of
the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent and a certificate of authentication
executed on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent. Each
Authenticating Agent shall be reasonably acceptable to the Company and shall at
all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the
United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia,
authorized under such laws to act as Authenticating Agent, having a combined
capital and surplus of not less than $50,000,000 and subject to supervision or
examination by federal or state authority. If such corporation publishes or
files reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the
requirements of said supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes
of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be
deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent
report of condition so published or filed. If at any time an Authenticating
Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this
Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified
in this Section.
An Authenticating Agent may resign at any time by giving written
notice thereof to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time
terminate the agency of an Authenticating Agent by giving written notice thereof
to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of
resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time such
Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the
provisions of this Section, the Trustee may appoint a successor Authenticating
Agent which shall be acceptable to the Company and shall give written notice of
such appointment to all Holders of Securities of the series with respect to
which such Authenticating Agent will serve, in the manner provided for in
Section 106. Any successor Authenticating Agent upon acceptance of its
appointment hereunder shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties
of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as an
Authenticating Agent. No successor Authenticating Agent shall be appointed
unless eligible under the provisions of this Section.
The Company agrees to pay to each Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation for its services under this Section.
If an appointment with respect to one or more series is made pursuant to this Section, the Securities of such series may have endorsed thereon, in addition to the Trustee's certificate of authentication, an alternate certificate of authentication in the following form:
Dated: ____________________
This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
SUNTRUST BANK,
as Trustee
By _______________________
as Authenticating Agent
By _______________________
Authorized Officer
If and when the Trustee shall be or become a creditor of the Company (or any other obligor under the Securities), the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act regarding the collection of claims against the Company (or any such other obligor).
ARTICLE SEVEN
HOLDERS' LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY
Every Holder of Securities, by receiving and holding the same, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that none of the Company or the Trustee or any agent of either of them shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any information as to the names and addresses of the Holders in accordance with TIA Section 312, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under TIA Section 312.
Within 60 days after April 1 of each year commencing with the first April 1 after the first issuance of Securities pursuant to this Indenture, the Trustee shall transmit to the Holders of Securities, in the manner and to the extent provided in TIA Section 313(c), a brief report dated as of such April 1 if required by TIA Section 313(a).
The Company shall:
(1) file with the Trustee, within 30 days after the Company is required to file the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) which the Company may be required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; or, if the Company is not required to file information, documents or reports pursuant to either of such Sections, then it shall file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such of the supplementary and periodic information, documents and reports which may be required pursuant to Section 13 of the Exchange Act in respect of a security listed and registered on a national securities exchange as may be prescribed from time to time in such rules and regulations;
(2) file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such additional information, documents and reports with respect to compliance by the Company with the conditions and covenants of this Indenture as may be required from time to time by such rules and regulations; and
(3) transmit by mail to all Holders, as their names and addresses
appear in the Security Register, within 30 days after the filing thereof
with the Trustee, in the manner and to the extent provided in TIA Section
313(c), such summaries of any information, documents and reports required
to be filed by the Company pursuant to Subsections (1) and (2) of this
Section as may be required by rules and regulations prescribed from time to
time by the Commission.
ARTICLE EIGHT
CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, CONVEYANCE, TRANSFER OR LEASE
The Company shall not consolidate with or merge into, or sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets to, any Person, unless:
(1) Immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default (or event that with notice or lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default) shall have happened and be continuing;
(2) The corporation or other entity formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged, or the Person to which such properties and assets will have been conveyed, transferred or leased, assumes the Company's obligation as to the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on all the Securities and the performance and observance of every covenant to be performed by the Company under this Indenture, and will be organized under the laws of the United States, one of the states thereof or the District of Columbia; and
(3) The Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate and Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and such supplemental indenture comply with this Article and that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to such transaction have been complied with.
This Section shall only apply to a merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving entity and to conveyances, leases and transfers by the Company as transferor or lessor.
In case of any such consolidation, merger, conveyance or transfer to which Section 801 applies and upon any such assumption by the successor corporation or Person, such successor corporation or Person shall succeed to and be substituted for the Company with the same effect as if it had been named herein as the Company and the predecessor corporation shall be relieved of any further obligation under this Indenture. Such successor corporation or Person thereupon may cause to be signed, and may issue either in its own name or in the name of the Company any or all of the Securities issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee; and, upon the order of such successor corporation or Person, instead of the Company, and subject to all the terms, conditions and limitations in this Indenture prescribed, the Trustee shall authenticate and shall deliver any Securities which previously shall have been signed and delivered by the officers of the Company to the Trustee for authentication, and any Securities which such successor corporation or Person thereafter shall cause to be signed and delivered to the Trustee for that purpose. All the Securities so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Securities theretofore or thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Securities had been issued at the date of the execution hereof. As used in this Section, "successor corporation or Person" means the entity formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged, or the Person which acquires by conveyance, transfer or lease the properties and assets of the Company substantially as an entirety, as the case may be, in each case as provided in Section 801.
changes over time pursuant to the terms of such Original Issue Discount Securities and Indexed Securities.
ARTICLE NINE
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
Without the consent of any Holders, the Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee, at any time and from time to time, may enter into one or more indentures supplemental hereto, in form satisfactory to the Trustee, for any of the following purposes:
(1) to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company and the assumption by any such successor of the covenants of the Company herein and in the Securities; or
(2) to add to the covenants of the Company for the benefit of the Holders of all or any series of Securities (and if such covenants are to be for the benefit of less than all series of Securities, stating that such covenants are being included solely for the benefit of such series) or to surrender any right or power herein or in the Securities conferred upon the Company; or
(3) to add any additional Events of Default (and if such Events of Default are to be for the benefit of less than all series of Securities, stating that such Events of Default are being included solely for the benefit of such series); or
(5) to secure the Securities pursuant to the requirements of Section 803 or 1006 or otherwise; or
(6) to establish the form or terms of Securities of any series as permitted by Sections 201 and 301; or
(7) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or
facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, pursuant to the requirements of Section 610(b); or
(8) to close this Indenture with respect to the authentication and delivery of additional series of Securities; or
(11) to make any other change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Holder.
(1) change the Stated Maturity of the principal of (or premium, if any) or any installment of interest on any Security, or reduce the principal amount thereof (or premium, if any) or the rate of interest, if any, thereon, or change any obligation of the Company to pay Additional Amounts as contemplated by Section 1008 (except as contemplated by Section 801(2) and permitted by Section 901(1)), or reduce the amount of the principal of an Indexed Security or an Original Issue Discount Security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 502 or the amount thereof provable in bankruptcy pursuant to Section 504, or adversely affect any right of repayment at the option of any Holder of any Security, or change any Place of Payment where, any Security or any premium or interest thereon is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or
after the Stated Maturity thereof (or, in the case of redemption or repayment at the option of the Holder, on or after the Redemption Date or Repayment Date, as the case may be), or adversely affect any right to convert or exchange any Security as may be provided pursuant to Section 301 herein, or
(2) reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, the consent of whose Holders is required for any such supplemental indenture, or the consent of whose Holders is required for any waiver (of compliance with certain provisions of this Indenture or certain defaults hereunder and their consequences) provided for in this Indenture, or
(3) modify any of the provisions of this Section 902, Section 513 or
Section 1009, except to increase any such percentage or to provide that
certain other provisions of this Indenture cannot be modified or waived
without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected
thereby.
A supplemental indenture which changes or eliminates any covenant or other provision of this Indenture as applicable to a particular series of Securities, or which modifies the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series with respect to such covenant or other provision, shall be deemed not to affect the rights under this Indenture of the Holders of Securities of any other series.
It shall not be necessary for any Act of Holders under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such Act shall approve the substance thereof.
In executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modifications thereby of the trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 602 hereof) shall be fully protected in relying upon an Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture. The Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustee's own rights, duties, protections, privileges, indemnitees, benefits or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture under this Article, this Indenture shall be modified in accordance therewith, and such supplemental indenture shall form a part of this Indenture for all purposes; and every Holder of Securities theretofore or thereafter authenticated and delivered hereunder shall be bound thereby.
Every supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article shall conform to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect.
Securities of any series authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to this Article may, and shall if required by the Trustee, bear a notation in form approved by the Trustee as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company shall so determine, new Securities of any series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Trustee and the Company, to any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in exchange for Outstanding Securities of such series.
Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of Section 902, the Company shall give notice thereof to the Holders of each Outstanding Security affected, in the manner provided for in Section 106, setting forth in general terms the substance of such supplemental indenture.
ARTICLE TEN
COVENANTS
The Company covenants and agrees, as to each series of Securities, that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on the Securities of such series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture.
The Company will maintain, as to each series of Securities, in each Place of Payment for each series of Securities an office or agency where Securities of such series may be presented or surrendered for payment, where Securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such series and this Indenture may be served.
The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address
thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee.
If the Company shall at any time act as its own Paying Agent with
respect to any series of Securities, it shall, before each due date of the
principal of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on any of the
Securities of such series, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the
Persons entitled thereto a sum (except as otherwise specified pursuant to
Section 301 for the Securities of such series) sufficient to pay the principal
of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on Securities of such Series
so becoming due until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise
disposed of as herein provided and will promptly notify the Trustee of its
action or failure so to act.
Whenever the Company shall have one or more Paying Agents for any series of Securities, it will, prior to or on each due date of the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on any Securities of such series, deposit with the Paying Agent, a sum sufficient to pay the principal (and premium, if any, on) or interest so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such principal, premium or interest, and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee) will promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.
The Company shall cause each Paying Agent (other than the Trustee) for any series of Securities to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such Paying Agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section, that such Paying Agent will:
(1) hold all sums held by it for the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on Securities of such series in trust for the benefit of the
Persons entitled thereto until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided;
(2) give the Trustee notice of any default by the Company (or any other obligor upon the Securities of such series) in the making of any payment of principal (and premium, if any, on) and interest, if any, on the Securities of such series; and
(3) at any time during the continuance of any such default, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such Paying Agent.
The Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or by Company Order direct any Paying Agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or such Paying Agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same trusts as those upon which sums were held by the Company or such Paying Agent; and, upon such payment by any Paying Agent to the Trustee, such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such sums.
The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, commencing with its fiscal year ending after the date hereof, a brief certificate from its principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer as to his or her knowledge of the compliance by the Company with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture. For purposes of this Section 1004, such compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice under this Indenture.
The Company covenants and agrees that it will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create, incur, issue or assume any Indebtedness secured by any Lien on any Principal Property, or on shares of stock or Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary ("Restricted Securities"), without making effective provision for the Outstanding Securities to be secured by the Lien equally and ratably with, or prior to, any and all Indebtedness or obligations secured or to be secured thereby for so long as such Indebtedness or obligations are so secured, except that the foregoing restriction shall not apply to:
(1) Any Lien existing on the date of the first issuance of Securities under this Indenture, including, but not limited to, Liens on property or after-acquired property of the Company or its Subsidiaries under the United Cities Indenture or the Greeley Indenture, or such other date as may be specified in any supplemental indenture for any subsequent issuance of Securities under this Indenture.
(2) Any Lien on any Principal Property or Restricted Securities of any Person existing at the time such Person is merged or consolidated with or into the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, or becomes a Restricted Subsidiary, or arising thereafter otherwise than in connection with the borrowing of money arranged thereafter and pursuant to contractual commitments entered into prior to and not in contemplation of such Person's becoming a Restricted Subsidiary.
(3) Any Lien on any Principal Property existing at the time of acquisition of such Principal Property by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, whether or not assumed by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, provided that no such Lien may extend to any other Principal Property of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary.
(5) Any Lien on any Principal Property or Restricted Securities to secure Indebtedness owing to the Company or to a Restricted Subsidiary.
(6) Any Lien in favor of governmental bodies to secure advances or other payments pursuant to any contract or statute or to secure Indebtedness incurred to finance the purchase price or cost of constructing or improving the property subject to such Lien.
(7) Any Lien created in connection with a project financed with, and created to secure, Non-Recourse Indebtedness.
(8) Any Lien required to be placed on any property of the Company or its Subsidiaries pursuant to the provisions of the Greeley Indenture, the United Cities Indenture or the Note Purchase Agreements.
(9) Any extension, renewal, substitution or replacement (or
successive extensions, renewals, substitutions or replacements), in whole
or in part, of any Lien referred to in the foregoing clauses (1) through
(8), provided that the Indebtedness secured thereby may not exceed the
principal amount of Indebtedness so secured at the time of such renewal or
refunding, and that such renewal or refunding Lien must be limited to all
or any part of the same property and improvements thereon, shares of stock
or Indebtedness that secured the Lien renewed or refunded.
(10) Any Lien not permitted above securing Indebtedness that, together with the aggregate outstanding principal amount of other secured Indebtedness that would otherwise be subject to the foregoing restrictions (excluding Indebtedness secured by Liens permitted under the foregoing exceptions) and the Attributable Debt in respect of all Sale and Leaseback Transactions (not including Attributable Debt in respect of any such Sale and Leaseback Transactions described in clause (iii) and (iv) of Section 1007) would not then exceed 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets.
The Company covenants and agrees that it will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, enter into any Sale and Leaseback Transaction unless (i) the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary would be entitled, without securing the Outstanding Securities, to incur Indebtedness secured by a Lien on the Principal Property that is the subject of such Sale and Leaseback Transaction pursuant to the provisions of Section 1006; (ii) the Attributable Debt associated therewith would be in an amount permitted under Section 1006(10); (iii) the proceeds
received in respect of the Principal Property so sold and leased back at the time of entering into such Sale and Leaseback Transaction are used for the business and operations of the Company or any Subsidiary; or (iv) within 12 months after the sale or transfer, an amount equal to the proceeds received in respect of the Principal Property so sold and leased back at the time of entering into such Sale and Leaseback Transaction is applied to the prepayment (other than mandatory prepayment pursuant to Section 1201) of any Outstanding Securities or Funded Indebtedness that is owed by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary (other than Funded Indebtedness that is held by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary or Funded Indebtedness of the Company that is subordinate in right of payment to any Outstanding Securities).
If any Securities of a series provide for the payment of additional
amounts to any Holder who is not a United States person in respect of any tax,
assessment or governmental charge ("Additional Amounts"), the Company shall pay
to the Holder of any Security of such series such Additional Amounts as may be
specified pursuant to Section 301. Whenever in this Indenture there is
mentioned, in any context, the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any,
on) or interest, if any, on, or in respect of, any Security of a series or the
net proceeds received on the sale or exchange of any Security of a series, such
mention shall be deemed to include mention of the payment of Additional Amounts
provided for by the terms of such series established pursuant to Section 301 to
the extent that, in such context, Additional Amounts are, were or would be
payable in respect thereof pursuant to such terms, and express mention of the
payment of Additional Amounts (if applicable) in any provisions hereof shall not
be construed as excluding Additional Amounts in those provisions hereof where
such express mention is not made. Except as otherwise specified pursuant to
Section 301, if the Securities of a series provide for the payment of Additional
Amounts, at least 10 days prior to the first Interest Payment Date, if any, with
respect to Securities of such series (or if the Securities of such series do not
bear interest or will not bear interest prior to Maturity, the first day on
which a payment of principal and any premium is made), and at least 10 days
prior to each date of payment of interest or principal and any premium if there
has been any change with respect to the matters set forth in the below-mentioned
Officers' Certificate, the Company shall furnish the Trustee and the Paying
Agent or Paying Agents, if other than the Trustee, with an Officers' Certificate
instructing the Trustee and the Paying Agent or Paying Agents whether such
payment of principal of (and premium, if any, on) or interest, if any, on the
Securities of such series shall be made to Holders of Securities of such series
who are not United States persons without withholding for or on account of any
tax, assessment or other governmental charge described in the Securities of the
series. If any such withholding shall be required, then such Officers'
Certificate shall specify by country the amount, if any, required to be withheld
on such payments to such Holders of Securities of such series and the Company
shall pay to the Trustee or the Paying Agent or Paying Agents the Additional
Amounts required by the terms of such Securities. In the event that the Trustee
or any Paying Agent, as the case may be, shall not so receive the above-
mentioned certificate, then the Trustee or such Paying Agent shall be entitled
(i) to assume that no such withholding or deduction is required with respect to
any payment of principal, premium or
interest with respect to any Securities of a series until it shall have received a certificate advising otherwise and (ii) to make all payments of principal, premium and interest with respect to the Securities of a series without withholding or deductions until otherwise advised. The Company hereby covenants and agrees to indemnify the Trustee and any Paying Agent for, and to hold them harmless against, any loss, liability, cost or expense reasonably incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on their part arising out of or in connection with actions taken or omitted by any of them in reliance on any Officers' Certificate furnished pursuant to this Section.
The Company may omit in any particular instance to comply with any term, provision or condition set forth in Section 803 or Sections 1005 to 1007, inclusive, if before or after the time for such compliance the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of all Outstanding Securities of the series affected, by Act of such Holders, waive such compliance in such instance or generally waive compliance with such term, provision or condition, but no such waiver shall extend to or affect such term, provision or condition except to the extent so expressly waived, and, until such waiver shall become effective, the obligations of the Company and the duties of the Trustee in respect of any such term, provision or condition shall remain in full force and effect.
ARTICLE ELEVEN
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
Securities of any series which are redeemable before their Stated Maturity shall be redeemable in accordance with the terms of such Securities and in accordance with this Article.
The election of the Company to redeem any Securities shall be evidenced by or pursuant to a Board Resolution. In case of any redemption at the election of the Company, the Company shall, at least 60 days prior to the Redemption Date fixed by the Company (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), notify the Trustee of such Redemption Date and of the principal amount of Securities of such series to be redeemed and shall deliver to the Trustee such documentation and records as shall enable the Trustee to select the Securities to be redeemed pursuant to Section 1103. In the case of any redemption of Securities prior to the expiration of any restriction on such redemption provided in the terms of such Securities or elsewhere in this Indenture, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officers' Certificate and Opinion of Counsel evidencing compliance with such restriction.
The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the Securities selected for redemption and, in the case of any Securities selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed.
For all purposes of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires, all provisions relating to the redemption of Securities shall relate, in the case of any Security redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the principal amount of such Security which has been or is to be redeemed.
Notice of redemption shall be given in the manner provided for in
Section 106 not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date,
to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed.
All notices of redemption shall identify the Securities (including CUSIP number, if any) to be redeemed and shall state:
(1) the Redemption Date,
(2) the Redemption Price and the amount of accrued interest to the Redemption Date payable as provided in Section 1106, if any,
(3) if less than all the Outstanding Securities of any series are to be redeemed, the identification (and, in the case of partial redemption, the principal amounts) of the particular Securities to be redeemed,
(4) in case any Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice which relates to such Security shall state that on and after the Redemption Date, upon surrender of such Security, the Holder will receive, without charge, a new Security or Securities of authorized denominations for the principal amount thereof remaining unredeemed,
(5) that on the Redemption Date, the Redemption Price and accrued interest, if any, to the Redemption Date payable as provided in Section 1106 will become due and
payable upon each such Security, or the portion thereof, to be redeemed and, if applicable, that interest thereon will cease to accrue on and after said date,
(6) the Place or Places of Payment where such Securities maturing after the Redemption Date, are to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest, if any, and
(7) that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case.
Notice of redemption of Securities to be redeemed at the election of the Company shall be given by the Company or, at the Company's request, by the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Company.
Prior to any Redemption Date, the Company shall deposit with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 1003) an amount of money sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of, and accrued interest, if any, on, all the Securities which are to be redeemed on that date.
If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon surrender thereof for redemption, the principal (and premium, if any) shall, until paid, bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate of interest or Yield to Maturity (in the case of Original Issue Discount Securities) set forth in such Security.
Any Security which is to be redeemed only in part (pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Article Twelve) shall be surrendered at a Place of Payment therefor (with, if the
Company or the Trustee so requires, due endorsement by, or a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee duly executed by, the Holder thereof or such Holder's attorney duly authorized in writing), and the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security without service charge, a new Security or Securities of the same series, of any authorized denomination as requested by such Holder, in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security so surrendered.
ARTICLE TWELVE
SINKING FUNDS
Retirements of Securities of any series pursuant to any sinking fund shall be made in accordance with the terms of such Securities and in accordance with this Article.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a "mandatory sinking fund payment", and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of any 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 mandatory sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 1202. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any series as provided for by the terms of Securities of such series.
Not less than 60 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for any series of Securities, the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing sinking fund payment for that series pursuant to the terms of that series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering or crediting Securities of that series pursuant to Section 1202 (which Securities will, if not previously delivered, accompany such certificate) and whether the Company intends to exercise its right to make a permitted optional sinking fund payment with respect to such series. Such certificate shall be irrevocable and upon its delivery the Company shall be obligated to make the cash payment or payments therein referred to, if any, on or before the next succeeding sinking fund payment date. In the case of the failure of the Company to deliver such certificate, the sinking fund payment due on the next succeeding sinking fund payment date for that series shall be paid entirely in cash and shall be sufficient to redeem the principal amount of such Securities subject to a mandatory sinking fund payment without the option to deliver or credit Securities as provided in Section 1202 and without the right to make any optional sinking fund payment, if any, with respect to such series.
Not more than 60 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 1103 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 1104. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 1106 and 1107.
Prior to any sinking fund payment date, the Company shall pay to the Trustee or a Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 1003) in cash a sum equal to any interest that will accrue to the date fixed for redemption of Securities or portions thereof to be redeemed on such sinking fund payment date pursuant to this Section 1203.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to a sinking fund for any series of Securities, if at any time the amount of cash to be paid into such sinking fund on the next succeeding sinking fund payment date, together with any unused balance of any preceding sinking fund payment or payments for such series, does not exceed in the aggregate $100,000, the Trustee, unless requested by the Company, shall not give the next succeeding notice of the redemption of Securities of such series through the operation of the sinking fund. Any such unused balance of moneys deposited in such sinking fund shall be added to the sinking fund payment for such series to be made in cash on the next succeeding sinking fund payment date or, at the written request of the Company, shall be applied at any time or from time to time to the purchase of Securities of such series, by public or private purchase, in the open market or otherwise, at a purchase price for such Securities (excluding accrued interest and brokerage commissions, for which the Trustee or any Paying Agent will be promptly reimbursed by the Company) not in excess of the principal amount thereof.
ARTICLE THIRTEEN
REPAYMENT AT OPTION OF HOLDERS
Repayment of Securities of any series before their Stated Maturity at the option of Holders thereof shall be made in accordance with the terms of such Securities and in accordance with this Article.
Securities of any series subject to repayment in whole or in part at the option of the Holders thereof will, unless otherwise provided in the terms of such Securities, be repaid at a price equal to the principal amount thereof, together with interest, if any, thereon accrued to the Repayment Date specified in or pursuant to the terms of such Securities. The Company covenants that on or before the Repayment Date it will deposit with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 1003) an amount of money sufficient to pay the principal (or, if so provided by the terms of the Securities of any series, a percentage of the principal) of and (except if the Repayment Date shall be an Interest Payment Date) accrued interest, if any, on, all the Securities or portions thereof, as the case may be, to be repaid on such date.
Securities of any series subject to repayment at the option of the Holders thereof will contain an "Option to Elect Repayment" form on the reverse of such Securities. To be repaid at the option of the Holder, any Security so providing for such repayment, with the "Option to Elect Repayment" form on the reverse of such Security duly completed by the Holder (or by the Holder's attorney duly authorized in writing), must be received by the Company at the Place of Payment therefor specified in the terms of such Security (or at such other place or places of which the Company shall from time to time notify the Holders of such Securities) not earlier than 45 days nor later than 30 days prior to the Repayment Date. If less than the entire principal amount of such Security is to be repaid in accordance with the terms of such Security, the principal amount of such Security to be repaid, in increments of the minimum denomination for Securities of such series, and the denomination or denominations of the Security or Securities to be issued to the Holder for the portion of the principal amount of such Security surrendered that is not to be repaid, must be specified. The principal amount of any Security providing for repayment at the option of the Holder thereof may not be repaid in part if, following such repayment, the unpaid principal amount of such Security would be less than the minimum authorized denomination of Securities of the series of which such Security to be repaid is a part. Except as otherwise may be provided by the terms of any Security providing for repayment at the option of the Holder thereof, exercise of the repayment option by the Holder shall be irrevocable unless waived by the Company.
If the principal amount of any Security surrendered for repayment shall not be so repaid upon surrender thereof, such principal amount (together with interest, if any, thereon
accrued to such Repayment Date) shall, until paid, bear interest from the Repayment Date at the rate of interest or Yield to Maturity (in the case of Original Issue Discount Securities) set forth in such Security.
Upon surrender of any Security which is to be repaid in part only, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security, without service charge and at the expense of the Company, a new Security or Securities of the same series, of any authorized denomination specified by the Holder, in an aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the portion of the principal of such Security so surrendered which is not to be repaid.
ARTICLE FOURTEEN
DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE
The provisions of this Article Fourteen shall apply to each series of Securities, and the Company may, at its option, effect defeasance of the Securities of or within a series under Section 1402, or covenant defeasance of the Securities of or within a series under Section 1403, in accordance with the terms of such Securities and in accordance with this Article.
Upon the Company's exercise of the above option applicable to this
Section with respect to any series of Securities, the Company shall be deemed to
have been discharged from its obligations with respect to such series of
Outstanding Securities on the date the conditions set forth in Section 1404 are
satisfied (hereinafter, "defeasance"). For this purpose, such defeasance means
that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire
indebtedness represented by such series of Outstanding Securities, which shall
thereafter be deemed to be "Outstanding" only for the purposes of Section 1405
and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in (A) and (B) below, and
to have satisfied all its other obligations under such Securities and this
Indenture insofar as such Securities are concerned (and the Trustee, at the
expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the
same), except for the following which shall survive until otherwise terminated
or discharged hereunder: (A) the rights of Holders of such Outstanding
Securities to receive, solely from the trust fund described in Section 1404 and
as more fully set forth in such Section, payments in respect of the principal of
(and premium, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities when such
payments are due,
(B) the Company's obligations with respect to such Securities under Sections 305, 306, 307, 1002 and 1003 and with respect to the payment of Additional Amounts, if any, on such Securities as contemplated by Section 1008, (C) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and (D) this Article Fourteen. Subject to compliance with this Article Fourteen, the Company may exercise its option under this Section 1402 notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under Section 1403 with respect to such Securities.
Upon the Company's exercise under Section 1401 of the option applicable to this Section 1403 with respect to any Securities of or within a series, the Company shall be released from its obligations under Sections 1006 and 1007, and if specified pursuant to Section 301, its obligations under any other covenant, with respect to such Outstanding Securities on and after the date the conditions set forth in Section 1404 are satisfied (hereinafter, "covenant defeasance"), and such Securities shall thereafter be deemed to be not "Outstanding" for the purposes of any direction, waiver, consent or declaration or Act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with such covenants, but shall continue to be deemed "Outstanding" for all other purposes hereunder (it being understood that such Securities shall not be deemed Outstanding for financial accounting purposes). For this purpose, such covenant defeasance means that, with respect to such Outstanding Securities, the Company may omit to comply with and shall have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such covenant or by reason of reference in any such covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply shall not constitute a Default or an Event of Default under Section 501(4) or Section 501(8) or otherwise, as the case may be, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Securities shall be unaffected thereby.
The following shall be the conditions to application of either Section 1402 or Section 1403 to any series of Outstanding Securities:
(1) The Company shall irrevocably have deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or another trustee satisfying the requirements of Section 608 who shall agree to comply with the provisions of this Article Fourteen applicable to it) as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, (A) an amount of money or (B) Government Obligations applicable to such Securities which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in accordance with their terms will provide, not later than one day before the due date of any payment of principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on such Securities, money in an amount, or (C) a combination thereof, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge, and which shall be applied by the Trustee (or other
(2) No Default or Event of Default with respect to such Securities shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or, insofar as paragraphs (6) and (7) of Section 501 are concerned, at any time during the period ending on the 91st day after the date of such deposit (it being understood that this condition shall not be deemed satisfied until the expiration of such period).
(3) No event or condition shall exist that would prevent the Company from making payments of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Securities on the date of such deposit or at any time during the period ending on the 91st day after the date of such deposit (it being understood that this condition shall not be deemed satisfied until the expiration of such period).
(4) Such defeasance or covenant defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound.
(5) In the case of an election under Section 1402, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel stating that (x) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (y) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the Holders of such Outstanding Securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such defeasance had not occurred.
(6) In the case of an election under Section 1403, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the Holders of such Outstanding Securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such covenant defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax
on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such covenant defeasance had not occurred.
(7) In the case of an election under either Section 1402 or 1403, the Company shall represent to the Trustee that the deposit made by the Company pursuant to its election under Section 1402 or 1403 was not made by the Company with the intent of preferring the Holders of Securities of any series over other creditors of the Company or with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors of the Company or others.
(8) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to either the defeasance under Section 1402 or the covenant defeasance under Section 1403 (as the case may be) have been complied with.
Subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 1003, all money and Government Obligations (or other property as may be provided pursuant to Section 301) (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this Section 1405, the "Trustee") pursuant to Section 1404 in respect of such Outstanding Securities shall be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such 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 Holders of such Securities of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal (and premium, if any) and interest, if any, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.
The Company shall pay and indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Section 1404 or the principal and interest received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of such Outstanding Securities.
Anything in this Article Fourteen to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Request any money or Government Obligations (or other property and any proceeds therefrom) held by it as provided in Section 1404 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are in excess of the amount thereof which would then be required to be deposited to effect an equivalent defeasance or covenant defeasance, as applicable, in accordance with this Article.
This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same Indenture.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed all as of the day and year first above written.
ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION
By: /s/ Laurie M. Sherwood --------------------------------- Name: Laurie M. Sherwood Title: Vice President, Corporate Development and Treasurer |
SUNTRUST BANK, as Trustee
By: /s/ Jack Ellerin --------------------------------- Name: Jack Ellerin Title: Trust Officer |