As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 9 , 2018.
Registration Statement No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
KKR & CO. INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
26-0426107
|
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.) |
9 West 57
th
Street, Suite 4200
New York, NY 10019
Telephone: (212) 750-8300
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
David J. Sorkin, Esq.
General Counsel
KKR & Co. Inc.
9 West 57
th
Street, Suite 4200
New York, NY 10019
Telephone: (212) 750-8300
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copy to:
Joseph H. Kaufman, Esq.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
425 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10017
Telephone: (212) 455-2000
Approximate date of commencement of the proposed sale of the securities to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. o
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
|
☒
|
Accelerated filer
|
o
|
Non-accelerated filer
|
o
|
Smaller reporting company
|
o
|
|
|
Emerging growth company
|
o
|
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. o
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of Securities
to be Registered |
Amount to be
Registered (1)(2) |
Proposed Maximum
Offering Price Per Unit (2) |
Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering Price (2) |
Amount of
Registration Fee (2) |
||||||||
Class A Common Stock
(3)(4)
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
Preferred Stock
(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Debt Securities
(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depositary Shares
(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warrants
(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase Contracts
(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Units
(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) | Not specified pursuant to General Instruction II.E of Form S-3. There is being registered hereby such indeterminate number or amount, as the case may be, of the securities as may from time to time be issued at indeterminate prices. The securities registered hereby may be offered for U.S. dollars or the equivalent thereof in foreign currencies. |
(2) | In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant is deferring payment of the registration fee. Registration fees will be paid subsequently on a pay as you go basis in one or more offerings to be made hereunder. |
(3) | Separate consideration may or may not be received for securities that are issuable upon exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities. |
(4) | An indeterminate number of shares of Class A common stock may be issued from time to time upon exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities. |
PROSPECTUS
KKR & Co. Inc.
Class A Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Depositary Shares
Warrants
Purchase Contracts
Units
This prospectus relates to the following types of securities that may be offered for sale from time to time by us and any selling securityholders, together or separately:
• | shares of our Class A common stock; |
• | shares of our preferred stock; |
• | debt securities; |
• | depositary shares; |
• | warrants to purchase debt or equity securities; |
• | purchase contracts; and |
• | units. |
This prospectus describes the general manner in which these securities may be offered and sold. We will provide specific terms of any offering of these securities in a prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus. Any of these securities may be offered together or separately and in one or more series, if any, in amounts, at prices and on other terms to be determined at the time of the offering. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement and free writing prospectus we may provide to you, as well as the documents incorporated and deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.
We or any selling securityholders may sell any of these securities on a continuous or delayed basis directly, through agents, dealers or underwriters as designated from time to time, or through a combination of these methods. We and any selling securityholders reserve the sole right to accept, and we and any selling securityholders and any agents, dealers and underwriters reserve the right to reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of these securities. If any agents, dealers or underwriters are involved in the sale of any of these securities, the applicable prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus will set forth any applicable commissions or discounts payable to them. The names of the selling securityholders, if any, will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. Our net proceeds from the sale of these securities also will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of these securities by any selling securityholders.
Our Class A common stock, 6.75% Series A Preferred Stock (Series A Preferred Stock) and 6.50% Series B Preferred Stock (Series B Preferred Stock) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) under the ticker symbols KKR, KKR PRA and KKR PRB, respectively.
In reviewing this prospectus, you should carefully consider the matters described under the caption Risk Factors beginning on page 2 of this prospectus and in the Risk Factors section of our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC).
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is November 9, 2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
Page
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
We have not authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained or incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you in connection with an offering of the securities described in this prospectus. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus does not constitute, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus that we may provide to you in connection with an offering of the securities described in this prospectus will not constitute, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, the offered securities in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom or from whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus, in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus that we may provide to you in connection with an offering of the securities described in this prospectus, or in any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date of that document. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus that we may provide to you in connection with an offering of the securities described in this prospectus nor any distribution of the securities pursuant to this prospectus or any such prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus shall, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in the information set forth in this prospectus, any such prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement since the date thereof.
For investors outside the United States: neither we nor any selling securityholders have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. You are required to inform yourselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to an offering of the securities described in this prospectus and the distribution of this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus.
i
This prospectus is part of an automatic shelf registration statement that we filed with the SEC as a well-known seasoned issuer as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), utilizing a shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we or any selling securityholders may sell any of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus contains certain information about KKR & Co. Inc. and provides a general description of our Class A common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, depositary shares, warrants, purchase contracts and units that we or any selling securityholders may offer. This prospectus is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before making an investment in any of the securities described in this prospectus. Each time we or any selling securityholders sell these securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the terms of the offering and of the securities being offered and information regarding the selling securityholders, if any. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement and free writing prospectus together with information incorporated and deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and therein, and the additional information described under Where You Can Find More Information before making an investment in any of the securities described in this prospectus.
Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, references to KKR, we, us and our refer to KKR & Co. Inc. and its subsidiaries. On July 1, 2018, we completed our conversion from a Delaware limited partnership named KKR & Co. L.P. into a Delaware corporation named KKR & Co. Inc. (the Conversion).
We conduct our business through three subsidiaries, KKR Management Holdings L.P., KKR Fund Holdings L.P. and KKR International Holdings L.P., which are together referred to as the KKR Group Partnerships. Each KKR Group Partnership has an identical number of partner interests and, when held together, one Class A partner interest in each of the KKR Group Partnerships together represents one KKR Group Partnership Unit. In connection with Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock, the KKR Group Partnerships have outstanding preferred units with economic terms designed to mirror those of the Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock, respectively.
References to the Class B Stockholder are to KKR Management LLC, the holder of the sole share of our Class B common stock, and any successor or permitted assign that owns our Class B common stock at the applicable time. Unless otherwise indicated, references to equity interests in KKRs business, or to percentage interests in KKRs business, reflect the aggregate equity interests in the KKR Group Partnerships and are net of amounts that have been allocated to our principals and other employees and non-employee operating consultants in respect of the carried interest from KKRs business as part of our carry pool and certain minority interests.
References to principals are to our senior employees and non-employee operating consultants who hold interests in KKRs business through KKR Holdings L.P. (KKR Holdings) and references to our senior principals are to our senior employees who hold interests in the Class B Stockholder.
References to non-employee operating consultants include employees of KKR Capstone, who are not employees of KKR. KKR Capstone refers to a group of entities that are owned and controlled by their senior management. KKR Capstone is not a subsidiary or affiliate of KKR. KKR Capstone operates under several consulting agreements with KKR and uses the KKR name under license from KKR.
References to our funds or our vehicles refer to investment funds, vehicles and accounts advised, sponsored or managed by one or more subsidiaries of KKR, including collateralized loan obligations and commercial real estate mortgage-backed securities vehicles, unless the context requires otherwise. They do not include investment funds, vehicles or accounts of any hedge fund manager with which we have formed a strategic partnership where we have acquired a non-controlling interest.
ii
We are a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. We aim to generate attractive investment returns for our fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with our portfolio companies. We invest our own capital alongside the capital we manage for fund investors and provide financing solutions and investment opportunities through our capital markets business.
Our executive offices are located at 9 West 57 th Street, Suite 4200, New York, NY, 10019, and our telephone number is (212) 750-8300. Our website address is www.kkr.com . Our website is included in this prospectus as an inactive textual reference only. Except for the documents specifically incorporated by reference into this prospectus, information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement and should not be considered to be a part of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement.
1
Investing in our securities involves risks. In addition to the risks discussed below under Cautionary Note Regarding Forwarding-Looking Statements, you should carefully review the risks discussed under the caption Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2018, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and under the caption Risk Factors or any similar caption in the other documents that we have filed or subsequently file with the SEC that are incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus as described below under Where You Can Find More Information and in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus that we provide you in connection with an offering of the securities pursuant to this prospectus. You should also carefully review the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the documents incorporated and deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any such prospectus supplement and free writing prospectus. The risks and uncertainties discussed below and in the documents referred to above and other matters discussed in those documents could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations and the market price of our securities. Moreover, the risks and uncertainties discussed below and in the foregoing documents are not the only risks and uncertainties that we face, and our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations and the market price of our securities could be materially adversely affected by other matters that are not known to us or that we currently do not consider to be material risks to our business.
2
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the documents incorporated and deemed to be incorporated by reference herein contain, and any prospectus supplement and free writing prospectus that we may provide to you in connection with an offering of the securities described in this prospectus may contain, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), which reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, our operations and financial performance. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as outlook, believe, expect, potential, continue, target, may, should, seek, predict, intend, will, plan, estimate, anticipate, the negative version of these words, other comparable words or other statements that do not relate strictly to historical or factual matters. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We believe these factors include, but are not limited to, those described in the section entitled Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2018, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SECs website at www.sec.gov . These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this prospectus and our filings with the SEC.
We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by law. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described by our forward-looking statements might not occur. We qualify any and all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary factors. Please keep this cautionary note in mind as you read this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and free writing prospectus that we may provide to you in connection with an offering of the securities described in this prospectus, and the documents incorporated and deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and therein.
The documents incorporated and deemed to be incorporated by reference herein contain or may contain, and any prospectus supplement and free writing prospectus that we may provide to you in connection with an offering of the securities described in this prospectus may contain, market data, industry statistics and other data that have been obtained from, or compiled from, information made available by third parties. We have not independently verified this data or these statistics.
3
Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus prepared in connection with an offering of the securities pursuant to this prospectus, the net proceeds from the sale of any securities described in this prospectus will be used for general corporate purposes. General corporate purposes may include repayment, repurchase or redemption of debt, acquisitions, additions to working capital, capital expenditures and investments in our subsidiaries. Net proceeds may be temporarily invested or temporarily used to repay indebtedness prior to deployment for their intended purposes.
We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the securities described in this prospectus by any selling securityholders.
4
General
The following description summarizes the most important terms of our capital stock. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, copies of which have been previously filed by us with the SEC. For a complete description of our capital stock, you should refer to our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws and applicable provisions of Delaware law. As used in this section, we, us and our mean KKR & Co. Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its successors, but not any of its subsidiaries. KKR & Co. L.P. refers to our entity form prior to our conversion to KKR & Co. Inc. at the effective time (the Effective Time) of the conversion on July 1, 2018.
Our authorized capital stock consists of 5,000,000,000 shares, all with a par value of $0.01 per share, of which:
• | 3,500,000,000 are designated as Class A common stock; |
• | 1 is designated as Class B common stock; |
• | 499,999,999 are designated as Class C common stock; and |
• | 1,000,000,000 are designated as preferred stock, of which (x) 13,800,000 shares are designated as Series A Preferred Stock and (y) 6,200,000 shares are designated as Series B Preferred Stock. |
Common Stock
Our common stock consists of Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Class C common stock.
Economic Rights
Dividends . Subject to preferences that apply to shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock and any other shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of our Class A common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available if our board of directors, in its discretion, determines to issue dividends and then only at the times and in the amounts that our board of directors may determine. The Class B Stockholder and holders of our Class C common stock do not have any rights to receive dividends.
Liquidation . If we become subject to an event giving rise to our dissolution, liquidation or winding up, the assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders would be distributable ratably among the holders of our Class A common stock and any participating preferred stock outstanding at that time ranking on a parity with our Class A common stock with respect to such distribution, subject to prior satisfaction of all outstanding debt and liabilities and the preferential rights of and the payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of our Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock and any other outstanding shares of preferred stock. The Class B Stockholder and holders of our Class C common stock do not have any rights to receive distributions upon our dissolution, liquidation or winding up.
Voting Rights
Our Class A common stock and our Class C common stock are non-voting and are not entitled to any votes on any matter that is submitted to a vote of our stockholders, except as expressly provided in our certificate of incorporation or required by Delaware law. The Class B common stock is voting and is entitled to one vote per share on any matter that is submitted to a vote of our stockholders generally.
Our certificate of incorporation provides for holders of our Class A common stock and our Class C common stock, voting together as a single class, to have the right to vote on the following matters:
• | a transfer of Class B common stock prior to December 31, 2018 (other than to an affiliate of the Class B Stockholder or in connection with certain transactions). See —Transferability below; |
• | any increase in the number of authorized shares of Class B common stock; |
• | a sale of all or substantially all of our and our subsidiaries’ assets, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or series of related transactions (except (i) for the sole purpose of changing our legal form |
5
into another limited liability entity and where the governing instruments of the new entity provide our stockholders with substantially the same rights and obligations and (ii) mortgages, pledges, hypothecations or grants of a security interest by the Class B Stockholder in all or substantially all of our assets (including for the benefit of affiliates of the Class B Stockholder));
• | merger, consolidation or other business combination (except for the sole purpose of changing our legal form into another limited liability entity and where the governing instruments of the new entity provide our stockholders with substantially the same rights and obligations); and |
• | any amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of our Class A common stock relative to the other classes of our stock. |
In addition, holders of our Class C common stock will be entitled to vote separately as a class on any amendment to our certificate of incorporation that changes certain terms of the Class C common stock or is inconsistent with such terms, changes the par value of the shares of Class C common stock or adversely affects the rights or preferences of the Class C common stock.
In addition, Delaware law would permit holders of our Class A common stock to vote as a separate class on an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would:
• | change the par value of our Class A common stock; or |
• | alter or change the powers, preferences, or special rights of the Class A common stock in a way that would adversely affect the holders of our Class A common stock. |
Our certificate of incorporation provides that the number of authorized shares of any class of stock, including our Class A common stock, may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares of such class then outstanding) solely with the approval of the Class B Stockholder and, in the case of any increase in the number of authorized shares of our Class B common stock, the holders of a majority in voting power of the Class A common stock and Class C common stock, voting together as a single class. As a result, the Class B Stockholder can approve an increase or decrease in the number of authorized shares of Class A common stock and Class C common stock without a separate vote of the holders of the applicable class of common stock. This could allow us to increase and issue additional shares of Class A common stock and/or Class C common stock beyond what is currently authorized in our certificate of incorporation without the consent of the holders of the applicable class of common stock.
Except as described below under Anti-Takeover Provisions—Loss of voting rights, each record holder of Class A common stock will be entitled to a number of votes equal to the number of shares of Class A common stock held with respect to any matter on which the Class A common stock is entitled to vote. In addition, so long as the ratio at which KKR Group Partnership Units are exchangeable for our Class A common stock remains on a one-for-one basis, holders of our Class C common stock shall vote together with holders of our Class A common stock as a single class and on an equivalent basis. If the ratio at which KKR Group Partnership Units are exchangeable for our Class A common stock changes from a one-for-one basis, the number of votes to which the holders of the Class C common stock are entitled will be adjusted accordingly. Additional classes of common stock having special voting rights could also be issued.
No Preemptive or Similar Rights
Our Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Class C common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights, and, except in the case of impermissible transfers of the Class B common stock, which would result in our redemption of such Class B common stock, are not subject to conversion, redemption or sinking fund provisions.
Transferability
Prior to December 31, 2018, the Class B Stockholder may not transfer all or any part of the Class B common stock held by it to another person without the approval of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of our Class A common stock and Class C common stock, excluding shares of common stock held by the Class B Stockholder and its affiliates, subject to certain exceptions for transfers of all, but not less than all, of the Class B common stock to an affiliate, or to another entity as part of the merger or consolidation of the Class B Stockholder with or into such entity or the transfer by the Class B Stockholder of all or substantially all
6
of its assets to another entity, in which case, written approval of our board of directors and a majority of the controlling interest of the Class B Stockholder would be required, among other things. On or after December 31, 2018, the Class B Stockholder may transfer all or any part of the Class B common stock held by it with the written approval of our board of directors and a majority of the controlling interest of the Class B Stockholder without first obtaining approval of any other stockholder so long as the transferee assumes the rights and duties of the Class B Stockholder under our certificate of incorporation, agrees to be bound by the provisions of our certificate of incorporation and furnishes an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability matters. The foregoing limitations do not preclude the members of the Class B Stockholder from selling or transferring all or part of their limited liability company interests in the Class B Stockholder at any time.
Exchange
KKR Group Partnership Units held by KKR Holdings are exchangeable for our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to customary adjustments for splits, unit dividends and reclassifications and compliance with applicable lock-up, vesting and transfer restrictions. When a KKR Group Partnership Unit is exchanged for a share of Class A common stock, the corresponding share of Class C common stock shall automatically be cancelled and retired with no consideration being paid or issued with respect thereto.
Limited Call Right
If at any time:
(i) | less than 10% of the then issued and outstanding shares of any class (other than Class B common stock, Class C common stock and preferred stock) are held by persons other than the Class B Stockholder and its affiliates; or |
(ii) | we are subjected to registration under the provisions of the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, |
we will have the right, which we may assign in whole or in part to the Class B Stockholder or any of its affiliates, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the remaining shares of the class held by unaffiliated persons.
As a result of our right to purchase outstanding shares of common stock, a stockholder may have their shares purchased at an undesirable time or price.
Preferred Stock
Our board of directors is authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by Delaware law, to issue preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each series, and to fix the designation, powers (including voting powers), preferences and rights of the shares of each series and any of its qualifications, limitations or restrictions, in each case without further vote or action by our stockholders (except as may be required by the terms of any preferred stock then outstanding). Our board of directors can also increase or decrease the number of shares of any series of preferred stock (other than the Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock or, so long as any shares of Series A Preferred Stock or Series B Preferred Stock remain outstanding, increases in the authorized number of shares of Series A senior stock or Series B senior stock (as each is defined below), respectively), but not below the number of shares of that series then outstanding, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the proportion of voting power held by, or other relative rights of, the holders of our Class A common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control of our company and might adversely affect the market price of the Class A common stock or the proportion of voting power held by, or other relative rights of, the holders of the Class A common stock.
As of the date of this prospectus, our certificate of incorporation has designated two series of preferred stock, Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock, each of which is outstanding.
Series A Preferred Stock
In March 2016, KKR & Co. L.P. issued 13,800,000 6.75% Series A Preferred Units (Series A Preferred Units). In connection with the Conversion, each Series A Preferred Unit outstanding immediately prior to the
7
Effective Time converted into one issued and outstanding, fully paid and nonassessable share of our Series A Preferred Stock. Our certificate of incorporation provides holders of the Series A Preferred Stock following the Conversion with substantially the same rights and obligations that holders of the Series A Preferred Units had in the limited partnership agreement of KKR & Co. L.P.
Economic rights . Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock are payable when, as and if declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available, at a rate per annum equal to 6.75% of the $25.00 liquidation preference per share. Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock are payable quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year, when, as and if declared our board of directors.
Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock are non-cumulative.
Ranking . Shares of the Series A Preferred Stock rank senior to our common stock and equally with shares of our Series B Preferred Stock and any of our other equity securities, including any other preferred stock, that we may issue in the future, whose terms provide that such securities will rank equally with the Series A Preferred Stock respect to payment of dividends and distribution of our assets upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up (Series A parity stock). Shares of the Series A Preferred Stock include the same provisions with respect to restrictions on declaration and payment of dividends as the Series B Preferred Stock. Holders of the Series A Preferred Stock do not have preemptive or subscription rights.
Shares of the Series A Preferred Stock rank junior to (i) all of our existing and future indebtedness and (ii) any of our equity securities, including preferred stock, that we may issue in the future, whose terms provide that such securities will rank senior to the Series A Preferred Stock with respect to payment of dividends and distribution of our assets upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up (such equity securities, Series A senior stock). We currently have no Series A senior stock outstanding. While any shares of Series A Preferred Stock are outstanding, we may not authorize or create any class or series of Series A senior stock without the approval of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by the holders of outstanding Series A Preferred Stock and all other series of Series A voting preferred stock (defined below), acting as a single class. See —Voting rights below for a discussion of the voting rights applicable if we seek to create any class or series of Series A senior stock.
Maturity . The Series A Preferred Stock does not have a maturity date, and we are not required to redeem or repurchase the Series A Preferred Stock.
Optional redemption . We may not redeem the Series A Preferred Stock prior to June 15, 2021 except as provided below under —Change of control redemption. At any time or from time to time on or after June 15, 2021, we may, at our option, redeem the Series A Preferred Stock, in whole or in part, at a price of $25.00 per share of Series A Preferred Stock plus declared and unpaid dividends, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date, without payment of any undeclared dividends.
Holders of the Series A Preferred Stock will have no right to require the redemption of the Series A Preferred Stock.
Change of control redemption . If a change of control event occurs prior to June 15, 2021, we may, at our option, redeem the Series A Preferred Stock, in whole but not in part, at a price of $25.25 per share of Series A Preferred Stock, plus declared and unpaid dividends to, but excluding, the redemption date, without payment of any undeclared dividends.
If we do not give a redemption notice within the time periods specified in our certificate of incorporation following a change of control event (whether before, on or after June 15, 2021), the dividend rate per annum on the Series A Preferred Stock will increase by 5.00%.
A change of control event would occur if a change of control is accompanied by the lowering of the rating on certain series of our senior notes that are guaranteed by us and the KKR Group Partnerships (or, if no such series of our senior notes are outstanding, our long-term issuer rating) in respect of such change of control and any series of such senior notes or our long-term issuer rating, as applicable, is rated below investment grade.
The change of control redemption feature of the Series A Preferred Stock may, in certain circumstances, make more difficult or discourage a sale or takeover of us or a KKR Group Partnership and, thus, the removal of incumbent management. We have no present intention to engage in a transaction involving a change of control, although it is possible that we could decide to do so in the future.
8
Voting rights . Except as indicated below, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock will have no voting rights.
Whenever six quarterly dividends (whether or not consecutive) payable on the Series A Preferred Stock have not been declared and paid, the number of directors on our board of directors will be increased by two and the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, voting together as a single class with the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock and any other series of Series A parity stock then outstanding upon which like voting rights have been conferred and are exercisable (any such other series, together with the Series B Preferred Stock, Series A voting preferred stock), will have the right to elect these two additional directors at a meeting of the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock and such Series A voting preferred stock. These voting rights will continue until four consecutive quarterly dividends have been declared and paid on the Series A Preferred Stock.
The approval of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by the holders of outstanding Series A Preferred Stock and all series of Series A voting preferred units, acting as a single class, either at a meeting of stockholders or by written consent, is required in order:
(i) | to amend, alter or repeal any provision of our certificate of incorporation relating to the Series A Preferred Stock or series of Series A voting preferred stock so as to materially and adversely affect the voting powers, rights or preferences of the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock or series of Series A voting preferred stock, or |
(ii) | to authorize, create or increase the authorized amount of, any class or series of preferred stock having rights senior to the Series A Preferred Stock with respect to the payment of distributions or amounts upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, |
provided that in the case of clause (i) above, if such amendment materially and adversely affects the rights, preferences, privileges or voting powers of one or more but not all of the classes or series of Series A voting preferred stock (including the Series A Preferred Stock for this purpose), only the consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the classes or series so affected, voting as a class, is required in lieu of (or, if such consent is required by law, in addition to) the consent of the holders of two-thirds of the Series A voting preferred stock (including the Series A Preferred Stock for this purpose) as a class.
However, we may create additional series or classes of Series A parity stock and any equity securities that rank junior to our Series A Preferred Stock and issue additional series of such stock without the consent of any holder of the Series A Preferred Stock.
In addition, if at any time any person or group (other than the Class B Stockholder and its affiliates, or a direct or subsequently approved transferee of the Class B Stockholder or its affiliates) acquires, in the aggregate, beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding, that person or group will lose voting rights on all of its stock and the stock may not be voted on any matter and will not be considered to be outstanding when calculating required votes or for other similar purposes. See Anti-Takeover Provisions—Loss of voting rights.
Amount payable in liquidation . Upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, each holder of the Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to a payment equal to the sum of the $25.00 liquidation preference per share of Series A Preferred Stock and declared and unpaid dividends, if any, to, but excluding the date of the liquidation, dissolution or winding up. Such payment will be made out of our assets available for distribution (to the extent available) to the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock following the satisfaction of all claims ranking senior to the Series A Preferred Stock.
No conversion rights . The shares of Series A Preferred Stock are not convertible into any class of common stock or any other class or series of our capital stock or any other security.
Series A GP Mirror Units. We contributed the net proceeds from the sale of the Series A Preferred Units in March 2016 to the KKR Group Partnerships and, in consideration of our contribution, each KKR Group Partnership issued to us a new series of preferred units with economic terms designed to mirror those of the Series A Preferred Units and, following the Conversion, the Series A Preferred Stock, which we refer to as the Series A GP Mirror Units. The terms of the Series A GP Mirror Units provide that unless distributions have been declared and paid or declared and set apart for payment on all Series A GP Mirror Units issued by each KKR Group Partnership for the then-current quarterly dividend period, then during such quarterly dividend
9
period only, each KKR Group Partnership may not repurchase its common units or any junior units and may not declare or pay or set apart payment for distributions on its junior units, other than distributions paid in junior units or options, warrants or rights to subscribe for or purchase junior units. The terms of the Series A GP Mirror Units also provide that, in the event that any KKR Group Partnership liquidates, dissolves or winds up, no KKR Group Partnership may declare or pay or set apart payment on its common units or any other units ranking junior to the Series A GP Mirror Units unless the outstanding liquidation preference on all outstanding Series A GP Mirror Units of each KKR Group Partnership have been repaid via redemption or otherwise. The foregoing is subject to certain exceptions, including, (i) in the case of a merger or consolidation of one or more KKR Group Partnerships in a transaction whereby the surviving person, if not a KKR Group Partnership immediately prior to such transaction, expressly assumes all of the obligations under the Series A GP Mirror Units and satisfies certain other conditions, (ii) the KKR Group Partnership being sold or disposed of does not constitute a significant subsidiary under Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC or (iii) the Series A Preferred Stock have been fully redeemed. The Series B GP Mirror Units (as defined below) rank equally with the Series A GP Mirror Units.
Series B Preferred Stock
In June 2016, KKR & Co. L.P. issued 6,200,000 6.50% Series B Preferred Units (Series B Preferred Units). In connection with the Conversion, each Series B Preferred Unit outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time converted into one issued and outstanding, fully paid and nonassessable share of our Series B Preferred Stock. Our certificate of incorporation provides holders of the Series B Preferred Stock following the Conversion with substantially the same rights and obligations that holders of the Series B Preferred Units had in the limited partnership agreement of KKR & Co. L.P.
Economic rights . Dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock are payable when, as and if declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available, at a rate per annum equal to 6.50% of the $25.00 liquidation preference per share. Dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock are payable quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year, when, as and if declared our board of directors.
Dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock are non-cumulative.
Ranking . Shares of the Series B Preferred Stock rank senior to our Class A common stock and equally with shares of our Series A Preferred Stock and any of our other equity securities, including any other preferred stock, that we may issue in the future, whose terms provide that such securities will rank equally with the Series B Preferred Stock respect to payment of dividends and distribution of our assets upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up (Series B parity stock). Shares of the Series B Preferred Stock include the same provisions with respect to restrictions on declaration and payment of dividends as the Series A Preferred Stock. Holders of the Series B Preferred Stock do not have preemptive or subscription rights.
Shares of the Series B Preferred Stock rank junior to (i) all of our existing and future indebtedness and (ii) any of our equity securities, including preferred stock, that we may issue in the future, whose terms provide that such securities will rank senior to the Series B Preferred Stock with respect to payment of dividends and distribution of our assets upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up. We currently have no Series B senior stock outstanding (such equity securities, Series B senior stock). While any shares of Series B Preferred Stock are outstanding, we may not authorize or create any class or series of Series B senior stock without the approval of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by the holders of outstanding Series B Preferred Stock and all other series of Series B voting preferred stock (defined below), acting as a single class. See —Voting rights below for a discussion of the voting rights applicable if we seek to create any class or series of Series B senior stock.
Maturity . The Series B Preferred Stock does not have a maturity date, and we are not required to redeem or repurchase the Series B Preferred Stock.
Optional redemption . We may not redeem the Series B Preferred Stock prior to September 15, 2021 except as provided below under —Change of control redemption. At any time or from time to time on or after September 15, 2021, we may, at our option, redeem the Series B Preferred Stock, in whole or in part, at a price of $25.00 per share of Series B Preferred Stock plus declared and unpaid dividends, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date, without payment of any undeclared dividends.
Holders of the Series B Preferred Stock will have no right to require the redemption of the Series B Preferred Stock.
10
Change of control redemption . If a change of control event occurs prior to September 15, 2021, we may, at our option, redeem the Series B Preferred Stock, in whole but not in part, at a price of $25.25 per share of Series B Preferred Stock, plus declared and unpaid dividends to, but excluding, the redemption date, without payment of any undeclared dividends.
If we do not give a redemption notice within the time periods specified in our certificate of incorporation following a change of control event (whether before, on or after September 15, 2021), the dividend rate per annum on the Series B Preferred Stock will increase by 5.00%.
A change of control event would occur if a change of control is accompanied by the lowering of the rating on certain series of our senior notes that are guaranteed by us and the KKR Group Partnerships (or, if no such series of our senior notes are outstanding, our long-term issuer rating) in respect of such change of control and any series of such senior notes or our long-term issuer rating, as applicable, is rated below investment grade.
The change of control redemption feature of the Series B Preferred Stock may, in certain circumstances, make more difficult or discourage a sale or takeover of us or a KKR Group Partnership and, thus, the removal of incumbent management. We have no present intention to engage in a transaction involving a change of control, although it is possible that we could decide to do so in the future.
Voting rights . Except as indicated below, the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock will have no voting rights.
Whenever six quarterly dividends (whether or not consecutive) payable on the Series B Preferred Stock have not been declared and paid, the number of directors on our board of directors will be increased by two and the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock, voting together as a single class with the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock and any other series of Series B parity stock then outstanding upon which like voting rights have been conferred and are exercisable (any such other series, together with the Series A Preferred Stock, Series B voting preferred stock), will have the right to elect these two additional directors at a meeting of the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock and such Series B voting preferred stock. These voting rights will continue until four consecutive quarterly dividends have been declared and paid on the Series B Preferred Stock.
The approval of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by the holders of outstanding Series B Preferred Stock and all series of Series B voting preferred units, acting as a single class, either at a meeting of stockholders or by written consent, is required in order:
(i) | to amend, alter or repeal any provision of our certificate of incorporation relating to the Series B Preferred Stock or series of Series B voting preferred stock so as to materially and adversely affect the voting powers, rights or preferences of the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock or series of Series B voting preferred stock, or |
(ii) | to authorize, create or increase the authorized amount of, any class or series of preferred stock having rights senior to the Series B Preferred Stock with respect to the payment of distributions or amounts upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, |
provided that in the case of clause (i) above, if such amendment materially and adversely affects the rights, preferences, privileges or voting powers of one or more but not all of the classes or series of Series B voting preferred stock (including the Series B Preferred Stock for this purpose), only the consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the classes or series so affected, voting as a class, is required in lieu of (or, if such consent is required by law, in addition to) the consent of the holders of two-thirds of the Series B voting preferred stock (including the Series B Preferred Stock for this purpose) as a class.
However, we may create additional series or classes of Series B parity stock and any equity securities that rank junior to our Series B Preferred Stock and issue additional series of such stock without the consent of any holder of the Series B Preferred Stock.
In addition, if at any time any person or group (other than the Class B Stockholder and its affiliates, or a direct or subsequently approved transferee of the Class B Stockholder or its affiliates) acquires, in the aggregate, beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the Series B Preferred Stock then outstanding, that person or group will lose voting rights on all of its stock and the stock may not be voted on any matter and will not be considered to be outstanding when calculating required votes or for other similar purposes. See Anti-Takeover Provisions—Loss of voting rights.
11
Amount payable in liquidation . Upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, each holder of the Series B Preferred Stock will be entitled to a payment equal to the sum of the $25.00 liquidation preference per share of Series B Preferred Stock and declared and unpaid dividends, if any, to, but excluding the date of the liquidation, dissolution or winding up. Such payment will be made out of our assets available for distribution (to the extent available) to the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock following the satisfaction of all claims ranking senior to the Series B Preferred Stock.
No conversion rights . The shares of Series B Preferred Stock are not convertible into any class of common stock or any other class or series of our capital stock or any other security.
Series B GP Mirror Units. We contributed the net proceeds from the sale of the Series B Preferred Units in June 2016 to the KKR Group Partnerships and, in consideration of our contribution, each KKR Group Partnership issued to us a new series of preferred units with economic terms designed to mirror those of the Series B Preferred Units and, following the Conversion, the Series B Preferred Stock, which we refer to as the Series B GP Mirror Units. The terms of the Series B GP Mirror Units provide that unless distributions have been declared and paid or declared and set apart for payment on all Series B GP Mirror Units issued by each KKR Group Partnership for the then-current quarterly dividend period, then during such quarterly dividend period only, each KKR Group Partnership may not repurchase its common units or any junior units and may not declare or pay or set apart payment for distributions on its junior units, other than distributions paid in junior units or options, warrants or rights to subscribe for or purchase junior units. The terms of the Series B GP Mirror Units also provide that, in the event that any KKR Group Partnership liquidates, dissolves or winds up, no KKR Group Partnership may declare or pay or set apart payment on its common units or any other units ranking junior to the Series B GP Mirror Units unless the outstanding liquidation preference on all outstanding Series B GP Mirror Units of each KKR Group Partnership have been repaid via redemption or otherwise. The foregoing is subject to certain exceptions, including, (i) in the case of a merger or consolidation of one or more KKR Group Partnerships in a transaction whereby the surviving person, if not a KKR Group Partnership immediately prior to such transaction, expressly assumes all of the obligations under the Series B GP Mirror Units and satisfies certain other conditions, (ii) the KKR Group Partnership being sold or disposed of does not constitute a significant subsidiary under Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC or (iii) the Series B Preferred Stock have been fully redeemed. The Series A GP Mirror Units rank equally with the Series B GP Mirror Units.
Forum selection . The federal district courts of the United States of America are the exclusive forums for resolving any complaint brought by any holder of Series B Preferred Stock (including any holder of beneficial interests in shares of Series B Preferred Stock) asserting a cause of action arising under the United States federal securities laws.
Conflicts of Interest
Delaware law permits corporations to adopt provisions renouncing any interest or expectancy in certain opportunities that are presented to the corporation or its officers, directors or stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation, to the maximum extent permitted from time to time by Delaware law, renounces any interest or expectancy that we have in any business ventures of the Class B Stockholder and its affiliates and any member, partner, Tax Matters Partner (as defined in U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), in effect prior to 2018), Partnership Representative (as defined in the Code), officer, director, employee agent, fiduciary or trustee of any of KKR & Co. Inc. or its subsidiaries, any KKR Group Partnership, the Class B Stockholder or any of our or the Class B Stockholders affiliates and certain other specified persons (collectively, the Indemnitees). Our certificate of incorporation provides that each Indemnitee has the right to engage in businesses of every type and description, including business interests and activities in direct competition with our business and activities. Our certificate of incorporation also waives and renounces any interest or expectancy that we may have in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, business opportunities that are from time to time presented to the Indemnitees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, the Class B Stockholder has agreed that its sole business will be to act as the Class B Stockholder and as a general partner or managing member of any partnership or limited liability company that we may hold an interest in and that it will not engage in any business or activity or incur any debts or liabilities except in connection therewith.
12
Anti-Takeover Provisions
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware General Corporation Law (the DGCL) contain provisions, which are summarized in the following paragraphs, which are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our board of directors and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened acquisition of our company. These provisions are intended to avoid costly takeover battles, reduce our vulnerability to a hostile change in control or other unsolicited acquisition proposal, and enhance the ability of our board of directors to maximize stockholder value in connection with any unsolicited offer to acquire us. However, these provisions may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a merger or acquisition of our company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or other takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including attempts that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price for the shares of Class A common stock held by stockholders.
Non-voting common stock. Our Class A common stock is generally non-voting. In addition, our certificate of incorporation provides that generally, with respect to any matter on which the Class A common stock is entitled to vote, such vote shall require a majority or more of all the outstanding Class A common stock and Class C common stock voting together as a single class. As of September 30, 2018, KKR Holdings owned 303,106,993 shares of Class C common stock, representing approximately 36.6% of the total combined voting power of the Class A common stock and Class C common stock. As a result, with respect to any matter as to which Class A common stock may be entitled to vote, depending on the number of shares of outstanding shares of Class A common stock and Class C common stock actually voted, our senior employees should generally have sufficient voting power to substantially influence matters subject to the vote.
Election of directors . Subject to the rights granted to one or more series of preferred stock then outstanding, the Class B Stockholder has the sole authority to elect directors.
Removal of directors . Subject to the rights granted to one or more series of preferred stock then outstanding, the Class B Stockholder has the sole authority to remove and replace any director, with or without cause, at any time.
Vacancies . In addition, our bylaws also provide that, subject to the rights granted to one or more series of preferred stock then outstanding, any newly created directorship on the board of directors that results from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancies on our board of directors will be filled by the Class B Stockholder.
Loss of voting rights. If at any time any person or group (other than the Class B Stockholder and its affiliates, or a direct or subsequently approved transferee of the Class B Stockholder or its affiliates) acquires, in the aggregate, beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any class of our stock then outstanding, that person or group will lose voting rights on all of its shares of stock and such shares of stock may not be voted on any matter as to which such shares may be entitled to vote and will not be considered to be outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of stockholders, calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes, in each case, as applicable and to the extent such shares of stock are entitled to any vote.
Requirements for advance notification of stockholder proposals . Our bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals relating to the limited matters on which our Class A common stock may be entitled to vote. Generally, to be timely, a stockholders notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days or more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders notice. Our bylaws allow the chairman of the meeting at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings, which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may deter, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from attempting to influence or obtain control of our company.
Special stockholder meetings . Our certificate of incorporation provides that special meetings of our stockholders may be called at any time only by or at the direction of our board of directors, the Class B Stockholder or, if at any time any stockholders other than the Class B Stockholder are entitled under applicable law or our certificate of incorporation to vote on specific matters proposed to be brought before a special meeting, stockholders representing 50% or more of the voting power of the outstanding stock of the class or
13
classes of stock which are entitled to vote at such meeting. Class A common stock and Class C common stock are considered the same class of common stock for this purpose.
Stockholder action by written consent . Pursuant to Section 228 of the DGCL, any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of our stock entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise or it conflicts with the rules of the NYSE. Our certificate of incorporation permits stockholder action by written consent by stockholders other than the Class B Stockholder only if consented to by the board of directors in writing.
Actions requiring Class B Stockholder approval . Certain actions require the prior approval of the Class B Stockholder, including, without limitation:
• | entry into a debt financing arrangement in an amount in excess of 10% of our then existing long-term indebtedness (other than with respect to intercompany debt financing arrangements); |
• | issuances of securities that would (i) represent at least 5% of any class of equity securities or (ii) have designations, preferences, rights priorities or powers that are more favorable than the Class A common stock; |
• | adoption of a shareholder rights plan; |
• | amendment of our certificate of incorporation, certain provisions of our bylaws relating our board of directors and officers and the operating agreements of the KKR Group Partnerships; |
• | the appointment or removal of our Chief Executive Officer or a Co-Chief Executive Officer; |
• | merger, sale or other dispositions of all or substantially all of the assets, taken as a whole, of us and our subsidiaries, and the liquidation or dissolution of us or any KKR Group Partnership; and |
• | the withdrawal, removal or substitution of any person as the general partner of a KKR Group Partnership or the transfer of beneficial ownership of all or any part of a general partner interest in a KKR Group Partnership to any person other than a wholly-owned subsidiary. |
Amendments to our certificate of incorporation requiring Class B Stockholder approval. Except as otherwise expressly provided by applicable law, only the vote of the Class B Stockholder, together with the approval of our board of directors, shall be required in order to amend certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and none of our other stockholders shall have the right to vote with respect to any such amendments, which include, without limitation:
(1) | amendments to provisions relating to approvals of the transfer of the Class B units in the KKR Group Partnerships, Class B Stockholder approvals for certain actions and the appointment or removal of the Chief Executive Officer or Co-Chief Executive Officers; |
(2) | a change in our name, our registered agent or our registered office; |
(3) | an amendment that our board of directors determines to be necessary or appropriate to address certain changes in U.S. federal, state and local income tax regulations, legislation or interpretation; |
(4) | an amendment that is necessary, in the opinion of our counsel, to prevent us or our indemnitees from having a material risk of being in any manner subjected to the provisions of the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or plan asset regulations adopted under the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, whether or not substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor; |
(5) | a change in our fiscal year or taxable year; |
(6) | an amendment that our board of directors has determined to be necessary or appropriate for the creation, authorization or issuance of any class or series of our capital stock or options, rights, warrants or appreciation rights relating to our capital stock; |
14
(7) | any amendment expressly permitted in our certificate of incorporation to be made by the Class B Stockholder acting alone; |
(8) | an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by an agreement of merger, consolidation or other business combination agreement that has been approved under the terms of our certificate of incorporation; |
(9) | an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by an amendment to the partnership agreement of a KKR Group Partnership that requires unitholders of the KKR Group Partnership to provide a statement, certification or other proof of evidence regarding whether such unitholder is subject to U.S. federal income taxation on the income generated by the KKR Group Partnership; |
(10) | any amendment that our board of directors has determined is necessary or appropriate to reflect and account for our formation of, or our investment in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity, as otherwise permitted by our certificate of incorporation; |
(11) | a merger into, or conveyance of all of our assets to, another limited liability entity that is newly formed and has no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of the merger or conveyance other than those it receives by way of the merger or conveyance consummated solely to effect a mere change in our legal form, the governing instruments of which provide the stockholders with substantially the same rights and obligations as provided by our certificate of incorporation; |
(12) | any amendment that our board of directors determines to be necessary or appropriate to cure any ambiguity, omission, mistake, defect or inconsistency; or |
(13) | any other amendments substantially similar to any of the matters described in (1) through (12) above. |
In addition, except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Class B Stockholder, together with the approval of our board of directors, can amend our certificate of incorporation without the approval of any other stockholder to adopt any amendments that our board of directors has determined:
(1) | do not adversely affect the stockholders considered as a whole (or adversely affect any particular class or series of stock as compared to another class or series) in any material respect; |
(2) | are necessary or appropriate to satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal, state, local or non-U.S. agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal, state, local or non-U.S. statute (including the DGCL); |
(3) | are necessary or appropriate to facilitate the trading of our stock or to comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any securities exchange on which our stock are or will be listed for trading; |
(4) | are necessary or appropriate for any action taken by us relating to splits or combinations of shares of our capital stock under the provisions of our certificate of incorporation; or |
(5) | are required to effect the intent of or are otherwise contemplated by our certificate of incorporation. |
Super-majority requirements for certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation. Except for amendments to our certificate of incorporation that require the sole approval of the Class B Stockholder, any amendments to our certificate of incorporation require the vote or consent of stockholders holding at least 90% in voting power of our Class A common stock and Class C common stock unless we obtain an opinion of counsel confirming that such amendment would not affect the limited liability of such stockholder under the DGCL. Any amendment of this provision of our certificate of incorporation also requires the vote or consent of stockholders holding at least 90% in voting power of our Class A common stock and Class C common stock.
Merger, sale or other disposition of assets . Our certificate of incorporation provides that we may, with the approval of the Class B Stockholder and with the approval of the holders of at least a majority in voting power of our Class A common stock and Class C common stock, sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, or consummate any merger, consolidation or other similar combination, or approve the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of our subsidiaries, except that no approval of our Class A common stock and Class C common stock shall be required in the case of certain limited transactions involving our reorganization into another limited liability entity. See —Common Stock—Voting Rights. We may in our sole discretion
15
mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of our assets (including for the benefit of persons other than us or our subsidiaries) without the prior approval of the holders of our Class A common stock and Class C common stock. We may also sell all or substantially all of our assets under any forced sale of any or all of our assets pursuant to the foreclosure or other realization upon those encumbrances without the prior approval of the holders of our Class A common stock and Class C common stock.
Preferred stock . The rights of holders of our Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock requiring us to redeem all or a portion of their series of preferred stock upon the occurrence of a change of control event could have the effect of discouraging third parties from pursuing certain transactions with us, which may otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders. See Preferred Stock above.
Choice of forum . The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, solely to the extent that the Court of Chancery lacks subject matter jurisdiction, any other court in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction) is the exclusive forum for resolving any claims, suits, actions or proceedings arising out of or relating in any way to our certificate of incorporation (including any claims, suits or actions to interpret, apply or enforce (i) the provisions of our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, (ii) our duties, obligations or liabilities to our stockholders, or of our stockholders to us, or among our stockholders, (iii) the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, us or any of our stockholders, (iv) any provision of the DGCL or (v) any other instrument, document, agreement or certificate contemplated by any provision of the DGCL relating to us (regardless of whether such claims, suits, actions or proceedings (x) sound in contract, tort, fraud or otherwise, (y) are based on common law, statutory, equitable, legal or other grounds or (z) are derivative or direct claims)), except as otherwise provided in our certificate of incorporation for any series of our preferred stock.
Business Combinations
We have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL, which provides that an interested stockholder (a person other than the corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or, if such person is an affiliate or associate of the corporation, within three years did own, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of a corporation) may not engage in business combinations (which is broadly defined to include a number of transactions, such as mergers, consolidations, asset sales and other transactions in which an interested stockholder receives or could receive a financial benefit on other than a pro rata basis with other stockholders) with the corporation for a period of three years after the date on which the person became an interested stockholder without certain statutorily mandated approvals.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our Class A common stock, Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. The transfer agent and registrars address is 6201 15 th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219, and its telephone number is (718) 921-8300.
Listing
Our Class A common stock, Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock are listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbols KKR, KKR PRA and KKR PRB, respectively.
16
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
The following description summarizes the general terms that will apply to any debt securities that may be offered pursuant to this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. The specific terms of any offered debt securities, and the extent to which the general terms described in this section apply to these debt securities, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement at the time of the offering. Any prospectus supplement, which we will file with the SEC, may or may not modify the general terms found in this prospectus. For a complete description of any series of debt securities, you should read both this prospectus and the prospectus supplement that applies to that series of debt securities.
We may issue the debt securities in one or more series under an indenture between us and the trustee. The following summary of provisions of the indenture does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture, including definitions therein of certain terms and the provisions made part thereof by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the Trust Indenture Act). This summary may not contain all of the information that you may find useful. The terms and conditions of the debt securities of each series will be set forth in those debt securities and in the indenture, as supplemented.
The form of indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. A form of each debt security, reflecting the specific terms and provisions of that series of debt securities, will be filed with the SEC in connection with each offering of debt securities and will be incorporated by reference in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
As used in this section, we, us and our mean KKR & Co. Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its successors, but not any of its subsidiaries. As used in this prospectus, debt securities means the debentures, notes, bonds and other evidences of indebtedness offered pursuant to this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement and authenticated by the relevant trustee and delivered under the indenture.
General
We may offer the debt securities from time to time in as many distinct series as we may determine. All debt securities will be our senior unsecured obligations. The indenture does not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue under that indenture. We may, without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of any series, issue additional debt securities ranking equally with, and otherwise similar in all respects to, the debt securities of the series (except for the public offering price, the issue date, the issue price, the date from which interest will accrue and, if applicable, the date on which interest will first be paid) so that those additional debt securities will be consolidated and form a single series with the debt securities of the series previously offered and sold.
The debt securities of each series will be issued in fully registered form without interest coupons. We currently anticipate that the debt securities of each series offered and sold pursuant to this prospectus will be issued as global debt securities as described under —Book-Entry; Delivery and Form; Global Securities and will trade in book-entry form only.
Debt securities denominated in U.S. dollars will be issued in denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof, unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. If the debt securities of a series are denominated in a foreign or composite currency, the applicable prospectus supplement will specify the denomination or denominations in which those debt securities will be issued.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will repay the debt securities of each series at 100% of their principal amount, together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon at maturity, except if those debt securities have been previously redeemed or purchased and cancelled.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities of each series will not be listed on any securities exchange. The applicable prospectus supplement will include a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities.
17
Provisions of Indenture
The indenture provides that debt securities may be issued under it from time to time in one or more series. For each series of debt securities, this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement will describe the following terms and conditions of that series of debt securities:
• | the title of the series; |
• | the maximum aggregate principal amount, if any, established for debt securities of the series; |
• | the person to whom any interest on a debt security of the series will be payable, if other than the person in whose name that debt security (or one or more predecessor debt securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest; |
• | the date or dates on which the principal of any debt securities of the series will be payable or the method used to determine or extend those dates; |
• | the rate or rates at which any debt securities of the series will bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which any such interest will accrue, the interest payment dates on which any such interest will be payable and the regular record date for any such interest payable on any interest payment date; |
• | the place or places where the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on any debt securities of the series will be payable and the manner in which any payment may be made; |
• | the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which any debt securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at our option and, if other than by a board resolution, the manner in which any election by us to redeem the debt securities will be evidenced; |
• | our obligation or right, if any, to redeem or purchase any debt securities of the series pursuant to any sinking fund or at the option of the holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which any debt securities of the series will be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation; |
• | if other than denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof, the denominations in which any debt securities of the series will be issuable; |
• | if the amount of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any debt securities of the series may be determined with reference to a financial or economic measure or index or pursuant to a formula, the manner in which such amounts will be determined; |
• | if other than U.S. dollars, the currency, currencies or currency units in which the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any debt securities of the series will be payable and the manner of determining the equivalent thereof in U.S. dollars for any purpose; |
• | if the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any debt securities of the series is to be payable, at our election or the election of the holder thereof, in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which such debt securities are stated to be payable, the currency, currencies or currency units in which the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on such debt securities as to which such election is made will be payable, the periods within which and the terms and conditions upon which such election is to be made and the amount so payable (or the manner in which such amount will be determined); |
• | if other than the entire principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of any debt securities of the series which will be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to the indenture; |
• | if the principal amount payable at the stated maturity of any debt securities of the series will not be determinable as of any one or more dates prior to the stated maturity, the amount which will be deemed to be the principal amount of such debt securities as of any such date for any purpose |
18
thereunder or hereunder, including the principal amount thereof which will be due and payable upon any maturity other than the stated maturity or which will be deemed to be outstanding as of any date prior to the stated maturity (or, in any such case, the manner in which such amount deemed to be the principal amount will be determined);
• | if other than by a board resolution, the manner in which any election by us to defease any debt securities of the series pursuant to the indenture will be evidenced; whether any debt securities of the series other than debt securities denominated in U.S. dollars and bearing interest at a fixed rate are to be subject to the defeasance provisions of the indenture; or, in the case of debt securities denominated in U.S. dollars and bearing interest at a fixed rate, if applicable, that the debt securities of the series, in whole or any specified part, will not be defeasible pursuant to the indenture; |
• | if applicable, that any debt securities of the series will be issuable in whole or in part in the form of one or more global securities and, in such case, the respective depositaries for such global securities and the form of any legend or legends which will be borne by any such global securities, and any circumstances in which any such global security may be exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities registered, and any transfer of such global security in whole or in part may be registered, in the name or names of persons other than the depositary for such global security or a nominee thereof and any other provisions governing exchanges or transfers of such global security; |
• | any addition to, deletion from or change in the events of default applicable to any debt securities of the series and any change in the right of the trustee or the requisite holders of such debt securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable; |
• | any addition to, deletion from or change in the covenants applicable to debt securities of the series; |
• | if the debt securities of the series are to be convertible into or exchangeable for cash and/or any securities or other property of any person (including us), the terms and conditions upon which such debt securities will be so convertible or exchangeable; |
• | whether the debt securities of the series will be guaranteed by any persons and, if so, the identity of such persons, the terms and conditions upon which such debt securities will be guaranteed and, if applicable, the terms and conditions upon which such guarantees may be subordinated to other indebtedness of the respective guarantors; |
• | whether the debt securities of the series will be secured by any collateral and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such debt securities will be secured and, if applicable, upon which such liens may be subordinated to other liens securing other indebtedness of us or of any guarantor; |
• | if a trustee other than the trustee named in the indenture is to act as trustee for the securities of a series, the name and corporate trust office of such trustee; and |
• | any other terms of the debt securities of the series (which terms will not be inconsistent with the provisions of the indenture, except as permitted thereunder). |
Interest
In the applicable prospectus supplement, we will designate the debt securities of a series as being either debt securities bearing interest at a fixed rate of interest or debt securities bearing interest at a floating rate of interest.
Each debt security will begin to accrue interest from the date on which it is originally issued. Interest on each such debt security will be payable in arrears on the interest payment dates set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement and as otherwise described below and at maturity or, if earlier, the redemption date described below. Interest will be payable to the holder of record of the debt securities at the close of business on the record date for each interest payment date, which record dates will be specified in such prospectus supplement.
As used in the indenture, the term business day means, with respect to debt securities of a series, any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, that is not a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to close in the place where the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on the debt securities are payable.
19
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement:
• | For fixed rate debt securities, if the maturity date, the redemption date or an interest payment date is not a business day, we will pay principal, premium, if any, the redemption price, if any, and interest on the next succeeding business day, and no interest will accrue from and after the relevant maturity date, redemption date or interest payment date to the date of that payment. Interest on the fixed rate debt securities will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. |
• | For floating rate debt securities, if any interest payment date for the debt securities of a series bearing interest at a floating rate (other than the maturity date or the redemption date, if any) would otherwise be a day that is not a business day, then the interest payment date will be postponed to the following date which is a business day, unless that business day falls in the next succeeding calendar month, in which case the interest payment date will be the immediately preceding business day; if the maturity date or the redemption date, if any, is not a business day, we will pay principal, premium, if any, the redemption price, if any, and interest on the next succeeding business day, and no interest will accrue from and after the maturity date or the redemption date, if any, to the date of that payment. Interest on the floating rate debt securities will be computed on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed during the relevant interest period and a 360-day year. |
Optional Redemption
If specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may elect to redeem all or part of the outstanding debt securities of a series from time to time before the maturity date of the debt securities of that series. Upon such election, we will notify the trustee of the redemption date and the principal amount of debt securities of the series to be redeemed. If less than all the debt securities of the series are to be redeemed, the particular debt securities of that series to be redeemed will be selected by the trustee by such method as the trustee deems fair and appropriate, including by lot or pro rata. The applicable prospectus supplement will specify the redemption price for the debt securities to be redeemed (or the method of calculating such price), in each case in accordance with the terms and conditions of those debt securities.
Notice of redemption will be given to each holder of the debt securities to be redeemed not less than 15 nor more than 60 days prior to the date set for such redemption. This notice will include the following information: the redemption date; the redemption price (or the method of calculating such price); if less than all of the outstanding debt securities of such series are to be redeemed, the identification (and, in the case of partial redemption, the respective principal amounts) of the particular debt securities to be redeemed; that on the date of redemption, the redemption price will become due and payable upon each debt security to be redeemed and, if applicable, that interest thereon will cease to accrue on and after the redemption date; the place or places where such debt securities are to be surrendered for payment of the redemption price; for any debt securities that by their terms may be converted, the terms of conversion, the date on which the right to convert will terminate and the place or places where such debt securities may be surrendered for conversion; that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case; and the CUSIP, ISN or any similar number of the debt securities to be redeemed.
By no later than 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the business day prior to any redemption date, we will deposit or cause to be deposited with the trustee or with a paying agent (or, if we are acting as paying agent with respect to the debt securities being redeemed, we will segregate and hold in trust as provided in the indenture) an amount of money sufficient to pay the aggregate redemption price of, and (except if the redemption date shall be an interest payment date or the debt securities of such series provide otherwise) accrued interest on, all of the debt securities or the part thereof to be redeemed on that date. On the redemption date, the redemption price will become due and payable upon all of the debt securities to be redeemed, and interest, if any, on the debt securities to be redeemed will cease to accrue from and after that date. Upon surrender of any such debt securities for redemption, we will pay those debt securities surrendered at the redemption price together, if applicable, with accrued interest to the redemption date.
Any debt securities to be redeemed only in part must be surrendered at the office or agency established by us for such purpose, and we will execute, and the trustee will authenticate and deliver to a holder without service charge, new debt securities of the same series and of like tenor, of any authorized denominations as requested by that holder, in a principal amount equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the debt securities that holder surrenders.
20
Payment and Transfer or Exchange
Principal of and premium, if any, and interest on the debt securities of each series will be payable, and the debt securities may be exchanged or transferred, at the office or agency maintained by us for such purpose. Payment of principal of and premium, if any, and interest on a global security registered in the name of or held by The Depository Trust Company (DTC) or its nominee will be made in immediately available funds to DTC or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered holder of such global security. If any of the debt securities is no longer represented by a global security, payment of interest on certificated debt securities in definitive form may, at our option, be made by check mailed directly to holders at their registered addresses. See —Book-Entry; Delivery and Form; Global Securities.
A holder may transfer or exchange any certificated debt securities in definitive form at the same location given in the preceding paragraph. No service charge will be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of debt securities, but we or the trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.
If the debt securities of any series (or of any series and specified tenor) are to be redeemed in part, we are not required to (i) issue, register the transfer of or exchange any debt security selected for redemption (or of such series and specific tenor, as the case may be) for a period of 15 days before mailing of a notice of redemption of the debt security to be redeemed or (ii) register the transfer of or exchange any debt security selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities being redeemed in part.
The registered holder of a debt security will be treated as the owner of it for all purposes.
Subject to any applicable abandoned property law, all amounts of principal of and premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities paid by us that remain unclaimed two years after such payment was due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holders of such debt securities will thereafter look solely to us for payment.
Covenants
The indenture sets forth limited covenants, including the covenant described below, that will apply to each series of debt securities issued under the indenture, unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. However, these covenants do not, among other things:
• | limit the amount of indebtedness or lease obligations that may be incurred by us and our subsidiaries; |
• | limit our ability or that of our subsidiaries to issue, assume or guarantee debt secured by liens; or |
• | restrict us from paying dividends or making distributions on our capital stock or purchasing or redeeming our capital stock. |
Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets
The indenture provides that we may not be a party to a Substantially All Merger or participate in a Substantially All Sale, unless:
• | we are the surviving person, or the person formed by or surviving such Substantially All Merger or to which such Substantially All Sale has been made (the Successor Person) is organized under the laws of the Permitted Jurisdictions and has assumed by supplemental indenture all of our obligations under the indenture; |
• | immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no default or event of default under the indenture has occurred and is continuing; and |
• | we deliver to the trustee an officers’ certificate or an opinion of counsel, each stating that such transaction and any supplemental indenture relating thereto comply with the indenture and that all conditions precedent provided for in the indenture relating to such transaction have been complied with. |
Upon the consummation of such transaction, the Successor Person will be substituted for us in the indenture, with the same effect as if it had been an original party to the indenture. As a result, the Successor Person may exercise our rights and powers under the indenture, and we will be released from all of our liabilities and obligations under the indenture and under the debt securities.
21
Any substitution of the Successor Person for us might be deemed for federal income tax purposes to be an exchange of the debt securities for new debt securities, resulting in recognition of gain or loss for such purposes and possibly certain other adverse tax consequences to beneficial owners of the debt securities. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of any such substitution.
For purposes of this covenant:
• | a person means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a limited liability company, an association, a trust or any other entity including government or political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality thereof; |
• | a Substantially All Merger means our merger or consolidation with or into another person that would, in one or a series of related transactions, result in the transfer or other disposition, directly or indirectly, of all or substantially all of our combined assets taken as a whole to any other person; and |
• | a Substantially All Sale means a sale, assignment, transfer, lease or conveyance to any other person, in one or a series of related transactions, directly or indirectly, of all or substantially all of our combined assets taken as a whole to any other person. |
• | Permitted Jurisdictions means the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof. |
No Gross Up
We and the trustee will be entitled to deduct amount required pursuant to an agreement described in Section 1471(b) of the Code or otherwise imposed pursuant to Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code (such Sections commonly referred to as FATCA), and neither we nor the trustee shall have any obligation to gross-up any payment to pay any additional amount as a result of such deduction. In addition, unless otherwise provided in an applicable supplemental indenture, we shall not be obligated to pay any additional amounts with respect to our debt securities as a result of any withholding or deduction for, or on account of, any other present or future taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges.
Events of Default
Each of the following events are defined in the indenture as an event of default (whatever the reason for such event of default and whether or not it will be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body) with respect to the debt securities of any series:
(1) | default in the payment of any installment of interest on any debt securities of that series, and such default continues for a period of 30 days after the payment becomes due and payable; |
(2) | default in the payment of principal of or premium, if any, on any debt securities of that series when it becomes due and payable, regardless of whether the payment became due and payable at its stated maturity, upon redemption, upon declaration of acceleration or otherwise; |
(3) | default in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, when and as due by the terms of any debt securities of that series; |
(4) | default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or agreement of ours in the indenture with respect to the debt securities of that series (other than as referred to in clause (1), (2) or (3) above), which continues for a period of 90 days after written notice to us by the trustee or to us and the trustee by the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series; |
(5) | we pursuant to or within the meaning of the Bankruptcy Law (as defined below): |
• | commence a voluntary case or proceeding; |
• | consent to the entry of an order for relief against us in an involuntary case or proceeding; |
• | consent to the appointment of a Custodian of us or for all or substantially all of our property; |
• | make a general assignment for the benefit of our creditors; |
• | file a petition in bankruptcy or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief; |
22
• | consent to the filing of such petition or the appointment of or taking possession by a Custodian; or |
• | take any comparable action under any foreign laws relating to insolvency; |
(6) | a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that: |
• | is for relief against us in an involuntary case, or adjudicates us insolvent or bankrupt; |
• | appoints a Custodian of us or for all or substantially all of our property; or |
• | orders the winding-up or liquidation of us (or any similar relief is granted under any foreign laws); |
and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 90 days; or
(7) | any other event of default provided with respect to debt securities of that series occurs. |
Bankruptcy Law means Title 11, United States Code or any similar federal or state or foreign law for the relief of debtors.
Custodian means any custodian, receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or other similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series (other than an event of default specified in clause (5) or (6) above with respect to us) occurs and is continuing, the trustee by notice to us, or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us and the trustee, may declare the principal and accrued and unpaid interest on all the debt securities of that series to be due and payable. Upon such a declaration, such principal and accrued and unpaid interest will be due and payable immediately. If an event of default specified in clause (5) or (6) above with respect to us occurs and is continuing, the principal and accrued and unpaid interest on the debt securities of that series will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holders.
The holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind a declaration of acceleration and its consequences, if we have deposited certain sums with the trustee and all events of default with respect to the debt securities of that series, other than the nonpayment of the principal which have become due solely by such acceleration, have been cured or waived, as provided in the indenture.
An event of default for a particular series of debt securities does not necessarily constitute an event of default for any other series of debt securities issued under the indenture.
We are required to furnish the trustee annually a statement by certain of our officers to the effect that, to the best of their knowledge, we are not in default in the performance and observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions under the indenture or, if there has been a default, specifying each such default and the nature and status thereof which such officers may have knowledge.
No holder of any debt securities of any series will have any right to institute any judicial or other proceeding with respect to the indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator or sequestrator (or similar official), or for any other remedy unless:
(1) | an event of default has occurred and is continuing and such holder has given the trustee prior written notice of such continuing event of default, specifying an event of default with respect to the debt securities of that series; |
(2) | the holders of not less than 25% of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have requested the trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such event of default; |
(3) | the trustee has been offered indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against its costs, expenses and liabilities in complying with such request; |
(4) | the trustee has failed to institute proceedings 60 days after the receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity; and |
(5) | no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given for 60 days by the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series. |
23
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of outstanding debt securities of a series will have the right, subject to certain limitations, to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, and to waive certain defaults. The indenture provides that if an event of default occurs and is continuing, the trustee will exercise such of its rights and powers under the indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such persons own affairs. Subject to such provisions, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any of the holders of the debt securities of a series unless they will have offered to the trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to the trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment.
Modification and Waivers
Modification and amendments of the indenture and the debt securities of any series may be made by us and the trustee with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series affected thereby; provided, however, that no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security of that series affected thereby:
• | change the stated maturity of the principal of, or installment of interest on, any debt security; |
• | reduce the principal amount of any debt security or reduce the amount of the principal of any debt security which would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof or reduce the rate of or extend the time of payment of interest on any debt security; |
• | reduce any premium payable on the redemption of any debt security or change the date on which any debt security may or must be redeemed; |
• | change the coin or currency in which the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any debt security is payable; |
• | impair the right of any holder to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or after the stated maturity of any debt security (or, in the case of redemption or repayment, on or after the redemption date or repayment date, as applicable); |
• | reduce the percentage in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities, the consent of whose holders is required in order to take certain actions; |
• | modify any provisions in the indenture regarding (i) the modifications and amendments requiring the consent of the holders of each affected debt security and (ii) the waiver of past defaults by the holders of debt securities and (iii) the waiver of certain covenants by the holders of debt securities, except to increase any percentage vote required or to provide that certain other provisions of the indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the holder of each debt security affected thereby; |
• | make any change that adversely affects the right to convert or exchange any debt security or decreases the conversion or exchange rate or increases the conversion price of any convertible or exchangeable debt security, unless such decrease or increase is permitted by the terms of the debt securities; |
• | subordinate the debt security of any series to any of our other obligation; or |
• | modify any of the above provisions. |
We and the trustee may, without the consent of any holders, modify or amend the terms of the indenture and the debt securities of any series with respect to the following:
• | to add to our covenants for the benefit of holders of the debt securities of all or any series or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us; |
24
• | to evidence the succession of another person to, and the assumption by the Successor Person of our covenants, agreements and obligations under, the indenture pursuant to the covenant described under —Covenants—Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets; |
• | to add any additional events of default for the benefit of holders of the debt securities of all or any series; |
• | to add one or more guarantees for the benefit of holders of the debt securities; |
• | to secure the debt securities; |
• | to add or appoint a successor or separate trustee or other agent; |
• | to provide for the issuance of additional debt securities of any series; |
• | to establish the form or terms of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture; |
• | to comply with the rules of any applicable securities depository; |
• | to provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities; |
• | to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of the indenture in respect of one or more series of debt securities; provided that any such addition, change or elimination (a) shall neither (1) apply to any debt security of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture and entitled to the benefit of such provision nor (2) modify the rights of the holder of any such debt security with respect to such provision or (b) shall become effective only when there is no debt security described in clause (1) outstanding; |
• | to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision of the indenture; |
• | to change any other provision contained in the debt securities of any series or under the indenture; provided that the change does not adversely affect the interests of the holders of debt securities of any series in any material respect; or |
• | to conform any provision of the indenture or the debt securities of any series to the description of such debt securities contained in the Company’s prospectus, prospectus supplement, offering memorandum or similar document with respect to the offering of the debt securities of such series |
The holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may, on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series, waive compliance by us with certain restrictive provisions of the indenture. The holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series may, on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series, waive any past default and its consequences under the indenture with respect to the debt securities of that series, except a default (1) in the payment of principal or premium, if any, or interest on debt securities of that series or (2) in respect of a covenant or provision of the indenture that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each debt security of that series. Upon any such waiver, such default will cease to exist, and any event of default arising therefrom will be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of the indenture; however, no such waiver will extend to any subsequent or other default or impair any rights consequent thereon.
Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
We may discharge or defease our obligations under the indenture as set forth below, unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement.
We may discharge certain obligations to holders of the debt securities of a series that have not already been delivered to the trustee for cancellation and which have either become due and payable or will become due and payable within one year (or scheduled for redemption within one year) by (i) depositing with the trustee, in trust, money in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such debt securities not previously delivered to the trustee for cancellation, for principal and premium, if any, and interest to the date of such deposit (in the case of debt securities which have become due and payable) or to the stated maturity or redemption date, as the case may be, (ii) paying all other sums payable under the indenture and (iii) delivering to the trustee an officers certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent in the indenture relating to the discharge as to that series have been complied with.
25
The indenture provides that we may elect either (i) to defease and be discharged from any and all obligations with respect to the debt securities of a series (except for, among other things, obligations to register the transfer or exchange of the debt securities, to replace temporary or mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities, to maintain an office or agency with respect to the debt securities and to hold moneys for payment in trust) (legal defeasance) or (ii) to be released from our obligations to comply with the restrictive covenants under the indenture, and any omission to comply with such obligations will not constitute a default or an event of default with respect to the debt securities of a series and clauses (4) and (7) under —Events of Default will no longer be applied (covenant defeasance). Legal defeasance or covenant defeasance, as the case may be, will be conditioned upon, among other things, the irrevocable deposit by us with the trustee, in trust, of (x) money in an amount, (y) U.S. government obligations which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in accordance with their terms will provide money in an amount, or (z) a combination thereof, in each case sufficient to pay and discharge the principal or premium, if any, and interest on the debt securities.
As a condition to legal defeasance or covenant defeasance, we must deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of such debt securities will not recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and such legal defeasance or 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 deposit and legal defeasance or covenant defeasance had not occurred. Such opinion of counsel, in the case of defeasance under clause (i) above, must be based upon a ruling of the Internal Revenue Service or a change in applicable federal income tax law occurring after the date of the relevant indenture. In addition, in the case of either legal defeasance or covenant defeasance, we shall have delivered to the trustee (i) an officers certificate to the effect that the neither such debt securities nor any other debt securities of the same series will be delisted as a result of such deposit and (ii) an officers certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent with respect to such legal defeasance or covenant defeasance have been complied with.
We may exercise our legal defeasance option notwithstanding our prior exercise of our covenant defeasance option.
Book-Entry; Delivery and Form; Global Securities
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities of each series will be issued in the form of one or more global debt securities, in definitive, fully registered form without interest coupons, each of which we refer to as a global security. Each such global security will be deposited with the trustee as custodian for DTC and registered in the name of a nominee of DTC in New York, New York for the accounts of participants in DTC.
Investors may hold their interests in a global security directly through DTC if they are DTC participants, or indirectly through organizations that are DTC participants. The indenture provides that the global securities may be exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities registered, and no transfer of a global security in whole or in part may be registered, in the name of any person other than DTC or its nominee unless:
(1) | DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable or no longer permitted under applicable law to continue as depository for such global security and a successor depository is not appointed within 90 days; |
(2) | an event of default with respect to such global security has occurred and be continuing; |
(3) | we deliver to the trustee an order to such effect; or |
(4) | there shall exist such circumstances, if any, in addition to or in lieu of the foregoing as have been specified for this purpose in the indenture. |
The information in this section of this prospectus concerning DTC and DTCs book-entry system has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we do not take responsibility for this information.
Governing Law
The indenture and the debt securities will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.
26
Regarding the Trustee
The trustee under the indenture will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The trustee under the indenture will be permitted to engage in transactions, including commercial banking and other transactions, with us and our subsidiaries from time to time; provided that if the trustee acquires any conflicting interest it must eliminate such conflict upon the occurrence of an event of default, or else resign.
27
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES
We may issue fractional interests in shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock, rather than shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock, with those rights and subject to the terms and conditions that we may specify in a prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus. If we do so, we will provide for a depositary (either a bank or trust company depositary that has its principal office in the United States) to issue receipts for depositary shares, each of which will represent a fractional interest in a share of Class A common stock or preferred stock. The shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock underlying the depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement between us and the depositary. The prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus will include the name and address of the depositary and will include a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the Class A common stock, preferred stock and depositary shares, as applicable.
28
We may issue warrants to purchase debt or equity securities. Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase for cash the amount of debt or equity securities at the exercise price stated or determinable in a prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus for the warrants. We may issue warrants independently or together with any offered securities. The warrants may be attached to or separate from those offered securities. We will issue the warrants under warrant agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent, all as described in a related prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants.
The prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus relating to any warrants that we may offer will contain the specific terms of the warrants. These terms will include some or all of the following:
• | the title of the warrants; |
• | the price or prices at which the warrants will be issued; |
• | the designation, amount and terms of the securities for which the warrants are exercisable; |
• | the designation and terms of the other securities, if any, with which the warrants are to be issued and the number of warrants issued with each other security; |
• | the aggregate number of warrants; |
• | any provisions for adjustment of the number or amount of securities receivable upon exercise of the warrants or the exercise price of the warrants; |
• | the price or prices at which the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants may be purchased; |
• | the date on and after which the warrants and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants will be separately transferable, if applicable; |
• | if applicable, a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations; |
• | the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence, and the date on which the right will expire; |
• | the maximum or minimum number of warrants that may be exercised at any time; |
• | information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; and |
• | any other terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants. |
29
DESCRIPTION OF PURCHASE CONTRACTS
We may issue purchase contracts, including contracts obligating holders to purchase from us and us to sell to the holders, a specified principal amount of debt securities or a specified number of shares of Class A common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares at a future date or dates, as specified in a related prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus. Alternatively, the purchase contracts may obligate us to purchase from holders, and obligate holders to sell to us, a specified principal amount of debt securities or a specified or varying number of shares of Class A common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares. The consideration for the debt securities, Class A common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares and the principal amount of debt securities or number of shares of each may be fixed at the time the purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by a specific reference to a formula set forth in the purchase contracts. The purchase contracts may provide for settlement by delivery by us or on our behalf of the underlying security, or they may provide for settlement by reference or linkage to the value, performance or trading price of the underlying security. The purchase contracts may be issued separately or as part of purchase units consisting of a purchase contract and other securities or obligations issued by us or third parties, including U.S. treasury securities, which may secure the holders obligations to purchase or sell, as the case may be, shares of Class A common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares under the purchase contracts. The purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders thereof or vice versa, and these payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis and may be paid on a current or on a deferred basis. The purchase contracts may require holders to secure their obligations thereunder in a specified manner and may provide for the prepayment of all or part of the consideration payable by holders in connection with the purchase of the underlying security pursuant to the purchase contracts.
The securities related to the purchase contracts may be pledged to a collateral agent for our benefit pursuant to a pledge agreement to secure the obligations of holders of purchase contracts to purchase the underlying security under the related purchase contracts. The rights of holders of purchase contracts to the related pledged securities will be subject to our security interest therein created by the pledge agreement. No holder of purchase contracts will be permitted to withdraw the pledged securities related to such purchase contracts from the pledge arrangement.
30
We may issue units consisting of one or more purchase contracts, warrants, debt securities, shares of preferred stock, shares of Class A common stock or any combination of such of our securities (but not securities of third parties), as specified in a related prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus.
31
We or any selling securityholders may sell the securities offered by this prospectus:
• | through underwriters or dealers; |
• | directly to a limited number of purchasers or to a single purchaser; |
• | in at the market offerings, within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act, to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise; |
• | through agents; or |
• | through a combination of any of these methods of sale. |
The securities covered by this prospectus may be sold in one or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, or at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices relating to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.
We will describe in a prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus the particular terms of the offering of the securities covered by this prospectus, including the following:
• | the method of distribution of the securities offered thereby; |
• | the names of any underwriters or agents; |
• | the proceeds we will receive from the sale, if any; |
• | any discounts and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation; |
• | any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and |
• | any securities exchanges on which the applicable securities may be listed. |
The securities may be offered to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by underwriters without a syndicate, and may also be offered through standby underwriting or purchase arrangements entered into by us or any selling securityholders. We or any selling securityholders may also sell the securities through agents or dealers designated by us or any selling securityholders. We or any selling securityholders also may sell the securities directly, in which case no underwriters or agents would be involved.
Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be underwriters as defined in the Securities Act, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us or any selling securityholders and any profit on the resale of the securities by them may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.
We or any selling securityholders may have agreements with the underwriters, dealers and agents involved in the offering of the securities to indemnify them against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute with respect to payments which the underwriters, dealers or agents may be required to make.
Underwriters, dealers and agents involved in the offering of the securities may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us, our subsidiaries or other affiliates or any selling securityholders in the ordinary course of their businesses.
In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters or agents, as the case may be, involved in the offering of such securities may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of such securities or other securities that may be issued upon conversion, exchange or exercise of such securities or the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, the underwriters or agents, as the case may be, may over-allot in connection with the offering, creating a short position in such securities for their own account. In addition, to cover over-allotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of such other securities, the underwriters or agents, as the case may be, may bid for, and purchase, such securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer
32
for distributing such securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. The underwriters or agents, as the case may be, are not required to engage in these activities and, if they engage in any of these activities, may end any of these activities at any time without notice.
To comply with applicable state securities laws, the securities offered by this prospectus will be sold, if necessary, in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, securities may not be sold in some states absent registration or pursuant to an exemption from applicable state securities laws.
33
The validity of the securities will be passed upon for us by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, New York. Certain partners of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, members of their families and related persons have an interest representing less than 1% of our Class A common stock.
The consolidated financial statements, and the related financial statement schedule incorporated in this prospectus by reference from KKRs Annual Report on Form 10-K and the effectiveness of KKRs internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements and financial statement schedule have been so incorporated in reliance upon the reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities to be sold pursuant to this prospectus. The registration statement, including the exhibits attached or incorporated by reference to the registration statement, contains additional relevant information about us and our securities. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit certain information from this prospectus.
We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. The SECs rules allow us to incorporate by reference into this prospectus the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede such information, as well as the information included in this prospectus. Some documents or information, such as that called for by Items 2.02 and 7.01 of Form 8-K, or the exhibits related thereto under Item 9.01 of Form 8-K, are deemed furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules. None of those documents and none of that information is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This prospectus also contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by reference to the actual documents.
We incorporate by reference into this prospectus:
• | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017; |
• | our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2018; |
• | our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 2, 2018 (other than Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1), March 23, 2018, June 29, 2018, July 2, 2018 (two filings), September 6, 2018 (other than Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1), and November 9, 2018; and |
• | the description of our common stock and our preferred stock contained in the Registration Statements on Form 8-A/A, filed with the SEC on July 2, 2018. |
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and are required to file reports and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov .
We will provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon his or her written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus, excluding exhibits to those documents unless they are specifically incorporated by reference into those documents. You may request copies of those documents from KKR & Co. Inc., 9 West 57 th Street, Suite 4200, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Investor Relations. You also may contact us at 1-877-610-4910 or visit our website at www.kkr.com for copies of those documents. Our website is included in this prospectus as an inactive textual reference only. Except for the documents specifically incorporated by reference into this prospectus, information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement and should not be considered to be a part of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement.
34
PART II. INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
ITEM 14. | OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION. |
The following is a statement of the expenses (all of which are estimated) to be incurred by the registrant in connection with a distribution of the securities being registered hereby:
|
Amount to
be paid |
||
SEC Registration Fee
|
$
|
|
*
|
Legal Fees and Expenses
|
|
|
**
|
Accounting Fees and Expenses
|
|
|
**
|
Printing Fees
|
|
|
**
|
Rating Agency Fees
|
|
|
**
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
|
**
|
Total
|
$
|
|
*
|
* | The registrant is registering an indeterminate amount of securities under this registration statement and in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act, the registrant is deferring payment of the registration fee. |
** | The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the estimated aggregate amount of expenses payable in respect of any offering of securities. |
ITEM 15. | INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS. |
We are incorporated under the laws of Delaware.
Section 145 of the DGCL provides that a corporation may indemnify directors and officers as well as other employees and individuals against expenses (including attorneys fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which such person is made a party by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation—a derivative action), if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such persons conduct was unlawful. A similar standard is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that indemnification only extends to expenses (including attorneys fees) incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such action, and the statute requires court approval before there can be any indemnification where the person seeking indemnification has been found liable to the corporation. The statute provides that it is not exclusive of other indemnification that may be granted by a corporations bylaws, disinterested director vote, stockholder vote, agreement or otherwise.
Under our certificate of incorporation, in most circumstances we will indemnify the following persons, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts: (a) the Class B Stockholder; (b) KKR Management LLC in its capacity as the former general partner of KKR & Co. L.P. (the Former Managing Partner); (c) any person who is or was an affiliate of the Class B Stockholder or the Former Managing Partner; (d) any person who is or was a member, partner, Tax Matters Partner (as defined in the Code, and in effect prior to 2018), Partnership Representative (as defined in the Code), officer, director, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of us or our subsidiaries, any KKR Group Partnership, the Class B Stockholder or any Former Managing Partner or any affiliate of us or our subsidiaries, the Class B Stockholder or the Former Managing Partner; (e) any person who is or was serving at our request or any Former Managing Partner or any affiliate of us or any Former Managing Partner as an officer, director, employee, member, partner, Tax Matters Partner, Partnership Representative, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another person (provided that a person shall not be an indemnitee by reason of providing, on a fee-for-services basis or similar arms-length compensatory basis, agency, advisory, consulting, trustee, fiduciary or custodial services); or (f) any person designated by us as an indemnitee. Currently, Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL requires that liability be imposed for the following:
• | any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders; |
II-1
• | any act or omission not in good faith or which involved intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
• | unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions as provided in Section 174 of the DGCL; and |
• | any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. |
We have agreed to provide this indemnification unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that these persons acted in bad faith or engaged in fraud or willful misconduct. We have also agreed to provide this indemnification for criminal proceedings. Any indemnification under these provisions will only be out of our assets. Unless it otherwise agrees, the Class B Stockholder will not be liable for, or have any obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to us to enable us to effectuate, indemnification. The indemnification of the persons described above shall be secondary to any indemnification such person is entitled from another person or the relevant KKR fund to the extent applicable. We may purchase insurance against liabilities asserted against and expenses incurred by persons in connection with its activities, regardless of whether we would have the power to indemnify the person against liabilities under our certificate of incorporation.
In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with KKR Management LLC and each of our directors. Each indemnification agreement provides that the indemnitee, subject to the limitations set forth in each indemnification agreement, will be indemnified and held harmless by us on an after-tax basis from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened, pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals, in which the indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an indemnitee or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, whether arising from alleged acts or omissions to act occurring on, before or after the date of such indemnification agreement. Each indemnification agreement provides that the indemnitee shall not be indemnified and held harmless if there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by an arbitral tribunal or court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter for which the indemnitee is seeking indemnification pursuant to the indemnification agreement, the indemnitee acted in bad faith or engaged in fraud or willful misconduct.
We currently maintain liability insurance for our directors and officers. Such insurance would be available to our directors and officers in accordance with its terms.
In any underwriting agreement we enter into in connection with the sale of the securities registered hereby, the underwriters may agree to indemnify, or contribute to, under certain conditions, us, our directors, our officers and persons who control us within the meaning of the Securities Act against certain liabilities.
ITEM 16. | EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES. |
II-2
Exhibit
Number |
Description
|
Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2015, by and among KKR & Co. L.P., MW Group (GP) LTD and the other persons listed on the signature pages thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-208019) filed on November 13, 2015).
|
|
Registration Rights Agreement Amendment, dated as of November 30, 2017, between KKR & Co. L.P. and the Covered Persons Representative (as defined therein) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.22 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 23, 2018).
|
|
Form of Indenture between KKR & Co. Inc. and the trustee.
|
|
4.10*
|
Form of Debt Securities.
|
4.11*
|
Form of Depositary Share Agreement.
|
4.12*
|
Form of Depositary Share Agreement.
|
4.13*
|
Form of Depositary Certificate.
|
4.14*
|
Form of Warrant Agreement.
|
4.15*
|
Form of Warrant Certificate.
|
4.16*
|
Form of Purchase Contract Agreement.
|
4.17*
|
Form of Purchase Certificate.
|
4.18*
|
Form of Unit Agreement.
|
4.19*
|
Form of Unit Certificate.
|
Opinion of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.
|
|
Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.
|
|
Consent of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (included as part of Exhibit 5.1).
|
|
Power of Attorney (included on signature page).
|
|
25.1**
|
Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility under the Trust Indenture Act.
|
* | To be filed as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K or other document to be incorporated by reference herein or to a post-effective amendment hereto, if applicable. |
** | To be filed pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act. |
ITEM 17. | UNDERTAKINGS |
(a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
(1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
(i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; |
(ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the Calculation of Registration Fee table in the effective registration statement. |
(iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; |
provided , however , that Paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
II-3
(15 U.S.C. 78m or 78o(d)) that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
(3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
(4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser: |
(i) | Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; |
(ii) | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; and |
(5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
(i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
(ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
(iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
(iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
(b) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
II-4
(c) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
(d) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under Subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act. |
II-5
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in New York, New York, on November 9, 2018.
|
KKR & Co. Inc.
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ William J. Janetschek
|
|
|
|
Name:
|
William J. Janetschek
|
|
|
Title:
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know all men by these presents, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Henry R. Kravis, George R. Roberts, Joseph Y. Bae, Scott C. Nuttall, William J. Janetschek, David J. Sorkin and Christopher B. Lee and each of them, any of whom may act without the joinder of the other, the individuals true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for the person and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign this Registration Statement and any or all amendments, including post-effective amendments to this Registration Statement, including a prospectus or an amended prospectus therein and any Registration Statement for the same offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and all other documents in connection therewith to be filed with the SEC, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact as agents or any of them, or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated below.
Signature
|
Title
|
Date
|
|
|
|
/s/ Henry R. Kravis
|
Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer)
|
November 9, 2018
|
Henry R. Kravis
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ George R. Roberts
|
Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer)
|
November 9, 2018
|
George R. Roberts
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ Joseph Y. Bae
|
Co-President, Co-Chief Operating Officer and Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
Joseph Y. Bae
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ Scott C. Nuttall
|
Co-President, Co-Chief Operating Officer and Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
Scott C. Nuttall
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ Mary N. Dillon
|
Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
Mary N. Dillon
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ David C. Drummond
|
Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
David C. Drummond
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ Joseph A. Grundfest
|
Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
Joseph A. Grundfest
|
II-6
Signature
|
Title
|
Date
|
|
|
|
/s/ John B. Hess
|
Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
John B. Hess
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ Xavier B. Niel
|
Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
Xavier B. Niel
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ Patricia F. Russo
|
Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
Patricia F. Russo
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ Thomas M. Schoewe
|
Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
Thomas M. Schoewe
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ Robert W. Scully
|
Director
|
November 9, 2018
|
Robert W. Scully
|
||
|
|
|
/s/ William J. Janetschek
|
Chief Financial Officer
(principal financial and accounting officer) |
November 9, 2018
|
William J. Janetschek
|
II-7
Trust Indenture Act Section
|
Indenture Section
|
||
Section 310(a)(1)
|
Section 609
|
||
(a)(2)
|
Section 609
|
||
(a)(3)
|
Not Applicable
|
||
(a)(4)
|
Not Applicable
|
||
(b)
|
Section 608
|
||
Section 610
|
|||
Section 311(a)
|
Section 613
|
||
(b)
|
Section 613
|
||
Section 312(a)
|
Section 701
|
||
Section 702
|
|||
(b)
|
Section 702
|
||
(c)
|
Section 702
|
||
Section 313(a)
|
Section 703
|
||
(b)
|
Section 703
|
||
(c)
|
Section 703
|
||
(d)
|
Section 703
|
||
Section 314(a)
|
Section 704
|
||
(a)(4)
|
Section 1004
|
||
(b)
|
Not Applicable
|
||
(c)(1)
|
Section 102
|
||
(c)(2)
|
Section 102
|
||
(c)(3)
|
Not Applicable
|
||
(d)
|
Not Applicable
|
||
(e)
|
Section 102
|
||
Section 315(a)
|
Section 601
|
||
(b)
|
Section 602
|
||
(c)
|
Section 601
|
||
(d)
|
Section 601
|
||
(e)
|
Section 513
|
||
Section 316(a)
|
Section 101
|
||
(a)(1)(A)
|
Section 502
|
||
Section 511
|
|||
(a)(1)(B)
|
Section 512
|
||
(a)(2)
|
Not Applicable
|
||
(b)
|
Section 508
|
||
(c)
|
Section 104
|
||
Section 317(a)(1)
|
Section 504
|
||
(a)(2)
|
Section 504
|
||
(b)
|
Section 1003
|
||
Section 318(a)
|
Section 107
|
Page
|
|
PARTIES
|
|
RECITALS
|
1
|
ARTICLE I | |
DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION
|
|
Section 101.
|
Definitions. |
1
|
Section 102.
|
Compliance Certificates and Opinions. | 6 |
Section 103.
|
Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee. | 7 |
Section 104.
|
Acts of Holders; Record Dates. | 7 |
Section 105.
|
Notices, Etc., to Trustee and Company. | 9 |
Section 106.
|
Notice to Holders; Waiver. | 9 |
Section 107.
|
Conflict with Trust Indenture Act. | 9 |
Section 108.
|
Effect of Headings and Table of Contents. | 10 |
Section 109.
|
Successors and Assigns. | 10 |
Section 110.
|
Separability Clause. | 10 |
Section 111.
|
Benefits of Indenture. | 10 |
Section 112.
|
Governing Law. | 10 |
Section 113.
|
Legal Holidays. | 10 |
Section 114.
|
No Recourse Against Others. | 10 |
Section 115.
|
Waiver of Jury Trial. | 11 |
Section 116.
|
Compliance with Applicable Law. | 11 |
ARTICLE II
|
||
SECURITY FORMS
|
||
Section 201.
|
Forms Generally. | 11 |
Section 202.
|
Form of Legend for Global Securities. | 11 |
Section 203.
|
Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication. | 12 |
ARTICLE III
|
||
THE SECURITIES
|
||
Section 301.
|
Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series. | 12 |
Section 302.
|
Denominations. | 15 |
Section 303.
|
Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating. | 15 |
Section 304.
|
Temporary Securities. | 16 |
Section 305.
|
Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange. | 16 |
Section 306.
|
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities. | 18 |
Section 307.
|
Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved. | 18 |
Section 308.
|
Persons Deemed Owners. | 19 |
Section 309.
|
Cancellation. | 19 |
Section 310.
|
Computation of Interest. | 19 |
Section 311.
|
CUSIP or ISIN Numbers. | 20 |
Section 312.
|
Original Issue Discount. | 20 |
Section 313.
|
General Provisions Relating to Global Securities. | 20 |
Section 314.
|
No Gross Up. | 20 |
ARTICLE IV
|
||
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
|
||
Section 401.
|
Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture. | 21 |
Section 402.
|
Application of Trust Money. | 22 |
ARTICLE V
|
||
REMEDIES
|
||
Section 501.
|
Events of Default. | 22 |
Section 502.
|
Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment. | 23 |
Section 503.
|
Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee. | 24 |
Section 504.
|
Trustee May File Proofs of Claim. | 24 |
Section 505.
|
Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities. | 25 |
Section 506.
|
Application of Money Collected. | 25 |
Section 507.
|
Limitation on Suits. | 25 |
Section 508.
|
Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium and Interest and to Convert Securities. | 26 |
Section 509.
|
Rights and Remedies Cumulative. | 26 |
Section 510.
|
Delay or Omission Not Waiver. | 26 |
Section 511.
|
Control by Holders. | 27 |
Section 512.
|
Waiver of Past Defaults. | 27 |
Section 513.
|
Undertaking for Costs. | 27 |
Section 514.
|
Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws. | 27 |
Section 515.
|
Restoration of Rights and Remedies. | 28 |
ARTICLE VI
|
||
THE TRUSTEE
|
||
Section 601.
|
Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee. | 28 |
Section 602.
|
Notice of Defaults. | 29 |
Section 603.
|
Certain Rights of Trustee. | 29 |
Section 604.
|
Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities. | 30 |
Section 605.
|
May Hold Securities. | 30 |
Section 606.
|
Money Held in Trust. | 31 |
Section 607.
|
Compensation and Reimbursement. | 31 |
Section 608.
|
Conflicting Interests. | 32 |
Section 609.
|
Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility. | 32 |
Section 610.
|
Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor. | 32 |
Section 611.
|
Acceptance of Appointment by Successor. | 33 |
Section 612.
|
Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business. | 34 |
Section 613.
|
Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company. | 34 |
Section 614.
|
Trustee’s Application for Instructions from the Company. | 34 |
ARTICLE VII
|
||
HOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE TRUSTEE AND THE COMPANY
|
||
Section 701.
|
Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders. | 35 |
Section 702.
|
Preservation of Information; Communications to Holders. | 35 |
Section 703.
|
Reports by Trustee. | 35 |
Section 704.
|
Reports by the Company. | 35 |
ARTICLE VIII
|
||
CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE OF ASSETS AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS
|
||
Section 801.
|
Company May Merge or Transfer Assets on Certain Terms. | 35 |
Section 802.
|
Successor Person Substituted. | 36 |
ARTICLE IX
|
||
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
|
||
Section 901.
|
Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders. | 36 |
Section 902.
|
Supplemental Indentures With Consent of Holders. | 37 |
Section 903.
|
Execution of Supplemental Indentures. | 38 |
Section 904.
|
Effect of Supplemental Indentures. | 38 |
Section 905.
|
Conformity with Trust Indenture Act. | 38 |
Section 906.
|
Notice of Supplemental Indenture; Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures. | 39 |
ARTICLE X
|
||
COVENANTS
|
||
Section 1001.
|
Payment of Principal, Premium, if any, and Interest. | 39 |
Section 1002.
|
Maintenance of Office or Agency. | 39 |
Section 1003.
|
Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust. | 40 |
Section 1004.
|
Statement by Officers as to Default. | 40 |
Section 1005.
|
Waiver of Certain Covenants. | 41 |
ARTICLE XI
|
||
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
|
||
Section 1101.
|
Applicability of Article. | 41 |
Section 1102.
|
Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee. | 41 |
Section 1103.
|
Selection by Trustee of Securities to Be Redeemed. | 41 |
Section 1104.
|
Notice of Redemption. | 42 |
Section 1105.
|
Deposit of Redemption Price. | 43 |
Section 1106.
|
Securities Payable on Redemption Date. | 43 |
Section 1107.
|
Securities Redeemed in Part. | 43 |
ARTICLE XII
|
||
SINKING FUNDS
|
||
Section 1201.
|
Applicability of Article. | 44 |
Section 1202.
|
Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities. | 44 |
Section 1203.
|
Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund. | 44 |
ARTICLE XIII
|
||
DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE
|
||
Section 1301.
|
Company’s Option to Effect Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance. | 44 |
Section 1302.
|
Defeasance and Discharge. | 45 |
Section 1303.
|
Covenant Defeasance. | 45 |
Section 1304.
|
Conditions to Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance. | 45 |
Section 1305.
|
Deposited Money and U.S. Government Obligations to Be Held in Trust; Miscellaneous Provisions. | 46 |
Section 1306.
|
Reinstatement. | 47 |
|
(1) |
the terms defined in this Article I have the meanings assigned to them in this Article I 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;
|
|
(3) |
all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with GAAP;
|
|
(4) |
unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to an “Article,” a “Section” or a “Schedule” refers to an Article, a Section or a Schedule, as the case may be, of this Indenture;
|
|
(5) |
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;
|
|
(6) |
“including” means including without limitation;
|
|
(7) |
when used with respect to any Security, the words “convert,” “converted” and “conversion” are intended to refer to the right of the Holder or the Company to convert or exchange such Security into or for securities or other property in accordance with such terms, if any, as may hereafter be specified for such Security as contemplated by Section 301, and these words are not intended to refer to any right of the Holder or the Company to exchange such Security for other Securities of the same series and of like tenor pursuant to Section 304, 305, 306, 906 or 1107 or another similar provisions of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires; and references herein to the terms of any Security that may be converted mean such terms as may be specified for such Security as contemplated in Section 301; and
|
|
(8) |
unless otherwise provided, references to agreements and other instruments shall be deemed to include all amendments and other modifications to such agreements and instruments, but only to the extent such amendments and other modifications are not prohibited by the terms of this Indenture.
|
|
(1) |
Securities theretofore cancelled by the Trustee or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation;
|
|
(2) |
Securities for whose payment or redemption money in the necessary amount has been theretofore deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent (other than the Company) in trust or set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as Paying Agent) for the Holders of such Securities;
provided
that, if such Securities are to be redeemed, notice of such redemption has been duly given pursuant to this Indenture or provision therefor satisfactory to the Trustee has been made;
|
|
(3) |
Securities as to which Defeasance has been effected pursuant to Section 1302;
|
|
(4) |
Securities which have been paid pursuant to Section 306 or 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 protected purchaser in whose hands such Securities are valid obligations of the Company; and
|
|
(5) |
Securities as to which any property deliverable upon conversion thereof has been delivered (or such delivery has been made available), or as to which any other particular conditions have been satisfied, in each case as may be provided for such Securities as contemplated in Section 301;
|
|
(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 or she has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him or her 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 condition or covenant has been complied with.
|
|
(1) |
the Trustee by any Holder or by the Company shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder if made, given, furnished or filed in writing (which may be by facsimile) to or with the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office at the location specified in Section 101; or
|
|
(2) |
the Company by the Trustee or by any Holder shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to the Company addressed to the attention of the Secretary of the Company at the address of the Company’s principal office specified in writing to the Trustee by the Company and, until further notice, at 9 West 57
th
Street, Suite 4200, New York, New York 10019, fax number: (212) 750-0003, Attention: Chief Financial Officer.
|
[
|
], | as Trustee |
By:
|
|||
Authorized Signatory
|
|
(1) |
the title of the Securities of the series (which shall distinguish the Securities of the series from Securities of any other series);
|
|
(2) |
the limit, if any, on the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the series which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of the series pursuant to Section 304, 305, 306, 906 or 1107 and except for any Securities which, pursuant to Section 303, are deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered hereunder);
|
|
(3) |
the Person to whom any interest on a Security of the series shall be payable, if other than the Person in whose name that Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest;
|
|
(4) |
the date or dates on which the principal of any Securities of the series is payable or the method used to determine or extend those dates;
|
|
(5) |
the rate or rates at which any Securities of the series shall bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which any such interest shall accrue, the Interest Payment Dates on which any such interest shall be payable and the Regular Record Date for any such interest payable on any Interest Payment Date;
|
|
(6) |
the place or places where the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on any Securities of the series shall be payable and the manner in which any payment may be made;
|
|
(7) |
the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which any Securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company and, if other than by a Company Resolution, the manner in which any election by the Company to redeem the Securities shall be evidenced;
|
|
(8) |
the obligation or the right, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase any Securities of the series pursuant to any sinking fund or at the option of the Holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which any Securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
|
|
(9) |
if other than denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof, the denominations in which any Securities of the series shall be issuable;
|
|
(10) |
if the amount of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Securities of the series may be determined with reference to a financial or economic measure or index or pursuant to a formula, the manner in which such amounts shall be determined;
|
|
(11) |
if other than the currency of the United States of America, the currency, currencies or currency units in which the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Securities of the series shall be payable and the manner of determining the equivalent thereof in the currency of the United States of America for any purpose, including for purposes of the definition of “Outstanding” in Section 101;
|
|
(12) |
if the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Securities of the series is to be payable, at the election of the Company or the Holder thereof, in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which such Securities are stated to be payable, the currency, currencies or currency units in which the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on such Securities as to which such election is made shall be payable, the periods within which and the terms and conditions upon which such election is to be made and the amount so payable (or the manner in which such amount shall be determined);
|
|
(13) |
if other than the entire principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of any Securities of the series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 502;
|
|
(14) |
if the principal amount payable at the Stated Maturity of any Securities of the series will not be determinable as of any one or more dates prior to the Stated Maturity, the amount which shall be deemed to be the principal amount of such Securities as of any such date for any purpose thereunder or hereunder, including the principal amount thereof which shall be due and payable upon any Maturity other than the Stated Maturity or which shall be deemed to be Outstanding as of any date prior to the Stated Maturity (or, in any such case, the manner in which such amount deemed to be the principal amount shall be determined);
|
|
(15) |
if other than by a Company Resolution, the manner in which any election by the Company to defease any Securities of the series pursuant to Section 1302 or Section 1303 shall be evidenced; whether any Securities of the series other than Securities denominated in U.S. dollars and bearing interest at a fixed rate are to be subject to Section 1302 or Section 1303; or, in the case of Securities denominated in U.S. dollars and bearing interest at a fixed rate, if applicable, that the Securities of the series, in whole or any specified part, shall not be defeasible pursuant to Section 1302 or Section 1303 or both such Sections;
|
|
(16) |
if applicable, that any Securities of the series shall be issuable in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and, in such case, the respective Depositaries for such Global Securities, the form of any legend or legends which shall be borne by any such Global Security in addition to or in lieu of that set forth in Section 202 and any circumstances in addition to or in lieu of those set forth in clause (2) of the last paragraph of Section 305 in which any such Global Security may be exchanged in whole or in part for Securities registered, and any transfer of such Global Security in whole or in part may be registered, in the name or names of Persons other than the Depositary for such Global Security or a nominee thereof and any other provisions governing exchanges or transfers of such Global Security;
|
|
(17) |
any addition to, deletion from or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the series and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 502;
|
|
(18) |
any addition to, deletion from or change in the covenants set forth in Article X which applies to Securities of the series;
|
|
(19) |
if the Securities of the series are to be convertible into or exchangeable for cash and/or any securities or other property of any Person (including the Company), the terms and conditions upon which such Securities will be so convertible or exchangeable;
|
|
(20) |
whether the Securities of the series will be guaranteed by any Person or Persons and, if so, the identity of such Person or Persons, the terms and conditions upon which such Securities shall be guaranteed and, if applicable, the terms and conditions upon which such guarantees may be subordinated to other indebtedness of the respective guarantors;
|
|
(21) |
whether the Securities of the series will be secured by any collateral and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such Securities shall be secured and, if applicable, upon which such liens may be subordinated to other liens securing other indebtedness of the Company or any guarantor;
|
|
(22) |
if a party other than [______________________] is to act as Trustee for the Securities of such series, the name and Corporate Trust Office of such party; and
|
|
(23) |
any other terms of the series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, except as permitted by Section 901(11)).
|
|
(1) |
if the form of such Securities has been established by or pursuant to Company Resolution or pursuant to authority granted by one or more Company Resolutions as permitted by Section 201, that such form has been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture;
|
|
(2) |
if the terms of such Securities have been established by or pursuant to Company Resolution or pursuant to authority granted by one or more Company Resolutions as permitted by Section 301, that such terms have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture; and
|
|
(3) |
that such Securities, when authenticated by the Trustee and issued and delivered by the Company in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to (i) the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) general equitable principles and (iii) an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
|
|
(1) |
Each Global Security authenticated under this Indenture shall be registered in the name of the Depositary designated for such Global Security or a nominee thereof and delivered to such Depositary or a nominee thereof or custodian therefor, and each such Global Security shall constitute a single Security for all purposes of this Indenture.
|
|
(2) |
Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, and subject to such applicable provisions, if any, as may be specified as contemplated by Section 301, no Global Security may be exchanged in whole or in part for Securities registered, and no transfer of a Global Security in whole or in part may be registered, in the name of any Person other than the Depositary for such Global Security or a nominee thereof unless (A) such Depositary has notified the Company that it is unwilling or unable or no longer permitted under applicable law to continue as Depositary for such Global Security and a successor Depositary is not appointed within 90 days, (B) there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default with respect to such Global Security, (C) subject to the Applicable Procedures, the Company so directs the Trustee by a Company Order or (D) there shall exist such circumstances, if any, in addition to or in lieu of the foregoing as have been specified for this purpose as contemplated by Section 301.
|
|
(3) |
Subject to clause (2) above and to such applicable provisions, if any, as may be specified as contemplated by Section 301, any exchange of a Global Security for other Securities may be made in whole or in part, and all Securities issued in exchange for a Global Security or any portion thereof shall be registered in such names as the Depositary for such Global Security shall direct.
|
|
(4) |
Every Security authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for or in lieu of, a Global Security or any portion thereof, whether pursuant to this Section 305, Section 304, 306, 906 or 1107 or otherwise, shall be authenticated and delivered in the form of, and shall be, a Global Security, unless such Security is registered in the name of a Person other than the Depositary for such Global Security or a nominee thereof.
|
|
(1) |
The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest payable on Securities of a series 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 equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall 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 to each Holder of Securities of such series in the manner set forth 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 mailed, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names 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 clause (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.
|
(1)
|
either
|
|
(A) |
all Securities of such series theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than (i) Securities which have been mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen and which have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 306 and (ii) Securities for whose payment money has theretofore been deposited in trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereafter repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in Section 1003) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or
|
|
(B) |
all such 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 of the date of deposit, or
|
|
(iii) |
are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company,
|
|
(2) |
the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; and
|
|
(3) |
the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate of the Company 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.
|
|
(1) |
the Company defaults in the payment of any installment of interest on any Security of such series, and such default continues for a period of 30 days after such payment becomes due and payable;
|
|
(2) |
the Company defaults in the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, on any Security of such series when the same becomes due and payable, regardless of whether such payment became due and payable at its Stated Maturity, upon redemption, upon declaration of acceleration or otherwise;
|
|
(3) |
the Company defaults in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, when and as due by the terms of a Security of such series;
|
|
(4) |
the Company defaults in the performance of, or breaches, any of its covenants and agreements in respect of any Security of such series contained in this Indenture or in the Securities of such series (other than those referred to in (1), (2) or (3) above), and such default or breach continues for a period of 90 days after the notice specified below;
|
|
(5) |
the Company, pursuant to or within the meaning of the Bankruptcy Law (as defined below):
|
(A)
|
commences a voluntary case or proceeding;
|
(B)
|
consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case or proceeding;
|
|
(C) |
consents to the appointment of a Custodian (as defined below) of it or for all or substantially all of its property;
|
(D)
|
makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors;
|
(E)
|
files a petition in bankruptcy or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief;
|
|
(F) |
consents to the filing of such petition or the appointment of or taking possession by a Custodian; or
|
(G)
|
takes any comparable action under any foreign laws relating to insolvency;
|
|
(6) |
a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:
|
|
(A) |
is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case, or adjudicates the Company insolvent or bankrupt;
|
|
(B) |
appoints a Custodian of the Company or for all or substantially all of the property of the Company; or
|
|
(C) |
orders the winding-up or liquidation of the Company (or any similar relief is granted under any foreign laws),
|
|
and
the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 90 days; or
|
|
(7) |
any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of such series occurs.
|
|
(1) |
the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay:
|
(A)
|
all overdue interest on all Securities of such series,
|
|
(B) |
the principal of and premium, if any, on any Securities of such series which have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and any interest thereon at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in the Securities of such series,
|
|
(C) |
to the extent that payment of such interest is lawful, interest upon overdue interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities, and
|
|
(D) |
all sums paid or advanced by the Trustee hereunder and the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel; and
|
|
(2) |
all Events of Default with respect to Securities of such series, other than the nonpayment of the principal of Securities of such series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 512.
|
|
(1) |
to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of principal and premium, if any, and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and
|
|
(2) |
to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
|
|
(1) |
Such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default, specifying an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such series;
|
|
(2) |
the Holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;
|
|
(3) |
such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with such request;
|
|
(4) |
the Trustee has failed to institute any such proceeding for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity; 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 in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series;
|
|
(1) |
such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture and shall not involve the Trustee in any personal liability, and
|
|
(2) |
the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction.
|
|
(1) |
in the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Security of such series, or
|
|
(2) |
in respect of a covenant or provision hereof which under Article IX cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of such series affected,
|
|
(1) |
Except during the continuance of an Event of Default with respect to any series of Securities,
|
|
(A) |
the Trustee undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such series, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee with respect to such series; and
|
|
(B) |
in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely with respect to the Securities of such series, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts, statements, opinions or conclusions stated therein).
|
|
(2) |
In case an Event of Default with respect to any series of Securities has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such series, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
|
|
(3) |
No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
|
|
(A) |
this Section 601(3) shall not be construed to limit the effect of Section 601(1) or Section 601(4);
|
|
(B) |
the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts; and
|
|
(C) |
the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, determined as provided in Sections 101, 104 and 511, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such series.
|
|
(4) |
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.
|
|
(5) |
Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of this Section 601.
|
|
(1) |
the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall fully 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 of the Company shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Company Resolution thereof;
|
|
(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, conclusively 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 pursuant to this Indenture, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction;
|
|
(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 at the sole cost of the Company and shall incur no liability or additional liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation;
|
|
(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) |
the rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder and each agent employed to act hereunder;
|
|
(9) |
the Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;
|
|
(10) |
anything in this Indenture notwithstanding, in no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, indirect, punitive or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action;
|
|
(11) |
in no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services (it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances);
|
|
(12) |
the Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless written notice of such Default or Event of Default, as the case may be, has been received by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee from the Company or any Holder, and such notice references the Securities and this Indenture;
|
|
(13) |
the Trustee may request that the Company deliver an Officers’ Certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture, which Officers’ Certificate may be signed by any person authorized to sign an Officers’ Certificate, including any person specified as so authorized in any such certificate previously delivered and not superseded; and
|
|
(14) |
the permissive right of the Trustee to take or refrain from taking action hereunder shall not be construed as a duty.
|
|
(1) |
to pay to the Trustee from time to time such reasonable compensation as shall be agreed to in writing between the parties hereto 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 reasonable expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel and all Persons not regularly in its employ), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith, and the Trustee shall provide the Company reasonable notice of any expenditure not in the ordinary course of business; and
|
|
(3) |
to indemnify each of the Trustee or any predecessor Trustee and their officers, agents, directors and employees for, and to hold them harmless against, any and all loss, damage, claims, liability or expense incurred without negligence or bad faith on its part, arising out of or in connection with this Indenture, the Securities and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder, including the reasonable costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim (whether asserted by the Company, or any Holder or any other Person) or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder, or in connection with enforcing the provisions of this Section.
|
|
(1) |
the Trustee shall fail to comply with Section 608 after written request therefor by the Company or 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 609 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or any such Holder, or
|
|
(3) |
the Trustee shall become incapable of acting or shall be adjudged bankrupt or insolvent, or commence a voluntary bankruptcy proceeding, or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or consented to, 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,
|
|
(1) |
the Company is the surviving Person, or the Person formed by or surviving such Substantially All Merger or to which such Substantially All Sale has been made (the “
Successor Person
”) is organized under the laws of the Permitted Jurisdictions and has expressly assumed by supplemental indenture all of the obligations of the Company under this Indenture;
|
|
(2) |
immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing; and
|
|
(3) |
the Company delivers to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such transaction and any supplemental indenture relating thereto comply with this Indenture and that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture relating to such transaction have been complied with.
|
|
(1) |
to add to the covenants for the benefit of the Holders of all or any series of Securities (and if such covenants are to be for the benefit of less than all series of Securities, stating that such covenants are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such series) or to surrender any right or power conferred upon the Company hereunder, under any indenture supplemental hereto or under any series of Securities;
|
|
(2) |
to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company, or successive successions, and the assumption by the Successor Person of the covenants, agreements and obligations of the Company pursuant to Article VIII;
|
|
(3) |
to add any additional Events of Default for the benefit of the Holders of all or any series of Securities (and if such additional Events of Default are to be for the benefit of less than all series of Securities, stating that such additional Events of Default are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such series);
|
|
(4) |
to add one or more guarantees for the benefit of Holders of the Securities;
|
|
(5) |
to secure the Securities;
|
|
(6) |
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 611;
|
|
(7) |
to provide for the issuance of additional Securities of any series;
|
|
(8) |
to establish the form or terms of Securities of any series as permitted by Sections 201 and 301;
|
|
(9) |
to comply with the rules of any applicable Depositary;
|
|
(10) |
to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to permit or facilitate the issuance of Securities in uncertificated form;
|
|
(11) |
to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of this Indenture in respect of one or more series of Securities;
provided
that any such addition, change or elimination (A) shall neither (i) apply to any Security of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture and entitled to the benefit of such provision nor (ii) modify the rights of the Holder of any such Security with respect to such provision or (B) shall become effective only when there is no Security described in clause (i) Outstanding;
|
|
(12) |
to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision of this Indenture which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision herein;
|
|
(13) |
to change any other provision contained in the Securities of any series or under this Indenture;
provided
that such action pursuant to this clause (13) shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Securities of any series in any material respect; and
|
|
(14) |
to conform any provision of this Indenture or the Securities of any series to the description of such Securities contained in the Company’s prospectus, prospectus supplement, offering memorandum or similar document with respect to the offering of the Securities of such series.
|
|
(1) |
change the Stated Maturity of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, any Security;
|
|
(2) |
reduce the principal amount of any Security or reduce the amount of the principal of an Original Issue Discount Security or any other Security which would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 502, or reduce the rate of or extend the time of payment of interest on any Security;
|
|
(3) |
reduce any premium payable upon the redemption of or change the date on which any Security may or must be redeemed;
|
|
(4) |
change the coin or currency in which the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Security is payable;
|
|
(5) |
impair the right of any Holder 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, on or after the Redemption Date or Repayment Date, as applicable);
|
|
(6) |
reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, the consent of whose Holders is required for any such supplemental indenture, or the consent of whose Holders is required for any waiver (of compliance with certain provisions of this Indenture or certain defaults hereunder and their consequences) provided for in this Indenture;
|
|
(7) |
modify any of the provisions of this Section 902, Section 512 or Section 1005, 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;
provided
,
however
, that this clause shall not be deemed to require the consent of any Holder with respect to changes in the references to “the Trustee” and concomitant changes in this Section 902 and Section 1005, or the deletion of this proviso, in accordance with the requirements of Section 611 and Section 901(6);
|
|
(8) |
if the Securities of any series are convertible into or for any other securities or property of the Company, make any change that adversely affects in any material respect the right to convert any Security of such series (except as permitted by Section 901) or decrease the conversion rate or increase the conversion price of any such Security of such series, unless such decrease or increase is permitted by the terms of such Security;
|
|
(9) |
subordinate the Securities of any series to any other obligation of the Company; or
|
|
(10) |
modify clauses (1) through (9) above.
|
|
(1) |
the Redemption Date;
|
|
(2) |
the Redemption Price (or the method of calculating such price);
|
|
(3) |
if less than all the Outstanding Securities of any series consisting of more than a single Security are to be redeemed, the identification (and, in the case of partial redemption of any such Securities, the respective principal amounts) of the particular Securities to be redeemed and, if less than all the Outstanding Securities of any series consisting of a single Security are to be redeemed, the principal amount of the particular Security to be redeemed;
|
|
(4) |
that on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price will become due and payable upon each such Security to be redeemed and, if applicable, that interest thereon will cease to accrue on and after said date;
|
|
(5) |
the place or places where each such Security is to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price;
|
|
(6) |
for any Securities that by their terms may be converted, the terms of conversion, the date on which the right to convert the Security to be redeemed will terminate and the place or places where such Securities may be surrendered for conversion;
|
|
(7) |
that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case; and
|
|
(8) |
if applicable, the CUSIP, ISIN or any similar numbers of the Securities of such series; provided, however, that no representation will be made as to the correctness or accuracy of the CUSIP, ISIN or any similar number, if any, listed in such notice or printed on the Securities.
|
|
(1) |
The Company shall irrevocably have deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or another trustee which satisfies the requirements contemplated by Section 609 and agrees to comply with the provisions of this Article XIII 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 benefits of the Holders of such Securities, (A) money in an amount, or (B) U.S. Government Obligations which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in accordance with their terms will provide money in an amount, or (C) a combination thereof, in each case 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 any such other qualifying trustee) to pay and discharge, the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on such Securities to the respective Stated Maturities or Redemption Dates, in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and such Securities.
|
|
(2) |
In the event of an election to have Section 1302 apply to any Securities or any series of Securities, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel stating that (A) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling or (B) since the date of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case (A) or (B) to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the Holders of such Securities will not recognize gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, Defeasance and discharge to be effected with respect to such Securities and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount, in the same manner and at the same times as would be the case if such deposit, Defeasance and discharge were not to occur.
|
|
(3) |
In the event of an election to have Section 1303 apply to any Securities or any series of Securities, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the Holders of such Securities will not recognize gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and Covenant Defeasance to be effected with respect to such Securities and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount, in the same manner and at the same times as would be the case if such deposit and Covenant Defeasance were not to occur.
|
|
(4) |
The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate of the Company to the effect that neither such Securities nor any other Securities of the same series, if then listed on any securities exchange, will be delisted as a result of such deposit.
|
|
(5) |
No Default or Event of Default with respect to such Securities or any other Securities shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of such deposit or, insofar as Section 501(5) or Section 501(6) are concerned, at any time on or prior to the 90th day after the date of such deposit (it being understood that this condition shall not be deemed satisfied until after such 90th day).
|
|
(6) |
Such Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound.
|
|
(7) |
The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate of the Company and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent with respect to such Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance have been complied with (in each case, subject to the satisfaction of the condition in clause (5)).
|
KKR & CO. INC.
,
as Issuer
|
|||
By:
|
|||
Name:
|
|||
Title:
|
[
|
] , | ||
as Trustee
|
By:
|
|||
Name:
|
|||
Title:
|
Direct Dial Number
|
E-mail Address
|
BEIJING
|
HONG KONG
|
HOUSTON
|
LONDON
|
LOS ANGELES
|
PALO ALTO
|
SÃO PAULO
|
SEOUL
|
TOKYO
|
WASHINGTON, D.C.
|
Very truly yours,
|
|
/s/ SIMPSON THACHER & BARTLETT LLP
|
|
SIMPSON THACHER & BARTLETT LLP
|