UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
x | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2012
or
¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number: 000-20278
ENCORE WIRE CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 75-2274963 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
|
1329 Millwood Road McKinney, Texas |
75069 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (972) 562-9473
N/A
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | x | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ¨ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x
Number of shares of Common Stock, par value $0.01, outstanding as of November 1, 2012: 20,660,702
FORM 10-Q
FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2012
Page No. | ||||||
PART IFINANCIAL INFORMATION | ||||||
Item 1. |
||||||
Consolidated Balance Sheets
|
1 | |||||
3 | ||||||
4 | ||||||
5 | ||||||
Item 2. |
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
11 | ||||
Item 3. |
17 | |||||
Item 4. |
17 | |||||
Item 1. |
18 | |||||
Item 1A. |
18 | |||||
Item 2. |
18 | |||||
Item 6. |
18 | |||||
19 |
ENCORE WIRE CORPORATION
In Thousands of Dollars |
September 30,
2012 (Unaudited) |
December 31,
2011 (See Note) |
||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 17,988 | $ | 112,298 | ||||
Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $2,111 and $2,102 |
207,544 | 199,366 | ||||||
Inventories |
67,049 | 63,491 | ||||||
Income taxes receivable |
| | ||||||
Deferred income taxes |
5,968 | | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other |
15,422 | 1,899 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total current assets |
313,971 | 377,054 | ||||||
Property, plant and equipment - at cost: |
||||||||
Land and land improvements |
18,343 | 17,971 | ||||||
Construction-in-progress |
22,562 | 12,480 | ||||||
Buildings and improvements |
90,438 | 75,952 | ||||||
Machinery and equipment |
193,087 | 186,032 | ||||||
Furniture and fixtures |
8,296 | 7,947 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total property, plant and equipment |
332,726 | 300,382 | ||||||
Accumulated depreciation |
(171,623 | ) | (161,550 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Property, plant and equipment net |
161,103 | 138,832 | ||||||
Other assets |
798 | 260 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total assets | $475,872 | $516,146 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | The consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2011, as presented, is derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date. |
See accompanying notes.
1
ENCORE WIRE CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (continued)
Consolidated Balance Sheets
In Thousands of Dollars, Except Share Data |
September 30,
2012 (Unaudited) |
December 31,
2011 (See Note) |
||||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY | ||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||
Trade accounts payable |
$ | 28,165 | $ | 14,676 | ||||
Accrued liabilities |
21,297 | 25,312 | ||||||
Income taxes payable |
2,302 | 1,174 | ||||||
Deferred income taxes |
| 1,408 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total current liabilities |
51,764 | 42,570 | ||||||
Non-current deferred income taxes |
18,961 | 15,833 | ||||||
Commitments and contingencies |
||||||||
Stockholders equity: |
||||||||
Preferred stock, $.01 par value: Authorized shares 2,000,000; none issued |
| | ||||||
Common stock, $.01 par value: Authorized shares 40,000,000; Issued shares 26,594,353 and 26,586,703 |
266 | 266 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
48,089 | 47,342 | ||||||
Treasury stock, at cost 5,934,651 and 3,160,401 shares |
(88,134 | ) | (21,496 | ) | ||||
Retained earnings |
444,926 | 431,631 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total stockholders equity |
405,147 | 457,743 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total liabilities and stockholders equity |
$ | 475,872 | $ | 516,146 | ||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | The consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2011, as presented, is derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date. |
See accompanying notes.
2
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Unaudited)
Quarter Ended
September 30, |
Nine Months Ended
September 30, |
|||||||||||||||
In Thousands, Except Per Share Data |
2012 | 2011 | 2012 | 2011 | ||||||||||||
Net sales |
$ | 269,152 | $ | 319,356 | $ | 814,348 | $ | 932,176 | ||||||||
Cost of goods sold |
245,016 | 281,517 | 746,360 | 829,949 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Gross profit |
24,136 | 37,839 | 67,988 | 102,227 | ||||||||||||
Selling, general, and administrative expenses |
15,726 | 16,423 | 46,130 | 50,655 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Operating income |
8,410 | 21,416 | 21,858 | 51,572 | ||||||||||||
Net interest and other (income) expenses |
(4 | ) | 88 | (32 | ) | 83 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Income before income taxes |
8,414 | 21,328 | 21,890 | 51,489 | ||||||||||||
Provision for income taxes |
2,887 | 7,607 | 7,300 | 17,653 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net income |
$ | 5,527 | $ | 13,721 | $ | 14,590 | $ | 33,836 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net income per common and common equivalent share basic |
$ | 0.27 | $ | 0.59 | $ | 0.66 | $ | 1.45 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Weighted average common and common equivalent shares basic |
20,657 | 23,292 | 22,022 | 23,258 | ||||||||||||
Net income per common and common equivalent share diluted |
$ | 0.27 | $ | 0.59 | $ | 0.66 | $ | 1.45 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Weighted average common and common equivalent shares diluted |
20,712 | 23,399 | 22,070 | 23,394 | ||||||||||||
Cash dividends declared per share |
$ | 0.02 | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.06 | $ | 0.06 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes.
3
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||
In Thousands of Dollars |
2012 | 2011 | ||||||
OPERATING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||
Net income |
$ | 14,590 | $ | 33,836 | ||||
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: |
||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
10,834 | 10,233 | ||||||
Deferred income taxes |
(4,248 | ) | 7,154 | |||||
Other |
526 | (817 | ) | |||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts receivable |
(8,187 | ) | (69,107 | ) | ||||
Inventories |
(3,558 | ) | (34,662 | ) | ||||
Trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities |
9,529 | (13,791 | ) | |||||
Other assets and liabilities |
(14,084 | ) | (4,559 | ) | ||||
Current income taxes receivable / payable |
1,137 | (6,309 | ) | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES |
6,539 | (78,022 | ) | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
INVESTING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||
Purchases of property, plant and equipment |
(33,019 | ) | (18,278 | ) | ||||
Proceeds from sale of assets |
17 | 8,060 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES |
(33,002 | ) | (10,218 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
FINANCING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||
Proceeds from issuances of common stock |
132 | 1,663 | ||||||
Purchase of treasury stock |
(66,638 | ) | (202 | ) | ||||
Dividends paid |
(1,350 | ) | (1,394 | ) | ||||
Excess tax benefits of options exercised |
9 | 93 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES |
(67,847 | ) | 160 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
(94,310 | ) | (88,080 | ) | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
112,298 | 103,252 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ | 17,988 | $ | 15,172 | ||||
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes.
4
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
September 30, 2012
NOTE 1 BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The unaudited consolidated financial statements of Encore Wire Corporation (the Company) have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete annual financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation, have been included. Results of operations for interim periods presented do not necessarily indicate the results that may be expected for the entire year. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.
NOTE 2 INVENTORIES
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost, determined by the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method, or market.
Inventories consist of the following:
In Thousands of Dollars |
September 30,
2012 |
December 31,
2011 |
||||||
Raw materials |
$ | 16,009 | $ | 18,482 | ||||
Work-in-process |
25,630 | 22,955 | ||||||
Finished goods |
99,801 | 84,819 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
141,440 | 126,256 | ||||||
Adjust to LIFO cost |
(74,391 | ) | (62,765 | ) | ||||
Lower of cost or market adjustment |
| | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Inventory, net |
$ | 67,049 | $ | 63,491 | ||||
|
|
|
|
LIFO pools are established at the end of each fiscal year. During the first three quarters of every year, LIFO calculations are based on the inventory levels and costs at that time. Accordingly, interim LIFO balances will fluctuate up and down in tandem with inventory levels and costs.
During the first nine months of 2011 the Company did not liquidate any LIFO inventory layers established in prior years. During the first six months of 2012, the Company liquidated a portion of the layer established in 2011. During the third quarter of 2012, this layer was replenished. As a result, under the LIFO method, this inventory layer was replenished at historical costs that were higher than current costs, which positively impacted net income for the third quarter of 2012 by $383,000, offsetting the $383,000
5
negative impact from the liquidation in the second quarter of 2012. In the fourth quarter of 2011, as part of the Companys aforementioned expansion into aluminum wire products and in anticipation of the start of production at the Companys new aluminum wire plant in 2012, the Company began a new aluminum wire inventory pool that is accounted for separately from the Companys copper wire inventory pool. The Company established this new aluminum wire pool in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires that new inventory items not previously present in significant quantities and having qualities significantly different from those items previously inventoried, as is the case with the physical, chemical, and cost differences between copper and aluminum metals, be accounted for separately.
NOTE 3 ACCRUED LIABILITIES
Accrued liabilities consist of the following:
In Thousands of Dollars |
September 30,
2012 |
December 31,
2011 |
||||||
Sales volume discounts payable |
$ | 13,533 | $ | 16,220 | ||||
Property taxes payable |
2,151 | 2,809 | ||||||
Commissions payable |
1,730 | 2,053 | ||||||
Accrued salaries |
3,019 | 3,548 | ||||||
Other accrued liabilities |
864 | 682 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total accrued liabilities |
$ | 21,297 | $ | 25,312 | ||||
|
|
|
|
NOTE 4 INCOME TAXES
Income taxes were accrued at an effective rate of 34.3% in the third quarter of 2012 versus 35.7% in the third quarter of 2011, consistent with the Companys estimated liabilities. The decrease in the effective rate was due to a moderate change in the proportional effects of permanent items on the effective rate. For the nine months ended September 30, the Companys effective tax rate was approximately 33.3% in 2012 and 34.3% in 2011. The year to date rate in 2012 is comparable to 2011 considering the proportional effects of permanent items on lower pretax income.
NOTE 5 EARNINGS PER SHARE
Net earnings (loss) per common and common equivalent share are computed using the weighted average number of shares of common stock and common stock equivalents outstanding during each period. If dilutive, the effect of stock options, treated as common stock equivalents, is calculated using the treasury stock method.
6
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net earnings (loss) per share:
Quarters Ended | ||||||||
In Thousands |
September 30,
2012 |
September 30,
2011 |
||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 5,527 | $ | 13,721 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator: |
||||||||
Denominator for basic earnings per share weighted average shares |
20,657 | 23,292 | ||||||
Effect of dilutive securities: |
||||||||
Employee stock options |
55 | 107 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator for diluted earnings per share weighted average shares |
20,712 | 23,399 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
The number of weighted average employee stock options excluded from the determination of diluted earnings per share for the third quarter was 192,500 in 2012 and 78,500 in 2011. Such options were anti-dilutive for the respective periods.
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net earnings (loss) per share:
Nine Months Ended | ||||||||
In Thousands |
September 30,
2012 |
September 30,
2011 |
||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 14,590 | $ | 33,836 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator: |
||||||||
Denominator for basic earnings per share weighted average shares |
22,022 | 23,258 | ||||||
Effect of dilutive securities: |
||||||||
Employee stock options |
48 | 136 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator for diluted earnings per share weighted average shares |
22,070 | 23,394 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
The number of weighted average employee stock options excluded from the determination of diluted earnings per share for the nine months ended September 30 was 174,753 in 2012 and 79,833 in 2011. Such options were anti-dilutive for the respective periods.
7
NOTE 6 DEBT
The Company is party to a Credit Agreement with two banks, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and letter of credit issuer, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as syndication agent (the Credit Agreement). This new Credit Agreement was executed in September 2012 and replaces the prior similar Credit Agreement the Company had with the same two banks. The Credit Agreement extends through October 1, 2017, and provides for maximum borrowings of the lesser of $150,000,000 or the amount of eligible accounts receivable plus the amount of eligible finished goods and raw materials, less any reserves established by the banks. Additionally, at our request and subject to certain conditions, the commitments under the Credit Agreement may be increased by a maximum of up to $100,000,000 as long as existing or new lenders agree to provide such additional commitments. The calculated maximum borrowing amount available at September 30, 2012, as computed under the Credit Agreement, was $145,205,006. Borrowings under the line of credit bear interest, at the Companys option, at either (1) LIBOR plus a margin that varies from 0.875% to 1.75% depending upon the Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement), or (2) the base rate (which is the highest of the federal funds rate plus 0.5%, the prime rate, or LIBOR plus 1.0%) plus 0% to 0.25% (depending upon the Leverage Ratio). Prior to September 2012, borrowings under the line of credit bore interest, at the Companys option, at either (1) LIBOR plus a margin that varies from 1.0% to 1.75% depending upon the ratio of debt outstanding to adjusted earnings or (2) the base rate (which is the higher of the federal funds rate plus 0.5% or the prime rate) plus 0% to 0.25% (depending upon the ratio of debt outstanding to adjusted earnings). A commitment fee ranging from 0.15% to 0.30% (depending upon the Leverage Ratio) is payable on the unused line of credit. Prior to September 2012, the commitment fee ranged from 0.20% to 0.375%. At September 30, 2012, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement. Obligations under the Credit Agreement are the only contractual borrowing obligations or commercial borrowing commitments of the Company.
Obligations under the Credit Agreement are unsecured and contain customary covenants and events of default. The Company was in compliance with the covenants as of September 30, 2012.
NOTE 7 STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY
On November 10, 2006, the Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the Company to repurchase up to 1,000,000 shares of its common stock through December 31, 2007 on the open market or through privately negotiated transactions at prices determined by the President of the Company. The Companys Board of Directors has subsequently authorized annual extensions of this stock repurchase program. On May 11, 2012, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to 4,000,000 shares of its common stock through March 31, 2013 under the previously approved stock repurchase program of the Company. On May 14, 2012, the Company repurchased 2,774,250 shares of common stock owned by Capital Southwest Venture Corporation at an aggregate purchase price of $66,637,485, based on a price of $24.02 per share. Appropriate consents to the repurchase were also obtained from lenders under the Companys previous Financing Agreement. The repurchase authorization had 1,225,750 shares remaining as of September 30, 2012. The repurchase in the second quarter represented approximately 11.8% of the outstanding shares of the Company as of the purchase date and was the only
8
repurchase in the first nine months of 2012. The Company repurchased 10,124 shares of its stock in the third quarter of 2011, comprising the only purchase of its stock in the first nine months of 2011. Other than net income and the stock repurchase, there were no material changes in stockholders equity during the nine months ended September 30, 2012.
NOTE 8 CONTINGENCIES
On July 7, 2009, Southwire Company, a Delaware corporation (Southwire), filed a complaint for patent infringement against the Company and Cerro Wire, Inc. (Cerro) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. In the complaint, Southwire alleged that the Company infringed one or more claims of United States Patent No. 7,557,301 (the 301 patent), entitled Method of Manufacturing Electrical Cable Having Reduced Required Force for Installation, by making and selling electrical cables, including the Companys Super Slick cables. The case has been transferred to the Northern District of Georgia and the parties have agreed to stay it pending reexamination of the 301 patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the USPTO). On June 23, 2011, the USPTO issued an office action in the reexamination finally rejecting all the claims of the 301 patent. Southwire responded to these final rejections on August 8, 2011 by submitting substantially amended claims. The examiner determined that the amended claims captured patentable subject matter and on September 21, 2011 issued a notice that a reexamination certificate would be issued evidencing the patentability of the amended claims. The reexamination certificate was issued on the 301 patent on December 27, 2011.
The parties convened on March 21, 2012 and August 27, 2012 for settlement conferences regarding the 301 patent lawsuit, such settlement conferences did not result in any negotiation, agreement, decision or other development that the Company believed is material to such lawsuit.
On July 2, 2010, the Company filed a complaint against Southwire in the Northern District of Georgia. The complaint alleged that Southwire was using a deceptively misdescriptive trademark on its SimPull products, and that Southwire had made false statements about the Companys Slick Wire products. Southwires United States Patent No. 7,749,024 (the 024 patent) issued on July 6, 2010. The morning the patent issued, the Company amended its complaint to seek a declaratory judgment that the Companys Slick Wire products do not infringe the 024 patent. Later that same day, Southwire filed a separate complaint against the Company and Cerro Wire in the Eastern District of Texas alleging infringement of the 024 patent. The Companys complaint against Southwire was stayed by agreement on April 11, 2011. The case will remain stayed until the USPTO issues a certificate of reexamination of the 024 patent. The complaint filed by Southwire in the Eastern District of Texas has been voluntarily dismissed and Southwire will have the option to pursue its claims against the Company in the Northern District of Georgia, once the reexamination is completed. On October 8, 2010, the Company filed a request with the USPTO for an inter partes reexamination of the 024 patent. On November 9, 2010, the USPTO ordered the reexamination of the 024 patent. In ordering reexamination of Southwires 024 patent, the USPTO determined that the Companys submission of prior art raised a substantial new question of patentability of the claims of the 024 patent. On December 3, 2010, the USPTO issued a non-final office action rejecting all of the claims of the 024 Patent. Southwire
9
filed a response to the non-final office action on February 3, 2011, which included legal arguments and supporting technical declarations. The Company filed its comments to the Southwire response on March 3, 2011, including points and authorities, legal arguments, and supporting technical declarations. On July 9, 2012, the Examiner issued an Action Closing Prosecution (ACP) finally rejecting patent claims 4-7 and 9-12 in the reexamination of the 024 patent. On August 15, 2012, Southwire filed a response to the ACP, which included extensive proposed claim amendments and arguments supporting the patentability of the proposed amended claims. The Company filed its comments to the Southwire response to the ACP on September 13, 2012, including points and authorities, legal arguments, and a supporting technical declaration. The Examiner refused entry of Southwires proposed amendments and maintained the rejection of all the claims under reexamination in a Right of Appeal Notice mailed September 28, 2012. Southwire filed a Notice of Appeal, on October 29, 2012. In addition, on October 17, 2012 Southwire filed two petitions requesting that the reexamination be reopened or, in the alternative, that the proposed amendments presented in their September 13, 2012 response to ACP of be entered into the record. There is no fixed deadline for the Patent Office to issue decisions on Southwires petitions.
Southwires complaints sought unspecified damages and injunctive relief. At this time, all pending litigation between Encore and Southwire has been dismissed or stayed by agreement of the parties.
The potentially applicable factual and legal issues related to the above claims asserted against the Company have not been resolved. The Company disputes all of Southwires claims and alleged damages and intends to vigorously defend the lawsuits and vigorously pursue its own claims against Southwire if and when the litigation resumes.
The Company is from time to time involved in litigation, certain other claims and arbitration matters arising in the ordinary course of its business. The Company accrues for a liability when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Significant judgment is required in both the determination of the probability of a loss and the determination as to whether a loss is reasonably estimable. Any such accruals are reviewed at least quarterly and adjusted to reflect the effects of negotiations, settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel and technical experts and other information and events pertaining to a particular matter. To the extent there is a reasonable possibility (within the meaning of ASC 450) that probable losses could exceed amounts already accrued, if any, and the additional loss or range of loss is able to be estimated, management discloses the additional loss or range of loss.
For matters where the Company has evaluated that a loss is not probable, but is reasonably possible, the Company will disclose an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss or make a statement that such an estimate cannot be made. In some instances, for reasonably possible losses, the Company cannot estimate the possible loss or range of loss. The nature and progression of litigation can make it difficult to predict the impact a particular lawsuit will have on the Company. There are many reasons that the Company cannot make these assessments, including, among others, one or more of the following: the early stages of a proceeding; damages sought that are unspecified, unsupportable, unexplained or uncertain; discovery is incomplete; the complexity of the facts that are in dispute; the difficulty of assessing novel claims; the parties not having engaged in any meaningful settlement discussions; the possibility that other parties may share in any ultimate liability; and/or the often slow pace of litigation.
At this time, given the status of the proceedings, the complexities of the facts in dispute and the multiple claims involved, the Company has not concluded that a probable loss exists with respect to the Southwire litigation. Accordingly, no accrual has been made. Additionally, given the aforementioned uncertainties, the Company is unable to estimate any possible loss or range of losses for disclosure purposes.
10
Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
General
Encore is a low-cost manufacturer of electrical building wire and cable. The Company is a significant supplier of building wire for interior electrical wiring in commercial and industrial buildings, homes, apartments, and manufactured housing.
The Companys operating results in any given time period are driven by several key factors, including the volume of product produced and shipped, the cost of copper and other raw materials, the competitive pricing environment in the wire industry and the resulting influence on gross margins and the efficiency with which the Companys plants operate during the period, among others. Price competition for electrical wire and cable is intense, and the Company sells its products in accordance with prevailing market prices. Copper, a commodity product, is the principal raw material used by the Company in manufacturing its products. Copper accounted for approximately 86.1%, 81.1% and 73.5% of the Companys cost of goods sold during fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The price of copper fluctuates, depending on general economic conditions and in relation to supply and demand and other factors, which causes monthly variations in the cost of copper purchased by the Company. The Company cannot predict copper prices in the future or the effect of fluctuations in the cost of copper on the Companys future operating results. Wire prices can, and frequently do change on a daily basis. This competitive pricing market for wire does not always mirror changes in copper prices, making margins highly volatile. With the Companys expansion into aluminum conductors in some of its building wire products, aluminum will slowly grow its percentage share of the raw materials cost for the Company. The Company is building a plant to expand the production of aluminum building wire as announced in a December 2011 press release. Historically, the cost of aluminum is much less than copper and also less volatile. With the volatility of both raw material prices and wire prices in the Companys end market, hedging raw materials can be risky. Historically, the Company has not engaged in hedging strategies for raw material purchases. The tables below highlight the range of closing prices of copper on the Comex exchange for the periods shown.
COMEX COPPER CLOSING PRICE 2012
July
2012 |
August
2012 |
September
2012 |
Quarter Ended
Sept. 30, 2012 |
Year-to-Date
Sept. 30, 2012 |
||||||||||||||||
High |
$ | 3.53 | $ | 3.50 | $ | 3.85 | $ | 3.85 | $ | 3.97 | ||||||||||
Low |
3.35 | 3.29 | 3.47 | 3.29 | 3.28 | |||||||||||||||
Average |
3.44 | 3.42 | 3.72 | 3.52 | 3.61 |
COMEX COPPER CLOSING PRICE 2011
July
2011 |
August
2011 |
September
2011 |
Quarter Ended
Sept. 30, 2011 |
Year-to-Date
Sept. 30, 2011 |
||||||||||||||||
High |
$ | 4.47 | $ | 4.40 | $ | 4.14 | $ | 4.47 | $ | 4.62 | ||||||||||
Low |
4.29 | 3.89 | 3.15 | 3.15 | 3.15 | |||||||||||||||
Average |
4.40 | 4.08 | 3.74 | 4.07 | 4.20 |
The following discussion and analysis relates to factors that have affected the operating results of the Company for the quarterly and nine month periods ended September 30, 2012 and 2011. Reference should also be made to the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.
11
Results of Operations
Quarter Ended September 30, 2012 Compared to Quarter Ended September 30, 2011
Net sales for the third quarter of 2012 were $269.2 million compared with net sales of $319.4 million for the third quarter of 2011. This dollar decrease was primarily the result of a 15.0% decrease in the average price of wire sold and a 2.7% decrease in the unit volume of copper wire shipped. Unit volume is measured in pounds of copper contained in the wire shipped during the period. Fluctuations in sales prices are primarily a result of changing copper raw material prices and product price competition. The average cost per pound of raw copper purchased decreased 14.2% in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the third quarter of 2011, and was the principal driver of the decreased average sales price of wire. In the third quarter of 2012, aluminum wire constituted 3.1% of the Companys net sales dollars compared to 1.3% in the third quarter of 2011.
Cost of goods sold decreased to $245.0 million, or 91.0% of net sales, in the third quarter of 2012, compared to $281.5 million, or 88.2% of net sales, in the third quarter of 2011. Gross profit decreased to $24.1 million, or 9.0% of net sales, in the third quarter of 2012 versus $37.8 million, or 11.8% of net sales, in the third quarter of 2011. The decreased gross profit dollars and gross profit margin percentages were primarily the result of an increase in total raw materials cost, including the LIFO adjustment, from 81.4% to 82.4% and increased manufacturing labor, depreciation and overhead from 6.8% to 8.7% of net sales in the third quarter of 2011 versus the third quarter of 2012. The overhead percentage increased both from increased spending on machinery repairs and some gearing up for the new aluminum plant, as well as the fact that many components of overhead are semi-fixed and were being divided over a lower sales dollar denominator. The aluminum building wire plant began limited production in the third quarter of 2012 and will continue ramping up production in the fourth quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2013. Building wire prices and margins were impacted negatively by the competitive pricing in the building wire industry, driven in part by volatility in copper prices. This disrupted some customer buying patterns and enticed competitors to cut or hold prices, resulting in lower margins for the Company.
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost, using the last-in, first out (LIFO) method, or market. The Company maintains two inventory pools for LIFO purposes. As permitted by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, the Company maintains its inventory costs and cost of goods sold on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis and makes a monthly adjustment to adjust total inventory and cost of goods sold from FIFO to LIFO. The Company applies the lower of cost or market (LCM) test by comparing the LIFO cost of its raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods inventories to estimated market values, which are based primarily upon the most recent quoted market price of copper, aluminum and finished wire prices as of the end of each reporting period. The Company performs a lower of cost or market calculation quarterly. As of September 30, 2012, no LCM adjustment was required. However, decreases in copper and other material prices could necessitate establishing an LCM reserve in future periods. Additionally, future reductions in the quantity of inventory on hand could cause copper or other raw materials that are carried in inventory at costs different from the cost of copper and other raw materials in the period in which the reduction occurs to be included in costs of goods sold for that period at the different price.
12
Primarily due to increasing copper costs and an increase in copper inventory quantities on hand during the third quarter of 2012, offset somewhat by price and volume movements of other materials, a LIFO adjustment was recorded increasing cost of sales by $2.0 million during the quarter.
Selling expenses, consisting of commissions and freight, for the third quarter of 2012 were $11.4 million, or 4.3% of net sales, compared to $12.9 million, or 4.1% of net sales, in the third quarter of 2011. Commissions paid to independent manufacturers representatives are paid as a relatively stable percentage of sales, and therefore, declined $1.8 million in concert with the decreased sales dollars. Additionally, although units shipped declined slightly, freight costs increased by $0.3 million, from 1.6% to 2.0% of net sales in 2011 to 2012 as a result of increased fuel prices, smaller customer order quantities and small shifts in demand from various areas of the country. General and administrative expenses were $4.3 million, or 1.6% of net sales, in the third quarter of 2012 compared to $3.5 million, or 1.1% of net sales, in the third quarter of 2011. The provision for bad debts was $0 for the third quarters of 2012 and 2011.
Net interest and other (income) expense was virtually zero in the third quarters of 2012 and 2011. Income taxes were accrued at an effective rate of 34.3% in the third quarter of 2012, versus an effective rate of 35.7% in the third quarter of 2011. The decrease in the effective rate was due to a moderate change in the proportional effects of permanent items on the effective rate.
As a result of the foregoing factors, the Companys net income decreased to $5.5 million in the third quarter of 2012 from $13.7 million in the third quarter of 2011.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2012 compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011
Net sales for the first nine months of 2012 were $814.3 million compared with net sales of $932.2 million for the first nine months of 2011. This dollar decrease was the result of a 12.7% decrease in the average price of wire sold and a 2.4% decrease in the unit volume of copper wire sold, measured in pounds of copper contained in the wire. The average cost per pound of raw copper purchased decreased 13.9% in the first nine months of 2012 compared to the first nine months of 2011. In comparing the first nine months of 2012 to the first nine months of 2011, the average sales price of wire that contained a pound of copper decreased more than the average price of copper purchased during the period. Margins contracted as the spread between the price of wire sold and the cost of raw copper purchased decreased by 8.8%, due primarily to deteriorating industry pricing discipline. Fluctuations in sales prices are primarily a result of changing copper raw material prices and product price competition.
Cost of goods sold decreased to $746.4 million in the first nine months of 2012, compared to $829.9 million in the first nine months of 2011. Gross profit decreased to $68.0 million, or 8.3% of net sales, in the first nine months of 2012 versus $102.2 million, or 11.0% of net sales, in the first nine months of 2011. The decreased gross profit dollars were primarily the result of the 12.6% decrease in net sales dollars and the decreased copper spreads in the first nine months of 2012 versus the same period in 2011 as discussed above.
13
As a result of increasing copper costs and an increase in the amount of inventory on hand during the first nine months of 2012, a LIFO adjustment was recorded increasing cost of sales by $11.6 million during the nine month period. Based on the current copper prices, there is no LCM adjustment necessary. Future reductions in the price of copper and other materials could require the Company to record an LCM adjustment against the related inventory balance, which would result in a negative impact on net income.
Selling expenses for the first nine months of 2012 decreased to $33.6 million, or 4.1% of net sales, compared to $37.2 million, or 4.0% of net sales, in the same period of 2011. Commissions paid to independent manufacturers representatives are calculated as a percentage of sales, and therefore, dropped $4.7 million in concert with the decreased sales dollars. Commissions were 2.3% and 2.5% of net sales in the first nine months of 2012 and 2011, respectively. Freight costs increased $1.1 million to $15.2 million or 1.9% of net sales versus $14.0 million or 1.5% of net sales as a result of increased fuel prices, smaller customer order quantities and small shifts in demand from various areas of the country. General and administrative expenses decreased to $12.5 million, or 1.5% of net sales, in the first nine months of 2012 compared to $13.5 million, or 1.4% of net sales, in the same period of 2011. The general and administrative costs declined primarily due to decreased legal and administrative costs. The provision for bad debts was zero in the first nine months of 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Net interest and other expense (income) was $32,000 of income in the first nine months of 2012 compared to $83,000 of expense in the first nine months of 2011. Income taxes were accrued at an effective rate of 33.3% in the first nine months of 2012 versus 34.3% in the first nine months of 2011 consistent with the Companys estimated liabilities.
As a result of the foregoing factors, the Companys net income decreased to $14.6 million in the first nine months of 2012 from $33.8 million in the first nine months of 2011.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Company maintains a substantial inventory of finished products to satisfy customers prompt delivery requirements. As is customary in the building wire industry, the Company provides payment terms to most of its customers that exceed terms that it receives from its suppliers. Copper suppliers generally give very short payment terms, (less than 15 days) while the Company and the building wire industry give customers much longer terms. In general, the Companys standard payment terms result in the collection of a significant majority of net sales within approximately 75 days of the date of invoice. As a result of this timing difference, building wire companies must have sufficient cash and access to capital resources to finance their working capital needs, thereby creating a barrier to entry for companies who do not have sufficient liquidity and capital resources. The two largest components of working capital, receivables and inventory, and to some extent, capital expenditures are the primary drivers of the Companys liquidity needs. Generally, this will cause the cash balance to rise and fall inversely to the receivables and inventory balances. The receivables and inventories will rise and fall in concert with several factors, most notably the price of copper and other raw materials and the level of unit sales. Receivables will go up at the end of quarters with strong dollar sales and down as those sales decline. Inventory balances will rise and fall with the raw material price fluctuations and the level of units on hand at the end of any given quarter. Capital expenditures have historically been necessary to expand and update the production capacity of the Companys manufacturing operations. The Company has historically satisfied its liquidity and capital expenditure needs with cash generated from operations, borrowings under its various
14
debt arrangements and sales of its common stock. The Company historically uses its revolving credit facility to manage day to day operating cash needs as required by daily fluctuations in working capital, and has the facility in place should such a need arise in the future.
The Company is party to a Credit Agreement with two banks, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and letter of credit issuer, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as syndication agent (the Credit Agreement). This new Credit Agreement was executed in September 2012 and replaces the prior similar Credit Agreement the Company had with the same two banks. The Credit Agreement extends through October 1, 2017, and provides for maximum borrowings of the lesser of $150,000,000 or the amount of eligible accounts receivable plus the amount of eligible finished goods and raw materials, less any reserves established by the banks. Additionally, at our request and subject to certain conditions, the commitments under the Credit Agreement may be increased by a maximum of up to $100,000,000 as long as existing or new lenders agree to provide such additional commitments. The calculated maximum borrowing amount available at September 30, 2012, as computed under the Credit Agreement, was $145,205,006. Borrowings under the line of credit bear interest, at the Companys option, at either (1) LIBOR plus a margin that varies from 0.875% to 1.75% depending upon the Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement), or (2) the base rate (which is the highest of the federal funds rate plus 0.5%, the prime rate, or LIBOR plus 1.0%) plus 0% to 0.25% (depending upon the Leverage Ratio). Prior to September 2012, borrowings under the line of credit bore interest, at the Companys option, at either (1) LIBOR plus a margin that varies from 1.0% to 1.75% depending upon the ratio of debt outstanding to adjusted earnings or (2) the base rate (which is the higher of the federal funds rate plus 0.5% or the prime rate) plus 0% to 0.25% (depending upon the ratio of debt outstanding to adjusted earnings). A commitment fee ranging from 0.15% to 0.30% (depending upon the Leverage Ratio) is payable on the unused line of credit. Prior to September 2012, the commitment fee ranged from 0.20% to 0.375%. At September 30, 2012, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement. Obligations under the Credit Agreement are the only contractual borrowing obligations or commercial borrowing commitments of the Company.
Obligations under the Credit Agreement are unsecured and contain customary covenants and events of default. The Company was in compliance with the covenants as of September 30, 2012.
Cash provided by operating activities was $6.5 million in the first nine months of 2012 compared to a use of cash of $78.0 million in the first nine months of 2011. The following changes in components of cash flow were notable. The Company had net income of $14.6 million in the first nine months of 2012 versus net income of $33.8 million in the first nine months of 2011. Accounts receivable increased in the first nine months of 2012 and 2011, although at much different amounts, resulting in a use of cash of $8.2 million and $69.1 million, respectively, driving a lower use of cash of $60.9 million in 2012 versus 2011. Accounts receivable generally increases in proportion to dollar sales and to a lesser extent is affected by the timing of when sales occur during a given quarter. Accounts receivable increased in the first nine months of both years, primarily due to the timing of sales in the quarters. With an average of 60 to 75 days of sales outstanding, quarters in which sales are more back-end loaded will have higher accounts receivable balances outstanding at quarter-end. In 2011, rising copper prices and a corresponding rise in sales dollars also contributed to the increase. Inventory dollars increased in 2012 and 2011, resulting in a use of cash of $3.6 million and $34.7 million, respectively, driving a $31.1 million lower use of cash in 2012 versus
15
2011. Trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities resulted in a $23.3 million increase in cash provided in the first nine months of 2012 versus the first nine months of 2011 due primarily to the decrease in accounts payable, attributable primarily to the timing of inventory receipts at quarter end. These changes in cash flow were the primary drivers of the $84.6 million increase in cash provided by operations in the first nine months of 2012 versus the first nine months of 2011.
Cash used in investing activities increased to $33.0 million in the first nine months of 2012 from $10.2 million in the first nine months of 2011. The funds were used primarily for the construction of the new aluminum wire plant, including deposits on equipment for that plant in 2012 and equipment purchases in 2011. Cash used in financing activities was $67.8 million in the first nine months of 2012 versus $0.2 million in 2011. In May of 2012, the Company repurchased 2,774,250 shares of its common stock from Capital Southwest Venture Corporation for $66.6 million. As of September 30, 2012, the Companys revolving line of credit remained at $0. The Companys cash balance was $18.0 million at September 30, 2012, versus $15.2 million at September 30, 2011.
During the remainder of 2012, the Company expects its capital expenditures will consist primarily of expenditures related to the new aluminum building wire plant, including purchases of new manufacturing equipment. The total capital expenditures for all of 2012 associated with these projects are currently estimated to be between $38 million and $42 million. The Company also expects its future working capital requirements may fluctuate as a result of changes in unit sales volumes and the price of copper and other raw materials. The Company believes that the current cash balance, cash flow from operations, and the financing available from its revolving credit facility will satisfy working capital and capital expenditure requirements during 2012.
Information Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This quarterly report on Form 10-Q contains various forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) and information that is based on managements belief as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. The words believes, estimates, anticipates, plans, seeks, expects, intends and similar expressions identify some of the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Such statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected. Among the key factors that may have a direct bearing on the Companys operating results are fluctuations in the economy and in the level of activity in the building and construction industry, demand for the Companys products, the impact of price competition and fluctuations in the price of copper. For more information regarding forward looking statements see Information Regarding Forward Looking Statements in Part II, Item 7 of the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
16
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Other than as set forth in this Item 3, there have been no material changes from the information provided in Item 7A, Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk, of the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.
On September 27, 2012, the Company entered into a Credit Agreement (the Credit Agreement) with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and letter of credit issuer, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as syndication agent, and the financial institutions a party thereto as lenders, which replaced the Companys prior revolving credit and letter of credit facility. At September 30, 2012, the balance outstanding under the Credit Agreement was zero.
There is inherent rollover risk for borrowings under the Credit Agreement as such borrowings mature and are renewed at current market rates. The extent of this risk is not quantifiable or predictable because of the variability of future interest rates and the Companys future financing requirements. Assuming that the Company had $100 million of outstanding debt, an average 1% interest rate increase in 2012 would increase the Companys interest expense by $1,000,000.
For further information, see Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Liquidity and Capital Resources in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q and Item 1A. Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
The Company maintains controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by it in the reports it files with or submits to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SECs rules and forms and to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in such reports is accumulated and communicated to the Companys management, including the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based on an evaluation of the Companys disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of the end of the period covered by this report conducted by the Companys management, with the participation of the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers, the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers concluded that the Companys disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files with or submits to the SEC is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SECs rules and forms and to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in such reports is accumulated and communicated to the Companys management, including the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
There have been no changes in the Companys internal control over financial reporting or in other factors that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, internal control over financial reporting during the period covered by this report.
17
For information on the Companys legal proceedings, see Note 8 to the Companys consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 to this report and incorporated herein by reference.
There have been no material changes to the Companys risk factors as disclosed in Item 1A, Risk Factors, in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
Note 7 to the Companys consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 to this report is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The information required by this Item 6 is set forth in the Index to Exhibits accompanying this Form 10-Q and incorporated herein by reference.
18
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
ENCORE WIRE CORPORATION |
||||||
(Registrant) | ||||||
Dated: November 2, 2012 |
/s/ DANIEL L. JONES |
|||||
Daniel L. Jones, President and | ||||||
Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
Dated: November 2, 2012 |
/s/ FRANK J. BILBAN |
|||||
Frank J. Bilban, Vice President Finance, | ||||||
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary |
19
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit Number |
Description |
|
3.1 |
Certificate of Incorporation of Encore Wire Corporation and all amendments thereto (filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference). | |
3.2 |
Third Amended and Restated Bylaws of Encore Wire Corporation, as amended through February 27, 2012 (filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference). | |
4.1 |
Form of certificate for Common Stock (filed as Exhibit 1 to the Companys registration statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on June 4, 1992, and incorporated herein by reference). | |
4.2 |
Registration Rights Agreement dated February 29, 2012 among the Company, Capital Southwest Corporation and Capital Southwest Venture Corporation (filed as Exhibit 4.2 to the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference). | |
10.1 |
Credit Agreement dated September 27, 2012 by and among the Company, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and letter of credit issuer, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as syndication agent and the other lender parties thereto. | |
31.1 |
Certification by Daniel L. Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, dated November 2, 2012 and submitted pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) and pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
31.2 |
Certification by Frank J. Bilban, Vice President Finance, Treasurer, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated November 2, 2012 and submitted pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) and pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
32.1 |
Certification by Daniel L. Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, dated November 2, 2012 as required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
32.2 |
Certification by Frank J. Bilban, Vice President Finance, Treasurer, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, dated November 2, 2012 as required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
101.INS |
XBRL Instance Document | |
101.SCH |
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | |
101.CAL |
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document | |
101.LAB |
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document | |
101.PRE |
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document | |
101.DEF |
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document |
Exhibit 10.1
Published CUSIP Number: 29256UAB9
CREDIT AGREEMENT
Dated as of September 27, 2012
among
ENCORE WIRE CORPORATION,
as the Borrower,
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
as Administrative Agent and L/C Issuer,
WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Syndication Agent
and
The Other Lenders Party Hereto
BANK OF AMERICA MERRILL LYNCH
as
Sole Lead Arranger and Sole Book Manager
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section |
Page | |||||
ARTICLE I. DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS |
1 | |||||
1.01 |
Defined Terms | 1 | ||||
1.02 |
Other Interpretive Provisions | 23 | ||||
1.03 |
Accounting Terms | 24 | ||||
1.04 |
Rounding | 24 | ||||
1.05 |
Times of Day | 25 | ||||
1.06 |
Letter of Credit Amounts | 25 | ||||
ARTICLE II. THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS |
25 | |||||
2.01 |
Loans | 25 | ||||
2.02 |
Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans. | 25 | ||||
2.03 |
Letters of Credit. | 26 | ||||
2.04 |
Prepayments | 35 | ||||
2.05 |
Termination or Reduction of Commitments | 36 | ||||
2.06 |
Repayment of Loans | 36 | ||||
2.07 |
Interest | 36 | ||||
2.08 |
Fees | 37 | ||||
2.09 |
Computation of Interest and Fees; Retroactive Adjustments of Applicable Rate. | 38 | ||||
2.10 |
Evidence of Debt | 38 | ||||
2.11 |
Payments Generally; Administrative Agents Clawback. | 39 | ||||
2.12 |
Sharing of Payments by Lenders | 41 | ||||
2.13 |
Increase in Commitments. | 41 | ||||
2.14 |
Cash Collateral | 42 | ||||
2.15 |
Defaulting Lenders | 44 | ||||
ARTICLE III. TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY |
46 | |||||
3.01 |
Taxes. | 46 | ||||
3.02 |
Illegality | 51 | ||||
3.03 |
Inability to Determine Rates | 51 | ||||
3.04 |
Increased Costs; Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans | 52 | ||||
3.05 |
Compensation for Losses | 53 | ||||
3.06 |
Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders | 54 | ||||
3.07 |
Survival | 54 | ||||
ARTICLE IV. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CREDIT EXTENSIONS |
55 | |||||
4.01 |
Conditions of Initial Credit Extension | 55 | ||||
4.02 |
Conditions to all Credit Extensions | 56 | ||||
ARTICLE V. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES |
56 | |||||
5.01 |
Existence, Qualification and Power | 56 | ||||
5.02 |
Authorization; No Contravention | 57 | ||||
5.03 |
Governmental Authorization; Other Consents | 57 | ||||
5.04 |
Binding Effect | 57 | ||||
5.05 |
Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect. | 57 | ||||
5.06 |
Litigation | 58 | ||||
5.07 |
No Default | 58 |
i
5.08 |
Ownership of Property; Liens | 58 | ||||
5.09 |
Environmental Compliance | 58 | ||||
5.10 |
Insurance | 58 | ||||
5.11 |
Taxes | 59 | ||||
5.12 |
ERISA Compliance | 59 | ||||
5.13 |
Subsidiaries; Equity Interests | 60 | ||||
5.14 |
Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act. | 60 | ||||
5.15 |
Disclosure | 60 | ||||
5.16 |
Compliance with Laws | 60 | ||||
5.17 |
Taxpayer Identification Number | 61 | ||||
5.18 |
Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc | 61 | ||||
5.19 |
Solvency | 61 | ||||
5.20 |
Labor | 61 | ||||
5.21 |
Borrowing Base Report | 61 | ||||
ARTICLE VI. AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS | 61 | |||||
6.01 |
Financial Statements | 61 | ||||
6.02 |
Certificates; Other Information | 63 | ||||
6.03 |
Notices | 64 | ||||
6.04 |
Payment of Taxes | 65 | ||||
6.05 |
Preservation of Existence, Etc | 65 | ||||
6.06 |
Maintenance of Properties | 65 | ||||
6.07 |
Maintenance of Insurance | 65 | ||||
6.08 |
Compliance with Laws | 66 | ||||
6.09 |
Books and Records | 66 | ||||
6.10 |
Inspection Rights | 66 | ||||
6.11 |
Use of Proceeds | 66 | ||||
6.12 |
Additional Guarantors | 66 | ||||
ARTICLE VII. NEGATIVE COVENANTS | 66 | |||||
7.01 |
Liens | 67 | ||||
7.02 |
Investments | 67 | ||||
7.03 |
Indebtedness | 68 | ||||
7.04 |
Fundamental Changes | 69 | ||||
7.05 |
Dispositions | 69 | ||||
7.06 |
Restricted Payments | 70 | ||||
7.07 |
Change in Nature of Business | 70 | ||||
7.08 |
Transactions with Affiliates | 70 | ||||
7.09 |
Burdensome Agreements | 70 | ||||
7.10 |
Use of Proceeds | 71 | ||||
7.11 |
Financial Covenants | 71 | ||||
7.12 |
Capital Expenditures | 71 | ||||
7.13 |
Prepayments | 71 | ||||
7.14 |
Amendments to Section 7.03(e) Indebtedness | 72 | ||||
ARTICLE VIII. EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES | 72 | |||||
8.01 |
Events of Default | 72 | ||||
8.02 |
Remedies Upon Event of Default | 74 | ||||
8.03 |
Application of Funds | 74 |
ii
ARTICLE IX. ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT | 75 | |||||
9.01 |
Appointment and Authority | 75 | ||||
9.02 |
Rights as a Lender | 76 | ||||
9.03 |
Exculpatory Provisions | 76 | ||||
9.04 |
Reliance by Administrative Agent | 77 | ||||
9.05 |
Delegation of Duties | 77 | ||||
9.06 |
Resignation of Administrative Agent. | 78 | ||||
9.07 |
Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders | 79 | ||||
9.08 |
No Other Duties, Etc | 79 | ||||
9.09 |
Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim | 79 | ||||
9.10 |
Guaranty Matters | 80 | ||||
ARTICLE X. MISCELLANEOUS | 80 | |||||
10.01 |
Amendments, Etc | 80 | ||||
10.02 |
Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communication. | 82 | ||||
10.03 |
No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement | 84 | ||||
10.04 |
Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver | 84 | ||||
10.05 |
Payments Set Aside | 86 | ||||
10.06 |
Successors and Assigns | 87 | ||||
10.07 |
Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality | 91 | ||||
10.08 |
Right of Setoff | 92 | ||||
10.09 |
Interest Rate Limitation | 92 | ||||
10.10 |
Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness | 93 | ||||
10.11 |
Survival of Representations and Warranties | 93 | ||||
10.12 |
Severability | 93 | ||||
10.13 |
Replacement of Lenders | 94 | ||||
10.14 |
Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc. | 94 | ||||
10.15 |
Waiver of Jury Trial | 95 | ||||
10.16 |
No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility | 96 | ||||
10.17 |
Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents | 96 | ||||
10.18 |
USA PATRIOT Act | 96 | ||||
10.19 |
ENTIRE AGREEMENT | 97 | ||||
SIGNATURES |
S-1 |
iii
SCHEDULES
1.01 | Existing Letters of Credit |
2.01 | Commitments and Applicable Percentages |
5.06 | Litigation |
5.13 | Subsidiaries; Other Equity Investments |
10.02 | Administrative Agents Office; Certain Addresses for Notices |
EXHIBITS
Form of |
A | Loan Notice |
B | Note |
C | Compliance Certificate |
D-1 | Assignment and Assumption |
D-2 | Administrative Questionnaire |
E | Guaranty |
F | Opinion of Borrowers Counsel |
G | Forms of U.S. Tax Compliance Certificates |
iv
CREDIT AGREEMENT
This CREDIT AGREEMENT (Agreement) is entered into as of September 27, 2012, among ENCORE WIRE CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation (the Borrower), each lender from time to time party hereto (collectively, the Lenders and individually, a Lender), and BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as Administrative Agent and L/C Issuer.
The Borrower has requested that the Lenders provide a revolving credit facility, and the Lenders are willing to do so on the terms and conditions set forth herein.
In consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:
ARTICLE I. DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS
1.01 Defined Terms . As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
Acquisition means the acquisition by any Person of (a) a majority of the Equity Interests of another Person, (b) all or substantially all of the assets of another Person or (c) all or substantially all of a line of business of another Person, in each case (i) whether or not involving a merger or consolidation with such other Person and (ii) whether in one transaction or a series of related transactions.
Acquisition Consideration means the consideration given by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries for an Acquisition, including but not limited to the sum of (without duplication) (a) the fair market value of any cash, property (excluding Equity Interests) or services given, plus (b) the amount of any Indebtedness assumed, incurred or guaranteed (to the extent not otherwise included) in connection with such Acquisition by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries.
Administrative Agent means Bank of America in its capacity as administrative agent under any of the Loan Documents, or any successor administrative agent.
Administrative Agents Office means the Administrative Agents address and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 10.02 , or such other address or account as the Administrative Agent may from time to time notify to the Borrower and the Lenders.
Administrative Questionnaire means an Administrative Questionnaire in substantially the form of Exhibit D-2 or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
Affiliate includes any Person (i) that directly or indirectly controls or is controlled by the Borrower (including without limitation all Subsidiaries),or is under common control with the Borrower, or (ii) that directly or indirectly owns or holds fifteen percent (15%) or more of any class of Voting Stock of the Borrower, or (iii) fifteen percent (15%) or more of the Voting Stock of which is directly or indirectly owned or held by the Borrower, or (iv) who is a director of the Borrower.
1
Aggregate Commitments means the Commitments of all the Lenders. The Aggregate Commitments as of the Closing Date are $150,000,000.
Agreement means this Credit Agreement.
Applicable Fee Rate means, at any time, the applicable percentage per annum set forth below determined by reference to the Leverage Ratio as set forth in the most recent Compliance Certificate received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 6.02(a) :
Applicable Fee Rate |
||||||
Pricing Level |
Leverage Ratio |
Commitment Fee | ||||
1 | £ 0.75 : 1.00 | 0.150 | % | |||
2 | £ 1.50 : 1.00 but > 0.75 : 1.00 | 0.175 | % | |||
3 | £ 2.25 : 1.00 but > 1.50 : 1.00 | 0.200 | % | |||
4 | £ 3.00 : 1.00 but > 2.25 : 1.00 | 0.250 | % | |||
5 | > 3.00 : 1.00 | 0.300 | % |
Any increase or decrease in the Applicable Fee Rate resulting from a change in the Leverage Ratio shall become effective as of the first Business Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.02(a) ; provided , however , that if a Compliance Certificate is not delivered when due in accordance with such Section, then, upon the request of the Required Lenders, Pricing Level 5 shall apply as of the first Business Day after the date on which such Compliance Certificate was required to have been delivered and shall remain in effect until the date on which such Compliance Certificate is delivered. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Applicable Fee Rate in effect from and after the Closing Date through and including the date the Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.02(b) for the Fiscal Quarter ending September 30, 2012 shall be Pricing Level 1.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this definition, the determination of the Applicable Fee Rate for any period shall be subject to the provisions of Section 2.10(b) .
Applicable Percentage means with respect to any Lender at any time, the percentage (carried out to the ninth decimal place) of the Aggregate Commitments represented by such Lenders Commitment at such time, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 2.15 . If the commitment of each Lender to make Loans and the obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions have been terminated pursuant to Section 8.02 or if the Aggregate Commitments have expired, then the Applicable Percentage of each Lender shall be determined based on the Applicable Percentage of such Lender most recently in effect, giving effect to any subsequent assignments. The initial Applicable Percentage of each Lender is set forth opposite the name of such Lender on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable.
2
Applicable Rate means the applicable percentage per annum set forth below determined by reference to the Leverage Ratio as set forth in the most recent Compliance Certificate received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 6.02(a) :
Applicable Rate |
||||||||||||||
Pricing Level |
Leverage Ratio |
Eurodollar Rate /
Standby Letter of Credit Fees |
Base Rate |
Commercial
Letter of Credit Fees |
||||||||||
1 | £ 0.75 : 1.00 | 0.875 | % | 0.000 | % | 0.65625 | % | |||||||
2 | £ 1.50 : 1.00 but > 0.75 : 1.00 | 1.000 | % | 0.000 | % | 0.75000 | % | |||||||
3 | £ 2.25 : 1.00 but > 1.50 : 1.00 | 1.250 | % | 0.000 | % | 0.93750 | % | |||||||
4 | £ 3.00 : 1.00 but > 2.25 : 1.00 | 1.500 | % | 0.000 | % | 1.12500 | % | |||||||
5 | > 3.00 : 1.00 | 1.750 | % | 0.250 | % | 1.31250 | % |
Any increase or decrease in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in the Leverage Ratio shall become effective as of the first Business Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.02(b); provided, however, that if a Compliance Certificate is not delivered when due in accordance with such Section, then, upon the request of the Required Lenders, Pricing Level 5 shall apply, in each case as of the first Business Day after the date on which such Compliance Certificate was required to have been delivered and in each case shall remain in effect until the date on which such Compliance Certificate is delivered. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Applicable Rate in effect from and after the Closing Date through and including the date the Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.02(a) for the Fiscal Quarter ending September 30, 2012 shall be Pricing Level 1.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this definition, the determination of the Applicable Rate for any period shall be subject to the provisions of Section 2.10(b) .
Approved Fund means any Fund that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.
Arranger means Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, in its capacity as sole lead arranger and sole book manager.
Assignment and Assumption means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an Eligible Assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 10.06(b) ), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in substantially the form of Exhibit D-1 or any other form (including electronic documentation generated by MarkitClear or other electronic platform) approved by the Administrative Agent.
Attributable Indebtedness means, on any date, (a) in respect of any capital lease of any Person, the capitalized amount thereof that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person
3
prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP, and (b) in respect of any Synthetic Lease Obligation, the capitalized amount of the remaining lease payments under the relevant lease that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP if such lease were accounted for as a capital lease.
Audited Financial Statements means the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 , and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders equity and cash flows for such fiscal year of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including the notes thereto.
Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(b)(iii) .
Availability Period means the period from and including the Closing Date to the earliest of (a) the Maturity Date, (b) the date of termination of the Aggregate Commitments pursuant to Section 2.05 , and (c) the date of termination of the commitment of each Lender to make Loans and of the obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions pursuant to Section 8.02 .
Aviation means EWC Aviation Corp., a Texas corporation.
Bank of America means Bank of America, N.A. and its successors.
Base Rate means for any day a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest of (a) the Federal Funds Rate plus 1/2 of 1%, (b) the rate of interest in effect for such day as publicly announced from time to time by Bank of America as its prime rate, and (c) the Eurodollar Rate plus 1.00%. The prime rate is a rate set by Bank of America based upon various factors including Bank of Americas costs and desired return, general economic conditions and other factors, and is used as a reference point for pricing some loans, which may be priced at, above, or below such announced rate. Any change in such prime rate announced by Bank of America shall take effect at the opening of business on the day specified in the public announcement of such change.
Base Rate Loan means a Loan that bears interest based on the Base Rate.
Borrower has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.
Borrower Materials has the meaning specified in Section 6.02 .
Borrowing means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the Lenders pursuant to Section 2.01 .
Borrowing Base means an amount determined from time to time pursuant to Section 6.01(c) , which is equal to the sum of (a) eighty-five percent (85%) of the net amount of Eligible Receivables plus (b) sixty-five percent (65%) of the net amount of Eligible Inventory.
Borrowing Base Report means a Borrowing Base Report prescribed by Section 6.01(c) .
4
Business Day means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks are authorized to close under the Laws of, or are in fact closed in, the state where the Administrative Agents Office is located and, if such day relates to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, means any such day that is also a London Banking Day.
Capital Expenditures means, with respect to any Person, for any period, all expenditures during such period which would be classified as capital expenditures pursuant to GAAP.
Cash Collateralize means to pledge and deposit with or deliver to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of one or more of the L/C Issuer or the Lenders, as collateral for L/C Obligations or obligations of the Lenders to fund participations in respect of L/C Obligations, cash or deposit account balances or, if the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer shall agree in their sole discretion, other credit support, in each case pursuant to documentation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer. Cash Collateral shall have a meaning correlative to the foregoing and shall include the proceeds of such cash collateral and other credit support.
Cash Management Agreements means any agreement governing the provision of treasury or cash management services, including deposit accounts, overnight draft, credit or debit cards, funds transfer, automated clearinghouse, zero balance accounts, returned check concentration, controlled disbursement, lockbox, account reconciliation and reporting and trade finance services and other cash management services.
Cash Management Bank means any Person that, at the time it enters into a Cash Management Agreement, is a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, in its capacity as a party to such Cash Management Agreement.
Change in Law means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement, of any of the following: (a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation, implementation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority or (c) the making or issuance of any request, rule, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law) by any Governmental Authority; provided that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (x) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith and (y) all requests, rules, guidelines or directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the United States or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a Change in Law, regardless of the date enacted, adopted or issued.
Change of Control means (a) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to any person or group (as such terms are used for purposes of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act, whether or not applicable), (b) any person or group (as such terms are used for purposes of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the
5
Securities Exchange Act, whether or not applicable) is or becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 40% of the total voting power in the aggregate of all classes of equity interests of the Borrower then outstanding normally entitled to vote in elections of directors, (c) during any period of 24 consecutive months, individuals who at the beginning of such 24-month period constituted the board of directors of the Borrower (together with any new directors whose election by such board of directors or whose nomination for election by the shareholders of the Borrower was approved by a vote of a majority of the directors then still in office who were either directors at the beginning of such period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved) cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the board of directors of the Borrower then in office, or (d) any Change of Control as defined in any document, instrument or agreement relating to any Schedule 7.03(e) Indebtedness shall occur in respect thereof.
Closing Date means the first date all the conditions precedent in Section 4.01 are satisfied or waived in accordance with Section 10.01 .
Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
Commitment means, as to each Lender, its obligation to (a) make Loans to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01 , and (b) purchase participations in L/C Obligations, in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed the amount set forth opposite such Lenders name on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable, as such amount may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with this Agreement.
Compliance Certificate means a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit C .
Connection Income Taxes means Other Connection Taxes that are imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated) or that are franchise Taxes or branch profits Taxes.
Contractual Obligation means, as to any Person, any provision of any security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument or other undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its property is bound.
Control means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. Controlling and Controlled have meanings correlative thereto.
Credit Extension means each of the following: (a) a Borrowing and (b) an L/C Credit Extension.
Current Maturities of Long-Term Indebtedness means, for any period, for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, the scheduled principal payments during such period in respect of Indebtedness having a final maturity date of more than one year (excluding Indebtedness under this Agreement).
6
Debtor Relief Laws means the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect.
Default means any event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default or that, with the giving of any notice, the passage of time, or both, would be an Event of Default.
Default Rate means (a) when used with respect to Obligations other than Letter of Credit Fees, an interest rate equal to (i) the Base Rate plus (ii) the Applicable Rate, if any, applicable to Base Rate Loans plus (iii) 2% per annum; provided , however , that with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, the Default Rate shall be an interest rate equal to the interest rate (including any Applicable Rate) otherwise applicable to such Loan plus 2% per annum, and (b) when used with respect to Letter of Credit Fees, a rate equal to the Applicable Rate plus 2% per annum.
Defaulting Lender means, subject to Section 2.15(b) , any Lender that (a) has failed to (i) fund all or any portion of its Loans within two Business Days of the date such Loans were required to be funded hereunder unless such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower in writing that such failure is the result of such Lenders determination that one or more conditions precedent to funding (each of which conditions precedent, together with any applicable default, shall be specifically identified in such writing) has not been satisfied, or (ii) pay to the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any other Lender any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder (including in respect of its participation in Letters of Credit) within two Business Days of the date when due, (b) has notified the Borrower, the Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuer in writing that it does not intend to comply with its funding obligations hereunder, or has made a public statement to that effect (unless such writing or public statement relates to such Lenders obligation to fund a Loan hereunder and states that such position is based on such Lenders determination that a condition precedent to funding (which condition precedent, together with any applicable default, shall be specifically identified in such writing or public statement) cannot be satisfied), (c) has failed, within three Business Days after written request by the Administrative Agent or the Borrower, to confirm in writing to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that it will comply with its prospective funding obligations hereunder ( provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon receipt of such written confirmation by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower), or (d) has, or has a direct or indirect parent company that has, (i) become the subject of a proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or (ii) had appointed for it a receiver, custodian, conservator, trustee, administrator, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with reorganization or liquidation of its business or assets, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other state or federal regulatory authority acting in such a capacity; provided that a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any Equity Interest in that Lender or any direct or indirect parent company thereof by a Governmental Authority so long as such ownership interest does not result in or provide such Lender with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permit such Lender (or such Governmental Authority) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made with such Lender. Any determination by the Administrative Agent that a Lender is a
7
Defaulting Lender under any one or more of clauses (a) through (d) above, and of the effective date of such status, shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error, and such Lender shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender (subject to Section 2.15(b) ) as of the date established therefor by the Administrative Agent in a written notice of such determination, which shall be delivered by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower, the L/C Issuer, and each other Lender promptly following such determination.
Disposition or Dispose means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (including any sale and leaseback transaction) of any property by any Person, including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith.
Dollar and $ mean lawful money of the United States.
Domestic Subsidiary means any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of any political subdivision of the United States.
EBITDA means, for any period for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a Consolidated basis, an amount equal to the sum of (a) income for such period before provision for income Taxes, plus , to the extent deducted in calculating income for such period, (b) the sum of (i) all interest charges paid or accrued during such period (including any charges incurred in connection with prepayment of any Section 7.03(e) Indebtedness) and (ii) depreciation and amortization expense during such period.
Eligible Assignee means any Person that meets the requirements to be an assignee under Section 10.06(b)(iii) , and (v) (subject to such consents, if any, as may be required under Section 10.06(b)(iii) ).
Eligible Inventory means copper raw material inventory and aluminum and finished goods inventory owned by the Borrower which is wire and cable inventory but unless otherwise agreed by Agent, does not in any event include (a) Inventory which is subject to any security interest, lien, encumbrance or claim by any Person, (b) Inventory acquired by the Borrower other than in the ordinary course of business, and (c) Inventory which is damaged or obsolete or which otherwise is not in good saleable condition. Eligible Inventory shall be valued at the lesser of its cost or current market value, in a manner reasonably acceptable to Agent. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in no event shall work-in-progress be included in Eligible Inventory.
Eligible Receivables means the net amount of the accounts of the Borrower which meet each of the following criteria: (a) payment terms are within the Borrowers ordinary course of business, and the account is aged less than one hundred twenty (120) days from the date of invoice and arose in the ordinary course of business from the bona fide sale of Inventory under an enforceable agreement, and such Inventory has been fully delivered thereunder; (b) the title of the Borrower to the account is absolute and is not subject to any assignment, claim, lien or security interest; (c) the full amount shown on the books of the Borrower and on the invoice evidencing the account, and on the Borrowing Base Report delivered to the Administrative Agent, is owing to the Borrower, and no partial payment has been made thereon, except as
8
otherwise may be shown on such invoice and disclosed to the Administrative Agent; (d) the account is not subject to any dispute, claim of reduction, counterclaim, set-off, recoupment or any claim for credits, allowances or adjustments by the account debtor, except for customary discounts allowed for prompt payment as may be noted on the invoice evidencing such account, or as has been disclosed to and approved by the Administrative Agent; (e) the account is not an account that the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion determines to be an unacceptable credit risk at the time of such determination; (f) the account debtor has not rejected, returned or refused to accept any Inventory relating to the transaction from which the account arose; (g) the account does not arise out of a contract or purchase order that, by its terms, forbids assignment, conditions assignment on consent by the account debtor or otherwise purports to make an assignment thereof conditional, void or unenforceable; and (h) the Borrower has not received any notice and has no knowledge of the dissolution or termination of existence of any corporate account debtor, or the insolvency, business failure or the filing of a petition in bankruptcy by or against any account debtor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the total amount at any time includable in Eligible Receivables with respect to any account debtor shall not exceed an amount equal to ten percent (10.0%) of the aggregate amount of all of the Borrowers accounts which otherwise meet all criteria for being Eligible Receivables (including those of such account debtor). Eligible Receivables shall not include any of the following: contra accounts; accounts subject to credit memos or accounts in connection with C.O.D. sales, bill and hold sales, guaranteed sales, consignment sales or other special billing arrangements; amounts, if any, excludable in respect of returned inventory; amounts owing by any Affiliate; all amounts owing by any account debtor with respect to which more than twenty five percent (25.0%) of its aggregate amount of accounts owing to the Borrower is aged one hundred twenty (120) or more days from the date of invoice; all amounts owing by the United States or any state or local government (unless otherwise expressly agreed by the Administrative Agent); amounts owing by any account debtor whose principal place of business is located outside the United States.
Environmental Laws means any and all Federal, state, local, and foreign statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees, permits, concessions, grants, franchises, licenses, agreements or governmental restrictions relating to pollution and the protection of the environment or the release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment, including those related to hazardous substances or wastes, air emissions and discharges to waste or public systems.
Environmental Liability means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Borrower, any other Loan Party or any of their respective Subsidiaries directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.
Equity Interests means, with respect to any Person, all of the shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the warrants, options or other rights for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of shares of capital stock of (or other ownership
9
or profit interests in) such Person, all of the securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person or warrants, rights or options for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of such shares (or such other interests), and all of the other ownership or profit interests in such Person (including partnership, member or trust interests therein), whether voting or nonvoting, and whether or not such shares, warrants, options, rights or other interests are outstanding on any date of determination.
ERISA means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
ERISA Affiliate means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) under common control with the Borrower within the meaning of Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code (and Sections 414(m) and (o) of the Code for purposes of provisions relating to Section 412 of the Code).
ERISA Event means (a) a Reportable Event with respect to a Pension Plan; (b) the withdrawal of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Pension Plan subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which such entity was a substantial employer as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA or a cessation of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of ERISA; (c) a complete or partial withdrawal by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan or notification that a Multiemployer Plan is in reorganization; (d) the filing of a notice of intent to terminate, the treatment of a Pension Plan amendment as a termination under Section 4041 or 4041A of ERISA; (e) the institution by the PBGC of proceedings to terminate a Pension Plan; (f) any event or condition which constitutes grounds under Section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Pension Plan; (g) the determination that any Pension Plan is considered an at-risk plan or a plan in endangered or critical status within the meaning of Sections 430, 431 and 432 of the Code or Sections 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA; or (h) the imposition of any liability under Title IV of ERISA, other than for PBGC premiums due but not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA, upon the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate.
Eurodollar Rate means:
(a) for any Interest Period with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, the rate per annum equal to (i) the British Bankers Association LIBOR Rate ( BBA LIBOR ), as published by Reuters (or such other commercially available source providing quotations of BBA LIBOR as may be designated by the Administrative Agent from time to time) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two London Banking Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period, for Dollar deposits (for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period) with a term equivalent to such Interest Period or, (ii) if such rate is not available at such time for any reason, the rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent to be the rate at which deposits in Dollars for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period in same day funds in the approximate amount of the Eurodollar Rate Loan being made, continued or converted and with a term equivalent to such Interest Period would be offered by Bank of Americas London Branch to major banks in the London interbank eurodollar market at their request at approximately 11:00 a.m. (London time) two London Banking Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period; and
10
(b) for any interest calculation with respect to a Base Rate Loan on any date, the rate per annum equal to (i) BBA LIBOR, at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time determined two London Banking Days prior to such date for Dollar deposits being delivered in the London interbank market for a term of one month commencing that day or (ii) if such published rate is not available at such time for any reason, the rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent to be the rate at which deposits in Dollars for delivery on the date of determination in same day funds in the approximate amount of the Base Rate Loan being made or maintained and with a term equal to one month would be offered by Bank of Americas London Branch to major banks in the London interbank Eurodollar market at their request at the date and time of determination.
Eurodollar Rate Loan means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on clause (a) of the definition of Eurodollar Rate.
Event of Default has the meaning specified in Section 8.01 .
Excluded Taxes means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to any Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient, (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes, and branch profits Taxes, in each case, (i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its Lending Office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes, (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan or Commitment pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan or Commitment (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower under Section 10.13 ) or (ii) such Lender changes its Lending Office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 3.01(a)(ii) , (a)(iii) or (c) , amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lenders assignor immediately before such Lender became a party hereto or to such Lender immediately before it changed its Lending Office, (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipients failure to comply with Section 3.01(e) and (d) any U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed pursuant to FATCA.
Existing Credit Agreement means that certain Credit Agreement dated as of August 27, 2004 among the Borrower, Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and the lenders party thereto, as amended.
Existing Letters of Credit means those letters of credit set forth on Schedule 1.01 issued by Bank of America whether or not issued pursuant to the Existing Credit Agreement.
FASB ASC means the Accounting Standards Codification of the Financial Accounting Standards Board.
FATCA means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof and any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471 (b) (1) of the Code.
11
Federal Funds Rate means, for any day, the rate per annum equal to the weighted average of the rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers on such day, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the Business Day next succeeding such day; provided that (a) if such day is not a Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be such rate on such transactions on the next preceding Business Day as so published on the next succeeding Business Day, and (b) if no such rate is so published on such next succeeding Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be the average rate (rounded upward, if necessary, to a whole multiple of 1/100 of 1%) charged to Bank of America on such day on such transactions as determined by the Administrative Agent.
Fee Letter means the letter agreement, dated September 25, 2012, among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Arranger.
Fiscal Quarter means a fiscal quarter of any Fiscal Year.
Fiscal Year means the Fiscal Year of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries ending on December 31 of each calendar year.
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio means, for any period of determination, for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, the ratio of (a) the sum of (i) EBITDA for such period, minus (ii) provision for income Taxes for such period, minus (iii) Maintenance Capital Expenditures for such period to (b) the sum of (i) Interest charges during such period, plus (ii) Current Maturities of Long-Term Indebtedness during such period, plus (iii) cash dividends paid by the Borrower during such period.
Foreign Lender means (a) if the Borrower is a U.S. Person, a Lender that is not a U.S. Person, and (b) if the Borrower is not a U.S. Person, a Lender that is resident or organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is resident for tax purposes. For purposes of this definition, the United States, each State thereof and the District of Columbia shall be deemed to constitute a single jurisdiction.
FRB means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States.
Fronting Exposure means, at any time there is a Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lenders Applicable Percentage of the outstanding L/C Obligations other than L/C Obligations as to which such Defaulting Lenders participation obligation has been reallocated to other Lenders or Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof.
Fund means any Person (other than a natural Person) that is (or will be) engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its activities.
12
Funded Indebtedness means the type of Indebtedness described in clauses (a), (b), (d), and (f) of the definition thereof; provided , however , notwithstanding the above, undrawn letters of credit in an aggregate face amount not in excess of $20,000,000 shall not be included as Funded Indebtedness.
GAAP means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession in the United States, that are applicable to the circumstances as of the date of determination, consistently applied.
Governmental Authority means the government of the United States or any other nation, or of any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).
Guarantee means, as to any Person, (a) any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation payable by another Person (the primary obligor) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or indirect, (i) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation, (ii) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance of such Indebtedness or other obligation, (iii) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity or level of income or cash flow of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation, or (iv) entered into for the purpose of assuring in any other manner the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part), or (b) any Lien on any assets of such Person securing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person, whether or not such Indebtedness or other obligation is assumed by such Person (or any right, contingent or otherwise, of any holder of such Indebtedness to obtain any such Lien). The amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the guaranteeing Person in good faith. The term Guarantee as a verb has a corresponding meaning.
Guarantied Obligations has the meaning specified in the Guaranty.
Guarantied Parties has the meaning specified in the Guaranty.
Guarantors means, collectively, Aviation and each other Subsidiary of the Borrower.
13
Guaranty means the Guaranty made by the Guarantor[s] in favor of the Administrative Agent and the Guarantied Parties (as defined in the Guaranty), substantially in the form of Exhibit E .
Hazardous Materials means all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.
Hedge Bank means any Person that, at the times it enters into a Swap Contract, is a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, in its capacity as a party to such Swap Contract.
Increase Effective Date has the meaning specified in Section 2.13(d) .
Indebtedness means, as to any Person at a particular time, without duplication, all of the following, whether or not included as indebtedness or liabilities in accordance with GAAP:
(a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money and all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments;
(b) all direct or contingent obligations of such Person arising under letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments;
(c) net obligations of such Person under any Swap Contract;
(d) all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade accounts payable in the ordinary course of business and, in each case, not past due for more than 90 days after the date on which such trade account payable was created);
(e) indebtedness (excluding prepaid interest thereon) secured by a Lien on property owned or being purchased by such Person (including indebtedness arising under conditional sales or other title retention agreements), whether or not such indebtedness shall have been assumed by such Person or is limited in recourse;
(f) all Attributable Indebtedness in respect of capital leases and Synthetic Lease Obligations;
(g) all obligations of such Person to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise make any payment in respect of any Equity Interest in such Person or any other Person, valued, in the case of a redeemable preferred interest, at the greater of its voluntary or involuntary liquidation preference plus accrued and unpaid dividends; and
(h) all Guarantees of such Person in respect of any of the foregoing.
14
For all purposes hereof, the Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which such Person is a general partner or a joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to such Person. The amount of any net obligation under any Swap Contract on any date shall be deemed to be the Swap Termination Value thereof as of such date.
Indemnified Taxes means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in (a), Other Taxes.
Indemnitees has the meaning specified in Section 10.04(b) .
Information has the meaning specified in Section 10.07 .
Interest Payment Date means, (a) as to any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the Maturity Date; provided , however , that if any Interest Period for a Eurodollar Rate Loan exceeds three months, the respective dates that fall every three months after the beginning of such Interest Period shall also be Interest Payment Dates; and (b) as to any Base Rate Loan, the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and the Maturity Date.
Interest Period means as to each Eurodollar Rate Loan, the period commencing on the date such Eurodollar Rate Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a Eurodollar Rate Loan and ending on the date one, two, three or six months thereafter, as selected by the Borrower in its Loan Notice, or such other period that is twelve months or less requested by the Borrower and consented to by all the Lenders; provided that:
(i) any Interest Period that would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless, in the case of a Eurodollar Rate Loan, such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day;
(ii) any Interest Period pertaining to a Eurodollar Rate Loan that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period; and
(iii) no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date.
Inventory means all of the Borrowers inventory now or hereafter owned or acquired, including raw materials, work in process, finished goods and all other goods held for sale or lease, wherever located. Inventory also includes returned Inventory.
Investment means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other acquisition of Equity Interests of another Person, (b) a loan, advance or capital contribution to, Guarantee or assumption of Indebtedness of, or purchase or other acquisition of any other Indebtedness or Equity Interests in,
15
another Person, including any partnership or joint venture interest in such other Person and any arrangement pursuant to which the investor Guarantees Indebtedness of such other Person, or (c) the purchase or other acquisition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of assets of another Person that constitute a business unit. For purposes of covenant compliance, the amount of any Investment shall be the amount actually invested, without adjustment for subsequent increases or decreases in the value of such Investment.
IP Rights has the meaning specified in Section 5.18 .
IRS means the United States Internal Revenue Service.
ISP means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the International Standby Practices 1998 published by the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice, Inc. (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of issuance).
Issuer Documents means with respect to any Letter of Credit, the Letter of Credit Application, and any other document, agreement and instrument entered into by the L/C Issuer and the Borrower (or any Subsidiary) or in favor of the L/C Issuer and relating to such Letter of Credit.
Laws means, collectively, all international, foreign, Federal, state and local statutes, treaties, rules, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, codes and administrative or judicial precedents or authorities, including the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental Authority charged with the enforcement, interpretation or administration thereof, and all applicable administrative orders, directed duties, requests, licenses, authorizations and permits of, and agreements with, any Governmental Authority, in each case whether or not having the force of law.
L/C Advance means, with respect to each Lender, such Lenders funding of its participation in any L/C Borrowing in accordance with its Applicable Percentage.
L/C Borrowing means an extension of credit resulting from a drawing under any Letter of Credit which has not been reimbursed on the date when made or refinanced as a Borrowing.
L/C Credit Extension means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the issuance thereof or extension of the expiry date thereof, or the increase of the amount thereof.
L/C Issuer means Bank of America in its capacity as issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder, or any successor issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder.
L/C Obligations means, as at any date of determination, the aggregate amount available to be drawn under all outstanding Letters of Credit plus the aggregate of all Unreimbursed Amounts, including all L/C Borrowings. For purposes of computing the amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.06 . For all purposes of this Agreement, if on any date of determination a Letter of Credit has expired by its terms but any amount may still be drawn thereunder by reason of the operation of Rule 3.14 of the ISP, such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be outstanding in the amount so remaining available to be drawn.
16
Lender has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.
Lending Office means, as to any Lender, the office or offices of such Lender described as such in such Lenders Administrative Questionnaire, or such other office or offices as a Lender may from time to time notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.
Letter of Credit means any letter of credit issued hereunder providing for the payment of cash upon the honoring of a presentation thereunder and shall include the Existing Letters of Credit. A Letter of Credit may be a commercial letter of credit or a standby letter of credit; provided , that any commercial letter of credit issued hereunder shall provide solely for cash payment upon presentation of a sight draft.
Letter of Credit Application means an application and agreement for the issuance or amendment of a Letter of Credit in the form from time to time in use by the L/C Issuer.
Letter of Credit Expiration Date means the day that is seven days prior to the Maturity Date then in effect (or, if such day is not a Business Day, the next preceding Business Day).
Letter of Credit Fee has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(h) .
Letter of Credit Sublimit means an amount equal to $50,000,000. The Letter of Credit Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Aggregate Commitments.
Leverage Ratio means, as of any date of determination, for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, the ratio of (a) Funded Indebtedness as of such date to (b) EBITDA for the period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters ending on such date.
Lien means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or other), charge, or preference, priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement in the nature of a security interest of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any easement, right of way or other encumbrance on title to real property, and any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).
Loan has the meaning specified in Section 2.01 .
Loan Documents means this Agreement, each Note, each Issuer Document, any agreement creating or perfecting rights in Cash Collateral pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.14 of this Agreement, the Fee Letter, and the Guaranty.
Loan Notice means a notice of (a) a Borrowing, (b) a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or (c) a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, pursuant to Section 2.02(a) , which, if in writing, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A .
Loan Parties means, collectively, the Borrower and each Guarantor.
London Banking Day means any day on which dealings in Dollar deposits are conducted by and between banks in the London interbank eurodollar market.
17
Maintenance Capital Expenditures means, for any period of four Fiscal Quarters, an amount equal to $9,000,000.
Material Adverse Effect means (a) a material adverse change in, or a material adverse effect upon, the operations, business, properties, liabilities (actual or contingent), or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; (b) a material adverse impairment on the ability of any Loan Party to perform its obligations under any Loan Document to which it is a party; or (c) a material adverse effect upon the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability against any Loan Party of any Loan Document to which it is a party.
Maturity Date means October 1, 2017; provided , however , that if such date is not a Business Day, the Maturity Date shall be the next preceding Business Day.
Minimum Collateral Amount means, at any time, (i) with respect to Cash Collateral consisting of cash or deposit account balances provided to reduce or eliminate Fronting Exposure during the existence of a Defaulting Lender, an amount equal to 105% of the Fronting Exposure of the L/C Issuer with respect to Letters of Credit issued and outstanding at such time, and (ii) with respect to Cash Collateral consisting of cash or deposit account balances provided in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.14(a)(i) , (a)(ii) or (a)(iii) , an amount equal to 105% of the Outstanding Amount of all LC Obligations.
Multiemployer Plan means any employee benefit plan of the type described in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA, to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate makes or is obligated to make contributions, or during the preceding five plan years, has made or been obligated to make contributions.
Multiple Employer Plan means a Plan which has two or more contributing sponsors (including the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate) at least two of whom are not under common control, as such a plan is described in Section 4064 of ERISA.
Non-Consenting Lender means any Lender that does not approve any consent, waiver or amendment that (i) requires the approval of all Lenders or all affected Lenders in accordance with the terms of Section 10.01 and (ii) has been approved by the Required Lenders.
Non-Defaulting Lender means, at any time, each Lender that is not a Defaulting Lender at such time.
Non-Extension Notice has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(b)(iii) .
Note means a promissory note made by the Borrower in favor of a Lender evidencing Loans made by such Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit B .
Obligations means all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, any Loan Party arising under any Loan Document or otherwise with respect to any Loan or Letter of Credit, whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Loan Party or any
18
Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding.
Organization Documents means, (a) with respect to any corporation, the certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction); (b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles of formation or organization and operating agreement; and (c) with respect to any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or organization and any agreement, instrument, filing or notice with respect thereto filed in connection with its formation or organization with the applicable Governmental Authority in the jurisdiction of its formation or organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or organization of such entity.
Other Connection Taxes means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient and the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (other than connections arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to or enforced any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan or Loan Document).
Other Taxes means all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 3.06 ).
Outstanding Amount means (i) with respect to Loans on any date, the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of Loans occurring on such date; and (ii) with respect to any L/C Obligations on any date, the amount of such L/C Obligations on such date after giving effect to any L/C Credit Extension occurring on such date and any other changes in the aggregate amount of the L/C Obligations as of such date, including as a result of any reimbursements by the Borrower of Unreimbursed Amounts.
Participant has the meaning specified in Section 10.06(d) .
Participant Register has the meaning specified in Section 10.06(d) .
PBGC means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
Pension Act means the Pension Protection Act of 2006.
Pension Funding Rules means the rules of the Code and ERISA regarding minimum required contributions (including any installment payment thereof) to Pension Plans and set forth in, with respect to plan years ending prior to the effective date of the Pension Act, Section 412 of the Code and Section 302 of ERISA, each as in effect prior to the Pension Act and, thereafter, Section 412, 430, 431, 432 and 436 of the Code and Sections 302, 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA.
19
Pension Plan means any employee pension benefit plan (including a Multiple Employer Plan or a Multiemployer Plan) that is maintained or is contributed to by the Borrower and any ERISA Affiliate and is either covered by Title IV of ERISA or is subject to the minimum funding standards under Section 412 of the Code.
Permitted Acquisition means an Acquisition in which all of the following conditions are satisfied: (a) the Acquisition is not opposed by the board of directors or similar governing body of the Person or owner of the assets being acquired; (b) such Acquisition is of a Person engaged in or is of assets used in those lines of business conducted by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the Closing Date or any business substantially related or incidental thereto; (c)if the Acquisition Consideration for such Acquisition is in excess of $10,000,000, the Borrower shall have given the Administrative Agent notice thereof not less than five Business Days prior to the closing of such Acquisition; (d) the aggregate Acquisition Consideration for all Acquisitions previously made during the Fiscal Year of such proposed Acquisition, together with the Acquisition Consideration for such proposed Acquisition, shall not exceed $25,000,000; (e) immediately before and after giving pro-forma effect to such Acquisition, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing; and (f) if such Acquisition results in a Domestic Subsidiary, such Subsidiary shall comply with the requirements of Section 6.12 .
Person means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.
Plan means any employee benefit plan within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA (including a Pension Plan), maintained for employees of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate or any such Plan to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate is required to contribute on behalf of any of its employees.
Platform has the meaning specified in Section 6.02 .
Public Lender has the meaning specified in Section 6.02 .
Receivables means all present and future accounts, chattel paper, contract rights, documents, instruments, deposit accounts, and general intangibles now or hereafter owned, held, or acquired by the Borrower and includes, without limitation, all of the following: all of the Borrowers accounts receivable, including all rights to payment for goods sold or leased or for services rendered, whether or not earned by performance (and in any case where an account arises from the sale of goods, the interest of the Borrower in such goods); lease receivables; license receivables; notes receivable; all other rights to receive payments of money from any Person; documents of title; warehouse receipts; the Borrowers right, title and interest under equipment leases; the Borrowers rights under any service, lease rental, consulting or similar agreements; trademarks, trade names and service marks; rights or claims under contracts; all tax refunds or claims for tax refunds; books of account, customer lists and other records relating in any way to any of the foregoing.
20
Recipient means the Administrative Agent, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or any other recipient of any payment to be made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party hereunder.
Register has the meaning specified in Section 10.06(c) .
Related Parties means, with respect to any Person, such Persons Affiliates and the partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees, administrators, managers, advisors and representatives of such Person and of such Persons Affiliates.
Reportable Event means any of the events set forth in Section 4043(c) of ERISA, other than events for which the 30 day notice period has been waived.
Request for Credit Extension means (a) with respect to a Borrowing, conversion or continuation of Loans, a Loan Notice, and (b) with respect to an L/C Credit Extension, a Letter of Credit Application.
Required Lenders means, at any date of determination, (a) if there are only two Lenders, Lenders having 100% of the Total Credit Exposure and (b) if there are more than two Lenders, Lenders having in aggregate at least 66-2/3% of the Total Credit Exposure. The Total Credit Exposure of any Defaulting Lender shall be disregarded in determining Required Lenders at any time; provided that the amount of any participation in any Unreimbursed Amounts that such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund that have not been reallocated to and funded by another Lender shall be deemed to be held by the L/C Issuer in making such determination.
Responsible Officer means the chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, treasurer, controller or vice president of a Loan Party. Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by a Responsible Officer of a Loan Party shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership and/or other action on the part of such Loan Party and such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf of such Loan Party.
Restricted Payment means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any capital stock or other Equity Interest of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such capital stock or other Equity Interest, or on account of any return of capital to the Borrowers stockholders, partners or members (or the equivalent Person thereof).
Revolving Credit Exposure means, as to any Lender at any time, the aggregate principal amount at such time of its outstanding Loans and such Lenders participation in L/C Obligations at such time.
SEC means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any of its principal functions.
Section 7.03(e) Indebtedness has the meaning specified in Section 7.03(e) .
21
Subsidiary of a Person means a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the shares of securities or other interests having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other governing body (other than securities or interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) are at the time beneficially owned, or the management of which is otherwise controlled, directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both, by such Person. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to a Subsidiary or to Subsidiaries shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of the Borrower.
Swap Contract means (a) any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward commodity contracts, equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options, forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions, collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap transactions, currency options, spot contracts, or any other similar transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is governed by or subject to any master agreement, and (b) any and all transactions of any kind, and the related confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by, any form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, or any other master agreement (any such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a Master Agreement ), including any such obligations or liabilities under any Master Agreement.
Swap Termination Value means, in respect of any one or more Swap Contracts, after taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Swap Contracts, (a) for any date on or after the date such Swap Contracts have been closed out and termination value(s) determined in accordance therewith, such termination value(s), and (b) for any date prior to the date referenced in clause (a) , the amount(s) determined as the mark-to-market value(s) for such Swap Contracts, as determined based upon one or more mid-market or other readily available quotations provided by any recognized dealer in such Swap Contracts (which may include a Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender).
Synthetic Lease Obligation means the monetary obligation of a Person under (a) a so-called synthetic, off-balance sheet or tax retention lease, or (b) an agreement for the use or possession of property creating obligations that do not appear on the balance sheet of such Person but which, upon the insolvency or bankruptcy of such Person, would be characterized as the indebtedness of such Person (without regard to accounting treatment).
Taxes means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
Total Credit Exposure means, as to any Lender at any time, the unused Commitments and Revolving Credit Exposure of such Lender at such time.
22
Total Outstandings means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans and all L/C Obligations.
Type means, with respect to a Loan, its character as a Base Rate Loan or a Eurodollar Rate Loan.
UCP means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, International Chamber of Commerce ( ICC ) Publication No. 600 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of issuance).
United States and U.S. mean the United States of America.
Unreimbursed Amount has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(c)(i) .
U.S. Person means any Person that is a United States Person as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate has the meaning specified in Section 3.01(e)(ii)(B)(III) .
1.02 Other Interpretive Provisions . With reference to this Agreement and each other Loan Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other Loan Document:
(a) The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words include , includes and including shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase without limitation. The word will shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word shall . Unless the context requires otherwise, (i) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document (including any Organization Document) shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein or in any other Loan Document), (ii) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Persons successors and assigns, (iii) the words hereto , herein , hereof and hereunder , and words of similar import when used in any Loan Document, shall be construed to refer to such Loan Document in its entirety and not to any particular provision thereof, (iv) all references in a Loan Document to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, the Loan Document in which such references appear, (v) any reference to any law shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing or interpreting such law and any reference to any law or regulation shall, unless otherwise specified, refer to such law or regulation as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, and (vi) the words asset and property shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.
23
(b) In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word from means from and including ; the words to and until each mean to but excluding ; and the word through means to and including .
(c) Section headings herein and in the other Loan Documents are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
1.03 Accounting Terms.
(a) Generally . All accounting terms not specifically or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all financial data (including financial ratios and other financial calculations) required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in conformity with, GAAP applied on a consistent basis, as in effect from time to time, applied in a manner consistent with that used in preparing the Audited Financial Statements, except as otherwise specifically prescribed herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of determining compliance with any covenant (including the computation of any financial covenant) contained herein, Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be deemed to be carried at 100% of the outstanding principal amount thereof, and the effects of FASB ASC 825 on financial liabilities shall be disregarded.
(b) Changes in GAAP . If at any time any change in GAAP would affect the computation of any financial ratio or requirement set forth in any Loan Document, and either the Borrower or the Required Lenders shall so request, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Borrower shall negotiate in good faith to amend such ratio or requirement to preserve the original intent thereof in light of such change in GAAP (subject to the approval of the Required Lenders); provided that , until so amended, (A) such ratio or requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to such change therein and (B) the Borrower shall provide to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders financial statements and other documents required under this Agreement or as reasonably requested hereunder setting forth a reconciliation between calculations of such ratio or requirement made before and after giving effect to such change in GAAP.
(c) Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities . All references herein to consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries or to the determination of any amount for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis or any similar reference shall, in each case, be deemed to include each variable interest entity that the Borrower is required to consolidate pursuant to FASB ASC 810 as if such variable interest entity were a Subsidiary as defined herein.
1.04 Rounding . Any financial ratios required to be maintained by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement shall be calculated by dividing the appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place more than the number of places by which such ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest number (with a rounding-up if there is no nearest number).
24
1.05 Times of Day . Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to times of day shall be references to Central time (daylight or standard, as applicable).
1.06 Letter of Credit Amounts . Unless otherwise specified herein, the amount of a Letter of Credit at any time shall be deemed to be the stated amount of such Letter of Credit in effect at such time; provided, however, that with respect to any Letter of Credit that, by its terms or the terms of any Issuer Document related thereto, provides for one or more automatic increases in the stated amount thereof, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be the maximum stated amount of such Letter of Credit after giving effect to all such increases, whether or not such maximum stated amount is in effect at such time.
ARTICLE II. THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS
2.01 Loans . Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Lender severally agrees to make loans (each such loan, a Loan ) to the Borrower from time to time, on any Business Day during the Availability Period, in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount of such Lenders Commitment; provided , however , that after giving effect to any Borrowing, (i) the Total Outstandings shall not exceed the lesser of (x) the Borrowing Base and (y) the Aggregate Commitments, and (ii) the Revolving Credit Exposure of any Lender shall not exceed such Lenders Commitment. Within the limits of each Lenders Commitment, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower may from time to time borrow under this Section 2.01 , prepay under Section 2.04 , and reborrow under this Section 2.01 . Loans may be Base Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans, as further provided herein.
2.02 Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans.
(a) Each Borrowing, each conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, and each continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be made upon the Borrowers irrevocable notice to the Administrative Agent, which may be given by telephone. Each such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 1:00 p.m. (i) three Business Days prior to the requested date of any Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans or of any conversion of Eurodollar Rate Loans to Base Rate Loans, and (ii) on the requested date of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans. Each telephonic notice by the Borrower pursuant to this Section 2.02(a) must be confirmed promptly by delivery to the Administrative Agent of a written Loan Notice, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower. Each Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof. Except as provided in Section 2.03(c) , each Borrowing of or conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof. Each Loan Notice (whether telephonic or written) shall specify (i) whether the Borrower is requesting a Borrowing, a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, (ii) the requested date of the Borrowing, conversion or continuation, as the case may be (which shall be a Business Day), (iii) the principal amount of Loans to be borrowed, converted or continued, (iv) the Type of Loans to be borrowed or to which existing Loans are to be converted, and (v) if applicable, the duration of the Interest Period with respect thereto. If the Borrower fails to specify a Type of Loan in a Loan Notice or if the Borrower fails to give a
25
timely notice requesting a conversion or continuation, then the applicable Loans shall be made as, or converted to, Base Rate Loans. Any such automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be effective as of the last day of the Interest Period then in effect with respect to the applicable Eurodollar Rate Loans. If the Borrower requests a Borrowing of, conversion to, or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans in any such Loan Notice, but fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an Interest Period of one month.
(b) Following receipt of a Loan Notice, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of the amount of its Applicable Percentage of the applicable Loans, and if no timely notice of a conversion or continuation is provided by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the details of any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans described in the preceding subsection. In the case of a Borrowing, each Lender shall make the amount of its Loan available to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds at the Administrative Agents Office not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in the applicable Loan Notice. Upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (and, if such Borrowing is the initial Credit Extension, Section 4.01 ), the Administrative Agent shall make all funds so received available to the Borrower in like funds as received by the Administrative Agent either by (i) crediting the account of the Borrower on the books of Bank of America with the amount of such funds or (ii) wire transfer of such funds, in each case in accordance with instructions provided to (and reasonably acceptable to) the Administrative Agent by the Borrower; provided , however , that if, on the date the Loan Notice with respect to such Borrowing is given by the Borrower, there are L/C Borrowings outstanding, then the proceeds of such Borrowing, first , shall be applied to the payment in full of any such L/C Borrowings, and second , shall be made available to the Borrower as provided above.
(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, a Eurodollar Rate Loan may be continued or converted only on the last day of an Interest Period for such Eurodollar Rate Loan. During the existence of a Default, no Loans may be requested as, converted to or continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans without the consent of the Required Lenders.
(d) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the interest rate applicable to any Interest Period for Eurodollar Rate Loans upon determination of such interest rate. At any time that Base Rate Loans are outstanding, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of any change in Bank of Americas prime rate used in determining the Base Rate promptly following the public announcement of such change.
(e) After giving effect to all Borrowings, all conversions of Loans from one Type to the other, and all continuations of Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than eight Interest Periods in effect with respect to Loans.
2.03 Letters of Credit.
(a) The Letter of Credit Commitment .
(i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (A) the L/C Issuer agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the Lenders set forth in this Section 2.03 , (1) from time to time on any Business Day during the period from the Closing Date until
26
the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, to issue Letters of Credit for the account of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries, and to amend or extend Letters of Credit previously issued by it, in accordance with subsection (b) below, and (2) to honor drawings under the Letters of Credit; and (B) the Lenders severally agree to participate in Letters of Credit issued for the account of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries and any drawings thereunder; provided that after giving effect to any L/C Credit Extension with respect to any Letter of Credit, (x) the Total Outstandings shall not exceed the lesser of (A) the Borrowing Base and (B) the Aggregate Commitments, (y) the Revolving Credit Exposure of any Lender shall not exceed such Lenders Commitment, and (z) the Outstanding Amount of the L/C Obligations shall not exceed the Letter of Credit Sublimit. Each request by the Borrower for the issuance or amendment of a Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be a representation by the Borrower that the L/C Credit Extension so requested complies with the conditions set forth in the proviso to the preceding sentence. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Borrowers ability to obtain Letters of Credit shall be fully revolving, and accordingly the Borrower may, during the foregoing period, obtain Letters of Credit to replace Letters of Credit that have expired or that have been drawn upon and reimbursed. All Existing Letters of Credit shall be deemed to have been issued pursuant hereto, and from and after the Closing Date shall be subject to and governed by the terms and conditions hereof.
(ii) The L/C Issuer shall not issue any Letter of Credit, if:
(A) subject to Section 2.03(b)(iii) , the expiry date of the requested Letter of Credit would occur more than twelve months after the date of issuance or last extension, unless the Required Lenders have approved such expiry date; or
(B) the expiry date of the requested Letter of Credit would occur after the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, unless all the Lenders have approved such expiry date.
(iii) The L/C Issuer shall not be under any obligation to issue any Letter of Credit if:
(A) any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain the L/C Issuer from issuing the Letter of Credit, or any Law applicable to the L/C Issuer or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over the L/C Issuer shall prohibit, or request that the L/C Issuer refrain from, the issuance of letters of credit generally or the Letter of Credit in particular or shall impose upon the L/C Issuer with respect to the Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital requirement (for which the L/C Issuer is not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Closing Date, or shall impose upon the L/C Issuer any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense which was not applicable on the Closing Date and which the L/C Issuer in good faith deems material to it;
27
(B) the issuance of the Letter of Credit would violate one or more policies of the L/C Issuer applicable to letters of credit generally;
(C) except as otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer, the Letter of Credit is in an initial stated amount less than $100,000;
(D) the Letter of Credit is to be denominated in a currency other than Dollars;
(E) any Lender is at that time a Defaulting Lender, unless the L/C Issuer shall have received Cash Collateral or otherwise has entered into arrangements satisfactory to the L/C Issuer (in its sole discretion) with the Borrower or such Lender to eliminate the L/C Issuers actual or potential Fronting Exposure (after giving effect to Section 2.15(a)(iv )) with respect to the Defaulting Lender arising from either the Letter of Credit then proposed to be issued or that Letter of Credit and all other L/C Obligations as to which the L/C Issuer has actual or potential Fronting Exposure; or
(F) the Letter of Credit contains any provisions for automatic reinstatement of the stated amount after any drawing thereunder.
(iv) The L/C Issuer shall not amend any Letter of Credit if the L/C Issuer would not be permitted at such time to issue the Letter of Credit in its amended form under the terms hereof.
(v) The L/C Issuer shall be under no obligation to amend any Letter of Credit if (A) the L/C Issuer would have no obligation at such time to issue the Letter of Credit in its amended form under the terms hereof, or (B) the beneficiary of the Letter of Credit does not accept the proposed amendment to the Letter of Credit.
(vi) The L/C Issuer shall act on behalf of the Lenders with respect to any Letters of Credit issued by it and the documents associated therewith, and the L/C Issuer shall have all of the benefits and immunities (A) provided to the Administrative Agent in Article IX with respect to any acts taken or omissions suffered by the L/C Issuer in connection with Letters of Credit issued by it or proposed to be issued by it and Issuer Documents pertaining to such Letters of Credit as fully as if the term Administrative Agent as used in Article IX included the L/C Issuer with respect to such acts or omissions, and (B) as additionally provided herein with respect to the L/C Issuer.
(b) Procedures for Issuance and Amendment of Letters of Credit; Auto-Extension Letters of Credit.
(i) Each Letter of Credit shall be issued or amended, as the case may be, upon the request of the Borrower delivered to the L/C Issuer (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) in the form of a Letter of Credit Application, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower. Such Letter of Credit Application may be sent by facsimile, by United States mail, by overnight courier, by electronic transmission using the system provided by the L/C Issuer, by personal delivery or by any other means
28
acceptable to the L/C Issuer. Such Letter of Credit Application must be received by the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. at least two Business Days (or such later date and time as the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer may agree in a particular instance in their sole discretion) prior to the proposed issuance date or date of amendment, as the case may be. In the case of a request for an initial issuance of a Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail satisfactory to the L/C Issuer: (A) the proposed issuance date of the requested Letter of Credit (which shall be a Business Day); (B) the amount thereof; (C) the expiry date thereof; (D) the name and address of the beneficiary thereof; (E) the documents to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; (F) the full text of any certificate to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; (G) the purpose and nature of the requested Letter of Credit; and (H) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may reasonably require. In the case of a request for an amendment of any outstanding Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail satisfactory to the L/C Issuer (A) the Letter of Credit to be amended; (B) the proposed date of amendment thereof (which shall be a Business Day); (C) the nature of the proposed amendment; and (D) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may reasonably require. Additionally, the Borrower shall furnish to the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent such other documents and information pertaining to such requested Letter of Credit issuance or amendment, including any Issuer Documents, as the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent may reasonably require.
(ii) Promptly after receipt of any Letter of Credit Application, the L/C Issuer will confirm with the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) that the Administrative Agent has received a copy of such Letter of Credit Application from the Borrower and, if not, the L/C Issuer will provide the Administrative Agent with a copy thereof. Unless the L/C Issuer has received written notice from any Lender, the Administrative Agent or any Loan Party, at least one Business Day prior to the requested date of issuance or amendment of the applicable Letter of Credit, that one or more applicable conditions contained in Article IV shall not then be satisfied, then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the L/C Issuer shall, on the requested date, issue a Letter of Credit for the account of the Borrower (or the applicable Subsidiary) or enter into the applicable amendment, as the case may be, in each case in accordance with the L/C Issuers usual and customary business practices. Immediately upon the issuance of each Letter of Credit, each Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the L/C Issuer a risk participation in such Letter of Credit in an amount equal to the product of such Lenders Applicable Percentage times the amount of such Letter of Credit.
(iii) If the Borrower so requests in any applicable Letter of Credit Application, the L/C Issuer may, in its sole discretion, agree to issue a Letter of Credit that has automatic extension provisions (each, an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit ); provided that any such Auto-Extension Letter of Credit must permit the L/C Issuer to prevent any such extension at least once in each twelve-month period (commencing with the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit) by giving prior notice to the beneficiary thereof not later than a day (the Non-Extension Notice Date ) in each such twelve-month period to be agreed upon at the time such Letter of Credit is issued. Unless otherwise directed by
29
the L/C Issuer, the Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to the L/C Issuer for any such extension. Once an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has been issued, the Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized (but may not require) the L/C Issuer to permit the extension of such Letter of Credit at any time to an expiry date not later than the Letter of Credit Expiration Date; provided , however , that the L/C Issuer shall not permit any such extension if (A) the L/C Issuer has determined that it would not be permitted, or would have no obligation, at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its revised form (as extended) under the terms hereof (by reason of the provisions of clause (ii) or (iii) of Section 2.03(a) or otherwise), or (B) it has received notice (which may be by telephone or in writing) on or before the day that is seven Business Days before the Non-Extension Notice Date (1) from the Administrative Agent that the Required Lenders have elected not to permit such extension or (2) from the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the Borrower that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.02 is not then satisfied, and in each such case directing the L/C Issuer not to permit such extension.
(iv) Promptly after its delivery of any Letter of Credit or any amendment to a Letter of Credit to an advising bank with respect thereto or to the beneficiary thereof, the L/C Issuer will also deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent a true and complete copy of such Letter of Credit or amendment.
(c) Drawings and Reimbursements; Funding of Participations .
(i) Upon receipt from the beneficiary of any Letter of Credit of any notice of a drawing under such Letter of Credit, the L/C Issuer shall notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent thereof. Not later than 11:00 a.m. on the date of any payment by the L/C Issuer under a Letter of Credit (each such date, an Honor Date ), the Borrower shall reimburse the L/C Issuer through the Administrative Agent in an amount equal to the amount of such drawing. If the Borrower fails to so reimburse the L/C Issuer by such time, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of the Honor Date, the amount of the unreimbursed drawing (the Unreimbursed Amount ), and the amount of such Lenders Applicable Percentage thereof. In such event, the Borrower shall be deemed to have requested a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans to be disbursed on the Honor Date in an amount equal to the Unreimbursed Amount, without regard to the minimum and multiples specified in Section 2.02 for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans, but subject to the amount of the unutilized portion of the Aggregate Commitments and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than the delivery of a Loan Notice). Any notice given by the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 2.03(c)(i) may be given by telephone if immediately confirmed in writing; provided that the lack of such an immediate confirmation shall not affect the conclusiveness or binding effect of such notice.
(ii) Each Lender shall upon any notice pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i) make funds available (and the Administrative Agent may apply Cash Collateral provided for this purpose) for the account of the L/C Issuer at the Administrative Agents Office in an amount equal to its Applicable Percentage of the Unreimbursed Amount not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in such notice by the Administrative Agent,
30
whereupon, subject to the provisions of Section 2.03(c)(iii) , each Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate Loan to the Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to the L/C Issuer.
(iii) With respect to any Unreimbursed Amount that is not fully refinanced by a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans because the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 cannot be satisfied or for any other reason, the Borrower shall be deemed to have incurred from the L/C Issuer an L/C Borrowing in the amount of the Unreimbursed Amount that is not so refinanced, which L/C Borrowing shall be due and payable on demand (together with interest) and shall bear interest at the Default Rate. In such event, each Lenders payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(ii) shall be deemed payment in respect of its participation in such L/C Borrowing and shall constitute an L/C Advance from such Lender in satisfaction of its participation obligation under this Section 2.03 .
(iv) Until each Lender funds its Loan or L/C Advance pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) to reimburse the L/C Issuer for any amount drawn under any Letter of Credit, interest in respect of such Lenders Applicable Percentage of such amount shall be solely for the account of the L/C Issuer.
(v) Each Lenders obligation to make Loans or L/C Advances to reimburse the L/C Issuer for amounts drawn under Letters of Credit, as contemplated by this Section 2.03(c) , shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against the L/C Issuer, the Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever; (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided , however , that each Lenders obligation to make Loans pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than delivery by the Borrower of a Loan Notice). No such making of an L/C Advance shall relieve or otherwise impair the obligation of the Borrower to reimburse the L/C Issuer for the amount of any payment made by the L/C Issuer under any Letter of Credit, together with interest as provided herein.
(vi) If any Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer any amount required to be paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.03(c) by the time specified in Section 2.03(c)(ii) , then, without limiting the other provisions of this Agreement, the L/C Issuer shall be entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to the L/C Issuer at a rate per annum equal to the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the L/C Issuer in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the L/C Issuer in connection with the foregoing. If such Lender pays such amount (with interest and fees as aforesaid), the amount so paid shall constitute such Lenders Loan included in the relevant Borrowing or L/C Advance in respect of the relevant L/C Borrowing, as the case
31
may be. A certificate of the L/C Issuer submitted to any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this clause (vi) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(d) Repayment of Participations .
(i) At any time after the L/C Issuer has made a payment under any Letter of Credit and has received from any Lender such Lenders L/C Advance in respect of such payment in accordance with Section 2.03(c) , if the Administrative Agent receives for the account of the L/C Issuer any payment in respect of the related Unreimbursed Amount or interest thereon (whether directly from the Borrower or otherwise, including proceeds of Cash Collateral applied thereto by the Administrative Agent), the Administrative Agent will distribute to such Lender its Applicable Percentage thereof in the same funds as those received by the Administrative Agent.
(ii) If any payment received by the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i) is required to be returned under any of the circumstances described in Section 10.05 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the L/C Issuer in its discretion), each Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer its Applicable Percentage thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount is returned by such Lender, at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect. The obligations of the Lenders under this clause shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
(e) Obligations Absolute . The obligation of the Borrower to reimburse the L/C Issuer for each drawing under each Letter of Credit and to repay each L/C Borrowing shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be paid strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under all circumstances, including the following:
(i) any lack of validity or enforceability of such Letter of Credit, this Agreement, or any other Loan Document;
(ii) the existence of any claim, counterclaim, setoff, defense or other right that the Borrower or any Subsidiary may have at any time against any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit (or any Person for whom any such beneficiary or any such transferee may be acting), the L/C Issuer or any other Person, whether in connection with this Agreement, the transactions contemplated hereby or by such Letter of Credit or any agreement or instrument relating thereto, or any unrelated transaction;
(iii) any draft, demand, certificate or other document presented under such Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent, invalid or insufficient in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect; or any loss or delay in the transmission or otherwise of any document required in order to make a drawing under such Letter of Credit;
32
(iv) waiver by the L/C Issuer of any requirement that exists for the L/C Issuers protection and not the protection of the Borrower or any waiver by the L/C Issuer which does not in fact materially prejudice the Borrower;
(v) honor of a demand for payment under a standby letter of credit presented electronically even if such Letter of Credit requires that demand be in the form of a draft;
(vi) any payment made by the L/C Issuer in respect of an otherwise complying item presented after the date specified as the expiration date of, or the date by which documents must be received under such Letter of Credit if presentation after such date is authorized by the UCC, the ISP or the UCP, as applicable;
(vii) any payment by the L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or certificate that does not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit; or any payment made by the L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit to any Person purporting to be a trustee in bankruptcy, debtor-in-possession, assignee for the benefit of creditors, liquidator, receiver or other representative of or successor to any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit, including any arising in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law; or
(viii) any other circumstance or happening whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, including any other circumstance that might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, the Borrower or any Subsidiary.
The Borrower shall promptly examine a copy of each Letter of Credit and each amendment thereto that is delivered to it and, in the event of any claim of noncompliance with the Borrowers instructions or other irregularity, the Borrower will immediately notify the L/C Issuer. The Borrower shall be conclusively deemed to have waived any such claim against the L/C Issuer and its correspondents unless such notice is given as aforesaid.
(f) Role of L/C Issuer . Each Lender and the Borrower agree that, in paying any drawing under a Letter of Credit, the L/C Issuer shall not have any responsibility to obtain any document (other than any sight draft, certificates and documents expressly required by the Letter of Credit) or to ascertain or inquire as to the validity or accuracy of any such document or the authority of the Person executing or delivering any such document. None of the L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent, any of their respective Related Parties nor any correspondent, participant or assignee of the L/C Issuer shall be liable to any Lender for (i) any action taken or omitted in connection herewith at the request or with the approval of the Lenders or the Required Lenders, as applicable; (ii) any action taken or omitted in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct; or (iii) the due execution, effectiveness, validity or enforceability of any document or instrument related to any Letter of Credit or Issuer Document. The Borrower hereby assumes all risks of the acts or omissions of any beneficiary or transferee with respect to its use of any Letter of Credit; provided , however , that this assumption is not intended to, and shall not, preclude the Borrowers pursuing such rights and remedies as it may have against the beneficiary or transferee at law or under any other agreement. None of the L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent, any of their respective Related Parties nor any correspondent, participant or assignee of the L/C Issuer shall be liable or responsible for any of the matters described in clauses (i)
33
through (viii) of Section 2.03(e) ; provided , however , that anything in such clauses to the contrary notwithstanding, the Borrower may have a claim against the L/C Issuer, and the L/C Issuer may be liable to the Borrower, to the extent, but only to the extent, of any direct, as opposed to consequential or exemplary, damages suffered by the Borrower which the Borrower proves were caused by the L/C Issuers willful misconduct or gross negligence or the L/C Issuers willful failure to pay under any Letter of Credit after the presentation to it by the beneficiary of a sight draft and certificate(s) strictly complying with the terms and conditions of a Letter of Credit. In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, the L/C Issuer may accept documents that appear on their face to be in order, without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, and the L/C Issuer shall not be responsible for the validity or sufficiency of any instrument transferring or assigning or purporting to transfer or assign a Letter of Credit or the rights or benefits thereunder or proceeds thereof, in whole or in part, which may prove to be invalid or ineffective for any reason. The L/C Issuer may send a Letter of Credit or conduct any communication to or from the beneficiary via the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication ( SWIFT ) message or overnight courier, or any other commercially reasonable means of communicating with a beneficiary.
(g) Applicability of ISP and UCP; Limitation of Liability . Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the L/C Issuer and the Borrower when a Letter of Credit is issued (including any such agreement applicable to an Existing Letter of Credit), (i) the rules of the ISP shall apply to each standby Letter of Credit, and (ii) the rules of the UCP shall apply to each commercial Letter of Credit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the L/C Issuer shall not be responsible to the Borrower for, and the L/C Issuers rights and remedies against the Borrower shall not be impaired by, any action or inaction of the L/C Issuer required or permitted under any law, order, or practice that is required or permitted to be applied to any Letter of Credit or this Agreement, including the Law or any order of a jurisdiction where the L/C Issuer or the beneficiary is located, the practice stated in the ISP or UCP, as applicable, or in the decisions, opinions, practice statements, or official commentary of the ICC Banking Commission, the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade - International Financial Services Association (BAFT-IFSA), or the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice, whether or not any Letter of Credit chooses such law or practice.
(h) Letter of Credit Fees . The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender in accordance, subject to Section 2.15(a)(iii)(B) and (C) , with its Applicable Percentage a Letter of Credit fee (the Letter of Credit Fee ) (i) for each commercial Letter of Credit equal to the Applicable Rate for commercial Letters of Credit times the daily amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit, and (ii) for each standby Letter of Credit equal to the Applicable Rate for standby Letters of Credit times the daily amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit. For purposes of computing the daily amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.06 . Letter of Credit Fees shall be (i) due and payable on the first Business Day after the end of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on demand and (ii) computed on a quarterly basis in arrears. If there is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the daily amount available to be drawn under each standby Letter of Credit shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately for each period during such quarter that such Applicable Rate was
34
in effect. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, upon the request of the Required Lenders, while any Event of Default exists, all Letter of Credit Fees shall accrue at the Default Rate.
(i) Fronting Fee and Documentary and Processing Charges Payable to L/C Issuer . The Borrower shall pay directly to the L/C Issuer for its own account a fronting fee (i) with respect to each commercial Letter of Credit, at the rate specified in the Fee Letter, computed on the amount of such Letter of Credit, and payable upon the issuance thereof, (ii) with respect to any amendment of a commercial Letter of Credit increasing the amount of such Letter of Credit, at a rate separately agreed between the Borrower and the L/C Issuer, computed on the amount of such increase, and payable upon the effectiveness of such amendment, and (iii) with respect to each standby Letter of Credit, at the rate per annum specified in the Fee Letter, computed on the daily amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit on a quarterly basis in arrears Such fronting fee shall be due and payable on the tenth Business Day after the end of each March, June, September and December in respect of the most recently-ended quarterly period (or portion thereof, in the case of the first payment), commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on demand. For purposes of computing the daily amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.06 . In addition, the Borrower shall pay directly to the L/C Issuer for its own account the customary issuance, presentation, amendment and other processing fees, and other standard costs and charges, of the L/C Issuer relating to letters of credit as from time to time in effect. Such customary fees and standard costs and charges are due and payable on demand and are nonrefundable.
(j) Conflict with Issuer Documents . In the event of any conflict between the terms hereof and the terms of any Issuer Document, the terms hereof shall control.
(k) Letters of Credit Issued for Subsidiaries . Notwithstanding that a Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder is in support of any obligations of, or is for the account of, a Subsidiary, the Borrower shall be obligated to reimburse the L/C Issuer hereunder for any and all drawings under such Letter of Credit. The Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of Letters of Credit for the account of Subsidiaries inures to the benefit of the Borrower, and that the Borrowers business derives substantial benefits from the businesses of such Subsidiaries.
2.04 Prepayments.
(a) The Borrower may at any time or from time to time voluntarily prepay Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that (i) the Borrower shall give notice of prepayment of any Eurodollar Rate Loans to the Administrative Agent, which notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. three Business Days prior to any date of any such prepayment; (ii) any prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof; and (iii) any prepayment of Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof or, in each case, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding. Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment and the Type(s) of Loans to be prepaid and, if Eurodollar Rate Loans are to be prepaid, the Interest
35
Period(s) of such Loans. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify each Lender of its receipt of each such notice, and of the amount of such Lenders Applicable Percentage of such prepayment. If such notice is given by the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein. Any prepayment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan shall be accompanied by all accrued interest on the amount prepaid, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05 . Subject to Section 2.15(a)(ii) , each such prepayment shall be applied to the Loans of the Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages.
(b) If for any reason the Total Outstandings at any time exceed the Aggregate Commitments then in effect, the Borrower shall immediately prepay Loans and/or Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations in an aggregate amount equal to such excess; provided , however , that the Borrower shall not be required to Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations pursuant to this Section 2.04(b) unless after the prepayment in full of the Loans the Total Outstandings exceed the Aggregate Commitments then in effect.
2.05 Termination or Reduction of Commitments. The Borrower may, upon notice to the Administrative Agent, terminate the Aggregate Commitments, or from time to time permanently reduce the Aggregate Commitments; provided that (i) any such notice shall be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. five Business Days prior to the date of termination or reduction, (ii) any such partial reduction shall be in an aggregate amount of $1,000,000 or any whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof, (iii) the Borrower shall not terminate or reduce the Aggregate Commitments if, after giving effect thereto and to any concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Total Outstandings would exceed the Aggregate Commitments, and (iv) if, after giving effect to any reduction of the Aggregate Commitments, the Letter of Credit Sublimit exceeds the amount of the Aggregate Commitments, such Sublimit shall be automatically reduced by the amount of such excess. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Lenders of any such notice of termination or reduction of the Aggregate Commitments. Any reduction of the Aggregate Commitments shall be applied to the Commitment of each Lender according to its Applicable Percentage. All fees accrued until the effective date of any termination of the Aggregate Commitments shall be paid on the effective date of such termination.
2.06 Repayment of Loans. The Borrower shall repay to the Lenders on the Maturity Date the aggregate principal amount of Loans outstanding on such date.
2.07 Interest.
(a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) below, (i) each Eurodollar Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to the Eurodollar Rate for such Interest Period plus the Applicable Rate; and (ii) each Base Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate.
(b)(i) If any amount of principal of any Loan is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise,
36
such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(ii) If any amount (other than principal of any Loan) payable by the Borrower under any Loan Document is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, then upon the request of the Required Lenders, such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(iii) Upon the request of the Required Lenders, while any Event of Default exists (other than as set forth in clauses (b)(i) and (b)(ii) above), the Borrower shall pay interest on the principal amount of all outstanding Obligations hereunder at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(iv) Accrued and unpaid interest on past due amounts (including interest on past due interest) shall be due and payable upon demand.
(c) Interest on each Loan shall be due and payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date applicable thereto and at such other times as may be specified herein. Interest hereunder shall be due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof before and after judgment, and before and after the commencement of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law.
2.08 Fees . In addition to certain fees described in subsections (h) and (i) of Section 2.03 :
(a) Commitment Fee . The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender in accordance with its Applicable Percentage, a commitment fee equal to the Applicable Fee Rate times the actual daily amount by which the Aggregate Commitments exceed the sum of (i) the Outstanding Amount of Loans and (ii) the Outstanding Amount of L/C Obligations, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 2.15(a)(iii) . The commitment fee shall accrue at all times during the Availability Period, including at any time during which one or more of the conditions in Article IV is not met, and shall be due and payable quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the Closing Date, and on the last day of the Availability Period. The commitment fee shall be calculated quarterly in arrears, and if there is any change in the Applicable Fee Rate during any quarter, the actual daily amount shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Fee Rate separately for each period during such quarter that such Applicable Fee Rate was in effect.
(b) Other Fees .
(i) The Borrower shall pay to the Arranger and the Administrative Agent for their own respective accounts fees in the amounts and at the times specified in the Fee Letter. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.
37
(ii) The Borrower shall pay to the Lenders such fees as shall have been separately agreed upon in writing in the amounts and at the times so specified. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.
2.09 Computation of Interest and Fees; Retroactive Adjustments of Applicable Rate.
(a) All computations of interest for Base Rate Loans (including Base Rate Loans determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate) shall be made on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as the case may be, and actual days elapsed. All other computations of fees and interest shall be made on the basis of a 360-day year and actual days elapsed (which results in more fees or interest, as applicable, being paid than if computed on the basis of a 365-day year). Interest shall accrue on each Loan for the day on which the Loan is made, and shall not accrue on a Loan, or any portion thereof, for the day on which the Loan or such portion is paid, provided that any Loan that is repaid on the same day on which it is made shall, subject to Section 2.11(a) , bear interest for one day. Each determination by the Administrative Agent of an interest rate or fee hereunder shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error.
(b) If, as a result of any restatement of or other adjustment to the financial statements of the Borrower or for any other reason, the Borrower or the Lenders determine that (i) the Leverage Ratio as calculated by the Borrower as of any applicable date was inaccurate and (ii) a proper calculation of the Consolidated Leverage Ratio would have resulted in higher pricing for such period, the Borrower shall immediately and retroactively be obligated to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable Lenders or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, promptly on demand by the Administrative Agent (or, after the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to the Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, automatically and without further action by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer), an amount equal to the excess of the amount of interest and fees that should have been paid for such period over the amount of interest and fees actually paid for such period. This paragraph shall not limit the rights of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, under Section 2.03(c)(iii) , 2.03(h) or 2.08(b) or under Article VIII . The Borrowers obligations under this paragraph shall survive the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment of all other Obligations hereunder.
2.10 Evidence of Debt.
(a) The Credit Extensions made by each Lender shall be evidenced by one or more accounts or records maintained by such Lender and by the Administrative Agent in the ordinary course of business. The accounts or records maintained by the Administrative Agent and each Lender shall be conclusive absent manifest error of the amount of the Credit Extensions made by the Lenders to the Borrower and the interest and payments thereon. Any failure to so record or any error in doing so shall not, however, limit or otherwise affect the obligation of the Borrower hereunder to pay any amount owing with respect to the Obligations. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by any Lender and the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error. Upon the request of any Lender made through the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Lender
38
(through the Administrative Agent) a Note, which shall evidence such Lenders Loans in addition to such accounts or records. Each Lender may attach schedules to its Note and endorse thereon the date, Type (if applicable), amount and maturity of its Loans and payments with respect thereto.
(b) In addition to the accounts and records referred to in subsection (a) above, each Lender and the Administrative Agent shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice accounts or records evidencing the purchases and sales by such Lender of participations in Letters of Credit. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by the Administrative Agent and the accounts and records of any Lender in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error.
2.11 Payments Generally; Administrative Agents Clawback.
(a) General . All payments to be made by the Borrower shall be made free and clear of and without condition or deduction for any counterclaim, defense, recoupment or setoff. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all payments by the Borrower hereunder shall be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the Administrative Agents Office in Dollars and in immediately available funds not later than 2:00 p.m. on the date specified herein. The Administrative Agent will promptly distribute to each Lender its Applicable Percentage (or other applicable share as provided herein) of such payment in like funds as received by wire transfer to such Lenders Lending Office. All payments received by the Administrative Agent after 2:00 p.m. shall be deemed received on the next succeeding Business Day and any applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue. If any payment to be made by the Borrower shall come due on a day other than a Business Day, payment shall be made on the next following Business Day, and such extension of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case may be.
(b)(i) Funding by Lenders; Presumption by Administrative Agent . Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing of Eurodollar Rate Loans (or, in the case of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, prior to 1:00 p.m. on the date of such Borrowing) that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lenders share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with Section 2.02 (or, in the case of a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, that such Lender has made such share available in accordance with and at the time required by Section 2.02 ) and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount in immediately available funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (A) in the case of a payment to be made by such Lender, the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the Administrative Agent in connection with the foregoing, and (B) in the case of a payment
39
to be made by the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to Base Rate Loans. If the Borrower and such Lender shall pay such interest to the Administrative Agent for the same or an overlapping period, the Administrative Agent shall promptly remit to the Borrower the amount of such interest paid by the Borrower for such period. If such Lender pays its share of the applicable Borrowing to the Administrative Agent, then the amount so paid shall constitute such Lenders Loan included in such Borrowing. Any payment by the Borrower shall be without prejudice to any claim the Borrower may have against a Lender that shall have failed to make such payment to the Administrative Agent.
(ii) Payments by Borrower; Presumptions by Administrative Agent . Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders or the L/C Issuer hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the Lenders or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, the amount due. In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the Lenders or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, in immediately available funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender or the Borrower with respect to any amount owing under this subsection (b) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.
(c) Failure to Satisfy Conditions Precedent . If any Lender makes available to the Administrative Agent funds for any Loan to be made by such Lender as provided in the foregoing provisions of this Article II , and such funds are not made available to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent because the conditions to the applicable Credit Extension set forth in Article IV are not satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms hereof, the Administrative Agent shall return such funds (in like funds as received from such Lender) to such Lender, without interest.
(d) Obligations of Lenders Several . The obligations of the Lenders hereunder to make Loans, to fund participations in Letters of Credit and to make payments pursuant to Section 10.04(c) are several and not joint. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan, to fund any such participation or to make any payment under Section 10.04(c) on any date required hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender of its corresponding obligation to do so on such date, and no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to so make its Loan, to purchase its participation or to make its payment under Section 10.04(c) .
(e) Funding Source . Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any Lender to obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner or to constitute a representation by any Lender that it has obtained or will obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner.
40
2.12 Sharing of Payments by Lenders . If any Lender shall, by exercising any right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of the Loans made by it, or the participations in L/C Obligations held by it resulting in such Lenders receiving payment of a proportion of the aggregate amount of such Loans or participations and accrued interest thereon greater than its pro rata share thereof as provided herein, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall (a) notify the Administrative Agent of such fact, and (b) purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans and subparticipations in L/C Obligations of the other Lenders, or make such other adjustments as shall be equitable, so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and other amounts owing them, provided that:
(i) if any such participations or subparticipations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations or subparticipations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest; and
(ii) the provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to (x) any payment made by or on behalf of the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement (including the application of funds arising from the existence of a Defaulting Lender), (y) the application of Cash Collateral provided for in Section 2.14 , or (z) any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans or subparticipations in L/C Obligations to any assignee or participant, other than an assignment to the Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof (as to which the provisions of this Section shall apply).
The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the Borrower rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.
2.13 Increase in Commitments.
(a) Request for Increase . Provided there exists no Default, upon notice to the Administrative Agent (which shall promptly notify the Lenders), the Borrower may from time to time, request an increase in the Aggregate Commitments by an amount (for all such requests) not exceeding $100,000,000; provided that any such request for an increase shall be in a minimum amount of $25,000,000. At the time of sending such notice, the Borrower (in consultation with the Administrative Agent) shall specify the time period within which each Lender is requested to respond (which shall in no event be less than ten Business Days from the date of delivery of such notice to the Lenders).
41
(b) Lender Elections to Increase . Each Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent within such time period whether or not it agrees to increase its Commitment and, if so, whether by an amount equal to, greater than, or less than its Applicable Percentage of such requested increase. Any Lender not responding within such time period shall be deemed to have declined to increase its Commitment.
(c) Notification by Administrative Agent; Additional Lenders . The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and each Lender of the Lenders responses to each request made hereunder. To achieve the full amount of a requested increase and subject to the approval of the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer, the Borrower may also invite additional Eligible Assignees to become Lenders pursuant to a joinder agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel.
(d) Effective Date and Allocations . If the Aggregate Commitments are increased in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower shall determine the effective date (the Increase Effective Date ) and the final allocation of such increase. The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the final allocation of such increase and the Increase Effective Date.
(e) Conditions to Effectiveness of Increase . As a condition precedent to such increase, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of each Loan Party dated as of the Increase Effective Date (in sufficient copies for each Lender) signed by a Responsible Officer of such Loan Party (x) certifying and attaching the resolutions adopted by such Loan Party approving or consenting to such increase, and (y) in the case of the Borrower, certifying that, before and after giving effect to such increase, (A) the representations and warranties contained in Article V and the other Loan Documents that are subject to materiality or Material Adverse Effect qualifications shall be true and correct in all respects, and the representations and warranties contained in Article V and the other Loan Documents that are not subject to materiality or Material Adverse Effect qualifications shall be true and correct in all material respects, in each case on and as of the Increase Effective Date, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they are true and correct to the extent provided above as of such earlier date, and except that for purposes of this Section 2.13 , the representations and warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 5.05 shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) , respectively, of Section 6.01 , and (B) no Default exists. The Borrower shall prepay any Loans outstanding on the Increase Effective Date (and pay any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05 ) to the extent necessary to keep the outstanding Loans ratable with any revised Applicable Percentages arising from any non-ratable increase in the Commitments under this Section.
(f) Conflicting Provisions . This Section shall supersede any provisions in Section 2.12 or 10.01 to the contrary.
2.14 Cash Collateral.
(a) Certain Credit Support Events . If (i) the L/C Issuer has honored any full or partial drawing request under any Letter of Credit and such drawing has resulted in an L/C Borrowing,
42
(ii) as of the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, any L/C Obligation for any reason remains outstanding, (iii) the Borrower shall be required to provide Cash Collateral pursuant to Section 8.02(c) , or (iv) there shall exist a Defaulting Lender, the Borrower shall immediately (in the case of clause (iii) above) or within two Business Days (in all other cases) following any request by the Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuer, provide Cash Collateral in an amount not less than the applicable Minimum Collateral Amount (determined in the case of Cash Collateral provided pursuant to clause (iv) above, after giving effect to Section 2.15(a)(iv) and any Cash Collateral provided by the Defaulting Lender).
(b) Grant of Security Interest . The Borrower, and to the extent provided by any Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lender, hereby grants to (and subjects to the control of) the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders, and agrees to maintain, a first priority security interest in all such cash, deposit accounts and all balances therein, and all other property so provided as collateral pursuant hereto, and in all proceeds of the foregoing, all as security for the obligations to which such Cash Collateral may be applied pursuant to Section 2.14(c) . If at any time the Administrative Agent determines that Cash Collateral is subject to any right or claim of any Person other than the Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuer as herein provided, or that the total amount of such Cash Collateral is less than the Minimum Collateral Amount, the Borrower will, promptly upon demand by the Administrative Agent, pay or provide to the Administrative Agent additional Cash Collateral in an amount sufficient to eliminate such deficiency. All Cash Collateral (other than credit support not constituting funds subject to deposit) shall be maintained in blocked deposit accounts at Bank of America. The Borrower shall pay on demand therefor from time to time all customary account opening, activity and other administrative fees and charges in connection with the maintenance and disbursement of Cash Collateral.
(c) Application . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, Cash Collateral provided under any of this Section 2.14 or Sections 2.03 , 2.15 or 8.02 in respect of Letters of Credit shall be held and applied to the satisfaction of the specific L/C Obligations, obligations to fund participations therein (including, as to Cash Collateral provided by a Defaulting Lender, any interest accrued on such obligation) and other obligations for which the Cash Collateral was so provided, prior to any other application of such property as may otherwise be provided for herein.
(d) Release . Cash Collateral (or the appropriate portion thereof) provided to reduce Fronting Exposure or to secure other obligations shall be released promptly following (i) the elimination of the applicable Fronting Exposure or other obligations giving rise thereto (including by the termination of Defaulting Lender status of the applicable Lender (or, as appropriate, its assignee following compliance with Section 10.06(b)(vi) )) or (ii) the determination by the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer that there exists excess Cash Collateral; provided , however , the Person providing Cash Collateral and the L/C Issuer may agree that Cash Collateral shall not be released but instead held to support future anticipated Fronting Exposure or other obligations.
43
2.15 Defaulting Lenders.
(a) Adjustments . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then, until such time as that Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender, to the extent permitted by applicable Law:
(i) Waivers and Amendments . Such Defaulting Lenders right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent with respect to this Agreement shall be restricted as set forth in the definition of Required Lenders and Section 10.01 .
(ii) Defaulting Lender Waterfall . Any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Article VIII or otherwise) or received by the Administrative Agent from a Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 10.08 shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first , to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second , to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the L/C Issuer hereunder; third , to Cash Collateralize the L/C Issuers Fronting Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender in accordance with Section 2.14 ; fourth , as the Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of any Loan in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent; fifth , if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to be held in a deposit account and released pro rata in order to (x) satisfy such Defaulting Lenders potential future funding obligations with respect to Loans under this Agreement and (y) Cash Collateralize the L/C Issuers future Fronting Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender with respect to future Letters of Credit issued under this Agreement, in accordance with Section 2.14 ; sixth , to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, the L/C Issuer as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender, the L/C Issuer against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lenders breach of its obligations under this Agreement; seventh , so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Borrower as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by the Borrower against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lenders breach of its obligations under this Agreement; and eighth , to such Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (x) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or L/C Borrowings in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share, and (y) such Loans were made or the related Letters of Credit were issued at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 were satisfied or waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of, and L/C Obligations owed to, all Non-Defaulting Lenders on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of, or L/C Obligations owed to, such Defaulting Lender until such time as all Loans and funded and unfunded participations in L/C Obligations are held by the Lenders pro rata in accordance with the Commitments hereunder without giving effect to Section 2.15(a)(iv) . Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay
44
amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post Cash Collateral pursuant to this Section 2.15(a)(ii) shall be deemed paid to and redirected by such Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto.
(iii) Certain Fees .
(A) No Defaulting Lender shall be entitled to receive any commitment fee payable under Section 2.08(a) for any period during which that Lender is a Defaulting Lender (and the Borrower shall not be required to pay any such fee that otherwise would have been required to have been paid to that Defaulting Lender.
(B) Each Defaulting Lender shall be entitled to receive Letter of Credit Fees for any period during which that Lender is a Defaulting Lender only to the extent allocable to its Applicable Percentage of the stated amount of Letters of Credit for which it has provided Cash Collateral pursuant to Section 2.14 .
(C) With respect to any Letter of Credit Fee not required to be paid to any Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (A) or (B) above, the Borrower shall (x) pay to each Non-Defaulting Lender that portion of any such fee otherwise payable to such Defaulting Lender with respect to such Defaulting Lenders participation in L/C Obligations that has been reallocated to such Non-Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (iv) below, (y) pay to the L/C Issuer the amount of any such fee otherwise payable to such Defaulting Lender to the extent allocable to such L/C Issuers Fronting Exposure to such Defaulting Lender, and (z) not be required to pay the remaining amount of any such fee.
(iv) Reallocation of Applicable Percentages to Reduce Fronting Exposure . All or any part of such Defaulting Lenders participation in L/C Obligations shall be reallocated among the Non-Defaulting Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages (calculated without regard to such Defaulting Lenders Commitment) but only to the extent that (x) the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 are satisfied at the time of such reallocation (and, unless the Borrower shall have otherwise notified the Administrative Agent at such time, the Borrower shall be deemed to have represented and warranted that such conditions are satisfied at such time), and (y) such reallocation does not cause the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposure of any Non-Defaulting Lender to exceed such Non-Defaulting Lenders Commitment. No reallocation hereunder shall constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder against a Defaulting Lender arising from that Lender having become a Defaulting Lender, including any claim of a Non-Defaulting Lender as a result of such Non-Defaulting Lenders increased exposure following such reallocation.
(v) Cash Collateral . If the reallocation described in clause (a)(iv) above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Borrower shall, without prejudice to any right or remedy available to it hereunder or under applicable Law, Cash Collateralize the L/C Issuers Fronting Exposure in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.14 .
45
(b) Defaulting Lender Cure . If the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer agree in writing that a Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender, the Administrative Agent will so notify the parties hereto, whereupon as of the effective date specified in such notice and subject to any conditions set forth therein (which may include arrangements with respect to any Cash Collateral), that Lender will, to the extent applicable, purchase at par that portion of outstanding Loans of the other Lenders or take such other actions as the Administrative Agent may determine to be necessary to cause the Loans and funded and unfunded participations in Letters of Credit to be held on a pro rata basis by the Lenders in accordance with their Applicable Percentages (without giving effect to Section 2.15(a)(iv) ), whereupon such Lender will cease to be a Defaulting Lender; provided that no adjustments will be made retroactively with respect to fees accrued or payments made by or on behalf of the Borrower while that Lender was a Defaulting Lender; and provided , further , that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no change hereunder from Defaulting Lender to Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lenders having been a Defaulting Lender.
ARTICLE III. TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY
3.01 Taxes.
(a) Payments Free of Taxes; Obligation to Withhold; Payments on Account of Taxes .
(i) Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document shall be made without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except as required by applicable Laws. If any applicable Laws (as determined in the good faith discretion of the Administrative Agent) require the deduction or withholding of any Tax from any such payment by the Administrative Agent or a Loan Party, then the Administrative Agent or such Loan Party shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding, upon the basis of the information and documentation to be delivered pursuant to subsection (e) below.
(ii) If any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent shall be required by the Code to withhold or deduct any Taxes, including both United States Federal backup withholding and withholding taxes, from any payment, then (A) the Administrative Agent shall withhold or make such deductions as are determined by the Administrative Agent to be required based upon the information and documentation it has received pursuant to subsection (e) below, (B) the Administrative Agent shall timely pay the full amount withheld or deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with the Code, and (C) to the extent that the withholding or deduction is made on account of Indemnified Taxes, the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after any required withholding or the making of all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01 ) the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such withholding or deduction been made.
(iii) If any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent shall be required by any applicable Laws other than the Code to withhold or deduct any Taxes from any payment,
46
then (A) such Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, as required by such Laws, shall withhold or make such deductions as are determined by it to be required based upon the information and documentation it has received pursuant to subsection (e) below, (B) such Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, to the extent required by such Laws, shall timely pay the full amount withheld or deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with such Laws, and (C) to the extent that the withholding or deduction is made on account of Indemnified Taxes, the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after any required withholding or the making of all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01 ) the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such withholding or deduction been made.
(b) Payment of Other Taxes by the Borrower . Without limiting the provisions of subsection (a) above, the Loan Parties shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for the payment of, any Other Taxes.
(c) Tax Indemnifications . (i) Each of the Loan Parties shall, and does hereby, jointly and severally indemnify each Recipient, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section 3.01 ) payable or paid by such Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to such Recipient, and any penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the Borrower by a Lender or the L/C Issuer (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender or the L/C Issuer, shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each of the Loan Parties shall, and does hereby, jointly and severally indemnify the Administrative Agent, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, for any amount which a Lender or the L/C Issuer for any reason fails to pay indefeasibly to the Administrative Agent as required pursuant to Section 3.01(c)(ii) below; provided , that , such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, shall indemnify the Borrower to the extent of any such payment the Borrower makes to the Administrative Agent pursuant to this sentence.
(ii) Each Lender and the L/C Issuer shall, and does hereby, severally indemnify, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, ( x ) the Administrative Agent against any Indemnified Taxes attributable to such Lender or the L/C Issuer (but only to the extent that any Loan Party has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Loan Parties to do so), ( y ) the Administrative Agent and the Loan Parties, as applicable, against any Taxes attributable to such Lenders failure to comply with the provisions of Section 10.06(d) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and ( z ) the Administrative Agent and the Loan Parties, as applicable, against any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, in each case, that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent or a Loan Party in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto,
47
whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, under this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this clause (ii) .
(d) Evidence of Payments . Upon request by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, after any payment of Taxes by the Borrower or by the Administrative Agent to a Governmental Authority as provided in this Section 3.01 , the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent or the Administrative Agent shall deliver to the Borrower, as the case may be, the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of any return required by Laws to report such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be.
(e) Status of Lenders; Tax Documentation .
(i) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 3.01(e)(ii)(A) , (ii)(B) and (ii)(D) below) shall not be required if in the Lenders reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.
(ii) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that the Borrower is a U.S. Person,
(A) any Lender that is a U.S. Person shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed originals of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;
48
(B) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:
(I) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the interest article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the business profits or other income article of such tax treaty;
(II) executed originals of IRS Form W-8ECI;
(III) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (x) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit G-1 to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not a bank within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, a 10 percent shareholder of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, or a controlled foreign corporation described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code (a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate ) and (y) executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN; or
(IV) to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, executed originals of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN, a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit G-2 or Exhibit G-3 , IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit G-4 on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner;
(C) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed originals of any other form prescribed by applicable law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding Tax,
49
duly completed, together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and
(D) if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lenders obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this clause (D), FATCA shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
(iii) Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered pursuant to this Section 3.01 expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.
(f) Treatment of Certain Refunds . Unless required by applicable Laws, at no time shall the Administrative Agent have any obligation to file for or otherwise pursue on behalf of a Lender or the L/C Issuer, or have any obligation to pay to any Lender or the L/C Issuer, any refund of Taxes withheld or deducted from funds paid for the account of such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be. If any Recipient determines that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by any Loan Party or with respect to which any Loan Party has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section 3.01 , it shall pay to the Loan Party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made, or additional amounts paid, by a Loan Party under this Section 3.01 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) incurred by such Recipient, and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund), provided that the Loan Party, upon the request of the Recipient, agrees to repay the amount paid over to the Loan Party (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) to the Recipient in the event the Recipient is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection, in no event will the applicable Recipient be required to pay any amount to the Loan Party pursuant to this subsection the payment of which would place the Recipient in a less favorable net after-Tax position than such Recipient would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts with respect to such Tax had never been paid. This subsection shall not be construed to require any Recipient to make available its tax returns (or any other information relating to its taxes that it deems confidential) to any Loan Party or any other Person.
50
(g) Survival . Each partys obligations under this Section 3.01 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender or the L/C Issuer, the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all other Obligations.
3.02 Illegality . If any Lender determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for any Lender or its Lending Office to make, maintain or fund Loans whose interest is determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate, or any Governmental Authority has imposed material restrictions on the authority of such Lender to purchase or sell, or to take deposits of, Dollars in the London interbank market, then, on notice thereof by such Lender to the Borrower through the Administrative Agent, (i) any obligation of such Lender to make or continue Eurodollar Rate Loans or to convert Base Rate Loans to Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended, and (ii) if such notice asserts the illegality of such Lender making or maintaining Base Rate Loans the interest rate on which is determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate, the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans of such Lender shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Administrative Agent without reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate, in each case until such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist. Upon receipt of such notice, (x) the Borrower shall, upon demand from such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), prepay or, if applicable, convert all Eurodollar Rate Loans of such Lender to Base Rate Loans (the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans of such Lender shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Administrative Agent without reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate), either on the last day of the Interest Period therefor, if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans to such day, or immediately, if such Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans and (y) if such notice asserts the illegality of such Lender determining or charging interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate, the Administrative Agent shall during the period of such suspension compute the Base Rate applicable to such Lender without reference to the Eurodollar Rate component thereof until the Administrative Agent is advised in writing by such Lender that it is no longer illegal for such Lender to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate. Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrower shall also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted.
3.03 Inability to Determine Rates . If the Required Lenders determine that for any reason in connection with any request for a Eurodollar Rate Loan or a conversion to or continuation thereof that (a) Dollar deposits are not being offered to banks in the London interbank eurodollar market for the applicable amount and Interest Period of such Eurodollar Rate Loan, (b) adequate and reasonable means do not exist for determining the Eurodollar Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan or in connection with an existing or proposed Base Rate Loan, or (c) the Eurodollar Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of funding such Loan, the Administrative Agent will
51
promptly so notify the Borrower and each Lender. Thereafter, (x) the obligation of the Lenders to make or maintain Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended, and (y) in the event of a determination described in the preceding sentence with respect to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate, the utilization of the Eurodollar Rate component in determining the Base Rate shall be suspended, in each case until the Administrative Agent (upon the instruction of the Required Lenders) revokes such notice. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower may revoke any pending request for a Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans or, failing that, will be deemed to have converted such request into a request for a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans in the amount specified therein.
3.04 Increased Costs; Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans.
(a) Increased Costs Generally . If any Change in Law shall:
(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended or participated in by, any Lender (except any reserve requirement contemplated by Section 3.04(e) ) or the L/C Issuer;
(ii) subject any Recipient to any Taxes (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes, (B) Taxes described in clauses (b) through (d) of the definition of Excluded Taxes and (C) Connection Income Taxes) on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto; or
(iii) impose on any Lender or the L/C Issuer or the London interbank market any other condition, cost or expense affecting this Agreement or Eurodollar Rate Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation therein;
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender of making, converting to, continuing or maintaining any Loan the interest on which is determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan), or to increase the cost to such Lender or the L/C Issuer of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit (or of maintaining its obligation to participate in or to issue any Letter of Credit), or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender or the L/C Issuer hereunder (whether of principal, interest or any other amount) then, upon request of such Lender or the L/C Issuer, the Borrower will pay to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b) Capital Requirements . If any Lender or the L/C Issuer determines that any Change in Law affecting such Lender or the L/C Issuer or any Lending Office of such Lender or such Lenders or the L/C Issuers holding company, if any, regarding capital or liquidity requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lenders or the L/C Issuers capital or on the capital of such Lenders or the L/C Issuers holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement, the Commitments of such Lender or the Loans made by, or participations in Letters of Credit held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by
52
the L/C Issuer, to a level below that which such Lender or the L/C Issuer or such Lenders or the L/C Issuers holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lenders or the L/C Issuers policies and the policies of such Lenders or the L/C Issuers holding company with respect to capital adequacy), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the L/C Issuer or such Lenders or the L/C Issuers holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c) Certificates for Reimbursement . A certificate of a Lender or the L/C Issuer setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or the L/C Issuer or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in subsection (a) or (b) of this Section and delivered to the Borrower shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.
(d) Delay in Requests . Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or the L/C Issuer to demand compensation pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.04 shall not constitute a waiver of such Lenders or the L/C Issuers right to demand such compensation, provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender or the L/C Issuer pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section for any increased costs incurred or reductions suffered more than nine months prior to the date that such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lenders or the L/C Issuers intention to claim compensation therefor (except that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the nine-month period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof).
(e) Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans . The Borrower shall pay to each Lender, as long as such Lender shall be required to maintain reserves with respect to liabilities or assets consisting of or including Eurocurrency funds or deposits (currently known as Eurocurrency liabilities), additional interest on the unpaid principal amount of each Eurodollar Rate Loan equal to the actual costs of such reserves allocated to such Loan by such Lender (as determined by such Lender in good faith, which determination shall be conclusive), which shall be due and payable on each date on which interest is payable on such Loan, provided the Borrower shall have received at least 10 days prior notice (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) of such additional interest from such Lender. If a Lender fails to give notice 10 days prior to the relevant Interest Payment Date, such additional interest shall be due and payable 10 days from receipt of such notice.
3.05 Compensation for Losses . Upon demand of any Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) from time to time, the Borrower shall promptly compensate such Lender for and hold such Lender harmless from any loss, cost or expense incurred by it as a result of:
(a) any continuation, conversion, payment or prepayment of any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period for such Loan (whether voluntary, mandatory, automatic, by reason of acceleration, or otherwise);
53
(b) any failure by the Borrower (for a reason other than the failure of such Lender to make a Loan) to prepay, borrow, continue or convert any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on the date or in the amount notified by the Borrower; or
(c) any assignment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period therefor as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 10.13 ;
including any loss of anticipated profits and any loss or expense arising from the liquidation or reemployment of funds obtained by it to maintain such Loan or from fees payable to terminate the deposits from which such funds were obtained. The Borrower shall also pay any customary administrative fees charged by such Lender in connection with the foregoing.
For purposes of calculating amounts payable by the Borrower to the Lenders under this Section 3.05 , each Lender shall be deemed to have funded each Eurodollar Rate Loan made by it at the Eurodollar Rate for such Loan by a matching deposit or other borrowing in the London interbank eurodollar market for a comparable amount and for a comparable period, whether or not such Eurodollar Rate Loan was in fact so funded.
3.06 Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.
(a) Designation of a Different Lending Office . If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04 , or requires the Borrower to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender, the L/C Issuer, or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender or the L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 3.01 , or if any Lender gives a notice pursuant to Section 3.02 , then at the request of the Borrower such Lender or the L/C Issuer shall, as applicable, use reasonable efforts to designate a different Lending Office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender or the L/C Issuer, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 3.01 or 3.04 , as the case may be, in the future, or eliminate the need for the notice pursuant to Section 3.02 , as applicable, and (ii) in each case, would not subject such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be, to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as the case may be. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender or the L/C Issuer in connection with any such designation or assignment.
(b) Replacement of Lenders . If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04 , or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01 and, in each case, such Lender has declined or is unable to designate a different lending office in accordance with Section 3.06(a) , the Borrower may replace such Lender in accordance with Section 10.13 .
3.07 Survival . All of the Borrowers obligations under this Article III shall survive termination of the Aggregate Commitments, repayment of all other Obligations hereunder, and resignation of the Administrative Agent.
54
ARTICLE IV. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CREDIT EXTENSIONS
4.01 Conditions of Initial Credit Extension . The obligation of the L/C Issuer and each Lender to make its initial Credit Extension hereunder is subject to satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:
(a) The Administrative Agents receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or telecopies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the signing Loan Party, each dated the Closing Date (or, in the case of certificates of governmental officials, a recent date before the Closing Date) and each in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders:
(i) executed counterparts of this Agreement and the Guaranty, sufficient in number for distribution to the Administrative Agent, each Lender and the Borrower;
(ii) a Note executed by the Borrower in favor of each Lender requesting a Note;
(iii) such certificates of resolutions or other action, incumbency certificates and/or other certificates of Responsible Officers of each Loan Party as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require evidencing the identity, authority and capacity of each Responsible Officer thereof authorized to act as a Responsible Officer in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party;
(iv) such documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require to evidence that each Loan Party is duly organized or formed;
(v) a favorable opinion of Thompson & Knight LLP, counsel to the Loan Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit F ;
(vi) a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower certifying (A) that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(a) and (b) have been satisfied, and (B) that there has been no event or circumstance since the date of the Audited Financial Statements that has had or could be reasonably expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect;
(vii) evidence that the Existing Credit Agreement has been or concurrently with the Closing Date is being terminated; and
(viii) such other assurances, certificates, documents, consents or opinions as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders reasonably may require.
(b) Any fees required to be paid on or before the Closing Date shall have been paid.
(c) Unless waived by the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall have paid all fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent (directly to such counsel if requested by the Administrative Agent) to the extent invoiced in detail not less than one Business Day prior to the Closing Date.
55
(d) The Closing Date shall have occurred on or before September 30, 2012.
Without limiting the generality of the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 9.03 , for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 4.01 , each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its objection thereto.
4.02 Conditions to all Credit Extensions . The obligation of each Lender to honor any Request for Credit Extension (other than a Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type, or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) is subject to the following conditions precedent:
(a) The representations and warranties of the Borrower and each other Loan Party contained in Article V or any other Loan Document that are subject to materiality or Material Adverse Effect qualifications shall be true and correct in all respects, and the representations and warranties contained in Article V and the other Loan Documents that are not subject to materiality or Material Adverse Effect qualifications shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the date of such Credit Extension, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct to the extent provided above as of such earlier date, and except that for purposes of this Section 4.02 , the representations and warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 5.05 shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) , respectively, of Section 6.01 .
(b) No Default shall exist, or would result from such proposed Credit Extension or from the application of the proceeds thereof.
(c) The Administrative Agent and, if applicable, the L/C Issuer shall have received a Request for Credit Extension in accordance with the requirements hereof.
Each Request for Credit Extension (other than a Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) submitted by the Borrower shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(a) and (b) have been satisfied on and as of the date of the applicable Credit Extension.
ARTICLE V. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
The Borrower represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders that:
5.01 Existence, Qualification and Power . Each Loan Party (a) is duly organized or formed, validly existing and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of
56
its incorporation or organization, (b) has all requisite power and authority and all requisite governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals to (i) own or lease its assets and carry on its business and (ii) execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and (c) is duly qualified and is licensed and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification or license; except in each case referred to in clause (b)(i) or (c) , to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.02 Authorization; No Contravention . The execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party of each Loan Document to which such Person is party, have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action, and do not and will not (a) contravene the terms of any of such Persons Organization Documents; (b) conflict with or result in any breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under, or require any payment to be made under (i) any Contractual Obligation to which such Person is a party or affecting such Person or the properties of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which such Person or its property is subject; or (c) violate any Law.
5.03 Governmental Authorization; Other Consents . No approval, consent, exemption, authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any Governmental Authority or any other Person is necessary or required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance by, or enforcement against, any Loan Party of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, except for filings required pursuant to securities Laws.
5.04 Binding Effect . This Agreement has been, and each other Loan Document, when delivered hereunder, will have been, duly executed and delivered by each Loan Party that is party thereto. This Agreement constitutes, and each other Loan Document when so delivered will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable against each Loan Party that is party thereto in accordance with its terms, except to the extent that enforceability may be limited by Debtor Relief Laws and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at Law.
5.05 Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect.
(a) The Audited Financial Statements (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; (ii) fairly present in all material respects the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; and (iii) show all material indebtedness and other liabilities, direct or contingent, of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof, including liabilities for taxes, material commitments and Indebtedness.
(b) The unaudited consolidated and consolidating balance sheets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries dated June 30, 2012, and the related consolidated and consolidating statements of income or operations, partners equity and cash flows for the fiscal quarter ended on that date
57
(i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein, and (ii) fairly present in all material respects the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby, subject, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii) , to the absence of footnotes and to normal year-end audit adjustments. There is no material indebtedness and other liabilities, direct or contingent, of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries not included in such financial statements, including liabilities for taxes, material commitments and Indebtedness.
(c) Since the date of the Audited Financial Statements, there has been no event or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.06 Litigation . There are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims or disputes pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower after due and diligent investigation, threatened or contemplated, at law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, by or against the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or against any of their properties or revenues that (a) purport to affect or pertain to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, or (b) except as specifically disclosed in Schedule 5.06 (as may be supplemented from time to time by the Borrower Notice by written notice to, and approval of, the Administrative Agent), either individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.07 No Default . Neither any Loan Party nor any Subsidiary thereof is in default under or with respect to any Contractual Obligation that could, either individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
5.08 Ownership of Property; Liens . Each of the Borrower and each Subsidiary has good record and defeasible title in fee simple to, or valid leasehold interests in, all real property necessary or used in the ordinary conduct of its business, except for such defects in title as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The property of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries is subject to no Liens, other than Liens permitted by Section 7.01 .
5.09 Environmental Compliance . The Borrower and its Subsidiaries conduct in the ordinary course of business a review of the effect of existing Environmental Laws and claims alleging potential liability or responsibility for violation of any Environmental Law on their respective businesses, operations and properties, and as a result thereof the Borrower has reasonably concluded that such Environmental Laws and claims could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.10 Insurance . The properties of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries are insured with financially sound and reputable insurance companies not Affiliates of the Borrower, in such amounts (after giving effect to any self-insurance compatible with the following standards), with such deductibles and covering such risks as are customarily carried by companies engaged in similar businesses and owning similar properties in localities where the Borrower or the applicable Subsidiary operates.
58
5.11 Taxes . The Borrower and its Subsidiaries have filed all Federal, state and other material tax returns and reports required to be filed, and have paid all Federal, state and other material taxes, assessments, fees and other governmental charges levied or imposed upon them or their properties, income or assets otherwise due and payable, except those which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and for which adequate reserves have been provided in accordance with GAAP. There is no proposed tax assessment against the Borrower or any Subsidiary that would, if made, have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither any Loan Party nor any Subsidiary thereof is party to any tax sharing agreement.
5.12 ERISA Compliance.
(a) Each Plan is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code and other Federal or state laws. Each Pension Plan that is intended to be a qualified plan under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service to the effect that the form of such Plan is qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code and the trust related thereto has been determined by the Internal Revenue Service to be exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(a) of the Code, or an application for such a letter is currently being processed by the Internal Revenue Service. To the best knowledge of the Borrower, nothing has occurred that would prevent or cause the loss of such tax-qualified status.
(b) There are no pending or, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, threatened claims, actions or lawsuits, or action by any Governmental Authority, with respect to any Plan that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. There has been no prohibited transaction or violation of the fiduciary responsibility rules with respect to any Plan that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(c)(i) No ERISA Event has occurred, and neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate is aware of any fact, event or circumstance that could reasonably be expected to constitute or result in an ERISA Event with respect to any Pension Plan; (ii) the Borrower and each ERISA Affiliate has met all applicable requirements under the Pension Funding Rules in respect of each Pension Plan, and no waiver of the minimum funding standards under the Pension Funding Rules has been applied for or obtained; (iii) as of the most recent valuation date for any Pension Plan, the funding target attainment percentage (as defined in Section 430(d)(2) of the Code) is 60% or higher and neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate knows of any facts or circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause the funding target attainment percentage for any such plan to drop below 60% as of the most recent valuation date; (iv) neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred any liability to the PBGC other than for the payment of premiums, and there are no premium payments which have become due that are unpaid; (v) neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has engaged in a transaction that could be subject to Section 4069 or Section 4212(c) of ERISA; and (vi) no Pension Plan has been terminated by the plan administrator thereof nor by the PBGC, and no event or circumstance has occurred or exists that could reasonably be expected to cause the PBGC to institute proceedings under Title IV of ERISA to terminate any Pension Plan.
59
(d) Neither the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate maintains or contributes to, or has any unsatisfied obligation to contribute to, or liability under, any active or terminated Pension Plan other than (A) on the Closing Date, those listed on Schedule 5.12(d) hereto and (B) thereafter, Pension Plans not otherwise prohibited by this Agreement.
5.13 Subsidiaries; Equity Interests . As of the Closing Date, the Borrower has no Subsidiaries other than those specifically disclosed in Part (a) of Schedule 5.13 , and all of the outstanding Equity Interests in such Subsidiaries have been validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned by a Loan Party in the amounts specified on Part (a) of Schedule 5.13 free and clear of all Liens other than Liens permitted under Section 7.01 . The Borrower has no equity investments in any other corporation or entity other than those specifically disclosed in Part (b) of Schedule 5.13 , as supplemented from time to time by the Borrower by written notice to the Administrative Agent. All of the outstanding Equity Interests in the Borrower have been validly issued, and are fully paid and non-assessable.
5.14 Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act.
(a) The Borrower is not engaged and will not engage, principally or as one of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U issued by the FRB), or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock. Following the application of the proceeds of each Borrowing or drawing under each Letter of Credit, not more than 25% of the value of the assets (either of the Borrower only or of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis) subject to the provisions of Section 7.01 or Section 7.05 or subject to any restriction contained in any agreement or instrument between the Borrower and any Lender or any Affiliate of any Lender relating to Indebtedness and within the scope of Section 8.01(e) will be margin stock.
(b) None of the Borrower, any Person Controlling the Borrower, or any Subsidiary is or is required to be registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
5.15 Disclosure . The Borrower has disclosed to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders all agreements, instruments and corporate or other restrictions to which it or any of its Subsidiaries is subject, and all other matters known to it, that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. No report, financial statement, certificate or other information furnished (whether in writing or orally) by or on behalf of any Loan Party to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder or under any other Loan Document (in each case, as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made taken as a whole, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Borrower represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.
5.16 Compliance with Laws . Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary thereof is in compliance in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs,
60
injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its properties, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted or (b) the failure to comply therewith, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.17 Taxpayer Identification Number . The Borrowers and the Guarantors true and correct U.S. taxpayer identification numbers are set forth on Schedule 10.02 .
5.18 Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc. The Borrower and its Subsidiaries own, or possess the right to use, all of the material trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, patents, patent rights, franchises, licenses and other intellectual property rights (collectively, IP Rights ) that are reasonably necessary for the operation of their respective businesses, without conflict with the rights of any other Person. To the best knowledge of the Borrower, no slogan or other advertising device, product, process, method, substance, part or other material now employed, or now contemplated to be employed, by the Borrower or any Subsidiary infringes upon any rights held by any other Person which, either individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No claim or litigation regarding any of the foregoing is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, threatened, which, either individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.19 Solvency. Each Loan Party is, individually and together with its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, Solvent.
5.20 Labor. There are no collective bargaining agreements or Multiemployer Plans covering the employees of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, and none of the Borrower or any Subsidiary is aware of any contemplated, threatened or pending strikes, walkouts, work stoppages or other material labor difficulty, in either case that could have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.21 Borrowing Base Report. The execution and delivery of a Borrowing Base Report pursuant to Section 6.01(c) shall in each instance constitute an agreement, representation and warranty by the Borrower to the Lenders that (a) all Inventory listed as Eligible Inventory therein satisfies the definition of such term herein and (b) all Receivables listed as Eligible Receivables therein satisfies the definition of such term herein.
ARTICLE VI. AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, any Loan or other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding, the Borrower shall, and shall (except in the case of the covenants set forth in Sections 6.01 , 6.02 , and 6.03 ) cause each Subsidiary to:
6.01 Financial Statements . Deliver to the Administrative Agent, in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:
(a) as soon as available, but in any event within 120 days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower (or, if earlier, 15 days after the date required to be filed with the SEC
61
(without giving effect to any extension permitted by the SEC)) (commencing with the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012), a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal year, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, changes in shareholders equity, and cash flows for such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail and prepared in accordance with GAAP, such consolidated statements to be audited and accompanied by a report and opinion of an independent certified public accountant of nationally recognized standing reasonably acceptable to the Required Lenders, which report and opinion shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and shall not be subject to any going concern or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit;
(b) as soon as available, but in any event within 45 days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Borrower (or, if earlier, 5 days after the date required to be filed with the SEC (without giving effect to any extension permitted by the SEC)) (commencing with the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2012), a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal quarter, the related consolidated statements of income or operations for such fiscal quarter and for the portion of the Borrowers fiscal year then ended, and the related consolidated statements of changes in shareholders equity, and cash flows for the portion of the Borrowers fiscal year then ended, in each case setting forth in comparative form, as applicable, the figures for the corresponding fiscal quarter of the previous fiscal year and the corresponding portion of the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail, such consolidated statements to be certified by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower as fairly presenting in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, shareholders equity and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, subject only to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes.
(c) as soon as available, but in any event within 30 days after the last day of each Fiscal Quarter, and at such other times as the Administrative Agent may request, a Borrowing Base Report setting forth a certification of Eligible Receivables and Eligible Inventory as of the last day of such Fiscal Quarter and such other date as may be specified in such other Borrowing Base Reports the Borrower may deliver to the Administrative Agent, and calculation of the Borrowing Base, including a reconciliation of the calculation of the Borrowing Base as certified in the most recent Borrowing Base Report delivered to the Administrative Agent, and accompanied by such documents and supporting information relating to Eligible Receivables and Eligible Inventory as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request, which may include, but is not limited to: a schedule of Eligible Receivables created, and Eligible Inventory purchased and received, since the previous Borrowing Base Report delivered to the Administrative Agent; copies of invoices and supporting delivery or service records in connection therewith; a schedule of collections received; copies of credit memos or other advices of credit or reductions against amounts previously billed. Each Borrowing Base Report shall bear a signed statement by an authorized officer of the Borrower certifying the accuracy and completeness of all information included therein and shall incorporate therein by reference, as if fully set forth therein, all the terms and provisions hereof; and
62
(d) contemporaneously with delivery of each Borrowing Base Report, and in any event within thirty (30) days after the end of each Fiscal Quarter, the Borrower shall furnish to the Administrative Agent an analysis of amounts owing on all accounts included within the Receivables, showing an aging as follows: (i) those aged 60 days or less from date of invoice, (ii) those aged over 60 days, but less than 91 days, from date of invoice, (ii) those aged over 90 days, but less than 121 days, from date of invoice, and (iii) those aged over 120 days from date of invoice. Such analysis shall include a listing of the name and complete address of each account debtor and such other information as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request.
As to any information contained in materials furnished pursuant to Section 6.02(d) , the Borrower shall not be separately required to furnish such information under subsection (a) or (b) above, but the foregoing shall not be in derogation of the obligation of the Borrower to furnish the information and materials described in subsections (a) and (b) above at the times specified therein.
6.02 Certificates; Other Information . Deliver to the Administrative Agent, in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:
(a) concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Sections 6.01(a) and (b) (commencing with the delivery of the financial statements for the Fiscal Quarter ended September 30, 2012), a duly completed Compliance Certificate signed by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower (which delivery may, unless the Administrative Agent, or a Lender requests executed originals, be by electronic communication including fax or email and shall be deemed to be an original authentic counterpart thereof for all purposes);
(b) promptly after any request by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, copies of any detailed audit reports, management letters or recommendations submitted to the board of directors (or the audit committee of the board of directors) of the Borrower by independent accountants in connection with the accounts or books of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any audit of any of them;
(c) promptly after the same are available, copies of each annual report, proxy or financial statement or other report or communication sent to the stockholders of the Borrower, and copies of all annual, regular, periodic and special reports and registration statements which the Borrower may file or be required to file with the SEC under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and not otherwise required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant hereto;
(d) promptly, and in any event within five Business Days after receipt thereof by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, copies of each notice or other correspondence received from the SEC (or comparable agency in any applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction) concerning any investigation or possible investigation or other inquiry by such agency regarding financial or other operational results of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof; and
(e) promptly, such additional information regarding the business, financial or corporate affairs of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of the Loan Documents, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may from time to time reasonably request.
63
Documents required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) or Section 6.02(d) (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which the Borrower posts such documents, or provides a link thereto on the Borrowers website on the Internet at the website address listed on Schedule 10.02 ; or (ii) on which such documents are posted on the Borrowers behalf on an Internet or intranet website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party website or whether sponsored by the Administrative Agent); provided that: (i) the Borrower shall deliver paper copies of such documents to the Administrative Agent or any Lender upon its request to the Borrower to deliver such paper copies and (ii) the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender (by facsimile or electronic mail) of the posting of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail electronic versions ( i.e. , soft copies) of such documents. The Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to request the delivery of or to maintain paper copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by the Borrower with any such request by a Lender for delivery, and each Lender shall be solely responsible for requesting delivery to it or maintaining its copies of such documents.
The Borrower hereby acknowledges that (a) the Administrative Agent and/or the Arranger may, but shall not be obligated to, make available to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer materials and/or information provided by or on behalf of the Borrower hereunder (collectively, Borrower Materials ) by posting the Borrower Materials on Debt Domain, IntraLinks, Syndtrak or another similar electronic system (the Platform ) and (b) certain of the Lenders (each, a Public Lender ) may have personnel who do not wish to receive material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its Affiliates, or the respective securities of any of the foregoing, and who may be engaged in investment and other market-related activities with respect to such Persons securities. The Borrower hereby agrees that (w) all Borrower Materials that are to be made available to Public Lenders shall be clearly and conspicuously marked PUBLIC which, at a minimum, shall mean that the word PUBLIC shall appear prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by marking Borrower Materials PUBLIC, the Borrower shall be deemed to have authorized the Administrative Agent, the Arranger, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders to treat such Borrower Materials as not containing any material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal and state securities laws ( provided , however , that to the extent such Borrower Materials constitute Information, they shall be treated as set forth in Section 10.07 ); (y) all Borrower Materials marked PUBLIC are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform designated Public Side Information; and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Arranger shall be entitled to treat any Borrower Materials that are not marked PUBLIC as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform not designated Public Side Information.
6.03 Notices . Promptly notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender:
(a) of the occurrence of any Default;
64
(b) of any matter that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, including (i) breach or non-performance of, or any default under, a Contractual Obligation of the Borrower or any Subsidiary; (ii) any dispute, litigation, investigation, proceeding or suspension between the Borrower or any Subsidiary and any Governmental Authority; or (iii) the commencement of, or any material development in, any litigation or proceeding affecting the Borrower or any Subsidiary, including pursuant to any applicable Environmental Laws;
(c) of the occurrence of any ERISA Event; and
(d) of any material change in accounting policies or financial reporting practices by the Borrower or any Subsidiary including any determination by the Borrower referred to in Section 2.09(b) .
Each notice pursuant to this Section 6.03 shall be accompanied by a statement of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower setting forth details of the occurrence referred to therein and stating what action the Borrower has taken and proposes to take with respect thereto. Each notice pursuant to Section 6.03(a) shall describe with particularity any and all provisions of this Agreement and any other Loan Document that have been breached.
6.04 Payment of Taxes . Pay and discharge as the same shall become due and payable, all tax liabilities, assessments and governmental charges or levies upon it or its properties or assets, unless the same are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and adequate reserves in accordance with GAAP are being maintained by the Borrower or such Subsidiary.
6.05 Preservation of Existence, Etc . (a) Preserve, renew and maintain in full force and effect its legal existence and good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its organization except in a transaction permitted by Section 7.04 or 7.05 ; (b) take all reasonable action to maintain all rights, privileges, permits, licenses and franchises necessary or desirable in the normal conduct of its business, except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (c) preserve or renew all of its registered patents, trademarks, trade names and service marks, the non-preservation of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
6.06 Maintenance of Properties . (a) Maintain, preserve and protect all of its material properties and equipment necessary in the operation of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted; (b) make all necessary repairs thereto and renewals and replacements thereof except where the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (c) use the standard of care typical in the industry in the operation and maintenance of its facilities.
6.07 Maintenance of Insurance . Maintain with financially sound and reputable insurance companies not Affiliates of the Borrower, insurance with respect to its properties and business against loss or damage of the kinds customarily insured against by Persons engaged in the same or similar business, of such types and in such amounts (after giving effect to any self-insurance compatible with the following standards) as are customarily carried under similar circumstances by such other Persons.
65
6.08 Compliance with Laws . Comply in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its business or property, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted; or (b) the failure to comply therewith could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
6.09 Books and Records . Maintain proper books of record and account, in which full, true and correct entries in conformity with GAAP consistently applied shall be made of all financial transactions and matters involving the assets and business of the Borrower or such Subsidiary, as the case may be.
6.10 Inspection Rights . Permit representatives and independent contractors of the Administrative Agent and each Lender to visit and inspect any of its properties, to examine its corporate, financial and operating records, and make copies thereof or abstracts therefrom, and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its directors, officers, and independent public accountants, all at such reasonable times during normal business hours and as often as may be reasonably desired, upon reasonable advance notice to the Borrower; provided , however , that when an Event of Default exists the Administrative Agent or any Lender (or any of their respective representatives or independent contractors) may do any of the foregoing at the expense of the Borrower at any time during normal business hours and without advance notice. Prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default, only one such inspection per Fiscal Year shall be at the expense of the Borrower.
6.11 Use of Proceeds . Use the proceeds of the Credit Extensions for general corporate purposes not in contravention of any Law or of any Loan Document.
6.12 Additional Guarantors. Notify the Administrative Agent at the time that any Person becomes a Domestic Subsidiary, and promptly thereafter (and in any event within 30 days), cause such Person to (a) become a Guarantor by executing and delivering to the Administrative Agent a counterpart of the Guaranty or such other document as the Administrative Agent shall deem appropriate for such purpose, and (b) deliver to the Administrative Agent documents of the types referred to in clauses (iii) and (iv) of Section 4.01(a) and upon request of the Administrative Agent, favorable opinions of counsel to such Person (which shall cover, among other things, the legality, validity, binding effect and enforceability of the documentation referred to in clause (a) ), all in form, content and scope reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
ARTICLE VII. NEGATIVE COVENANTS
So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, any Loan or other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding, the Borrower shall not, nor shall it permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly:
66
7.01 Liens . Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its property, assets or revenues, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, other than the following:
(a) Liens pursuant to any Loan Document;
(b) Intentionally Omitted;
(c) Liens for taxes not yet due or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person in accordance with GAAP;
(d) landlords carriers, warehousemens, mechanics, materialmens, repairmens or other like Liens arising in the ordinary course of business which are not overdue for a period of more than 30 days or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person;
(e) pledges or deposits in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security legislation, other than any Lien imposed by ERISA;
(f) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts and leases (other than Indebtedness), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(g) easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar encumbrances affecting real property which, in the aggregate, do not materially detract from the value of the property subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the applicable Person;
(h) Liens securing judgments for the payment of money not constituting an Event of Default under Section 8.01(h) ;
(i) Liens arising solely by virtue of any statutory or common law provision relating to bankers liens, rights of set-off or similar rights and remedies, or under general depository or brokerage agreements, and burdening only deposit or brokerage accounts or other funds and assets maintained with a creditor depository institution or brokerage; and
(j) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(d) ; provided that (i) such Liens do not at any time encumber any property other than the property financed by such Indebtedness and (ii) the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed the cost or fair market value, whichever is lower, of the property being acquired on the date of acquisition.
7.02 Investments . Make any Investments, except:
(a) Investments held by the Borrower or such Subsidiary in the form of cash equivalents and securities of the United States and certificates of deposit issued by commercial banks organized in the United States which have assets in excess of $1,000,000,000;
67
(b) advances to officers, directors and employees of the Borrower and Subsidiaries for travel, entertainment, relocation and analogous ordinary business purposes and loans to employees (who are not executive officers or the equivalent or directors) not to exceed $250,000 in aggregate amount outstanding at any time;
(c) Investments of the Borrower in any Guarantor and Investments of any Guarantor in the Borrower or in another Guarantor;
(d) Investments consisting of extensions of credit in the nature of accounts receivable or notes receivable arising from the grant of trade credit in the ordinary course of business, and Investments received in satisfaction or partial satisfaction thereof from financially troubled account debtors to the extent reasonably necessary in order to prevent or limit loss;
(e) Guarantees permitted by Section 7.03 ;
(f) Permitted Acquisitions; and
(g) other Investments not to exceed $5,000,000 in aggregate amount outstanding at any time.
7.03 Indebtedness . Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:
(a) Indebtedness under the Loan Documents;
(b) Guarantees of the Borrower or any Guarantor in respect of Indebtedness otherwise permitted hereunder of the Borrower or any other Guarantor;
(c) obligations (contingent or otherwise) of the Borrower or any Subsidiary existing or arising under any Swap Contract, provided that (i) such obligations are (or were) entered into by such Person in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of directly mitigating risks associated with liabilities, commitments, investments, assets, or property held or reasonably anticipated by such Person, or changes in the value of securities issued by such Person, and not for purposes of speculation or taking a market view; and (ii) such Swap Contract does not contain any provision exonerating the non-defaulting party from its obligation to make payments on outstanding transactions to the defaulting party;
(d) Indebtedness in respect of capital leases, Synthetic Lease Obligations and purchase money obligations for fixed or capital assets within the limitations set forth in Section 7.01(j) ; provided , however , that the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding shall not exceed $20,000,000;
(e) unsecured Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $150,000,000 at any time outstanding; provided that (i) such Indebtedness shall (A) be issued with a market rate of interest for companies of similar size and similar credit quality at such time, (B) not provide for any scheduled payment or prepayment of principal or redemption prior to 91 days after the Maturity Date, and (C) not contain covenants, terms or provisions materially more restrictive than the terms of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and (ii) no Default exists immediately before or after the issuance thereof ( Section 7.03(e) Indebtedness);
68
(f) Indebtedness of any Loan Party owing to another Loan Party; and
(g) unsecured Indebtedness not otherwise permitted pursuant to clauses (a) through (f) above not to exceed $10,000,000 in aggregate principal amount outstanding at any time.
7.04 Fundamental Changes . Merge, dissolve, liquidate, consolidate with or into another Person, or Dispose of (whether in one transaction or in a series of transactions) all or substantially all of its assets (whether now owned or hereafter acquired) to or in favor of any Person, except that, so long as no Default exists or would result therefrom:
(a) any Subsidiary may merge with (i) the Borrower, provided that the Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person, or (ii) any one or more other Subsidiaries, provided that when any Guarantor is merging with another Subsidiary, the Guarantor shall be the continuing or surviving Person; and
(b) any Subsidiary may Dispose of all or substantially all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Borrower or to another Subsidiary; provided that if the transferor in such a transaction is a Guarantor, then the transferee must either be the Borrower or a Guarantor; provided , further , notwithstanding the above, Aviation may Dispose of its airplane provided no Default exists at the time of such Disposition and such Disposition is for fair market value.
7.05 Dispositions . Make any Disposition or enter into any agreement to make any Disposition, except:
(a) Dispositions of obsolete, surplus or worn out property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, in the ordinary course of business;
(b) Dispositions of Inventory in the ordinary course of business;
(c) Dispositions of equipment or real property to the extent that (i) such property is exchanged for credit against the purchase price of similar replacement property or (ii) the proceeds of such Disposition are reasonably promptly applied to the purchase price of such replacement property;
(d) Dispositions of property by any Subsidiary to the Borrower or to a wholly-owned Subsidiary; provided that if the transferor of such property is a Guarantor, the transferee thereof must either be the Borrower or a Guarantor; and
(e) Dispositions permitted by Section 7.04 ; and
(f) Dispositions by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries not otherwise permitted under this Section 7.05 ; provided that (i) at the time of such Disposition, no Default shall exist or would result from such Disposition and (ii) the aggregate book value of all property Disposed of in reliance on this clause (f) in any Fiscal Year shall not exceed $5,000,000;
provided , however , that any Disposition pursuant to subsections (a) , (b) , (c) , (e) and (f) shall be for fair market value.
69
7.06 Restricted Payments . Declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, except that, so long as no Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of any action described below or would result therefrom:
(a) each Subsidiary may make Restricted Payments to the Borrower, the Guarantors and any other Person that owns an Equity Interest in such Subsidiary, ratably according to their respective holdings of the type of Equity Interest in respect of which such Restricted Payment is being made;
(b) the Borrower and each Subsidiary may declare and make dividend payments or other distributions payable solely in the common stock or other common Equity Interests of such Person;
(c) the Borrower and each Subsidiary may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire Equity Interests issued by it with the proceeds received from the substantially concurrent issue of new shares of its common stock or other common Equity Interests;
(d) the Borrower may declare or pay cash dividends to its stockholders; and
(e) purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire Equity Interests issued by it during any period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters not to exceed (i) $15,000,000 or (ii) if the Leverage Ratio is less than 2.00 to 1.00 (both before and after giving effect to such transaction on a pro-forma basis), an unlimited amount; provided that if the amount of all Equity Interests acquisitions exceeds the limitation set forth in subclause (i) of this clause (e) during any period during which the Leverage Ratio test in subclause (ii) of this clause (e) is met, such excess Equity Interests acquisitions shall not constitute an Event of Default if such Leverage Ratio is not met in any subsequent period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters.
7.07 Change in Nature of Business . Engage in any material line of business substantially different from those lines of business conducted by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the date hereof or any business substantially related or incidental thereto.
7.08 Transactions with Affiliates . The Borrower will not enter into any transaction with an Affiliate except in the ordinary course of business on terms no less favorable to the Borrower, nor more favorable to such Affiliate, than would be obtainable in a comparable arms length transaction with a Person who is not an Affiliate. The Borrower will not enter into any transaction with an Affiliate unless such transaction is specifically approved by the board of directors of the Borrower as being an arms length transaction on terms no less favorable to the Borrower, nor more favorable to such Affiliate, than would be obtainable in a comparable arms length transaction with a Person who is not an Affiliate.
7.09 Burdensome Agreements . Enter into any Contractual Obligation (other than this Agreement or any other Loan Document) that (a) limits the ability (i) of any Subsidiary to make dividends or other distributions to the Borrower or any Guarantor or otherwise transfer property to the Borrower or any Guarantor or (ii) of the Borrower or any Subsidiary to create, incur, assume or suffer to exist Liens on property of such Persons, provided , however , that this clause (ii) shall not prohibit any negative pledge incurred or provided (A) in favor of any holder
70
of Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(d) solely to the extent any negative pledge relates to property financed by or the subject of such indebtedness or, (B) as provided in the documents governing the Section 7.03(e) Indebtedness, (C) relating to property existing at the time of the acquisition thereof, so long as the restriction or condition relates only to the property so acquired, (D) in connection with a renewal, extension, refinancing, refund or replacement (or successive extensions, renewals, refinancings, refunds or replacements) of indebtedness issued under an agreement referred to in clauses (A) through (C) above, so long as the restrictions and conditions contained in any such renewal, extension, refinancing, refund or replacement agreement, taken as a whole, are not materially more restrictive that the restrictions and conditions contained in the original agreement, (E) constituting customary provisions restricting subletting or assignment of any leases of the Borrower or any Subsidiary or provisions in agreements that restrict the assignment of such agreement or any rights thereunder, (F) constituting restrictions on the sale or other disposition of any property securing indebtedness as a result of a Lien on such property permitted hereunder, (G) constituting customary restrictions on cash, other deposits or assets imposed by customers and other persons under contract entered into in the ordinary course of business, (H) constituting any restriction or condition with respect to property under an agreement that has been entered into for the disposition of such property, provided that such disposition is otherwise permitted hereunder, or (I) constituting any restriction or condition with respect to property under a charter, lease or other agreement that has been entered into for the employment of such property; or (b) requires the grant of a Lien to secure an obligation of such Person if a Lien is granted to secure another obligation of such Person, except as provided herein or in the documents governing any Section 7.03(e) Indebtedness.
7.10 Use of Proceeds . Use the proceeds of any Credit Extension, whether directly or indirectly, and whether immediately, incidentally or ultimately, to purchase or carry margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U of the FRB) or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock or to refund indebtedness originally incurred for such purpose.
7.11 Financial Covenants.
(a) Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio . Permit the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio as of the end of any Fiscal Quarter of the Borrower to be less than 2.00 to 1.00.
(b) Leverage Ratio . Permit the Leverage Ratio as of the end of any Fiscal Quarter to be greater than 3.50 to 1.00; provided , that the Leverage Ratio may not exceed 3.00 to 1.00 for more than two consecutive Fiscal Quarters of the Borrower.
7.12 Capital Expenditures. Make or become legally obligated to make any (a) Capital Expenditures other than Capital Expenditures related to the aluminum plant in an aggregate amount in excess of $40,000,000 for any Fiscal Year and (b) Capital Expenditures in respect of the aluminum plant during the period from January 1, 2012 through the Maturity Date in an aggregate amount in excess of $40,000,000.
7.13 Prepayments . Prepay, repurchase or defease any Indebtedness if at the time of such proposed prepayment, repurchase or defeasance or after giving effect thereto any Default or Event of Default shall exist and be continuing.
71
7.14 Amendments to Section 7.03(e) Indebtedness. The Borrower shall not change or permit any Subsidiary to change or amend or accept any waiver or consent with respect to, any document, instrument or agreement relating to any Section 7.03(e) Indebtedness which would result in such Section 7.03(e) Indebtedness no longer being in compliance with the requirements of the definition thereof set forth in Section 7.03(e) .
ARTICLE VIII. EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
8.01 Events of Default . Any of the following shall constitute an Event of Default:
(a) Non-Payment . The Borrower or any other Loan Party fails to pay (i) when and as required to be paid herein, any amount of principal of any Loan or any L/C Obligation, (ii) within three days after the same becomes due, any interest on any Loan or on any L/C Obligation or any fee due hereunder, or (iii) within five days after the same becomes due, any other amount due hereunder; or
(b) Specific Covenants . The Borrower fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in any of Section 6.01 , 6.02(a) , 6.03 , 6.05(a) , 6.10 , 6.11 or 6.12 or Article VII ; or
(c) Other Defaults . Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any other covenant or agreement (not specified in subsection (a) or (b) above) contained in any Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed and such failure continues for 30 days after the earlier of (i) the date on which written notice thereof has been given to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent at the request of any Lender and (ii) the date a Responsible Officer of the Borrower has knowledge of such failure; or
(d) Representations and Warranties . Any representation, warranty, certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party herein, in any other Loan Document, or in any document delivered in connection herewith or therewith shall be incorrect or misleading in any material respect (except that any representation or warranty that is qualified as to materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall be incorrect or misleading in any respect) when made or deemed made; or
(e) Cross-Default . (i) The Borrower or any Subsidiary (A) fails to make any payment when due (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand, or otherwise) in respect of any Indebtedness or Guarantee (other than Indebtedness hereunder and Indebtedness under Swap Contracts) having an aggregate principal amount (including undrawn committed or available amounts and including amounts owing to all creditors under any combined or syndicated credit arrangement) of more than $5,000,000, or (B) fails to observe or perform any other agreement or condition relating to any such Indebtedness or Guarantee or contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing, securing or relating thereto, or any other event occurs, the effect of which default or other event is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Indebtedness or the beneficiary or beneficiaries of such Guarantee (or a trustee or agent on behalf of such holder or holders or beneficiary or beneficiaries) to cause, with the giving of notice if required, such Indebtedness to be demanded or to become due or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise), or an offer to
72
repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such Indebtedness to be made, prior to its stated maturity, or such Guarantee to become payable or cash collateral in respect thereof to be demanded; or (ii) there occurs under any Swap Contract an Early Termination Date (as defined in such Swap Contract) resulting from (A) any event of default under such Swap Contract as to which the Borrower or any Subsidiary is the Defaulting Party (as defined in such Swap Contract) or (B) any Termination Event (as so defined) under such Swap Contract as to which the Borrower or any Subsidiary is an Affected Party (as so defined) and, in either event, the Swap Termination Value owed by the Borrower or such Subsidiary as a result thereof is greater than $5,000,000; or
(f) Insolvency Proceedings, Etc. Any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries institutes or consents to the institution of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or applies for or consents to the appointment of any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer for it or for all or any material part of its property; or any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer is appointed without the application or consent of such Person and the appointment continues undischarged or unstayed for 60 calendar days; or any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law relating to any such Person or to all or any material part of its property is instituted without the consent of such Person and continues undismissed or unstayed for 60 calendar days, or an order for relief is entered in any such proceeding; or
(g) Inability to Pay Debts; Attachment . (i) The Borrower or any Subsidiary becomes unable or admits in writing its inability or fails generally to pay its debts as they become due, or (ii) any writ or warrant of attachment or execution or similar process is issued or levied against all or any material part of the property of any such Person and is not released, vacated or fully bonded within 30 days after its issue or levy; or
(h) Judgments . There is entered against the Borrower or any Subsidiary (i) one or more final judgments or orders for the payment of money in an aggregate amount (as to all such judgments or orders) exceeding $5,000,000 (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance as to which the insurer does not dispute coverage), or (ii) any one or more non-monetary final judgments that have, or could reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect and, in either case, (A) enforcement proceedings are commenced by any creditor upon such judgment or order, or (B) there is a period of 30 consecutive days during which a stay of enforcement of such judgment, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect; or
(i) ERISA . (i) An ERISA Event occurs with respect to a Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan which has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in liability of the Borrower under Title IV of ERISA to the Pension Plan, Multiemployer Plan or the PBGC in an aggregate amount in excess of $5,000,000, or (ii) the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate fails to pay when due, after the expiration of any applicable grace period, any installment payment with respect to its withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA under a Multiemployer Plan in an aggregate amount in excess of $3,000,000; or
(j) Invalidity of Loan Documents . Any provision of any Loan Document, at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other than as expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder or satisfaction in full of all the Obligations, ceases to be in full force and
73
effect; or any Loan Party or any other Person contests in any manner the validity or enforceability of any material provision of any Loan Document; or any Loan Party denies that it has any or further liability or obligation under any Loan Document, or purports to revoke, terminate or rescind any provision of any Loan Document; or
(k) Change of Control . There occurs any Change of Control.
8.02 Remedies Upon Event of Default . If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Administrative Agent shall, at the request of, or may, with the consent of, the Required Lenders, take any or all of the following actions:
(a) declare the commitment of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions to be terminated, whereupon such commitments and obligation shall be terminated;
(b) declare the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon, and all other amounts owing or payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document to be immediately due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by the Borrower;
(c) require that the Borrower Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations (in an amount equal to the Minimum Collateral Amount with respect thereto); and
(d) exercise on behalf of itself, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer all rights and remedies available to it, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer under the Loan Documents;
provided , however , that upon the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to the Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, the obligation of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions shall automatically terminate, the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans and all interest and other amounts as aforesaid shall automatically become due and payable, and the obligation of the Borrower to Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations as aforesaid shall automatically become effective, in each case without further act of the Administrative Agent or any Lender.
8.03 Application of Funds . After the exercise of remedies provided for in Section 8.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and payable and the L/C Obligations have automatically been required to be Cash Collateralized as set forth in the proviso to Section 8.02 ), any amounts received on account of the Obligations shall, subject to the provisions of Sections 2.14 and 2.15 , be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following order:
First , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent and amounts payable under Article III ) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such;
74
Second , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal, interest and Letter of Credit Fees) payable to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the respective Lenders and the L/C Issuer and amounts payable under Article III ), ratably among them in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;
Third , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting accrued and unpaid Letter of Credit Fees and interest on the Loans, L/C Borrowings and other Obligations and fees, ratably among the Lenders and the L/C Issuer in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;
Fourth , to (a) payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans and L/C Borrowings, and (b) in respect of any amounts received as payments under the Guaranty, payments of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans and L/C Borrowings and any amounts due under a Swap Contract with a Hedge Bank, ratably among the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Hedge Banks, in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth held by them;
Fifth , with respect to any other amount received as payments under the Guaranty, to payments of amounts due under any Cash Management Agreement with any Cash Management Bank, ratably among the Cash Management Banks in proportion to the respective amounts described in clause Fifth held by them;
Sixth , to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer, to Cash Collateralize that portion of L/C Obligations comprised of the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit to the extent not otherwise Cash Collateralized by the Borrower pursuant to Sections 2.03 and 2.14 ; and
Last , the balance, if any, after all of the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to the Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.
Subject to Sections 2.03(c) and 2.14 , amounts used to Cash Collateralize the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit pursuant to clause Sixth above shall be applied to satisfy drawings under such Letters of Credit as they occur. If any amount remains on deposit as Cash Collateral after all Letters of Credit have either been fully drawn or expired, such remaining amount shall be applied to the other Obligations, if any, in the order set forth above.
ARTICLE IX. ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
9.01 Appointment and Authority . Each of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer hereby irrevocably appoints Bank of America to act on its behalf as the Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms hereof or thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, and neither the Borrower nor any other Loan Party shall have rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions. It is understood and agreed that the use of the term agent herein or in any other Loan Documents (or any other similar term) with
75
reference to the Administrative Agent is not intended to connote any fiduciary or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable Law. Instead such term is used as a matter of market custom, and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between contracting parties.
9.02 Rights as a Lender . The Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not the Administrative Agent and the term Lender or Lenders shall, unless otherwise expressly indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, include the Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder in its individual capacity. Such Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, own securities of, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of business with the Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if such Person were not the Administrative Agent hereunder and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders.
9.03 Exculpatory Provisions . The Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, and its duties hereunder shall be administrative in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent:
(a) shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing;
(b) shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that the Administrative Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents), provided that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may expose the Administrative Agent to liability or that is contrary to any Loan Document or applicable law, including for the avoidance of doubt any action that may be in violation of the automatic stay under any Debtor Relief Law or that may effect a forfeiture, modification or termination of property of a Defaulting Lender in violation of any Debtor Relief Law; and
(c) shall not, except as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity.
The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it (i) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in Sections 10.01 and 8.02 ) or (ii) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and non-appealable judgment. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until notice describing such Default is given in writing to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, a Lender or the L/C Issuer.
76
The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein or therein or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere herein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.
9.04 Reliance by Administrative Agent . The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request, certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper Person. The Administrative Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to have been made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. In determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, or the issuance, extension, renewal or increase of a Letter of Credit, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender or the L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender or the L/C Issuer unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender or the L/C Issuer prior to the making of such Loan or the issuance of such Letter of Credit. The Administrative Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Borrower), independent accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants or experts.
9.05 Delegation of Duties . The Administrative Agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agents except to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and non-appealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agents.
77
9.06 Resignation of Administrative Agent.
(a) The Administrative Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Borrower. Upon receipt of any such notice of resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with the Borrower, to appoint a successor, which shall be a bank with an office in the United States, or an Affiliate of any such bank with an office in the United States. If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation (or such earlier day as shall be agreed by the Required Lenders) (the Resignation Effective Date ), then the retiring Administrative Agent may (but shall not be obligated to) on behalf of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, appoint a successor Administrative Agent meeting the qualifications set forth above. Whether or not a successor has been appointed, such resignation shall become effective in accordance with such notice on the Resignation Effective Date.
(b) If the Person serving as Administrative Agent is a Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (d) of the definition thereof, the Required Lenders may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, by notice in writing to the Borrower and such Person remove such Person as Administrative Agent and, in consultation with the Borrower, appoint a successor. If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days (or such earlier day as shall be agreed by the Required Lenders) (the Removal Effective Date ), then such removal shall nonetheless become effective in accordance with such notice on the Removal Effective Date.
(c) With effect from the Resignation Effective Date or the Removal Effective Date (as applicable) (1) the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and (2) except for any indemnity payments or other amounts then owed to the retiring or removed Administrative Agent, all payments, communications and determinations provided to be made by, to or through the Administrative Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender and the L/C Issuer directly, until such time, if any, as the Required Lenders appoint a successor Administrative Agent as provided for above. Upon the acceptance of a successors appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or removed) Administrative Agent (other than as provided in Section 3.01(g) and other than any rights to indemnity payments or other amounts owed to the retiring or removed Administrative Agent as of the Resignation Effective Date or the Removal Effective Date, as applicable), and the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this Section). The fees payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Borrower and such successor. After the retiring or removed Administrative Agents resignation or removal hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the provisions of this Article and Section 10.04 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring or removed Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring or removed Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent.
78
(d) Any resignation by Bank of America as Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section shall also constitute its resignation as L/C Issuer. If Bank of America resigns as an L/C Issuer, it shall retain all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the L/C Issuer hereunder with respect to all Letters of Credit outstanding as of the effective date of its resignation as L/C Issuer and all L/C Obligations with respect thereto, including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in Unreimbursed Amounts pursuant to Section 2.03(c) . Upon the appointment by the Borrower of a successor L/C Issuer hereunder (which successor shall in all cases be a Lender other than a Defaulting Lender), (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer, (b) the retiring L/C Issuer shall be discharged from all of their respective duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents, and (c) the successor L/C Issuer shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to Bank of America to effectively assume the obligations of Bank of America with respect to such Letters of Credit.
9.07 Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders . Each Lender and the L/C Issuer acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
9.08 No Other Duties, Etc . Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, none of the Bookrunners, Arrangers or [other titles as necessary] listed on the cover page hereof shall have any powers, duties or responsibilities under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, except in its capacity, as applicable, as the Administrative Agent, a Lender or the L/C Issuer hereunder.
9.09 Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim. In case of the pendency of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or any other judicial proceeding relative to any Loan Party, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan or L/C Obligation shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise
(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans, L/C Obligations and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent and their respective agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.03(i) and (j) , 2.08 and 10.04 ) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and
79
(b) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender and the L/C Issuer to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Administrative Agent and its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.08 and 10.04 .
Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender or the L/C Issuer any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or the L/C Issuer to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender or the L/C Issuer in any such proceeding.
9.10 Guaranty Matters. Without limiting the provisions of Section 9.09 , the Lenders and the L/C Issuer irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its discretion,
(a) to subordinate any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document to the holder of any Lien on such property that is permitted by Section 7.01(j) ; and
(b) to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty if such Person ceases to be a Subsidiary as a result of a transaction permitted under the Loan Documents.
Upon request by the Administrative Agent at any time, the Required Lenders will confirm in writing the Administrative Agents authority to release or subordinate its interest in particular types or items of property, or to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty pursuant to this Section 9.10 .
ARTICLE X. MISCELLANEOUS
10.01 Amendments, Etc. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, and no consent to any departure by the Borrower or any other Loan Party therefrom, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the Required Lenders and the Borrower or the applicable Loan Party, as the case may be, and acknowledged by the Administrative Agent, and each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given; provided , however , that no such amendment, waiver or consent shall:
80
(a) waive any condition set forth in Section 4.01(a) without the written consent of each Lender;
(b) extend or increase the Commitment of any Lender (or reinstate any Commitment terminated pursuant to Section 8.02 ) without the written consent of such Lender;
(c) postpone any date fixed by this Agreement or any other Loan Document for any payment (excluding mandatory prepayments) of principal, interest, fees or other amounts due to the Lenders (or any of them) hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby;
(d) reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest specified herein on, any Loan or L/C Borrowing, or (subject to clause (iii) of the second proviso to this Section 10.01 ) any fees or other amounts payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby; provided , however , that only the consent of the Required Lenders shall be necessary (i) to amend the definition of Default Rate or to waive any obligation of the Borrower to pay interest or Letter of Credit Fees at the Default Rate or (ii) to amend any financial covenant hereunder (or any defined term used therein) even if the effect of such amendment would be to reduce the rate of interest on any Loan or L/C Borrowing or to reduce any fee payable hereunder;
(e) change Section 8.03 in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby without the written consent of each Lender;
(f) change any provision of this Section or the definition of Required Lenders or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to amend, waive or otherwise modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender; or
(g) release, except to the extent the release of any Guarantor is permitted pursuant to Section 9.10 (in which case such release may be made by the Administrative Agent acting alone);
and, provided further , that (i) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the L/C Issuer in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the L/C Issuer under this Agreement or any Issuer Document relating to any Letter of Credit issued or to be issued by it; (ii) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Administrative Agent in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; and (iii) the Fee Letter may be amended, or rights or privileges thereunder waived, in a writing executed only by the parties thereto. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder (and any amendment, waiver or consent which by its terms requires the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender may be effected with the consent of the applicable Lenders other than Defaulting Lenders), except that (x) the Commitment of any Defaulting Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent of such Lender and (y) any waiver, amendment or modification requiring the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender that by its terms affects any Defaulting Lender disproportionately adversely relative to other affected Lenders shall require the consent of such Defaulting Lender.
81
10.02 Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communication.
(a) Notices Generally . Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and except as provided in subsection (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by facsimile as follows, and all notices and other communications expressly permitted hereunder to be given by telephone shall be made to the applicable telephone number, as follows:
(i) if to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuer, to the address, facsimile number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified for such Person on Schedule 10.02 ; and
(ii) if to any other Lender, to the address, facsimile number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified in its Administrative Questionnaire (including, as appropriate, notices delivered solely to the Person designated by a Lender on its Administrative Questionnaire then in effect for the delivery of notices that may contain material non-public information relating to the Borrower).
Notices and other communications sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices and other communications sent by facsimile shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient). Notices and other communications delivered through electronic communications to the extent provided in subsection (b) below, shall be effective as provided in such subsection (b) .
(b) Electronic Communications . Notices and other communications to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communication (including e-mail and Internet or intranet websites) pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent, provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices to any Lender or the L/C Issuer pursuant to Article II if such Lender or the L/C Issuer, as applicable, has notified the Administrative Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such Article by electronic communication. The Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or the Borrower may each, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it, provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.
Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the senders receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the return receipt requested function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement), and (ii) notices or communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing
82
clause (i) of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor; provided that, for both clauses (i) and (ii), if such notice, email or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice, email or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient.
(c) The Platform . THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED AS IS AND AS AVAILABLE. THE AGENT PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE PLATFORM, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM THE BORROWER MATERIALS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY ANY AGENT PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE PLATFORM. In no event shall the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties (collectively, the Agent Parties ) have any liability to the Borrower, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or any other Person for losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses of any kind (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) arising out of the Borrowers, any Loan Partys or the Administrative Agents transmission of Borrower Materials through the Internet, except to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and non-appealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Agent Party.
(d) Change of Address, Etc . Each of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer may change its address, facsimile or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto. Each other Lender may change its address, facsimile or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer. In addition, each Lender agrees to notify the Administrative Agent from time to time to ensure that the Administrative Agent has on record (i) an effective address, contact name, telephone number, facsimile number and electronic mail address to which notices and other communications may be sent and (ii) accurate wire instructions for such Lender. Furthermore, each Public Lender agrees to cause at least one individual at or on behalf of such Public Lender to at all times have selected the Private Side Information or similar designation on the content declaration screen of the Platform in order to enable such Public Lender or its delegate, in accordance with such Public Lenders compliance procedures and applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws, to make reference to Borrower Materials that are not made available through the Public Side Information portion of the Platform and that may contain material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal or state securities laws.
(e) Reliance by Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and Lenders . The Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders shall be entitled to rely and act upon any notices (including telephonic or electronic Loan Notices and Letter of Credit Applications) purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower even if (i) such notices were not made in a manner specified herein, were incomplete or were not preceded or followed by any other form of notice
83
specified herein, or (ii) the terms thereof, as understood by the recipient, varied from any confirmation thereof. The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer, each Lender and the Related Parties of each of them from all losses, costs, expenses and liabilities resulting from the reliance by such Person on each notice purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower. All telephonic notices to and other telephonic communications with the Administrative Agent may be recorded by the Administrative Agent, and each of the parties hereto hereby consents to such recording.
10.03 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement . No failure by any Lender, the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent to exercise, and no delay by any such Person in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided, and provided under each other Loan Document, are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by law.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or in any other Loan Document, the authority to enforce rights and remedies hereunder and under the other Loan Documents against the Loan Parties or any of them shall be vested exclusively in, and all actions and proceedings at law in connection with such enforcement shall be instituted and maintained exclusively by, the Administrative Agent in accordance with Section 8.02 for the benefit of all the Lenders and the L/C Issuer; provided , however , that the foregoing shall not prohibit (a) the Administrative Agent from exercising on its own behalf the rights and remedies that inure to its benefit (solely in its capacity as Administrative Agent) hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, (b) the L/C Issuer from exercising the rights and remedies that inure to its benefit (solely in its capacity as L/C Issuer) hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, (c) any Lender from exercising setoff rights in accordance with Section 10.08 (subject to the terms of Section 2.12 ), or (d) any Lender from filing proofs of claim or appearing and filing pleadings on its own behalf during the pendency of a proceeding relative to any Loan Party under any Debtor Relief Law; and provided , further , that if at any time there is no Person acting as Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, then (i) the Required Lenders shall have the rights otherwise ascribed to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 8.02 and (ii) in addition to the matters set forth in clauses (b) , (c) and (d) of the preceding proviso and subject to Section 2.12 , any Lender may, with the consent of the Required Lenders, enforce any rights and remedies available to it and as authorized by the Required Lenders.
10.04 Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver.
(a) Costs and Expenses . The Borrower shall pay (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent), in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation, negotiation, execution, delivery and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), (ii) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the L/C Issuer in connection with the issuance, amendment,
84
renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or any demand for payment thereunder and (iii) all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer), in connection with the enforcement or protection of its rights (A) in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section, or (B) in connection with the Loans made or Letters of Credit issued hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans or Letters of Credit.
(b) Indemnification by the Borrower . The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof), each Lender and the L/C Issuer, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an Indemnitee ) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and related expenses (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee), incurred by any Indemnitee or asserted against any Indemnitee by any Person (including the Borrower or any other Loan Party) other than such Indemnitee and its Related Parties arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or thereunder, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or, in the case of the Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof) and its Related Parties only, the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including in respect of any matters addressed in Section 3.01), (ii) any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by the L/C Issuer to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (iii) any actual or alleged presence or release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or (iv) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory, whether brought by a third party or by the Borrower or any other Loan Party, and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto , IN ALL CASES, WHETHER OR NOT CAUSED BY OR ARISING, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, OUT OF THE COMPARATIVE, CONTRIBUTORY OR SOLE NEGLIGENCE OF THE INDEMNITEE; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses (x) are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and non-appealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee or (y) result from a claim brought by the Borrower or any other Loan Party against an Indemnitee for breach in bad faith of such Indemnitees obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document, if the Borrower or such Loan Party has obtained a final and non-appealable judgment in its favor on such claim as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. Without limiting the provisions of Section 3.01(c), this Section 10.4(b) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses, claims, damages, etc. arising from any non-Tax claim.
(c) Reimbursement by Lenders . To the extent that the Borrower for any reason fails to indefeasibly pay any amount required under subsection (a) or (b) of this Section to be paid by it to the Administrative Agent (or any sub-agent thereof), the L/C Issuer or any Related Party of
85
any of the foregoing, each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent), the L/C Issuer or such Related Party, as the case may be, such Lenders pro rata share (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought based on each Lenders share of the Total Credit Exposure at such time) of such unpaid amount (including any such unpaid amount in respect of a claim asserted by such Lender), such payment to be made severally among them based on such Lenders Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought), provided, further that, the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage, liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent), the L/C Issuer in its capacity as such, or against any Related Party of any of the foregoing acting for the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent), the L/C Issuer in connection with such capacity. The obligations of the Lenders under this subsection (c) are subject to the provisions of Section 2.11(d) .
(d) Waiver of Consequential Damages, Etc. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each party hereto shall not assert, and hereby waives, and acknowledges that no other Person shall have, any claim against any Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds thereof. No Indemnitee referred to in subsection (b) above shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of any information or other materials distributed to such unintended recipients by such Indemnitee through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby other than for direct or actual damages resulting from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee as determined by a final and non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(e) Payments . All amounts due under this Section shall be payable not later than ten Business Days after demand therefor provided such demand shall be accompanied by a reasonably detailed invoice outlining the costs and expenses to be reimbursed.
(f) Survival . The agreements in this Section and the indemnity provisions of Section 10.02(e) shall survive the resignation of the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuer, the replacement of any Lender, the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all the other Obligations.
10.05 Payments Set Aside . To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of the Borrower is made to the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender, or the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender exercises its right of setoff, and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or such Lender in its discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect
86
as if such payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred, and (b) each Lender and the L/C Issuer severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent upon demand its applicable share (without duplication) of any amount so recovered from or repaid by the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such payment is made at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect. The obligations of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
10.06 Successors and Assigns.
(a) Successors and Assigns Generally . The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and each Lender and no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder except (i) to an assignee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section, (ii) by way of participation in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this Section, or (iii) by way of pledge or assignment of a security interest subject to the restrictions of subsection (f) of this Section (and any other attempted assignment or transfer by any party hereto shall be null and void). Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, Participants to the extent provided in subsection (d) of this Section and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b) Assignments by Lenders . Any Lender may at any time assign to one or more assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and the Loans (including for purposes of this subsection (b) , participations in L/C Obligations) at the time owing to it); provided that any such assignment shall be subject to the following conditions:
(i) Minimum Amounts .
(A) in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lenders Commitment and/or the Loans at the time owing to it or contemporaneous assignments to related Approved Funds that equal at least the amount specified in paragraph (b)(i)(B) of this Section in the aggregate or in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund, no minimum amount need be assigned; and
(B) in any case not described in subsection (b)(i)(A) of this Section, the aggregate amount of the Commitment (which for this purpose includes Loans outstanding thereunder) or, if the Commitment is not then in effect, the principal outstanding balance of the Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment, determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent or, if Trade
87
Date is specified in the Assignment and Assumption, as of the Trade Date, shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Administrative Agent and, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Borrower otherwise consents (each such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).
(ii) Proportionate Amounts . Each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lenders rights and obligations under this Agreement with respect to the Loans or the Commitment assigned;
(iii) Required Consents . No consent shall be required for any assignment except to the extent required by subsection (b)(i)(B) of this Section and, in addition:
(A) the consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required unless (1) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing at the time of such assignment or (2) such assignment is to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund; provided that the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within ten (10) Business Days after having received notice thereof;
(B) the consent of the Administrative Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required if such assignment is to a Person that is not a Lender, an Affiliate of such Lender or an Approved Fund with respect to such Lender; and
(C) the consent of the L/C Issuer shall be required for any assignment.
(iv) Assignment and Assumption . The parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee in the amount of $3,500; provided , however , that the Administrative Agent may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such processing and recordation fee in the case of any assignment. The assignee, if it is not a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire.
(v) No Assignment to Certain Persons . No such assignment shall be made (A) to the Borrower or any of the Borrowers Affiliates or Subsidiaries, (B) to any Defaulting Lender or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Person who, upon becoming a Lender hereunder, would constitute any of the foregoing Persons described in this clause (B) , or (C) to a natural Person.
(vi) Certain Additional Payments . In connection with any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder, no such assignment shall be effective unless and until, in addition to the other conditions thereto set forth herein, the parties to the assignment shall make such additional payments to the Administrative Agent in an aggregate amount sufficient, upon distribution thereof as appropriate (which may be outright payment, purchases by the assignee of participations or subparticipations, or other compensating actions, including funding, with the consent of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, the applicable pro rata share of Loans
88
previously requested but not funded by the Defaulting Lender, to each of which the applicable assignee and assignor hereby irrevocably consent), to (x) pay and satisfy in full all payment liabilities then owed by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or any Lender hereunder (and interest accrued thereon) and (y) acquire (and fund as appropriate) its full pro rata share of all Loans and participations in Letters of Credit in accordance with its Applicable Percentage. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder shall become effective under applicable Law without compliance with the provisions of this paragraph, then the assignee of such interest shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender for all purposes of this Agreement until such compliance occurs.
Subject to acceptance and recording thereof by the Administrative Agent pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party to this Agreement and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lenders rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto) but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01 , 3.04 , 3.05 , and 10.04 with respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment; provided , that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no assignment by a Defaulting Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lenders having been a Defaulting Lender. Upon request, the Borrower (at its expense) shall execute and deliver a Note to the assignee Lender. Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this subsection shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with subsection (d) of this Section.
(c) Register . The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as an agent of the Borrower (and such agency being solely for tax purposes), shall maintain at the Administrative Agents Office a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it (or the equivalent thereof in electronic form) and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amounts (and stated interest) of the Loans and L/C Obligations owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the Register ). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(d) Participations . Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to any Person (other than a natural Person, a Defaulting Lender or the Borrower or any of the Borrowers Affiliates or Subsidiaries) (each, a Participant ) in all or a portion of such Lenders rights and/or obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and/or the Loans (including such
89
Lenders participations in L/C Obligations) owing to it); provided that (i) such Lenders obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lenders rights and obligations under this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, each Lender shall be responsible for the indemnity under Section 10.04(c) without regard to the existence of any participation.
Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, waiver or other modification described in the first proviso to Section 10.01 that affects such Participant. The Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01 , 3.04 and 3.05 to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 3.01(e) shall be delivered to the Lender who sells the participation) to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section; provided that such Participant (A) agrees to be subject to the provisions of Sections 3.06 and 10.13 as if it were an assignee under paragraph (b) of this Section and (B) shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Sections 3.01 or 3.04 , with respect to any participation, than the Lender from whom it acquired the applicable participation would have been entitled to receive, except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation. Each Lender that sells a participation agrees, at the Borrowers request and expense, to use reasonable efforts to cooperate with the Borrower to effectuate the provisions of Section 3.06 with respect to any Participant. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 10.08 as though it were a Lender; provided that such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.12 as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participants interest in the Loans or other obligations under the Loan Documents (the Participant Register); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participants interest in any commitments, loans, letters of credit or its other obligations under any Loan Document) to any Person except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such commitment, loan, letter of credit or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.
(e) Certain Pledges . Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including under its Note, if any) to secure
90
obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank; provided that no such pledge or assignment shall release such Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
(f) Resignation as L/C Issuer after Assignment . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if at any time Bank of America assigns all of its Commitment and Loans pursuant to subsection (b) above, Bank of America may, upon 30 days notice to the Borrower and the Lenders, resign as L/C Issuer. In the event of any such resignation as L/C Issuer, the Borrower shall be entitled to appoint from among the Lenders a successor L/C Issuer hereunder; provided , however , that no failure by the Borrower to appoint any such successor shall affect the resignation of Bank of America as L/C Issuer. If Bank of America resigns as L/C Issuer, it shall retain all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the L/C Issuer hereunder with respect to all Letters of Credit outstanding as of the effective date of its resignation as L/C Issuer and all L/C Obligations with respect thereto (including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in Unreimbursed Amounts pursuant to Section 2.03(c) ). Upon the appointment of a successor L/C Issuer, (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer, and (b) the successor L/C Issuer shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to Bank of America to effectively assume the obligations of Bank of America with respect to such Letters of Credit.
10.07 Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality . Each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its Affiliates and to its Related Parties (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent required or requested by any regulatory authority purporting to have jurisdiction over such Person or its Related Parties (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party hereto, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement or any Eligible Assignee invited to be a Lender pursuant to Section 2.13(c) or (ii) any actual or prospective party (or its Related Parties) to any swap, derivative or other transaction under which payments are to be made by reference to the Borrower and its obligations, this Agreement or payments hereunder, (g) on a confidential basis to (i) any rating agency in connection with rating the Borrower or its Subsidiaries or the credit facilities provided hereunder or (ii) the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar agency in connection with the issuance and monitoring of CUSIP numbers or other market identifiers with respect to the credit facilities provided hereunder, (h) with the consent of the Borrower or (i) to the extent such Information (x) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (y) becomes available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender, the L/C Issuer or
91
any of their respective Affiliates on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Borrower. For purposes of this Section, Information means all information received from the Borrower or any Subsidiary relating to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or any of their respective businesses, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the L/C Issuer on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower or any Subsidiary, provided that, in the case of information received from the Borrower or any Subsidiary after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.
Each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer acknowledges that (a) the Information may include material non-public information concerning the Borrower or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, (b) it has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non-public information and (c) it will handle such material non-public information in accordance with applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws.
10.08 Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender, the L/C Issuer and each of their respective Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final, in whatever currency) at any time held and other obligations (in whatever currency) at any time owing by such Lender, the L/C Issuer or any such Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of the Borrower against any and all of the obligations of the Borrower now or hereafter existing under this Agreement or any other Loan Document to such Lender or the L/C Issuer or their respective Affiliates, irrespective of whether or not such Lender, L/C Issuer or Affiliate shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations of the Borrower may be contingent or unmatured or are owed to a branch, office or Affiliate of such Lender or the L/C Issuer different from the branch, office or Affiliate holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness; provided, that in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, (x) all amounts so set off shall be paid over immediately to the Administrative Agent for further application in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.15(a)(ii) and, pending such payment, shall be segregated by such Defaulting Lender from its other funds and deemed held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders, and (y) the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to the Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the Obligations owing to such Defaulting Lender as to which it exercised such right of setoff. The rights of each Lender, the L/C Issuer and their respective Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender, the L/C Issuer or their respective Affiliates may have. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer agrees to notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent promptly after any such setoff and application, provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.
10.09 Interest Rate Limitation . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the interest paid or agreed to be paid under the Loan Documents shall not exceed the maximum rate of non-usurious interest permitted by applicable Law (the Maximum
92
Rate ). If the Administrative Agent or any Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the Loans or, if it exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to the Borrower. In determining whether the interest contracted for, charged, or received by the Administrative Agent or a Lender exceeds the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the Obligations hereunder.
10.10 Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto in different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement, the other Loan Documents, and any separate letter agreements with respect to fees payable to the Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuer, constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Except as provided in Section 4.01 , this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof that, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by facsimile or other electronic imaging means (e.g. pdf or tif) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
10.11 Survival of Representations and Warranties. All representations and warranties made hereunder and in any other Loan Document or other document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto or in connection herewith or therewith shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and thereof. Such representations and warranties have been or will be relied upon by the Administrative Agent and each Lender, regardless of any investigation made by the Administrative Agent or any Lender or on their behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default at the time of any Credit Extension, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding.
10.12 Severability . If any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, (a) the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall not be affected or impaired thereby and (b) the parties shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions. The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. Without limiting the foregoing provisions of this Section 10.12 , if and to the extent that the enforceability of any provisions in this Agreement relating to Defaulting Lenders shall be limited by Debtor Relief Laws, as determined in good faith by the Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuer, as applicable, then such provisions shall be deemed to be in effect only to the extent not so limited.
93
10.13 Replacement of Lenders. If the Borrower is entitled to replace a Lender pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.06 , or if any Lender is a Defaulting Lender or a Non-Consenting Lender, then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in, and consents required by, Section 10.06 ), all of its interests, rights (other than its existing rights to payments pursuant to Sections 3.01 and 3.04 ) and obligations under this Agreement and the related Loan Documents to an Eligible Assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment), provided that:
(a) the Borrower shall have paid to the Administrative Agent the assignment fee (if any) specified in Section 10.06(b) ;
(b) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans and L/C Advances, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (including any amounts under Section 3.05 ) from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts);
(c) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 3.04 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 3.01 , such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments thereafter;
(d) such assignment does not conflict with applicable Laws; and
(e) in the case of an assignment resulting from a Lender becoming a Non-Consenting Lender, the applicable assignee shall have consented to the applicable amendment, waiver or consent.
A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment or delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply.
10.14 Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.
(a) GOVERNING LAW . THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS AND ANY CLAIMS, CONTROVERSY, DISPUTE OR CAUSE OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR TORT OR OTHERWISE) BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT (EXCEPT, AS TO ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT, AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH THEREIN) AND THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY AND THEREBY SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.
(b) SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION . EACH OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, EACH LENDER, THE L/C ISSUER AND THE BORROWER IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT COMMENCE ANY ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING OF ANY KIND OR DESCRIPTION, WHETHER IN LAW
94
OR EQUITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT OR OTHERWISE, AGAINST THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER, THE L/C ISSUER, OR ANY RELATED PARTY OF THE FOREGOING IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS RELATING HERETO OR THERETO, IN ANY FORUM OTHER THAN THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS SITTING IN DALLAS COUNTY AND OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OF THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, AND ANY APPELLATE COURT FROM ANY THEREOF, AND EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS AND AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN RESPECT OF ANY SUCH ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN SUCH TEXAS STATE COURT OR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN SUCH FEDERAL COURT. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT IN ANY SUCH ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS BY SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT OR IN ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL AFFECT ANY RIGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER OR THE L/C ISSUER MAY OTHERWISE HAVE TO BRING ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT AGAINST THE BORROWER OR ITS PROPERTIES IN THE COURTS OF ANY JURISDICTION.
(c) WAIVER OF VENUE . EACH OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, EACH LENDER, THE L/C ISSUER AND THE BORROWER IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT IN ANY COURT REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS SECTION. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE DEFENSE OF AN INCONVENIENT FORUM TO THE MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN ANY SUCH COURT.
(d) SERVICE OF PROCESS . EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE MANNER PROVIDED FOR NOTICES IN SECTION 10.02 . NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT WILL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF ANY PARTY HERETO TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
10.15 Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PERSON HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR
95
OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PERSON WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
10.16 No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility. In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document), the Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Affiliates understanding, that: (i) (A) the arranging and other services regarding this Agreement provided by the Administrative Agent , the Arranger, and the Lenders are arms-length commercial transactions between the Borrower and its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Administrative Agent , the Arranger, and the Lenders, on the other hand, (B) the Borrower has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate, and (C) the Borrower is capable of evaluating, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents; (ii) (A) the Administrative Agent , the Arranger and each Lender is and has been acting solely as a principal and, except as expressly agreed in writing by the relevant parties, has not been, is not, and will not be acting as an advisor, agent or fiduciary for the Borrower or any of its Affiliates, or any other Person and (B) neither the Administrative Agent , the Arranger nor any Lender has any obligation to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents; and (iii) the Administrative Agent , the Arranger and the Lenders and their respective Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Borrower and its Affiliates, and neither the Administrative Agent , the Arranger, nor any Lender has any obligation to disclose any of such interests to the Borrower or its Affiliates. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Borrower hereby waives and releases any claims that it may have against the Administrative Agent , the Arranger or any Lender with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty in connection with any aspect of any transaction contemplated hereby.
10.17 Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents. The words execute, execution, signed, signature, and words of like import in any Assignment and Assumption or in any amendment or other modification hereof (including waivers and consents) shall be deemed to include electronic signatures, the electronic matching of assignment terms and contract formations on electronic platforms approved by the Administrative Agent, or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.
10.18 USA PATRIOT Act. Each Lender that is subject to the Act (as hereinafter defined) and the Administrative Agent (for itself and not on behalf of any Lender) hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of
96
Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the Act), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the Borrower, which information includes the name and address of the Borrower and other information that will allow such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as applicable, to identify the Borrower in accordance with the Act. The Borrower shall, promptly following a request by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, provide all documentation and other information that the Administrative Agent or such Lender requests in order to comply with its ongoing obligations under applicable know your customer and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Act.
10.19 ENTIRE AGREEMENT. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS REPRESENT THE FINAL AGREEMENT AMONG THE PARTIES AND MAY NOT BE CONTRADICTED BY EVIDENCE OF PRIOR, CONTEMPORANEOUS, OR SUBSEQUENT ORAL AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES. THERE ARE NO UNWRITTEN ORAL AGREEMENTS AMONG THE PARTIES.
REMAINDER OF PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK |
97
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
ENCORE WIRE CORPORATION | ||
By: |
/s/ Frank J. Bilban |
|
Name: |
Frank J. Bilban |
|
Title: |
VP & CFO |
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as | ||
Administrative Agent | ||
By: |
/s/ Allison W. Connelly |
|
Name: |
Allison W. Connelly |
|
Title: |
Senior Vice President |
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. , as a Lender and L/C Issuer | ||
By: |
/s/ Anthony W. Kell |
|
Name: |
Anthony W. Kell |
|
Title: |
Assistant Vice President |
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Syndication Agent and a Lender |
||
By: |
/s/ W. R. Birdwell |
|
Name: |
W.R. Birdwell |
|
Title: |
Senior Vice President |
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
I, Daniel L. Jones, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Encore Wire Corporation; |
2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
4. | The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
(a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
(b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
(c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
(d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrants internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrants most recent fiscal quarter (the registrants fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrants internal control over financial reporting; and |
5. | The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of the registrants board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
(a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrants ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
(b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrants internal control over financial reporting. |
Date: November 2, 2012
/s/ DANIEL L. JONES |
Daniel L. Jones |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Exhibit 31.2
CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
I, Frank J. Bilban, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Encore Wire Corporation; |
2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
4. | The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
(a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
(b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
(c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
(d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrants internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrants most recent fiscal quarter (the registrants fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrants internal control over financial reporting; and |
5. | The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of the registrants board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
(a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrants ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
(b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrants internal control over financial reporting. |
Date: November 2, 2012
/s/ FRANK J. BILBAN |
Frank J. Bilban |
Vice President Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION FURNISHED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
(18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350)
In connection with the Quarterly Report of Encore Wire Corporation (the Company) on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the Report), I, Daniel L. Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:
1. | The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and |
2. | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
Date: November 2, 2012
/s/ DANIEL L. JONES |
Daniel L. Jones |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Exhibit 32.2
CERTIFICATION FURNISHED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
(18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350)
In connection with the Quarterly Report of Encore Wire Corporation (the Company) on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the Report), I, Frank J. Bilban, Vice-PresidentFinance, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of the Company, certify pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:
1. | The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and |
2. | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
Date: November 2, 2012
/s/ FRANK J. BILBAN |
Frank J. Bilban |
Vice President Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary |