UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) October 17, 2017

 

 

 

LOGO

Aflac Incorporated

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Georgia   001-07434   58-1167100

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

 

1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus, Georgia   31999
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

706.323.3431

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition pe’riod for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 

 


ITEM 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement

On October 23, 2017, Aflac Incorporated (the “Company”) issued ¥60,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047 (the “Debentures”). The Debentures were offered by the Company in a public offering pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3ASR (No. 333-203839) (the “Registration Statement”), prospectus dated May 4, 2015, and related prospectus supplement dated October 17, 2017. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the issuance to fund all or a portion of the redemption price of the Company’s 5.50% Subordinated Debentures due 2052, of which $500,000,000 principal amount are outstanding. The Company intends to use proceeds in excess of such redemption price, if any, for general corporate purposes.

The Company entered into an underwriting agreement, dated October 17, 2017 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Mizuho International plc, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., as representatives of the underwriters named therein (together, the “Underwriters”), related to the offering, issuance and sale of the Debentures. The Underwriting Agreement contains customary terms, conditions, representations and warranties and indemnification provisions.

The Debentures bear interest (i) at an initial rate of 2.108% per annum, from and including the date of issuance to, but excluding, October 23, 2027, or earlier redemption and (ii) thereafter the rate of the interest of the Debentures will be reset on each of October 23, 2027, October 23, 2032, October 23, 2037 and October 23, 2042 (each, a “reset date”). From and including the day immediately following each reset date to and including the next following reset date or the date of earlier redemption (each such period, a “reset interest period”), the rate of interest of the Debentures will be equal to the then-current JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate (as defined in the Indenture) plus 205 basis points. Interest will be payable semi-annually in arrears on April 23 and October 23 of each year (each, an “interest payment date”), beginning on April 23, 2018. The Company has appointed The Bank of New York Mellon, London Branch, as the calculation agent for purposes of determining the JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate for each reset interest period. The Debentures are the Company’s unsecured obligations and will rank subordinate and junior in right of payment to all of its current and future senior indebtedness.

The Debentures were issued under an indenture, dated as of September 26, 2012 (the “Base Indenture”), between the Company, as issuer, and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by a second supplemental indenture, dated as of October 23, 2017 (the “Second Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”), between the Company and the Trustee. The Indenture provides for customary events of default, including, among other things, nonpayment, failure to comply with the other agreements in the Indenture for a period of 90 days, and certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization.

The Debentures are redeemable, in whole but not in part, at any time, within 90 days of the occurrence of certain tax events or certain rating agency events, in each case, at a redemption price equal to their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date of redemption. On or after October 23, 2027, the Company may redeem the Debentures, in whole or in part, on any interest payment date, at their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date of redemption.

The foregoing description of the Underwriting Agreement, the Base Indenture and the Second Supplemental Indenture does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of such documents. For a complete description of the terms and conditions of the Base Indenture, please refer to the Base Indenture, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on October 1, 2012 and incorporated herein by reference. For a complete description of the terms and conditions of the Underwriting Agreement and the Second Supplemental Indenture, please refer to the Underwriting Agreement and the Second Supplemental Indenture, each of which is incorporated herein by reference and attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibits 1.1 and 4.1, respectively.

The Underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, including securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. Certain of the Underwriters and their respective affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various financial advisory, commercial banking and investment banking services for the Company, and for persons and entities with relationships with the Company, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses. An affiliate of Mizuho International plc is the administrative agent, and affiliates of a number of other underwriters are lenders, under an unsecured revolving credit facility agreement. In addition, the Company has agreements with affiliates of Mizuho International plc and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. to sell the Company’s products at their Japanese bank branches.

 

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ITEM 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

See the description regarding the Company’s issuance and sale of the Debentures contained in Item 1.01 above, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

 

  1.1-    Underwriting Agreement, dated October 17, 2017, between Aflac Incorporated and Mizuho International plc, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., as representatives of the several underwriters named in Schedule 1 thereto.
  4.1-    Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October 23, 2017, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 2.108% Subordinated Debenture due 2047).
  5.1-    Opinion of Audrey Boone Tillman, Esq., Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Company, regarding the validity of the Debentures.
  5.2-    Opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, regarding the validity of the Debentures.
  8.1-    Opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, special tax counsel to Aflac Incorporated, with respect to certain tax matters.
23.1-    Consent of Audrey Boone Tillman, Esq. (included as part of Exhibit 5.1 hereto).
23.2-    Consent of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (included as part of Exhibit 5.2 hereto).
23.3-    Consent of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (included as part of Exhibit 8.1 hereto).

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX:

 

  1.1-    Underwriting Agreement, dated October 17, 2017, between Aflac Incorporated and Mizuho International plc, Morgan Stanley  & Co. International plc and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., as representatives of the several underwriters named in Schedule 1 thereto.
  4.1-    Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October  23, 2017, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 2.108% Subordinated Debenture due 2047).
  5.1-    Opinion of Audrey Boone Tillman, Esq., Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Company, regarding the validity of the Debentures.
  5.2-    Opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, regarding the validity of the Debentures.
  8.1-    Opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, special tax counsel to Aflac Incorporated, with respect to certain tax matters.
23.1-    Consent of Audrey Boone Tillman, Esq. (included as part of Exhibit 5.1 hereto).
23.2-    Consent of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (included as part of Exhibit 5.2 hereto).
23.3-    Consent of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (included as part of Exhibit 8.1 hereto).

 

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SIGNATURES

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

 

     

Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017       /s/ Max K. Broden
       

(Max K. Broden)

Senior Vice President and Treasurer

 

5

Exhibit 1.1

Aflac Incorporated

¥60,000,000,000 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047

 

 

Underwriting Agreement

October 17, 2017

To the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Aflac Incorporated, a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom Mizuho International plc, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. are acting as Representatives (the “Representatives”), an aggregate of ¥60,000,000,000 principal amount of the 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047 (the “Securities”). The Securities will be issued under the Subordinated Indenture, dated as of September 26, 2012 (the “Subordinated Indenture”), as supplemented by the Second Supplemental Indenture, to be dated as of October 23, 2017 (the “Second Supplemental Indenture,” and, together with the Subordinated Indenture, the “Indenture”), each between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee (the “Trustee”).

1.    The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:

(a)    An “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), on Form S-3 (File No. 333-203839) in respect of the Securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; such registration statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, became effective on filing; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission, and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of such registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act has been received by the Company (the base prospectus filed as part of such registration statement, in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement, is hereinafter called the “Basic Prospectus”; any preliminary prospectus


(including any preliminary prospectus supplement) relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto but excluding the Form T-1 and including any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of Rule 430B to be part of such registration statement, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Basic Prospectus, as amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(c) hereof), is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; the form of the final prospectus relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any reference herein to the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Act, as of the date of such prospectus; any reference to any amendment or supplement to the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act and any documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and incorporated therein, in each case after the date of the Basic Prospectus, such Preliminary Prospectus, or the Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act relating to the Securities is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”);

(b)    No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided , however , that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;

(c)    For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is 11:17 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the date of this Agreement; the Pricing Prospectus as supplemented by the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a)

 

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hereof, taken together (collectively, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”), as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule II(a) hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided , however , that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;

(d)    The documents incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and is prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Commission applicable thereto; provided , however , that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and no such documents were filed with the Commission since the Commission’s close of business on the business day immediately prior to the date of this Agreement and prior to the execution of this Agreement, except as set forth on Schedule II(b) hereto;

(e)    The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement and as of the applicable filing date as to the

 

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Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided , however , that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;

(f)    Each of the Company, American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (“Aflac Columbus”), and any subsidiary of the Company that would qualify as a “significant subsidiary” of the Company under Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X (each such subsidiary and Aflac Columbus, a “Designated Subsidiary”) has not sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, which loss or interference would have a Material Adverse Effect (as defined below), or would reasonably be expected to have a prospective Material Adverse Effect; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its Designated Subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its Designated Subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus; the subsidiaries of the Company, other than the Designated Subsidiaries, considered in the aggregate as a single subsidiary, do not constitute a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X;

(g)    The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Georgia, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the current or future financial position, shareholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries (a “Material Adverse Effect”); and each of its Designated Subsidiaries has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns

 

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or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing in any such jurisdiction, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not have a Material Adverse Effect;

(h)    Each of the Company and its subsidiaries that is required to be organized or licensed as an insurance company in its jurisdiction of incorporation (including jurisdictions outside of the United States) (each an “Insurance Subsidiary”) has all necessary consents, licenses, authorizations, approvals, exemptions, orders, certificates and permits (collectively, the “Consents”) of and from, and has made all filings and declarations (collectively, the “Filings”) with, all insurance regulatory authorities, all Federal, state, local and other governmental authorities (including, without limitation, the Nebraska Department of Insurance, the New York Insurance Department and the South Carolina Department of Insurance), all self-regulatory organizations and all courts and other tribunals, necessary to own, lease, license and use its properties and assets and to conduct its business, except where the failure to have such Consents or to make such Filings would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all such Consents and Filings are in full force and effect, the Company and its Insurance Subsidiaries are in compliance with such Consents and neither the Company nor any of its Insurance Subsidiaries has received any notice of any inquiry, investigation or proceeding that would reasonably be expected to result in the suspension, revocation or limitation of any such Consent or otherwise impose any limitation on the conduct of the business of the Company or any of its respective Insurance Subsidiaries, except as set forth in the Prospectus or except as any such failure to be in full force and effect, failure to be in compliance with, suspension, revocation or limitation would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; each of the Company and its Insurance Subsidiaries is in compliance with, and conducts its businesses in conformity with, all applicable insurance laws and regulations, except where the failure to so comply or conform would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Without limiting the foregoing, each of the Insurance Subsidiaries has made all Filings pursuant to, and has obtained all Consents required of all applicable insurance laws and regulations in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities;

(i)    The 2016 statutory annual statements of each Insurance Subsidiary and the statutory balance sheets and income statements included in such statutory annual statements together with related schedules and notes have been prepared, in all material respects, in conformity with statutory accounting principles and practices required or permitted by the appropriate insurance regulator of the jurisdiction of domicile of each such Insurance Subsidiary, and such statutory accounting principles and practices have been applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may otherwise be indicated therein or in the notes thereto, and present fairly, in all material respects, the statutory financial position of such Insurance Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof, and the statutory basis results of operations of such Insurance Subsidiaries for the periods covered thereby;

 

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(j)    The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; and all of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims;

(k)    Except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Act;

(l)    The Securities have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered pursuant to this Agreement, will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits provided by the Subordinated Indenture and the Second Supplemental Indenture, under which the Securities are to be issued, and the form of Subordinated Indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement; the Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and constitutes a valid and legally binding instrument, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles; and the Securities will conform and the Indenture conforms to the descriptions thereof in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;

(m)    The issue and sale of the Securities and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of the Securities, the Indenture and this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein and therein contemplated (i) will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Designated Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its Designated Subsidiaries is subject, (ii) will not result in any violation of the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or the organizational documents of any of its Designated Subsidiaries, (iii) will not result in any violation of any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Designated Subsidiaries or any of their properties, except, with respect to clauses (i) and (iii), for such conflicts, breaches, violations or defaults which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect and would not adversely affect the validity or performance of the Company’s obligations under the Securities, the Indenture and this Agreement;

 

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and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Securities or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Indenture except such as have been obtained under the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters;

(n)    Neither the Company nor any of its Designated Subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its Articles of Incorporation or By-laws or the other organizational documents or (ii) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound, except, with respect to clause (ii), for such defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;

(o)    The statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus under the captions “Description of Debt Securities” and “Description of the Debentures”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Securities, and under the captions “Plan of Distribution” and “Underwriting”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects;

(p)    Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its Designated Subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its Designated Subsidiaries is the subject which, would be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect or would materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Securities, the Indenture and this Agreement; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others, other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus;

(q)    The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof, will not be an “investment company”, as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;

(r)    (A) (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), and (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the Act) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Act, the Company was a “well-known seasoned

 

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issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; and (B) at the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Act) of the Securities, the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act;

(s)    KPMG LLP, who has audited certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, and has audited the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;

(t)    The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or under their 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. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective and the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting;

(u)    Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting;

(v)    The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective;

(w)    Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the best knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (iv) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment;

(x)    The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping

 

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and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened;

(y)    None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Securities hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC; and

(z)    The Company and its subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable measures to maintain protections against unauthorized access to, or disruption or failure of, their information technology systems. To the Company’s knowledge, during the past twelve months, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have been subject to any material unauthorized access to their information technology systems or data maintained by them.

2.    Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of 99.30% of the principal amount of the Securities, plus accrued interest, if any, from October 23, 2017 to the Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4(a) hereof) hereunder, the principal amounts of the Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto.

3.     Upon the authorization by the Representatives of the release of the Securities, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

4.    (a)    The Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder will be represented by one or more definitive global Securities in book-entry form. The Company will deliver the Securities to the Representatives, for the account of each Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company to the Representatives at least forty-eight hours in advance, by causing the Securities to be delivered in book-entry form through a common depositary or its nominee on behalf of Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, and Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. The Company will cause the certificates representing the Securities to be made available to the Representatives for checking at least twenty-four hours prior to the

 

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Time of Delivery (as defined below). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be 10:00 a.m., London time, on October 23, 2017, or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date are herein called the “Time of Delivery”.

(b)    The documents to be delivered at the Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 9 hereof, including the cross-receipt for the Securities and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 9(j) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, 125 Broad Street, New York, New York 10004 (the “Closing Location”), and the Securities will be credited to the respective accounts of the Representatives, all at the Time of Delivery. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next preceding the Time of Delivery, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto. For the purposes of this Section 4, “New York Business Day” shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York City are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.

5.    The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:

(a)    To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the date of this Agreement; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus or the Prospectus prior to the Time of Delivery which shall be disapproved by the Representatives promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish the Representatives with copies thereof; to prepare a final term sheet, containing solely a description of the Securities, in a form approved by the Representatives and to file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act within the time required by such Rule; to file promptly all other material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities; to advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Securities, of any notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act, of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order

 

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preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order; and in the event of any such issuance of a notice of objection, promptly to take such steps including, without limitation, amending the Registration Statement or filing a new registration statement, at its own expense, as may be necessary to permit offers and sales of the Securities by the Underwriters (references herein to the Registration Statement shall include any such amendment or new registration statement);

(b)    If required by Rule 430B(h) under the Act, to prepare a form of prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives and to file such form of prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than may be required by Rule 424(b) under the Act; and to make no further amendment or supplement to such form of prospectus which shall be disapproved by the Representatives promptly after reasonable notice thereof;

(c)    If by the third anniversary (the “Renewal Deadline”) of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement, any of the Securities remain unsold by the Underwriters, the Company will file, if it has not already done so and is eligible to do so, a new automatic shelf registration statement relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Representatives. If at the Renewal Deadline the Company is no longer eligible to file an automatic shelf registration statement and the distribution of the Securities has not been completed, the Company will, if it has not already done so, file a new shelf registration statement relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Representatives and will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 180 days after the Renewal Deadline. The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement relating to the Securities. References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new automatic shelf registration statement or such new shelf registration statement, as the case may be;

(d)    Promptly from time to time to take such action as the Representatives may reasonably request to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Securities, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or to take any action that would subject it to taxation in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject;

(e)    Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as the Representatives may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or

 

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supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, the Exchange Act or the Trust Indenture Act, to notify the Representatives and upon the Representatives’ request to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as the Representatives may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) in connection with sales of any of the Securities at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;

(f)    To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);

(g)    During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the Time of Delivery or such earlier time as the Representatives may notify the Company, not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose of, except as provided hereunder, any securities of the Company or its subsidiaries that are substantially similar to the Securities;

(h)    To pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) under the Act without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Act;

(i)    To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”; and

(j)    Upon request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Company’s trademarks, servicemarks and corporate logo for use on the website, if any, operated by such Underwriter for the purpose of facilitating the on-line offering of the Securities (the “License”); provided, however , that the License shall be used solely for the purpose described above, is granted without any fee and may not be assigned or transferred.

6.    (a)    The Company represents and agrees that, other than the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof, without the prior consent

 

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of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; each Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, other than one or more term sheets relating to the Securities containing customary information and conveyed to purchasers of Securities, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a free writing prospectus; and any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been consented to by the Company and the Representatives (including the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof) is listed on Schedule II(a) hereto. The Company also consents to the use by any Underwriter of a free writing prospectus that (a) is not an “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 and (b) contains only (i) information describing the preliminary terms of the Securities or their offering, (ii) information that describes the final terms of the Securities or their offering and that is included in the final term sheet contemplated in Section 5(a) hereof or (iii) contains comparable bond price or similar information that (in the case of this clause (iii) only) is not “issuer information,” as defined in Rule 433;

(b)    The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending; and

(c)    The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representatives and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided , however , that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

7.    The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Securities under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing, reproduction and filing of the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing any agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Indenture, the Blue Sky Memorandum, closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Securities; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Securities for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(d) hereof, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection

 

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with the Blue Sky survey; (iv) any fees charged by securities rating services for rating the Securities; (v) the cost of preparing the Securities; (vi) the fees and expenses of the Trustee and any agent of the Trustee and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Indenture and the Securities; and (vii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section, and Sections 10 and 13 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, transfer taxes on resale of any of the Securities by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make, pro rata (based on the principal amount of the Securities that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder, as set out in Schedule I).

8.    The Company hereby authorizes Mizuho International plc in its role as stabilising manager (the “Stabilising Manager”) to make adequate public disclosure regarding stabilisation of the information required in relation to such stabilisation by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016. The Stabilising Manager for its own account may, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and directives, over-allot and effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the Securities at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail, but in doing so the Stabilising Manager shall act as principal and not as agent of the Company and any loss resulting from overallotment and stabilisation shall be borne, and any profit arising therefrom shall be beneficially retained, by the Stabilising Manager. However, there is no assurance that the Stabilising Manager (or persons acting on behalf of the Stabilising Manager) will undertake any stabilisation action. Nothing contained in this paragraph shall be construed so as to require the Company to issue in excess of the aggregate principal amount of Securities specified in Schedule I hereto. Such stabilisation, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time and shall be conducted by the Stabilising Manager in accordance with all applicable laws and directives.

9.    The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of the Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:

(a)    The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; the final term sheet contemplated by Section 5(a) hereof, and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act shall have been received; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representatives;

 

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(b)    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to the Representatives such written opinion or opinions, dated the Time of Delivery, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters. In rendering such opinion, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP may rely as to matters of Georgia law upon the opinion of Audrey Boone Tillman, Esq., referred to in Section 9(d) hereof;

(c)    Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives their written opinion (a draft of such opinion is attached hereto as Annex II-A) and their written tax opinion (a draft of such opinion is attached hereto as Annex II-B), each dated the Time of Delivery, and each in a form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.

(d)    Audrey Boone Tillman, Esq., Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives her written opinion (a draft of such opinion is attached hereto as Annex III), dated the Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.

(e)    On the date hereof, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at the Time of Delivery, KPMG LLP shall have furnished to the Representatives a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto (the form of letter to be delivered on the date hereof is attached as Annex I-A hereto and the form of letter to be delivered on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, and as of the Time of Delivery is attached as Annex I-B hereto). On the date hereof, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at the Time of Delivery, Frederick J. Crawford, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate or certificates, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto (the form of certificate to be delivered on the date hereof is attached as Annex I-C hereto and the form of certificate to be delivered on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement and as of the Time of Delivery is attached as Annex I-D hereto).

(f)    (i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the

 

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general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of the Representatives so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

(g)    On or after the Applicable Time (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company’s debt securities or the Company’s financial strength or claims paying ability by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as that term is defined by the Commission under Section 3 of the Exchange Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s debt securities or the Company’s financial strength or claims paying ability;

(h)    On or after the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or on the Tokyo Stock Exchange; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the New York Stock Exchange or the Tokyo Stock Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in the judgment of the Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

(i)    The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 5(e) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement; and

(j)    The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Representatives at the Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to the Representatives as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such time, as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such time, as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (f) of this Section and as to such other matters as the Representatives may reasonably request.

10.    (a)    The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer

 

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Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided , however , that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

(b)    Each Underwriter will, severally and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.

(c)    Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such

 

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subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(d)    If the indemnification provided for in this Section 10 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such

 

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Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

(e)    The obligations of the Company under this Section 10 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act and each broker-dealer affiliate of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 10 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.

11.    (a)    If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Securities which it has agreed to purchase hereunder, the Representatives may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Securities on the terms contained herein. If within thirty six hours after such default by any Underwriter the Representatives do not arrange for the purchase of such Securities, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to the Representatives to purchase such Securities on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, the Representatives notify the Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, or the Company notifies the Representatives that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in the opinion of the Representatives may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Securities.

(b)    If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the Representatives and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of such Securities which remains unpurchased does not exceed one eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of all the Securities, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Securities of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

 

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(c)    If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the Representatives and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of Securities which remains unpurchased exceeds one eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of all the Securities, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 7 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 10 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

12.    The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Securities.

13.    If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 11 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 10 hereof; but, if for any other reason, the Securities are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through the Representatives for all out of pocket expenses approved in writing by the Representatives, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Securities, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 10 hereof.

14.    In all dealings hereunder, the Representatives shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by the Representatives.

All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to Mizuho International plc at 30 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7 AU, United Kingdom, Attention: Head of Debt Capital; Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc at 25 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 4QA, UK (fax: +44 207 056 4984), Attention: Head of Transaction Management Group; SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. at 277 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10172, Attention: Debt Capital Markets – Transaction Management; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Secretary; provided , however , that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 10(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters’ Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by you upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.

 

-20-


In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.

15.    The execution of this Agreement by all parties will constitute the Underwriters’ acceptance of the ICMA Agreement Among Managers Version 1 (Fixed-Price Non-Equity Related Issues)/New York Schedule (the “AAM”) subject to any amendment notified to the Representatives in writing at any time prior to the execution of this Agreement. References to the “Managers” shall be deemed to refer to the Underwriters, references to the “Lead Manager” shall be deemed to refer to each of the Representatives, references to “Settlement Lead Manager” shall be deemed to refer to Mizuho International plc and references to “Stabilising Manager” shall be deemed to refer to Mizuho International plc. As applicable to the Underwriters, Clause 3 of the AAM shall be deemed to be deleted in its entirety and replaced with Section 11 of this Agreement.

16.    Notwithstanding, and to the exclusion of, any other term of this Agreement or any other agreements, arrangements, or understandings among the parties hereto, the Company and each Underwriter acknowledges, accepts, and agrees to be bound by:

(a)    the effect of the exercise of Bail-in Powers by the Relevant Resolution Authority in relation to any BRRD Liability of each Covered Underwriter to the Company under this Agreement, that (without limitation) may include and result in any of the following, or some combination thereof: (i) the reduction of all, or a portion, of the BRRD Liability or outstanding amounts due thereon; (ii) the conversion of all, or a portion, of the BRRD Liability into shares, other securities or other obligations of the relevant Covered Underwriter or another person (and the issue to or conferral on the Company of such shares, securities or obligations); (iii) the cancellation of the BRRD Liability; or (iv) the amendment or alteration of any interest, if applicable, thereon, or the dates on which any payments are due, including by suspending payment for a temporary period;

(b)    the variation of the terms of this Agreement as they relate to any BRRD Liability of a Covered Underwriter, as deemed necessary by the Relevant Resolution Authority, to give effect to the exercise of the Bail-in Powers by the Relevant Resolution Authority.

For the purposes of this Section 16,

Bail-in Legislation ” means in relation to a member state of the European Economic Area which has implemented, or which at any time implements, the BRRD, the relevant implementing law, regulation, rule or requirement as described in the EU Bail-in Legislation Schedule from time to time.

 

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Bail-in Powers ” means any Write-down and Conversion Powers as defined in relation to the relevant Bail-in Legislation.

BRRD ” means Directive 2014/59/EU establishing a framework for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and investment firms.

BRRD Liability ” has the same meaning as in such laws, regulations, rules or requirements implementing the BRRD under the applicable Bail-in Legislation.

Covered Underwriter ” means any Underwriter subject to the Bail-In Legislation.

EU Bail-in Legislation Schedule ” means the document described as such, then in effect, and published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor person) from time to time at http://www.lma.eu.com/pages.aspx?p=499.

Relevant Resolution Authority ” means the resolution authority with the ability to exercise any Bail-in Powers in relation to the relevant Covered Underwriter.

17.    This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 10 and 12 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.

18.    Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.

19.    The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.

 

-22-


20.    This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

21.     This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

22.    The Company and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

23.    This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

24.    Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company is authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters’ imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, “tax structure” is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment.

 

-23-


If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us six counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters and the Company.

 

Very truly yours,
Aflac Incorporated
By:   /s/ Max K. Broden
  Name: Max K. Broden
  Title:   Senior Vice President and Treasurer

 

Accepted as of the date hereof:
Mizuho International plc
        By:   /s/ Guy Reid
        Name: Guy Reid
        Title: Managing Director
Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc
        By:   /s/ Valentino Belgioioso
        Name: Valentino Belgioioso
        Title: Vice President
SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc.
        By:   /s/ Yoshihiro Satake
        Name: Yoshihiro Satake
        Title: Managing Director
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
        By:   /s/ Adam Greene
        Name: Adam Greene
        Title: Vice President

 

-24-


J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
  By:   /s/ Maria Sramek
 

Name: Maria Sramek

 

Title: Executive Director

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
  By:   /s/ Carolyn Hurley
  Name: Carolyn Hurley
  Title: Director
Merrill Lynch International
  By:   /s/ Mark Kitchen
  Name: Mark Kitchen
  Title: Managing Director
Academy Securities, Inc.
  By:   /s/ Michael Boyd
  Name: Michael Boyd
  Title: Chief Compliance Officer
Drexel Hamilton, LLC
  By:   /s/ Craig Simmons
  Name: Craig Simmons
  Title: Director, Capital Markets

 

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SCHEDULE I

 

Underwriter

   Principal Amount
of Securities to be
Purchased
 

Mizuho International plc

   ¥ 16,200,000,000  

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc

     16,200,000,000  

SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc.

     16,200,000,000  

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

     2,400,000,000  

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

     2,400,000,000  

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

     2,400,000,000  

Merrill Lynch International

     2,400,000,000  

Academy Securities, Inc.

     900,000,000  

Drexel Hamilton, LLC

     900,000,000  

Total

   ¥ 60,000,000,000  


SCHEDULE II

 

(a) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses not included in the Pricing Disclosure Package:

None.

 

(b) Additional Documents Incorporated by Reference:

None.

Exhibit 4.1

AFLAC INCORPORATED,

AS ISSUER

AND

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,

AS TRUSTEE

SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

Dated as of October 23, 2017

 

 

¥60,000,000,000

2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page  

ARTICLE I 2.108% SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES DUE 2047

     1  

Section 1.01

   Establishment      1  

Section 1.02

   Definitions      2  

Section 1.03

   Payment of Principal and Interest      3  

Section 1.04

   Option to Defer Interest Payments      4  

Section 1.05

   Denominations      6  

Section 1.06

   Global Securities      6  

Section 1.07

   Transfer      6  

Section 1.08

   Defeasance      6  

Section 1.09

   Redemption at the Option of the Company      6  

Section 1.10

   Additional Amounts      9  

Section 1.11

   Selection of Subordinated Debentures to be Redeemed; Notice of Redemption      11  

Section 1.12

   Notice to Trustee      11  

Section 1.13

   Events of Default      11  

Section 1.14

   Further Issues      13  

ARTICLE II MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

     13  

Section 2.01

   Recitals by the Company      13  

Section 2.02

   Ratification and Incorporation of Original Indenture      13  

Section 2.03

   Executed in Counterparts      14  

Section 2.04

   New York Law to Govern      14  

Section 2.05

   Agreement by Holders to Treat Debentures as Indebtedness for Tax Purposes      14  

EXHIBIT A 2.108% Subordinated Debenture due 2047

     A-1  

EXHIBIT B CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

     B-1  

 

i


THIS SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE (this “Second Supplemental Indenture”) is made as of the 23rd day of October, 2017, by and between AFLAC INCORPORATED, a Georgia corporation, as issuer (the “Company”), and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., a national banking association, as trustee (the “Trustee”):

WHEREAS, the Company has heretofore entered into a Subordinated Indenture, dated as of September 26, 2012 (the “Original Indenture”), with the Trustee;

WHEREAS, the Original Indenture is incorporated herein by reference, and the Original Indenture, as supplemented by this Second Supplemental Indenture, is herein called the “Indenture”;

WHEREAS, under the Original Indenture, a new series of subordinated debentures may at any time be established by the Board of Directors of the Company in accordance with the provisions of the Original Indenture and the terms of such series may be described by a supplemental indenture executed by the Company and the Trustee;

WHEREAS, the Company proposes to create under the Indenture a new series of subordinated debentures;

WHEREAS, additional subordinated debentures of other series hereafter established, except as may be limited in the Original Indenture as at the time supplemented and modified, may be issued from time to time pursuant to the Indenture as at the time supplemented and modified, and all subordinated debentures issued by the Company of any one series need not be issued at the same time and, unless otherwise so provided, may be reopened for issuances of additional subordinated debentures of such series; and

WHEREAS, all things necessary to authorize the execution and delivery of this Second Supplemental Indenture and make it a valid and binding agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the agreements and obligations set forth herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

2.108% SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES DUE 2047

Section 1.01 Establishment . There is hereby established a new series of subordinated debentures to be issued under the Indenture, to be designated as the Company’s 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047 (the “Subordinated Debentures”).

There are to be authenticated and delivered Subordinated Debentures, initially limited in aggregate principal amount to ¥60,000,000,000 and no further Subordinated Debentures shall be authenticated and delivered except as provided by Section 2.8, 2.9, 2.11, 8.5 or 12.3 of the


Original Indenture and the terms of this Second Supplemental Indenture; provided, however, that the Company may re-open this series of Subordinated Debentures and the aggregate principal amount of the Subordinated Debentures may be increased in the future, without the consent of the holders of the Subordinated Debentures, with the same ranking, interest rate, maturity date and other terms and with the same CUSIP and ISIN numbers as the Subordinated Debentures other than with respect to: (i) the date of issuance, (ii) the issue price and (iii) the date from which interest shall accrue and the amount of interest payable on the first Interest Payment Date following the issuance of any such additional Subordinated Debentures (which terms shall be set forth in a Board Resolution or supplemental indenture accompanying the Order pursuant to which any such additional Subordinated Debentures are authenticated). Any such additional Subordinated Debentures and the Subordinated Debentures established pursuant hereto shall be considered collectively as a single class for all purposes of the Indenture; provided that such additional Subordinated Debentures are fungible for U.S. federal income tax purposes with any then-existing Subordinated Debentures. The Subordinated Debentures shall be issued in fully registered form.

The Subordinated Debentures shall be issued in the form of one or more Global Securities (as defined below) in substantially the form set out in Exhibit A hereto.

The form of the Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication for the Subordinated Debentures shall be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B hereto.

Each Subordinated Debenture shall be dated the date of authentication thereof and shall bear interest from the date of original issuance thereof or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for.

Section 1.02 Definitions . The following defined terms used herein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meanings specified below. Capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Original Indenture.

“Global Security” means, with respect to any series of securities, a security authenticated and delivered under the Original Indenture executed by the Company and delivered by the Trustee to the Depositary or pursuant to the Depositary’s instruction, all in accordance with the Original Indenture, which shall be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee.

“Interest Payment Date” means April 23 and October 23, commencing on April 23, 2018.

“Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of a Subordinated Debenture (other than a partnership or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is not a U.S. holder.

“Regular Record Date” means, with respect to each Interest Payment Date, the close of business on April 8 or October 8 immediately preceding such Interest Payment Date.

“Stated Maturity” means October 23, 2047.

 

2


“U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of a Subordinated Debenture that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is (1) a citizen or an individual who is a resident of the United States; (2) a corporation or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes that is created in, or organized under the laws of, the United States, any state thereof, any political subdivision thereof, or the District of Columbia; (3) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or (4) a trust if (a) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary control over its administration and one or more U.S. persons, within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code, have the authority to control all substantial decisions of such trust, or (b) the trust has made an election under the applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person under the Code.

Section 1.03 Payment of Principal and Interest . The principal of the Subordinated Debentures shall be due at Stated Maturity. The unpaid and outstanding principal amount of the Subordinated Debentures, and any overdue installment of interest thereon to the extent permitted by law, shall bear interest (i) at an initial rate of 2.108% per annum, from and including the date of issuance to, but excluding, October 23, 2027, or earlier redemption and (ii) thereafter the rate of the interest of the Subordinated Debentures will be reset on each of October 23, 2027, October 23, 2032, October 23, 2037 and October 23, 2042 (each, a “reset date”). From and including the day immediately following each reset date to and including the next following reset date or the date of earlier redemption, the rate of interest of the Subordinated Debentures will be equal to the then-current JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate (rounded up to the nearest third decimal place) plus 205 basis points. Subject to Section 1.04 below, interest shall be paid semi-annually in arrears on each Interest Payment Date, commencing on April 23, 2018, to the Person in whose name the Subordinated Debentures are registered on the Regular Record Date for such Interest Payment Date, provided that interest payable at the Stated Maturity or on a date of redemption as provided herein, will be paid to the Person to whom principal is payable. Any such interest that is not so punctually paid or duly provided for will forthwith cease to be payable to the holders on such Regular Record Date and may be paid as provided in Section 2.7 of the Original Indenture.

Payments of interest on the Subordinated Debentures will include interest accrued to, but excluding, the respective Interest Payment Dates. Interest payments for the Subordinated Debentures shall be computed and paid on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months. In the event that any date on which interest is payable on the Subordinated Debentures is not a Business Day, then payment of the interest payable on such date will be made on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day (and without any interest or other payment in respect of any such delay), except that, if such next succeeding Business Day is in the next succeeding calendar year, such payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Business Day, in each case with the same force and effect as if made on the date the payment was originally payable.

Payment of the principal, premium, if any, and interest due at the Stated Maturity of, or on a date of redemption for, the Subordinated Debentures shall be made upon surrender of the Subordinated Debentures at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. The principal of and interest on the Subordinated Debentures shall be paid in Japanese yen. Payments of interest (including interest on any Interest Payment Date) will be made, subject to such surrender where applicable, at the option of the Company, (i) by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security register or (ii) by wire transfer at such place and to such account at a banking institution in the United States as may be designated in writing to the Trustee at least 15 days prior to the date for payment by the Person entitled thereto.

 

3


Section 1.04 Option to Defer Interest Payments . So long as no Event of Default with respect to the Subordinated Debentures has occurred or is continuing, the Company shall have the right, at any time and from time to time, to defer the payment of interest on the Subordinated Debentures for one or more Optional Deferral Period (as defined below) of up to five consecutive years, provided, however, that no Optional Deferral Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date, any earlier accelerated maturity date arising from an Event of Default or any other earlier redemption of the Subordinated Debentures. If the Company has paid all deferred interest (including compounded interest thereon) on the Subordinated Debentures, the Company shall have the right to elect to begin a new Optional Deferral Period pursuant to this Section 1.04.

During any Optional Deferral Period, interest shall continue to accrue on the Subordinated Debentures, and deferred interest payments shall accrue additional interest at the then applicable interest rate on the Subordinated Debentures, compounded semi-annually as of each Interest Payment Date to the extent permitted by applicable law. No interest otherwise due during an Optional Deferral Period shall be due and payable on the Subordinated Debentures until the end of such Optional Deferral Period except upon an acceleration or redemption of the Subordinated Debentures during such deferral period.

At the end of any Optional Deferral Period, the Company shall pay all deferred interest (including compounded interest thereon) on the Subordinated Debentures to the Persons in whose names the Subordinated Debentures are registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date with respect to the Interest Payment Date at the end of such Optional Deferral Period.

At the end of five years following the commencement of any Optional Deferral Period, the Company shall pay all accrued and unpaid deferred interest, including compounded interest thereon, and the Company’s failure to pay all such accrued and unpaid deferred interest, including compounded interest thereon, for a period of 30 days after the conclusion of such five-year period shall result in an Event of Default giving rise to a right of acceleration. If, at the end of any Optional Deferral Period, the Company shall have paid all deferred interest due on the Subordinated Debentures, including compounded interest, the Company may again defer interest payments on the Subordinated Debentures as described above.

“Optional Deferral Period” means the period commencing on an Interest Payment Date with respect to which the Company defers interest pursuant to this Section 1.04 and ending on the earlier of (i) the fifth anniversary of that Interest Payment Date and (ii) the next Interest Payment Date on which the Company has paid all deferred and unpaid amounts (including compounded interest on such deferred amounts) and all other accrued interest on the Subordinated Debentures.

 

4


The Company shall give written notice of its election to commence or continue any Optional Deferral Period to the Trustee and the Holders of the Subordinated Debentures at least three Business Day and not more than 60 Business Days before the next Interest Payment Date. Such notice shall be given to the Trustee and each Holder of Subordinated Debentures at such Holder’s address by first-class mail, postage prepaid. In addition, the Company’s failure to pay interest on the Subordinated Debentures on any Interest Payment Date will itself constitute the commencement of an Optional Deferral Period unless the Company pays such interest within five Business Days after any such Interest Payment Date, whether or not the Company provides a notice of deferral.

After the commencement of an Optional Deferral Period and until the Company has paid all accrued and unpaid interest on the Subordinated Debentures, the Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any shares of the Company’s capital stock other than:

(a) purchases or acquisitions of shares of the Company’s capital stock in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of employees, officers, directors, consultants or agents or the Company’s satisfaction of its obligations under any dividend reinvestment plan;

(b) purchases or acquisitions of shares of the Company’s capital stock in connection with the Company’s satisfaction of its obligations under any contract or security entered into before commencement of the Optional Deferral Period;

(c) as a result of a reclassification of any series or class of the Company’s capital stock, or the exchange or conversion of one class or series of the Company’s capital stock for or into another class or series of the Company’s capital stock;

(d) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to an acquisition or the conversion or exchange provisions of that capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged;

(e) dividends or distributions of the Company’s capital stock, or rights to acquire capital stock, or repurchases or redemptions of capital stock, in each case solely from the issuance or exchange of capital stock;

(f) any declaration of a dividend in connection with the implementation of a shareholder rights plan, or issuances of capital stock under any such plan in the future, or redemptions or repurchases of any rights outstanding under a shareholder rights plan; or

(g) acquisitions of the Company’s capital stock in connection with acquisitions of businesses made by the Company (which acquisitions are made by the Company in connection with the satisfaction of indemnification obligations of the sellers of such businesses).

In addition, after the commencement of an Optional Deferral Period until the Company has paid all accrued and unpaid interest on the Subordinated Debentures, the Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any of the Company’s debt securities or

 

5


guarantees that rank equally with the Subordinated Debentures (“Parity Securities”) or junior to the Subordinated Debentures other than (i) any payment of current or deferred interest on Parity Securities made pro rata to the amounts due on such Parity Securities (including the Subordinated Debentures) and any payments of deferred interest on Parity Securities that, if not made, would cause the Company to breach the terms of the instrument governing such Parity Securities or (ii) any payment of principal on Parity Securities necessary to avoid a breach of the instrument governing such Parity Securities.

Section 1.05 Denominations . The Subordinated Debentures will be issued only in denominations of ¥100,000,000 and integral multiples of ¥10,000,000 in excess thereof.

Section 1.06 Global Securities . The Subordinated Debentures will initially be represented by one or more Global Securities. Each such Global Security will be deposited with, or on behalf of, a common depositary, and registered in the name of the nominee of the common depositary for the accounts of Clearstream Banking, soci é t é anonyme (“Clearstream”) and Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. (“Euroclear”). The Subordinated Debentures may be held through Clearstream or Euroclear, either as a participant in such systems or indirectly through organizations which are participants in such systems. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests in the Subordinated Debentures on behalf of their respective participating organizations or customers through customers’ securities accounts in Clearstream’s or Euroclear’s names on the books of their respective depositaries. Book-entry interests in the Subordinated Debentures and all transfers relating to the Subordinated Debentures will be reflected in the book-entry records of Clearstream and Euroclear.

Owners of beneficial interests in such Global Securities will not be entitled to have the Subordinated Debentures registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the Subordinated Debentures in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the Subordinated Debentures under the Indenture, including for purposes of receiving any reports delivered by the Company or the Trustee pursuant to the Indenture. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a Subordinated Debenture must rely on the procedures of the depositary and, if such person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which such person owns its interest, in order to exercise any rights of a holder of the Subordinated Debentures.

Section 1.07 Transfer . No service charge will be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Subordinated Debentures, but payment will be required of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith.

Section 1.08 Defeasance . The provisions of Sections 10.4 and 10.5 of the Original Indenture will apply to the Subordinated Debentures.

Section 1.09 Redemption at the Option of the Company . The Company may redeem the Subordinated Debentures:

 

    in whole or in part, on any interest payment date, on or after October 23, 2027, at a redemption price equal to their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest (including compounded interest, if any) to, but excluding, the date of redemption;

 

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    in whole, but not in part, at any time, within 90 days of the occurrence of a Tax Event (as defined below), at a redemption price equal to their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest (including compounded interest, if any) to, but excluding, the date of redemption; or

 

    in whole, but not in part, at any time, within 90 days of the occurrence of a Rating Agency Event (as defined below), at a redemption price equal to their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest (including compounded interest, if any) to, but excluding, the date of redemption.

“Tax Event” means that the Company will have received an opinion of counsel, rendered by a law firm of nationally recognized standing that is experienced in such matters, stating that, as a result of any:

 

    amendment to, or change in (including any promulgation, enactment, execution or modification of) the laws (or any regulations under those laws) of the United States or any political subdivision thereof or therein affecting taxation;

 

    official administrative pronouncement (including a private letter ruling, technical advice memorandum or similar pronouncement) or judicial decision or administrative action or other official pronouncement interpreting or applying the laws or regulations enumerated in the preceding bullet point, by any court, governmental agency or regulatory authority; or

 

    threatened challenge asserted in connection with an audit of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,

which amendment or change is enacted or effective or which pronouncement or decision is announced or which challenge is asserted against the Company or becomes publicly known on or after the original issue date of the Subordinated Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial increase in the risk that interest accruable or payable by the Company on the Subordinated Debentures is not, or will not be, deductible by the Company in whole or in part, for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

“Rating Agency Event” means that any nationally recognized statistical rating organization within the meaning of Section 3(a)(62) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that then publishes a rating for the Company (a “rating agency”) amends, clarifies or changes the criteria it uses to assign equity credit to securities such as the Subordinated Debentures, which amendment, clarification or change results in (a) the shortening of the length of time the Subordinated Debentures are assigned a particular level of equity credit by that rating agency as compared to the length of time they would have been assigned that level of equity credit by that rating agency or its predecessor on the initial issuance of the Subordinated Debentures; or (b) the lowering of the equity credit (including up to a lesser amount) assigned to the Subordinated Debentures by that rating agency compared to the equity credit assigned by that rating agency or its predecessor on the initial issuance of the Subordinated Debentures. The Trustee will not be responsible for monitoring whether or not a rating event has occurred.

“JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate” means (i) the offered rate for Japanese yen swaps with a term of five (5) years which appears on the Bloomberg Page GDCO 157 1 (as defined below) at 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date (as defined below), (ii) if the

 

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rate specified in (i) above does not appear or Bloomberg Page GDCO 157 1 is unavailable at 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date, the ask rate for Japanese yen swaps with a term of five (5) years which appears on the “Quote Recap” page of Bloomberg Page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR (as defined below) at 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date, or (iii) if neither the rates specified in (i) nor (ii) above appear or if neither Bloomberg Page GDCO 157 1 nor Bloomberg Page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR is available at 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date, the ask rate for Japanese yen swaps with a term of five (5) years which appears on the “Quote Recap” page of Bloomberg Page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR immediately before 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date; provided that such rate shall be the ask rate for Japanese yen swaps with a term of five (5) years on the Interest Rate Determination Date (Tokyo time).

“Bloomberg Page GDCO 157 1” means the page GDCO 157 1 displayed on Bloomberg (or any successor service) which page displays offered rates for Japanese yen swaps in the Tokyo interbank market (or any successor page thereto).

“Bloomberg Page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR” means the page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR displayed on Bloomberg (or any successor service) which page displays quote recap for Japanese yen swaps in the Tokyo interbank market (or any successor page thereto).

“Interest Rate Determination Date” means, in respect of each reset interest period, the day which is two (2) Business Days prior to the reset date immediately prior to the first day of such reset interest period.

At approximately 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date, the Calculation Agent (as defined below) will ascertain in respect of the relevant reset interest period the JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate.

“Business Day” means a day which is a day on which banks are open for business in The City of New York, The City of London and The City of Tokyo.

“Calculation Agent” means The Bank of New York Mellon, London Branch, or any other successor appointed by us, acting as calculation agent.

The determination of JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate for each applicable reset interest period by the Calculation Agent will (in the absence of manifest error) be final and binding. The Calculation Agent’s calculation of the amount of any interest payable after the first Interest Rate Determination Date will be maintained on file at the Calculation Agent’s principal offices.

On and after the date of redemption, interest will cease to accrue on the Subordinated Debentures or any portion of the Subordinated Debentures called for redemption, unless the Company defaults in the payment of the redemption amount.

Notwithstanding Section 12.2 of the Original Indenture, the notice of redemption with respect to the foregoing redemption need not set forth the redemption price but only the manner of calculation thereof.

 

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Section 1.10 Additional Amounts . All payments of principal and interest in respect of the Subordinated Debentures will be made free and clear of, and without deduction or withholding for or on account of any present or future taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental charges of whatsoever nature imposed, levied, collected, withheld or assessed by the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority of or in the United States (collectively, “Taxes”), unless such withholding or deduction is required by law.

In the event such withholding or deduction of Taxes is required by law, subject to the limitations described below, the Company will pay to any Non-U.S. holder such additional amounts (“Additional Amounts”) as may be necessary in order that every net payment by the Company or any paying agent of principal of or interest on the Subordinated Debentures (including upon redemption), after deduction or withholding for or on account of such Taxes, will not be less than the amount provided for in such Subordinated Debentures to be then due and payable before deduction or withholding for or on account of such Taxes.

However, the Company’s obligation to pay Additional Amounts shall not apply to:

(a) any Taxes which would not have been so imposed, withheld or deducted but for:

(1) the existence of any present or former connection between such holder or beneficial owner (or between a fiduciary, settlor, beneficiary, member or shareholder or other equity owner of, or a person having a power over, such holder or beneficial owner, if such holder or beneficial owner is an estate, a trust, a limited liability company, a partnership, a corporation or other entity) and the United States, including, without limitation, such holder or beneficial owner (or such fiduciary, settlor, beneficiary, member, shareholder or other equity owner or person having such a power) being or having been a citizen or resident or treated as a resident of the United States or being or having been engaged in a trade or business in the United States or being or having been present in the United States or having or having had a permanent establishment in the United States;

(2) the failure of such holder or beneficial owner to comply with any applicable certification, information, documentation or other reporting requirement concerning the nationality, residence, identity or connection with the United States of such holder or beneficial owner or otherwise to establish entitlement to a partial or complete exemption from such Taxes (including, but not limited to, the requirement to provide Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN, Form W-8BEN-E, Form W-8ECI, or any subsequent versions thereof or successor thereto, and including, without limitation, any documentation requirement under an applicable income tax treaty); or

(3) such holder’s or beneficial owner’s present or former status as a personal holding company, foreign personal holding company, controlled foreign corporation, passive foreign investment company or foreign tax exempt organization with respect to the United States or as a corporation that accumulates earnings to avoid United States federal income tax;

(b) any Taxes imposed, withheld or deducted by reason of the holder or beneficial owner:

 

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(1) owning or having owned, directly or indirectly, actually or constructively, 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of the Company’s stock,

(2) being a bank receiving interest described in section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Internal Revenue Code”), or

(3) being a controlled foreign corporation with respect to the United States that is related to the Company by stock ownership;

(c) any Taxes which would not have been so imposed, withheld or deducted but for the presentation by the holder or beneficial owner of the Subordinated Debenture for payment on a date more than 10 days after the date on which such payment became due and payable or the date on which payment of the Subordinated Debentures is duly provided for and notice is given to holders, whichever occurs later, except to the extent that the holder or beneficial owner would have been entitled to such additional amounts on presenting such Subordinated Debentures on any date during such 10-day period;

(d) any estate, inheritance, gift, sales, transfer, capital gains, personal property, excise, wealth, interest equalization or similar Taxes;

(e) any Taxes which are payable otherwise than by withholding from any payment of principal of or interest on such Subordinated Debenture;

(f) any Taxes which are payable by a holder that is not the beneficial owner of the Subordinated Debenture, or a portion of the Subordinated Debenture, or that is a fiduciary, partnership, limited liability company or other similar entity, but only to the extent that a beneficial owner, a beneficiary or settlor with respect to such fiduciary or member of such partnership, limited liability company or similar entity would not have been entitled to the payment of an additional amount had such beneficial owner, settlor, beneficiary or member received directly its beneficial or distributive share of the payment;

(g) any Taxes required to be withheld by any paying agent from any payment of principal of or interest on any Subordinated Debenture, if such payment can be made without such withholding by any other paying agent;

(h) any Taxes that would not have been imposed, withheld or deducted but for a change in any law, treaty, regulation, or administrative or judicial interpretation that becomes effective after the applicable payment becomes due or is duly provided for, whichever occurs later, to the extent such change in law, treaty, regulation or administrative interpretation would apply retroactively to such payment;

(i) any Taxes imposed, withheld or deducted under Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Internal Revenue Code (or any amended or successor provisions that are substantively comparable) and any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act or “FATCA”), any agreement (including any intergovernmental agreement) entered into in connection therewith, or any law, regulation or other official guidance enacted in any jurisdiction implementing FATCA or an intergovernmental agreement in respect of FATCA; or

 

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(j) any combination of items (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i).

For purposes of this section, the acquisition, ownership, enforcement or holding of or the receipt of any payment with respect to a Subordinated Debenture will not constitute a connection (1) between the holder or beneficial owner and the United States or (2) between a fiduciary, settlor, beneficiary, member or shareholder or other equity owner of, or a person having a power over, such holder or beneficial owner if such holder or beneficial owner is an estate, a trust, a limited liability company, a partnership, a corporation or other entity and the United States.

Any reference in the Indenture or in the Subordinated Debentures to principal or interest shall be deemed to refer also to Additional Amounts which may be payable under the provisions of this section.

Except as specifically provided in the Subordinated Debentures, the Company will not be required to make any payment with respect to any tax, duty, assessment or other governmental charge imposed by any government or any political subdivision or taxing authority of or in any government or political subdivision.

Section 1.11 Selection of Subordinated Debentures to be Redeemed; Notice of Redemption . If less than all of the Subordinated Debentures are to be redeemed, the principal amount of such Subordinated Debentures held by each beneficial owner of such Subordinated Debentures to be redeemed will be selected in accordance with the procedures of the applicable clearing house. If the Subordinated Debentures are in certificated form, the Trustee will select the Subordinated Debentures to be redeemed by lot. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the Subordinated Debentures selected for redemption and, in the case of any Subordinated Debentures selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed.

Section 1.12 Notice to Trustee . The Company shall notify the Trustee of the redemption price with respect to the foregoing redemption promptly after the calculation thereof. The Trustee shall not be responsible for calculating said redemption price.

Section 1.13 Events of Default . With respect to the Subordinated Debentures, this Section 1.13 supersedes Section 5.1 of the Original Indenture, which is hereby replaced in its entirety and shall be read as:

“Event of Default” with respect to the Subordinated Debentures, means each one of the following events which shall have occurred and be continuing (whatever the reason for such Event of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):

(i) default in the payment of all or any part of the principal of, or premium, if any, on any of the Subordinated Debentures as and when the same shall become due and payable either at maturity, upon any redemption, by declaration or otherwise; provided, however, that if the Company defers the payment of interest on the Subordinated Debentures pursuant to Section 1.04 of this Second Supplemental Indenture, the date on which such payment is due and payable shall be the date on which the Company is required to make payment following such Optional Deferral Period (subject to any deferral of any due date in the case of an extension period); or

 

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(ii) default in the payment of any installment of interest upon any of the Subordinated Debentures as and when the same shall become due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days and the interest payment date has not been properly extended or deferred; provided, however, that if the Company defers the payment of interest on the Subordinated Debentures pursuant to Section 1.04 of this Second Supplemental Indenture, the date on which such payment is due and payable shall be the date on which the Company is required to make payment following such Optional Deferral Period (subject to any deferral of any due date in the case of an extension period); or

(iii) [Intentionally Reserved]

(iv) [Intentionally Reserved]

(v) a decree or order by a court having jurisdiction in the premises shall have been entered adjudging the Company as bankrupt or insolvent, or approving as properly filed a petition seeking reorganization of the Company under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, and such decree or order shall have continued undischarged and unstayed for a period of 120 days; or a decree or order of a court having jurisdiction in the premises for the appointment of a receiver or liquidator or trustee or assignee in bankruptcy or insolvency of the Company or of its property, or for the winding up or liquidation of its affairs, shall have been entered, and such decree or order shall have remained in force and unstayed for a period of 120 days; or

(vi) the Company shall commence a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or consent to the appointment or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of the Company or for any substantial part of its or their property, or make any general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall admit in writing its inability to pay its debts generally as they become due.

(vii) [Intentionally Reserved]

(viii) [Intentionally Reserved]

If an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default specified in Sections 5.1(5) or 5.1(6) herein) with respect to the Subordinated Debentures at the time Outstanding occurs and is continuing, either the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Subordinated Debentures then Outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by such Holders of the Subordinated Debentures), may declare the principal of all the Subordinated Debentures to be due and payable immediately, and upon any such declaration the same shall become and shall be immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in Sections 5.1(5) or 5.1(6) herein, with respect to Subordinated Debentures at the time Outstanding occurs, the principal amount of all the Subordinated Debentures shall automatically, and without any declaration or other action on the part of the Trustee or any holder, become immediately due and payable.

 

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At any time after the principal of the Subordinated Debentures shall have been so declared due and payable, and before any judgment or decree for the payment of the moneys due shall have been obtained or entered as hereinafter provided, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Subordinated Debentures then Outstanding hereunder, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if: (i) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest on all the Subordinated Debentures and the principal of , and premium, if any, on any and all Subordinated Debentures that shall have become due otherwise than by acceleration (with interest on such principal and premium, if any, and, to the extent that such payment is enforceable under applicable law, upon overdue installments of interest, at the rates of interest or Yields to Maturity of the Subordinated Debentures, as the case may be, to the date of such payment or deposit) and the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 6.6 of the Original Indenture, and (ii) any and all Events of Default under this Second Supplemental Indenture with respect to such series, other than the nonpayment of principal on the Subordinated Debentures that shall not have become due by their terms, shall have been remedied or waived as provided in Section 5.10 of the Original Indenture.

Section 1.14 Further Issues . The Company may from time to time, without notice to or the consent of the registered holders of the Subordinated Debentures, create and issue further debentures ranking equally with the Subordinated Debentures in all respects. Such further debentures may be consolidated and form a single series with the Subordinated Debentures and have the same terms as to status, redemption or otherwise as the Subordinated Debentures (other than the issue date of such further debentures and first payment of interest following the issue date of such further debentures); provided that such additional debentures are fungible for U.S. Federal income tax purposes with any then-existing Subordinated Debentures.

ARTICLE II

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Section 2.01 Recitals by the Company . The recitals in this Second Supplemental Indenture are made by the Company only and not by the Trustee, and the Trustee assumes no responsibility for their correctness. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Second Supplemental Indenture or of the Subordinated Debentures. The Trustee shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of the Subordinated Debentures or the proceeds thereof. All of the provisions contained in the Original Indenture in respect of the rights, privileges, immunities, powers and duties of the Trustee shall be applicable in respect of the Subordinated Debentures and of this Second Supplemental Indenture as fully and with like effect as if set forth herein in full.

Section 2.02 Ratification and Incorporation of Original Indenture . As supplemented hereby, the Original Indenture is in all respects ratified and confirmed, and the Original Indenture and this Second Supplemental Indenture shall be read, taken and construed as one and the same instrument.

 

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Section 2.03 Executed in Counterparts . This Second Supplemental Indenture may be simultaneously executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.

Section 2.04 New York Law to Govern . This Second Supplemental Indenture and each Subordinated Debenture shall be deemed to be a contract under the laws of the state of New York, and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the laws of such state, except as may be required by mandatory provisions of law.

Section 2.05 Agreement by Holders to Treat Debentures as Indebtedness for Tax Purposes . Each holder of the Subordinated Debentures will, by accepting the Subordinated Debentures or a beneficial interest therein, be deemed to have agreed that the holder intends that the Subordinated Debentures constitute indebtedness and will treat the Subordinated Debentures as indebtedness for all U.S. federal, state and local tax purposes.

[The next page is the signature page]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each party hereto has caused this instrument to be signed in its name and behalf by its duly authorized officers, all as of the day and year first above written.

 

AFLAC INCORPORATED,

as Issuer

By:   /s/ Frederick J. Crawford
 

Name: Frederick J. Crawford

Title:   Executive Vice President and

            Chief Financial Officer

 

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,

as Trustee

By:   /s/ Karen Yu
 

Name: Karen Yu

Title:   Vice President

[Signature Page to Second Supplemental Indenture]


EXHIBIT A

2.108% Subordinated Debenture due 2047

THIS DEBENTURE IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE TO THE ORIGINAL INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO. UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF EUROCLEAR BANK, S.A./N.V., AS OPERATOR OF THE EUROCLEAR SYSTEM (“EUROCLEAR”) AND CLEARSTREAM BANKING, SOCIÉTÉ ANONYME (“CLEARSTREAM” AND, TOGETHER WITH EUROCLEAR, “EUROCLEAR/CLEARSTREAM”), TO AFLAC INCORPORATED OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE BANK OF NEW YORK DEPOSITORY (NOMINEES) LIMITED OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF EUROCLEAR/CLEARSTREAM (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO THE BANK OF NEW YORK DEPOSITORY (NOMINEES) LIMITED OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF EUROCLEAR/CLEARSTREAM), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, THE BANK OF NEW YORK DEPOSITORY (NOMINEES) LIMITED, HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR SECURITIES IN DEFINITIVE FORM, THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.

 

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No. 1

CUSIP No. 001055 AT9

ISIN No. XS1702964351

 

 

AFLAC INCORPORATED

2.108% Subordinated Debenture due 2047

 

Principal Amount:

   ¥60,000,000,000

Regular Record Date:

   with respect to each Interest Payment Date, the close of business on April 8 or October 8 immediately preceding such Interest Payment Date

Original Issue Date:

   October 23, 2017

Stated Maturity:

   October 23, 2047

Interest Payment Dates

   April 23 and October 23, commencing on April 23, 2018

Interest Rate:

  

From and including the date of issuance to, but excluding, October 23, 2027, the Subordinated Debentures will bear interest at an initial rate of 2.108% per annum.

 

From and including October 23, 2027 to, but excluding, the maturity date or the date of earlier redemption, the rate of the interest of the Subordinated Debentures will be reset on each of October 23, 2027, October 23, 2032, October 23, 2037 and October 23, 2042 (each a “reset date”), to an annual interest rate equal to the then-current JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate plus 205 basis points.

Authorized Denomination:

   ¥100,000,000 and integral multiples of ¥10,000,000 in excess thereof

Aflac Incorporated, a Georgia corporation (the “Company,” which term includes any successor corporation under the Indenture referred to on the reverse hereof), for value received, hereby promises to pay to The Bank of New York Depository (Nominees) Limited, the registered holder hereof, as nominee of The Bank of New York Mellon, London Branch, as common depositary for Euroclear/Clearstream, or registered assigns, the principal sum of SIXTY BILLION JAPANESE YEN (¥60,000,000,000) on the Stated Maturity shown above, and to pay interest thereon, and on any overdue installment of interest thereon to the extent permitted by law, from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for or, if no interest has been paid, from the Original Issue Date shown above, semi-annually in arrears on each Interest Payment Date as specified above, commencing on April 23, 2018, and on the Stated Maturity at the rate per year shown above until the principal hereof or such overdue installment is paid or made available for payment. The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date (other than an Interest Payment Date that is the Stated Maturity) will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Debenture (as defined on the reverse hereof) is registered at the close of business on the Regular

 

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Record Date as specified above next preceding such Interest Payment Date, provided that any interest payable at Stated Maturity or a redemption date will be paid to the Person to whom principal is payable. Except as otherwise provided in the Indenture, any such interest that is not so punctually paid or duly provided for will forthwith cease to be payable to the holders on such Regular Record Date and may be paid as provided in Section 2.7 of the Original Indenture.

Payments of interest on this Debenture (as defined on the reverse hereof) will include interest accrued to, but excluding, the respective Interest Payment Dates. Interest payments for this Debenture shall be computed and paid on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months. In the event that any date on which interest is payable on this Debenture is not a Business Day, then payment of the interest payable on such date will be made on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day (and without any interest or other payment in respect of any such delay), except that, if such next succeeding Business Day is in the next succeeding calendar year, payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Business Day, in each case with the same force and effect as if made on the date the payment was originally payable. For the purposes of this Debenture, “Business Day” means a day which is a day on which banks are open for business in The City of New York, The City of London and The City of Tokyo.

Payment of the principal of and interest due at the Stated Maturity of, or on a date of redemption for, this Debenture shall be made upon surrender of this Debenture at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. The principal of and interest on this Debenture shall be paid in Japanese yen. Payment of interest (including interest on an Interest Payment Date) will be made, subject to such surrender where applicable, at the option of the Company, (i) by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security register or (ii) by wire transfer at such place and to such account at a banking institution in the United States as may be designated in writing to the Trustee at least 15 days prior to the date for payment by the Person entitled thereto.

The Subordinated Debentures (as defined on the reverse hereof) will be unsecured obligations of the Company and will be subordinated to all Senior Indebtedness of the Company.

REFERENCE IS HEREBY MADE TO THE FURTHER PROVISIONS OF THIS DEBENTURE SET FORTH ON THE REVERSE HEREOF, WHICH FURTHER PROVISIONS SHALL FOR ALL PURPOSES HAVE THE SAME EFFECT AS IF SET FORTH AT THIS PLACE.

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

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly executed.

 

AFLAC INCORPORATED,

as Issuer

By:    
 

Name:

Title:

 

Attest:
 

 

Name:

Title:

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047 referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

 

   

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,

as Trustee

Dated: October 23, 2017     By:    
        Authorized Signatory

 

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(Reverse Side of Debenture)

This debenture (this “Debenture”) represents one of a duly authorized issue of Subordinated Debentures of the Company issued and issuable in one or more series under a Subordinated Indenture dated as of September 26, 2012 (the “Original Indenture”), as supplemented by the Second Supplemental Indenture dated as of October 23, 2017 (the “Second Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Original Indenture, the “Indenture”), between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee (the “Trustee,” which term includes any successor trustee under the Indenture), to which Indenture and all indentures incidental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Subordinated Debentures (as defined below) issued thereunder and of the terms upon which said Subordinated Debentures are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. The Securities represented by this Debenture are one of the series designated on the face hereof as 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047 (the “Subordinated Debentures”), initially limited in aggregate principal amount to ¥60,000,000,000; provided, however, that the aggregate principal amount of the Subordinated Debentures may be increased in the future, without the consent of the holders of the Subordinated Debentures, as provided in the Second Supplemental Indenture. Capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Indenture.

So long as no Event of Default (as defined in Section 1.13 of the Second Supplemental Indenture) with respect to the Subordinated Debentures has occurred or is continuing, the Company shall have the right, pursuant to Section 1.04 of the Second Supplemental Indenture, at any time and from time to time, to defer the payment of interest on the Subordinated Debentures for one or more consecutive interest periods that do not exceed five years for any single Optional Deferral Period, subject to the conditions provided in the Indenture.

This Debenture is exchangeable in whole or from time to time in part for Subordinated Debentures of this series in definitive registered form only as provided in the Indenture.

If an Event of Default with respect to the Subordinated Debentures shall occur and be continuing, the principal of the Subordinated Debentures may be declared due and payable in the manner, with the effect and subject to the conditions provided in the Indenture. For the avoidance of doubt, Event of Default is defined in Section 1.13 of the Second Supplemental Indenture, which amends and restates in its entirety Section 5.1 of the Original Indenture.

The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Company and the rights of the holders of the Subordinated Debentures under the Indenture at any time by the Company and the Trustee with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Subordinated Debentures at the time Outstanding. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the holders of specified percentages in principal amount of the Subordinated Debentures at the time Outstanding, on behalf of the holders of all Subordinated Debentures, to waive compliance by the Company with certain provisions of the Indenture and certain past

 

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defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the holder of this Debenture shall be conclusive and binding upon such holder and upon all future holders of this Debenture and of any Subordinated Debentures issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange hereof or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Debenture.

The Indenture contains provisions for defeasance at any time of (i) the entire indebtedness of the Company pursuant to this Debenture and (ii) restrictive covenants upon compliance by the Company with certain conditions set forth therein, which provisions apply to this Debenture.

The Company may redeem the Subordinated Debentures:

 

    in whole or in part, on any interest payment date, on or after October 23, 2027, at a redemption price equal to their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest (including compounded interest, if any) to, but excluding, the date of redemption;

 

    in whole, but not in part, at any time, within 90 days of the occurrence of a Tax Event (as defined below), at a redemption price equal to their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest (including compounded interest, if any) to, but excluding, the date of redemption; or

 

    in whole, but not in part, at any time, within 90 days of the occurrence of a Rating Agency Event (as defined below), at a redemption price equal to their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest (including compounded interest, if any) to, but excluding, the date of redemption.

“Tax Event” means that the Company will have received an opinion of counsel, rendered by a law firm of nationally recognized standing that is experienced in such matters, stating that, as a result of any:

 

    amendment to, or change in (including any promulgation, enactment, execution or modification of) the laws (or any regulations under those laws) of the United States or any political subdivision thereof or therein affecting taxation;

 

    official administrative pronouncement (including a private letter ruling, technical advice memorandum or similar pronouncement) or judicial decision or administrative action or other official pronouncement interpreting or applying the laws or regulations enumerated in the preceding bullet point, by any court, governmental agency or regulatory authority; or

 

    threatened challenge asserted in connection with an audit of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,

which amendment or change is enacted or effective or which pronouncement or decision is announced or which challenge is asserted against the Company or becomes publicly known on or after the original issue date of the Subordinated Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial increase in the risk that interest accruable or payable by the Company on the Subordinated Debentures is not, or will not be, deductible by the Company in whole or in part, for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

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“Rating Agency Event” means that any nationally recognized statistical rating organization within the meaning of Section 3(a)(62) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that then publishes a rating for the Company (a “rating agency”) amends, clarifies or changes the criteria it uses to assign equity credit to securities such as the Subordinated Debentures, which amendment, clarification or change results in (a) the shortening of the length of time the Subordinated Debentures are assigned a particular level of equity credit by that rating agency as compared to the length of time they would have been assigned that level of equity credit by that rating agency or its predecessor on the initial issuance of the Subordinated Debentures; or (b) the lowering of the equity credit (including up to a lesser amount) assigned to the Subordinated Debentures by that rating agency compared to the equity credit assigned by that rating agency or its predecessor on the initial issuance of the Subordinated Debentures. The Trustee will not be responsible for monitoring whether or not a rating event has occurred.

“JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate” means (i) the offered rate for Japanese yen swaps with a term of five (5) years which appears on the Bloomberg Page GDCO 157 1 (as defined below) at 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date (as defined below), (ii) if the rate specified in (i) above does not appear or Bloomberg Page GDCO 157 1 is unavailable at 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date, the ask rate for Japanese yen swaps with a term of five (5) years which appears on the “Quote Recap” page of Bloomberg Page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR (as defined below) at 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date, or (iii) if neither the rates specified in (i) nor (ii) above appear or if neither Bloomberg Page GDCO 157 1 nor Bloomberg Page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR is available at 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date, the ask rate for Japanese yen swaps with a term of five (5) years which appears on the “Quote Recap” page of Bloomberg Page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR immediately before 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date; provided that such rate shall be the ask rate for Japanese yen swaps with a term of five (5) years on the Interest Rate Determination Date (Tokyo time).

“Bloomberg Page GDCO 157 1” means the page GDCO 157 1 displayed on Bloomberg (or any successor service) which page displays offered rates for Japanese yen swaps in the Tokyo interbank market (or any successor page thereto).

“Bloomberg Page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR” means the page JYSW5 TTFX Curncy QR displayed on Bloomberg (or any successor service) which page displays quote recap for Japanese yen swaps in the Tokyo interbank market (or any successor page thereto).

“Interest Rate Determination Date” means, in respect of each reset interest period, the day which is two (2) Business Days prior to the reset date immediately prior to the first day of such reset interest period.

At approximately 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the Interest Rate Determination Date, the Calculation Agent (as defined below) will ascertain in respect of the relevant reset interest period the JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate.

“Business Day” means a day which is a day on which banks are open for business in The City of New York, The City of London and The City of Tokyo.

 

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“Calculation Agent” means The Bank of New York Mellon, London Branch, or any other successor appointed by us, acting as calculation agent.

The determination of JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate for each applicable reset interest period by the Calculation Agent will (in the absence of manifest error) be final and binding. The Calculation Agent’s calculation of the amount of any interest payable after the first Interest Rate Determination Date will be maintained on file at the Calculation Agent’s principal offices.

On and after the date of redemption, interest will cease to accrue on the Subordinated Debentures or any portion of the Subordinated Debentures called for redemption, unless the Company defaults in the payment of the redemption amount.

Notwithstanding Section 12.2 of the Original Indenture, the notice of redemption with respect to the foregoing redemption need not set forth the redemption price but only the manner of calculation thereof.

The Company shall notify the Trustee of the redemption price with respect to the foregoing redemption promptly after the calculation thereof. The Trustee shall not be responsible for calculating said redemption price. Unless the Company defaults in payment of the redemption price, on and after the date of redemption, interest will cease to accrue on the Subordinated Debentures or portions thereof called for redemption.

If less than all of the Subordinated Debentures are to be redeemed, the principal amount of such Subordinated Debentures held by each beneficial owner of such Subordinated Debentures to be redeemed will be selected in accordance with the procedures of the applicable clearing house. If the Subordinated Debentures are in certificated form, the Trustee will select the Subordinated Debentures to be redeemed by lot.

No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Debenture or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and interest, other than as described in Section 1.04 of the Second Supplemental Indenture, on this Debenture at the time, place and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed.

As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, the transfer of this Debenture is registrable in the Security register, upon surrender of this Debenture for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company for such purpose, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company or the Security registrar and duly executed by, the holder hereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Subordinated Debentures, of authorized denominations and of like tenor and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the designated transferee or transferees. No service charge shall be made for any such exchange or registration of transfer, but the Company will require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.

Prior to due presentment of this Debenture for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee, any Person authorized by the Company to pay the principal of or any premium or interest on any Subordinated Debenture on behalf of the Company (“Paying Agent”) and the

 

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Security registrar may deem and treat the Person in whose name this Debenture is registered as the absolute owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Debenture be overdue and notwithstanding any notice of ownership or writing thereon made by anyone other than the Security registrar, and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any Paying Agent nor the Security registrar shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

The Subordinated Debentures are issuable only in registered form without coupons in denominations of ¥100,000,000 and integral multiples of ¥10,000,000 in excess thereof. As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, Subordinated Debentures are exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of Subordinated Debentures of a different authorized denomination, as requested by the holder surrendering the same upon surrender of the Subordinated Debenture or Subordinated Debentures to be exchanged at the office or agency of the Company.

No recourse shall be had for payment of the principal of or interest on this Debenture, or for any claim based hereon, or otherwise in respect hereof, or based on or in respect of the Indenture, against any incorporator, as such or against any past, present or future shareholder, officer or director, as such, of the Company or of any successor, either directly or through the Company or any successor, under any rule, law statute or constitutional provision, or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise, all such liability being expressly waived and released, by the acceptance hereof and as part of the consideration for the issuance hereof.

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

This Debenture shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the state of New York.

 

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ABBREVIATIONS

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

 

TEN COM – as tenants in common    UNIF GIFT MIN ACT – Custodian under Uniform Gift to Minors Act
  
  

 

(State)

TEN ENT – as tenants by the entireties   
JT TEN – as joint tenants with rights of survivorship and not as    CUST – Custodian tenants in common

Additional abbreviations may also be used

though not on the above list.

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned hereby sell(s) and transfer(s) unto

PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING POSTAL ZIP CODE OF ASSIGNEE

 

 

 

 

 

(please insert Social Security or other identifying number of assignee)

the within Debenture and all rights thereunder, hereby irrevocably constituting and appointing

 

 

 

 

 

 

agent to transfer said Debenture on the books of the Company, with full power of substitution in the premises.

 

Dated:   
  

 

  

 

   NOTICE: The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the within instrument in every particular without alteration or enlargement, or any change whatever.

 

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EXHIBIT B

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047 referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

 

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,
as Trustee
By:    
  Authorized Signatory

 

B-1

Exhibit 5.1

October 23, 2017

Aflac Incorporated

1932 Wynnton Road

Columbus, Georgia 31999

Re: Aflac Incorporated 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am the Executive Vice President and General Counsel to Aflac Incorporated, a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), and as such have acted as counsel for the Company in connection with the registration of ¥60,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047 (the “Debentures”) under a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (333-203839) filed on May 4, 2015 with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Debentures were offered for sale pursuant to the base prospectus accompanying the Registration Statement, as supplemented by a prospectus supplement relating to the Debentures dated October 17, 2017 (the base prospectus, the prospectus supplement and any amendments thereto, collectively, the “Prospectus”). The Debentures are to be issued under the Subordinated Indenture, dated as of September 26, 2012 (the “Base Indenture”), between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented, by the Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October 23, 2017 (together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”), between the Company and the Trustee.

This opinion is being furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.

In connection with rendering the opinions set forth below, I, or attorneys under my supervision, have examined the Registration Statement, the Prospectus contained therein, the Indenture, the Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as certified by the Secretary of State of the State of Georgia, and the Bylaws of the Company, as certified by J. Matthew Loudermilk, Secretary of the Company, and resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company adopted on May 4, 2015 and resolutions of the executive committee of the Board of Directors adopted on October 5, 2017, as certified by J. Matthew Loudermilk, Secretary of the Company. I have also examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such records of the Company and such agreements, certificates and receipts of public officials, certificates of officers or other representatives of the Company and others, and such other documents as I have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinions set forth below. In my examination, I have assumed the legal capacity of all natural persons, the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to me as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to me as facsimile, electronic, certified or photostatic copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such copies. I have also made such other investigation as I have deemed appropriate.


Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017

2

 

Based upon the foregoing, I am of the opinion that:

1. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Georgia, with the corporate power and authority to execute and deliver the Indenture and the Debentures.

2. The Company has taken all necessary corporate action to authorize the execution and delivery of the Indenture and the Debentures and to perform its obligations thereunder.

The opinions set forth above are subject to the following qualifications, exclusions and limitations:

(a) I express no opinion with respect to the execution, delivery, validity, binding effect or enforceability of any of the Indenture and the Debentures.

(b) My opinions are limited to the laws of the State of Georgia, and I do not express any opinion concerning any other law. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, I express no opinion with respect to any securities laws or regulations.

The foregoing opinions are being furnished only for the purpose referred to in the first paragraph of this opinion letter. I hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to a Current Report on Form 8-K being filed on the date hereof, and incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement. I also hereby consent to the use of my name under the caption “Validity of the Debentures” in the Prospectus. In giving this consent, I do not admit that I am within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

The opinions set forth herein are made as of the date hereof, and I assume no obligation to supplement this opinion letter if any applicable laws change after the date hereof or if I become aware after the date hereof of any facts that might change the opinions expressed herein.

 

Very truly yours,

 

/s/ Audrey Boone Tillman, Esq.

 

Exhibit 5.2

October 23, 2017

Aflac Incorporated

1932 Wynnton Road

Columbus, Georgia 31999

 

  RE: Aflac Incorporated 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as special counsel to Aflac Incorporated, a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the public offering of ¥60,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047 (the “Debentures”) to be issued under the Subordinated Indenture, dated as of September 26, 2012 (the “Base Indenture”), between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by the Second Supplemental Indenture thereto, dated as of October 23, 2017 (together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”).

This opinion is being furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

In rendering the opinion stated herein, we have examined and relied upon the following:

(i) the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-203839) of the Company relating to senior and subordinated debt securities of the Company filed on May 4, 2015, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act allowing for


Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017

2

 

delayed offerings pursuant to Rule 415 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Act (the “Rules and Regulations”), including information deemed to be a part of the registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B of the Rules and Regulations (such registration statement being hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”);

(ii) the prospectus, dated May 4, 2015 (the “Base Prospectus”), which forms a part of and is included in the Registration Statement;

(iii) the preliminary prospectus supplement, dated October 6, 2017 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Preliminary Prospectus”), relating to the offering of the Debentures, in the form filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations;

(iv) the prospectus supplement, dated October 17, 2017, (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Prospectus”), relating to the offering of the Debentures, in the form filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations;

(v) an executed copy of the Underwriting Agreement, dated October 17, 2017 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), among the several Underwriters named therein (the “Underwriters”), for whom Mizuho International plc, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. are acting as representatives;

(vi) an executed copy of the Indenture; and

(vii) the global certificates evidencing the Debentures registered in the name of the nominee of the common depositary for the accounts of Clearstream Banking, société anonyme , Luxembourg and Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., executed and delivered by the Company to the Trustee for authentication and delivery (the “Debenture Certificates” and, together with the Indenture, the “Transaction Agreements”);

We have also examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such records of the Company and such agreements, certificates and receipts of public officials, certificates of officers or other representatives of the Company and others, and such other documents as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinion stated below.

In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, including endorsements, the legal capacity and competency of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as facsimile, electronic, certified or photostatic copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such copies. As to any facts relevant to the opinion stated herein that we did not independently establish or verify, we have relied upon statements and representations of officers and other representatives of the Company and others and of public officials, including those in the Secretary’s Certificate and the factual representations and warranties set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.

 


Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017

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We do not express any opinion with respect to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the laws of the State of New York (the foregoing being referred to as “Opined on Law”).

Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications and assumptions stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Debenture Certificates when duly authenticated by the Trustee and issued and delivered by the Company against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement and the Indenture will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms under the laws of the State of New York.

The opinion stated herein is subject to the following qualifications:

(a) the opinion stated herein is limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer, preference and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in equity or at law);

(b) we do not express any opinion with respect to any law, rule or regulation that is applicable to any party to any of the Transaction Agreements or the transactions contemplated thereby solely because such law, rule or regulation is part of a regulatory regime applicable to any such party or any of its affiliates as a result of the specific assets or business operations of such party or such affiliates;

(c) except to the extent expressly stated in the opinion contained herein, we have assumed that each of the Transaction Agreements constitutes the valid and binding obligation of each party to such Transaction Agreement, enforceable against such party in accordance with its terms;

(d) we do not express any opinion with respect to the enforceability of any provision contained in any Transaction Agreement relating to any indemnification, contribution, exculpation, release or waiver that may be contrary to public policy or violative of federal or state securities laws, rules or regulations; and

(e) to the extent that any opinion relates to the enforceability of the choice of New York law and choice of New York forum provisions contained in any Transaction Agreement, the opinion stated herein is subject to the qualification that such enforceability may be subject to, in each case, (i) the exceptions and limitations in New York General Obligations Law sections 5-1401 and 5-1402 and (ii) principles of comity or constitutionality.

In addition, in rendering the foregoing opinion we have assumed that, at all applicable times:

(a) the Company (i) is duly incorporated and is validly existing and in good standing, (ii) has requisite legal status and legal capacity under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization and (iii) has complied and will comply with all aspects of the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization in connection with the transactions contemplated by, and the performance of its obligations under, the Transaction Agreements;

 


Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017

4

 

(b) the Company has the corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform all its obligations under the Transaction Agreements;

(c) each of the Transaction Agreements has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all requisite corporate action on the part of the Company; and

(d) neither the execution and delivery by the Company of the Transaction Agreements nor the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder, including the issuance and sale of the Debentures: (i) constituted or will constitute a violation of, or a default under, any lease, indenture, instrument or other agreement to which the Company or its property is subject (except that we do not make the assumption set forth in this clause (i) with respect to those agreements or instruments which are listed in Part II of the Registration Statement or the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016), (ii) contravened or will contravene any order or decree of any governmental authority to which the Company or its property is subject and (iii) violated or will violate any law, rule or regulation to which the Company or its property is subject (except that we do not make the assumption set forth in this clause (iii) with respect to the Opined on Law), required or will require the consent, approval, licensing or authorization of, or any filing, recording or registration with, any governmental authority under any law, rule or regulation of any jurisdiction.

We hereby consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Legal Matters” in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations. We also hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K being filed on the date hereof and incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof unless otherwise expressly stated, and we disclaim any undertaking to advise you of any subsequent changes in the facts stated or assumed herein or of any subsequent changes in applicable laws.

 

Very truly yours,

 

/s/ Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

 

Exhibit 8.1

 

October 23, 2017

Aflac Incorporated

1932 Wynnton Road

Columbus, Georgia 31999

 

  RE: A flac Incorporated 2.108% Subordinated Debentures due 2047

Ladies and Gentlemen:

You have requested our opinion with respect to the U.S. federal income tax classification of the 2.108% Subordinated Debentures (“ Debentures ”) issued by Aflac Incorporated, a Georgia corporation (the “ Company ”), on October 23, 2017, as more fully described in the prospectus supplement dated October 17, 2017 (the “ Prospectus Supplement ”), to the base prospectus contained in the registration statement on Form S-3ASR (File No. 333-203839) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 4, 2015.

I. Facts

A. The Debentures

The Debentures incorporate the following key terms.

1. Maturity

The Debentures have a maturity of 30 years.

2. Subordination

The Debentures are subordinated to all of the Company’s senior indebtedness on the terms set forth in the subordinated indenture pursuant to which the debentures will be issued (the “ Subordinated Indenture ”), and the Debentures rank pari passu with trade creditors and other subordinated indebtedness expressly stated to rank pari passu with the Debentures.

 


Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017

Page 2

 

3. Interest Rate and Optional Deferral

From the date of issuance until October 23, 2027, the Debentures will bear interest at an annual rate equal to 2.108%, payable semi-annually in arrears. Thereafter, the rate of interest on the Debentures will be reset on each of October 23, 2027, October 23, 2032, October 23, 2037 and October 23, 2042 (each, a “ reset date ”) to an annual rate equal to the then-current JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate 1 plus 205 basis points, payable semi-annually in arrears. The Company may, so long as there is no event of default under the Subordinated Indenture, elect to defer interest payments on the Debentures for one or more consecutive interest periods at any time for up to 5 years (“ Optional Deferral ”). Interest may not, however, be deferred beyond the maturity date or the redemption date of the Debentures.

During any Optional Deferral, interest will compound semi-annually on any interest deferred pursuant to the Optional Deferral right and the Company will generally be prohibited from (i) paying dividends on any class of its equity, or redeeming, purchasing or acquiring any shares of Company capital stock, (ii) paying principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, or repaying, repurchasing or redeeming any other classes of Company debt securities that rank equally with or junior to the Debentures (other than payments that if not made would cause a breach of the terms of such instruments) or (iii) making any guarantee payments with respect to the securities described in (ii).

4. Optional Redemption

The Debentures are redeemable or otherwise repayable by the Company, in whole or in part, on any interest payment date after October 23, 2027, for cash at the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures to be redeemed plus accumulated and unpaid interest on a compounded basis, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company.

 

1  

The Prospectus Supplement defines “ JPY 5-year Swap Offered Rate ” as the offered rate for Japanese yen swaps with a term of five (5) years which appears on the Reuters Page 58376 at 10:00 a.m. (Tokyo time) on the day which is two (2) Business Days prior to the reset date immediately prior to the first day of such reset interest period.

 


Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017

Page 3

 

5. Redemption Upon a Tax Event

The Company may redeem the Debentures in whole, but not in part, at any time within 90 days after there is a Tax Event (as defined below), in cash at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount redeemed plus accrued but unpaid interest on a compounded basis. A Tax Event occurs if, as a result of (a) a change in the tax law or any interpretation thereof or (b) a threatened challenge asserted in connection with an audit of the Company, there is more than an insubstantial risk that interest paid or accrued on the Debentures is not deductible, in whole or in part, by the Company for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

6. Redemption Upon a Rating Agency Event

The Company may redeem the Debentures in whole, but not in part, at any time within 90 days after a Rating Agency Event (as defined below), in cash at a redemption price equal to equal to 100% of the principal amount redeemed plus accrued but unpaid interest on a compounded basis. A Rating Agency Event means a change to the methodology or criteria that were employed by an applicable rating agency for purposes of assigning equity credit to securities such as the Debentures on the date of initial issuance of the Debentures, which change either (i) shortens the period of time during which equity credit pertaining to the Debentures would have been in effect or (ii) reduces the amount of equity credit assigned to the Debentures by the applicable rating agency.

7. Voting Rights

The Debentures will have no voting rights in the Company.

8. Events of Default

The Company’s failure to pay principal or interest on the Debentures when due and the Company’s bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or reorganization will result in a default on the Debentures. In addition, failures to observe or perform any other covenant or obligation in the indenture for 90 days after notice, or failure to make certain other debt payments, may, upon notice from the trustee or holders of 25% of the principal of the Debentures, also constitute an event of default. An event of default will give holders the right to accelerate principal and interest on the Debentures.

B. Other Facts

The Prospectus Supplement and the Subordinated Indenture provide that each holder of the Debentures will be deemed to have agreed to treat the Debentures as indebtedness for all U.S. federal, state and local tax purposes.

 


Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017

Page 4

 

The Company has paid regular dividends on its common stock in each of the past 40 years, and the Company has increased dividends every year since 1983. The Company has assets and projected cash flows sufficient to demonstrate that it is capable of servicing the Debentures pursuant to their terms without exercising its right to Optional Deferral. The Company and its subsidiaries have aggregate long term debt liabilities of approximately $5,252 million and shareholders’ equity of approximately $21,503 million as of June 30, 2017. The Company and its subsidiaries had net earnings of $2,659 million in 2016, $2,533 million in 2015 and $2,951 million in 2014. The Debentures were issued with investment grade debt ratings of Baa1 provided by Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. and BBB provided by Standard & Poor’s Corporation.

II. Certain Assumptions and Representations

A. Assumptions

In our examination, we have assumed the legal capacity of all natural persons, the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, conformed, photostatic, electronic or facsimile copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents. In making our examination of documents executed, or to be executed, by the parties indicated therein, we have assumed that each party has, or will have, the power, corporate or other, to enter into and perform all obligations thereunder. We have also assumed the due authorization by all requisite action, corporate or other, and execution and delivery by each party indicated in the documents and that such documents constitute, or will constitute, valid and binding obligations of each party.

In connection with this opinion (the “ Opinion ”), we have examined and relied on originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the officer’s certificate dated October 23, 2017 (the “ Officer’s Certificate ”) and such other documents, certificates and records as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the Opinion set forth herein. We have also relied upon statements and representations made to us by representatives of the Company and have assumed that such statements and the facts set forth in such representations are true, correct and complete without regard to any qualification as to knowledge or belief. For purposes of the Opinion stated herein, we have assumed the validity and the initial and continuing accuracy of the documents, certificates, records, statements and representations referred to above. We have also assumed that the transactions related to the offering of the Debentures will be consummated in the manner contemplated by the Prospectus Supplement. Terms used and not defined herein have the meanings given to them in the Prospectus Supplement.

 


Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017

Page 5

 

B. Representations

An officer of the Company has provided the following representations in the Officer’s Certificate that are relevant to the Opinion:

 

  1. The facts, representations, and covenants relating to the Debentures as described in the Opinion are true, accurate, and complete in all material respects.

 

  2. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries will take any position on any U.S. federal, state or local income or franchise tax return that is inconsistent with the U.S. tax treatment of the Debentures described in the Opinion.

 

  3. The Company has no present intention to exercise its right to defer payments of interest on the Debentures.

 

  4. The Company believes that the likelihood that it would exercise its right to defer payments of interest on the Debentures is remote because, among other things, deferral of interest payments on the Debentures would prohibit the Company from paying dividends on its outstanding equity.

 

  5. The Company has paid regular dividends on its common stock in each of the past 40 years, and the Company has increased dividends every year since 1983.

 

  6. Based on the Company’s assets and projected cash flows, the Company expects to have the financial resources to satisfy its payment obligations under the Debentures pursuant to their terms.

 

  7. The Company, on a stand alone basis, incurs expenses and makes payments to trade creditors.

III. Summary of Conclusions

Generally, the characterization of an instrument as debt or equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes depends on all the facts and circumstances surrounding the issuance and operation of a particular instrument, and no single factor or characteristic is considered to be controlling. 2 There is no controlling authority directly on point dealing with debentures that have terms similar to the Debentures.

 

 

2   See, e.g. , John Kelley Co. v. Commissioner , 326 U.S. 521 (1946).

 


Aflac Incorporated

October 23, 2017

Page 6

 

Based on and subject to the description of the facts, assumptions, representations, and analysis set forth herein and in the Prospectus Supplement, it is our opinion that under current U.S. federal income tax law, the Debentures will constitute indebtedness of the Company for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In rendering our Opinion, we have considered applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”), Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder (the “ Treasury Regulations ”), pertinent judicial authorities, rulings of the Internal Revenue Service (the “ Service ”), and such other authorities as we have considered relevant. It should be noted that such laws, Code, Treasury Regulations, judicial decisions, administrative interpretations and such other authorities are subject to change at any time and, in some circumstances, with retroactive effect. A change in any of the authorities upon which our advice is based could affect our conclusions herein. There can be no assurance that our Opinion will be accepted by the Service or, if challenged, by a court.

*         *         *

Except as set forth above, we express no other opinion. This Opinion has been prepared for you in connection with the filing of the Prospectus Supplement. It may not be relied upon by anyone else without our prior written consent. We consent to the Company filing this Opinion with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Prospectus Supplement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Commission. This Opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we are under no obligation to supplement or revise our Opinion to reflect any legal developments or factual matters arising subsequent to the date hereof, or the impact of any information, document, certificate, record, statement, representation, covenant, or assumption relied upon herein that becomes incorrect or untrue.

 

Sincerely,

 

/s/ Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP