false 0000354190 0000354190 2024-12-07 2024-12-07

 

 

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

December 7, 2024

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

 

 

ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER & CO.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   1-09761   36-2151613
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Commission
File Number)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

2850 Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008, (630) 773-3800

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

Not Applicable

(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))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading
Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange
on which registered

Common Stock, $1.00 par value   AJG   New York Stock Exchange

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 period 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

Purchase Agreement

On December 7, 2024, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (the “Company”) entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), by and among the Company, The AssuredPartners Group LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Seller”), and Dolphin Topco, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Acquired Entity”), pursuant to which the Company will acquire all of the issued and outstanding stock of the Acquired Entity for an aggregate purchase price of $13.45 billion in cash payable at closing, subject to certain customary adjustments as set forth in the Purchase Agreement (the “Transaction”).

The Purchase Agreement contains representations, warranties and covenants related to the Transaction that are customary for a transaction of this nature, and the completion of the Transaction is dependent upon receipt of regulatory clearances in the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland and certain other customary closing conditions. The Purchase Agreement includes customary termination rights of the parties, including if (i) the closing of the Transaction has not occurred on or prior to March 9, 2026 (as may be extended to July 7, 2026 in certain circumstances, as further described in the Purchase Agreement), and (ii) the other party has materially breached its representations, warranties or covenants, subject to certain negotiated cure periods as set forth in the Purchase Agreement. The Company’s obligations under the Purchase Agreement are not conditioned on the receipt of financing.

The foregoing description of the Purchase Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Purchase Agreement, which is filed herewith as Exhibit 2.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

The Purchase Agreement has been included in this report to provide investors with information regarding its terms and conditions. It is not intended to provide any other factual information about the Company, the Seller or the Acquired Entity or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Purchase Agreement were made only for purposes of that agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to the Purchase Agreement, may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the Purchase Agreement instead of establishing these matters as facts, and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that differ from those applicable to investors. Investors are not third-party beneficiaries under the Purchase Agreement and should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of the Company, the Seller or the Acquired Entity or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may change after the date of the Purchase Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in the Company’s public disclosures.

 

Item 7.01.

Regulation FD Disclosure

On December 9, 2024, the Company issued a press release announcing the Transaction. A copy of the press release announcing the Transaction is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1. An investor presentation in connection with the webcast conference call discussed below will be available on the Company’s website at: http://www.ajg.com under “Investor Relations.”

 

Item 8.01.

Other Events

Bridge Facility Commitment Letter

On December 7, 2024, the Company entered into a commitment letter (the “Commitment Letter”) with Bank of America, N.A., BofA Securities, Inc. and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. (the “Commitment Parties”), pursuant to which the Commitment Parties have committed to provide, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Commitment Letter, a 364-day $13.45 billion senior unsecured bridge term loan facility (the “Bridge Facility”).

 

 

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The Bridge Facility is available to finance the transaction contemplated by the Purchase Agreement and to pay fees and expenses related thereto. Bridge Facility availability is subject to reduction in equivalent amounts upon any issuance of notes by the Company in one or more public offerings or private placements and/or any issuance by the Company of equity securities in one or more public offerings or private placements prior to the consummation of the Transaction and upon other specified events, subject to certain exceptions set forth in the Commitment Letter. The funding of the Bridge Facility provided for in the Commitment Letter is contingent on the satisfaction of customary conditions.

Acquired Entity Historical Financial Statements and Pro Forma Financial Information

In connection with the Transaction, the Company is providing in this Current Report on Form 8-K (i) the audited historical consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, for the Acquired Entity, which are filed herewith as Exhibit 99.2 and incorporated herein by reference, (ii) the unaudited historical condensed consolidated interim financial information as of September 30, 2024, and for the period ended September 30, 2024, for the Acquired Entity, which are filed herewith as Exhibit 99.3 and incorporated herein by reference, and (iii) the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of the Company giving effect to the Transaction (the “pro forma condensed combined financial information”), which includes the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2024 (which gives effect to the Transaction as if it occurred or had become effective on September 30, 2024) and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of earnings for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (which gives effect to the Transaction as if it occurred or had become effective on January 1, 2023), which are filed herewith as Exhibit 99.4 and incorporated herein by reference.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information included in this Current Report on Form 8-K has been presented for informational purposes only. It does not purport to represent the actual results of operations that the Company and Acquired Entity would have achieved had the companies been combined during the periods presented in the pro forma condensed combined financial information and is not intended to project the future results of operations that the combined company may achieve after the Transaction is consummated.

Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K, including the documents filed herewith, contains certain statements related to future results, or states the Company’s intentions, beliefs and expectations or predictions for the future of the Company and its subsidiaries, which are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including the documents filed herewith, the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “contemplates,” “see,” “should,” “could,” “will,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “pro forma,” “outlook” and variations thereof and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K and in the documents filed herewith include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: (i) expected benefits of the Transaction, including future financial and operating results and synergies; (ii) the expected revenue, earnings per share (“EPS”), net earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and the change in estimated acquisition earnout payables (“EBITDAC”) and credit rating impacts of the Transaction; (iii) the size and status of the combined organization within various jurisdictions; (iv) required regulatory approvals; (v) expected timing of completion of the Transaction; (vi) expected duration and cost of integration, including the expected consideration to be paid in the Transaction, and the anticipated financing of the Transaction; (vii) the plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to the target of the Transaction; (viii) improvements in the Company’s new business production; (ix) global brand recognition; (x) the leveraging of internal resources across divisions and borders; (xi) the Company’s ability to stay in front of improvements in technology; (xii) commercial P/C pricing and the premium rate environment; (xiii) drivers and expected levels of the Company’s organic growth; (xiv) future M&A opportunities; (xv) increasing productivity and quality; (xvi) the Company’s management team; (xvii) the Company’s use of leverage; (xviii) the Company’s balance sheet; (xix) the Company’s return to shareholders and future dividends; (xx) impact of general economic conditions, including fluctuation of interest, inflation and foreign exchange rates; and (xxi) tax credit carryforwards and expected future cash taxes paid as a result of the Company’s clean energy investments.

Actual results may differ materially from the estimates set forth herein. Readers are cautioned against relying on any of the forward-looking statements, which are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or

 

 

2


assurances of future performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include risks related to the integration of the acquired operations, businesses and assets into the Company; the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the Transaction, including cost savings and expected synergies, are not realized when expected or at all, including as a result of the impact of, or issues arising from, the integration of the acquired operations into the Company; the possibility that the Transaction is not completed when expected or at all because required regulatory approvals are not received or other conditions to the closing are not satisfied on a timely basis or at all; the risk that the Company’s free cash generation is insufficient, or the financing required to fund the Transaction is not obtained on the terms anticipated or at all; risks associated with increased leverage from the Transaction; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the Transaction; conditions imposed in order to obtain required regulatory approvals; the possibility that the Transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities; the inability to retain certain key employees of the acquired operations or the Company; competitive and market responses to the Transaction; financial information subsequently presented for the acquired business in the Company’s subsequent public filings may be different from that presented herein; global economic and geopolitical events, including, among others, fluctuations in interest, inflation and foreign exchange rates, and political violence and instability, such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East; risks with respect to other acquisitions larger than the Company’s usual tuck-in acquisitions; reputational risks; cybersecurity-related risks; the Company’s ability to apply technology, data analytics and artificial intelligence effectively, including related regulatory, data privacy, cybersecurity, E&O and competition risks; disasters or other business interruptions; changes in accounting standards; changes in premium rates and in insurance markets generally, including the impact of large natural events; tax, environmental or other compliance risks related to the Company’s legacy clean energy investments; the Company’s inability to receive dividends or other distributions from subsidiaries; changes in the insurance brokerage industry’s competitive landscape and additional factors discussed in the section entitled “Information Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024 and “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

Any forward-looking statement made in this Current Report on Form 8-K speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake to update the information included herein.

 

Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits

 

2.1    Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 7, 2024, by and among Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., The AssuredPartners Group LP and Dolphin Topco, Inc.*
23.1    Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
99.1    Press release, dated December 9, 2024, issued by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. regarding the Transaction.
99.2    Audited historical consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 for the Acquired Entity.
99.3    Unaudited historical condensed consolidated interim financial information as of September 30, 2024 and for the period ended September 30, 2024 for the Acquired Entity.
99.4    Unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information for the periods presented, for the Company and the Acquired Entity.
104    The cover page from this Current Report on Form 8-K, formatted in Inline XBRL.

 

*

Certain exhibits and schedules have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The Company hereby undertakes to furnish supplemental copies of any of the omitted exhibits and schedules upon request by the SEC; provided, however, that the Company may request confidential treatment pursuant to Rule 24b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for any exhibits or schedules so furnished.

 

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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.

 

    Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Date: December 9, 2024     By:  

/s/ Walter D. Bay

      Walter D. Bay
      Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Exhibit 2.1

 

 

STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT

by and among

DOLPHIN TOPCO, INC.,

ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER & CO.

and

THE ASSUREDPARTNERS GROUP LP

Dated as of December 7, 2024

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS

     1  

Section 1.1

  Definitions      1  

Section 1.2

  Other Defined Terms      26  

ARTICLE II PURCHASE AND SALE

     28  

Section 2.1

  Delivery and Purchase of Shares      28  

Section 2.2

  Closing      28  

Section 2.3

  Closing Deliverables      28  

ARTICLE III CONSIDERATION FOR COMPANY SHARES

     29  

Section 3.1

  Estimated Closing Statement      29  

Section 3.2

  Certain Closing Date Payments      30  

Section 3.3

  Company Transaction Expenses      30  

Section 3.4

  Closing Date Repayment Amount Documentation      30  

Section 3.5

  Post-Closing Determination of Purchase Price Adjustment; Company Accounting Principles      30  

Section 3.6

  Withholding      34  

ARTICLE IV REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES REGARDING THE SELLER

     34  

Section 4.1

  Organization and Good Standing      34  

Section 4.2

  Capitalization      35  

Section 4.3

  Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability      35  

Section 4.4

  No Conflicts; Consents      35  

Section 4.5

  Proceedings      36  

Section 4.6

  Brokers and Finders      36  

Section 4.7

  Disclaimer of Warranties      36  

ARTICLE V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES REGARDING THE COMPANY

     37  

Section 5.1

  Organization and Good Standing      37  

Section 5.2

  Capitalization      37  

Section 5.3

  Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability      39  

Section 5.4

  No Conflicts; Consents      39  

Section 5.5

  Financial Statements      40  

Section 5.6

  No Undisclosed Liabilities      42  

Section 5.7

  Absence of Certain Changes or Events      42  

Section 5.8

  Real Property      42  

Section 5.9

  Intellectual Property      43  

Section 5.10

  Privacy and Information Security.      46  

Section 5.11

  Insurance      46  

Section 5.12

  Taxes      47  

Section 5.13

  Proceedings      49  

Section 5.14

  Benefit Plans      50  

Section 5.15

  Compliance with Applicable Law; Permits      53  

Section 5.16

  Environmental Matters      54  

Section 5.17

  Brokers and Finders      54  

Section 5.18

  Labor and Employment Matters      55  

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

Section 5.19

  Company Material Contracts      56  

Section 5.20

  Anti-Corruption; Sanctions      59  

Section 5.21

  Related Party Contracts      60  

Section 5.22

  Agency Activities      61  

Section 5.23

  Directors and Officers      64  

Section 5.24

  Bank Accounts      64  

Section 5.25

  Appointed Representatives      64  

Section 5.26

  Clients      64  

Section 5.27

  Investment Advisory Matters      64  

Section 5.28

  Broker-Dealer Matters      67  

Section 5.29

  Captive      69  

Section 5.30

  Disclaimer of Warranties      69  

ARTICLE VI REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PURCHASER

     70  

Section 6.1

  Organization, Standing and Power      70  

Section 6.2

  Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability      70  

Section 6.3

  No Conflicts; Consents      71  

Section 6.4

  Proceedings      71  

Section 6.5

  Financial Ability      71  

Section 6.6

  Solvency      72  

Section 6.7

  Brokers and Finders      72  

Section 6.8

  Investigation; No Other Representations      72  

ARTICLE VII COVENANTS

     73  

Section 7.1

  Conduct of the Business      73  

Section 7.2

  Section 280G Obligations      78  

Section 7.3

  Publicity      79  

Section 7.4

  Confidentiality      80  

Section 7.5

  Access to Information      80  

Section 7.6

  Regulatory Approvals      82  

Section 7.7

  Director and Officer Liability; Indemnification      89  

Section 7.8

  Reasonable Best Efforts      90  

Section 7.9

  Access to Records      90  

Section 7.10

  Certain Consents      91  

Section 7.11

  Tax Matters      91  

Section 7.12

  Transfer Taxes      93  

Section 7.13

  Insurance      93  

Section 7.14

  Redemption of Existing Notes and Preferred Shares      93  

Section 7.15

  Payment of Subject Indebtedness      94  

Section 7.16

  R&W Insurance      95  

Section 7.17

  Further Assurances      95  

Section 7.18

  Exclusivity      95  

Section 7.19

  Resignations      96  

Section 7.20

  Cooperation with Financing      96  

Section 7.21

  IA Client Consents      100  

Section 7.22

  Litigation Bond Cash      101  

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

Section 7.23

  The Subject Matter      102  

Section 7.24

  Retention Bonus Agreements      103  

Section 7.25

  Pre-Closing Reorganization      103  

ARTICLE VIII CONDITIONS OF CLOSING

     103  

Section 8.1

  Conditions to Obligations of Each Party      103  

Section 8.2

  Additional Conditions to Obligations of Purchaser      103  

Section 8.3

  Additional Conditions to Obligations of the Seller      105  

ARTICLE IX TERMINATION

     105  

Section 9.1

  Termination of Agreement      105  

Section 9.2

  Procedure Upon Termination      106  

Section 9.3

  Effect of Termination      107  

ARTICLE X ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS

     107  

Section 10.1

  Non-Survival of Representations and Warranties and Pre-Closing Covenants      107  

Section 10.2

  No Reliance      107  

Section 10.3

  Release      108  

Section 10.4

  Limited Indemnification Obligations      109  

ARTICLE XI MISCELLANEOUS

     113  

Section 11.1

  Assignment; Binding Effect      113  

Section 11.2

  Governing Law; Jurisdiction      113  

Section 11.3

  WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL      113  

Section 11.4

  Notices      114  

Section 11.5

  Headings      115  

Section 11.6

  Fees and Expenses      115  

Section 11.7

  Entire Agreement      116  

Section 11.8

  Interpretation      116  

Section 11.9

  Company Disclosure Schedule      117  

Section 11.10

  Waiver and Amendment      118  

Section 11.11

  Counterparts      119  

Section 11.12

  Third-Party Beneficiaries      119  

Section 11.13

  Remedies      119  

Section 11.14

  Severability      120  

Section 11.15

  No Recourse      120  

Section 11.16

  Representation      120  

Section 11.17

  Debt Financing Sources      121  

 

Exhibits

    
Exhibit A    Sample Fiduciary Cash Calculation
Exhibit B    Illustrative Calculation of Working Capital
Exhibit C    Form of Escrow Agreement

 

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STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT

THIS STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified in accordance with the terms hereof, this “Agreement”) is dated as of December 7, 2024 and is by and among Dolphin TopCo, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., a Delaware corporation, (“Purchaser”), and The AssuredPartners Group LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Seller”).

RECITALS

WHEREAS, the Seller owns 1,993.224053431 shares of Company Common Stock (collectively, the “Company Shares”), representing 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of the Company as of the date hereof; and

WHEREAS, at the Closing, Purchaser desires to purchase the Company Shares from the Seller, and the Seller desires to sell the Company Shares to Purchaser, on the terms and conditions set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing, the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement, and other good and valuable consideration, the adequacy and receipt of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

Section 1.1 Definitions. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement shall have the meanings assigned to them in this Section 1.1 or as separately defined elsewhere in this Agreement.

2029 Notes” means the $550.0 million in aggregate principal amount outstanding of 5.625% Senior Notes due 2029 issued by AssuredPartners, Inc. pursuant to the 2029 Notes Indenture.

2029 Notes Indenture” means that certain indenture, dated as of December 10, 2020, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, by and among AssuredPartners, Inc., as the issuer, the guarantors party thereto from time to time and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association (as successor in interest to U.S. Bank National Association), as trustee, relating to the 2029 Notes.

2032 Notes” means the $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount outstanding of 7.500% Senior Notes due 2032 issued by AssuredPartners, Inc. pursuant to the 2032 Notes Indenture.

2032 Notes Indenture” means that certain indenture, dated as of February 14, 2024, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, by and among AssuredPartners, Inc., as the issuer, the guarantors party thereto from time to time and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee, relating to the 2032 Notes.


Action” means any action (including by any private right of action of any Person or by any Governmental Entity), litigation, legal complaint, suit, grievance, charge, hearing, investigation, audit, qui tam, subpoena, citation, civil investigative demand, mediation, arbitration or other proceeding, whether civil or criminal, at Law or in equity.

Adjustment Escrow Account” means a purchase price adjustment escrow account established with Escrow Agent pursuant to the Escrow Agreement.

Adjustment Escrow Amount” means $35,000,000.

Adjustment Escrow Funds” means the amount as may be contained in the Adjustment Escrow Account from time to time.

Adjustment Time” means 11:59 p.m., New York time, on the day immediately preceding the Closing Date.

Advisers Act” means the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

Affiliate” means a Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, a specified Person; provided that (a) after the Closing, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall be deemed to be an Affiliate of Seller or any of its Subsidiaries or other Affiliates (and vice versa) and (b) other than for purposes of Section 7.3 (Publicity), Section 7.18 (Exclusivity), Section 10.3 (Release), Section 11.16 (Representation) and the definitions of “Cash” and “Non-Recourse Party”, neither the Seller, the Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries shall be deemed to be an Affiliate of the Sponsors or any investment fund sponsored, managed or advised by the foregoing or any portfolio company of the foregoing funds (and vice versa). A Person shall be deemed to control another Person if such first Person possesses, directly or indirectly, the power to direct, or cause the direction of, the management and policies of such other Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.

Alternative Transaction” means (a) the acquisition by a Person or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, whether directly or indirectly, of (i) all or substantially all consolidated total assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, other than asset sales in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) any of the outstanding shares of Company Common Stock or any of the equity interests of the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company or (b) any merger, consolidation, business combination, recapitalization, reorganization, liquidation, dissolution, share exchange or similar transaction involving the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company pursuant to which any Person or group (or the stockholders of any Person) would own, directly or indirectly, all of equity interests of the Company or of the surviving entity in a merger, other than, in each case, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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Anti-Money Laundering Laws” means any Law in any part of the world related to the prevention of money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, which are or have been applicable to Company and its Subsidiaries, including the European Union Money Laundering Directives, in the United Kingdom, the Money Laundering Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the Terrorism Act 2000, the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 and applicable FCA Rules, in the United States, the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 and the PATRIOT Act of 2001 and their respective implementing regulations.

Associated Person” has the meanings set forth in Sections 3(a)(18) and 15(b)(4) of the Exchange Act, Article I of the FINRA By-laws, and FINRA Rule 1011, and includes any directors, officers, employees, agents and/or independent contractors.

Base Purchase Price” means an amount equal to $13,450,000,000.

Broker-Dealer Compliance Policies” means written policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve compliance with (i) applicable FINRA rules, regulations and by-laws (ii) the rules of any domestic or foreign securities or broker-dealer industry self-regulatory organization of which it is a member, and (iii) federal, state, and foreign securities Laws and insurance and insurance securities Laws.

Broker-Dealer Subsidiary” means AssuredPartners Financial Services, LLC.

Business” means the business conducted by, and the operations of, the Company and its Subsidiaries in the twelve (12) month period prior to the date hereof.

Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or holiday observed by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Business Products” mean all products (including Software, applications and platforms) and services (including Software as a service), including all components, plugins, libraries and APIs thereof, designed, developed (including products and services for which development is ongoing), manufactured, delivered, deployed, made publicly or commercially available, marketed, distributed, provided, serviced, supported, hosted, sold, offered for sale, imported or exported for resale, licensed out or otherwise commercialized by or on behalf of Company or a Subsidiary thereof as of or at any time since June 1, 2019 (in each case, whether solely or in collaboration with any third parties).

Business Software” means all Software the rights to which are included in the Owned Intellectual Property.

Captive” means Meritage Insurance Group, Inc., a Hawaii captive insurer and a Subsidiary of Keenan & Associates.

Carrier” means any insurance company, surety, benefit plan, insurance pool, risk retention group, reinsurer, Lloyd’s syndicate, ancillary benefit carrier, state fund or pool or other risk assuming entity, or any managing general underwriter, managing general agent, wholesale broker, captive, Lloyd’s coverholder or similar market for the foregoing risk assuming entities, in which any insurance policy, reinsurance policy or bond may be placed or obtained or from which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries earned commissions or other fees associated with placement of any insurance policy, reinsurance policy, or bond.

 

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Cash” means the aggregate amount of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities held in the name or on behalf of or deposited by the Company and its Subsidiaries and shall include (a) any uncashed or uncleared checks that have been received by the Company and its Subsidiaries, (b) wire transfers, deposits and other receipts in transit received for the account of the Company and its Subsidiaries that are not yet credited to the account of the Company and its Subsidiaries, (c) the Fiduciary Cash Amount, (d) the Litigation Bond Difference Amount, (e) any cash or cash equivalents held by the Captive and (f) the Litigation Proceeds Amount, in each case determined and calculated in a manner consistent with the Company Accounting Principles. For the avoidance of doubt, Cash shall (i) exclude any Restricted Cash and any marketable securities (including government obligations) to the extent included in Working Capital and (ii) be reduced by (A) the amounts of any issued but uncashed checks, drafts and wire transfers of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the Adjustment Time and (B) amounts, if any, paid or distributed by the Company or its Subsidiaries after the Adjustment Time, but prior to the Closing, to any payee of Indebtedness or Company Transaction Expenses or to Seller or any of its Affiliates (other than the Company and its Subsidiaries).

CCPC” means the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission of Ireland.

CCPC Condition” means, where the proposed indirect acquisition by Purchaser of the Irish Companies pursuant to this Agreement is notifiable to the CCPC under Section 18(1) of the Irish Competition Act or is notified to the CCPC pursuant to Section 18(3) of the Irish Competition Act, the notification having been made by Purchaser as soon as practicable following the date of this Agreement, and: (a) the CCPC having informed Purchaser that the proposed sale and purchase may be put into effect in accordance with Section 21(2)(a) of the Irish Competition Act; (b) the period specified in Section 21(2) of the Irish Competition Act having elapsed without the CCPC having informed the Purchaser of the determination it has made (if any) under Section 21(2) (a) or (b) of the Irish Competition Act; (c) the CCPC having furnished to the Purchaser a copy of its written determination in accordance with Section 22(4)(a) of the Irish Competition Act that the proposed sale and purchase may be put into effect in accordance with Section 22(3)(a) of the Irish Competition Act; (d) the CCPC having furnished to the Purchaser a copy of its written determination in accordance with Section 22(4)(a) of the Irish Competition Act that the proposed sale and purchase may be put into effect subject to conditions specified by the CCPC being complied with in accordance with Section 22(3)(c) of the Irish Competition Act; or (e) the period of 120 working days after the appropriate date (as defined under Section 19(6) of the Irish Competition Act), as well as any period of suspension as a result of the application of Section 22(4A) of the Irish Competition Act, having elapsed without the CCPC having made a determination under Section 22(3) of the Irish Competition Act in relation to the proposed indirect acquisition by Purchaser of the Irish Companies. For the purposes of this clause, where proposals are submitted to the CCPC under Section 22(4B) of the Irish Competition Act, references to “120 working days” shall be substituted by “135 working days”.

Closing Date Repayment Amount” means, collectively, the Credit Documents Repayment Amount (and any other Payoff Amount), the Existing Notes Redemption Amount and the Preferred Shares Redemption Amount.

 

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Closing Payments” means (a) the payment of the Estimated Purchase Price in accordance with Section 3.2, (b) the payment of the Company Transaction Expenses in accordance with Section 3.3 and (c) the Closing Date Repayment Amount in accordance with Section 3.4.

CMA” means a continuing membership application under FINRA Rule 1017 with FINRA for approval of the change of control of the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary that will result from the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (including all supplements and revisions thereto).

COBRA” means Part 6 of Subtitle B of Title I of ERISA, Section 4980B of the Code, or any similar state or local Law.

Code” means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Company Accounting Principles” has the meaning set forth in Schedule 1.1(a).

Company Benefit Plan” means each “employee benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA) (whether or not subject to ERISA) including each “pension plan” (as defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA) (whether or not subject to ERISA), and each “welfare plan” (as defined in Section 3(1) of ERISA) (whether or not subject to ERISA), and each other (a) retirement, pension or post-employment health, medical, life insurance or other benefit plan, program, practice, policy or arrangement, (b) bonus, commission, profit-sharing, incentive or deferred compensation, stock purchase, stock option, restricted stock, stock appreciation right, or other equity or equity-based compensation plan, program, policy, agreement or arrangement, (c) employment, individual consulting, severance, separation, Tax gross up, transaction, change in control or retention plan, program, practice, policy, agreement or arrangement or (d) other welfare-benefit, vacation, paid time off, fringe benefit compensation, benefit or employee loan plan, program, practice, policy, agreement or arrangement (but, in each case, not including (x) any “multiemployer plan” (as defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA), (y) any plan, program or arrangement sponsored or maintained by a Governmental Entity, and (z) any plan, program or arrangement sponsored by an ERISA Client), in each case, whether written or unwritten, (i) sponsored, maintained, contributed to or required to be maintained or contributed to by any of the Company or its Subsidiaries, (ii) to which any of the Company or its Subsidiaries is a party, (iii) in which any employee or service provider of the Company or its Subsidiaries participates related to their services provided to the Company or its Subsidiaries, or (iv) under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has or can reasonably be expected to have any liability or obligation, contingent or otherwise.

Company Common Stock” means the common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company.

Company Data” means Personal Information, nonpublic information (including trade secrets) and other material data, information, and data compilations, in each case, contained in the IT Assets or any databases of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that are used by, or necessary to the Business of, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

Company Disclosure Schedule” means the disclosure schedule of the Company referred to in, and delivered pursuant to, this Agreement.

 

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Company Employees” means, collectively, those individuals employed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as of the applicable date of determination, whether active or inactive.

Company Transaction Expenses” means, to the extent remaining unpaid as of immediately prior to the Closing, (a) the fees, costs and expenses incurred and either subject to reimbursement by, or payable by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any financial advisors (including Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Jefferies Group) engaged by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or in connection with other negotiations or processes involving the sale of the Company or any its Subsidiaries (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the fees and expenses that Seller is responsible for paying pursuant to Section 11.6), (b) the fees and expenses incurred and either subject to reimbursement by, or payable by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any outside attorneys engaged by or on behalf of any of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or in connection with other negotiations or processes involving the sale of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (c) the fees and expenses incurred and either subject to reimbursement by, or payable by or on behalf of, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to outside accountants or other advisors, or transaction-related service providers such as electronic data room vendors, in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or in connection with other negotiations or processes involving the sale of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and (d) the Transaction Payments, but excluding for purposes of this definition (i) any fees and expenses incurred by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that Purchaser is responsible for paying pursuant to Section 11.6 and (ii) any Liabilities set forth on Schedule 1.1(b) with respect to the Retention Bonus Agreements.

Compensatory Tax Obligations” means, with respect to any compensatory payments or benefits to be paid prior to, or on or after, the Closing, the employer’s portion of any applicable Taxes relating to any such compensatory payments or benefits, including any payroll, social security, social insurance, employment or similar Taxes, or any Tax “gross up” or similar obligations made or required to be made on or in respect of such payments or benefits, calculated in a manner consistent with the Company Accounting Principles.

Competition Laws” means the HSR Act (and any similar Law enforced by any Governmental Antitrust Entity regarding preacquisition notifications for the purpose of competition reviews), the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act and all other federal, state, foreign, multinational or supranational antitrust, competition or trade regulation statutes, rules, regulations, orders, decrees, administrative and judicial doctrines and other Laws that are designed or intended to prohibit, restrict or regulate actions or transactions having the purpose or effect of monopolization or restraint of trade or lessening of competition through merger or acquisition.

Compliant” means, with respect to the Required Information, that (a) (i) in the case of annual or quarterly financial statements, that such financial statements (x) have been prepared in accordance with GAAP, consistently applied, throughout the periods involved, subject, in the case of the unaudited financial statements, to the absence of footnotes and normal year-end adjustments (none of which shall be material individually or in the aggregate) and (y) present

 

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fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of AssuredPartners, Inc. and its Subsidiaries or the Company and its Subsidiaries, as applicable, as of such dates and for the periods covered thereby, as applicable, subject, in the case of the unaudited financial statements, to the absence of footnotes and normal year-end adjustments (none of which would be material individually or in the aggregate), and (ii) in the case of other Required Information, such Required Information, taken as a whole, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact regarding the Company and its Subsidiaries and the Business or omit to state any material fact regarding the Company and its Subsidiaries and the Business necessary in order to make such Required Information, taken as a whole, not misleading in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made; provided, that, for the avoidance of doubt, the availability of financial information related to the Business including any “flash” numbers, prior to the time that the Required Information would become not Compliant for periods subsequent to the latest quarterly or annual period for which financial information is included in the Required Information, shall not, solely by virtue of such availability, render such previously delivered Required Information not Compliant, (b) such Required Information complies in all material respects with all applicable requirements of Regulation S-K and Regulation S-X under the Securities Act for a registered public offering (on Form S-1) of non-convertible debt or equity securities (other than any unaudited financial statements provided under clause (i) of the definition of Required Information), (c) any interim quarterly financial statements included in the Required Information have been reviewed by the Company’s independent auditors as provided by AICPA AU-C Section 930, and (d) to the extent the Debt Financing includes any offering or private placement of non-convertible debt securities, the financial statements included in such Required Information are sufficient for the delivery of customary comfort letters (including “negative assurance” comfort) from independent accountants with respect to the financial information of the Company and its Subsidiaries included in the offering memorandum or prospectus for such Debt Financing in connection with the offering of such securities (subject to the completion by such accountants of customary procedures relating thereto) (other than any unaudited financial statements provided under clause (i) of the definition of Required Information).

Consenting Client” means each IA Client whose consent shall have been obtained or be deemed to be obtained, as applicable, in accordance with Section 7.21 (including pursuant to a Negative Consent Notice); provided that no IA Client that has withdrawn its consent or approval in writing prior to the Closing or terminated its Investment Advisory Agreement, or given written notice of such withdrawal or termination, shall be considered a Consenting Client.

Contract” means any written or oral contract, agreement, subcontract, settlement, purchase order, indenture, note, bond, instrument, lease, conditional sales contract, mortgage, license, sublicense, binding commitment or other agreement.

Copyrights” means works of authorship (whether or not published), registered copyrights (including copyrights in Software), mask works, moral rights, and copyright applications.

COVID-19” means SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 and any evolutions thereof or related or associated epidemics, pandemic or disease outbreaks.

 

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COVID-19 Measures” means any quarantine, “shelter in place,” “stay at home,” workforce reduction, social distancing, shut down, closure, sequester, safety or similar Laws, or legally binding directives promulgated by any Governmental Entity, in each case, in connection with or in response to COVID-19.

Credit Documents” means that certain Credit Agreement, dated as of October 22, 2015 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified in writing from time to time), among Dolphin MidCo, Inc., a Delaware corporation, as Holdings, AssuredPartners, Inc., a Delaware corporation, as the Borrower, Bank of America, N.A. as Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent, L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender and each Lender from time to time party thereto, and any other document related thereto.

Credit Documents Repayment Amount” means an amount necessary to repay and fully satisfy all principal, interest, fees, prepayment premiums, termination costs, penalties, breakage costs and any other monetary obligations then due and payable under the Credit Documents as of the Closing Date.

Cybersecurity Measures” means (a) any measures enacted or regulations promulgated by a Governmental Entity relating to cybercrime, cyberterrorism, ransomware, malware, privacy or the protection of personal data that are applicable to the Company and its Subsidiaries and (b) any measures, changes in business operations or other practices, affirmative or negative, adopted in good faith by the Company and its Subsidiaries in response to a Security Incident, for the protection of its IT Assets or any stored Personal Information.

Data Processor” means any Person or third-party that Processes Company Data on behalf of or at the direction of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, including, but not limited to, a “service provider” or “processor” as those terms are defined by Privacy Requirements.

Debt Financing Sources” means any entity, in each case, that has committed to provide, underwrite or arrange or act as an administrative or facility agent in respect of all or any part of the Debt Financing (or any credit facilities or debt securities being issued in lieu of any portion of the Debt Financing) in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including any arranger, agent, lender, underwriter, initial purchaser or investor that is a party to any commitment letter, engagement letter, joinder agreement, underwriting agreement, purchase agreement, indenture, credit agreement or other definitive agreement entered into pursuant thereto or relating thereto.

Debt Financing Sources Related Parties” means the Debt Financing Sources together with their respective Affiliates and their respective Affiliates’ respective Representatives and their respective successors and permitted assigns. For the avoidance of doubt, no party to this Agreement shall be considered a Debt Financing Sources Related Party.

Domain Names” means all Internet domain names, URL addresses, IP addresses, website addresses, uniform resource locators and alphanumeric designations associated therewith and all registrations for any of the foregoing and all social media accounts.

Electronic Data Room” means the electronic data room established by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

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Encumbrance” means any lien, encumbrance, security interest, pledge, mortgage, hypothecation, charge, deed of trust, title or survey defect, covenant, option, easement or right of way, restriction on transfer of title or other similar encumbrance, except for any restrictions arising under any applicable securities Laws.

Environmental Laws” means any and all applicable Laws of any Governmental Entity relating to pollution, public or worker health or safety (to the extent relating to exposure to Hazardous Materials), or protection of the environment (including with respect to Hazardous Materials) that are promulgated and in effect on or prior to the Closing Date.

ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

ERISA Client” means each Insurance Client that is (a) an “employee benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA) that is subject to Title I of ERISA, (b) a plan, individual retirement account or other arrangement that is subject to Section 4975 of the Code, (c) an employee benefit plan, plan, account or arrangement that is subject to any applicable Similar ERISA Law, or (d) any entity whose underlying assets are considered to include “plan assets” (as defined by the regulations of the Department of Labor, as amended by Section 3(42) of ERISA), or its equivalent under applicable Similar ERISA Law, of any such employee benefit plan, plan, account or arrangement.

Escrow Agent” means Acquiom Clearinghouse LLC.

Escrow Agreement” means the escrow agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit C.

Escrow Amount” means, collectively, the Adjustment Escrow Amount, the Subject Matter Escrow Amount and the Indemnity Escrow Amount.

Estimated Purchase Price” means (a) the Base Purchase Price, minus (b) the amount of Estimated Indebtedness, minus (c) the amount of the Estimated Company Transaction Expenses, plus (d) the amount of Estimated Cash, minus (e) the amount, if any, by which the Target Working Capital Amount exceeds the Estimated Working Capital Amount, plus (f) the amount, if any, by which the Estimated Working Capital Amount exceeds the Target Working Capital Amount, plus (g) the Permitted Acquisition Amount.

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

Existing Notes” means, collectively, (a) the 2029 Notes and (b) the 2032 Notes.

Existing Notes Redemption Amount” means the amount necessary, in aggregate, to consummate the payment of the Redemption Price (in each case, as defined and as may be applicable under each Indenture) under the Existing Notes as of the Closing Date.

FCA” means the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom or any replacement regulator or successor regulator thereto.

 

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FCA Approval Notification” means the formal notice (as defined in section 178(3) of the FSMA) that Purchaser and each other person who will acquire control (within the meaning of section 181 of the FSMA) of the UK Regulated Entities pursuant to this Agreement for the purposes of Part XII of the FSMA must submit to the FCA under section 178 of the FSMA prior to acquiring such control.

FCA Condition” means that the FCA has given notice in writing in accordance with either section 189(4)(a) or 189(7) of the FSMA that it approves Purchaser and any other relevant person who would by virtue of the Agreement “acquire control” (within the meaning of section 181 of the FSMA) over the UK Regulated Entities, or, in the absence of such notice, the FCA being treated, under section 189(6) of the FSMA, as having approved the acquisition of control over the UK Regulated Entities, each such approval being in full force and effect.

FCA Rules” means the rules and guidance set out in the FCA Handbook, FSMA and any other guidance issued by the FCA, as amended from time to time.

Fiduciary Cash Amount” means (a) the aggregate amount of the fiduciary assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries of the type included in the applicable line item categories on the sample fiduciary adjustment amount attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Sample Fiduciary Cash Calculation”), minus (b) the aggregate amount of the fiduciary liabilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries of the type included in the applicable line item categories on the Sample Fiduciary Cash Calculation, in each case, as of the Adjustment Time and calculated in accordance with the Company Accounting Principles. In no event shall the Fiduciary Cash Amount be less than zero.

Financing” means, collectively, the Debt Financing and the Equity Financing.

FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

FINRA Condition” means that FINRA shall have approved the continuing membership application by the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary pursuant to FINRA Rule 1017 (“BDS CMA”) in writing; provided, that notwithstanding the foregoing, such FINRA approval of the BDS CMA shall not so be required as a condition to Closing if despite the BDS CMA not having been so approved by FINRA, (i) at least 31 days have elapsed since FINRA deemed the BDS CMA to have been filed as substantially complete with FINRA, (ii) FINRA has not notified the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary that the CMA is subject to “fast track” review, (iii) the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary or its Representatives (with the prior written consent of Purchaser) shall have notified (in writing and at least five (5) Business Days prior to the anticipated Closing Date) the FINRA Membership Application Program that the parties intend to consummate the Closing pursuant to FINRA Rule 1017(c)(1), (iv) FINRA has not advised any of the parties hereto at any time prior to the Closing that they are prohibited from consummating the Closing without FINRA approval, and (v) FINRA has not informed any of the parties hereto at any time prior to the Closing that FINRA will impose any “interim restrictions” on the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary that would materially limit the manner in which the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary may conduct its business or operations, including materially reducing the scope of the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary’s business, if the Closing is consummated without such FINRA approval.

 

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Fraud” means any actual and intentional fraud with respect to the making of any of the specific representations and warranties contained in Article IV or Article V or the Estimated Closing Statement (with respect to the Seller) or Article VI (with respect to Purchaser). “Fraud” is expressly limited to actual and intentional fraud and does not include, and no claim may be made by any Person in relation to this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby for, (i) recklessness, imputed fraud, constructive fraud, negligent fraud or other claims based on constructive knowledge, (ii) any other Person’s fraud, including through equitable claims (such as unjust enrichment) not requiring proof of wrongdoing committed by the subject of such claims or (iii) negligent misrepresentation or equitable fraud.

FSMA” means the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

GAAP” means United States generally accepted accounting principles, as in effect from time to time consistently applied.

Governmental Antitrust Entity” means any Governmental Entity with regulatory jurisdiction over enforcement of applicable Competition Law.

Governmental Entity” means any governmental, regulatory or administrative authority (including Lloyd’s or any agency, bureau, board, commission, court, department, official, political subdivision, tribunal or other instrumentality of any government, or any nation, state, commonwealth, province, territory, county, municipality, district or other jurisdiction of any nature), whether foreign, domestic, federal, provincial, state or local, any self-regulatory organization (including FINRA and any securities exchange), any arbitrational tribunal or any quasi-governmental or private body exercising any regulatory, taxing, importing or other governmental or quasi-governmental authority.

Governmental Order” means any order, writ, judgment, injunction, decree, stipulation, determination or award entered by or with any Governmental Entity.

Hazardous Materials” means any toxic, infectious, carcinogenic, radioactive, ignitable, corrosive, reactive or caustic (or words of similar import) substances or materials (whether solids, liquids or gases) subject to regulation, control or remediation under any Environmental Laws based on their deleterious characteristics, including petroleum, its derivatives, by-products and other hydrocarbons, urea formaldehyde, lead-based paint, PCBs and asbestos.

HSR Act” means the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.

IA Client” means any Person (including any financial institution, retirement plan, plan sponsor or individual) that is an investment advisory or investment management client of the Company or its Subsidiaries.

IA Client Consent” means, the consent or approval or deemed consent or approval, as applicable, of such IA Client in accordance with Section 7.21 to the assignment or deemed assignment of such Client’s Investment Advisory Agreement.

 

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Income Tax Liability Amount” means, without duplication, an amount equal to the aggregate liability for unpaid income Taxes of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, determined for each entity (or consolidated, unitary, or similar group to the extent applicable), whether or not due and payable, for any Pre-Closing Tax Period with respect to (a) a Tax Return, with respect to a jurisdiction in which the Company or the applicable Subsidiary has historically filed a Tax Return, for any taxable period (or portion thereof) ending on or before the Closing Date that is due (1) between the date hereof and the Closing or (2) after the Closing, in each case, taking into account any applicable extensions, that has not been filed as of the Closing, (b) a Tax Return, with respect to a jurisdiction in which the Company or the applicable Subsidiary has historically filed a Tax Return, that was filed on or before the Closing and for which the amount shown as due on such Tax Return was not paid in full prior to the Closing (but only to the extent of such unpaid amount) or (c) a jurisdiction in which such entity commenced activities and became subject to income Tax on or after January 1, 2024. In determining the Income Tax Liability Amount, (i) all unpaid income Tax liabilities with respect to Pre-Closing Tax Periods and Straddle Periods shall be calculated consistent with Section 7.11(c), including, any Taxes with respect to any Pre-Closing Tax Period for which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries would be liable as a result of an inclusion under Section 951 or 951A of the Code (or any similar provision of state, local or non-U.S. Law) if the taxable year of each “foreign corporation” owned (directly or indirectly) by the Company or any Subsidiary was deemed to close as of the end of the day on the Closing Date, (ii) such calculations and determinations shall take into account any payments of estimated income Taxes and overpayments of Taxes which may be credited against income Taxes otherwise due, in each case, in respect of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, as the case may be, (iii) such calculations and determinations shall take into account Transaction Tax Deductions deductible against taxable income in a Pre-Closing Tax Period (determined at a “more likely than not” (or higher) standard), (iv) such calculations and determinations shall exclude any income Taxes attributable to (A) transactions undertaken by Purchaser or any of its Affiliates (including, after the Closing, the Company and its Subsidiaries) after the Closing that are outside the ordinary course of business (consistent with past practices) and not expressly provided for by this Agreement, (B) any election under Section 338 or Section 336 of the Code (or any similar provision under state or local Law) with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or (C) any financing or refinancing arrangements entered into at any time by or at the direction of Purchaser or any of its Affiliates, (v) such calculations and determinations shall exclude deferred Tax assets and deferred Tax liabilities established for GAAP purposes to reflect timing differences between book and Tax income, (vi) the Income Tax Liability Amount shall include any unpaid income Taxes imposed on the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as a result of an election under Section 965(h) of the Code, (vii) any liabilities for accruals or reserves for contingent income Taxes or with respect to uncertain Tax positions shall be excluded, (viii) except as otherwise provided in this definition, such calculations and determinations shall be done in accordance with any applicable past practices of the Company and its Subsidiaries in preparing and filing the same type of income Tax Returns in prior periods (including reporting positions, jurisdictions (except as specifically provided by clause (c), above), elections, and accounting methods), (ix) such calculations and determinations shall exclude any income Taxes of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries attributable to deferred revenue or prepaid amounts that are (or but for the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, would be) recognized for income Tax purposes in a taxable period (or portion thereof) beginning after the Closing Date, and (x) without duplication, such calculations and determinations shall include any income Tax asset with respect

 

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to a Pre-Closing Tax Period (including any refund claim or receivable with respect to any income Tax of the Company and its Subsidiaries for any Pre-Closing Tax Period (or any credit in lieu thereof)); provided, that the Income Tax Liability Amount shall only be negative on a stand-alone basis for any entity, or in respect of any jurisdiction, to the extent that Tax refunds for, or overpayments of Taxes or payments of estimated Taxes with respect to, that entity, or in respect of that jurisdiction, are reasonably expected to be converted into a cash refund (or credited in lieu of a cash refund against income Taxes with respect to a Tax Return for the 2024, 2025, or 2026 taxable years) at, or with respect to, the Company or its Subsidiaries with respect to a Tax Return for the 2024 or 2025 taxable years (taking into account all applicable extensions). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, (i) the calculation of Income Tax Liability Amount shall be determined as of 11:59 p.m., New York time, on the Closing Date and such time shall be considered the Adjustment Time solely for purposes of this calculation and (ii) the Income Tax Liability Amount of the Company or any its Subsidiaries may be less than zero on a stand-alone basis for any entity, or in respect of any jurisdiction, but shall not be less than zero in the aggregate.

Indebtedness” means, without duplication, (a) the obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries for borrowed money, including the Credit Documents Repayment Amount, (b) the obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries evidenced by a note, bond, debenture or similar instrument or debt security, including the Existing Notes Redemption Amount, or any obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the outstanding Preferred Shares, including the Preferred Shares Redemption Amount, (c) the obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in respect of performance bonds, letters of credit or bankers’ acceptances (but solely to the extent drawn), (d) all finance or capital lease obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to the extent recorded or required to be recorded as such in the Financial Statements or in accordance with GAAP (which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall exclude any liabilities that are carried on the Latest Balance Sheet as operating leases), (e) the obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to interest rate swap, forward contract, currency or other hedging arrangements, in each case, calculated (x) at the termination value thereof as if terminated at or immediately prior to the Closing and (y) net of any assets related to or otherwise arising from any such interest rate swap, forward contract, currency or other hedging arrangements; provided that the amount calculated pursuant to this clause (e) shall not be less than zero, (f) the obligations of any Person, other than the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, secured by any Encumbrance (other than a Permitted Encumbrance) on the Company Common Stock, the equity securities of the Company’s Subsidiaries, or any of the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (g) all obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to (i) severance or separation pay payable with respect to terminations of employment that occur (or for which notice is provided) prior to or at the Closing and (ii) unfunded or underfunded nonqualified deferred compensation, post-termination medical and welfare, and pension or pension-like benefits (with the required funding level for tax-qualified defined benefit plans measured at the level required for certification under Section 4041(b)(2)(A)(i) of ERISA), in each case of this clause (g), including (to the extent applicable) the Compensatory Tax Obligations owed with respect to the foregoing, (h) the amount by which the aggregate amount of the fiduciary liabilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries of the type included in the applicable line item categories on the Sample Fiduciary Cash Calculation exceeds the aggregate amount of the fiduciary assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries of the type included in the applicable line item categories on the Sample Fiduciary Cash Calculation (which amount shall, for purposes of this clause (h), in no case be less than zero), (i) the obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the

 

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deferred purchase price of property, assets, businesses, securities, goods or services, including earn-out payments, purchase price holdbacks, seller notes, post-closing true-up obligations, outstanding acquisition bonuses (which will be calculated as the total liability as of the Adjustment Time using the same methodology as applied in Annex I to the Company Accounting Principles), producer transition payments calculated in the same manner used for the Company’s adjusted EBITDA bridge for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2024 which equalled approximately $2,100,000 at the time , and other similar payments, in each case, (i) calculated in accordance with the Company Accounting Principles, (ii) excluding any earn-out payments or holdback amounts relating to the Subject Matter, and (iii) calculated only with respect to acquisition transactions consummated on or prior to the date hereof, (j) any accruals or reserves for Actions involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or to which any of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, (k) any declared but unpaid dividends, or any other amounts accrued, incurred or owed, that are payable to the Seller, and any other outstanding amounts or obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any Related Party Contract that is required to be terminated prior to or upon the Closing, (l) guarantees by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of amounts which are or may become due and owing by other Persons described in the foregoing clauses (a) through (k) but excluding any guarantees of performance under contractual obligations in the ordinary course of business, (m) the Income Tax Liability Amount, (n) the cost to service long-term deferred revenue of the Company and its Subsidiaries, calculated at 64% of the portion of the corresponding long-term deferred revenue balance which has been collected as cash from customers in advance of services performed, (o) any incurred but unpaid expenses of the Company and its Subsidiaries owed to third party vendors related to non-recurring IT implementation projects, net of any related prepaid amounts, and any unpaid retention bonuses related to the Company’s non-recurring Finance Target Operating Model Retention Bonus Plan, to the extent communicated and committed to employees, (p) unpaid amounts incurred and payable by the Company and its Subsidiaries to legal advisors or rating agencies in connection with debt-refinancing activities, (q) legal settlement payment obligations agreed to but not yet paid, calculated net of reasonably expected insurance proceeds and excluding any amounts with respect to the Specified Appeal Matter, (r) any obligations of the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to unclaimed property, (s) any obligations of the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to abandoned lease provisions, and (t) in the case of clauses (a) through (s) of this definition, accrued and unpaid interest thereon and any premiums, termination fees, expenses, prepayment penalties, commitments, breakage costs or other fees, reimbursements and all other amounts that are required to be paid as a result of or in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. “Indebtedness” shall not include (i) non-cancellable purchase commitments, (ii) all obligations in respect of letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances and similar facilities issued for the account of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to the extent not drawn, (iii) trade payables or other current liabilities in the ordinary course of business that are included in the Working Capital, (iv) all liabilities or obligations incurred at the written direction of Purchaser or its Affiliates, (v) intercompany liabilities between the Company or one or more of its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and any other Subsidiaries of the Company, on the other hand, or (vi) any Company Transaction Expenses. Indebtedness incurred after the Adjustment Time but before the Closing shall be considered to have been incurred at the Adjustment Time unless it has an equal and offsetting impact on Cash or Working Capital.

Indemnity Escrow Account” means an indemnification escrow account established with the Escrow Agent pursuant to the Escrow Agreement.

 

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Indemnity Escrow Amount” means the amount set forth on Schedule 1.1(c).

Indemnity Escrow Funds” means the amount as may be contained in the Indemnity Escrow Account from time to time.

Indenture” means each of the 2029 Notes Indenture and the 2032 Indenture, as may be applicable.

Information Security Program” means a written information security program that complies with Privacy Requirements, that when appropriately implemented and maintained would constitute reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of Company Data and IT Assets, and that is consistent with relevant industry standards and that includes: (i) written policies and procedures regarding Company Data, and the Processing thereof; (ii) administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect the security, confidentiality, availability, and integrity of any Company Data; (iii) disaster recovery, business continuity, incident response, and security plans, procedures and facilities; (iv) vendor and Data Processor cybersecurity and privacy risk management program; and (v) protections against Security Incidents, malicious code, and against loss, misuse, unauthorized access to, and disruption of, the Processing of Company Data and IT Assets.

Insurance Client” means a Person (including any insured, or any sub-producer or insured to whom or which such sub-producer provides insurance services) to whom the Company or any of its Subsidiaries provides any services in connection with the conduct of the Business. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Insurance Client” shall include any employer, employer group, affinity group, association and any equityholder of any of the foregoing, any individual insured, retail insurance agent or broker, and any Carrier or other entity to the extent third party administration claims processing or underwriting is performed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries for such Carrier or other entity.

Intellectual Property” means, collectively, all intellectual property and proprietary rights, whether registered or unregistered, in any jurisdiction, including all such rights in and to (a) Trademarks and Domain Names, and the goodwill of the business associated with the foregoing, (b) Patents, (c) Copyrights, (d) Trade Secrets, (e) Software, (f) all tangible embodiments of any of the foregoing (in whatever form of medium), (g) registrations or applications for registration of the foregoing, including any renewals, modifications, continuations, continuations-in-part, extensions and foreign counterparts thereof, (h) all causes of action and rights to sue or seek other remedies arising from or relating to the foregoing, including for any past, ongoing or future infringement, misuse, or misappropriation, and (i) any other intellectual property rights of any kind or nature, in each case, whether protected, created, or arising under the Laws of the United States or any other jurisdiction.

Intellectual Property License” means (a) any grant (or covenant not to sue or assert) by Company or its Subsidiaries to another Person of any license right to or under the Owned Intellectual Property; and (b) any grant (or covenant not to sue or assert) by another Person to Company or its Subsidiaries of any license right to or under any third Person’s Intellectual Property rights.

 

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Investment Adviser Subsidiary” means AssuredPartners Investment Advisers, LLC.

Investment Advisory Agreement” means an investment advisory agreement entered into by the Company or its Subsidiaries with an IA Client for the purpose of providing investment advisory or sub-advisory services to such IA Client.

Investment Laws” means all applicable: (a) federal or state securities, commodities or other investment related Laws, including the Advisers Act, the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act, the Exchange Act, the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Securities Act and the regulations promulgated under each of them; (b) rules and regulations of Self-Regulatory Organizations, including FINRA and each applicable exchange (as defined under the Exchange Act); and (c) other federal or state securities Laws applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries providing Investment Management Services.

Investment Management Services” means (a) providing to IA Clients any (i) wealth management services to client accounts or funds (or portions thereof or a group of investment accounts or funds), (ii) wealth planning services, (iii) multi-class asset allocation and investment advisory services, (iv) family office services, (v) trust and estate financial planning or (vi) tax planning strategies or (b) otherwise acting as an “investment adviser” within the meaning of the Advisers Act.

Investment Screening Laws” means any applicable U.S. or foreign Law that are designed or intended to screen, prohibit, restrict or regulate investments on public order or national security grounds, including rules and regulations of self-regulatory organizations such as FINRA and each applicable exchange (as defined under the Exchange Act).

Irish Companies” means each of Gallivan Murphy Insurance Brokers Limited, McKeever and O’Callaghan Insurances Limited, O’Callaghan Insurances Limited, AssuredPartners AP Ireland Limited and K&M Fitzgerald Insurance Ltd.

Irish Competition Act” means the Irish Competition Act 2022 of Ireland.

Irish FDI Condition” means, to the extent that the Irish Screening of Third Country Transactions Act 2023 (“Irish FDI Law”) has entered into force before Closing, approval, expiry of the applicable waiting periods, or written confirmation the transactions contemplated by this Agreement do not require approval pursuant to the Irish FDI Law.

Irish Regulated Entities” means each of Gallivan Murphy Insurance Brokers Limited, McKeever and O’Callaghan Insurances Limited and O’Callaghan Insurance Limited.

IT Assets” means all the computer systems owned or controlled by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, including Software (including Business Software), hardware, databases, firmware, middleware and platforms, interfaces, systems, networks, information technology equipment, facilities, infrastructure, workstations, switches and data communications lines.

JCRA” means the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority.

 

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JCRA Condition” means (i) the JCRA not having decided during its preliminary assessment that the transaction contemplated by this Agreement or any matter arising therefrom raises any competition concerns meriting a fuller investigation (second detailed review) pursuant to Guideline No. 8 (“Mergers and Acquisitions”) issued by the JCRA or (ii) the JCRA having initiated a second detailed review and, applicable to (i) and (ii), the JCRA issuing a decision (which is not withdrawn, amended or lapsed) in writing to approve the transaction contemplated by this Agreement, pursuant to Article 22 of the Jersey Competition Law, such decision being either unconditional in all respects or subject to conditions or obligations. If Purchaser and the Seller, acting reasonably, determine following the execution of this Agreement that the transaction contemplated by this Agreement does not trigger a merger application under Jersey Competition Law, the JCRA Condition shall no longer apply.

Jersey Competition Law” means Competition (Jersey) Law 2005.

Jersey Regulated Entity” means AssuredPartners London Limited.

JFSC” means the Jersey Financial Services Commission.

JFSC Condition” means that the JFSC has given notice in writing that (a) in accordance with Article 14(1) of the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998 (the “FSJL”), the JFSC does not object to the Purchaser and each other relevant person who will become a “principal person” or “key person” (each as defined in Article 1(1) of the FSJL) of the Jersey Regulated Entity becoming a principal person or key person (as applicable) by virtue of the Agreement, and (b) in accordance with Article 14(2) of the FSJL, the JFSC does not object to the Seller or any other person who is a “shareholder controller” (as defined in Article 1(1) of the FSJL) of the Jersey Regulated Entity reducing or disposing of its holding in the Jersey Regulated Entity so that their proportion of share capital or voting rights in the Jersey Regulated Entity falls below 20%, 33% or 50%, or so that the Jersey Regulated Entity ceases to be a subsidiary (as defined in Article 1(1) of the FSJL) of the Seller or any other such person, by virtue of the Agreement.

Knowledge of the Company” (or similar phrases) means the knowledge, after reasonable inquiry of their direct reports, of the individuals listed on Schedule 1.1(d).

Law” means any federal, state or local statute, law, ordinance, rule, regulation, code, Governmental Order, principle of common law or other legally-binding requirement, interpretation or By-law of a Governmental Entity.

Leased Real Property” means the real property leased, subleased, licensed or occupied by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to the Leases.

Liability” means any debt, obligation, duty, claim, Tax or liability of any nature (including any unknown, undisclosed, unmatured, unaccrued, unasserted, contingent, indirect, conditional, implied, vicarious, derivative, joint, several or secondary liability), regardless of whether such debt, obligation, duty, claim or liability is immediately due and payable.

Litigation Bond Cash” means any cash reserved or otherwise designated on the Latest Balance Sheet as restricted cash relating to the Specified Appeal Matter.

 

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Litigation Bond Difference Amount” means an amount equal to the Litigation Bond Cash minus the Replacement Bond Cost.

Litigation Proceeds Amount” means any amounts actually owed to (whether pursuant to a final determination of a court of competent jurisdiction or a written settlement executed by the party obligated to make the applicable payment), but not yet received by, the Company or its Subsidiaries as of the Adjustment Time in connection with or as a result of the Actions set forth on Schedule 1.1(e), less any associated unpaid out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by the Company or its Subsidiaries through the Adjustment Time (but only to the extent such costs and expenses are not reflected in Working Capital).

Lloyds” means the Society and Corporation of Lloyd’s, incorporated by the Lloyd’s Act 1871 (or their successors from time to time) and, where the context requires, shall include the Council of Lloyd’s (as constituted by the Lloyd’s Act 1982, including its delegates and persons by whom it acts) (or its successors from time to time).

Lloyd’s Rules” means the Lloyd’s Acts 1871 to 1982, bylaws, regulations, codes of practice, bulletins and mandatory directions and requirements governing the conduct and management of underwriting business at Lloyd’s from time to time.

Material Adverse Effect” means any change or event that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the results of operations or financial condition, assets or business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; provided that in no event shall any of the following be taken into account in determining whether a Material Adverse Effect has occurred or would result: (a) general economic, political, social, regulatory, legal or tax conditions in the United States or any other country or region, including changes in financial, credit, securities, commodity, currency or real estate markets (including changes in interest or exchange rates), (b) any actual or threatened act of war, hostilities (including in Ukraine), sabotage, cyberattack, data breach, hacking or terrorism, or any escalation or worsening thereof, or any hurricane, earthquake, tornado, flood or other natural disaster, or “act of God”, (c) any epidemic, pandemic or disease outbreak (including COVID-19 or monkeypox) or worsening thereof, including responses thereto (including the COVID-19 Measures), (d) conditions generally affecting any industry in which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries operate, (e) changes after the date hereof in GAAP, (f) changes after the date hereof in Law, (g) any failure by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to meet any internal or published budgets, projections, forecasts or predictions of financial performance for any period (it being understood that any underlying facts giving rise or contributing to such failure that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of “Material Adverse Effect” may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Material Adverse Effect), (h) the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement, the announcement, pendency or consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby including, to the extent related to the identity of Purchaser or its Affiliates or any disclosure by Purchaser or its Affiliates of their plans or intentions with respect to the conduct of the Business after the Closing, the effect of any of the foregoing on the relationships of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; provided that no effect shall be given to this clause (h) for purposes of any representation or warranty which addresses the consequences of the negotiation, execution or performance this Agreement or the pendency or consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the condition to Closing in Section 8.2(a)(ii) and Section

 

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8.2(b)(iii) to the extent relating to any such representation or warranty or (i) any action taken (or not taken) by the Company or its Subsidiaries (i) that is required or expressly contemplated to be taken (or not taken) hereunder or (ii) at the written request of Purchaser or any of its Affiliates, except, in the case of clauses (a), (c), (d), (e) or (f), to the extent the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, are disproportionately affected thereby relative to other participants in the industry in which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries operates (in which case only the incremental and disproportionate effect or effects may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Material Adverse Effect).

Open Source Software” means any Software that is licensed or distributed pursuant to: (a) any license that is a license approved by the Open Source Initiative or listed at http://www.opensource.org/licenses, which licenses include all versions of the GNU General Public License (GPL), the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), the GNU Affero GPL, the MIT license, the Eclipse Public License, the Common Public License, the CDDL, the Mozilla Public License (MPL), the Artistic License, the Netscape Public License, the Sun Community Source License (SCSL), and the Sun Industry Standards License (SISL); (b) any license to Software that is considered “free software” or “open source software” (as each term is defined by the Open Source Foundation or the Free Software Foundation); or (c) any license that requires that as a condition of its use, modification or distribution that it, or other Software that is derived from or linked to such Software or into which such Software is incorporated or with which such Software is combined or distributed be (i) disclosed or distributed in source code form, (ii) licensed for the purpose of making modifications or derivative works, (iii) licensed, distributed or conveyed under terms that allow reverse engineering, reverse assembly or disassembly of any kind or (iv) redistributable at no charge.

Organizational Documents” means, with respect to any Person, the memorandum and articles of association, articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, charter, bylaws, articles of formation, certificate of formation, operating agreement, certificate of limited partnership, partnership agreement, limited liability company agreement, stockholders’ agreement and all other similar formation or governing documents of such Person in connection with the creation, formation, governance or organization of a Person, including any amendments thereto.

Owned Intellectual Property” means all Intellectual Property owned by, or purported to be owned by, Company or its Subsidiaries.

Patents” means all patents, inventions, and equivalent or similar rights anywhere in the world together with letters patent and pending or provisional applications for patents of the United States and all countries foreign thereto, including regional patents, certificates of invention and utility models, and all reissues, reexaminations, divisionals, continuations, continuations-in-part and extensions thereof.

Payoff Letters” means: (a) one or more payoff letters and other evidence regarding the discharge of Indebtedness for borrowed money, each dated no more than ten (10) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, to (i) satisfy such Indebtedness as of the Closing and (ii) terminate and release any Encumbrances related thereto; and (b) a summary invoice from each advisor or other service provider to the Seller, the Company or its Subsidiaries, each dated no more than ten (10) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, with respect to all unpaid Company Transaction Expenses estimated to be due and payable to such advisor or other service provider, as the case may be, as of the Closing Date.

 

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Permitted Acquisition” means any acquisition by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any Person or division or business unit thereof (whether by merger, consolidation, equity purchase, asset purchase or otherwise) (i) with respect to which Purchaser has provided its prior written consent and (ii) is entered into and consummated after the date hereof and prior to the Adjustment Time in accordance with the terms set forth in the applicable request to which Purchaser has provided its written consent.

Permitted Acquisition Amount” means an amount equal to the aggregate purchase price paid (including any indebtedness and transaction expenses assumed and paid by the Company or its applicable Subsidiary on behalf of the seller(s) in connection with such Permitted Acquisition) by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries at or prior to the Adjustment Time in accordance with the definitive acquisition agreement with respect to such Permitted Acquisition.

Permitted Encumbrance” means: (a) mechanics’, carriers’, workers’, repairers’, materialmen’s, warehousemen’s, construction and other similar Encumbrances arising or incurred in the ordinary course of business or amounts not yet due and payable or the amount or validity of which is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which an appropriate reserve has been established on the Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP; (b) Encumbrances for Taxes, utilities and other governmental charges that are not due and payable or are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which an appropriate reserve has been established on the Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP; (c) Encumbrances that secure obligations that are reflected as liabilities on the Latest Balance Sheet or Encumbrances the existence of which is referred to in the notes to the Latest Balance Sheet; (d) in the case of Leased Real Property, matters of record that would be disclosed by a current accurate survey or physical inspection of such Leased Real Property which do not materially detract from the value of or materially impair the use or occupancy of the Leased Real Property in the manner currently conducted; (e) matters of record or registered Encumbrances affecting title to any assets which do not materially detract from the value of or materially impair the use or occupancy of the Leased Real Property in the manner currently conducted; (f) requirements and restrictions of zoning, building and other applicable Laws and municipal by-laws, and development, site plan, subdivision or other agreements with municipalities regulating the use or occupancy of Leased Real Property which are not violated by the current use or occupancy of such Leased Real Property; (g) statutory Encumbrances of landlords for amounts not due and payable, or are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which an appropriate reserve has been established on the Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP; (h) Encumbrances arising under conditional sales contracts and equipment leases with third parties entered into in the ordinary course of business; and (i) defects, irregularities or imperfections of title and other Encumbrances which do not materially detract from the value of or materially impair the use of occupancy of the Leased Real Property in the manner currently conducted and which are not violated in any material respect by the conduct of the Business in the manner currently conducted.

Permitted Measures” means any COVID-19 Measures or any Cybersecurity Measures.

 

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Person” means an association, a corporation, an individual, a partnership, a limited liability company, an unlimited liability company, a trust or any other entity or organization, including a Governmental Entity.

Personal Information” means, all information that identifies, relates to or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with an identified or identifiable natural person or household or that is otherwise considered “personally identifiable information,” “personal information,” “personal data,” “nonpublic personal information,” “individually identifiable health information” or other analogous term under Law.

Pre-Closing Reorganization” has the meaning set forth in Schedule 7.25.

Pre-Closing Tax Period” means any taxable period ending on or before the Closing Date and the portion through the end of the Closing Date for any Straddle Period.

Preferred Certificate of Designation” means that certain Certificate of Designation of Series A Preferred Stock of the Company, dated as of May 13, 2019, as may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

Preferred Investors Rights Agreement” means that certain Series A Investors Rights Agreement, dated as of May 13, 2019, by and among the Company, as the issuer, AP Mezzanine Partners III, L.P., Assured Offshore, L.P. and Mezzanine Partners III, L.P., as the purchasers, and the other stockholder parties thereto from time to time, as may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

Preferred Purchase Agreement” means that certain Series A Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 13, 2019, as may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, by and among the Company, as the issuer, AP Mezzanine Partners III, L.P., Assured Offshore, L.P. and Mezzanine Partners III, L.P., as the purchasers.

Preferred Shares” means the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, having the rights, powers and obligations specified with respect to such Series A Preferred Stock in the Preferred Certificate of Designation.

Preferred Shares Governing Documents” means the Preferred Certificate of Designation, the Preferred Investors Rights Agreement and the Preferred Purchase Agreement, as the context may require.

Preferred Shares Redemption Amount” means an amount necessary to satisfy the aggregate Redemption Price (as defined in the Preferred Certificate of Designation) under the Preferred Share Governing Documents as of the Closing Date.

Privacy Requirements” means all applicable Laws, binding industry requirements, privacy policies, and Contracts to the extent relating to (i) privacy, confidentiality, integrity, availability, collection, use, access, Processing, protection, Security Incident notification, deletion or disclosure of Company Data or IT Assets, (ii) cybersecurity (including secure software development), or (iii) artificial intelligence, automated decision making, or machine learning technologies.

 

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Processing” or “Processed” means, with respect to data, the use, collection, receipt, processing, storage, recording, organization, adaption, alteration, ingestion, compilation, combination, enrichment, de-identification, transfer, retrieval, access, disclosure, sharing, dissemination or destruction of such data.

Producer” means each officer, employee, independent contractor, general agent, insurance broker, producer, sub-producer or other Person employed, supervised, controlled or retained, as the case may be, by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or whom the Company or such Subsidiary has a responsibility to supervise or control or has engaged under applicable Law or Contract, and who has transacted for the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

Profits Interest Unit” means each Class C Profits Interest Unit and Class D Profits Interest Unit in Seller granted under and pursuant to the terms of The AssuredPartners Group LP Amended and Restated Incentive Equity Plan.

Purchaser Disclosure Schedule” means the disclosure schedule of Purchaser referred to in, and delivered pursuant to, this Agreement.

Related Party” means, with respect to the Company, (a) each Person who holds, directly or indirectly, equity interests of the Company that by its terms would entitle such Person to at least 1% of the transaction proceeds payable in connection with this Agreement (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Seller); (b) each Sponsor, any investment fund sponsored, managed or advised by the foregoing or any portfolio company of the foregoing funds; (c) each individual who is an officer, manager or director (or similar position) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Sponsor or any investment fund sponsored, managed or advised by the foregoing; (d) each member of the immediate family of each of the individuals referred to in the foregoing clause (c); and (e) any trust or other entity (other than the Company and its Subsidiaries) in which any one of the Persons referred to in clauses (c) and (d) above holds (or in which more than one of such Persons collectively hold), beneficially or otherwise, a material voting, proprietary or equity interest.

Representatives” means with respect to any Person, any of such Person’s officers, directors, managers, employees, shareholders, members, partners, controlling persons, agents, consulting firms, advisors and other representatives, including legal counsel, accountants and financial advisors.

Required Information” means (i) unaudited financial statements of the Company for each fiscal year ended after the date of the most recent audited financial statements included in the Financial Statements and at least 60 days prior to the Closing Date, on or prior to the 60th day after the end of such fiscal year, (ii) audited financial statements of the Company for each fiscal year ended after the date of the most recent audited financial statements included in the Financial Statements and at least 90 days prior to the Closing Date, on or prior to the 90th day after the end of such fiscal year and (iii) unaudited financial statements of the Company for any quarterly (other than the fourth fiscal quarter) interim period or periods ended after the date of its most recent audited financial statements (and corresponding periods of any prior year), and more than 40 days prior to the Closing Date, on or prior to the 40th day after the end of such fiscal quarter.

 

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Retention Bonus Agreements” means those certain retention bonus letter agreements set forth on Schedule 1.1(f).

Restricted Cash” means any cash which is not freely usable by the Company or its Subsidiaries because it is subject to restrictions by federal or state Governmental Entities, limitation or Taxes on use or distribution by Law or Contract. The calculation of Restricted Cash shall exclude the Fiduciary Cash Amount and any cash held by the Captive.

Sample Calculation” means the sample calculation set forth in Schedule 1.1(g) of Working Capital, Cash, Indebtedness, Company Transaction Expenses and Permitted Acquisition Amount, in each case, as of the Latest Balance Sheet Date.

Sanctioned Country” means any country or territory that is the subject or target of comprehensive Sanctions (at the time of this Agreement, the Crimea, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic and the non-government controlled areas of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria).

Sanctioned Person” means (i) any Person designated or listed on a Sanctions-related prohibited or restricted party list published by the United States government, including OFAC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, Sectoral Sanctions Identification List, or Foreign Sanctions Evader List, any such list maintained by the United Kingdom or the European Union or its Member States, or any other similar list of designated Persons established pursuant to Sanctions; (ii) the government, including any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, of any Sanctioned Country or Venezuela; (iii) an ordinary resident of, or entity registered in or established under the jurisdiction of, a Sanctioned Country or (iv) a party acting or purporting to act, directly or indirectly, on behalf of, or a party owned or controlled by, any of the parties listed in the above clauses (i) – (iii).

Sanctions” means all applicable economic sanctions laws, regulations, and executive orders of the United States (including those administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of State), the European Union and its Member States, the United Kingdom, and any other sanctions authorities with jurisdiction over the Company and its Subsidiaries.

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Security Incident” means any security incident (i) involving the unauthorized Processing of Company Data that resulted in the material unauthorized access, disclosure, or exfiltration of Company Data, or (ii) that was a ransomware attack or malware intrusion arising from any unauthorized access or disruption to the Company’s IT Assets, or (iii) that required notification to any Person, or any other entity under applicable Privacy Requirements.

Self-Regulatory Organization” means a U.S. self-regulatory organization, including any self-regulatory organization as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(26) of the Exchange Act (including FINRA), any “self-regulatory organization” as such term is defined in U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Rule 1.3, and any other U.S. securities exchange, futures exchange, futures association, commodities exchange, clearinghouse or clearing organization.

 

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Seller Disclosure Schedule” means the disclosure schedule of the Seller referred to in, and delivered pursuant to, this Agreement.

Similar ERISA Law” means any U.S. or non-U.S. federal, state, local, or other laws that are substantially similar to the fiduciary responsibility or prohibited transaction provisions of Section 404 or 406 of ERISA and/or Section 4975 of the Code.

Software” means all computer software programs and software systems (including source and object code) and all computer operating security or programming software, including architecture, schematics, software models and methodologies, algorithms, data files or records, computerized databases, plugins, libraries, compilers, subroutines, tools and APIs and all related specifications and documentation.

Specified Appeal Matter” has the meaning set forth on Schedule 1.1(h).

Sponsors” means, collectively, GTCR LLC, solely in its capacity as investment advisor to certain investment funds that indirectly hold equity interests of Seller, and Apax Partners LLP, solely in its capacity as investment advisor to certain investment funds that indirectly hold equity interests of Seller.

Straddle Period” means any taxable year or period beginning on or before and ending after the Closing Date.

Subject Matter” has the meaning set forth on Schedule 7.25.

Subject Matter Escrow Account” means an escrow account established with the Escrow Agent pursuant to the Escrow Agreement.

Subject Matter Escrow Amount” means the amount set forth on Schedule 7.25.

Subject Matter Escrow Funds” means the amount as may be contained in the Subject Matter Escrow Account from time to time.

Subsidiary” of any Person means, on any date, any Person of which securities or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests or more than 50% of the profits or losses of which are, as of such date, owned, controlled or held by the applicable Person or one or more subsidiaries of such Person.

Target Working Capital Amount” means $288,700,000.

Tax” means any U.S. federal, state, local, or non-U.S. tax, charge, duty, levy or other similar assessment in the nature of a tax, including income, gross receipts, license, payroll, employment, excise, severance, stamp, occupation, premium, windfall profits, environmental, customs duties, capital stock, franchise, profits, withholding, social security, unemployment, disability, property, personal property, sales, use, transfer, registration, value added, alternative or add-on minimum, surplus lines, estimated or other tax or any similar charge in the nature of a tax, imposed, assessed, collected or administered by any Taxing Authority, and including any interest, penalty or addition thereto.

 

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Tax Return” means any return, declaration, report, claim for refund or information return or statement of Taxes, including any schedule or attachment thereto, and including any amendment thereof, filed or required to be filed with any Taxing Authority.

Taxing Authority” means any Governmental Entity responsible for the imposition, determination, assessment or collection of any Tax or the administration of Tax Laws.

Trade Secrets” means all trade secrets and confidential information and other non-public or proprietary information (whether or not patentable), including ideas, compositions, know-how, concepts, methods, processes, techniques, formulae, reports, data, customer or subscriber information, mailing lists, business plans, inventor’s notes, discoveries and improvements, manufacturing and production processes and techniques, testing information, research and development information, inventions, invention disclosures, unpatented blueprints, drawings, specifications, designs, proposals and technical data, business and marketing plans, market surveys, Software code and other proprietary information that is protected by Law as a “trade secret” or other similar concept under applicable Law.

Trademarks” means registered and unregistered trademarks and service marks, trademark and service mark applications, logos, slogans, business names, corporate names, trade names, and trade dress, and all goodwill associated with the foregoing.

Transaction Agreements” means this Agreement or any other agreement, document or certificate entered into or delivered by Purchaser, the Company, the Seller or any of their respective direct or indirect equityholders or Affiliates in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

Transaction Payments” means: the sum of all transaction, retention, change of control or similar bonuses, single-trigger severance or other similar compensatory payments entered into or promised by the Company or its Affiliates prior to the Closing (other than at the written request of Purchaser and excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any Liabilities set forth on Schedule 1.1(b)) that are payable or reimbursable by the Company or its Subsidiaries on or after the Closing Date to any Person as a result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (together with the Compensatory Tax Obligations on or in respect of such amounts).

Transaction Tax Deductions” means, without duplication, all items of loss or deduction for income Tax purposes that are deductible under Law and attributable to (a) any item of Company Transaction Expenses, (b) the capitalized financing costs and expenses and any prepayment premium or fee as a result of the payoff or satisfaction of any Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the Closing, and (c) the aggregate amount of all other deductible fees, costs and expenses incurred by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby (including all amounts that would have been Company Transaction Expenses had such amounts been unpaid as of the Closing), and (d) the employer portion of any employment or payroll Taxes with respect to any compensatory amounts

 

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included in clauses (a) - (c). For the purposes of calculating the amount of the Transaction Tax Deductions, the Company shall be assumed to have made an election under Revenue Procedure 2011-29, 2011-18 IRB, to treat 70% of any success-based fees that were paid by the Company as an amount that did not facilitate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and, therefore, treat 70% of such costs as deductible.

Transfer Taxes” means any sales, use, goods and services, stock transfer, real property transfer, transfer, stamp, conveyance, registration, documentary, recording or similar Taxes imposed on or in respect of the direct or indirect acquisition of the Company and its Subsidiaries pursuant to this Agreement.

UK Regulated Entities” means Anchorman Insurance Consultants Limited, AssuredPartners London Limited, Borland Insurance Ltd, AssuredPartners Regions Ltd., PSP Insurance and Financial Solutions Limited, Inevexco Ltd, GM Insurance Brokers Limited, Club Insure Ltd and Romero Insurance Brokers Ltd, Harman Kemp Limited, Gibson (Hawick) Limited and CIA Insurance Services Limited.

Working Capital” means, (a) current assets minus (b) current liabilities, in each case (i) determined in accordance with the Company Accounting Principles and (ii) solely reflecting the categories and line items of current assets and current liabilities included in the illustrative calculation of Working Capital set forth in Exhibit B. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, “Working Capital” shall not include (A) Cash or Restricted Cash, (B) Indebtedness, (C) Company Transaction Expenses or (D) income or deferred Tax assets or liabilities.

Section 1.2 Other Defined Terms. Each of the following terms is defined in the Section set forth opposite such term:

 

Term

  

Section

280G Waiver

   Section 7.2

Agreement

   Preamble

Anti-Corruption Laws

   Section 5.20(a)

Appointed Representatives

   Section 5.25

Chosen Courts

   Section 11.2(b)

Claims Notice

   Section 10.4(d)

Cleared Acquisitions

   Section 7.6(f)

Closing

   Section 2.2

Closing Date

   Section 2.2

Closing Statement

   Section 3.5(a)

Company

   Preamble

Company Material Contract

   Section 5.19(a)

Company Shares

   Recitals

Confidentiality Agreement

   Section 7.4

D&O Policy

   Section 7.7(e)

D&O Tail Policy

   Section 7.7(e)

Debt Financing

   Section 7.20(a)

Deficiency Amount

   Section 3.5(e)(i)

 

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Term

  

Section

Dispute Resolution Period

   Section 3.5(c)

Disputed Matter

   Section 3.5(b)

Enforceability Exceptions

   Section 4.3(b)

Equity Financing

   Section 7.20(a)

Estimated Cash

   Section 3.1

Estimated Closing Statement

   Section 3.1

Estimated Company Transaction Expenses

   Section 3.1

Estimated Indebtedness

   Section 3.1

Estimated Working Capital Amount

   Section 3.1

Excess Amount

   Section 3.5(e)(ii)

Excluded Information

   Section 7.20(a)(ii)

Extended Outside Date

   Section 9.1(a)

Final Cash

   Section 3.5(c)

Final Company Transaction Expenses

   Section 3.5(c)

Final Indebtedness

   Section 3.5(c)

Final Purchase Price

   Section 3.5(e)

Final Working Capital Amount

   Section 3.5(c)

Financial Statements

   Section 5.5(a)

Governmental Filings

   Section 4.4(a)

Government Research Entity

   Section 5.9(g)

Indemnifiable Claims

   Section 10.4(d)

Indemnified Individuals

   Section 7.7(a)

Independent Firm

   Section 3.5(c)

Independent Firm Dispute Notice

   Section 3.5(c)

Infringe

   Section 5.9(b)

International Plan

   Section 5.14(m)

Insurance Policies

   Section 5.11

Interim Period

   Section 7.1(a)

IT Security Testing

   Section 7.5(d)

Kirkland

   Section 11.16

Latest Balance Sheet

   Section 5.5(a)

Latest Balance Sheet Date

   Section 5.5(a)

Leases

   Section 5.8(b)

Licensed Intellectual Property

   Section 5.9(b)

Losses

   Section 7.7(a)

Material IP Contracts

   Section 5.19(a)(xix)

Non-Recourse Party

   Section 11.15

Notes Redemption

   Section 7.14(a)

Notice of Disagreement

   Section 3.5(b)

Outside Date

   Section 9.1(a)

Payoff Amount

   Section 7.15

Permits

   Section 5.15(b)

Purchaser

   Preamble

Purchaser Certificate

   Section 8.3(c)

R&W Policy

   Section 7.16

 

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Term

  

Section

Registered IP

   Section 5.9(a)

Related Party Contracts

   Section 5.21(a)

Remaining Disputed Matters

   Section 3.5(c)

Review Period

   Section 3.5(b)

RWI Protected Persons

   Section 7.16

Seller

   Preamble

Seller Certificate

   Section 8.2(e)

Seller Director

   Section 7.7(b)

Seller Released Claims

   Section 10.3(a)

Seller Releasers

   Section 10.3(a)

Share Purchase

   Section 2.1

Stockholder Vote

   Section 7.2

Subject Indebtedness

   Section 7.15

Top Carriers

   Section 5.22(b)

Top Clients

   Section 5.19(a)(iv)

Top Producers

   Section 5.19(a)(i)

Voting Company Debt

   Section 5.2(a)

Waived 280G Benefits

   Section 7.2

WARN Act

   Section 5.18(c)

Willful Breach

   Section 9.3

ARTICLE II

PURCHASE AND SALE

Section 2.1 Delivery and Purchase of Shares. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Closing, the Seller will sell, convey, assign and transfer to Purchaser, and Purchaser will purchase, acquire and receive from the Seller, the Company Shares (the “Share Purchase”), free and clear of all Encumbrances.

Section 2.2 Closing. The closing of the Share Purchase (the “Closing”) shall take place remotely and through the mutual exchange via email of executed copies of documents (including in “portable document format” (.pdf) form or by any other electronic means intended to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document), at 9:00 a.m., New York time, on the third Business Day after the day on which the conditions precedent set forth in Article VIII (other than those conditions that by their nature only can be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver of those conditions at such time) are satisfied or waived in accordance with this Agreement, or at such other place and time or on such other date as the parties may mutually agree in writing. The date on which the Closing occurs is referred to in this Agreement as the “Closing Date”.

Section 2.3 Closing Deliverables.

(a) Purchaser Deliverables. At the Closing, Purchaser shall deliver to the Seller:

(i) the Escrow Agreement duly executed by Purchaser; and

 

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(ii) the Purchaser Certificate.

(b) Seller Deliverables. At the Closing, the Seller shall deliver to Purchaser:

(i) any stock powers evidencing the Company Shares to Purchaser, together with duly executed stock powers or similar assignments in form and substance reasonably acceptable to Purchaser;

(ii) copies of (1) the resolutions or consents of the board of directors of the Company authorizing and approving the execution, delivery and performance of each of the Transaction Agreements to which the Company is party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, and (2) the resolutions or consents of the board of managers of the general partner of the Seller authorizing and approving the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and each of the Transaction Agreements to which the Seller is party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby;

(iii) evidence satisfactory to Purchaser as to the termination of the agreements identified on Schedule 2.3(b)(iii);

(iv) at the Seller’s option, either (1) a duly executed IRS Form W-9 of the Seller or (2) a certificate, dated as of the Closing Date and sworn under penalty of perjury, in the form of Treasury Regulations Sections 1.897-2(h) and 1.1445-2(c), certifying that the Company is not a United States real property holding corporation and a notice to be mailed (together with a copy of the certificate) to the Internal Revenue Service in accordance with Section 1.897-2(h)(2) of the Treasury Regulations (a “FIRPTA Certificate”); provided that notwithstanding the language in Section 8.2(f), if the Seller fails to deliver one of the forms described in this Section 2.3(b)(iv), Purchaser’s sole remedy shall be to withhold the amount of taxes required pursuant to the terms of Section 3.6;

(v) duly executed notices of redemption required pursuant to Section 7.14;

(vi) the Escrow Agreement duly executed by Seller;

(vii) the Payoff Letters required by Section 7.15; and

(viii) the Seller Certificate.

ARTICLE III

CONSIDERATION FOR COMPANY SHARES

Section 3.1 Estimated Closing Statement. At least two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, the Seller shall deliver to Purchaser a statement (the “Estimated Closing Statement”) setting forth (a) the Seller’s good faith calculation of the Estimated Purchase Price, including (i) the estimated amount of Working Capital (the “Estimated Working Capital Amount”), (ii) the estimated amount of Indebtedness (the “Estimated Indebtedness”), (iii) the estimated amount of Cash (the “Estimated Cash”), (iv) the estimated amount of the Company Transaction Expenses

 

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(the “Estimated Company Transaction Expenses”) and (v) the estimated Permitted Acquisition Amount (the “Estimated Permitted Acquisition Amount”), in each case as of the Adjustment Time (except as otherwise set forth in any definition of the foregoing), and (b) the Estimated Purchase Price payable to Seller pursuant to Section 3.2, together with reasonable supporting detail of each of the calculations set forth in the Estimated Closing Statement. Purchaser shall have the opportunity to review the foregoing estimates and calculations set forth in the Estimated Closing Statement, and the Seller shall consider in good faith any reasonable changes Purchaser proposes in good faith to such estimates and calculations, it being understood that Purchaser shall have no approval rights with respect to the estimates or calculation therein; provided that, in case of any disagreement between the parties, such disagreement shall not delay or prevent the Closing and the estimates and calculations of the Seller set forth in the Estimated Closing Statement shall control.

Section 3.2 Certain Closing Date Payments. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, at the Closing, Purchaser shall (a) pay, or cause to be paid, to the Seller an amount equal to the (i) Estimated Purchase Price minus (ii) the Escrow Amount, and (b) deposit the Escrow Amount with the Escrow Agent in accordance with the terms of the Escrow Agreement.

Section 3.3 Company Transaction Expenses. Simultaneously with the Closing, Purchaser shall pay the Company Transaction Expenses payable at the Closing by wire transfer of immediately available funds in accordance with wire transfer instructions provided by each payee thereof in the applicable Payoff Letter; provided that any Transaction Payments payable to employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries at the Closing will be paid (less all required withholdings) through a payroll payment made as soon as administratively practicable after the Closing.

Section 3.4 Closing Date Repayment Amount Documentation. Simultaneously with the Closing, Purchaser shall cause to be paid, on behalf of the Company and its Subsidiaries, the Closing Date Repayment Amount in accordance with the notices of redemption delivered pursuant to Section 7.14 and the Payoff Letters delivered pursuant to Section 7.15, by wire transfers of immediately available funds.

Section 3.5 Post-Closing Determination of Purchase Price Adjustment; Company Accounting Principles.

(a) Within 120 days after the Closing Date, Purchaser shall deliver to the Seller a statement (the “Closing Statement”) setting forth Purchaser’s good faith calculation of the Working Capital, Indebtedness, Cash, Company Transaction Expenses and Permitted Acquisition Amount, in each case, as of the Adjustment Time (except as otherwise set forth in any definition of the foregoing) together with reasonable supporting detail of each of the calculations set forth in the Closing Statement. The Closing Statement, and the calculations contained therein, shall be prepared on a basis consistent with the Company Accounting Principles and the terms and conditions of the Agreement. If, for any reason, Purchaser fails to deliver the Closing Statement when required by the first sentence of this Section 3.5(a), then, in addition to any other rights the Seller may have under this Agreement in connection therewith, the Seller shall have the right to elect (i) that the Estimated Closing Statement delivered by the Company to Purchaser prior to the Closing pursuant to Section 3.1 shall be considered for all purposes of this Agreement the Closing

 

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Statement and the calculations contained therein shall be final, conclusive and binding upon Purchaser and the Seller for all purposes hereunder or (ii) to prepare and deliver, or cause to be prepared and delivered, the Closing Statement, in which case the parties shall observe the same procedures set forth in the remaining provisions of this Section 3.5, applicable mutatis mutandis, and any disputes arising therefrom.

(b) During the 60 days immediately following the Seller’s receipt of the Closing Statement (the “Review Period”), the Seller and its Representatives shall be permitted to review the books and records of the Company and its Subsidiaries and the working papers of Purchaser, the Company, and the independent accountants, if any, relating to the preparation of the Closing Statement and the calculation of the Working Capital, Indebtedness, Cash, Company Transaction Expenses and Permitted Acquisition Amount therein, as well as the relevant books and records of the Company and Purchaser shall, and shall cause the Company to, provide the Seller and its Representatives with reasonable access to the personnel and advisers of Purchaser and the Company who were involved in the preparation of the Closing Statement in order to review and verify the amounts in the Closing Statement; provided that the independent accountants of Purchaser or the Company shall not be obligated to make any working papers available to the Seller unless and until the Seller has signed a customary confidentiality and hold harmless agreement relating to such access to working papers in form and substance reasonably acceptable to such independent accountants. Purchaser shall not, and shall cause the Company and its Subsidiaries not to, take any action to limit the Seller’s access to the books and records of, and the personnel and advisors of, the Company and its Subsidiaries. The Seller shall notify Purchaser in writing (the “Notice of Disagreement”) prior to the expiration of the Review Period if the Seller disagrees with the Closing Statement or the Working Capital, Indebtedness, Cash, Company Transaction Expenses or Permitted Acquisition Amount set forth therein. The Notice of Disagreement shall set forth in reasonable detail the basis for such disagreement and the amounts involved (a “Disputed Matter”) and the Seller’s determination of the amount of the Disputed Matters with reasonably detailed supporting documentation, and the Seller shall be deemed to have agreed with all other items and amounts contained in the Closing Statement.

(c) During the 30 days immediately following the delivery of a Notice of Disagreement (the “Dispute Resolution Period”), the Seller and Purchaser shall seek in good faith to resolve any disagreement that they may have with respect to the Disputed Matters specified in the Notice of Disagreement. If no Notice of Disagreement is received by Purchaser on or prior to the expiration date of the Review Period, then the Closing Statement and the Working Capital, Indebtedness, Cash, Company Transaction Expenses and Permitted Acquisition Amount set forth in the Closing Statement shall be deemed to have been accepted by the Seller and shall become final, conclusive and binding upon Purchaser and the Seller. If the parties cannot agree on the Disputed Matters during the Dispute Resolution Period, the Disputed Matters shall be submitted to an independent boutique specialty firm with an active practice area focused on post-mergers and acquisitions purchase price dispute resolution that is mutually agreed by Purchaser and the Seller in good faith (the “Independent Firm”). The Seller and Purchaser shall each enter into a customary engagement letter with the Independent Firm. The Seller and Purchaser shall furnish the Independent Firm with a statement setting forth the Disputed Matters from the Notice of Disagreement which are still in dispute (the “Remaining Disputed Matters”) and the position, including the specific amount proposed, of each of the Seller and Purchaser with respect to each such Disputed Matter (the “Independent Firm Dispute Notice”). Neither Purchaser and its

 

31


Affiliates nor the Seller and its Affiliates shall, without the prior consent of the other party, have any ex parte conversations or meetings with the Independent Firm in connection with the Independent Firm Dispute Notice. Within 60 Business Days after the submission of the Remaining Disputed Matters to the Independent Firm, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the Independent Firm, acting as an expert and not as an arbitrator, will, applying the Company Accounting Principles and the terms and conditions of the Agreement, make a determination of the appropriate amount of each of the Remaining Disputed Matters as specified in the Independent Firm Dispute Notice, which determination shall be final, conclusive and binding on the Seller and Purchaser, absent fraud, bad faith or manifest error. With respect to each Remaining Disputed Matter, such determination, if not in accordance with the position of either the Seller or Purchaser, shall not be in excess of the higher, nor less than the lower, of the amounts advocated by the Seller or Purchaser in the Independent Firm Dispute Notice with respect to such Remaining Disputed Matter. For the avoidance of doubt, the Independent Firm shall not review any line items or make any determination with respect to any matter other than the Remaining Disputed Matter in the Independent Firm Dispute Notice. The statement of each of Working Capital, Indebtedness, Cash, Company Transaction Expenses and Permitted Acquisition Amount as of the Adjustment Time (except as otherwise set forth in any definition of the foregoing) and the determination of the Working Capital, Indebtedness, Cash, Company Transaction Expenses and Permitted Acquisition Amount therefrom that are final, conclusive and binding on the Seller and Purchaser, as determined either through written agreement of the Seller and Purchaser (deemed or otherwise) or through the determination of the Independent Firm pursuant to this Section 3.5(c) are referred to herein as the “Final Working Capital Amount,” “Final Indebtedness,” “Final Cash,” “Final Company Transaction Expenses,” and “Final Permitted Acquisition Amount,” respectively. For the avoidance of doubt, the exclusion or inclusion of an item in the calculation of the Target Working Capital Amount shall have no bearing on whether such item shall also be excluded or included in the determination of the Final Working Capital Amount. During the review by the Independent Firm, the Seller and Purchaser shall each make available to the Independent Firm such party’s personnel and such information, books, records and work papers, as may be reasonably required by the Independent Firm to fulfill its obligations under this Section 3.5(c); provided that the independent accountants of the Seller or Purchaser shall not be obligated to make any working papers available to the Independent Firm unless and until the Independent Firm has signed a customary confidentiality and hold harmless agreement relating to such access to working papers in form and substance reasonably acceptable to such independent accountants.

(d) The cost of the Independent Firm’s review and determination shall be borne on a proportionate basis by Purchaser, on the one hand, and the Seller, on the other hand, based on the percentage which the portion of the contested amount not awarded in favor of each such Person bears to the amount actually contested by such Person. By way of illustration, if Purchaser’s calculations would have resulted in a $1,000,000 net payment to Purchaser, and the Seller’s calculations would have resulted in a $1,000,000 net payment to the Seller and the Independent Firm’s final determination as adopted pursuant to Section 3.5(c) results in an aggregate net payment of $500,000 to the Seller, then Purchaser and the Seller shall pay 75% and 25%, respectively, of such fees and expenses.

 

32


(e) The “Final Purchase Price” shall be calculated by recalculating the Estimated Purchase Price using the Final Working Capital Amount in lieu of the Estimated Working Capital Amount, using the Final Indebtedness in lieu of Estimated Indebtedness, using Final Cash in lieu of Estimated Cash, using the Final Company Transaction Expenses in lieu of Estimated Company Transaction Expenses, using the Final Permitted Acquisition Amount in lieu of the Estimated Permitted Acquisition Amount and otherwise using the components of Estimated Purchase Price as set forth in the definition of Estimated Purchase Price.

(i) If the Final Purchase Price is less than the Estimated Purchase Price paid at the Closing (such amount, the “Deficiency Amount”), Purchaser and the Seller shall promptly (but in any event within five (5) Business Days after the Final Working Capital Amount, Final Indebtedness, Final Cash, Final Company Transaction Expenses and Final Permitted Acquisition Amount have been agreed upon (through deemed agreement or otherwise) or determined by the Independent Firm, in either case in accordance with Section 3.5(c)), deliver joint written instructions to the Escrow Agent pursuant to the Escrow Agreement instructing the Escrow Agent to (A) release to Purchaser from the Adjustment Escrow Account an amount equal to the lesser of (1) the Deficiency Amount and (2) the Adjustment Escrow Funds and (B) release to the Seller the remaining Adjustment Escrow Funds (if any) available in the Adjustment Escrow Account following the release contemplated in the immediately foregoing clause (A); or

(ii) If the Final Purchase Price is greater than the Estimated Purchase Price paid at the Closing (such amount, the “Excess Amount”), (A) Purchaser shall pay to the Seller by wire transfer of same day funds promptly (but in any event within five (5) Business Days after the Final Working Capital Amount, Final Indebtedness, Final Cash, Final Company Transaction Expenses and Final Permitted Acquisition Amount have been agreed (through deemed agreement or otherwise) or determined by the Independent Firm, in either case in accordance with Section 3.5(c)) the lesser of (1) the Excess Amount and (2) an amount equal to the Adjustment Escrow Funds and (B) Purchaser and Seller shall deliver joint written instructions to the Escrow Agent pursuant to the Escrow Agreement instructing the Escrow Agent to release to Seller from the Adjustment Escrow Account the then-remaining Adjustment Escrow Funds.

(iii) For the avoidance of doubt, (A) in no event will Purchaser or its Affiliates be liable to the Seller or any other Person under this Section 3.5 for any amount in excess of the Adjustment Escrow Funds and (B) in no event will the Seller or its Affiliates be liable to Purchaser or any other Person under this Section 3.5 for any amount other than amounts to be released from the Adjustment Escrow Account in accordance herewith.

(f) Company Accounting Principles. The Sample Calculation, Estimated Closing Statement (including the Estimated Working Capital Amount, Estimated Indebtedness, Estimated Cash, Estimated Company Transaction Expenses and Estimated Permitted Acquisition Amount), the Closing Statement (including the Working Capital, Indebtedness, Cash, Company Transaction Expenses and Permitted Acquisition Amount) and the Final Purchase Price shall be prepared and calculated in accordance with the definitions of such terms contained in this Agreement and the Company Accounting Principles, except that the Estimated Closing Statement and the Closing Statement (and all calculations set forth in each, including the calculation of the Estimated Purchase Price and the Final Purchase Price) shall be based on facts and circumstances as they exist up to the Adjustment Time (and assuming, and giving effect to, consummation of the Share Purchase with respect to the determination of the Company Transaction Expenses and Indebtedness) and shall exclude the effect of any act, decision or event occurring after the Adjustment Time (other than such assumption as described in the Company Accounting Principles).

 

33


(g) The parties agree that any amount paid under this Section 3.5 shall be treated as an adjustment to the total consideration paid for the Company Shares for applicable income Tax purposes and, except to the extent required by applicable Law, agree not to take any position inconsistent with such treatment on any Tax Return.

Section 3.6 Withholding. Purchaser, the Seller, the Company, its Subsidiaries and each of their Affiliates shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from any amount otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement such amounts as are required to be withheld and paid over to the applicable Governmental Entity under any applicable provision of Tax Law; provided that, except with respect to compensatory payments, the payor will notify the payee at least five (5) Business Days prior to making any such deduction or withholding and shall reasonably cooperate to reduce or eliminate any such deduction or withholding. To the extent that amounts are so withheld and timely paid to the applicable Governmental Entity, such withheld amounts shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the holder in respect of which such deduction or withholding was made. Purchaser acknowledges that, provided the Company delivers a completed and duly executed IRS Form W-9 or FIRPTA Certificate pursuant to Section 2.3(b)(iv), no amount shall be withheld from any payment to the Seller for the Company Shares pursuant to this Agreement absent a change in applicable Tax Law following the date hereof.

ARTICLE IV

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES REGARDING THE SELLER

Except as set forth in the Seller Disclosure Schedule (it being agreed that the disclosure of any matter in any section in the Seller Disclosure Schedule shall be deemed to have been disclosed in any other section in the Seller Disclosure Schedule to which the applicability of such disclosure is reasonably apparent from the face of such disclosure), the Seller hereby represents and warrants to Purchaser as follows as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date:

Section 4.1 Organization and Good Standing. The Seller is a limited partnership duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Seller (a) has all requisite power and authority to own, lease and operate its assets, rights, and properties and to operate its business as the same are now being owned, leased and operated (b) is duly qualified or licensed to do business as a foreign entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of its business or its ownership of its properties requires it to be so qualified or licensed, except, in the case of this clause (b), where the failure to be so qualified or licensed or in good standing would not reasonably be expected to materially impair or prevent the Seller’s ability to perform its respective obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements or consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

 

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Section 4.2 Capitalization. The Seller owns of record and beneficially owns all outstanding shares of Company Common Stock, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

Section 4.3 Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability.

(a) The Seller possesses all requisite legal right, power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party, and to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder, and to consummate the transactions contemplated herein and therein. The execution, delivery and performance of the Seller’s obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly and validly authorized by all requisite limited partnership action on the part of the Seller and not other proceedings on the part of the Seller or any of its Subsidiaries are necessary to authorize the Seller’s entry into or performance of this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party or consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby.

(b) This Agreement has been, and the other Transaction Agreements to which the Seller is or may become a party will upon execution and delivery be, duly executed and delivered by the Seller and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by each of the other parties hereto and thereto, constitutes, or will upon such delivery constitute, the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Seller, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as such enforcement may be limited by the applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other Laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights or by principles of equity (the “Enforceability Exceptions”).

Section 4.4 No Conflicts; Consents.

(a) Assuming all filings or registrations with, notifications to, or authorizations, consents or approvals of, a Governmental Entity (collectively, “Governmental Filings”) and waiting periods described in or contemplated by Section 8.1(b) have been obtained or made, or have expired, the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Seller and the consummation by the Seller of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or result in a violation or breach of any Law or Governmental Order to which the Seller is subject, (ii) except as set forth in Section 4.4(a)(ii) of the Seller Disclosure Schedule, require the consent, notice or other action by any Person, under, conflict with, result in a violation or breach of, or constitute a default or change of control (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) under, result in, or give rise to the acceleration, termination, modification or cancellation of any obligation or to the loss of benefit under or create in any Person the right to accelerate, terminate, modify or cancel any obligation or result in the loss of a benefit under any material Contract, loan guarantee of indebtedness or credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease, permit, concession, franchise or right to which the Seller is a party or constitute an event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would result in any such violation, breach, default, termination, modification, cancellation, acceleration, right or loss or (iii) conflict with, result in a violation or breach of, or

 

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default under, any provision of the Organizational Documents of the Seller, other than, in the case of the immediately preceding clauses (i) and (ii), any such violations, conflicts, breaches, defaults, accelerations, terminations, modifications, cancellations or losses of benefits or rights that would not reasonably be expected to materially impair or prevent the Seller’s ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is a party or consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

(b) No material Governmental Filings are required to be obtained or made by the Seller in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party or the consummation by the Seller of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby except (i) compliance with and filings under the HSR Act, (ii) Governmental Filings described in or contemplated by Section 5.4(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, and (iii) any applicable state securities or “blue sky” Laws.

Section 4.5 Proceedings. There are no (a) investigations or reviews pending, or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened by any Governmental Entity, (b) Actions pending (or to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened) and (c) orders, writs, judgments, injunctions, rulings or decrees imposed, which, in the case of clauses (a), (b) or (c), would reasonably be expected to materially impair or prevent Seller’s ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party or consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

Section 4.6 Brokers and Finders. No agent, broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other Person, other than Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Jefferies Group, is or will become entitled, by reason of any Contract entered into or made by or on behalf of the Seller, to receive any commission, brokerage, finder’s fee or other similar compensation in connection with the consummation of the Share Purchase or other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

Section 4.7 Disclaimer of Warranties. EXCEPT FOR THE REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE IV (AS MODIFIED BY THE SELLER DISCLOSURE SCHEDULE), OR ANY OTHER TRANSACTION AGREEMENT TO WHICH THE SELLER IS A PARTY OR ANY CERTIFICATE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 8.2(E), THE SELLER HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, FOR ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, STATEMENT, OR INFORMATION MADE, COMMUNICATED, OR FURNISHED (ORALLY OR IN WRITING) TO PURCHASER, OR ITS AFFILIATES OR REPRESENTATIVES (INCLUDING ANY OPINION, INFORMATION, PROJECTION, OR ADVICE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN OR MAY BE PROVIDED TO PURCHASER BY ANY STOCKHOLDER, DIRECTOR, OFFICER, EMPLOYEE, AGENT, CONSULTANT, OR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SELLER OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES).

 

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ARTICLE V

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES REGARDING THE COMPANY

Except as set forth in the Company Disclosure Schedule (it being agreed that the disclosure of any matter in any section in the Company Disclosure Schedule shall be deemed to have been disclosed in any other section in the Company Disclosure Schedule to which the applicability of such disclosure is reasonably apparent from the face of such disclosure), the Company hereby represents and warrants to Purchaser as follows as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date:

Section 5.1 Organization and Good Standing.

(a) The Company is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware. Each Subsidiary of the Company is duly organized or incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation, as applicable, in each case, except where the failure to be so organized, existing or in good standing would not be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries (i) has all requisite power and authority to own, lease and operate its assets, rights, and properties and to operate its business as the same are now being owned, leased and operated and (ii) is duly qualified or licensed to do business as a foreign entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of its business or its ownership of its properties requires it to be so qualified or licensed, except, with respect to this clause (ii), where the failure to be so qualified or licensed would not be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.

(b) The Company has delivered or made available to Purchaser a true, correct and complete copy of the Organizational Documents of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries set forth on Section 5.1(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule (the “Material Subsidiaries”), and all respective amendments thereto, in effect as of the date hereof. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries are in material breach of their respective Organizational Documents.

Section 5.2 Capitalization.

(a) The authorized capital stock of the Company consists exclusively of (i) 2,000 shares of Company Common Stock, of which 1,993.224053431 shares of Company Common Stock are issued and outstanding and (ii) the Preferred Shares. All of the Company Common Stock is owned beneficially and of record by the Seller, free and clear of any Encumbrances. As of the date hereof, all of the Preferred Shares are owned of record as set forth in Section 5.2(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule. There are no options to purchase shares of Company Common Stock or Preferred Shares issued and outstanding. Except as set forth in the first sentence of this Section 5.2(a), there are no shares of capital stock or other equity interests of the Company authorized, issued, reserved for issuance or outstanding. Except as set forth in the Preferred Shares Governing Documents, all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the

 

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Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, and are fully paid and non-assessable and are not subject to or issued in violation of any purchase option, call option, right of first refusal, preemptive right, restriction on transfer or disposal or any capital stock, subscription right or any similar right provided for in the Organizational Documents of the Company, or any Contract to which the Seller or the Company is a party or otherwise bound. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company were issued in compliance with applicable Law. There are not any bonds, debentures, notes or other Indebtedness of the Company having the right to vote (or convertible into, or exchangeable for, securities having the right to vote) on any matters on which any holder of any share of capital stock of the Company may vote (“Voting Company Debt”). Except as set forth in Section 5.2(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or in the Preferred Shares Governing Documents, there are not any subscriptions, options, warrants, rights, convertible or exchangeable securities, “phantom” stock rights, preemptive rights, puts, calls, stock appreciation rights, stock-based performance units, commitments, Contracts, arrangements or undertakings of any kind to which the Seller, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is bound (i) restricting the transfer of any capital stock or other equity interests of the Company, or (ii) providing for, requiring or giving any Person rights with respect to (A) the issuance, delivery or sale of additional shares of capital stock or other equity interests in, or any security convertible into or exercisable for or exchangeable into, any shares of capital stock of or other equity interest in, the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or any Voting Company Debt, (B) the issuance, grant or entry into any such option, warrant, right, security, commitment, Contract, arrangement or undertaking of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (C) payment by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of an amount in cash or in kind with respect to, or based on the value of, any shares of capital stock of or other equity interest in the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any Voting Company Debt.

(b) Except as set forth on Section 5.2(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or in the Preferred Shares Governing Documents, there are not any outstanding contractual obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (i) to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any shares of capital stock of or other equity interest in the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) relating to the voting or registration of any equity interests of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

(c) Section 5.2(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list of all Subsidiaries of the Company as of the date hereof, including the name and jurisdiction of organization of each such Subsidiary and the record owner of capital stock of each such Subsidiary. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Subsidiaries of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, and are or will be fully paid and nonassessable and are not subject to or issued in violation of any purchase option, call option, right of first refusal, preemptive right, transfer or disposal or any capital stock, subscription right or any similar right provided for in its respective jurisdiction of organization, the Organizational Documents of such Subsidiary of the Company, or any Contract (other than this Agreement) to which each such Subsidiary of the Company is a party or otherwise bound. Except for interests in the Company’s Subsidiaries, the Company and its Subsidiaries do not own, directly or indirectly, any capital stock, membership interest, partnership interest, joint venture interest or other equity interest in any Person. There are no outstanding commitments or agreements obligating the Company or one of its Subsidiaries to make any investment (in the form of a loan, capital contribution or other form of investment) in any Person, other than any such commitments or agreements between or among the Company and

 

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any of its Subsidiaries. Except as set forth on Section 5.2(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company or one or more of its wholly owned Subsidiaries own of record and beneficially all the issued and outstanding capital stock of such Subsidiaries free and clear of any Encumbrances other than transfer restrictions imposed thereon by applicable Law.

(d) Section 5.2(d) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true, correct, and complete list, with respect to each outstanding Profits Interest Unit: (i) the holder thereof; (ii) the distribution or participation threshold; (iii) the grant date; and (iv) whether vesting of any unvested portion of the Profits Interest Unit will accelerate in connection with the transactions contemplated herein. Each Profits Interest Unit constituted a “profits interest” within the meaning of Revenue Procedure 93-27, 1993-2 C.B. 343 (“Rev. Proc. 93-27”) at the time of grant. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) has been or is required to include any amount related to the Profits Interest Units in the taxable income of the applicable holder thereof or (ii) has any material Liability under the Tax reporting and withholding requirements of applicable Law or for the payment of any payroll Taxes, in each case of, in respect of the Profits Interest Units.

Section 5.3 Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability.

(a) The Company possesses all requisite legal right, power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party and to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated herein and therein. The execution, delivery and performance of the Company’s obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly and validly authorized by all requisite corporate action on the part of the Company and no other proceedings on the part of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are necessary to authorize the entry into or performance of this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which the Company is or may become a party or consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby.

(b) This Agreement has been, and the other Transaction Agreements to which the Company is or may become a party will upon execution and delivery be, duly executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by each of the other parties hereto and thereto, constitutes, or will upon such delivery constitute, the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as such enforcement may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.

Section 5.4 No Conflicts; Consents.

(a) Assuming all Governmental Filings and waiting periods described in or contemplated by Section 8.1(b) have been obtained or made, or have expired, the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or result in a violation or breach of any Law or Governmental Order to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are subject or by which the Business is bound, (ii) except as set forth in Section 5.4(a)(ii) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, require the consent, notice or other action by any Person, under,

 

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conflict with, result in a violation or breach of, or constitute a default or change of control (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) under, result in, or give rise to the acceleration, termination, modification or cancellation of any obligation or to the loss of benefit under or create in any Person the right to accelerate, terminate, modify or cancel any obligation or result in the loss of a benefit under any Company Material Contract, loan, guarantee of indebtedness for borrowed money or credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease, or permit to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are a party or result in the creation or imposition of any Encumbrance upon the Company Common Stock or any assets of the Company or its Subsidiaries, or constitute an event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would result in any such violation, breach, default, termination, modification, cancellation, acceleration, right, loss or Encumbrance, or (iii) conflict with, result in a violation or breach of, or default under, any provision of the Organizational Documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, other than, in the case of the immediately preceding clauses (i) and (ii), any such violations, conflicts, breaches, defaults, accelerations, terminations, cancellations or rights that would not be material to the Business and would not materially impair or prevent the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party or consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

(b) No Governmental Filings are required to be obtained or made by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or any of the Transaction Agreements or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, except (i) compliance with and filings under the HSR Act, (ii) Governmental Filings set forth in Section 5.4(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule and (iii) any applicable state securities or “blue sky” Laws.

Section 5.5 Financial Statements.

(a) Section 5.5 of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth the (i) audited consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income, statements of equity and statements of cash flows of (A) AssuredPartners, Inc. and its Subsidiaries as of and for the 12-month periods ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023, (B) the Seller and its Subsidiaries as of and for the 12-month periods ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023 and (C) the Company and its Subsidiaries as of and for the 12-month period ended December 31, 2023; (ii) the unaudited consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income, statements of equity and statements of cash flows of AssuredPartners, Inc. and the Company and their respective Subsidiaries as of and for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2024, and (iii) the unaudited consolidated balance sheets and statements of operations of Seller and its Subsidiaries as of and for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2024 (the preceding clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) collectively, the “Financial Statements”). The Financial Statements (i) have been prepared in accordance with GAAP, consistently applied, throughout the periods involved, subject, in the case of the unaudited Financial Statements, to the absence of footnotes and normal year-end adjustments (none of which shall be material individually or in the aggregate to the Company and its respective Subsidiaries taken as a whole) and (ii) present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of AssuredPartners, Inc., the Company, the Seller and their respective Subsidiaries, as applicable, as of such dates and for the periods covered thereby, as applicable. The balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of September 30,

 

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2024 is referred to herein as the “Latest Balance Sheet” and September 30, 2024 is referred to as the “Latest Balance Sheet Date”. The books, records and accounts of the Company and its Subsidiaries accurately and fairly reflect, in reasonable detail, the transactions in and dispositions of the assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.

(b) The Company and its Subsidiaries have proper and adequate systems of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurance in all material respects that: (i) transactions are executed with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of its financial statements in conformity in all material respects with GAAP, consistently applied, as applicable, (iii) the unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of any assets of the Company or any its Subsidiaries that would materially affect the financial statements of the Company or its Subsidiaries are prevented and timely detected and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate actions are taken with respect to any differences.

(c) Since June 1, 2019, (i) there have not been any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting that are or were reasonably likely to adversely affect the ability of the Company and its Subsidiaries to record, process, summarize and report financial information, (ii) neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries nor their auditor has identified any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ financial reporting and (iii) there have no internal investigations regarding financial reporting.

(d) Except as set forth on Section 5.5(d) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, each of the Seller, the Company and Dolphin MidCo, Inc, a Delaware corporation was formed solely for the purpose of acquiring and holding the equity interests of its wholly-owned subsidiary and has not engaged in any business activities or conducted any operations other than in connection therewith, is not a party to or bound by any Contract and has no Liabilities (other than immaterial amounts incidental to its status as a holding company and, with respect to the Seller, to the extent arising from the Pre-Closing Reorganization and the transactions contemplated thereby).

(e) Except as set forth on Section 5.5(e) of the Company Disclosure Schedules, neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries are party to any Contracts in respect of Indebtedness of the type set forth in clauses (a) through (d) of such definition. Section 5.5(e) of the Company Disclosure Schedules sets forth a complete and correct list of each item of Indebtedness of the type set forth in clauses (a) through (d) of such definition as of September 30, 2024, identifying the amount of each item of such Indebtedness as of September 30, 2024.

(f) All accounts receivable of the Company and its Subsidiaries have arisen from bona fide transactions by the Company or its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business. All accounts receivable have been recorded in accordance with GAAP and are not subject to any setoffs or counterclaims.

 

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Section 5.6 No Undisclosed Liabilities. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any material Liabilities of any nature, whether or not accrued, contingent or otherwise, and whether or not required by GAAP to be reflected on a consolidated balance sheet (or the notes thereto) of the Company and its Subsidiaries, other than (a) Liabilities reflected on the Latest Balance Sheet or the notes thereto, (b) Liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business after the Latest Balance Sheet Date, (c) Liabilities or obligations arising under any Company Material Contract (which liabilities are not are not liabilities for breach of Contract or warranty, tort, infringement or nonperformance of any such Company Material Contract), or (d) Liabilities that are repaid, terminated, forgiven, settled, cancelled or otherwise extinguished at Closing pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

Section 5.7 Absence of Certain Changes or Events. From the Latest Balance Sheet Date, (a) the Company and its Subsidiaries have conducted their businesses and operated their assets and properties in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in all material respects, except for matters occurring in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including interactions with prospective buyers of the Company, (b) there has not been a Material Adverse Effect, and (c) neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries have taken any action that, if taken following the date hereof and prior to the Closing, would require Purchaser’s consent pursuant to Section 7.1.

Section 5.8 Real Property.

(a) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries own or have since June 1, 2019 owned any real property or interests in real property.

(b) The Company has made available to Purchaser true, correct and complete copies of each lease, sublease, license, and occupancy agreement for each Leased Real Property and all amendments, supplements, extensions, modifications, assignments and/or guarantees thereto that either (A) exceed $1,000,000 in annual rent payments or (B) are otherwise material to the Business (collectively, the “Leases”). Section 5.8(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true, correct and complete list of the Leases. Except as set forth in Section 5.8(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are obligated or bound by any Contracts, options, rights of first refusal or other contractual rights to acquire any real property or lease any material real property (except under the Leases).

(c) The Company and its Subsidiaries, as applicable, hold a good and valid leasehold interest under each of the Leases to which it is a party for the terms set forth therein free and clear of all Encumbrances except Permitted Encumbrances. All of the Leases are in full force and effect and binding and enforceable by the Company or its Subsidiary which is a party thereto in accordance with their terms, subject to the Enforceability Exceptions. Except as set forth in Section 5.8(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, there is no lease, sublease, license, use, occupancy or similar agreement granting to any Person (other than the Company and its Subsidiaries) any occupancy or use rights for any Leased Real Property, and, as of the Closing Date, no party, other than the Company or its applicable Subsidiary, will hold leasehold title to or occupancy rights or be in possession of all or any portion of the Leased Real Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries have not assigned, transferred, mortgaged, collaterally assigned, granted any security interest in, or pledged any interest in any of the Leases.

 

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(d) The buildings, improvements and fixtures on the Leased Real Property, including all mechanical, electrical and other building systems and equipment located on the Leased Real Property, are in good operating condition and repair (normal wear and tear excepted), without material structural or mechanical defect. All such buildings, improvements and fixtures have been constructed, installed and maintained in all material respects in accordance with all applicable Laws. There is no ongoing or anticipated construction, development, alterations or renovations of any form at the Leased Real Property. None of the Leased Real Property has been damaged or destroyed by fire or other casualty that has not been restored or not in the process of being restored.

(e) The Company and its Subsidiaries have (i) all certificates of occupancy and permits or licenses of any Governmental Entities necessary for the current use and operation of the Leased Real Property and (ii) not received any notice of non-renewal of any such certificates, Permits or licenses.

(f) There do not exist any actual or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened Actions by any Governmental Entity or Person to take, by condemnation or otherwise, any of the Leased Real Property, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any written notice of the intention of any Governmental Entity or other Person to take or use any Leased Real Property or any part thereof or interest therein.

(g) No Leased Real Property is subject to any sales contract, option, right of first refusal, right of first offer, similar agreement or other contractual obligation to sell, assign or dispose of any of the Leased Real Property or any portion thereof or interest therein to any Person.

Section 5.9 Intellectual Property.

(a) Section 5.9(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and accurate list, as of October 30, 2024, of each of the following items included in the Owned Intellectual Property: (i) issued and applied for Patents, (ii) Trademark registrations and applications, (iii) Copyright registrations and applications, (iv) material Domain Name registrations (clauses (i) through (iv), the “Registered IP”), and (v) material Business Software. For each item of Registered IP, Section 5.9(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule includes, where applicable, as of the date hereof, the registrant, current record owner (or current legal owner, if different), the applicable jurisdiction, the registration number, the application number or issuance number, the date of application, the date of issuance or registration and, in the case of Domain Names, the registrar, registrant, and expiration date.

(b) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (i) the Company and its Subsidiaries solely and exclusively own all right, title and interest in and to the Owned Intellectual Property (including the Registered IP), free and clear of Encumbrances, except for Permitted Encumbrances, (ii) have valid rights, pursuant to a written Intellectual Property License, to use all other Intellectual Property used or held for use to conduct the Business as presently conducted (“Licensed Intellectual Property”), free and clear of any Encumbrance, except for Permitted Encumbrances, (iii) the Registered IP is subsisting, unexpired, and valid and enforceable (to the extent such concepts apply), (iv) all Registered IP that are applications to register are pending and in good standing, (v) each Person that has created or developed any Intellectual Property for the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has validly and irrevocably assigned (pursuant to present-tense assignment language) in writing to

 

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the Company or its Subsidiaries all of their right, title, and interest in and to same that do not initially vest in the Company or its Subsidiaries by operation of Law, and no such Person owns or has any rights, claim, interest or option, including any right to further remuneration or consideration with respect to any such Intellectual Property, (vi) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries currently infringes, misappropriates, or violates (“Infringe”) any Intellectual Property of any third party, including, without limitation, by the conduct of the Business, as currently conducted and as conducted in the past six (6) years, including the commercialization or exploitation of any Business Products, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has Infringed any such Intellectual Property in the past six (6) years, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received, since June 1, 2019, any written notice or claim (including, without limitation, by means of a cease and desist letter, invitation to license, or indemnity claim) alleging same, (vii) there is no Action (including before the United States Patent and Trademark Office or equivalent registrar anywhere in the world) pending or threatened since June 1, 2019, against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (A) alleging that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or the operation of the Business) are Infringing any Intellectual Property of any Person or (B) except as set forth in Section 5.9(b)(vii)(B) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, challenging the validity, enforceability or ownership of any Owned Intellectual Property, (viii) none of the Company nor its Subsidiaries is subject to any Action, court order, arbitration decision, or settlement agreement that materially restricts in any manner the use, provision, transfer, assignment, or licensing of any Owned Intellectual Property or Licensed Intellectual Property, (ix) to the Knowledge of the Company, no third party is Infringing any Owned Intellectual Property and, since June 1, 2019, neither the Seller, Company, nor any of its or their Subsidiaries has sent any written notice or claim (including any cease and desist letter, invitation to license or indemnity claim) asserting that any such Infringement has or may have occurred; and (x) except as disclosed in Section 5.9(b)(x) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, no Actions are or have been pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened since June 1, 2019 by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries against any third party (A) alleging the Infringement of any Owned Intellectual Property or Licensed Intellectual Property, or (B) challenging the validity, enforceability or ownership of any third party Intellectual Property.

(c) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the Owned Intellectual Property and Licensed Intellectual Property constitute all Intellectual Property necessary for the continued conduct of the Business as currently conducted, (i) neither the execution, delivery, nor performance of this Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will adversely affect, contravene, conflict with, adversely alter or impair the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ ownership of any Intellectual Property or rights under any Material IP Contract, (ii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries will be obligated to pay any royalties or other amounts after the Closing Date under any Material IP Contract to any Person above or in addition to those payable by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in the absence of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (iii) no Contract to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party would, upon Closing, grant to any other Person any license, covenant not to sue, immunity or other rights with respect to the Intellectual Property owned by the Purchaser, (iv) neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries have granted or agreed to grant any exclusive license or exclusive right to use any Owned Intellectual Property.

 

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(d) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (i) the Company and its Subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable actions and maintained commercially reasonable security measures to protect the (A) confidentiality of Trade Secrets included in the Owned Intellectual Property or owned by a Person that has provided any Trade Secrets to Company or one of its Subsidiaries subject to reasonable confidentiality obligations (and any information that would have been a Trade Secret but for any failure to take such steps) and there has been no unauthorized access, use or disclosure of such Trade Secrets, and (B) integrity, availability, redundancy and security of the IT Assets (and all data, including Personal Information, Processed thereby), and, since June 1, 2019, there have been no outages of or Security Incidents impacting same, other than those that were resolved without cost or liability, (ii) the Company or one of its Subsidiaries owns or has a right to access and use pursuant to a written agreement all IT Assets, and the IT Assets are sufficient for, and operate and perform in accordance with any applicable written documentation in all material respects as required in connection with, the operation of the Business as currently conducted, (iii) the IT Assets do not contain any malware, bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, viruses, worms, time bombs or other corruptants or code that permits unauthorized access or the unauthorized disablement or erasure of the IT Assets or the data or Software of users, and (iv) the IT Assets are operated and maintained by the Company and its Subsidiaries in accordance with customary industry standards and practices for entities operating businesses similar to the Business, including with the respect to redundancy, reliability, scalability and security.

(e) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (i) no third party has possession of, or any current or contingent right to access or possess, any source code included in the Business Software, and (ii) the Business Software that is distributed or made available to third parties does not incorporate or link to any Open Source Software or similar software in a manner that would or could require the Company or its Subsidiaries to make such source code available to third parties, be licensed for the purpose of making derivative works, or be redistributable at no or minimal charge. The Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been in compliance in all material respects with all applicable licenses with respect to their respective uses of Open Source Software. The Company or its Subsidiaries possess all source code and other sufficient documentation and materials necessary to compile, maintain, install, and operate the Business Software.

(f) Since June 1, 2019, there have been, and are, no (i) material defects, malfunctions or non-conformities in any of the Business Products or Business Software that have not been remediated in all material respects; or (ii) material claims asserted against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or, to the Knowledge of the Company, any of its or their customers, end users or distributors related to the Business Products or Business Software, and there have not been any written threats thereof.

(g) (i) No funding, facilities or resources of any Governmental Entity, university, college, other educational institution, multi-national, bi-national or international organization or research center (any such entity, a “Government Research Entity”) was used in the development or creation of any material Business Products, Business Software, or Owned Intellectual Property, and (ii) no Government Research Entity has any claim or right (including license rights) to any material Business Products or Intellectual Property of the Company or its Subsidiaries or the Business.

 

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Section 5.10 Privacy and Information Security.

(a) The Company and each of its Subsidiaries, and with respect to the Processing of Company Data, its Data Processors, are in compliance in all material respects with all Privacy Requirements. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have in place Contracts with all Data Processors to the Company and each of its Subsidiaries, and are in compliance in all material respects with all Privacy Requirements. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have in place Contracts with all Data Processors to require that the Data Processor maintains the confidentiality and security of Company Data and complies in all material respects at all times with Privacy Requirements, and such Contracts include Processing provisions, in each case, as required to maintain compliance in all material respects with applicable Privacy Requirements.

(b) Neither the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement nor any of the other agreements contemplated by this Agreement, nor the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any such other agreements violate any Privacy Requirements, other than any such violations that would not be material to the Business and would not materially impair or prevent the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party or consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby. All Company Data will continue to be available for Processing by the Company and each of its Subsidiaries following the Closing on substantially the same terms and conditions as existed immediately before the Closing.

(c) The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have established an Information Security Program that is appropriately implemented and maintained, and since June 1, 2019 there have been no material unremediated violations of the Information Security Program. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have assessed and tested their Information Security Program on a no less than annual basis and have remediated all critical and high risks and vulnerabilities identified in their most recent security audit. The IT Assets currently used by the Company and each of its Subsidiaries are in good working condition, do not contain any malicious code or defect, and operate and perform as necessary to conduct the Business of the Company.

(d) The Company and each of its Subsidiaries and its Data Processors with respect to their processing of Company Data on behalf of the Company or its Subsidiaries, since June 1, 2019 have not suffered and are not suffering a Security Incident, since June 1, 2019 have not been and are not required to notify any Person of any Security Incident, and since June 1, 2019 have not been and are not adversely affected by any malicious code or denial-of-service attacks in any material respect, or any ransomware or malware attacks, in each case, on any IT Assets. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is, or has been since June 1, 2019, party to, or received written notice of, any Action with respect to the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ alleged violation of any applicable Privacy Requirements. The Company maintains, and since June 1, 2019 has maintained, cyber liability insurance with reasonable coverage limits.

Section 5.11 Insurance. The Company and its Subsidiaries are covered by insurance policies or binders (including, as applicable, general liability, umbrella or excess liability, real and personal property, workers’ compensation, vehicular, directors’ and officers’ liability, fiduciary liability, professional liability, employment practices, crime, and cyber liability insurance policies) that are valid and enforceable with reputable insurance carriers covering their properties,

 

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operations, personnel and businesses, which insurance is in amounts and insures against such losses and risks adequate for the Company, its Subsidiaries and their respective businesses (the “Insurance Policies”). The Seller has delivered to Purchaser a true and correct copy of the Insurance Policies in effect as of the date hereof. Since June 1, 2019, neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries has reached or exceeded the policy limits under any Insurance Policy. All premiums due under such policies have been paid. None of the Company or its Subsidiaries has (a) received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance (b) received notification of any existing circumstances, relating to the Company or its Subsidiaries, which is likely to give rise to a material claim under any of the current third party insurance policies issued to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (c) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business, (d) failed to give in a timely manner any notice of a material claim that may be insured under any Insurance Policy or (e) provided or made available, or committed to provide or make available, to any third party any access to or coverage under any Insurance Policies. Since June 1, 2019, there has been no material claim by or with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries as to which coverage has been denied or disputed in any material respect by the underwriters of the Insurance Policies or in respect of which the underwriters have reserved material rights and no errors or omissions have occurred for which the Company or its Subsidiaries would be entitled to submit a material claim under its professional liability policy.

Section 5.12 Taxes. Except as set forth in Section 5.12 of the Company Disclosure Schedule:

(a) (i) All income Tax Returns and all other material Tax Returns, in each case that are required to be filed with any Taxing Authority, by, or with respect to, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, have been timely filed (taking into account all applicable extensions); (ii) the Company and its Subsidiaries have timely paid (taking into account all applicable extensions) all income and other material Taxes owed by the Company and its Subsidiaries, as applicable (whether or not shown as due on a Tax Return); (iii) the Tax Returns that have been filed are true and correct in all material respects; and (iv) there are no Encumbrances for material unpaid Taxes on any of the assets or equity of any of the Company and its Subsidiaries, other than Permitted Encumbrances.

(b) Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has (or has caused to be), in accordance with applicable Law, timely and properly withheld and paid each material Tax required to have been withheld and paid in connection with amounts paid or owing to any employee, independent contractor, creditor, customer or any other Person and complied in all material respects with all reporting and backup withholding requirements of applicable Law with respect to such payments.

(c) There is no Action in progress, proposed, pending or threatened in writing against or, with respect to, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in respect of any material amounts of Tax by a Taxing Authority

 

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(d) The Company is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Except as set forth in Section 5.12(d) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, (i) each of the Subsidiaries of the Company that is incorporated or otherwise organized in the United States is treated as a corporation or a disregarded entity with respect to a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and (ii) each of the Subsidiaries of the Company that is not incorporated or otherwise organized in the United States is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

(e) No claim has been made in writing by a Taxing Authority during the past five (5) years in a jurisdiction where the Company or its Subsidiaries do not file Tax Returns that the Company or its Subsidiary, as applicable, is or may be subject to material Tax liability by, or required to file Tax Returns in, that jurisdiction, which claim has not been fully paid, settled or otherwise resolved.

(f) None of the Company or its Subsidiaries has participated in or has any Liability with respect to any “listed transactions” within the meaning of Treasury Regulations § 1.6011-4(b).

(g) There are in effect no waivers of applicable statutes of limitations or extensions of time with respect to material amounts of Taxes of the Company or its Subsidiaries in connection with any material Tax assessment or deficiency or collection Action (for the avoidance of doubt, other than extensions of time requested in the ordinary course of business within which to file such Tax Returns that are automatically granted).

(h) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any private ruling from a Taxing Authority or any material Contract with a Taxing Authority.

(i) Neither the Company nor any of its material Subsidiaries acquired within the last seven (7) years is or has been a member of an affiliated group filing a consolidated federal income Tax return or similar group for state, local, or non-U.S. income tax purposes (other than an affiliated group the parent of which is the Company or one of the Company’s Subsidiaries). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is or has been a party to any Tax sharing, Tax indemnification, or Tax allocation agreement or similar Contract or arrangement (other than any agreements entered into by and among the Company and its Subsidiaries, or any customary commercial Contract entered into in the ordinary course of business, the principal subject of which is not Taxes) or has any Liability for the Taxes of any Person (other than any member of the affiliated (or similar) group of which the Company or one of the Company’s Subsidiaries is the parent) under Treasury Regulations §1.1502-6 (or any similar provision of state, local, or non-U.S. Tax Law), as transferee or successor or by Contract (other than any agreements entered into by and among the Company and its Subsidiaries, or any customary commercial Contract entered into in the ordinary course of business, the principal subject of which is not Taxes). For purposes of this Section 5.12(i), a “material Subsidiary” of the Company means a Subsidiary of the Company that was acquired by the Company (or an entity that was a Subsidiary of the Company at the time of such acquisition) for total consideration greater than $50,000,000.

 

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(j) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries will be required to include any material item of income in, or exclude any material item of deduction from, taxable income for any period (or any portion thereof) beginning after the Closing Date, as a result of any (i) change in, or use of an improper, method of accounting for a Tax period (or portion thereof) ending on or before the Closing Date, including under Section 481(a) of the Code or any similar provision of applicable Law, (ii) installment sale or other open transaction disposition made at or prior to the Closing, (iii) prepaid amount received or paid, or deferred revenue accrued, in each case, outside of the ordinary course of business, on or prior to the Closing, (iv) intercompany transaction or any excess loss account described in Treasury Regulations under Section 1502 of the Code (or any corresponding or similar provision of state, local or non-U.S. Tax Law) entered into or existing at or before the Closing or (v) “closing agreement” as described in Section 7121 of the Code (or any corresponding or similar provision of state, local, or non-U.S. Tax Law) executed prior to the Closing.

(k) During the prior two-year period, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries that are treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes has distributed equity interests of another Person, or has had its equity interests distributed by another Person, in a transaction that was purported or intended to be governed in whole or in part by Section 355 (or so much of Section 356 as relates to Section 355) or 361 of the Code.

(l) None of the Subsidiaries of the Company that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes has elected to be subject at the partnership level to an income Tax imposed by a State, a political subdivision thereof, or the District of Columbia.

(m) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) is, or has been within the shorter of (1) the past five years or (2) the relevant ownership period provided in the Code, a “United States Real Property Holding Corporation” within the meaning of Section 897 of the Code, or (ii) is subject to Tax in a country other than the country in which the Company or such Subsidiary is organized by virtue of having a permanent establishment or fixed place of business in such country.

(n) There is no material unclaimed property or escheat obligation with respect to property or other assets held or owned by the Company or its Subsidiaries.

(o) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has deferred payroll Taxes or applied for an employer retention Tax credit pursuant to any COVID-19 Measures.

Section 5.13 Proceedings.

(a) Except as set forth on Section 5.13(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, there are, and since June 1, 2019, there have been no material Actions, nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, have any such Actions been threatened, against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, any of their respective properties, assets, securities, rights or directors, officers, employees or agents, or Associated Persons, in each case, in such capacity. None of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or has been, since June 1, 2019, in breach or violation of any Governmental Order, nor is the Company or any of its Subsidiaries subject to, nor since June 1, 2019 have they been subject to, any Governmental Order. None of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has been party to or entered into any settlement agreements or similar written agreements with respect to any material Actions since June 1, 2019.

 

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(b) Except as set forth on Section 5.13(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, since June 1, 2019, neither the Company or its Subsidiaries has brought any material Action seeking (i) recoveries in excess of $1,000,000, (ii) equitable relief as a primary remedy, or (iii) to enforce any non-competition or customer non-solicitation Contract covering a former employee of the Company or its Subsidiaries or the Business.

(c) Except as set forth on Section 5.13(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, since June 1, 2019, no employee of the Business has submitted to the ethics hotline of the Company or its Subsidiaries any written or oral complaint containing allegations of unlawful discrimination, or retaliation against the Company or its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective employees. Since June 1, 2019, neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries has had any material losses arising from embezzlement or other financial crimes (including in connection with a scheme or artifice) committed by any of their respective Representatives.

Section 5.14 Benefit Plans.

(a) Section 5.14(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list of each material Company Benefit Plan as of the date of this Agreement. With respect to each such Company Benefit Plan, the Company has made available to Purchaser a current, complete and accurate copy of, to the extent applicable (i) each such material Company Benefit Plan, including any material amendments thereto (or to the extent such Company Benefit Plan is unwritten, an accurate written summary of the material terms thereof), (ii) the currently effective trust, insurance Contract, policy, certificate of coverage, annuity or other funding instrument related thereto and all amendments thereto, (iii) the current summary plan description and any summaries of material modifications, (iv) the most recent determination or opinion letter from the IRS, (v) for the most recent three (3) plan years and to the extent applicable, (A) audited financial statements, (B) actuarial or other valuation reports prepared with respect thereto (where such statements or reports are required to be prepared under applicable Law or otherwise reasonably available) and (C) Form 5500 and attached schedules, (vi) annual testing results (including nondiscrimination and coverage) results for the three (3) most recently completed plan years; and (vii) all non-routine correspondence received from or provided to the Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the Internal Revenue Service or any other Governmental Entity since June 1, 2019.

(b) None of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries sponsors, contributes to, has an obligation to contribute to or has any Liability (including on account of an ERISA Affiliate or any past period) with respect to: (i) a plan subject to Title IV of ERISA, including any defined benefit plan (as defined in Section 3(35) of ERISA), (ii) a multiemployer plan (as defined in Section 3(37) or 4001(a)(3) of ERISA), (iii) a multiple employer plan subject to Section 4063 or 4064 of ERISA, or (iv) a plan subject to Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code. Neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries sponsors, contributes to, has an obligation to contribute to or has any Liability with respect to a multiple employer welfare arrangement (as defined in Section 3(40)(A) of ERISA) or a voluntary employees’ beneficiary association under Section 501(c)(9) of the Code. None of the Company or its Subsidiaries has any material Liability (including on account of an ERISA Affiliate) as a result of a violation of COBRA. Neither the Company or its Subsidiaries has any material Liability under Section 502(i) or 502(l) of ERISA.

 

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(c) Each Company Benefit Plan that is intended to be tax-qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and, no circumstances exist (i) which would reasonably be expected to result in loss of such qualification under Section 401(a) of the Code, or (ii) which would reasonably be expected to result in a penalty under the Internal Revenue Service Closing Agreement Program if discovered during an Internal Revenue Service audit or investigation. Each such Company Benefit Plan has received a favorable and currently effective determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service or is in the form of a pre-approved plan document that is the subject of a favorable opinion or advisory letter from the Internal Revenue Service on which it is entitled to rely.

(d) Each Company Benefit Plan has been in all material respects maintained and operated in conformity with the terms of such Company Benefit Plan and with all applicable Law, including the Code and ERISA and all filing and disclosure requirements imposed on the plan sponsor thereunder. There is no pending nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, has there been any threatened, action, claim or lawsuit relating to any Company Benefit Plan (other than routine claims for benefits). There is no audit, inquiry, investigation, or examination pending nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, has any been threatened by the IRS, the Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any other Governmental Entity with respect to any Company Benefit Plan.

(e) With respect to each Company Benefit Plan for which a separate fund of assets is or is required to be maintained, full and timely payment and contribution has been made of all amounts due and required under the terms of each such Company Benefit Plan or applicable Law and all obligations for periods on or prior to the Closing Date which relate to directors, officers, employees or consultants of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and which are not yet due have either been made or have been accrued on the Latest Balance Sheet. All premiums, fees and administrative expenses required to be paid under or in connection with the Company Benefit Plans for the period on or before the Closing Date, have been paid or have been accrued in full on the Latest Balance Sheet.

(f) The Company and its Subsidiaries have complied in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, as amended, in each case to the extent applicable, including the employer shared responsibility provisions relating to the offer of “affordable” health coverage that provides “minimum essential coverage” to “full-time” employees (as those terms are defined in Section 4980H of the Code and related regulations) and the applicable employer information reporting requirements under Code Section 6055 and Code Section 6056 and related regulations.

(g) There is no pending or threatened action, claim or lawsuit relating to any Company Benefit Plan (other than routine claims for benefits). There is no audit, inquiry, investigation, or examination pending or threatened by the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any other Governmental Entity with respect to any Company Benefit Plan.

 

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(h) No fiduciary (within the meaning of Section 3(21) of ERISA) of any Company Benefit Plan subject to Part 4 of Subtitle B of Title I of ERISA has committed a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to that Company Benefit Plan that would subject the Company or its Subsidiaries to any material Liability (including liability on account of an indemnification obligation with respect to any Company Employee). Neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries have incurred any material excise Taxes under Chapter 43 of the Code with respect to any Company Benefit Plan and nothing has occurred with respect to any Company Benefit Plan that would reasonably be expected to subject Company nor its Subsidiaries to any such material excise Taxes.

(i) No Company Benefit Plan or the Company or any of its Subsidiaries provides, or has any obligation to provide, current or former employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or any beneficiaries thereof) welfare benefits (including medical or life insurance benefits) after such Person terminates employment with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except for the coverage continuation requirements of COBRA, continued coverage until the end of the month during which termination occurs or disability or death benefits relating to disabilities or deaths occurring prior to termination of employment. No Company Benefit Plan or the Company or any of its Subsidiaries provides, or has any obligation to provide welfare benefits to any Person who is not a current or former employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or a spouse, dependent or beneficiary thereof.

(j) Each Company Benefit Plan that constitutes a nonqualified deferred compensation plan within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code has been administered, operated and maintained in all material respects according to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is or has been required to withhold or pay any Taxes as a result of a failure to comply with Section 409A of the Code. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any obligation to make a “gross-up” or similar payment in respect of any Taxes that may become payable under Section 409A of the Code.

(k) Except as set forth in Section 5.14(k) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or to the extent resulting solely from a Purchaser Payment, neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement or any Transaction Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby will (either alone or in combination with another event) (i) entitle any current or former director, officer, employee or individual consultant to any payment (including severance pay or similar compensation), any cancellation of indebtedness, or any increase in compensation; (ii) result in the acceleration of payment, funding or vesting under any Company Benefit Plan; (iii) result in any increase in benefits payable under any Company Benefit Plan or (iv) result in a payment to a Company Employee in respect of their notice period. No amount paid or payable (whether in cash, in property, or in the form of benefits) in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby (either alone or in combination with another event) will be an “excess parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any obligation to make a “gross-up” or similar payment in respect of any Taxes that may become payable under Section 4999 of the Code.

(l) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any obligation to provide redundancy or severance pay greater than the statutory minimum to any employee located outside the United States, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has a policy or practice of providing such redundancy or severance pay.

 

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(m) With respect to each Company Benefit Plan maintained primarily for employees and former employees located outside the United States (each, an “International Plan”): (i) if intended to qualify for special Tax treatment, each International Plan is so qualified, (ii) if required to be registered with a Governmental Entity, is so registered, and (iii) the fair market value of the assets of each International Plan, the liability of each insurer for any International Plan funded through insurance, or the book reserve established for any such plan, together with any accrued contributions, is sufficient to procure or provide for the accrued benefit obligations, as of the date of this Agreement, with respect to all current and former participants in such plan according to the actuarial assumptions and valuations most recently used to determine employer contributions to such plan. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been a party to, a sponsoring employer of, or otherwise is under any liability with respect to any defined benefit pension scheme, any final salary scheme or any death, disability or retirement benefit calculated by reference to age, salary or length of service or any other item.

Section 5.15 Compliance with Applicable Law; Permits.

(a) The Company and each of its Subsidiaries and Producers are, and have at all times since June 1, 2019 been, in compliance in all material respects with and are not in material default under or in material violation of any applicable Laws (including any regulatory capital requirement of any Governmental Entity with respect to the Company and/or its Subsidiaries). Except as set forth in Section 5.15(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Producers has since June 1, 2019 received or been the subject of any notice or communication from any Governmental Entity, qui tam realtor or other third party alleging that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Producers are not in compliance in any material respect with any Law, nor since June 1, 2019 has any such Action been filed or commenced with respect to a material violation (or alleged violation) of any applicable Law by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Producers, and there are no facts or circumstances which could be the basis for any such notice, claim, assertion or Action. To the Knowledge of the Company, there is no investigation by a Governmental Entity pending with respect to any material violation of any applicable Law by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Producers.

(b) The Company and each of its Subsidiaries, and all applicable Associated Persons, possesses all material franchises, grants, licenses, permits, qualifications, registrations, easements, variances, exceptions, consents, certificates, clearances, permissions, approvals, permanent certificates of occupancy, authorizations and certificates from any Governmental Entity required under applicable Law with respect to the operation of the Business (collectively, “Permits”). Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries or except as set forth in Section 5.15(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, (i) all Permits are in full force and effect, (ii) the Company and its Subsidiaries, and each of their respective Producers are, and have been at all times since June 1, 2019, in compliance with the Permits, (iii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries have since June 1, 2019 received any notice of any suspension, revocation, cancellation, termination, non-renewal or adverse modification of any Permit, in whole or in part, and (iv) there is no Action pending or threatened that would reasonably be expected to result in (nor is there any existing condition, situation or set of circumstances that would reasonably be expected to result in) the revocation, cancellation, termination, non-renewal or adverse modification of any Permit in whole or in part. None of the Permits will be revoked, canceled, terminated or adversely modified as a result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

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(c) All reports, statements, documents, registrations, filings, applications and submissions required to be submitted by the Company and its Subsidiaries to Governmental Entities have been timely filed in all material respects and have complied in all material respects with all applicable Law in effect when filed and no material deficiencies have been asserted by any such Governmental Entities that have not been resolved to the satisfaction of such Governmental Entities.

(d) The Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been since June 1, 2019, in compliance in all material respects with the Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, and none of their managers, directors, officers, employees or agents have ever been convicted of a crime involving dishonesty or breach of trust or any crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1033 unless such individual has obtained prior written consent to engage in the insurance business from the state insurance Governmental Entity with jurisdiction over such individual and such written consent remains effective and in force.

Section 5.16 Environmental Matters. Except as would not be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole:

(a) the Company and its Subsidiaries are, and since June 1, 2019 have been, in compliance with all Environmental Laws;

(b) the Company and its Subsidiaries possess all Permits currently required under Environmental Laws with respect to the operation of the Business;

(c) no real property currently or formerly owned, leased or operated by the Company or its Subsidiaries is contaminated with any Hazardous Materials in a manner that requires or is reasonably likely to require remediation by the Company or its Subsidiaries under any Environmental Law;

(d) none of the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any written notice, demand letter, claim or request for information from any Governmental Entity or any other Person claiming that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries may be in violation of, or subject to Liability under, any Environmental Law; and

(e) none of the Company or its Subsidiaries is subject to any order, decree or injunction with any Governmental Entity, or any indemnity or other agreement with any third party, imposing any outstanding Liability or ongoing obligations relating to any Environmental Law or any Hazardous Materials on the Company or its Subsidiaries.

Section 5.17 Brokers and Finders. No agent, broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other Person, other than Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Barclays Capital Inc. and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, is or will become entitled, by reason of any Contract entered into or made by or on behalf of the Company, to receive any commission, brokerage, finder’s fee or other similar compensation in connection with the consummation of the Share Purchase or other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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Section 5.18 Labor and Employment Matters.

(a) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is, or since June 1, 2019 has been, a party to or bound by any collective bargaining agreement with respect to any employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or other Contract with any labor organization, works council or other representative of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and no such collective bargaining agreement is being, and since June 1, 2019 has been, negotiated with respect to any Company Employees. There is no pending, and since June 1, 2019 has not been any, labor strike or concerted slowdown or work stoppage pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and to the Knowledge of the Company, there are no pending union organizational activities or proceedings with respect to Company Employees. Except as would not reasonably be expected to result in material Liability to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, there are no unfair labor practice charges or labor-related grievances pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

(b) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, and since June 1, 2019, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have been, in compliance with all applicable Laws relating to labor and employment including applicable Laws regarding wages, hours, compensation, employee classification (either as exempt or non-exempt, or as a contractor versus employee), equal pay, paid sick leave, employment or termination of employment, leave of absence rights, employment policies, immigration (including work authorization and Form I-9 compliance), terms and conditions of employment, labor or employee relations, affirmative action, equal employment opportunity and fair employment practices, disability rights or benefits, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation and insurance, whistleblowing, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and working conditions or employee safety or health. Except as set forth in Section 5.18(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, (i) there is no pending, or to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened Action by or on behalf of any Company Employee or applicant to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any group thereof, which, if adversely decided, would reasonably be expected to result in material Liability to the Company or its Subsidiaries, and (ii) since June 1, 2019, there has been no Action brought by or on behalf of any Company Employee or applicant to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any group thereof that has concluded and which resulted in material Liability to the Company or its Subsidiaries.

(c) Since June 1, 2019, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has conducted any “plant closing” or “mass layoff”, each as defined by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 or any equivalent or similar foreign, state or local applicable Law (the “WARN Act”).

(d) Since June 1, 2019, no management-level employee, officer or director of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has been the subject of an allegation of sexual harassment, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has entered into any settlement agreements related to such allegations.

 

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(e) Except as is not reasonably expected to result in material liability to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, each Company Employee who requires permission to work in the country in which such Person performs their services has current and appropriate permission to work in such country.

(f) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (nor any predecessor or owner of any part of their businesses) has been a party to a relevant transfer for the purposes of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 or Acquired Rights Directive (Directive 2001/23) or equivalent or similar applicable Law affecting any Company Employees.

(g) To the Knowledge of the Company, no Top Producer: (i) intends to terminate their Producer relationship with the Company or its Subsidiaries (and no such Top Producer is currently working during their notice period whether served by them or the Company or its relevant Subsidiary), as the case may be; (ii) has received an offer to join a business that may be competitive with the Business; or (iii) is a party to or is bound by any confidentiality agreement, noncompetition agreement or other similar Contract that may have a material adverse effect on: (x) the performance by such Top Producer of any of their duties or responsibilities as a Producer with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; or (y) the Business or the Company or any of its Subsidiaries’ operations.

(h) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, each Top Producer, and any individual who formerly was a Top Producer and whose employment or service with the Company or its Subsidiaries terminated or ceased since June 1, 2019, has entered into a Contract that contains confidential information obligations and, to the extent enforceable and permissible in the jurisdiction in which the relevant Top Producer is employed, non-competition and non-solicitation (of clients, customers and employees) restrictions in favor of the Company or one of its Subsidiaries, as applicable, and conform to expected market practices in the jurisdiction in which the relevant Top Producer is employed.

Section 5.19 Company Material Contracts.

(a) Section 5.19(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true, correct and complete list as of the date of this Agreement of each Contract (in addition to each Company Benefit Plan that is a Contract and is set forth on Section 5.14(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, which shall not be required to be re-listed here) described in clauses (i) through (xix) below, including amendments thereto to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any material assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are bound or subject (each, a “Company Material Contract”):

(i) any Contract with (A) the top one hundred twenty-five (125) Producers with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (by total production measured by gross written premium of the insurance policies produced by such Producer during the twelve month period ended September 30, 2024) (the “Top Producers”), or (B) a Producer with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that is reasonably expected to result in total compensation paid to such Producer in fiscal year 2024 to be equal to or greater than $1,000,000;

 

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(ii) any material Contract with the Top Carriers;

(iii) any material Contract with the top ten (10) vendors (by dollar value of spend for such vendors during the 12-month period ended December 31, 2023);

(iv) any Contracts with the top ten (10) Insurance Clients (by dollar value of revenue received by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in respect of such Persons during the 12-month period ended December 31, 2023) of the Company (collectively, the “Top Clients”);

(v) any material Contract under which all or any portion of the fees or other commissions of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries may be payable to any other Person;

(vi) any Contract which provides for a partnership, joint venture, strategic alliance, collaboration, co-promotion, profit-sharing, joint research and development or similar arrangement, or provides for or governs the formation, creation, operation, management or control of such arrangement;

(vii) any Contract which (A) purports to limit the type or nature of the business conducted by the Company or its Subsidiaries, now or in the future, or the geographic area in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate, (B) would require the disposition of any material assets of the Company or its Subsidiaries as a result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, (C) contains a covenant not to compete or freely solicit business or services, non-solicitation or other similar clause (other than any such Contract between the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and any current or former employee, individual consultant or other individual service provider which are in favor of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ interest, excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any sub-Producers), (D) grants exclusive or preferential rights to sell or distribute products or services, or grants “most favored nation” status, to any other Person, (E) contains “requirements” provisions or other provisions obligating the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to purchase or obtain a minimum or specified amount of any product or service from any Person, (F) contains minimum sales or volume provisions, (G) grants to any Person a right of first refusal or first offer, or similar preferential rights with respect to any equity, or material property or assets of the Company or its Subsidiaries or the provision of any insurance products or other material services to, or through, the Company or its Subsidiaries or (H) is a Contract with a Carrier or an Insurance Client that does not include a limitation of liability on the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of $20,000,000 or less (including, for the avoidance of doubt, Contracts without a limitation of liability);

(viii) any Contract with a Governmental Entity, including any FINRA membership agreement or pursuant to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject to federal contracting compliance requirements;

(ix) any Contract for the acquisition, sale, assignment, transfer, licensing or divestiture of assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries involving a purchase price (in a single transaction or a series of related transactions) in excess of $20,000,000 and under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries would reasonably be expected to have continuing liability or obligation (including “earn-out” or contingent payment obligations) after the Closing;

 

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(x) any Contract under which it (A) has created, incurred, assumed or guaranteed any outstanding Indebtedness of the type described in clause (a), (b) or (d) of the definition thereof or (B) grants an Encumbrance securing any such Indebtedness described in the preceding clause (A), or (C) created or incurred obligations (1) for the deferred purchase price of property or assets, (2) as lessee under a capital/finance lease or (3) under interest, currency or other hedging or swap agreement for the purpose of managing interest rate risk;

(xi) any Contract under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has made advances or loans to any other Person, other than loans to employees or advances or vendor financing in the ordinary course of business;

(xii) any Contract involving the settlement of any Action or threatened Action (or series of related Actions) which will (A) involve payments after the date hereof of consideration in excess of $5,000,000 or (B) impose material monitoring, reporting or other obligations with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries;

(xiii) any Contract containing any future capital expenditure obligations of the Company or its Subsidiaries (or otherwise relating to the Business) in excess of $5,000,000;

(xiv) any Related Party Contract;

(xv) each Lease;

(xvi) each labor-related Contract (including but not limited to any collective bargaining agreement) with any labor union, employee association, or other labor organization;

(xvii) each Contract or other agreement that provides for severance, retention or stay bonus, advance notice of termination, change in control bonus, accelerated vesting, or any other amount or benefit that will be payable or due as a result of any of the transactions or events contemplated by this Agreement;

(xviii) any Contract under which a third party has developed Intellectual Property by, with or for the Company or a Subsidiary thereof or agreed to develop Intellectual Property anticipated by the Company or a Subsidiary to be, in each case, material to the Company or a Subsidiary, in each case, other than agreements with employees and independent contractors of the Company or its Subsidiaries entered in the ordinary course of business on terms that assign ownership of Intellectual Property to the Company or a Subsidiary; and

(xix) any Contract containing an Intellectual Property License, in any event excluding (A) any non-exclusive license granted to the Company or its Subsidiaries to off-the-shelf Software that is commercially available and licensed to the Company or its Subsidiaries on standard terms or pursuant to “shrink-wrap” or “click-through” license agreements that has an annual fee or payment not exceeding $5,000,000, and (B) any non-exclusive license granted by the Company or its Subsidiaries to a customer, vendor, distributor, reseller, or agent of the Company or its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business (collectively, the “Material IP Contracts”).

 

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(b) True, correct and complete copies of each Company Material Contract in effect on the date hereof has been made available to Purchaser except (x) for any Contracts which may have names and identifying information redacted in order to comply with confidentiality obligations and (y) the Contracts described in Section 5.19(a)(ii) with respect to which only a subset of such Contracts, which the Company’s management believes in good faith is representative of all such Company Material Contracts (it being understood that pricing and commissions rates vary across such Contracts), have been made available to Purchaser prior to the date of this Agreement. Each Contract required to be listed in Section 5.19(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, whether or not set forth in the Company Disclosure Schedule, is referred to in this Agreement as a Company Material Contract. None of the Company or its Subsidiaries is in material breach of or default under the terms of any Company Material Contract or in receipt of any written or other material claim or notice of default under or material breach of any Company Material Contract. There are no existing written threats of default, material breaches or violations of any of such Company Material Contracts by any other party thereto. With respect to each Company Material Contract, (i) no event has occurred or circumstance exists that, with or without the lapse of time or the giving of notice or both, would, or would reasonably be expected to, result in a material default under or material breach of any Company Material Contract, result in a termination thereof or cause or permit the acceleration or other changes of any material right or obligation or the loss of any material benefit thereunder, (ii) no party to any Company Material Contract has exercised any termination rights with respect thereto, and none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice of any intention to terminate any Company Material Contract and (iii) no party to any Company Material Contract has given written or other notice of any material dispute with respect thereto. Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Business taken as a whole, all of the Company Material Contracts are in full force and effect and are enforceable against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that is a party thereto, the other parties thereto, in accordance with their respective terms, subject in each case to the Enforceability Exceptions.

Section 5.20 Anti-Corruption; Sanctions.

(a) Since June 1, 2019, the Company and its Subsidiaries, and each of their respective directors, officers, and employees, and their agents and representatives (each acting in their capacity as such) have conducted business in compliance in all material respects with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 and the provisions of any other applicable domestic or foreign anti-corruption laws (“Anti-Corruption Laws”). The Company and each Subsidiary have implemented and maintain in effect policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance by the Company and its Subsidiaries and each of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, and representatives with Anti-Corruption Laws, for reporting a breach or suspected breach of Anti-Corruption Laws and for ensuring any such reports are properly investigated and acted upon. No Governmental Entity is investigating or has conducted, initiated or threatened any investigation of the Company or its Subsidiaries in connection with an alleged, suspected or potential violation of any Anti-Corruption Law, nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, are there circumstances which would be reasonably likely to give rise to any such investigation. The Company and its Subsidiaries have not made any voluntary or involuntary disclosure to a Governmental Entity regarding an actual, suspected or alleged violation of Anti-Corruption Laws, nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, are there circumstances which would be reasonably likely to give rise to any such disclosure.

 

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(b) Since June 1, 2019, the Company and its Subsidiaries, and each of their respective directors, officers, and employees, and their agents and representatives (each acting in their capacity as such) have at all times complied with Sanctions in all material respects. Since June 1, 2019, none of the Company or its Subsidiaries, nor any of their respective directors, officers, and employees, and agents, or third parties acting on their behalf or for their benefit: (i) has been or is a Sanctioned Person or otherwise the subject of Sanctions; (ii) has been or is owned or controlled by a Sanctioned Person; (iii) has been or is organized or ordinarily resident in any Sanctioned Country; (iv) has maintained or maintains any offices, branches, operations, assets, investments, employees, or agents in any country or territory that was at that time a Sanctioned Country; (v) has, since June 1, 2019, participated in any transaction or business dealing with any Person or in any country or territory that at the time of such transaction or business dealing was a Sanctioned Person or a Sanctioned Country; (vi) has, since June 1, 2019, received from any Governmental Entity or any other Person any written notice, inquiry, or internal or external allegation regarding an actual or alleged violation of Sanctions; or (vii) has, since June 1, 2019, made any voluntary or involuntary disclosure to a Governmental Entity regarding an actual or alleged violation of Sanctions.

(c) Since June 1, 2019, each of the Company and its Subsidiaries, and their respective directors, officers, and employees, and other Persons acting on behalf of the Company or its Subsidiaries have complied with applicable Anti-Money Laundering Law in all material respects. The Company and its Subsidiaries have implemented and maintain in effect policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws by the Company and its Subsidiaries. Since June 1, 2019, the Company and its Subsidiaries have not received from any Governmental Entity any written notice, or inquiry regarding an actual or alleged violation of Anti-Money Laundering Laws, or made any voluntary or involuntary disclosure to a Governmental Entity regarding an actual or alleged violation of Anti-Money Laundering Laws.

Section 5.21 Related Party Contracts.

(a) Except as set forth in Section 5.21(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule (the “Related Party Contracts”), there are no Contracts providing for the provision of material goods or services between any of the Company or its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and a Related Party, on the other hand, except for Contracts (i) providing for employment arrangements with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, including employment agreements, incentive compensation and equity arrangements, (ii) with a portfolio company of a Sponsor or any investment fund sponsored, managed or advised by a Sponsor that (x) are commercial contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Subsidiaries and (y) are on terms no less favorable to the Company or its applicable Subsidiary than would be obtained in a comparable transaction negotiated at arm’s length, or (iii) with any Related Party or any of its Affiliates that is an equityholder of a target company or a seller of a Person that are entered into or assumed in connection with, or carried over from, acquisitions by the Company or its Subsidiaries of assets or capital stock or other equity interests of any such Person. Except as set forth in Section 5.21(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule there is no, and for the past three (3) years there has been no, management or similar fee paid by the Company or its Subsidiaries to a Sponsor, or any investment fund sponsored, managed or advised by a Sponsor. No Related Party (i) has owned or held a material interest, in each case whether directly or indirectly, in any material property, asset or right

 

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that is used in the conduct of the Business or any material interest in any Person that is engaged in matters related to the Business (whether as a lessor, lessee, customer, supplier or competitor), (ii) has borrowed money from, or loaned money to, the Company or its Subsidiaries that has not been repaid, or (iii) has any material claim or cause of action against the Company or its Subsidiaries that has not been satisfied. There is no, and since June 1, 2019 there has not been, any material Contract with any third party under which both the Company or its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and a Related Party, on the other hand, derive any material benefits.

(b) Except as set forth in Section 5.21(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, no Related Party Contracts will continue in effect after the Closing.

Section 5.22 Agency Activities.

(a) No Person other than the independent contractors, employees, officers, managers, or directors of the Company or its Subsidiaries is or has been authorized or permitted to act as an insurance agent or broker on behalf of the Company or its Subsidiaries. Each Person acting as a Producer on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (i) holds the necessary state licenses, consents or approvals to solicit, sell, produce or administer the type of insurance policies or other products or services solicited, sold, produced and administered, on behalf of the Company or its Subsidiaries and (ii) is in good standing with the state licensing authority or other Governmental Entities in the applicable jurisdiction(s). All insurance brokerage or agency business placed by employees of the Company or its Subsidiaries has been placed by them through and in the name of the Company or its Subsidiaries and all commissions on such business have been paid to and are the property of the Company or its Subsidiaries.

(b) Section 5.22(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true and complete list of the top ten Carriers, setting forth the name of each such Carrier, by total gross written premium during the 12-month period ending December 31, 2023 and the nine-month period ended September 30, 2024 (the “Top Carriers”). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries have received written notice from any Top Carrier stating its intention to (i) cease doing business with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) materially change, in a manner adverse to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, the relationship of such Top Carrier with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. With respect to each Carrier for which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries exercises any underwriting authority with the ability to bind coverage for an insured, the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance in all material respects with Law and all underwriting guidelines and have not exceeded their respective underwriting authority to such extent that would give any Carrier a right to claim a breach.

(c) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (i) each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has, if required, the necessary appointment to act as an agent, insurance adjuster, insurance program administrator or managing general agent for each Carrier that issues an insurance Contract placed or sold by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (ii) each such appointment is valid and binding in accordance with its terms on the parties thereto; (iii) no such appointment has been, or is reasonably expected to be, revoked, limited, rescinded or terminated; and (iv) neither the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, nor, any Top Carrier has bound or committed to bind any insurance coverage for any liability, risk, cost or expense, or in any amount of liability, risk, cost or expense, or upon any terms or conditions, which exceeds its binding authority in any respect. Section 5.22(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and correct list of each Top Carrier that has appointed the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as such Top Carrier’s agent.

 

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(d) No director, officer, manager or employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has any rights to receive any commissions or other compensation from any Carrier for soliciting, selling or producing any insurance policy, except to the extent that such Person is a Producer. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has implemented and followed in all material respects policies and procedures reasonably designed to provide reasonable assurance that each Producer employed by it at the time of soliciting, selling or producing any insurance policy or other products or services, to the extent required by applicable Law, was duly licensed as an insurance agent, broker or producer for the type of insurance policies or other products or services solicited, sold or produced by such Producer, in each case, in the particular state or jurisdiction in which such Producer solicited, sold or produced such insurance policy or products or services. The manner in which the Company and its Subsidiaries compensate their (i) Producers involved in the solicitation, negotiation, sale or servicing of insurance policies or other products or services and (ii) employees and independent contractors who are not licensed insurance agents, brokers or producers is, in each case, in compliance with applicable Law in all material respects.

(e) The manner in which the Company and its Subsidiaries are compensated by Carriers for their placements of insurance policies or other products or services is in compliance in all material respects with applicable Law, and no Carrier has paid any commissions or other compensation to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries for their sales of insurance policies or other products or services in excess of the amount of commissions or other compensation permitted under applicable Law. No commissions, fees or other compensation previously paid to or accrued as revenue by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject to reversal, return or disgorgement, except in the ordinary course of business. Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has paid any insurance commission or insurance customer lead or referral fee to any Person that was required to be licensed as an insurance agency or brokerage and did not hold such license at the time of such payment. The Company and its Subsidiaries have complied with all applicable Laws with respect to the receipt and disclosure of such commissions, except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

(f) Neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries, or to the Knowledge of the Company, any Person currently acting as a Producer on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has had any Permit application denied, rejected or refused by any Governmental Entity. Except as set forth on Schedule 5.22(f) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, since June 1, 2019, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries: (i) has had any Permit placed in a probation status or suspended, revoked or non-renewed nor had any fine or penalty imposed on it by any Governmental Entity, (ii) has ever solicited the sale of or sold any insurance policy or other products or services in any jurisdiction in which it was not duly licensed as a resident or non-resident, as applicable, insurance agency or producer, as the case may be, authorized to sell such insurance policy or products or services, (iii) has been examined by any Governmental Entity or received any cease and desist or show cause order from, or entered into any consent order with, any Governmental Entity or been the subject of any administrative hearing or other proceeding brought by any Governmental Entity or (iv) otherwise been in violation in any material respect of any Law applicable to the solicitation, sale, production, marketing or administration of insurance policies or other products or services.

 

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(g) Each Producer is duly appointed by each Carrier as required by applicable Law, and, no Carrier has terminated such appointment for cause. No current Producer has: (i) had any insurance agent, broker or producer license placed in a probation status or suspended, revoked or non-renewed; or (ii) received any cease and desist or show cause order from, or entered into any consent order with, any Governmental Entity or been the subject of any administrative hearing or other proceeding brought by any Governmental Entity. No employee or independent contractor of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has solicited or sold any insurance policy or other products or services on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries when such employee or independent contractor was not (A) to the extent required by applicable Law, appointed by the applicable Carrier or (B) duly licensed as a resident or non-resident, as applicable, insurance agent, broker or producer in the jurisdiction in which the solicitation or sale of such insurance policy or products or services occurred. No employee or Producer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party to, or bound by any agreement which prevents it from, doing business with any Carrier.

(h) The Company or its applicable Subsidiary has the sole and exclusive rights to the ownership of all of its insurance policyholder accounts. Except as set forth in Section 5.22(h) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, no third party has any ownership right or interest (vested or unvested) in any such accounts. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has granted any ownership interests in the expiration and renewal rights with respect to Contracts with Insurance Clients.

(i) Any fiduciary cash or other assets held by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is held in a fiduciary capacity to meet the obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, is held exclusively by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and is at least equal to the amounts required to be held in a fiduciary capacity pursuant to premium trust and other applicable Laws or pursuant to any Contracts. The Company and its Subsidiaries have, since June 1, 2019, operated in all material respects in accordance with fiduciary obligations applicable to Producers under all applicable Laws, and the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance in all respects with premium trust fund Laws in all jurisdictions in which the Company and its Subsidiaries conduct business, as applicable. The Company and its Subsidiaries have, at all times, complied in all material respects with all applicable Law relating to (i) the segregation of and accounting for premium trust funds and all regulatory and other requirements of any Governmental Entity relating to trust accounts and insurance premium liability, (ii) market conduct, including those resulting from market conduct audits, examinations or investigations by any Governmental Entity and (iii) unclaimed property, escheatment and similar applicable Law. Without limiting any of the foregoing, the Company and its Subsidiaries have never advanced funds for the benefit of any Carrier or client using the funds of another Carrier or client.

(j) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has advanced premiums on behalf of policyholders in any material respect until the premiums have been paid by the policyholders, nor has the Company or any of its Subsidiaries advanced claim payments to policyholders in any material respect on behalf of insurers in violation of applicable Law or the policies and procedures of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; and (ii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has paid insurance premiums, premium adjustments or other items on behalf of any policyholder in any material respect except with the authority (express or implied) of the policyholder on whose behalf such payments are purported to have been made in violation of applicable Law or the policies and procedures of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

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Section 5.23 Directors and Officers. Section 5.23 of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list of all Directors and Officers of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries.

Section 5.24 Bank Accounts. Section 5.24 of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true and complete list of (a) the name and address of each bank with which the Company or any Subsidiary has an account or safe deposit box, (b) the name of each Person authorized to draw thereon or have access thereto, and (c) the account number for each such bank account.

Section 5.25 Appointed Representatives. The Company and its Subsidiaries have, at all times since June 1, 2019, appointed, managed and audited their appointed representatives and introducer appointed representatives (together the “Appointed Representatives”) in compliance with applicable Law (including Section 39 of the FSMA) and in accordance with the terms of the applicable Appointed Representative agreement. The Company and its Subsidiaries have maintained adequate records of their due diligence, oversight, monitoring, training and supervision of their Appointed Representatives. The Company and its Subsidiaries have not received any notice, claim, demand, investigation, enforcement action, penalty, fine, sanction, censure or adverse finding from any Governmental Entity in connection with their Appointed Representatives or their activities.

Section 5.26 Clients.

(a) Section 5.26(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true and complete list of each Top Client. Since the Latest Balance Sheet Date, there has not been (a) any material adverse change in the business relationship of the Company and its Subsidiaries with any Top Client or (b) any change in any material term (including credit terms) of any Contract with any Top Client.

(b) Except as set forth on Section 5.26(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, since June 1, 2019, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any (i) client complaint from any Top Client concerning their services, other than complaints and returns in the ordinary course of business or (ii) material client complaint from any Insurance Client concerning their services, other than complaints and returns in the ordinary course of business.

Section 5.27 Investment Advisory Matters.

(a) The Investment Adviser Subsidiary is, and at all times required by the Advisers Act since December 10, 2019, has been, duly registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act and has made state notice filings in each state where the conduct of its investment advisory activities requires such filings, and such registration and notice filings are in full force and effect, except where the failure to be so registered or to file such notices, as applicable, would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. There are no Actions pending, or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened, to terminate, suspend, limit or adversely modify such registration.

 

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(b) Each employee, officer or other relevant Person of the Investment Adviser Subsidiary that is required to be registered as an “investment adviser representative” (as such term is defined in Rule 203A-3 under the Advisers Act) or in any similar capacity with any Governmental Entity is duly registered, licensed or qualified as such, and has been so registered, licensed or qualified at all times while in the employ or under the control of the Investment Adviser Subsidiary under Investment Laws, and each such registration, license and qualifications is in full force and effect, except where the failure to be so registered, licensed or qualified would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. There are no Actions pending, or to the Knowledge of the Company threatened, to terminate, suspend, limit or adversely modify any such registration. Neither the Investment Adviser Subsidiary nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any “person associated with” the Investment Adviser Subsidiary, is disqualified from acting as a registered investment adviser or “a person associated” with a registered investment adviser under Section 203(e) or (f) of the Advisers Act. No Actions are pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened that would reasonably be expected to result in any such ineligibility or disqualification.

(c) None of the Investment Adviser Subsidiary nor any of its Affiliates act as an investment adviser, investment sub-adviser, general partner, managing member, member, manager, or sponsor or in any similar capacity under the Advisers Act or any other comparable Law, of any investment funds that are investment companies required to be registered as such under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(d) Neither the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, nor any of their officers, employees, representatives or agents has been enjoined, indicted, convicted or made the subject of any investigations (excluding routine examinations by regulatory or self-regulatory organizations), disciplinary proceedings, consent decrees, or administrative orders or other litigation on account of a violation (or alleged violation) of Investment Laws.

(e) None of the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries performs Investment Management Services other than the provision of Investment Management Services by the Investment Adviser Subsidiary to the IA Clients, in each case, pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement.

(f) Each Investment Advisory Agreement is a valid, binding and enforceable agreement of the Investment Adviser Subsidiary and is in full force and effect, except as would not reasonably expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

(g) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the Investment Adviser Subsidiary has established and maintained in effect at all times required by Investment Laws, since December 10, 2019, written policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve compliance with the Advisers Act and the rules thereunder, the rules of the state Securities authorities (“Adviser Compliance Policies”). The Investment Adviser Subsidiary has, since December 10, 2019, taken reasonable best efforts to ensure that its supervised persons comply in all material respects with the Adviser Compliance Policies. The Investment Adviser Subsidiary has within the preceding 12 months reviewed the Adviser Compliance Policies and has determined that such Adviser Compliance Policies were reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act and rules adopted under the Advisers Act. There have been no material violations or written allegations of material violations of the Adviser Compliance Policies since December 10, 2019. True, correct and complete current copies of the Adviser Compliance Policies have been made available to Purchaser.

 

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(h) Since December 10, 2019, neither the Investment Adviser Subsidiary nor any “covered associate” has made a “contribution” or “coordinated” or “solicited” a “contribution” to an “official” of a “government entity” (as such terms are defined in Rule 206(4)-5 under the Advisers Act) that would disqualify or otherwise prevent the Investment Adviser Subsidiary from providing investment advisory services for compensation to such government entity IA Client (pursuant to Rule 206(4)-5 under the Advisers Act). Since December 10, 2019, neither the Investment Adviser Subsidiary nor any manager, director, officer, employee or, to the Knowledge of the Company, agent thereof has, directly or knowingly indirectly, (i) used (or promised to use) any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, gratuities, entertainment or other unlawful expenses, in each case, related to political activity or (ii) made, offered, promised or authorized any unlawful payment of any kind or (iii) violated any Investment Laws in any material respect relating to anti-bribery, export control, money laundering or anti-terrorism.

(i) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, since December 10, 2019, the Investment Adviser Subsidiary has not received any written complaint, claim, demand, notice or other similar communication from any counterparty to an Investment Advisory Agreement alleging breach of fiduciary duty or violation of the Advisers Act.

(j) The Form ADV of the Investment Adviser Subsidiary is, and any amended versions of such form of the Investment Adviser Subsidiary filed before the Closing Date will be at the time of filing, in compliance in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Advisers Act and do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, since December 10, 2019, the Investment Adviser Subsidiary had timely filed, or timely delivered to clients and prospective clients, as appropriate, material forms, reports, registration statements, schedules and other documents, together with any amendments required to be made with respect thereto, that were required to be filed under Investment Laws with any Governmental Entity, including the SEC, or delivered to clients and prospective clients, as applicable.

(k) The Investment Advisory Subsidiary has not been subject to any examination, inspection or investigation by any Governmental Entity since December 10, 2019.

(l) Except as would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, neither the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, nor any of their managers, officers or employees is, or at any time since December 10, 2019 has been (i) subject to any cease and desist, censure or other disciplinary or similar order issued by, (ii) a party to any consent agreement, memorandum of understanding or disciplinary agreement with, (iii) a party to any commitment letter or similar undertaking to, (iv) subject to any order or directive by or (v) a recipient of any supervisory letter from, in each case, any Governmental Entity.

 

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Section 5.28 Broker-Dealer Matters.

(a) The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is, and has been since January 31, 2020, duly licensed to conduct business as a broker-dealer in the states listed on Section 5.28(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule. The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is, and at all times since January 31, 2020 has been, duly registered as a “broker” and/or “dealer” (collectively, a “broker-dealer”) under the Exchange Act and a full member in good standing of FINRA. The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary shall continue to operate as an Exchange Act-registered broker-dealer, and full member of FINRA, with net capital not less than the amount necessary and required to meet the minimum net capital requirements of Rule 15c3-1 of the Exchange Act, FINRA Rule 4110, and pursuant to the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary’s current FINRA membership agreement. No distribution or capital withdrawal of cash, securities or other assets, as contemplated under SEC or FINRA rules, is required or anticipated to be made by the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary that will result in the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary no longer being in compliance with such requirements, or that would result in the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary being subject to an early warning notification under Exchange Act Rule 17a-11 or a filing, if applicable, under Exchange Act Rule 15c3-3(i), and no such distributions or withdrawals are otherwise contemplated prior to the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company has made available to Purchaser a true and complete copy of the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary’s current Uniform Application for Broker-Dealer Registration on Form BD (including all amendments thereto that are required to keep the Form BD current as required under applicable regulatory requirements) filed with the Central Registration Depository of FINRA, and all other membership agreements, broker-dealer registrations, qualifications or membership forms and applications (including all amendments thereto).

(b) The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is not registered, qualified or licensed, and is not required to be registered, qualified or licensed, as a government securities broker-dealer, a municipal securities broker-dealer (and is not a member, or required to be a member, of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board), or as a security-based swap dealer under the Exchange Act.

(c) The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is, and since January 31, 2020 has been, in compliance in all material respects with all applicable provisions of the Exchange Act, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the applicable Laws of all jurisdictions in which it is required to be so registered or for which the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is relying on, or claiming, an exemption or exception from such registration. The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable rules, regulations, formal examination findings, and By-laws of FINRA, and the terms of its current membership agreement with FINRA (and the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is not currently in the process of filing for an approval by FINRA for a “material change in business operations” with respect to its current FINRA membership agreement).

(d) Each employee of the Company and its Subsidiaries who is required to be registered as an Associated Person of the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary, in each case, is duly registered under applicable Law, and has at all times been so registered, as such and such registration is in full force and effect except where the failure to be so registered or to have such registration in full force and effect would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

 

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(e) Neither the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any Associated Person of the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is, or since January 31, 2020 has been, (i) subject to “statutory disqualification” (as defined in Section 3(a)(39) of the Exchange Act), (ii) subject to a disqualification that would be a basis for censure, limitation on the activities, functions or operations of, or suspension or revocation of, registration under Section 15 of the Exchange Act, to act as a broker-dealer or as an Associated Person of a registered broker-dealer, as appliable, except where such disqualification would not reasonably be expected to be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

(f) There are no pending and/or unpaid arbitration claims or settlements, or other adjudicated awards, against or involving the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary, or any Associated Person thereof.

(g) The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary has established written policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve compliance with (i) applicable FINRA rules, regulations and by-laws (ii) the rules of any domestic or foreign securities or broker-dealer industry self-regulatory organization of which it is a member, and (iii) federal, state, and foreign securities Laws and insurance and insurance securities Laws, including those relating to anti-money laundering, advertising, customer/public communications, licensing, sales practices, market conduct, outside business activities, maintenance of net capital, customer protection, supervision, books and records, risk assessment and continuing education. Complete and correct copies of the Broker-Dealer Compliance Policies have been made available to Purchaser. The Broker-Dealer Compliance Policies comply with applicable Law.

(h) The Company has made available to Purchaser a copy of: (i) the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary’s current membership agreement with FINRA; (ii) the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary’s Broker-Dealer Compliance Policies; (iii) the FOCUS report filings for the past two years; (iv) all material correspondence, inquiries, information requests, reports, preliminary and final examination reports, administrative orders, notices of violations or complaints from any foreign, federal, state or local governmental or regulatory authority (including FINRA, the SEC and state securities authorities), including the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary’s written responses thereto, for the past three (3) years; and (v) the annual report of the Broker-Dealer Subsidiary’s financial statements for the past two years. The Company is not currently being examined by a Governmental Entity and has not been notified of any upcoming examination.

(i) The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary’s directors, officers, employees, Associated Persons, agents and independent contractors who are required to be registered, licensed or qualified with any Governmental Entity as a registered principal or registered representative or registered agent are duly and properly registered, licensed or qualified as such and such licenses are in full force and effect, and have been in full force and effect as applicable within the time periods required by applicable Law. The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary’s directors, officers, employees, Associated Persons, agents and independent contractors who are not required to be registered or licensed with any Governmental Entity, but who are required to be fingerprinted under applicable Law and otherwise qualified with a Governmental Entity, are duly and properly fingerprinted or qualified.

 

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(j) The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is not “insolvent” as defined in SEC Rule 15c3-1(a)(16). The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is not subject to a “business curtailment” under FINRA Rule 4120.

(k) The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is, and has been since January 1, 2021, in compliance with FINRA Rules 3270 and 3280 concerning outside business activities or will be in full compliance with such rules by the Closing.

(l) The Broker-Dealer Subsidiary is not, and since January 1, 2021 has not been, required to be registered, qualified or licensed as a bank, trust company, commodity broker-dealer, commodity pool operator, commodity trading adviser, real estate broker, insurance company, insurance broker or agent, or futures commission merchant or introducing broker, in each case, with any Governmental Entity, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the National Futures Association.

Section 5.29 Captive. Captive is authorized by the Hawaii Insurance Division to transact business as a Class 2 company and a Class 4 company under the State of Hawaii statutes. Captive transacts only reinsurance business and has not transacted any direct insurance business. The reinsurance business transacted by Captive is currently, and at all times has been, in accordance with the plan of operation of Captive on file with the Hawaii Insurance Division. The reserves for losses (including incurred but not reported losses), loss adjustment expenses (whether allocated or unallocated) and unearned premiums of Captive included in its financial statements are consistent with reserves computed in accordance with accepted actuarial standards and principles. The composition of Captive’s investment assets complies in all material respects with all applicable policies of Captive with respect to investments and with applicable Law.

Section 5.30 Disclaimer of Warranties. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS ARTICLE V (AS MODIFIED BY THE COMPANY DISCLOSURE SCHEDULE), OR ANY OTHER TRANSACTION AGREEMENT OR ANY CERTIFICATE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 8.2(E), THE COMPANY AND THE SELLER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND OR NATURE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE CONDITION, VALUE OR QUALITY OF THE COMPANY OR THE COMPANY’S ASSETS, AND THE COMPANY AND THE SELLER SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, USAGE, SUITABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE COMPANY’S ASSETS, OR AS TO THE WORKMANSHIP THEREOF, OR THE ABSENCE OF ANY DEFECTS THEREIN, WHETHER LATENT OR PATENT, IT BEING UNDERSTOOD THAT SUCH SUBJECT ASSETS ARE BEING ACQUIRED “AS IS, WHERE IS” ON THE CLOSING DATE, AND IN THEIR PRESENT CONDITION, AND PURCHASER SHALL RELY ON ITS OWN EXAMINATION AND INVESTIGATION THEREOF. EXCEPT FOR THE REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE V (AS MODIFIED BY THE COMPANY DISCLOSURE SCHEDULE), THE COMPANY AND THE SELLER HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, FOR ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, STATEMENT, OR INFORMATION MADE, COMMUNICATED, OR FURNISHED (ORALLY OR IN WRITING) TO PURCHASER, OR ITS AFFILIATES OR REPRESENTATIVES (INCLUDING ANY OPINION, INFORMATION, PROJECTION, OR ADVICE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN OR MAY BE PROVIDED TO PURCHASER BY ANY STOCKHOLDER, DIRECTOR, OFFICER, EMPLOYEE, AGENT, CONSULTANT, OR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMPANY OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES).

 

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ARTICLE VI

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PURCHASER

Except as set forth in the Purchaser Disclosure Schedule (it being agreed that the disclosure of any matter in any section in the Purchaser Disclosure Schedule shall be deemed to have been disclosed in any other section in the Purchaser Disclosure Schedule to which the applicability of such disclosure is reasonably apparent from the face of such disclosure), Purchaser hereby represents and warrants to the Seller as follows as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date:

Section 6.1 Organization, Standing and Power. Purchaser is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware. Purchaser (a) has all requisite power and authority to own, lease and operate its assets, rights and properties and to operate its business as the same are now being owned, leased and operated and (b) is duly qualified or licensed to do business as a foreign entity in, and is in good standing in, each jurisdiction in which the nature of its business or its ownership of its properties requires it to be so qualified or licensed, except, in the case of this clause (b), where the failure to be so qualified, licensed or in good standing would not reasonably be expected to materially impair or prevent Purchaser’s ability to perform its respective obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements or consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

Section 6.2 Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability.

(a) Purchaser possesses all requisite legal right, power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements and to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated herein and therein. The execution, delivery and performance of its obligations by Purchaser of this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements and the consummation by Purchaser of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly and validly authorized by all requisite action, corporate or otherwise, on the part of Purchaser, and no other proceedings on the part of Purchaser are necessary to authorize the entry into or performance of this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements or consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

(b) This Agreement has been, and the other Transaction Agreements will upon execution and delivery be, duly executed and delivered by Purchaser and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by each of the other parties hereto and thereto, constitutes, or will upon such delivery constitute, the legal, valid and binding obligation of Purchaser, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as such enforcement may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.

 

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Section 6.3 No Conflicts; Consents.

(a) Assuming all Governmental Filings and waiting periods described in or contemplated by Section 8.1(b) have been obtained or made, or have expired, and the accuracy of the representations and warranties set forth in Article IV and Article V in all material respects, the execution and delivery of this Agreement by Purchaser and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby will not (i) conflict with or result in a violation or breach of any Law or Governmental Order to which Purchaser is subject, (ii) require the consent, notice or other action by any Person under, conflict with, result in a violation or breach of, or constitute a default or change of control (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) under, result in, or give rise to the acceleration, termination, modification or cancellation of any obligation or to the loss of a benefit under any Contract, loan, guarantee of indebtedness for borrowed money or credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease, or permit to which Purchaser or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, or constitute an event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would result in any such violation, breach, conflict, default, termination, modification, cancellation, acceleration, right, loss or Encumbrance, or (iii) conflict with, result in a violation or breach of, or default under, any provision of the Organizational Documents, each as amended to the date hereof, of Purchaser, other than, in the case of the immediately preceding clauses (i) and (ii), any such violations, conflicts, breaches, defaults, accelerations, terminations, cancellations or rights that would not reasonably be expected to materially impair or prevent Purchaser’s ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements or consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

(b) No Governmental Filings are required to be obtained or made by Purchaser in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements to which it is or may become a party or the consummation by Purchaser of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby except (i) compliance with and filings under the HSR Act, (ii) Governmental Filings set forth in Section 6.3(b) of the Purchaser Disclosure Schedule, and (iii) any applicable state securities or “blue sky” Laws.

Section 6.4 Proceedings. There are no (a) investigations or reviews pending, or to the knowledge of Purchaser, threatened by any Governmental Entity, (b) Actions pending (or to the knowledge of Purchaser, threatened) and (c) orders, writs, judgments, injunctions, rulings or decrees imposed, which, in the case of clauses (a), (b) or (c), would reasonably be expected to materially impair or prevent Purchaser’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements. None of Purchaser or any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any Governmental Order or is in breach or violation of any Governmental Order, except as would not reasonably be expected to materially impair or prevent Purchaser’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements.

Section 6.5 Financial Ability. Purchaser will have at the Closing all funds necessary to (a) pay the Closing Payments, (b) pay any and all of the fees and expenses of Purchaser or its Affiliates required to be paid by Purchaser in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and (c) pay any Excess Amount. Purchaser affirms that it is not a condition to the Closing or to any of its other obligations under this Agreement that Purchaser obtains financing for or related to any of the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

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Section 6.6 Solvency. Assuming that (x) the conditions to the obligation of Purchaser to consummate the Share Purchase set forth in Section 8.1 and Section 8.2 have been satisfied or waived, (y) the accuracy of the representations and warranties set forth in Article IV and Article V hereof, and (z) the estimates, projections and other forecasts and plans of the Company and its Subsidiaries that have been made available to Purchaser prior to the date hereof have been prepared in good faith based upon assumptions that were, at the time made, and continue to be, reasonable, then, at and immediately following the Closing and after giving effect to all of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the payment of the aggregate consideration to which the Seller is entitled under Article III, funding of any obligations of the Company or its Subsidiaries which become due or payable by the Company and its Subsidiaries in connection with, or as a result of, the Share Purchase and payment of the Payoff Amount and all related fees and expenses, following the Closing, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries (on a consolidated basis) will (a) be solvent (in that both the fair value of their assets will not be less than the sum of their debts and that the present fair saleable value of its assets will not be less than the amount required to pay their probable liabilities on their existing debts as they mature in the ordinary course of business) and (b) not have incurred and will not incur debts beyond their ability to pay them as they become absolute and matured in the ordinary course of business.

Section 6.7 Brokers and Finders. No agent, broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other Person is or will become entitled to receive any commission, brokerage, finder’s fee or other similar compensation in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including the Share Purchase, based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of Purchaser for which the Company could have any liability prior to Closing.

Section 6.8 Investigation; No Other Representations. Purchaser has conducted its own independent review and analysis of the business, operations, rights, assets, Contracts, Intellectual Property, real estate, technology, liabilities, results of operations, financial condition and prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries, and each of them acknowledges that it and its Representatives have received access to such books and records, facilities, equipment, Contracts and other assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries that it and its Representatives have requested to review and that it and its Representatives have had the opportunity to meet with the management of the Company and to discuss the business and assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries to enable it to make an informed decision with respect to the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and has relied on the express representations and warranties with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries set forth in this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements. Purchaser acknowledges that neither the Seller, the Company nor any Person on behalf of the Seller or the Company makes, and Purchaser has not relied upon any express or implied representation or warranty with respect to the Seller, the Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries or with respect to any other information provided to Purchaser in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, other than the representations and warranties expressly contained, and subject to the qualifications and limitations, in Article IV and Article V or any of the Transaction Agreements or certificates delivered pursuant to Section 8.2(e).

 

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ARTICLE VII

COVENANTS

Section 7.1 Conduct of the Business.

(a) Except for matters set forth in Schedule 7.1, occurring in connection with any COVID-19 Measures or otherwise expressly permitted or required by the terms of this Agreement (including taking actions to effect the Pre-Closing Reorganization), or except as required by applicable Law, from the date hereof to the earlier of the Closing and the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article IX (the “Interim Period”), the Seller and the Company shall, and the Company shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use reasonable best efforts to (i) operate its business in the ordinary course of business (taking into account reasonable accommodations or changes in response to exigent circumstances) and (ii) unless the Company determines it is inconsistent with prudent business practices, maintain in all material respects the present relationships with those third parties having material business dealings with the Company and its Subsidiaries.

(b) In addition (and without limiting the generality of Section 7.1(a)), except for matters set forth in Schedule 7.1, occurring in connection with any Permitted Measures or otherwise expressly permitted or required by the terms of this Agreement, or except as required by applicable Law, during the Interim Period, the Seller and the Company shall not, and the Company shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, do any of the following without the prior written consent of Purchaser (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned):

(i) amend its Organizational Documents in a manner adverse to Purchaser;

(ii) (A) other than annual merit increases to employees who are not members of the executive management team that are effected in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice, increase the compensation payable or to become payable or benefits provided or to be provided to any individual Company Employee or individual service provider in excess of 10% of such Company Employee’s or individual service provider’s annual base compensation or fee, not to exceed an aggregate amount equal to 5% of the sum of all Company Employees’ and all individual service providers’ annual base compensation or fees, and with such increases to be made in the ordinary course of business and at the time and in the manner consistent with the Company’s past practice; (B) other than pursuant to Contracts that exist as of the date hereof as in effect on the date hereof that by their terms require such actions, grant or provide any severance or termination payments or benefits to any Company Employee or individual service provider with annual base compensation or fee above $250,000; (C) provide any obligation to gross-up, indemnify or otherwise reimburse any Company Employee or individual service provider for any Tax incurred by any such individual, including under Section 409A or 4999 of the Code; (D) accelerate the time of payment or vesting of, or the lapsing of restrictions related to, or fund or otherwise secure the payment of, any compensation or benefits

 

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(including any equity or equity-based awards) to any Company Employee or individual service provider; (E) establish, materially amend or terminate any Company Benefit Plan (or any plan, program, arrangement or agreement that would be a Company Benefit Plan if it were in existence on the date hereof), other than annual renewals in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and, in each case, other than pursuant to any Company Benefit Plan disclosed on Schedule 5.14(a) or any collective bargaining or other labor-related agreement disclosed on Schedule 5.18(a) (in each case, as in effect on the date hereof);

(iii) hire (other than as a replacement under substantially similar compensation terms) any individual as a Company Employee or individual service provider who (A) has a base salary or fee in excess of $250,000; (B) is eligible for cash severance payments in excess of $250,000 (or in the case of a Producer, is eligible for a severance package providing in excess of 12 months of commission continuation; (C) receives target annual cash incentives (other than production/commissions determined by a standard plan or policy) that exceed $250,000 or (D) receives a sign on, retention or similar package that exceeds $250,000 payable in total within the first year of employment;

(iv) terminate any Company Employee, or individual service provider who has a base salary or fee in excess of $250,000, other than terminations due to such Company Employee’s or individual service provider’s death, disability or cause (as determined by the Company and its Subsidiaries in their reasonable discretion consistent with past practice and carried out in accordance with applicable Law);

(v) incur or assume, guarantee, or become obligated with respect to any Indebtedness of the type described in clauses (a), (b) or (d) of the definition thereof, or assume, guarantee or endorse or otherwise become responsible for, whether directly, contingently or otherwise, any such Indebtedness of any Person, other than (1) Indebtedness between the Company and its wholly owned Subsidiaries, (2) Indebtedness that will be repaid or redeemed at or prior to the Closing, (3) letters of credit issued pursuant to the Credit Documents in the ordinary course of business and (4) other Indebtedness not exceeding $5,000,000 in the aggregate;

(vi) pay, loan or advance any amount to, or sell, transfer or lease any of its assets, rights or properties to, or enter into, or amend in any manner adverse to the Company, any agreement or arrangement with any Related Party, except for (A) transactions among the Company and its Subsidiaries, (B) transactions in the ordinary course of business, (C) with respect to employees, directors or officers of the Company or its Subsidiaries, employment agreements to the extent permitted by this Section 7.1, (D) payments, loans or advances made pursuant to existing Contracts and (E) payment of expenses related to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

(vii) make any material change in accounting methods, principles or practices, other than as required by GAAP (or any interpretation thereof), including pursuant to standards, guidelines and interpretations of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or any similar organization, or applicable Law;

(viii) except as required by applicable Law, (A) make, change or revoke any entity classification election or other material Tax election (except with respect to making a material Tax election in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice), (B)

 

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adopt, change or request permission of any Taxing Authority to change any material Tax accounting method or accounting period, (C) enter into any “closing agreement” as described in Section 7121 of the Code (or any similar provision of state, local or non-U.S. Law) with any Governmental Entity with respect to any income or other material Tax, (D) settle any claim or assessment in respect of any material Taxes outside of the ordinary course of business, or (E) consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any claim or assessment in respect of any material Taxes (other than automatic extensions granted in the ordinary course);

(ix) transfer, sell, lease, mortgage, pledge, encumber, surrender, encumber, divest, cancel, terminate, abandon, fail to continue to prosecute, license (including through covenants not to sue), allow to lapse or expire or otherwise dispose of any assets (including Owned Intellectual Property), Permits, rights or properties used or held for use in, or necessary for, the operation of the Business, except (A) inventory and obsolete or excess equipment or other assets sold or otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course of business, (B) non-exclusive licenses of Business Products to customers of the Business entered into in the ordinary course of business, (C) non-exclusive licenses granted to service providers solely to provide services to the Company or any Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business, (D) non-exclusive licenses to Intellectual Property whose purpose is merely incidental to the underlying Contract in which the license is included, (E) Permitted Encumbrances, and (F) the intentional abandonment of immaterial Intellectual Property in the ordinary course of business;

(x) fail to maintain in any material respect the confidentiality of any material Trade Secrets included in the Owned Intellectual Property;

(xi) acquire, or enter into any binding commitment to acquire, the equity interests in, or any assets, rights or properties of, any business or division (whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise) from any other Person;

(xii) (A) voluntarily amend in any material respect, fail to renew, waive material rights under or prematurely terminate any Company Material Contract in a manner materially adverse to the Company and its Subsidiaries, in each case, except (1) for automatic renewals or extensions of any Contract pursuant to its terms or on terms not materially less favorable in the aggregate to the Company and its Subsidiaries than those in effect on the date hereof, (2) in the ordinary course of business to the extent such amendment, failure to renew, waiver or termination does not materially and adversely impact the Business, (3) as contemplated or permitted by this Section 7.1 or (4) for a termination upon expiration of a term; or (B) enter into any Contract that would (if entered into prior to the date hereof) constitute a Company Material Contract, except for Contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business or as contemplated or permitted by this Section 7.1;

(xiii) declare any cash dividend or distribution in respect of any shares of Company Common Stock or other equity securities of the Company that is not paid prior to the Adjustment Time;

 

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(xiv) split, combine, subdivide or reclassify any of the equity interests of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, issue, redeem, repurchase, cancel or authorize the issuance of the equity interests of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, or authorize or consent to any transfer or assignment of any of the Preferred Shares;

(xv) (A) grant, pledge, encumber, dispose of or sell any of the equity interests of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, other than the issuance or sale of any capital stock of the Subsidiaries of the Company to the Company or its Subsidiaries, or (B) amend the terms of any shares of Company Common Stock or Preferred Shares;

(xvi) (A) materially delay or materially postpone any payment of material accounts payable from the date such payment would be made in the ordinary course of business or (B) materially accelerate or materially delay the collection of material receivables in advance of or beyond the date when the same would have been collected in the ordinary course of business;

(xvii) settle any Action for an amount to be paid by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in excess of $1,000,000 individually or $5,000,000 in the aggregate, net of amounts reasonably anticipated to be covered by applicable insurance policies or reimbursed by third parties (provided that any settlement that is permitted under this Section 7.1(b)(xvii) shall be paid by the Company prior to the Adjustment Time), other than (A) any settlement or compromise where the amount paid or to be paid by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is fully covered (less any retention or deductible under the applicable insurance policy) by insurance coverage, (B) settlements or compromises of any Action for an amount not materially in excess of the amount, if any, reflected or specifically reserved in the balance sheet (or the notes thereto) of the Company (with materiality measured relative to the amount so reflected or reserved, if any) prior to the date hereof, and (C) settlements or compromises of any Action where the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is the plaintiff and is receiving payment in connection with such settlement or compromise; provided that, in the case of each of the foregoing clause (A), (B) and (C), the settlement or compromise of such Action does not include any material non-monetary or injunctive relief, or the admission of wrongdoing, by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (in each case, excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any confidentiality, non-disparagement or customary release obligations);

(xviii) implement or announce any “plant closing” or “mass layoff” (as defined in the WARN Act) or any other action which would trigger the notice requirements of the WARN Act;

(xix) enter into any Contract providing for capital expenditures in excess of $2,500,000 in the aggregate to be paid by the Company or its Subsidiaries after the Adjustment Time;

(xx) recognize any labor union or similar labor organization as the bargaining representative for any employees of the Company or enter into any collective bargaining agreement or other similar Contract with respect to any Company Employees or establish any trade union or other employee representative body;

 

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(xxi) modify or affirmatively waive any non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality or similar obligation of any current or former Producer, other than a modification or waiver of any non-solicitation obligation that does not relate to a Producer and would not reasonably be expected to be materially adverse to the Company and its Subsidiaries;

(xxii) (A) purchase any real property, (B) enter into any new lease agreement with respect to real property that is not leased by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as of the date hereof having annual base rent in excess of $1,000,000 or in the aggregate over the lease term base rent in excess of $10,000,000 or (C) with respect to the Leases in effect on the date hereof that are in respect of the Company’s headquarters, or which have an annual base rent in excess of $1,000,000, voluntarily (1) waive, release, assign, or sublease any material rights or claims thereunder, (2) materially and adversely amend or modify the terms thereof, or (3) terminate such Lease (other than as a result of expiration of the then-existing term), in each case of this subclause (C), (x) other than automatic renewal or extension of any material lease pursuant to its terms or on terms not materially less favorable in the aggregate to the Company or its Subsidiaries and/or (y) in connection with a transfer of any lease to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;

(xxiii) (A) merge or consolidate with any other Person or (B) restructure, reorganize or dissolve or liquidate the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, other than restructuring, reorganizing, dissolving or liquidating any immaterial or dormant Subsidiary of the Company;

(xxiv) apply for, seek or obtain any Permit that would reasonably be expected to (A) prevent, materially delay or materially impede the transactions contemplated hereby or (B) require the Purchaser or any of its respective Affiliates being required to make any material filing or notice with or material disclosure to any Governmental Entity;

(xxv) modify, waive or decline to enforce any existing Contract for the acquisition, sale, assignment, transfer, licensing or divestiture of assets, including rights related to representations and warranties, restrictive covenants or confidentiality obligations, in each case, in a manner reasonably expected to be materially adverse to the Company and its Subsidiaries; or

(xxvi) authorize any of, or commit or agree to take, whether in writing or otherwise, any of, the foregoing actions.

(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 7.1, (i) the Company and its Subsidiaries’ failure to take any action prohibited by Section 7.1(b) shall not be a breach of Section 7.1(a) and (ii) no action by the Company or its Subsidiaries with respect to the matters specifically addressed by any provision of Section 7.1(b) shall be deemed a breach of Section 7.1(a), unless such action would constitute a breach of such relevant provision of Section 7.1(b).

(d) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that (i) on or prior to the Adjustment Time, the Seller may (but shall have no obligation to) cause the Company and its Subsidiaries to distribute its cash and cash equivalents to the Seller or any of its Affiliates (it being understood that any cash or cash equivalents not so distributed and held by the Company and its Subsidiaries shall be included in calculation of Cash in accordance with Section 3.2), subject to the Company retaining in trust accounts or otherwise in a fiduciary capacity an amount of cash sufficient to fully fund all obligations of the Company and its Subsidiaries for which premium payments or deposits have been received by the Company and not remitted to the carrier on or prior to such distribution and (ii) the Company and its Subsidiaries may enter into and/or pay any transaction or retention bonus arrangements with employees of the Company or its Subsidiaries so long as such bonuses are included in the calculation of Company Transaction Expenses.

 

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(e) Any requests for Purchaser’s consent under this Section 7.1 shall be made in accordance with the notice provisions set forth in Section 11.4 or may be made via email by a senior executive officer of Seller to the General Counsel or Chief Financial Officer of Purchaser, and any such request shall be reasonably apparent on its face that it is in regard to a request for consent pursuant to Section 7.1(e).

Section 7.2 Section 280G Obligations. If required to avoid the imposition of Taxes under Section 4999 of the Code or the loss of deduction under Section 280G of the Code with respect to any payment or benefit in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement or any Transaction Agreement, the Company will (a) reasonably prior to the Closing Date (but in no event later than two (2) Business Days prior thereto), solicit, and use reasonable best efforts to obtain, from each “disqualified individual” (as defined in Section 280G(c) of the Code) who has a right to receive any payment or benefit that would constitute “excess parachute payments” (within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code) a waiver of such disqualified individual’s rights to some or all of such payment or benefit (the Waived 280G Benefits and, each such waiver, a 280G Waiver) so that all remaining payments and/or benefits, if any, shall not be excess parachute payments, and accepting the right to receive the Waived 280G Benefits only if approved by the Stockholder Vote and (b) reasonably prior to the Closing (but in no event later than one (1) Business Day prior thereto), with respect to each individual who provides a duly executed 280G Waiver, submit to a vote of the stockholders of the Company (in a manner which satisfies all applicable requirements of Section 280G(b)(5)(B) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder, including Q-7 of Section 1.280G-1 of such Treasury Regulations) the rights of any such “disqualified individual” to receive the Waived 280G Benefits (the “Stockholder Vote”). In connection with the foregoing, Purchaser shall provide the Company with then-available information and documents reasonably requested by the Company to allow the Company and each of its Subsidiaries to determine whether any payments made or to be made or benefits granted or to be granted pursuant to any employment agreement, incentive equity award or other agreement, arrangement or Contract entered into or negotiated by Purchaser or any of its respective Affiliates in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement prior to the Closing Date that provides for any payments, compensation or benefits (contingent or otherwise) to be made or granted to a disqualified individual (the “Purchaser Payments”) to allow the Company to determine whether such Purchaser Payments could reasonably be considered to be “parachute payments” (within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(2) of the Code) at least ten (10) Business Days prior to the Closing Date (and the Purchaser shall further provide any such updated information with respect to the Purchaser Payments as is reasonably necessary prior to the Closing Date); provided that, the Company’s failure to include the Purchaser Payments in the stockholder voting materials described in this Section 7.2, will not result in a breach of the covenants set forth in this Section 7.2 if, and solely to the extent that the failure was caused by the fact that, Purchaser provides inaccurate or untimely information or omits necessary information. Prior to the Closing, the Company shall provide any executed 280G Waivers and any executed consents received in connection with the Stockholder Vote and documentation reasonably requested by Purchaser which demonstrates that such Stockholder Vote

 

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was conducted in a manner which satisfies Section 280G(b)(5)(B) of the Code and the regulations thereunder including Treas. Reg. 1.280G-1 Q&A 7. Prior to soliciting 280G Waivers from the “disqualified individuals”, the Company shall provide copies of the parachute payment analysis and related calculations, forms of the 280G Waiver, the disclosure letter and the Stockholder Vote consent to Purchaser for its review and approval (which approval will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed). If any of the Waived 280G Benefits fail to be approved by the stockholders of the Company and/or such other Persons entitled to vote as contemplated above, such Waived 280G Benefits shall not be made or provided. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall this Section 7.2 be construed to require the Company to compel any Person to waive any existing rights under any contract or agreement that such Person has with Purchaser or the Company (or any of their respective Affiliates), and, if the Company and Purchaser comply with their obligations under this Section 7.2, then neither the Company nor Purchaser will be deemed in breach of this Section 7.2 if any such Person refuses to waive any such rights, or the approval by the stockholders of the Company and/or other Persons entitled to vote as contemplated above is not obtained.

Section 7.3 Publicity. The parties hereto shall cooperate to prepare an initial communications package, comprised of the initial press release to be issued with respect to the execution of this Agreement promptly following the execution and delivery of this Agreement. Purchaser, on the one hand, and the Seller and the Company, on the other hand, agree that no public release or announcement concerning the terms of the transactions contemplated hereby shall be issued by any party without the prior written consent of the other party, except such release or announcement as may be required by Law or the rules and regulations of any stock exchange or Governmental Entity applicable to the Company, Purchaser or their respective Affiliates, in which case the party required to make the release or announcement shall allow the other party reasonable time to comment on such release or announcement in advance of such issuance; provided that (a) the Sponsors are permitted to (i) report and disclose on a confidential basis the status and terms (including price terms and the resulting financial return or other financial or statistical performance information) of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby in the ordinary course of their respective businesses, including to current or potential limited partners of investment funds sponsored, managed or advised by the Sponsors in connection with fundraising, marketing or informational or reporting activities, (ii) disclose the consummation of the transaction contemplated hereby (but not, without the consent of Purchaser, price terms) on their websites and otherwise in the ordinary course of their respective businesses and (iii) make disclosures reasonably required pursuant to any listing agreement with respect to any national or regional securities exchange or market, and (b) each of Purchaser and the Company are permitted to report and disclose the status of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby to its employees pursuant to the mutually-agreed initial communications package; provided further that no party shall be required to obtain consent pursuant to this Section 7.3 to the extent that any proposed release or announcement is consistent with information that has previously been made public by the Seller, the Company, Purchaser or their respective Affiliates in compliance with their obligations under this Section 7.3. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Purchaser and its Affiliates may, without the prior written consent of the Company or the Seller, respond to questions or provide a summary or update relating to, or discuss the benefits of or strategic rationale for, the transactions contemplated hereby in calls or meetings with Purchaser’s or its Affiliates’ analysts or investors, media, or attendees of any industry conference.

 

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Section 7.4 Confidentiality. Purchaser acknowledges that the information provided to it and its Representatives in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby are subject to the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement, dated as of October 6, 2023 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof, the “Confidentiality Agreement”), by and between Purchaser and the Company.

Section 7.5 Access to Information.

(a) Prior to the Closing Date, Purchaser and its Representatives shall have such reasonable access to the offices, assets, properties, senior management personnel and other professional advisors, books, Contracts, broker letters, insurance policies and business, regulatory, financial and other records, businesses and operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries as it reasonably requests upon reasonable advance written (which may be made via email) notice in furtherance of Purchaser’s efforts to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or in preparation for Purchaser’s future ownership of the Company and its Subsidiaries. Any such access and examination shall be conducted under circumstances that do not unreasonably interfere with the normal operations of the Business and the Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries and their respective Representatives to, reasonably cooperate with Purchaser and its Representatives in connection with such access and examination, and Purchaser and its Representatives shall cooperate with the Company and its Representatives and shall use their reasonable best efforts to minimize any unreasonable disruption to the business in connection therewith, it being acknowledged and agreed that no such access or examination shall be permitted to the extent that it (i) would require the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to disclose information that, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, would violate Competition Laws due to its competitively sensitive nature, (ii) would require the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to provide access or disclose information where such access or disclosure would reasonably be likely to jeopardize or result in a waiver of any applicable attorney-client privilege or would violate any applicable Law, or (iii) if the parties are in an adversarial relationship related to such requested information, in which case the applicable rules relating to discovery will govern; provided that the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to make appropriate substitute arrangements in a manner that does not result in any of the foregoing issues. In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company shall, prior to Closing, use reasonable best efforts to compile and make available to Purchaser in reasonable format the minute books, stock ledgers, corporate seals, and other similar items of the Company and its Subsidiaries, in each case, as applicable, for transfer to Purchaser in connection with the Closing. All requests for access or information made pursuant to this Section 7.5 shall be directed to the chief executive officer of the Company or other Persons designated by the Company. No investigation furnished pursuant to this Section 7.5 or by Purchaser or its Representatives at any time prior to or following the date of this Agreement, other than such information disclosed in the Company Disclosure Schedule, shall be deemed to modify any representation or warranty made by the Company herein.

 

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(b) The Seller and the Company shall, and shall cause their Subsidiaries to, (i) provide to Purchaser access to Producers reasonably requested by Purchaser for purposes of discussing post-Closing compensation matters, but only after obtaining approval of a template setting forth the content expected to be discussed at such discussions or meetings from the Seller or the chief executive officer of the Company (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), and (ii) reasonably cooperate with Purchaser in connection with such access, it being understood and agreed that the chief executive officer of the Company or his designee shall be provided the opportunity to be included in, and shall be entitled to participate in (should he or she attend), any such discussions or meetings between Purchaser, on the one hand, and any such Producers, on the other hand. Neither the Seller nor the Company nor its Subsidiaries (nor any of their Representatives) shall communicate with any Producer or employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries regarding post-Closing employment matters with Purchaser or any Affiliate of Purchaser, including post-Closing employee benefit plans and compensation, without the prior written approval of Purchaser (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed).

(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, prior to the Closing, without the written consent of the Company (which may be withheld in the Company’s sole discretion), Purchaser shall have no right to perform invasive or subsurface investigations of the properties or facilities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

(d) Subject to Section 7.5(a), the Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use reasonable best efforts to provide to Purchaser, at Purchaser’s sole cost and expense, access to the offices, properties, senior management personnel and other professional advisors and IT Assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries as Purchaser reasonably requests for purposes of allowing Purchaser to reasonably evaluate and test the Company and its Subsidiaries’ technical and physical safeguards that are in place to protect the security, confidentiality, availability, and integrity of any Company Data against Security Incidents, malicious code, loss, misuse, unauthorized access to, and disruption of, the Processing of Company Data and IT Assets (“IT Security Testing”). At Purchaser’s sole cost and expense, the Company shall use reasonable best efforts, to the extent reasonably practicable, to take such actions as are reasonably requested by Purchaser to remediate or otherwise address any high or medium risk vulnerabilities or deficiencies identified by the Purchaser as a result of the IT Security Testing. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything otherwise in this Agreement, the Company and its Subsidiaries shall not be required, unless required by Privacy Requirements that represent applicable Laws or binding industry requirements, to (i) incur any out-of-pocket fees or expenses associated with any IT Security Testing unless reimbursed by Purchaser (and for the avoidance of doubt no fees or expenses incurred in connection with actions taken in accordance with this Section 7.5(d) shall constitute Company Transaction Expenses or Indebtedness), (ii) commence any Action associated with any IT Security Testing, (iii) make any report to any Governmental Entity in connection with any IT Security Testing or (iv) hire or engage any employees, contractors, advisors or other third parties in connection with any IT Security Testing. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, (A) the Company shall be deemed to have complied with this Section 7.5(d) for all purposes of this Agreement (including, for the avoidance of doubt, Section 8.2) and (B) in no event will any actions taken (or omitted to be taken) in connection with the covenants set forth in this Section 7.5(d) cause or result in any delay in the timing of the Closing or in the failure of any condition set forth in Section 8.2 to be satisfied, including with respect to whether the Company has actually remediated or otherwise addressed any risk vulnerabilities or deficiencies identified by Purchaser through IT Security Testing or otherwise.

 

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Section 7.6 Regulatory Approvals.

(a) Each of the parties shall use their reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all action, and to do, or cause to be done as promptly as practicable, all things necessary, proper and advisable under applicable Laws to consummate and make effective as promptly as practicable the transactions contemplated hereby. Subject to appropriate confidentiality protections, each party hereto shall furnish to the other parties such necessary information and reasonable assistance as such other party may reasonably request in connection with the foregoing.

(b) Each of the parties shall cooperate with one another and use their reasonable best efforts to prepare all necessary documentation (including furnishing all information required under the Competition Laws or Investment Screening Laws) to effect promptly all necessary filings with any Governmental Entity and to obtain as promptly as practicable all consents, waivers and approvals of any Governmental Entity necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated hereunder. If not restricted by the applicable Governmental Entity, each party shall promptly inform the other of any substantive oral communication with, and provide to counsel for the other parties copies of all correspondence between it (or its advisors) and any Governmental Antitrust Entity (except to the extent that such written correspondence contains information that does not relate to the transactions contemplated hereby) or other Governmental Entity relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any of the matters described in this Section 7.6. No party hereto shall independently participate in any meeting or conference call with any Governmental Entity in respect of any such filings, investigation or other inquiry relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement without giving the other party prior notice of the meeting or conference call and, to the extent not restricted by such Governmental Entity, the opportunity to attend or participate. To the extent permissible under applicable Law, the parties will consult and cooperate with one another in connection with any analyses, appearances, presentations, memoranda, briefs, arguments, opinions and proposals made or submitted by or on behalf of any party hereto relating to proceedings under the Competition Laws or Investment Screening Laws relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided, if the parties cannot agree on a jointly developed strategy as to such matters, notwithstanding their respective good faith attempts to do so, Purchaser shall have the final say with respect to the strategy for such matters, provided that Purchaser reasonably consults with the Company. In furtherance thereof, the parties shall meet at a regular cadence (not less than once per week from the date of this Agreement until satisfaction of the conditions contemplated in Section 8.1(b)) to (i) discuss status of any filings with any Governmental Entity and the process for obtaining consents, waivers and approvals of any Governmental Entity necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated hereunder and (ii) consult in good faith with the other party with respect to strategy and timing relating to proceedings under the Competition Laws or Investment Screening Laws relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including any material decisions relating to obtaining consents, waivers, approvals and waiting periods contemplated by Section 8.1(b) or any action contemplated by Section 7.6(d) and Section 7.6(e); provided, if the parties cannot agree on a jointly developed strategy as to such matters, notwithstanding their respective good faith attempts to do so, Purchaser shall have the final say with respect to the strategy for such matters, provided that Purchaser reasonably consults with the Company. The parties may, as they deem advisable, redact any materials as necessary to address reasonable privilege or confidentiality concerns (including with respect to other businesses of the Company, Purchaser or their respective Affiliates and Subsidiaries), and to remove references

 

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concerning the valuation of the Company and its Subsidiaries, or Purchaser and its Subsidiaries, or designate any competitively sensitive materials provided to the other under this Section 7.6 or any other section of this Agreement as “legal counsel only.” Materials designated “legal counsel only” and the information contained therein shall be given only to legal counsel of the recipient and will not be disclosed by such legal counsel to employees, officers, or directors of the recipient without the advance written consent of the party providing such materials.

(c) Without limiting the generality of the undertakings pursuant to this Section 7.6, the parties shall use reasonable best efforts to provide or cause to be provided (including by their “ultimate parent entities” as that term is defined in the HSR Act) as promptly as practicable to any Governmental Antitrust Entity or other Governmental Entity information and documents that are requested by such Governmental Antitrust Entity or other Governmental Entity or that are necessary, proper or advisable to permit consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including filing any notification and report form and related material required under (i) the HSR Act and (ii) any other filing under any applicable Law set forth in Schedule 7.6(c) as promptly as practicable after the date of this Agreement (and with regard to any notification and report form and related material required under the HSR Act, in any event on or prior to January 6, 2025), and thereafter to respond promptly to any request for additional information or documentary material that may be made under the HSR Act and any other applicable Law. Purchaser and the Company shall (A) request “early termination” of the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act, and (B) make any further filings pursuant thereto that may be necessary, proper, or advisable in connection therewith. Purchaser shall be responsible for all filing fees applicable to Purchaser and its ultimate parent entity under the HSR Act and under any such other Laws or regulations applicable to Purchaser. Purchaser shall not commit to or agree with any Governmental Entity to stay, toll or extend any applicable waiting period, or “pull and refile,” pursuant to 16 C.F.R. 803.12 with respect to the filing made under the HSR Act, or enter into a timing agreement, including any agreement to delay the consummation or not to consummate the Share Purchase or the other transactions contemplated hereby, with any Governmental Entity without the prior written consent of the Company, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(d) If any objections are asserted with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby under any applicable Law or if any Action is instituted by any Governmental Entity challenging any of the transactions contemplated hereby as violative of any applicable Law, each of the parties shall use its reasonable best efforts to: (i) promptly oppose or defend against any action to prevent or enjoin consummation of this Agreement (and the transactions contemplated hereby); and (ii) promptly take such action as reasonably necessary to overturn any regulatory action by any Governmental Entity to prevent or enjoin consummation of this Agreement (and the transactions contemplated hereby), including by promptly defending any Action brought by any Governmental Entity in order to avoid entry of, or to have vacated, overturned or terminated, including by appeal if necessary, such Action in order to resolve any such objections or challenges as such Governmental Entity may have to such transactions under such applicable Law so as to permit consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement prior to the Outside Date.

 

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(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, Purchaser shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to, take all actions necessary to obtain any authorization, consent or approval of a Governmental Entity (including in connection with any Governmental Filings) necessary or advisable so as to enable the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby to occur as promptly as practicable (and in any event, no later than the Outside Date) and to resolve, avoid or eliminate any impediments or objections, if any, that may be asserted by a Governmental Entity with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby under any Competition Law, including: (i) promptly taking such actions, and promptly agreeing to such requirements or conditions, with respect to Purchaser, the Company or their respective Subsidiaries, to mitigate any concerns as may be requested or required by a Governmental Entity in connection with any Governmental Filing, (ii) promptly proposing, negotiating, committing to and effecting, by consent decree, hold separate order or otherwise, the sale, divestiture, licensing or disposition of, or holding separate of, businesses, products or product lines, operations, investments, companies, rights or assets of Purchaser, the Company or their respective Subsidiaries or any interest therein (including entering into customary ancillary agreements relating to any such sale, divestiture, licensing or disposition of such businesses, products or product lines, operations, investments, companies, rights or assets), (iii) terminating or restructuring existing relationships, contractual or governance rights or obligations of Purchaser, the Company or their respective Subsidiaries, (iv) terminating any of Purchaser’s, the Company’s or their respective Subsidiaries’ ventures or other arrangements, and (v) otherwise promptly taking or promptly committing to take actions that after the Closing Date would limit Purchaser’s, the Company’s or their respective Subsidiaries’ freedom of action with respect to, or its ability to retain or control, one or more of the businesses, products or product lines, operations, investments, companies, rights or assets of Purchaser, Purchaser’s Affiliates, the Company or their respective Subsidiaries (each such action in the foregoing clauses (i) through (v), individually or collectively, a “Remedial Action”); provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing or anything else in this Agreement to the contrary, (A) nothing in this Agreement shall require Purchaser or its Affiliates (excluding, after the Closing, the Company and its Subsidiaries) to propose, agree to, commit to, or effect, by consent decree, hold separate order or otherwise, any Remedial Action that requires Purchaser or any of its Affiliates to sell, divest, license, dispose of or hold separate any businesses, products or product lines, operations, investments, rights or assets of Purchaser or any of its Affiliates (excluding, after the Closing, the Company and its Subsidiaries) that generated, in the aggregate, more than $300 million of trailing twelve month revenues (with such revenues for any such businesses, products or product lines, operations, investments, rights or assets of Purchaser or any of its Affiliates being measured for the applicable trailing twelve months ending the month prior to the month in which the Remedial Action is required to be taken) and (B) nothing in this Agreement shall require the Purchaser, the Company, or any of their respective Affiliates or Subsidiaries to propose, agree to, commit to, or effect, by consent decree, hold separate order or otherwise, one or more Remedial Actions if such Remedial Actions, individually or in the aggregate, would, or would reasonably be expected to, result in a material adverse effect measured by reference to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (and giving effect to any Remedial Action involving any business, product or product line, operation, investment, right or assets of Purchaser or any of its Affiliates pursuant to the foregoing clause (A)). Nothing in this Agreement shall obligate Purchaser, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates and Subsidiaries to take or agree to take any Remedial Action that is not conditioned on the consummation of the Closing. The Company and its Subsidiaries may not take or agree to take any Remedial Action without Purchaser’s prior written consent.

 

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(f) From the date of this Agreement until Closing or, if earlier, the date on which the conditions set forth in Section 8.1 are satisfied, neither Purchaser nor any of its Affiliates shall, unless it has received the prior written consent of the Company, acquire or agree to acquire, by merging with or into or consolidating with, or by purchasing a substantial portion of the assets of or any equity in, or by any other manner, any Person or assets, business or division thereof, if the execution and delivery of a definitive agreement relating to, or the consummation of, such acquisition would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to prevent or materially delay the parties’ ability to obtain the consent of a Governmental Entity necessary to satisfy the conditions set forth in Section 8.1(b) (such prevention or delay, a “Material Limitation”); provided, that so long as such transaction would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Limitation, Purchaser and its Affiliates shall not be limited or restricted with respect to any acquisition of any Person (or assets, business or division thereof) engaged only in (i) non-US brokerage business (with no more than de minimis US activities), (ii) life insurance brokerage business activities, (iii) claims management, management consulting, investment advisory or other non-brokerage activities, or (iv) reinsurance or reinsurance brokerage business activities ((i) through (iv) collectively, “Cleared Acquisitions”). Without limiting any Cleared Acquisition, which for the avoidance of doubt shall not be included for purposes of calculating the following thresholds, and notwithstanding the limitations contained elsewhere in this Section 7.6, prior to the Closing, or, if earlier, the date on which the conditions set forth in Section 8.1 are satisfied, neither Purchaser nor any of its Affiliates shall, unless it has received the prior written consent of the Company, acquire or agree to acquire one or more Persons (or assets, businesses or divisions thereof) if (A) such transactions would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Limitation or (B) such Persons (or assets, businesses or divisions thereof) have (1) on an aggregate basis, trailing twelve month revenues in excess of $1.25 billion (with such revenues for each such acquisition being measured for the trailing twelve months ending the month prior to the month in which the definitive agreement for such acquisition is signed) or (2) on an individual basis, trailing twelve month revenues in excess of $100 million (with such revenues for each such acquisition being measured for the trailing twelve months ending the month prior to the month in which the definitive agreement for such acquisition is signed); provided that, subject to the foregoing clause (1), Purchaser and its Affiliates may acquire up to two Persons (or assets, businesses or divisions thereof) with trailing twelve month revenues of more than $100 million (with such revenues for each such acquisition being measured for the trailing twelve months ending the month prior to the month in which the definitive agreement for such acquisition is signed).

(g) FCA Matters. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and without limiting the generality of the undertakings of the parties pursuant to this Section 7.6, Purchaser agree to, as soon as reasonably practicable after the date hereof, but in any event no later than fifteen (15) Business Days after the date hereof, make all filings and/or notifications required by Law and/or any relevant rules to obtain the consent of the FCA in order to satisfy the FCA Condition, and thereafter use reasonable best efforts to take any and all actions necessary to satisfy the FCA Condition. Purchaser shall, as soon as reasonably practicable, (i) notify the Company of any material written communication received from the FCA in relation to the FCA Condition, (ii) provide the Company with draft copies of the FCA Approval Notification and any other material submissions and communications relevant to the applications made in connection with the FCA Condition at such time as will allow the Company a reasonable opportunity to provide comments on such submissions and communications before they are submitted, take into account any such comments as are reasonable and provide the Company with copies of all such submissions and communications in the form submitted and (iii) respond to all requests and inquiries from the FCA in connection with satisfying the FCA Condition and

 

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promptly provide all information required by the FCA in connection with satisfying the FCA Condition. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Purchaser shall not be required to provide the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with any commercially sensitive, legally privileged or otherwise confidential information and shall be entitled to redact such information from the FCA Approval Notification or any other submission or communication prior to sharing with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

(h) Jersey Matters.

(i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and without limiting the generality of the undertakings of the parties pursuant to this Section 7.6, Purchaser, Seller, and Jersey Regulated Entity agree to, as soon as reasonably practicable after the date hereof, but in any event no later than fifteen (15) Business Days after the date hereof, make all filings and/or notifications required by Law and/or any relevant rules to obtain the consent of the JFSC in order to satisfy the JFSC Condition. Purchaser and Seller shall, as soon as reasonably practicable, (i) notify the other party of any material written communication received from the JFSC in relation to the JFSC Condition, (ii) provide the other party with draft copies of their respective JFSC filings and/or notifications and any other material submissions and communications relevant to the applications made in connection with the JFSC Condition at such time as will allow the other party a reasonable opportunity to provide comments on such submissions and communications before they are submitted, take into account any such comments as are reasonable and provide the other party with copies of all such submissions and communications in the form submitted and (iii) respond to all requests and inquiries from the JFSC in connection with satisfying the JFSC Condition and promptly provide all information required by the JFSC in connection with satisfying the JFSC Condition. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Purchaser and Seller shall not be required to provide the other party or any of its Subsidiaries with any commercially sensitive or otherwise confidential information and shall be entitled to redact such information from their respective JFSC filings and/or notifications or any other submission or communication prior to sharing with the other party or any of its Subsidiaries.

(ii) Purchaser will, as promptly as reasonably practicable, supply to the Seller and Jersey Regulated Entity all information reasonably requested by the Seller and Jersey Regulated Entity about the Purchaser and its direct and indirect owners and business plans as is reasonably necessary for the Seller, Purchaser and Jersey Regulated Entity to make all filings and/or notifications required by Law and/or any relevant rules to obtain the consent of the JFSC in order to satisfy the JFSC Condition.

(iii) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and to the extent required under the Jersey Competition Law, and without limiting the generality of the undertakings of the parties pursuant to this Section 7.6, Purchaser and the Seller agree to, as soon as reasonably practicable after the date hereof, initiate preliminary discussions, make all filings and/or notifications required by Law and/or any relevant rules to obtain the consent of the JCRA in order to satisfy the JCRA Condition. Purchaser and the Seller shall, as soon as reasonably practicable, (i) notify the other party of any material written communication received from the JCRA in relation to the JCRA Condition, (ii) provide the other party with draft copies of their respective JCRA filings and/or notifications and any other material submissions and communications relevant to the applications made in connection with the JCRA Condition at such

 

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time as will allow the other party a reasonable opportunity to provide comments on such submissions and communications before they are submitted, take into account any such comments as are reasonable and provide the other party with copies of all such submissions and communications in the form submitted and (iii) respond to all requests and inquiries from the JCRA in connection with satisfying the JCRA Condition and promptly provide all information required by the JCRA in connection with satisfying the JCRA Condition. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Purchaser and the Seller shall not be required to provide the other party or any of its Subsidiaries with any commercially sensitive or otherwise confidential information and shall be entitled to redact such information from their respective JCRA filings and/or notifications or any other submission or communication prior to sharing with the other party or any of its Subsidiaries.

(iv) Purchaser and the Seller will, as promptly as reasonably practicable, supply to the other party all information reasonably requested by the other party about the other party and its direct and indirect owners and business plans as is reasonably necessary for each of the Purchaser and the Seller to progress preliminary discussions with the JCRA, make all filings and/or notifications required by Law and/or any relevant rules to obtain the consent of the JCRA in order to satisfy the JCRA Condition.

(i) Ireland Matters.

(i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and without limiting the generality of the undertakings of the parties pursuant to this Section 7.6, Purchaser agrees to (with regard to the CCPC Condition no later than twenty (20) Business Days after the date hereof and with regard to the Irish FDI Condition no later than twenty (20) Business Days after the date hereof or on the first possible date that the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment accepts notifications under the Irish FDI Law, whichever is later) to make all filings and/or notifications required by Law and/or any relevant rules to obtain the consent of the CCPC and the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and thereafter use reasonable best efforts to take any and all actions necessary to satisfy the CCPC Condition and the Irish FDI Condition. Purchaser and Seller shall, as soon as reasonably practicable, (i) notify the other party of any material written communication received from the CCPC in relation to the CCPC Condition and the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in relation to the Irish FDI Condition, (ii) provide the other party with draft copies of their respective filings and/or notifications and any other material submissions and communications relevant to the applications made in connection with the CCPC Condition or the Irish FDI Condition at such time as will allow the other party a reasonable opportunity to provide comments on such submissions and communications before they are submitted, take into account any such comments as are reasonable and provide the other party with copies of all such submissions and communications in the form submitted and (iii) respond to all requests and inquiries from the CCPC in connection with satisfying the CCPC Condition or the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in relation to the Irish FDI Condition, and promptly provide all information required by the CCPC or the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in connection with satisfying the CCPC Condition or the Irish FDI Condition respectively. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Purchaser and Seller shall not be required to provide the other party or any of its Subsidiaries with any commercially sensitive or otherwise confidential information and shall be entitled to redact such information from their respective filings and/or notifications or any other submission or communication in connection with the CCPC Condition or the Irish FDI Condition prior to sharing with the other party or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

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(ii) Individual Questionnaires for Incoming Directors. Where requested by Purchaser during the Interim Period, the Seller shall procure that the Irish Regulated Entities shall submit individual questionnaires through the Central Bank of Ireland’s online application system (together with all documents and information required to be submitted to the Central Bank of Ireland in connection therewith) for the purpose of the Irish Regulated Entities making fitness and probity applications to the Central Bank of Ireland in respect of any new appointments to pre-approval controlled functions (within the meaning of the Central Bank Reform Act 2010 of Ireland) proposed by Purchaser in the relevant Irish Regulated Entity with effect from Closing. The Seller shall procure that the Irish Regulated Entities shall provide Purchaser upon request with updates as to the progress of such applications.

(iii) Central Bank of Ireland Notifications:

(1) The Seller shall procure that the Irish Regulated Entities will each submit a courtesy notification of the Share Purchase to the Central Bank of Ireland no later than ten (10) Business Days after the date of this Agreement and in advance of any public announcement made in connection with the signing of this Agreement.

(2) Purchaser and Company shall procure that without undue delay following the Closing Date, each of the Irish Regulated Entities shall deliver a notification to the Central Bank of Ireland of material changes to its qualifying holdings and close links resulting from the Share Purchase in accordance with Regulation 12(3) of the European Union (Insurance Distribution) Regulations 2018 by completing and submitting the form entitled ‘Insurance Intermediary Change of Shareholding Notification Form November 2024’ published by the Central Bank of Ireland (and as may be amended or updated by the Central Bank of Ireland from time to time) to the Central Bank of Ireland.

(j) FINRA Matters.

(i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and without limiting the generality of the undertakings of the parties pursuant to this Section 7.6, the Company agrees to, within fifteen (15) Business Days after the date hereof, prepare and cause to be filed with FINRA an application for FINRA approval with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby (as specified in FINRA Rule 1017), and shall provide Purchaser with an opportunity to review and comment upon such application (which comments the Company shall consider in good faith) prior to the filing thereof with FINRA.

(ii) Purchaser will, as promptly as reasonably practicable, supply to the Company all information requested by the Company about Purchaser and its direct and indirect owners and business plans as is reasonably necessary (i) for the Company to prepare the CMA and satisfy requests for additional information related thereto from FINRA and (ii) in connection with any other transactions involving the Company or its Subsidiaries requiring FINRA approval prior to the Closing.

 

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Section 7.7 Director and Officer Liability; Indemnification.

(a) Without limiting any additional rights that any Person may have under any Company Benefit Plan, from the Closing through the sixth (6th) anniversary of the Closing Date, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each present (as of immediately prior to the Closing) and former officer or director of the Company and its Subsidiaries (the “Indemnified Individuals”) from and against all claims, losses, liabilities, damages, judgments, inquiries, fines and reasonable fees, costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees and disbursements (“Losses”), incurred in connection with any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, arising out of or pertaining to (i) the fact that the Indemnified Individual is or was an officer, director, manager, employee or agent of the Company or its Subsidiaries or (ii) matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Closing (including this Agreement and the other transactions and actions contemplated hereby), whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Closing, to the fullest extent required under the Organizational Documents of the Company or its applicable Subsidiary as of the date hereof. In the event of any such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, each Indemnified Individual will be entitled to advancement of expenses incurred in the defense of any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation from the Company to the fullest extent required under the Organizational Documents of the Company or its applicable Subsidiary as of the date hereof.

(b) Each of Purchaser and the Company agrees that any indemnification and advancement of expenses available to any Indemnified Individual by virtue of such Indemnified Individual’s service as a partner or employee of, or affiliation with, the Seller, the Sponsors or any investment fund sponsored, managed or advised by the Sponsors (any such Indemnified Individual, a “Seller Director”) shall be secondary to the indemnification and advancement of expenses to be provided by Purchaser and the Company pursuant to this Section 7.7 and that Purchaser and the Company (i) shall be the primary indemnitors of first resort for Seller Directors pursuant to this Section 7.7, (ii) shall be fully responsible for the advancement of all expenses and the payment of all Losses with respect to Seller Directors which are addressed by this Section 7.7 and (iii) shall not make any claim for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect of any other indemnification available to any Seller Director with respect to any matter addressed by this Section 7.7.

(c) The Organizational Documents of each of the Company and its Subsidiaries shall for a period of six (6) years after the Closing Date contain provisions no less favorable with respect to indemnification, advancement of expenses and exculpation of Indemnified Individuals than are set forth in the Organizational Documents of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the date hereof.

(d) This covenant is intended to be for the benefit of, and shall be enforceable by, each of the Indemnified Individuals and their respective heirs and legal representatives. The indemnification provided for herein shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which an Indemnified Individual is entitled, whether pursuant to Law, Contract or otherwise.

 

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(e) Prior to the Closing, the Company shall purchase a six (6)-year “tail” prepaid policy(ies) (the “D&O Tail Policy”) on the existing policy(ies) of the Company’s directors’ and officers’ liability insurance (the “D&O Policy”), in a form reasonably acceptable to Purchaser, covering claims and other matters arising from facts or events that occurred at or prior to the Closing and covering each Indemnified Individual and other natural person insureds who are covered as of the Closing by the D&O Policy on terms and conditions (including limits and retentions) no less favorable to each Indemnified Individual and other natural person insureds than the D&O Policy. Subject to the limitation set forth in Section 11.6, Purchaser and Seller shall share equally the cost of the D&O Tail Policy.

(f) In the event that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective successors or assigns (i) consolidates with or merges into any other Person and shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger or (ii) transfers or conveys all or a majority of its properties and assets to any Person, then, and in each such case, proper provision shall be made so that the successors and assigns of the Company or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be, shall succeed to the obligations set forth in this Section 7.7.

(g) The obligations of Purchaser or the Company under this Section 7.7 shall not be terminated or modified in such a manner as to materially and adversely affect any Indemnified Individual to whom this Section 7.7 applies (it being expressly understood that each Indemnified Individual shall be a third-party beneficiary of this Section 7.7).

Section 7.8 Reasonable Best Efforts. Without limiting the parties’ obligations under Section 7.6, upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein provided, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, each of the parties shall use its reasonable best efforts to take or cause to be taken all actions, to do or cause to be done and to assist and cooperate with the other party in doing all things necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Laws to consummate and make effective as promptly as practicable the transactions contemplated hereby, including: (a) the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to the obligations of any of the parties; and (b) the execution and delivery of such instruments, and the taking of such other actions, as the other party may reasonably require in order to carry out the intent of this Agreement.

Section 7.9 Access to Records. Purchaser shall for a period of seven (7) years following the Closing Date make any records in the possession of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the Closing (or copies thereof), and reasonably appropriate personnel with access to such records, available (at the Seller’s expense), during normal business hours and upon reasonable advance notice, to the Seller and its Representatives as may be reasonably requested by the Seller in connection with any insurance claims by, legal proceedings or governmental investigations (including the Subject Matter and the Specified Appeal Matter) involving, or Tax audits against, management of Tax affairs or compliance with applicable Laws by the Seller or any of its Affiliates; provided, that Seller agrees in advance to a customary confidentiality agreement with respect to such information. Purchaser shall not be obligated to provide any records of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the Business (a) if such access (i) would unreasonably disrupt the operations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or (ii) would require the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to disclose information that, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, would violate Competition Laws due to its competitively sensitive nature, (b) if the parties are in an adversarial relationship related to such requested information, in which case the applicable rules

 

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relating to discovery will govern; or (c) if such access would require the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to provide access or disclose information where such access or disclosure would reasonably be likely to jeopardize or result in a waiver of any applicable attorney-client privilege or would violate any applicable Law, Privacy Requirements or any confidentiality obligation to a third party to which the Company or any of its Affiliates is bound; provided that the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to make appropriate substitute arrangements in a manner that does not result in any of the foregoing issues, including by entering into a common interest agreement as applicable. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, nothing herein imposes any affirmative obligation on Purchaser or the Company to retain any documents or information (except in relation to the Subject Matter and the Specified Appeal Matter), and Purchaser is free to follow its own document retention policies, as such policies may be modified from time to time.

Section 7.10 Certain Consents. Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that certain consents to the transactions contemplated hereby may be required from parties to Contracts to which the Company or one of its Subsidiaries is a party and that such consents have not been obtained as of the date hereof and may not be obtained prior to the Closing. During the Interim Period, the Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use reasonable best efforts to obtain the consent or approval of, or to provide notice to, any counterparty to any Contract to which it is a party or any other third party to the extent that it is or may be required to be obtained or provided in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Nothing in this Section 7.10 shall obligate or be construed to obligate the Seller or any of its Affiliates (including the Company) to (a) make, or to cause to be made, any payment to any third Person (other than outside advisor or similar fees in connection therewith), (b) commence any Action or (c) offer to grant any material accommodation (financial or otherwise) to any third Person in each case in order to obtain the consent or approval of such third Person under any Contract, and Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that the receipt of such consent or approval (including any consent or approval contemplated by Section 7.21) shall not be a condition to Closing set forth in ARTICLE VIII.

Section 7.11 Tax Matters.

(a) Following the Closing, the Seller and Purchaser shall (and shall cause their respective Affiliates (including, with respect to the Purchaser, the Company and its Subsidiaries) to) provide the other party and its Affiliates with such assistance and information as may be reasonably requested in connection with the calculation of the Income Tax Liability Amount, the preparation of any Tax Return relating to the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to a Pre-Closing Tax Period or any Straddle Period, and the conduct of any Tax Action, examination or contest relating to any of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to a Pre-Closing Tax Period or any Straddle Period, provided that the foregoing shall be done in a manner so as not to interfere unreasonably with the conduct of the business of the parties.

(b) Any and all Tax sharing, allocation, indemnity or similar Contracts binding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than (i) Contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business, the principal purpose of which is not Taxes and (ii) Contracts that are solely between or among the Company and its Subsidiaries) shall be terminated as of the Closing Date, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall have any liability thereunder for any taxable period or portion thereof beginning on the day after the Closing Date.

 

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(c) For purposes of this Agreement, in the case of any Taxes that are payable for a Straddle Period, the portion of such Tax which relates to the portion of such Straddle Period ending on the Closing Date shall (i) in the case of any Taxes, other than Taxes described in clause (ii), be deemed to be the amount of such Tax for the entire taxable period multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days in the taxable period ending on the Closing Date and the denominator of which is the number of days in the entire taxable period, and (ii) in the case of any Tax based upon or related to income, receipts or payroll, be deemed equal to the amount which would be payable if the relevant taxable period ended as of the end of the Closing Date; provided that any transactions or events outside of the ordinary course of business occurring on the Closing Date after the Closing and not otherwise expressly contemplated by this Agreement shall be treated as occurring in the portion of such Straddle Period beginning after the Closing Date.

(d) The parties hereto shall, to the extent permitted or required under applicable Law, treat the Closing Date as the last day of the taxable period of the Company and its Subsidiaries for all Tax purposes, and Purchaser shall cause the Company to join Purchaser’s “consolidated group” (as defined in Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-76(h)) effective on the day after the Closing Date.

(e) If Purchaser or any of its Affiliates (including, after the Closing, the Company and its Subsidiaries) takes any of the following actions, no Taxes resulting from or attributable to such action will be included in the calculation of the Income Tax Liability Amount: (1) filing or amending or otherwise modifying any Tax Return of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries relating to a Pre-Closing Tax Period or Straddle Period (except any such Tax Returns that are filed in accordance with Section 7.11(f)), (2) extending or waiving, or causing to be extended or waived, any statute of limitations or other period for the assessment of any Tax or deficiency with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries related to a Pre-Closing Tax Period or Straddle Period, (3) making or changing any Tax election or accounting method or practice with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to, or that has retroactive effect to, any Pre-Closing Tax Period or Straddle Period, or (4) initiating any voluntary contact with a Governmental Entity (including any voluntary disclosure agreement or similar process) with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries regarding any Pre-Closing Tax Period or Straddle Period.

(f) Purchaser shall prepare and file, or cause to be prepared and filed, all income Tax Returns for the Company and its Subsidiaries for any Pre-Closing Tax Period (or pre-Closing portion of any Straddle Period) that are due after the Closing Date (taking into account extensions) and are either due or filed prior to the final determination of the Purchase Price pursuant to Section 3.5 (each, a “Pre-Closing Tax Return”). All such Tax Returns shall be prepared and filed in a manner consistent with (i) the past practices and accounting methods of the Company and its Subsidiaries and (ii) for the avoidance of doubt, Section 7.11(c) and (d). Until the Purchase Price has been finally determined pursuant to Section 3.5, Purchaser shall deliver a copy of any Pre-Closing Tax Return to the Seller for Seller’s review and comment, at least thirty (30) days prior to the due date for filing such Tax Return, and shall consider in good faith any reasonable comments provided by the Seller in writing at least ten (10) days prior to the due date for filing such Tax Return.

 

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(g) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the covenants in this Section 7.11 shall survive the Closing until the date that is the sixth anniversary of the Closing Date.

Section 7.12 Transfer Taxes. All Transfer Taxes incurred on the Share Purchase shall be borne by Purchaser. Purchaser and the Seller shall cooperate in timely filing all necessary Tax Returns and other documentation with respect to all such Transfer Taxes.

Section 7.13 Insurance. Prior to the Closing, the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to obtain, at Purchaser’s and Seller’s equally shared cost (but subject to the limitations set forth in Section 11.6), irrevocable global Professional/E&O liability, EPLI, and Cyber insurance tail policies, in a form reasonably acceptable to Purchaser, for the benefit of the Company and its Subsidiaries in respect of claims notified during the six (6)-year period following the Closing Date (or, to the extent the six (6)-year extended notice period is not available, the longest period that the Company can obtain under such policies using reasonable best efforts) which relate to circumstances which occurred prior to the Closing, on terms and conditions (including limits and retentions) no less favorable to those under the global Professional/E&O liability, EPLI and Cyber insurance policies benefitting the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the date hereof. The Company shall keep Purchaser reasonably informed with respect to the status of its efforts to obtain such tail policies.

Section 7.14 Redemption of Existing Notes and Preferred Shares.

(a) With respect to the outstanding Existing Notes, if requested by Purchaser in writing, the Company and its Subsidiaries shall take any actions as may be reasonably necessary to facilitate the redemption, satisfaction and/or discharge of such Existing Notes at the Closing pursuant to the Indentures (the “Notes Redemption”), including (i) delivering notices of redemption in accordance with the terms of the applicable Indenture; provided, that any such notices may be conditioned upon one or more conditions precedent, including, but not limited to, the occurrence of the Closing, and (ii) delivering to the applicable trustee(s) under each applicable Indenture any customary opinions, certificates, or other deliverables required by the terms of the applicable Indenture or as may be requested by the trustee, and (iii) taking any other actions as may be reasonably necessary to facilitate the Notes Redemption, it being understood that, at Closing, Purchaser or its designee (which may be the Company) shall deposit with the appropriate trustee or other recipient cash or cash equivalents sufficient to actually effect such redemption, satisfaction and/or discharge; provided that (A) any documentation relating to any such redemption, satisfaction or discharge (including any amendments, supplements or other modifications thereto) and all materials requested to be published or mailed to the holders of the Existing Notes shall be subject to the prior prompt review of, and comment by, Purchaser and reasonably acceptable to Purchaser (any such approval or acceptance not to be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), (B) the consummation of any such redemption, satisfaction or discharge (and any related obligation of the Company and its Subsidiaries) shall be contingent upon the occurrence of, and not effective until, the Closing unless otherwise agreed by the Company and Purchaser, (C) prior to the Closing, unless otherwise required or requested by the applicable trustee under the respective Indenture in connection with the Notes Redemption, the Company shall not be required to cause its counsel to deliver any legal opinion in connection with any such redemption, satisfaction or discharge for any of the Existing Notes or the execution by

 

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the trustee of a supplemental indenture in accordance with each Indenture or other instrument, (D) the Company and its Subsidiaries shall not be required to pay any fees, costs or expenses, or make any other payment in connection with any such redemption, satisfaction or discharge, prior to the Closing, and (E) the Company and its Subsidiaries shall not be required to incur any other liability in connection with any such redemption, satisfaction or discharge prior to the Closing for which the Company or such Subsidiary is not otherwise reimbursed pursuant to this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, in the case of each of clause (D) and clause (E), the Company and its Subsidiaries shall remain obligated to take any actions as may be reasonably necessary to facilitate the Notes Redemption at the Closing pursuant to the Indentures.

(b) With respect to the outstanding Preferred Shares, the Company shall take any actions as may be reasonably necessary to facilitate the redemption of such Preferred Shares at the Closing pursuant to the provisions of the Preferred Shares Governing Documents and the Organizational Documents, including (i) adopting any resolutions or other approvals as may be necessary in connection with such redemption under the Company’s Organizational Document and providing copies of the same to Purchaser and (ii) delivering the notices of redemption not less than ten (10) days before the anticipated Closing Date in accordance with the terms of the applicable Preferred Shares Governing Documents, including as set forth in Section 3.03 of the Preferred Certificate of Designation and (iii) collecting from the holders of the Preferred Shares any certificates (to the extent certificated) representing such Preferred Shares (or an affidavit of loss in lieu thereof in customary form to the extent certificated) and delivering the same to Purchaser at least five (5) Business Days prior to the anticipated Closing Date; provided, that any such notices may be conditioned upon one or more conditions precedent, including, but not limited to, the occurrence of the Closing; provided that (A) any documentation relating to any such redemption (including any amendments, supplements or other modifications thereto) and all materials requested to be published or mailed to the holders of the Preferred Shares shall be subject to the prior prompt review of, and comment by, Purchaser and reasonably acceptable to Purchaser (with drafts being delivered in advance as reasonably requested by Purchaser and any such approval or acceptance not to be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), and (B) the consummation of any such redemption shall be contingent upon the occurrence of the Closing unless otherwise agreed by the Company and Purchaser.

Section 7.15 Payment of Subject Indebtedness. The Seller, the Company and its Subsidiaries shall deliver, (a) with respect to Subject Indebtedness (with drafts being delivered in advance as reasonably requested by Purchaser), (i) copies of a Payoff Letter (subject to the delivery of funds as arranged by the Purchaser) with respect to the Credit Documents and any other Indebtedness incurred pursuant to Section 7.1(b)(v)(2) (the Indebtedness under such Credit Documents and any such other Indebtedness other than any Indebtedness that may be redeemed pursuant to Section 7.14, the “Subject Indebtedness”) in customary form, which Payoff Letter shall (A) indicate the total amount required to be paid to fully satisfy all principal, interest, fees, prepayment premiums, termination costs, penalties, breakage costs and any other monetary obligations then due and payable under the Subject Indebtedness as of the anticipated Closing Date (and the daily accrual thereafter) and, if applicable, specify that all outstanding letters of credit issued thereunder have been reimbursed in full (other than letters of credit that have been fully cash collateralized, backstopped, cancelled or expired prior to the Closing) (collectively, the “Payoff Amount”), (B) state that, upon receipt of the Payoff Amount under such Payoff Letter, the Subject Indebtedness and all related loan documents shall be terminated (other than provisions that

 

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by their nature survive payoff) (or words to that effect) and (C) provide that all security interests and guarantees (if any) in connection with the Subject Indebtedness relating to the assets and properties of the Seller, the Company or its Subsidiaries securing the obligations under the Subject Indebtedness shall be released and terminated upon payment of the Payoff Amount on the Closing Date and (ii) the form of all documentation relating to the release of all related pledges, security interests and guarantees with respect to the Subject Indebtedness (including any mortgage releases and termination statements on Form UCC-3 or other releases necessary or reasonably advisable to effect the release, including with respect to any releases that may be filed or recorded after the Closing, of all applicable security interests granted in connection with such Subject Indebtedness) and (b) with respect to unpaid Company Transaction Expenses estimated to be due and payable to any advisor or other service provider, as the case may be, as of the Closing Date, copies of any summary invoices from each advisor or other service provider (subject to the delivery of funds as arranged by the Purchaser) with respect to such Company Transaction Expenses.

Section 7.16 R&W Insurance. If Purchaser or an Affiliate of Purchaser obtains a representations and warranties insurance policy relating to this Agreement (a “R&W Policy”), Purchaser shall cause such R&W Policy to at all times expressly provide that the insurers thereunder irrevocably waive and shall not pursue any subrogation rights or any other claims against the Seller, the Sponsors or their respective Affiliates (the “RWI Protected Persons), except in the case of claims against any such Person in respect of Fraud (and, in such case, only as to such Fraud). The RWI Protected Persons are express third party beneficiaries of this Section 7.16. The Seller shall, and shall cause the Company and its Subsidiaries to, provide such reasonable cooperation to Purchaser as reasonably requested by Purchaser in connection with Purchaser’s or its Affiliates obtaining the R&W Policy, including provision of access to information pursuant to Section 7.5 hereof and provision to the insurer thereunder or to Purchaser complete copies of the Electronic Data Room in a format and on media acceptable to the underwriter of the R&W Policy and providing Purchaser information to aid Purchaser in attempting to eliminate any exclusions from coverage under the R&W Policy.

Section 7.17 Further Assurances. Following the Closing, the parties shall take or cause to be taken all reasonable actions, execute and deliver such additional reasonable instruments, documents, conveyances or assurances (in each case, including that which is necessary or appropriate to accomplish following the Closing, the release of Encumbrances, which were not released on or prior to the Closing) and to do or cause to be done all other things, reasonable, necessary, proper or advisable, or otherwise reasonably requested by another party hereto, in order for such party to fulfill and perform its obligations in respect of this Agreement and the Transaction Agreements to which any such Person is a party, or otherwise to consummate and make effective the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and carry out the intent and purposes of this Agreement.

Section 7.18 Exclusivity. During the Interim Period, the Seller shall not, and shall cause its Affiliates (including the Company and its Subsidiaries) and instruct their respective Representatives not to, (a) solicit, initiate, facilitate or encourage any offer or proposal for, or indication of interest in, an Alternative Transaction from any Person, (b) engage in, continue, facilitate, encourage or otherwise participate in discussions or negotiations with any Person in respect of an Alternative Transaction, (c) furnish or cause to be furnished to any Person any information concerning the Company or its Subsidiaries in connection with an Alternative

 

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Transaction, (d) enter into any Contract with any Person setting forth the terms and conditions for an Alternative Transaction (including any letter of intent, agreement, agreement in principle or memorandum of understanding) or similar agreement, arrangement or understanding setting forth the terms and conditions of an Alternative Transaction or (e) otherwise cooperate in any way with, or assist or participate in, facilitate or encourage, any effort or attempt by any other Person to do or seek any of the foregoing. The Seller and the Company further agree to, and to cause their Affiliates to, immediately suspend and terminate, and to use reasonable best efforts to cause their respective Representatives to immediately suspend and terminate, any activities that would be prohibited by the foregoing as of the execution and delivery of this Agreement, including suspending and terminating any and all existing discussions or negotiations with any Person or group of Persons (other than Purchaser and its Affiliates) regarding an Alternative Transaction and any and all access (whether through an electronic dataroom or otherwise), and shall cease to provide, to any such Person or group any non-public or proprietary information of or relating to the Company and any of its Subsidiaries regarding an Alternative Transaction. Neither the Seller nor the Company shall, and they shall cause their Affiliates to instruct their Representatives not to, respond to any inquiry made by any Person concerning any such Alternative Transaction (including Persons with whom the Representatives may have had discussions prior to the date hereof), except to advise such Person of the limitations and restrictions set forth in this Section 7.18. For purposes of this Section 7.18, a “Person” shall not include Purchaser or its Affiliates or their respective Representatives.

Section 7.19 Resignations. The Seller shall use reasonable best efforts to provide any resignations, effective as of the Closing, of the members of the board of directors (or any equivalent governing body) or officers of the Company or its Subsidiaries that are requested in writing by Purchaser no later than five (5) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, and Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that the receipt of any such resignations shall not be a condition to Closing set forth in ARTICLE VIII.

Section 7.20 Cooperation with Financing.

(a) From the date hereof to the earlier of the Closing and termination of this Agreement, the Seller and the Company shall use their reasonable best efforts to, and shall use their reasonable best efforts to cause the Subsidiaries of the Company and their respective officers, employees and advisors to use reasonable best efforts to, provide to Purchaser, at Purchaser’s sole cost and expense, such cooperation as may be reasonably requested by Purchaser to assist it in arranging any debt financing that Purchaser may incur for the purpose of funding the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, which may include one or more loan financings, private or public offerings and sales of notes, or any other private or public financings or offers and sales of other debt securities, or any combination thereof (any such financing, the “Debt Financing”) or one or more equity financings (any such financing, the “Equity Financing”), including using reasonable best efforts to:

(i) participate in a reasonable number of meetings, drafting sessions, rating agency and roadshow presentations and due diligence sessions in connection with the Financing, at reasonable times and locations upon reasonable prior notice;

 

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(ii) provide (A) the Required Information, which shall be Compliant, within the timeframes specified in the definition of such term and (B) promptly, such other pertinent and customary information regarding the Company and its Subsidiaries as is reasonably requested in writing by Purchaser in connection with the consummation of the Financing, to the extent necessary or customary for the preparation of or inclusion in marketing materials for the Financing; provided that nothing will require the Seller, the Company or the Company’s Subsidiaries to provide (or be deemed to require Seller, the Company or the Company’s Subsidiaries to prepare): (1) any pro forma financial statements, any information regarding post-Closing pro forma cost savings, synergies, adjustments, capitalization or ownership or projections or other post-Closing adjustments, (2) any description of all or any portion of the Financing or any securities issued in lieu thereof, including any “capitalization” (with respect to Purchaser), “description of notes,” “description of other indebtedness” or “plan of distribution,” any such description to be included in liquidity and capital resources disclosure or other information customarily provided by the Debt Financing Sources, (3) risk factors relating to all or any component of the Financing or any securities issued in lieu thereof, (4) any other information required by Rules 3-05 (with respect to acquisitions made by the Company or the Company’s Subsidiaries), 3-09, 3-10, 3-16, 13-01 or 13-02 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act, any Compensation Discussion and Analysis or information required by required by Item 302, 402, 403, 404 or 601 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act or any information regarding executive compensation and related person disclosure or XBRL exhibits and the executive compensation and related person disclosure rules related to SEC Release Nos. 33-8732A, 34-54302A and IC-27444A, (5) financial statements or other financial data (including selected financial data) for any period earlier than the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 in the case of the Company and its Subsidiaries, (6) (A) the effects of purchase accounting or any adjustments related thereto for any applicable transaction, or (B) any tax consideration or use of proceeds disclosure, or (7) projections or other forward-looking statements (clauses (1) through (7), the “Excluded Information”) (and for the avoidance of doubt, under no circumstances shall the Required Information include (or be deemed to include) any Excluded Information);

(iii) request and facilitate its independent auditors to (A) provide, consistent with customary practice, customary auditors consents and customary comfort letters (including customary “negative assurance” comfort) with respect to financial information relating to the Company and its Subsidiaries as reasonably requested by Purchaser and necessary or customary for financings similar to the Financing (including any offering or private placement of 144A debt securities) and (B) attend a reasonable number of accounting due diligence sessions and drafting sessions as provided for under this Section 7.20;

(iv) as promptly as reasonably practicable, inform Purchaser if, to the Knowledge of the Company, there are any facts that would be reasonably likely to require the restatement of any financial statements comprising a portion of the Required Information in order for such financial statements to comply with GAAP or that the Required Information is not otherwise Compliant;

 

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(v) assist Purchaser, the Debt Financing Sources and any investors in connection with the Equity Financing with the preparation of a customary offering document (including a private placement memorandum, prospectus, offering memorandum or any similar document), bank information memoranda, confidential information memoranda, and similar syndication materials, marketing documents, rating agency presentations and investor and lender presentations (including the delivery of customary authorization letters to the extent reasonably requested by Purchaser’s financing sources and customary for similar financings), in each case, solely with respect to information regarding the Company and its Subsidiaries;

(vi) assist Purchaser in the preparation of (but not prepare or, for the avoidance of doubt, provide any Excluded Information) pro forma financial information and pro forma financial statements and other financial data that would meet the applicable requirements of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and of the type customarily included in offering documents for debt financings similar to the Debt Financing or registered public offering of non-convertible debt or equity securities under the Securities Act (it being understood that (A) Purchaser shall be responsible for the preparation of any pro forma calculations, any post-Closing or other pro forma cost savings, synergies, capitalization, ownership or other pro forma adjustments that may be included therein and (B) the Company will not be required to provide any information or assistance relating to (1) the proposed amount of debt and equity financing or any assumed interest rates, dividends (if any) or fees and expenses relating to the incurrence of such debt or equity financing, (2) any post-Closing or other pro forma cost savings, synergies, capitalization or ownership desired to be incorporated into any information used in connection with the Financing or (3) any financial information related to Purchaser or any of its Subsidiaries);

(vii) assist Purchaser in connection with the preparation of (but not executing prior to the Closing Date (and subject to the limitations on execution contained herein)) any loan agreement, indenture, guarantees, pledge and security documents and other definitive financing documents as may be reasonably requested by Purchaser and the Debt Financing Sources and subject to the occurrence of the Closing and otherwise reasonably cooperating with Purchaser and the Debt Financing Sources in facilitating the pledging of collateral and the granting of security interests subject to the occurrence of the Closing;

(viii) if requested in writing to the Company at least 10 Business Days prior to the Closing, provide at least three (3) Business Days prior to the Closing, Purchaser with all documentation and other information as is reasonably requested by the Debt Financing Sources and/or the underwriters or initial purchasers in connection with the Equity Financing in connection with the Financing pursuant to applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations; and

(ix) take all corporate and other customary actions, subject to the occurrence of the Closing, reasonably requested by Purchaser to permit the consummation of the Financing; provided that nothing contained in this Section 7.20 shall require such cooperation to the extent it would interfere unreasonably with the business or operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries; and provided further that, in connection with their performance of their respective obligations under this Section 7.20, none of the Seller, the Company or their respective Affiliates or Representatives shall (A) be required to pay any commitment or other similar fee, (B) have any liability or obligation under any loan agreement, indenture and related documents, unless and until the Closing occurs, (C) be required to take any action that would subject any of the Company’s or its direct or indirect Subsidiaries’ respective Representatives to any actual or potential personal liability, (D) be required to take any action that would (1) conflict with or violate the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ organizational documents or any applicable Laws or any confidentiality

 

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obligation to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, or owing to a third party (including with respect to any trade secrets, carrier, producer, supplier or customer-specific data or competitively sensitive information), (2) cause or reasonably be expected to cause the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to waive its attorney-client privilege, protection under the work product doctrine or any similar privilege with respect to such information, (3) result in the contravention of, or that would reasonably be expected to result in a violation or breach of, or a default under, or give rise to any right of termination, cancellation or acceleration of any material right or obligation of any Person under, any Contract to which the Company or its Subsidiaries is a party or (4) result in the creation or imposition of any lien on any asset of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except any lien that becomes effective only upon the Closing, (E) be required to deliver or obtain legal opinions or reliance letters of internal or external counsel, (F) be required (including by its or their respective Representatives) to execute, deliver or enter into, or perform any agreement, document or instrument, including any definitive financing agreement or any agreement related to the granting or perfection of security interests, with respect to the Financing that is not contingent upon the Closing or that would be effective prior to the Closing Date (other than customary authorization letters referred to in Section 7.20(a)(v) above), and the directors and managers of the Company and its Subsidiaries shall not be required to adopt resolutions approving the agreements, documents and instruments pursuant to which the Financing is obtained unless Purchaser shall have determined that such directors and managers are to remain as directors and managers of the Company or its Subsidiaries, as applicable, on and after the Closing Date, and such resolutions are contingent upon the occurrence of the Closing, and only effective as of, the Closing Date, or (G) be required to take any action that would cause or that would reasonably be expected to cause any representation or warranty in this Agreement to be breached or any condition to the Closing set forth in Article VIII to not be satisfied. The Company hereby consents to the use of its and its Subsidiaries’ logos in connection with the Financing; provided that such logos are used solely in connection with the Financing and in a manner that is not intended to nor reasonably likely to harm or disparage the Company or its Subsidiaries or the reputation or goodwill of the Company or its Subsidiaries and its or their marks.

(b) Whether or not the Closing occurs, Purchaser shall promptly reimburse the Seller, the Company and its Subsidiaries for all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by any of them or any of their respective Affiliates and Representatives in connection with this Section 7.20, including reasonable and documented legal fees, accounting fees and other fees and expenses (provided that Purchaser shall not be obligated to reimburse the Company and its Subsidiaries for any expenses related to the preparation of the Required Information in excess of $250,000 in the aggregate) and shall indemnify and hold harmless each of the Seller, the Company, its Subsidiaries and each of their respective Affiliates and their respective Representatives from and against any and all losses and other liabilities of any type suffered or incurred by any of them in connection with the arrangement and preparation of the Financing and any information used in connection therewith, except to the extent such losses and liabilities arise out of or result from the gross negligence, fraud, willful misconduct or bad faith of the Seller, the Company, its Subsidiaries, any Affiliate of the foregoing or their respective Representatives. All information provided by the Seller, the Company, its Subsidiaries, their respective Affiliates or any of their respective Representatives pursuant to this Section 7.20 shall be kept confidential in accordance with the Confidentiality Agreement, except that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary herein or in the Confidentiality Agreement, Purchaser shall be permitted to disclose such information to the sources of the Financing, prospective lenders or investors during syndication or marketing of the Financing subject to such sources of the Financing and prospective lenders or investors entering into customary confidentiality undertakings with respect to such information.

 

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(c) Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that the obligations of Purchaser under this Agreement, including its obligations to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, are not in any way conditioned or contingent upon or otherwise subject to Purchaser consummating any financing arrangement or obtaining any financing or the availability, grant, provision or extension of any financing to Purchaser (including any portion of the Financing).

(d) The parties acknowledge and agree that the provisions contained in this Section 7.20 represent the sole obligation of the Seller, the Company, its Subsidiaries and their respective Affiliates and Representatives with respect to cooperation in connection with the arrangement of the Financing and no other provision of this Agreement (including the Exhibits and Schedules hereto) shall be deemed to expand or modify such obligations.

(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the parties acknowledge and agree that, for all purposes of this Agreement (including any condition to the Closing set forth in Article VIII as it applies to the obligations of the Seller, the Company and its Subsidiaries under this Section 7.20), the Seller, the Company and its Subsidiaries shall in all instances be deemed to have satisfied their obligations under this Section 7.20, unless the Purchaser fails to obtain the Financing and such failure is the result of any gross negligence on the part of, or any willful and material breach of the obligations of, the Seller, the Company or any Subsidiary under this Section 7.20, the Purchaser shall have provided written notice to the Seller identifying such breach, and the Seller and the Company shall have failed to cure such breach within two (2) Business Days after such written notice.

Section 7.21 IA Client Consents.

(a) The Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use reasonable best efforts to obtain, as promptly as reasonably practicable after the date of this Agreement, the consent of each IA Client for which consent to the “assignment” (as defined in the Advisers Act) of such IA Client’s Investment Advisory Agreement is required by applicable Law or by such IA Client’s Investment Advisory Agreement as a result of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. In furtherance thereof, if such IA Client’s Investment Advisory Agreement does not expressly require the written consent of the IA Client to the assignment of such Investment Advisory Agreement, the Company shall, or shall cause its Subsidiaries to, as applicable, send to such IA Client as promptly as practicable, but in no event later than 20 Business Days after the date of this Agreement, a written notice (the “Negative Consent Notice”), which shall be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Purchaser, informing such IA Client: (i) of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (ii) of the intention to complete the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, which will result in an assignment or deemed assignment of such Investment Advisory Agreement; (iii) of the intention of Purchaser or its Affiliates to continue to provide the applicable services pursuant to the existing Investment Advisory Agreement with such IA Client after the Closing if such IA Client does not terminate such agreement prior to the Closing; and (iv) that the consent of such IA Client will be deemed to have been granted if such IA Client does not terminate its Investment Advisory Agreement within 45 days after the sending of the Negative Consent

 

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Notice. At the end of such 45 day period, if such IA Client has not terminated its Investment Advisory Agreement, and except as provided in the proviso in the definition of “Consenting Client,” such IA Client shall be deemed a Consenting Client for all purposes under this Agreement. If the applicable Investment Advisory Agreement expressly requires the written consent of the IA Client to the assignment or deemed assignment of such IA Client’s Investment Advisory Agreement, then the Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, as applicable, as promptly as reasonably practicable, but in no event later than 20 Business Days, after the date of this Agreement, and in lieu of the Negative Consent Notice, send a written notice to such IA Client, which shall be in form an substance reasonably satisfactory to Purchaser, informing such IA Client of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and requesting written consent to the deemed assignment of such IA Client’s Investment Advisory Agreement, and once such IA Client has provided its written consent to the assignment or deemed assignment of such IA Client’s Investment Advisory Agreement, except as provided in the proviso in the definition of “Consenting Client,” such IA Client shall be deemed a Consenting Client for all purposes under this Agreement.

(b) In connection with obtaining the consents and other actions required by this Section 7.21, at all times prior to the Closing, the Company and Purchaser shall provide all commercially reasonable cooperation to the other, and the Company shall keep Purchaser promptly informed of the status of obtaining such consents and shall, upon Purchaser’s reasonable request, make available to Purchaser copies of all such executed consents, related materials and other records relating to the consent process. Without limiting the foregoing, Purchaser shall have the right to review in advance of distribution any notices or other materials to be distributed by the Company or any of its Representatives to IA Clients and the Company shall consider in good faith any reasonable comments provided by Purchaser. During the Interim Period, the Company and Purchaser shall communicate on a regular basis to stay apprised of such efforts to satisfy the requirements required to obtain the requisite IA Client Consents under this Section 7.21, and, upon reasonable request, the Company shall make available to Purchaser copies of all executed IA Client Consents and other documents evidencing satisfaction of the foregoing.

Section 7.22 Litigation Bond Cash. Following the date hereof, the Company and Purchaser shall use reasonable best efforts to obtain a new appeal bond (a “Replacement Bond”) to replace the appeal bond the Company currently has in effect in respect of the Specified Appeal Matter (the “Existing Bond”). Any such Replacement Bond shall comply with the requirements of the applicable Governmental Entities involved in the Specified Appeal Matter. The Company and Purchaser shall cooperate in good faith with any such efforts to obtain a Replacement Bond, including (with respect to Purchaser) by providing reasonably requested information and other assurances regarding the creditworthiness of Purchaser and its Affiliates to obtain a Replacement Bond that does not require the Company or its applicable Subsidiary to cash collateralize or otherwise segregate cash in support of the Replacement Bond. The Company will bear the premium and related costs incurred in obtaining a Replacement Bond (the “Replacement Bond Cost”). In the event that the Company and the Purchaser are not able to obtain a Replacement Bond prior to the Closing that would take effect upon the Closing, then the Company and Purchaser will cooperate in good faith to determine the Replacement Bond Cost to be used for the calculation of the Litigation Bond Difference Amount hereunder based on the cost of equivalent instruments in similar circumstances.

 

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Section 7.23 The Subject Matter.

(a) During the Interim Period and after the Closing until the final settlement or non-appealable resolution of the Subject Matter, the Seller shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries and their respective Representatives to, use their reasonable best efforts to, (i) provide Purchaser with regular updates (and, if reasonably requested by Purchaser, to promptly provide additional updates) on the status of the Subject Matter, (ii) provide Purchaser with copies of any material responses, documents, communications, or other material information (including any material documents, communications, or other material information relating to any negotiations or proposed resolution of the Subject Matter), and (iii) provide Purchaser with copies of any proposed agreement with any Governmental Entity with respect to the Subject Matter, or any materials or material proposed terms relating to any proposed resolution of the Subject Matter provided or otherwise communicated by any Governmental Entity promptly; provided that no such access, updates, copies or correspondence shall be permitted to the extent that (x) prior to Closing, it would require the Seller or any of its Subsidiaries to disclose information that, in the reasonable judgment of the Seller, would violate Competition Laws due to its competitively sensitive nature, or (y) would require the Seller or any of its Subsidiaries to provide access or disclose information where such access or disclosure would reasonably be likely to jeopardize or result in a waiver of any applicable attorney-client privilege or would violate any applicable Law; provided that Seller shall use reasonable best efforts to make appropriate substitute arrangements in a manner that does not result in any of the foregoing issues.

(b) During the Interim Period, Purchaser and the Company shall, and the Company shall cause its applicable Subsidiaries to, cooperate to enter into a customary common interest agreement with respect to the Subject Matter.

(c) During the Interim Period, to the extent Purchaser, in Purchaser’s reasonable discretion, deems any proposed resolution or settlement agreement of the Subject Matter to be materially adverse to the Company or its Subsidiaries as of the Closing, neither the Seller nor any of its Affiliates shall enter into any such resolution of, or settlement agreement with respect to, the Subject Matter, without Purchaser’s prior written consent, which may not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

(d) During the Interim Period and after the Closing until the final settlement or non-appealable resolution of the Subject Matter, the Seller shall use its reasonable best efforts to, and shall cause its Subsidiaries and their respective Representatives to use their reasonable best efforts to, provide Purchaser with regular updates (and, if reasonably requested by Purchaser, to promptly provide additional updates) on the status of any Action threatened or filed involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries related to the Subject Matter.

 

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Section 7.24 Retention Bonus Agreements. Purchaser shall execute the Retention Bonus Agreements promptly (and in any event within three (3) Business Days) after the date each such Retention Bonus Agreement is executed by the applicable Company Employee who is a counterparty thereto. Without limiting the foregoing, Purchaser shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to, use its reasonable best efforts to take all actions necessary to effectuate the transactions contemplated by, and otherwise comply with, the Retention Bonus Agreements, including, to the extent permitted by Law, the filing of a registration statement on Form S-8 registering the issuance of the shares contemplated by the Retention Bonus Agreements.

Section 7.25 Pre-Closing Reorganization. During the Interim Period, the Seller shall use its reasonable best efforts to, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to use their reasonable best efforts to, effectuate the Pre-Closing Reorganization in accordance with Schedule 7.25.

ARTICLE VIII

CONDITIONS OF CLOSING

Section 8.1 Conditions to Obligations of Each Party. The respective obligations of each party to consummate the Share Purchase are subject to the satisfaction (or waiver, if permissible under applicable Law, by each of Purchaser and, if applicable, the Seller), at or prior to the Closing, of each of the following conditions:

(a) there shall not be any Law or Governmental Order in effect making illegal the consummation of the Share Purchase or restraining, enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the consummation of the Share Purchase on the terms contemplated herein; and

(b) (i) the waiting period (including any extension thereof) applicable to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement under the HSR Act shall have expired or been terminated and (ii) any consent, clearance, waiver, non-objection, confirmation, expiration, or termination of a waiting period, authorization or Governmental Order, or approval of, or any exemption by, any Governmental Entity, including in respect of Competition Laws and Investment Screening Laws, in each case to the extent set forth on Schedule 8.1(b) shall have been obtained, and all applicable waiting periods in respect thereof shall have expired, lapsed, or been terminated (as appropriate) (unless, in the case of this clause (ii), Purchaser has waived such condition).

Section 8.2 Additional Conditions to Obligations of Purchaser. The obligations of Purchaser to consummate the Share Purchase are subject to the satisfaction, at or prior to the Closing, of each of the following conditions (any or all of which may be waived by Purchaser in whole or in part in its sole discretion):

(a) each of the representations and warranties regarding the Seller (i) contained in the first sentence of Section 4.1 (Organization and Good Standing), Section 4.2 (Capitalization) and Section 4.3 (Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability) shall be true and correct in all but de minimis respects as of the Closing as though made as of the Closing (except for any such representations and warranties that are made at or as of a specific date or time, which representations and warranties shall be so true and correct only at and as of such specific date or time), (ii) contained in Section 4.1 (Organization and Good Standing) (other than the first sentence of Section 4.1) shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing as though made as of the Closing (except for any such representations and warranties that are made at or as of a specific date or time, which representations and warranties shall be so true and correct only at and

 

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as of such specific date or time) and (iii) contained in Article IV (other than the representations and warranties contained in Section 4.1, Section 4.2 and Section 4.3) shall be true and correct (without giving effect to any materiality, “Material Adverse Effect” or similar qualifications set forth therein) as of the Closing as though made as of the Closing (or, in the case of representations and warranties that address matters only as of a particular date, as of such date), except, in the case of this clause (ii), where the failure of such representations or warranties to be true and correct has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, a material adverse effect on the ability of the Seller to consummate the Share Purchase and the other transactions applicable to the Seller contemplated by this Agreement to occur at the Closing;

(b) each of the representations and warranties regarding the Company (i) contained in Section 5.7(b) (Material Adverse Effect) shall be true and correct as of the Closing as though made as of the Closing, (ii) contained in the first sentence of Section 5.1(a) (Organization and Good Standing), the first two sentences of Section 5.2(a) (Capitalization) and Section 5.3 (Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability) shall be true and correct in all but de minimis respects as of the Closing as though made as of the Closing (except for any such representations and warranties that are made at or as of a specific date or time, which representations and warranties shall be so true and correct only at and as of such specific date or time), (iii) contained in Section 5.1(a) (Organization and Good Standing) (other than the first sentence thereof), Section 5.2(a) (Capitalization) (other than the first two sentences thereof) and the last sentence of Section 5.2(c) shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing as though made as of the Closing (except for any such representations and warranties that are made at or as of a specific date or time, which representations and warranties shall be so true and correct only at and as of such specific date or time) and (iv) contained in Article V (other than the representations and warranties contained in Section 5.1(a), Section 5.2(a), the last sentence of Section 5.2(c), Section 5.3 and Section 5.7(b)) shall be true and correct (without giving effect to any materiality, “Material Adverse Effect” or similar qualifications set forth therein) as of the Closing as though made as of the Closing (or, in the case of representations and warranties that address matters only as of a particular date, as of such date), except, in the case of this clause (iv), where the failure of such representations or warranties to be true and correct has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect;

(d) the Company and the Seller shall have performed or complied with, in all material respects, all agreements and covenants required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Company or the Seller at or prior to the Closing;

(e) between the date hereof and the Closing Date, no Material Adverse Effect shall have occurred;

(f) Purchaser shall have received a certificate of an executive officer of the Seller to the effect that the conditions set forth in subsections (a) , (b), (c) and (d) of this Section 8.2 have been satisfied (the “Seller Certificate”);

(g) Purchaser shall have received the items to be delivered pursuant to Section 2.3(b); and

 

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(h) the Pre-Closing Reorganization shall have been consummated in accordance with Schedule 7.25.

Section 8.3 Additional Conditions to Obligations of the Seller. The obligations of the Seller to consummate the Share Purchase are subject to the satisfaction, at or prior to the Closing, of each of the following conditions (any or all of which may be waived by the Company in whole or in part in its sole discretion):

(a) the representations and warranties of Purchaser contained Article VI shall be true and correct (without giving effect to any materiality qualifications therein) as of the Closing (or, in the case of representations and warranties that address matters only as of a particular date, as of such date), except, where the failure of such representations and warranties to be true and correct has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate with all such other failures, a material adverse effect on the ability of the Purchaser to consummate the Share Purchase and the other transactions applicable to the Purchaser contemplated by this Agreement to occur at the Closing;

(b) Purchaser shall have performed or complied with, in all material respects, all agreements and covenants required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by Purchaser at or prior to the Closing; and

(c) the Company shall have received a certificate of an executive officer of Purchaser to the effect that the conditions set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 8.3 have been satisfied (the “Purchaser Certificate”).

ARTICLE IX

TERMINATION

Section 9.1 Termination of Agreement. This Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the Closing as follows:

(a) at the election of the Seller or Purchaser on or after March 9, 2026 (the “Outside Date”), if the Closing shall not have occurred by 5:00 p.m., New York time, on such date; provided that, if, as of such time and date all conditions set forth in Section 8.1, Section 8.2 and Section 8.3 shall have been satisfied or waived, other than (i) those conditions that by their nature only can be satisfied by action taken at the Closing and (ii) the conditions set forth in Section 8.1(a) (only to the extent the applicable Law or Governmental Order relates to the HSR Act or any other applicable Competition Law or Investment Screening Law) or Section 8.1(b), then such date shall automatically be extended to July 7, 2026 (“Extended Outside Date”) and all references in this Agreement to the “Outside Date” shall instead refer to the Extended Outside Date; provided, however, that neither the Seller nor Purchaser may terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(a) if it (or, in the case of the Seller, it or the Company) is in material breach of any of its obligations hereunder and such material breach causes, or results in, either (A) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the obligations of the terminating party set forth in Article VIII prior to the Outside Date, or (B) the failure of the Closing to have occurred prior to the Outside Date;

(b) by mutual written consent of the Seller and Purchaser;

 

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(c) by the Seller or Purchaser if there shall be in effect a final, nonappealable Governmental Order of a Governmental Entity having competent jurisdiction restraining, enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the consummation of the Share Purchase;

(d) by Purchaser if the Company or the Seller is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or obligations hereunder that would render any condition set forth in Section 8.2(a), Section 8.2(b) or Section 8.2(c) not to be satisfied, and such breach is either (A) not capable of being cured prior to the Outside Date or (B) if curable, is not cured within the earlier of (1) 20 Business Days after the giving of written notice by Purchaser to the Company and (2) two Business Days prior to the Outside Date; provided, that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(d) shall not be available to Purchaser at any time that Purchaser is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or obligations hereunder that would render any condition set forth in Section 8.3(a) or Section 8.3(b) not to be satisfied;

(e) by the Seller if Purchaser is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or obligations hereunder that would render any condition set forth in Section 8.3(a) or Section 8.3(b) not to be satisfied, and such breach is either (A) not capable of being cured prior to the Outside Date or (B) if curable, is not cured within the earlier of (1) 20 Business Days after the giving of written notice by the Seller to Purchaser and (2) two (2) Business Days prior to the Outside Date; provided, that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(e) shall not be available to Seller at any time that Seller or the Company is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or obligations hereunder that would render any condition set forth in Section 8.2(a), Section 8.2(b) or Section 8.2(c) not to be satisfied; or

(f) by the Seller if (i) the conditions set forth in Section 8.1 and Section 8.2 (other than those conditions that by their nature only can be satisfied at the Closing; provided that such conditions to be satisfied at the Closing are capable of being satisfied as of the date of the written confirmation described in clause (ii) is delivered if the Closing were to occur on the date of such confirmation) have been satisfied or waived in accordance with this Agreement, (ii) on or after the date on which the Closing is required to occur pursuant to Section 2.2, the Seller has irrevocably confirmed in writing to Purchaser that the Seller and the Company are ready, willing and able to consummate the Closing (irrespective of whether the conditions set forth in Section 8.3 have been satisfied), (iii) Purchaser fails to consummate the Closing on or prior to the date that is the later of (A) two (2) Business Days following the date on which the Closing should have occurred pursuant to Section 2.2 and (B) the second Business Day following receipt of the notice from the Seller delivered pursuant to clause (ii), and (iv) at all times during such period described in the immediately preceding clause (iii), the Seller and the Company stood ready, willing and able to consummate the Closing.

Section 9.2 Procedure Upon Termination. In the event of termination and abandonment by the Seller or Purchaser, or both, pursuant to Section 9.1 (except Section 9.1(b)), written notice thereof shall be given to the other party or parties, and the Share Purchase shall be abandoned, without further action by any of the Seller or Purchaser.

 

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Section 9.3 Effect of Termination. In the event that this Agreement is validly terminated in accordance with Section 9.1, then each of the parties shall be relieved of its duties and obligations arising under this Agreement (other than obligations that by their terms are to be performed following any such termination) and such termination shall be without liability to the Seller and its Affiliates, on the one hand, or Purchaser and its Affiliates, on the other hand; provided that, subject to the terms of this Section 9.3, (a) no such termination shall (i) restrict the availability of specific performance set forth in Section 11.13 with respect to surviving obligations that are to be performed following such termination or (ii) relieve any party hereto from liability for losses, damages, obligations, costs or expenses (which the parties acknowledge and agree shall not be limited to reimbursement of expenses or out of pocket costs, and may include, to the extent proven, the benefit of the bargain lost by (i.e., expectancy damages of) the Seller and/or the Company, taking into consideration relevant matters, which shall be deemed in such event to be damages of such Persons) resulting from any Willful Breach and (b) the provisions of Section 7.3, Section 7.4, this Article IX and Article XI shall remain in full force and effect and survive any termination of this Agreement in accordance with its terms. For purposes of this Section 9.3, the term “Willful Breach” means a party’s knowing and intentional material breach of any of its representations or warranties as set forth in this Agreement, or such party’s material breach of any of its covenants or other agreements set forth in this Agreement, which material breach constitutes, or is a consequence of, a purposeful act or failure to act by such party with the knowledge that the taking of such act or failure to take such act would cause a material breach of this Agreement.

ARTICLE X

ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS

Section 10.1 Non-Survival of Representations and Warranties and Pre-Closing Covenants. None of the representations and warranties or the covenants and agreements (to the extent any such covenant or agreement contemplates or requires performance by a party prior to the Closing) in this Agreement or in any other Transaction Agreement shall survive the Closing. This Section 10.1 shall not (a) limit any covenant or agreement of the parties which by its terms contemplates performance at or after the Closing and/or (b) be deemed to be a waiver of claims for a party’s Fraud.

Section 10.2 No Reliance.

(a) Except for the representations and warranties contained in Article V (as modified by the Company Disclosure Schedule) or in Article IV (as modified by the Seller Disclosure Schedule) or in the Seller Certificate, Purchaser is acquiring the Business “As Is, Where Is”, and none of the Company or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries or any of their respective Affiliates or other Representatives or any other Person or Non-Recourse Party has made or makes or is authorized to make, and Purchaser hereby waives (and is not relying upon), any other express or implied representation or warranty, express or implied, whether written or oral, on behalf of the Company, the Company’s Subsidiaries or their respective Affiliates or other Representatives or any other Person or Non-Recourse Party.

(b) Except for the representations and warranties expressly set forth in Article IV or in Article V (as modified by either the Seller Disclosure Schedule or Company Disclosure Schedule, as applicable) or in the Seller Certificate, it is understood and Purchaser acknowledges that any cost estimates, projections, forecasts or other predictions provided to Purchaser are not and shall not be deemed to be or to include representations and warranties of the Seller, the

 

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Company, the Company’s Subsidiaries or their respective Affiliates or other Representatives or any other Person or Non-Recourse Party. Purchaser acknowledges and agrees, on its own behalf and on behalf of its Affiliates, that (i) such projections or forecasts are being provided solely for the convenience of Purchaser to facilitate its own independent investigation of the Company and its Subsidiaries, (ii) there are uncertainties inherent in attempting to make such projections or forecasts, (iii) Purchaser is familiar with such uncertainties and (iv) Purchaser is taking full responsibility for making its own evaluation of the adequacy and accuracy of all projections or forecasts (including the reasonableness of the underlying assumptions). Purchaser acknowledges and agrees, in each case on behalf of itself and its Affiliates and other Representatives, that they have conducted their own independent investigation of the condition, operations and businesses of the Company and the Company’s Subsidiaries and, in making their determination to proceed with the Share Purchase, Purchaser has evaluated such documents and information as they have deemed necessary and have relied solely on the results of their own independent investigation and the representations and warranties expressly set forth in Article IV or Article V or in the Seller Certificate.

(c) Purchaser acknowledges and agree, in each case on behalf of itself and its Affiliates and other Representatives, that, except for the representations and warranties expressly set forth in Article IV or in Article V (as modified by either the Seller Disclosure Schedule or the Company Disclosure Schedule, as applicable) or in the Seller Certificate, no other statutory, express or implied representation or warranty, whether written or oral, concerning the Company Common Stock, the Share Purchase or the business, operations, rights, assets, Contracts, Intellectual Property, real estate, technology, liabilities, results of operations, financial condition and prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries, the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement or any other matter, including any implied warranties of merchantability and implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose, is or has been made or is being relied upon.

Section 10.3 Release.

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement or in any certificate or other writing delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith, effective upon the Closing, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, the Seller, on behalf of itself and its Affiliates and other Representatives to the extent the Seller has the authority to so bind any such Representatives, as the case may be (collectively, the “Seller Releasers”), hereby knowingly, willingly, irrevocably, unconditionally and expressly waives, acquits, remises, discharges and forever releases each of Purchaser, the Company and their respective Affiliates or other Representatives from any and all liabilities and obligations to such Seller Releasers of any kind or nature whatsoever, arising on or prior to the Closing and arising out of or relating to such Person’s direct or indirect ownership of equity interests in the Company or the operation of the Business, in each case whether absolute or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, known or unknown, matured or unmatured or determined or determinable, and whether arising under any Law or Contract or otherwise at law or in equity (“Seller Released Claims”). Each of the Seller Releasers hereby covenants and agrees that it will not seek to recover any amounts in connection with any Seller Released Claim from any of Purchaser, the Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective Affiliates or other Representatives. Nothing in this Section 10.3(a) shall apply to the rights of any Seller Releaser, or relieve Purchaser or the Company of its obligations and liabilities, (i) under this Agreement or the other agreements or documents contemplated hereby (including the other Transaction Agreements), including any rights or claims against Purchaser in respect of Fraud (solely against Purchaser to the extent Purchaser committed such Fraud) or (ii) pursuant to any rights or claims in respect of ordinary course commercial relationships or commercial Contracts with portfolio companies of the Sponsors unrelated to the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

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(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement or in any certificate or other writing delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith, effective upon the Closing, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, the Company and its Subsidiaries (on behalf of itself and its Affiliates, including, after the Closing, Purchaser and its Affiliates) (collectively, the “Purchaser Releasers”), hereby knowingly, willingly, irrevocably, unconditionally and expressly waives, acquits, remises, discharges and forever releases the Seller and its Affiliates (excluding the Company and its Subsidiaries), each Sponsor (and each of their respective affiliated or associated advisory companies and management companies, and each of their respective affiliated, advised or managed investment funds) and their respective Representatives from any and all liabilities and obligations to such Purchaser Releasers of any kind or nature whatsoever, arising on or prior to the Closing and arising out of or relating to such Person’s direct or indirect ownership of equity interests in the Company or the operation of the Business, in each case whether absolute or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, known or unknown, matured or unmatured or determined or determinable, and whether arising under any Law or Contract or otherwise at law or in equity (“Purchaser Released Claims”). Each of the Purchaser Releasers hereby covenants and agrees that it will not seek to recover any amounts in connection with any Purchaser Released Claim from any of the Seller or its Affiliates or other Representatives. Nothing in this Section 10.3(b) shall apply to the rights of any Purchaser Releaser, or relieve the Seller or its Affiliates or other Representatives of their obligations and liabilities, (i) under this Agreement or the other agreements or documents contemplated hereby (including the other Transaction Agreements), including any rights or claims in respect of Fraud (solely against the party hereto committing such Fraud) or (ii) any rights or claims in respect of ordinary course commercial relationships or commercial Contracts with portfolio companies of the Sponsors unrelated to the transactions contemplated hereby.

Section 10.4 Limited Indemnification Obligations.

(a) Indemnification by the Seller. From and after the Closing, the Seller shall indemnify, without duplication, Purchaser and each of its Affiliates (including the Company and its Subsidiaries) and their respective Representatives (the “Indemnified Parties”) against and hold each of them harmless from any and all damages, losses, liabilities, Taxes, penalties, fines, payments and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’, accountants’ and other professionals’ fees and expenses (collectively, “Damages”), suffered or incurred by any Indemnified Party that arise from or are a result of or relate to the Specified Appeal Matter.

(b) Limitation on Indemnification Obligations. Notwithstanding Section 10.4(a) hereof, the Seller will not be required to indemnify the Indemnified Parties from and after the third anniversary of the Closing Date.

(c) Manner of Payment; Exclusive Recovery from Indemnity Escrow Account; Indemnity Escrow Release. Any indemnification of the Indemnified Parties pursuant to this Section 10.4 shall be satisfied solely and exclusively out of the Indemnity Escrow Account.

 

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Within five (5) Business Days of the earliest to occur of (i) the third anniversary of the Closing Date (ii) the final resolution of the Specified Appeal Matter by a final judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction and (iii) the final settlement of the Specified Appeal Matter, Purchaser and Seller shall deliver joint written instructions to the Escrow Agent instructing the Escrow Agent to release any amounts remaining in the Indemnity Escrow Account, net of any amounts subject to any pending Claim Notice, to the Seller.

(d) Certain Procedures.

(i) From and after the Closing, Purchaser and the Seller shall reasonably cooperate with each other with respect to resolving the Specified Appeal Matter. If any Indemnified Party has or claims in good faith to have incurred or suffered, or believes in good faith that it reasonably is expected to incur or suffer, Damages for which it is or may be entitled to indemnification under this Section 10.4 (an “Indemnifiable Claim”), Purchaser may deliver a claim notice to Seller (a “Claim Notice”). Each Claim Notice shall: (i) contain a brief description of the facts and circumstances supporting the Indemnified Party’s claim; (ii) if practicable, contain a non-binding, preliminary, good faith estimate of the amount of Damages to which the Indemnified Party reasonably is expected to be entitled; (iii) detail any other remedy sought in connection with such facts and circumstances; (iv) detail any relevant time constraints related thereto; and (v) to the extent practicable, describe any other material details pertaining thereto. The failure to give such prompt written notice shall only relieve the Seller of its indemnifications obligations hereunder to the extent that the Seller is actually prejudiced by such failure. After the giving of any Claim Notice pursuant hereto, the amount of indemnification to which an Indemnified Party shall be entitled under this Section 10.4 shall be determined (i) by the written agreement between the Purchaser and the Seller, (ii) by a final judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or (iii) by any other means to which the Purchaser and the Seller shall agree. For purposes of this Agreement, the judgment or decree of a court shall be deemed final when the time for appeal, if any, shall have expired and no appeal shall have been taken or when all appeals taken shall have been finally determined.

(ii) With respect to any Indemnifiable Claim, Purchaser shall use reasonable best efforts deliver to the Seller copies of all material written notices and documents (including any court papers) received by an Indemnified Party relating to an Indemnifiable Claim, and Purchaser shall use reasonable best efforts to provide the Seller with such other information with respect to any such Indemnifiable Claim reasonably requested by the Seller. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the foregoing access shall not be permitted to the extent that it would require Purchaser or any of its Subsidiaries to provide access or disclose information where such access or disclosure would reasonably be likely to jeopardize or result in a waiver of any applicable attorney-client privilege or would violate any applicable Law; provided that Purchaser shall use reasonable best efforts to make appropriate substitute arrangements in a manner that does not result in any of the foregoing issues. The Seller shall have the right to participate in the defense of the Specified Appeal Matter at the Seller’s sole cost and expense, and Purchaser shall reasonably consult with the Seller regarding any material decisions to be made in connection with the strategy for defense of such Specified Appeal Matter; provided, that Purchaser shall, subject to the foregoing, have the sole right to contest, defend and litigate the Specified Appeal Matter.

 

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(iii) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 10.4(d) to the contrary, no Indemnified Party shall, and Purchaser shall cause the Indemnified Parties to not, without the prior written consent of the Seller, settle the Specified Appeal Matter (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) if such settlement or compromise would create any financial obligation on the Seller (including any release from the Indemnity Escrow Account).

(iv) After any decision, judgment or award shall have been rendered by a Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction, or a settlement shall have been consummated in accordance with this Section 10.4, or the Indemnified Parties and the Seller shall have arrived at a mutually binding agreement with respect to a Indemnifiable Claim hereunder, Purchaser shall deliver to the Seller written notice of any sums due and owing by the Seller pursuant to this Agreement with respect to such Indemnifiable Claim.

(v) After the giving of any Claim Notice pursuant hereto, the amount of indemnification to which an Indemnified Party shall be entitled under this Section 10.4 shall be determined (i) by the written agreement between the Purchaser and the Seller, (ii) by a final judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction or (iii) by any other means to which the Purchaser and the Seller shall agree. For purposes of this Agreement, the judgment or decree of a court shall be deemed final when the time for appeal, if any, shall have expired and no appeal shall have been taken or when all appeals taken shall have been finally determined.

(e) Calculation and Recovery of Damages.

(i) The amount of any Damages payable by the Seller pursuant to this Section 10.4 with respect to the Specified Appeal Matter shall be net of any cash amounts actually recovered by any Indemnified Party or its Affiliates under applicable insurance policies or from any other Person alleged to be responsible therefor, in each case, less any associated reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such Indemnified Party in collecting such amounts. In furtherance of the foregoing, if an Indemnified Party receives any cash amounts under applicable insurance policies, or from any other Person alleged to be responsible for any Damages in connection with any Specified Appeal Matter, then to the extent such amounts have previously been released to an Indemnified Party from the Indemnity Escrow Account such Indemnified Party shall (and Purchaser shall cause such Indemnified Party to) promptly replenish the Indemnity Escrow Account with such amount reimburse the Seller for any payment made by the Seller in connection with providing such indemnification payment up to the amount received by such Indemnified Party, net of any reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such Indemnified Party in collecting such amounts or, to the extent such amounts are received after the third anniversary of the Closing Date and there are no unresolved claims set forth in any Claim Notice, reimburse the Seller for any such amount.

(ii) In respect of any Damage for which indemnification may be sought pursuant to this Section 10.4, Purchaser shall (and shall cause its Affiliates to) use reasonable best efforts to pursue all legal rights and remedies available with respect to minimizing the Damages to which it may be entitled to indemnification under this Section 10.4.

 

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(f) Exclusive Remedy. Except for equitable remedies to the extent available, from and after the Closing, and except with respect to any covenants or agreements that by their terms apply or are to be performed in whole or in part at or after the Closing, (i) the rights set forth in this Section 10.4 or in Schedule 7.25 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of the Indemnified Parties in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) the Seller shall not otherwise be liable or responsible in any manner whatsoever (whether for indemnification or otherwise) to any Indemnified Party for a breach of this Agreement or in connection with any of the transactions contemplated hereby, and (iii) each party hereby waives, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law, any and all rights, claims and causes of action for any breach of any representation or warranty or any covenants and agreements that by their terms do not apply or are not to be performed in whole or in part at or after the Closing; provided the foregoing shall not limit or otherwise restrict the right of any party hereto or any other Indemnified Party to pursue remedies under any Transaction Agreement or Section 11.13 or for claims based on Fraud (solely against the party committing such Fraud).

(g) No Set-Offs. The Seller shall not have any right to set-off any unresolved Indemnifiable Claim pursuant to this Section 10.4 against any payment due to the Seller pursuant to any other provision of this Agreement, any Transaction Agreement or any other Contract between the Seller or its Affiliates, on the one hand, and Purchaser or its Affiliates, on the other hand.

(h) Limitations on Types of Damages. The Seller shall not be liable under this Section 10.4 for any Damages that (i) constitute consequential damages (other than reasonably foreseeable consequential damages) or (ii) include or compensate for lost profits or diminution in value, in each case, except to the extent that such Damages are awarded by a judgment or order against or part of a settlement involving an Indemnified Party pursuant to an Indemnifiable Claim. For the avoidance of doubt, no Indemnified Party shall be entitled to any indemnification payment more than once with respect to the same loss.

(i) Parties in Interest. The Indemnified Parties shall be express third-party beneficiaries of this Section 10.4; provided that, for administrative convenience of the parties, only Purchaser (on behalf of the Indemnified Parties) may assert an Indemnifiable Claim and submit a notice of an Indemnifiable Claim (on behalf of itself or another Indemnified Party) in accordance with the terms of this Section 10.4.

(j) Characterization of Indemnification Payment. Any indemnification payment made under this Agreement shall be characterized for all applicable Tax purposes as an adjustment to the Final Purchase Price except as otherwise required by applicable Law.

 

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ARTICLE XI

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 11.1 Assignment; Binding Effect. This Agreement and the rights hereunder are not assignable unless such assignment is consented to in writing by the parties and, subject to the preceding clause, this Agreement and all the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns.

Section 11.2 Governing Law; Jurisdiction.

(a) This Agreement and all Actions (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) that may be based upon, arise out of or relate to this Agreement or the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement (including any Action based upon, arising out of or related to any representation or warranty made in or in connection with this Agreement) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the Laws of the State of Delaware, regardless of the laws that might otherwise govern under applicable principles of conflicts of laws.

(b) Each of the parties hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware declines to accept jurisdiction over a particular matter, any federal court located in the State of Delaware or, if such court declines to accept jurisdiction, then any Delaware state court) and any appellate court from any thereof (the “Chosen Courts”) in any Action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement (including any Action based upon, arising out of or related to any representation or warranty made in or in connection with this Agreement), or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and agrees that all claims in respect of any such Actions shall be heard and determined in the Chosen Courts, (ii) waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any Action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement (including any Action based upon, arising out of or related to any representation or warranty made in or in connection with this Agreement) in the Chosen Courts, (iii) waives, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such Action in any of the Chosen Courts and (iv) agrees that a final judgment in any such Action shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by Law. Each of the parties agrees that service of process, summons, notice or document by registered mail addressed to it at the applicable address in Section 11.4 set forth below shall be effective service of process for any Action brought in any such court.

Section 11.3 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE NEGOTIATION, EXECUTION OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS AGREEMENT (INCLUDING ANY ACTION BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY MADE IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT) AND FOR ANY COUNTERCLAIM WITH RESPECT THERETO. EACH OF THE PARTIES (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF ANY ACTION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE SHARE PURCHASE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, BY THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 11.3.

 

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Section 11.4 Notices. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (a) when received if delivered personally, (b) when sent by e-mail, unless a “bounceback” or “undeliverable” message has been received by the sender and (c) on the next Business Day when sent by overnight courier service, in each case, to the parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a party as shall be specified by like notice):

If to the Seller and the Company (prior to the Closing), to:

The AssuredPartners Group LP

450 S. Orange Avenue, 4th Floor

Orlando, FL 32801

  Attention:

  Stan K. Kinnett II, Chief Legal Officer & EVP

Email:     stan.kinnett@assuredpartners.com

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

GTCR LLC

300 North LaSalle

Chicago, Illinois 60654

Attention:    Aaron D. Cohen

Email:     aaron.cohen@gtcr.com

and

Apax Partners LLP

601 Lexington Avenue, 53rd Floor

New York, New York 10022

Attention:     Ashish Karandikar

Email:     Ashish.Karandikar@apax.com

and

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

333 West Wolf Point Plaza

Chicago, Illinois 60654

Attention:    Ted M. Frankel, P.C.

      Christopher M. Thomas, P.C.

    Kyle P. McHugh

Email:    ted.frankel@kirkland.com

    christopher.thomas@kirkland.com

    kyle.mchugh@kirkland.com

and

 

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Kirkland & Ellis LLP

601 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10022

Attention:   Srinivas Kaushik, P.C.

       Adam Clifford, P.C.

Email:     skaushik@kirkland.com

       adam.clifford@kirkland.com

If to Purchaser or the Company (on or after the Closing), to:

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

2850 Golf Road

Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008

Attention:   Walter D. Bay

E-mail:    walt_bay@ajg.com

with copies (which shall not constitute notice), in the case of notice to Purchaser or the Company (on or after the Closing), to:

Sidley Austin LLP

1 South Dearborn

Chicago, Illinois 60603

Attention:  Brian Fahrney

      Sean Carney

      Brent Steele

E-mail:   bfahrney@sidley.com

      scarney@sidley.com

      bsteele@sidley.com

or to such other address, e-mail address or Person as a party shall have last designated by such notice to the other parties.

Section 11.5 Headings. The headings contained in this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not be considered in interpreting or construing any of the provisions contained in this Agreement.

Section 11.6 Fees and Expenses. Except as otherwise specified in this Agreement, each party shall bear its own costs and expenses (including investment advisory and legal fees and expenses) incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby; provided that (a) Purchaser shall bear 100% of (i) all Transfer Taxes pursuant to Section 7.12, (ii) all filing fees in connection with any notification pursuant to the HSR Act or any other applicable Competition Law and Investment Screening Law, (iii) the fees and expenses of the Escrow Agent and (iv) the out-of-pocket fees and expenses associated with the R&W Policy, including any and all premiums, brokerage commissions, underwriting and other fees and expenses relating thereto (including any required deposit fees) and (b) Purchaser and the Seller shall each bear 50% of the “tail” insurance policies required to be purchased pursuant to Section 7.7 and Section 7.13; provided that in no event shall the Seller’s aggregate liability under this clause (b) exceed $16,000,000.

 

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Section 11.7 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including the Exhibits and Schedules), together with the other Transaction Agreements and the Confidentiality Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior agreements and understandings between the parties with respect to such subject matter; provided that this Agreement shall not supersede the terms and provisions of the Confidentiality Agreement, which shall survive and remain in effect until expiration or termination thereof in accordance with its terms and this Agreement.

Section 11.8 Interpretation.

(a) When a reference is made in this Agreement to an Article, Section, Exhibit or Schedule, such reference shall be to an Article, Section, Exhibit or Schedule of or to this Agreement (or, with respect to any references to Sections of the Company Disclosure Schedule in Article V, the Company Disclosure Schedule) unless otherwise indicated.

(b) Whenever the words “include,” “includes” or “including” are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation.”

(c) When a reference in this Agreement is made to a “party” or “parties,” such reference shall be to a party or parties to this Agreement unless otherwise indicated.

(d) Unless the context requires otherwise, the terms “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby,” “hereto” and derivative or similar words in this Agreement refer to this entire Agreement.

(e) Unless the context requires otherwise, words in this Agreement using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively, and the use of any gender herein shall be deemed to include the other genders.

(f) The words “to the extent” shall mean the degree to which a subject or other thing extends, and shall not simply mean “if”.

(g) The word “or” shall be exclusive but not disjunctive.

(h) References in this Agreement to “dollars” or “$” are to U.S. dollars.

(i) To the extent computation of any amounts contemplated by this Agreement (including the Estimated Purchase Price, the Final Purchase Price and any monetary thresholds or other amounts) include a currency other than U.S. dollars, such amounts shall be converted to U.S. dollars using the U.S. dollar equivalent; provided that when determining the Estimated Purchase Price or the Final Purchase Price, and any computations thereof, the U.S. dollar equivalent shall be determined using the spot rate as of the Adjustment Time. For purposes of this Agreement, (i) “U.S. dollar equivalent” means, in respect of any amounts expressed in a currency other than the U.S. dollar, the corresponding amount in U.S. dollars resulting from multiplying such amount in the applicable currency by the spot rate and (ii) “spot rate” means, in respect of any amount

 

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expressed in a currency other than the U.S. dollar, as of any time or date of determination, the rate of exchange of U.S. dollars for such currency at the time or date of determination as quoted by Bloomberg L.P. on www.bloomberg.com/markets/currencies/fxc.html and applying the currency converter set forth on such webpage, or as displayed on such other information service which publishes that rate of exchange from time to time in place of Bloomberg L.P.

(j) References to any Law are to such Law as amended from time to time, and any successors thereto, and to the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(k) References to any Contract or plan are to such Contract or plan as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof; provided that in the case of any Contract listed on the Company Disclosure Schedule the foregoing only applies to the extent any such amendment, modification or supplement has been made available to Purchaser and listed in the Company Disclosure Schedule.

(l) Reference to “ordinary course of business” means an action taken, or omitted to be taken, by any Person in the ordinary course of such Person’s business consistent with past practice (including, for the avoidance of doubt, recent past practice in light of COVID-19); provided that, with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries, any action taken, or omitted to be taken, by the Company or its Subsidiaries that relates to, or arises out of, COVID-19 or any COVID-19 Measures shall be deemed to be in the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Subsidiaries.

(m) This Agreement was prepared jointly by the parties and no rule that it be construed against the drafter will have any application in its construction or interpretation.

(n) Any statement in this Agreement to the effect that any information, document or other material has been “made available” by the Company or the Seller shall mean such information, document or material was included in and available at least 48 hours prior to the Closing in the “Project Boomerang” online data room hosted by Datasite.

Section 11.9 Company Disclosure Schedule.

(a) The Company Disclosure Schedule and the information and disclosures contained therein relate to and qualify certain of the representations, warranties, covenants and obligations made by the Company in this Agreement and shall not be construed or otherwise deemed to constitute, any representation, warranty, covenant or obligation of the Company or any other Person except to the extent explicitly provided in this Agreement and shall not be deemed to expand in any way the scope or effect of any of such representations, warranties, covenants or obligations. No reference to or disclosure of any item or other matter in the Company Disclosure Schedule shall be construed as an admission or indication, in and of itself, that such item represents a material exception or material fact, event or circumstance, that such item has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or that such item or other matter is required to be referred to or disclosed in the Company Disclosure Schedule, and such additional matters are set forth for informational purposes only. No reference in the Company Disclosure Schedule to any agreement or document, in and of itself, shall be construed as an admission or indication that such agreement or document is enforceable or currently in effect or that there are

 

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any obligations remaining to be performed or any rights that may be exercised under such agreement or document. No disclosure in the Company Disclosure Schedule relating to any possible breach or violation of, or non-compliance with, any agreement, law or regulation, in and of itself, shall be construed as an admission or indication that any such breach, violation or non-compliance exists or has actually occurred, and nothing in the Company Disclosure Schedule shall constitute an admission of any liability or obligation of any Person to any other Person or shall confer or give any third party any remedy, claim, liability, reimbursement, cause of action or any other right whatsoever. Neither the specification of any item or matter in any representation or warranty contained in this Agreement nor the inclusion of any specific item in the Company Disclosure Schedule is intended to imply that such item or matter, or other items or matters, are or are not in the ordinary course of business, and no party shall use the fact of the setting forth or the inclusion of any such item or matter in any dispute or controversy between the parties as to whether any obligation, item or matter not described in this Agreement or included in the Company Disclosure Schedule is or is not in the ordinary course of business for purposes of this Agreement. The Company Disclosure Schedule is arranged in sections corresponding to the Sections in this Agreement and any items or matters set forth in one section or subsection of the Company Disclosure Schedule shall be deemed to apply to and qualify the Section or subsection of this Agreement to which it corresponds and each other Section or subsection of this Agreement to the extent the relevance of such items or matters to such other Section or subsection of this Agreement is reasonably apparent from the face of such disclosure. The inclusion of any cross-references to any section or subsection of the Company Disclosure Schedule, or the failure to include such cross-references, shall not be deemed to mean that the relevance of any disclosure is not reasonably apparent for the purposes of the immediately preceding sentence. The headings contained in the Company Disclosure Schedule are included for convenience and reference only, and are not intended to limit the effect of the disclosures contained in the Company Disclosure Schedule or to expand, modify or influence the scope of the information required to be disclosed in the Company Disclosure Schedule or the interpretation of this Agreement.

(b) The information contained in the Company Disclosure Schedule is confidential, proprietary information of the Company, and, prior to the Closing, Purchaser shall be obligated to maintain and protect such confidential information pursuant to this Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement. In disclosing the information in the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company expressly does not waive any attorney-client privilege or other similar privilege associated with such information or any protection afforded by the work-product doctrine or other similar doctrine with respect to any of the matters disclosed or discussed herein.

Section 11.10 Waiver and Amendment. This Agreement may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified only by a mutual written agreement executed and delivered by, Purchaser, on the one hand, and the Seller, on the other hand. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, any failure of any party to comply with any obligation, covenant, agreement or condition herein may be waived by the party entitled to the benefits thereof only by a written instrument signed by the party granting such waiver, but such waiver or failure to insist upon strict compliance with such obligation, covenant, agreement or condition shall not operate as a waiver of, or estoppel with respect to, any subsequent or other failure.

 

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Section 11.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, including by means of e-mail in “portable document format” (.pdf) form, each of which will be deemed to be an original copy of this Agreement and all of which, when taken together, will be deemed to constitute one and the same agreement.

Section 11.12 Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, only the parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns, except to the extent expressly set forth in Section 7.7, Section 10.2, Section 10.3, Section 11.15, Section 11.16 and Section 11.17. Except as provided in the foregoing sentence, nothing herein, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any other Person any right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement.

Section 11.13 Remedies. The parties agree that irreparable damage for which monetary damages, even if available, would not be an adequate remedy, would occur in the event that the parties do not perform the provisions of this Agreement (including failing to take such actions as are required of them hereunder to consummate the Share Purchase) in accordance with its specified terms or otherwise breach such provisions. Accordingly, the parties acknowledge and hereby agree that in the event of any breach or threatened breach by the Company or the Seller, on the one hand, or Purchaser, on the other hand, of any of their respective covenants or obligations set forth in this Agreement, the Company or the Seller, on the one hand, and Purchaser, on the other hand, shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent or restrain breaches or threatened breaches of this Agreement by the other (as applicable), and to specifically enforce the terms and provisions of this Agreement to prevent or restrain breaches or threatened breaches of, or to enforce compliance with, the covenants and obligations of the other (as applicable) under this Agreement, without proof of actual damages or inadequacy of legal remedy and without bond or other security being required. The parties hereby further acknowledge and agree that prior to the Closing, each party shall be entitled to specific performance to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of, and to prevent or cure breaches of this Agreement by any other breaching party and to cause any other breaching party to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, including to effect the Closing in accordance with Section 2.2, on the terms and subject to the conditions in this Agreement. Each of the parties agrees that it will not oppose the granting of an injunction, specific performance and other equitable relief on the basis that (a) the party seeking the injunction, specific performance and other equitable relief has an adequate remedy at law or (b) an award of specific performance is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at law or equity. The remedies available to each party pursuant to this Section 11.13 shall be in addition to any other remedy to which it is entitled at law or in equity, and the election to pursue an injunction or specific performance shall not restrict. impair or otherwise limit a party from seeking to obtain such other remedies. For the avoidance of doubt, the parties further agree that (i) by seeking the equitable remedies provided for in this Section 11.13, a party shall not in any respect waive its right to seek at any time any other form of relief that may be available to a party in accordance with this Agreement in the event that this Agreement has been terminated or in the event that the equitable remedies provided for in this Section 11.13 are not available or otherwise are not granted, and (ii) nothing set forth in this Section 11.13 shall require any party hereto to institute any proceeding for (or limit any party’s right to institute any proceeding for) specific performance under this Section 11.13 prior or as a condition to exercising any termination right under Article IX (and pursuing monetary damages after such termination to the extent permitted in accordance with this Agreement), nor shall the commencement of any legal proceeding pursuant to this Section 11.13 or anything set forth in this Section 11.13 restrict or limit any party’s right to terminate this Agreement in accordance with the terms of Article IX or pursue any other remedies otherwise available under this Agreement. If,

 

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before the applicable Outside Date, any party hereto brings any Action, in each case in accordance with Section 11.2 and Section 11.3, to enforce specifically the performance of the terms and provisions hereof by any other party, the applicable Outside Date will automatically be extended (i) for the period during which such Action is pending, plus ten (10) Business Days or (ii) by such other time period established by the court presiding over such Action, as the case may be.

Section 11.14 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the application of any such provision to any Person or circumstance shall be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision hereof.

Section 11.15 No Recourse. Notwithstanding anything that may be expressed or implied in this Agreement or any document or instrument delivered in connection herewith, by its acceptance of the benefits of this Agreement, each party covenants, agrees and acknowledges that no Persons other than the parties have any liabilities, obligations, commitments (whether known or unknown or whether contingent or otherwise) hereunder, and that, except as to another party, no party has a right of recovery under this Agreement, or any claim based on such liabilities, obligations, commitments against, and no personal liability shall attach to, the former, current or future equity holders, controlling persons, directors, officers, employees, agents, Affiliates, members, managers or general or limited partners of any party or any former, current or future equity holder, controlling person, director, officer, employee, general or limited partner, member, manager, Affiliate or agent of any of the foregoing (collectively, but not including the parties to this Agreement, the “Non-Recourse Parties” and each, a “Non-Recourse Party”), whether by or through attempted piercing of the corporate veil, by or through a claim by or on behalf of any party against any Non-Recourse Party, by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding, by virtue of any statute, regulation or Law, or otherwise. Without limiting the foregoing, (a) no claim will be brought or maintained by any party or any of their Affiliates or any of their respective successors or permitted assigns against any Non-Recourse Party that is not otherwise expressly identified as a party to this Agreement, and no recourse will be brought or granted against any of them, by virtue of or based upon any alleged misrepresentation or inaccuracy in or breach or nonperformance of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements of any party hereto set forth or contained in this Agreement, any exhibit or schedule hereto, any other document contemplated hereby or any certificate, instrument, opinion, agreement or other document of any other Person delivered hereunder, and (b) each of the parties agrees on its own behalf and on behalf of its Subsidiaries and Affiliates that no Non-Recourse Party shall have any liability relating to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or for any Action based upon, arising out of or otherwise relating to this Agreement, including any and all causes of action arising from or otherwise relating to such Person’s receipt of consideration or other benefits from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any equitable claims (such as unjust enrichment) that do not require proof of wrongdoing committed by the subject of such claims. The Non-Recourse Parties shall be express third-party beneficiaries of this Section 11.15. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 11.15 shall not limit the obligations of the parties to the other Transaction Agreements to the extent set forth therein, subject to and in accordance with the terms and conditions thereof.

Section 11.16 Representation. Purchaser agrees, on its own behalf and on behalf of its respective directors, officers, managers, employees and Affiliates, that, following the Closing,

 

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Kirkland & Ellis LLP (“Kirkland”) may serve as counsel to the Seller and its Affiliates in connection with any matters related to this Agreement and the contemplated transactions, including any litigation, claim or obligation arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the contemplated transactions notwithstanding any representation by Kirkland prior to the Closing Date of the Company. Purchaser and the Company hereby (a) waive any claim they have or may have that Kirkland has a conflict of interest or is otherwise prohibited from engaging in such representation and (b) agree that, in the event that a dispute arises after the Closing between Purchaser and the Seller or any of its Affiliates, Kirkland may represent the Seller or any of its Affiliates in such dispute even though the interests of such Person(s) may be directly adverse to Purchaser or the Company and even though Kirkland may have represented the Company in a matter substantially related to such dispute. Purchaser and the Company also further agree that, as to all communications prior to Closing among Kirkland and the Company, the Seller or its Affiliates and Representatives, that relate in any way to the transactions contemplated hereby, the attorney-client privilege and the expectation of client confidence belongs to the Seller and may be controlled by the Seller and shall not pass to or be claimed by Purchaser or the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that a dispute arises between Purchaser, the Company and a third party other than a party to this Agreement after the Closing, the Company may assert the attorney-client privilege to prevent disclosure of confidential communications by Kirkland to such third party; provided that the Company may not waive such privilege without the prior written consent of the Seller. Kirkland shall each be an express third-party beneficiary of this Section 11.16.

Section 11.17 Debt Financing Sources. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, each of the parties, on behalf of itself and each of its Affiliates, hereby (a) agrees that it will not bring or support any action, cause of action, claim, suit, litigation, cross-claim or third party claim or any proceeding, whether in law or in equity, whether in contract or in tort or otherwise against any Debt Financing Sources Related Parties, arising out of or relating to, this Agreement, the Debt Financing or any of the agreements (including any definitive debt financing agreements) entered into in connection with the Debt Financing or any of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or the performance of any services thereunder in any forum other than exclusively in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York sitting in the County of New York, New York (and appellate courts thereof) or if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, and irrevocably submits itself and its property with respect to any such proceeding to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts, and irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such proceeding in such courts, (b) agrees that any such action, cause of action, claim, suit, litigation, cross-claim or third party claim or proceeding shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York (without giving effect to any conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the laws of another state); provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the interpretation of the definition of Material Adverse Effect (and whether or not a Material Adverse Effect has occurred), (ii) the determination of the accuracy of any “specified acquisition agreement representation” (as such term or similar term is defined in the definitive debt financing agreements entered in connection with the Debt Financing) and whether as a result of any inaccuracy thereof Purchaser or any of its Affiliates has the right to terminate its or their obligations hereunder, or decline to consummate the Closing as a result of a breach of such representations and warranties and (iii) the determination of whether the Closing has been consummated in all material respects in accordance with the terms hereof and,

 

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in any case, claims or disputes arising out of any such interpretation or determination or any aspect thereof, shall in each case be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware (without giving effect to any conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the laws of another state), (c) agrees that service of process upon such Person in any such proceeding shall be effective if notice is given in accordance with this Agreement, (d) agrees that notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, none of the Company, the Seller, any of their respective Affiliates or any of their respective Representatives shall have any rights or claims against any Debt Financing Sources Related Parties relating to or arising out of this Agreement, the Debt Financing, any definitive debt financing agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or the performance of any services thereunder, whether at law or equity, in contract, in tort or otherwise, (e) KNOWINGLY, INTENTIONALLY AND VOLUNTARILY WAIVES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY PROCEEDING BROUGHT AGAINST ANY DEBT FINANCING SOURCE IN ANY WAY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO, THIS AGREEMENT, THE DEBT FINANCING, ANY DEFINITIVE DEBT FINANCING AGREEMENT ENTERED IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEBT FINANCING OR ANY OF THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY OR THE PERFORMANCE OF ANY SERVICES THEREUNDER and (f) agrees that the Debt Financing Sources are express third-party beneficiaries of, and may enforce, any of the provisions herein reflecting the foregoing agreements in this Section 11.17 (and such provisions (and the definitions used in such provisions (as used in such provisions))) shall not be amended, modified, waived or terminated in any respect that is materially adverse to the Debt Financing Sources without the prior written consent of the applicable Debt Financing Sources. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, nothing in this Section 11.17 shall in any way affect any party’s or any of their respective Affiliates’ or Representatives’ rights and remedies under any binding agreement to which a Debt Financing Sources Related Party is a party, including any definitive debt financing agreement.

[signature pages follow]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed the day and year first above written.

 

DOLPHIN TOPCO, INC.
By:  

/s/ Jim W. Henderson

Name: Jim W. Henderson
Title: President


ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER & CO.
By:  

/s/ Walter D. Bay

Name: Walter D. Bay
Title: General Counsel and Secretary


THE ASSUREDPARTNERS GROUP LP
By: The AssuredPartners Group GP, LLC
Its: General Partner
By:  

/s/ David A. Donnini

Name: David A. Donnini
Title: President

Exhibit 23.1

 

LOGO

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-277002) of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. of our report dated December 6th, 2024, relating to the financial statements of Dolphin Topco, Inc., which appears in this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Tampa, Florida
December 9th, 2024

 

1

Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO

NEWS RELEASE

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Signs Agreement to

Acquire AssuredPartners

Rolling Meadows, IL, December 9, 2024 — Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AssuredPartners. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close during the first quarter of 2025.

“We have held in high regard the fast-growing AssuredPartners franchise since its founding in 2011. AssuredPartners’ entrepreneurial spirit, broad U.S. footprint and middle-market focus make them an ideal merger partner for Gallagher. By further leveraging our deep industry verticals, investments in data and analytics, access to specialty products, our common systems and standardized service model, together we can provide even more value to clients and further position Gallagher for future growth,” said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman and CEO. “I look forward to welcoming the 10,900 AssuredPartners colleagues to our growing Gallagher family of professionals.”

Randy Larsen, CEO of AssuredPartners added: “This marks a significant milestone in AssuredPartners’ journey, showcasing the outstanding business we’ve built and strong growth we’ve experienced in just over a decade. With Gallagher, we bring together not only unparalleled global resources and expert insights but also a team of exceptional employees whose expertise and dedication have been the driving force behind our success. I am excited for our future together.”

“When we started AssuredPartners, I could never have imagined how far we would come. What started as a small team with a big vision has grown into an extraordinary organization, built on a foundation dedicated to our clients, our culture, and our people,” said Jim Henderson, Chairman of AssuredPartners. “I have watched the Gallagher culture thrive throughout my career. With Gallagher’s mutual client first mindset and underlying entrepreneurial spirit, I believe our employees, our clients, and our trading partners will be well served by putting these two amazing companies together.”

Benefits of the acquisition are expected to include:

 

   

Further expanding Gallagher’s retail middle-market property/casualty and employee benefits focus across the U.S.

 

   

Building on new business opportunities by leveraging Gallagher’s expertise, data and analytics and expansive product offerings

 

   

Deepening Gallagher’s capabilities across multiple niche practice groups, including Transportation, Energy, Healthcare, Government Contractors and Public Entity

 

   

Expanding the reach of Gallagher’s tuck-in M&A strategy


   

Creating opportunities for Gallagher’s wholesale, reinsurance and claims management businesses

 

   

Adding scale, expertise and talent to Gallagher in the U.K. and Ireland

 

   

Combining two highly compatible entrepreneurial, sales-based cultures, embedded in local communities and focused on growth and client service

 

   

Adding highly seasoned, experienced and proven insurance industry leaders to the Gallagher team

 

   

Financially attractive, with estimated double digit adjusted EPS accretion including the impact of synergies

Acquired Operations

Founded in 2011 by GTCR, a leading private equity firm, in partnership with Jim Henderson, today AssuredPartners is a leading U.S. insurance broker with client capabilities across commercial property/casualty, specialty, employee benefits and personal lines. AssuredPartners’ 10,900 colleagues serve a wide range of customers including commercial, public entity and individuals, through approximately 400 offices located across the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland. Pro forma revenues and EBITDAC for the trailing 12 months ended September 30, 2024 were approximately $2.9 billion and $938 million, respectively.

Key Transaction Terms

Under the agreement, Gallagher will acquire the stock of AssuredPartners’ parent company from GTCR and funds advised by Apax Partners LLP for gross consideration of $13.45 billion, representing a pro forma EBITDAC multiple of 14.3x. After giving effect to an estimated $1.0 billion deferred tax asset, net consideration is approximately $12.45 billion. The net consideration EBITDAC multiple is 11.3x after giving effect to the deferred tax asset and estimated synergies.

Gallagher expects to finance the transaction using a combination of long-term debt, short-term borrowings, free cash and common equity. The final funding does not inhibit Gallagher from continuing its ongoing tuck-in M&A strategy and contemplates Gallagher maintaining its current solid investment grade debt rating.

Gallagher also expects to recognize synergies of approximately $160 million and integration costs of approximately $500 million, including $200 million of non-cash retention awards, over the next 3 years.

After giving effect to these assumptions, the pro forma results discussed above and the impact of expected synergies, the acquired operations would have been approximately 10 to 12% accretive to Gallagher’s trailing twelve month adjusted GAAP EPS as of September 30, 2024.

Other Acquisition Transaction Information

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. More information, including a presentation outlining the transaction, can be found on the company’s website at www.ajg.com. The estimates provided in this release and the presentation on the company’s website, may be updated before the transaction closes as more information becomes available.

Conference Call Information

In conjunction with this announcement, J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman and CEO, will host a conference call on Monday, December 9, 2024 at 8:30 am ET/ 7:30 am CT.


The conference call will be broadcast live through Gallagher’s website at www.ajg.com and a conference call replay will be available on the company’s website approximately two hours after the broadcast. The replay can be accessed by going to Investor Relations and clicking on Events & Presentations.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Gallagher provides these services in approximately 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

 

Investors:    Media:
Ray Iardella    Paul Day
VP—Investor Relations    Communications Manager
630-285-3661/ ray_iardella@ajg.com    630-285-5946/ paul_day1@ajg.com

Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements related to future results, or states Gallagher’s intentions, beliefs and expectations or predictions for the future of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and its subsidiaries, which are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “contemplates,” “see,” “should,” “could,” “will,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “pro forma,” “outlook” and variations thereof and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: (i) expected benefits of the proposed transaction, including future financial and operating results and synergies; (ii) the expected revenue, EPS, EBITDAC and credit rating impacts of the proposed transaction; (iii) the size and status of the combined organization within various jurisdictions; (iv) required regulatory approvals; (v) expected timing of completion of the proposed transaction; (vi) expected duration and cost of integration, including the expected consideration to be paid in the proposed transaction, and the anticipated financing of the proposed transaction; (vii) the plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to AssuredPartners; (viii) improvements in Gallagher’s new business production; (ix) global brand recognition; (x) the leveraging of internal resources across divisions and borders; (xi) Gallagher’s ability to stay in front of improvements in technology; (xii) commercial P/C pricing and the premium rate environment; (xiii) drivers and expected levels of Gallagher’s organic growth; (xiv) future M&A opportunities; (xv) increasing productivity and quality; (xvi) Gallagher’s management team; (xvii) Gallagher’s use of leverage; (xviii) Gallagher’s balance sheet; (xix) Gallagher’s return to shareholders and future dividends; (xx) impact of general economic conditions, including fluctuation of interest, inflation and foreign exchange rates; and (xxi) tax credit carryforwards and expected future cash taxes paid as a result of Gallagher’s clean energy investments.

Actual results may differ materially from the estimates set forth herein. Readers are cautioned against relying on any of the forward-looking statements, which are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include risks related to the integration of the acquired operations, businesses and assets into Gallagher;


the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, including cost savings and expected synergies, are not realized when expected or at all, including as a result of the impact of, or issues arising from, the integration of the acquired operations into Gallagher; the possibility that the proposed transaction is not completed when expected or at all because required regulatory approvals are not received or other conditions to the closing are not satisfied on a timely basis or at all; the risk that Gallagher’s free cash generation is insufficient, or the financing required to fund the proposed transaction is not obtained on the terms anticipated or at all; risks associated with increased leverage from the proposed transaction; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the proposed transaction; conditions imposed in order to obtain required regulatory approvals; the possibility that the proposed transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities; the inability to retain certain key employees of the acquired operations or Gallagher; competitive and market responses to the proposed transaction; financial information subsequently presented for the acquired business in Gallagher’s subsequent public filings may be different from that presented herein; global economic and geopolitical events, including, among others, fluctuations in interest, inflation and foreign exchange rates, and political violence and instability, such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East; risks with respect to other acquisitions larger than Gallagher’s usual tuck-in acquisitions; reputational risks; cybersecurity-related risks; Gallagher’s ability to apply technology, data analytics and artificial intelligence effectively, including related regulatory, data privacy, cybersecurity, E&O and competition risks; disasters or other business interruptions; changes in accounting standards; changes in premium rates and in insurance markets generally, including the impact of large natural events; tax, environmental or other compliance risks related to Gallagher’s legacy clean energy investments; Gallagher’s inability to receive dividends or other distributions from subsidiaries; changes in the insurance brokerage industry’s competitive landscape and additional factors discussed in the section entitled “Information Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” in Gallagher’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024 and “Risk Factors” in Gallagher’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

Any forward-looking statement Gallagher makes in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable law, Gallagher does not undertake to update the information included herein.

Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with GAAP, this press release provides information regarding EBITDAC, EBITDAC margin, adjusted EBITDAC, adjusted EBITDAC margin, adjusted EPS, adjusted revenue, and organic revenue. These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative to, the GAAP information provided in this press release. Gallagher’s management believes that these presentations provide useful information to management, analysts and investors regarding financial and business trends relating to Gallagher’s results of operations and financial condition or because they provide investors with measures that its chief operating decision maker uses when reviewing Gallagher’s performance. See further below for definitions and additional reasons each of these measures is useful to investors. Gallagher’s industry peers may provide similar supplemental non-GAAP information


with respect to one or more of these measures, although they may not use the same or comparable terminology and may not make identical adjustments. The non-GAAP information provided by Gallagher should be used in addition to, but not as a substitute for, the GAAP information provided. As disclosed in its most recent Proxy Statement, Gallagher makes determinations regarding certain elements of executive officer incentive compensation, performance share awards and annual cash incentive awards, partly on the basis of measures related to adjusted EBITDAC.

Earnings Measures - Gallagher believes that each of EBITDAC, Adjusted EBITDAC and Adjusted EBITDAC margin, Adjusted EPS, and Adjusted Net earnings, each as defined below, provides a meaningful representation of its operating performance and improves the comparability of Gallagher’s results between periods by eliminating the impact of certain items that have a high degree of variability.

EBITDAC is defined as net earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and the change in estimated acquisition earnout payables.

Adjusted EBITDAC is EBITDAC further adjusted to exclude net gains on divestitures, acquisition integration costs, workforce related charges, lease termination related charges, acquisition related adjustments, transaction related costs, legal and tax related costs, and the period-over-period impact of foreign currency translation, as applicable.

Adjusted EBITDAC margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDAC divided by Adjusted Revenues (defined below).

Adjusted EPS and Adjusted Net Earnings - Adjusted net earnings have been adjusted to exclude the after-tax impact of net gains on divestitures, acquisition integration costs, the impact of foreign currency translation, workforce related charges, lease termination related charges, acquisition related adjustments, transaction related costs, amortization of intangible assets, legal and tax related costs and effective income tax rate impact, as applicable. Adjusted EPS is Adjusted Net Earnings divided by diluted weighted average shares outstanding.

Revenue and Expense Measures - Gallagher believes that Adjusted Revenues, as defined below, provides stockholders and other interested persons with useful information that may assist such persons in analyzing Gallagher’s operating results as they develop a future outlook for Gallagher. Gallagher believes that Organic Revenue provides a comparable measurement of revenue growth that is associated with the revenue sources that will continue in the future. Gallagher has historically viewed organic revenue as an important indicator when assessing and evaluating the performance of its Brokerage and Risk Management segments. Gallagher also believes that using this measure allows financial statement users to measure, analyze and compare the growth from its Brokerage and Risk Management segments in a meaningful and consistent manner.

Adjusted Revenues is defined as revenues (for the Brokerage segment) and revenues before reimbursements (for the Risk Management segment beginning in 2016) adjusted to exclude net gains realized on divestitures, acquisition related adjustments and other non-recurring items, acquisition integration costs, workforce related charges, lease termination related charges, the period-over-period impact of foreign currency translation, amortization of intangible assets, effective income tax impact, and legal and tax related costs, as applicable.


Organic Revenue. For the Brokerage segment, organic change in base commission and fee revenues, supplemental revenues and contingent revenues exclude the first twelve months of such revenues generated from acquisitions and such revenues related to divested operations, which include disposals of a business through sale or closure, run-off of a business and the restructuring and/or repricing of programs and products, in each year presented. These revenues are excluded from organic revenues in order to help interested persons analyze the revenue growth associated with the operations that were a part of Gallagher in both the current and prior period. In addition, organic change in base commission and fee revenues, supplemental revenues and contingent revenues excludes the period-over-period impact of foreign currency translation to improve the comparability of its results between periods. For the Risk Management segment, organic change in fee revenues excludes the first twelve months of such revenues generated from acquisitions and such revenues related to divested operations in each year presented. In addition, change in organic growth in fee revenues excludes the period-over-period impact of foreign currency translation to improve the comparability of its results between periods.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any security of Gallagher, nor shall there be any sale of a security in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.


Reconciliation of September 30, 2024 TTM Non-GAAP Measures (Unaudited)

 

AJG Consolidated

   As Filed     As Filed     As Filed     As Filed     As Filed  
                             TTM  

dollars in $M

   Q4 2023     Q1 2024     Q2 2024     Q3 2024     09/30/2024  

Brokerage & Risk Management revenues

     2,391.9       3,217.7       2,734.9       2,766.1       11,110.6  

Corporate Segment Revenues

     1.2       0.4       1.1       0.4       3.1  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues before Reimbursements

     2,393.1       3,218.1       2,736.0       2,766.5       11,113.7  

Brokerage & Risk Management Compensation & Operating

     1,781.8       2,098.5       1,994.5       2,000.5       7,875.3  

Corporate Segment Compensation & Operating

     97.0       63.1       51.2       75.1       286.4  

Interest

     78.2       92.2       94.3       92.9       357.6  

Depreciation

     43.7       45.4       40.8       45.3       175.2  

Amortization

     146.0       162.3       170.8       164.7       643.8  

Change in estimated acquisition earnout payables

     328.6       (16.1     18.8       (15.3     316.0  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Expenses

     2,475.3       2,445.4       2,370.4       2,363.2       9,654.3  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings before income taxes

     (82.2     772.7       365.6       403.3       1,459.4  

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     (42.6     160.0       80.2       89.2       286.8  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net earnings

     (39.6     612.7       285.4       314.1       1,172.6  

Net earnings attributable to non-controlling interests

     (7.4     4.3       2.0       1.5       0.4  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net earnings attributable to controlling interests

     (32.2     608.4       283.4       312.6       1,172.2  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted net earnings per share

   $ (0.15   $ 2.74     $ 1.26     $ 1.39     $ 5.27  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted Wtd. Avg. Shares Outstanding

     221.1       222.0       222.9       223.9       222.5  

AJG Consolidated

   Non-GAAP
adjustments
    Non-GAAP
adjustments
    Non-GAAP
adjustments
    Non-GAAP
adjustments
    Non-GAAP
adjustments
 

dollars in $M

   Q4 2023     Q1 2024     Q2 2024     Q3 2024     TTM
09/30/2024
 

Brokerage & Risk Management revenues

     (4.1     (26.3     (2.1     (22.6     (55.1

Corporate Segment Revenues

             —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues before Reimbursements

     (4.1     (26.3     (2.1     (22.6     (55.1

Brokerage & Risk Management Compensation & Operating

     (112.4     (112.1     (120.4     (131.6     (476.5

Corporate Segment Compensation & Operating

     (46.4     (3.2     (2.8     (8.9     (61.3

Interest

             —   

Depreciation

     (0.2           (0.2

Amortization

     (146.0     (162.3     (170.8     (164.7     (643.8

Change in estimated acquisition earnout payables

     (309.5     34.9       (3.8     29.1       (249.3
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Expenses

     (614.5     (242.7     (297.8     (276.1     (1,431.1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings before income taxes

     610.4       216.4       295.7       253.5       1,376.0  

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     162.4       54.5       74.5       61.3       352.7  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net earnings

     448.0       161.9       221.2       192.2       1,023.3  

Net earnings attributable to non-controlling interests

     7.6       (3.0     —        —        4.6  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net earnings attributable to controlling interests

     440.4       164.9       221.2       192.2       1,018.7  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted net earnings per share

   $ 1.99     $ 0.74     $ 0.99     $ 0.86     $ 4.58  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted Wtd. Avg. Shares Outstanding

     221.1       222.0       222.9       223.9       222.5  

AJG Consolidated

   As Adjusted     As Adjusted     As Adjusted     As Adjusted     As Adjusted  

dollars in $M

   Q4 2023     Q1 2024     Q2 2024     Q3 2024     TTM
09/30/2024
 

Brokerage & Risk Management revenues

     2,387.8       3,191.4       2,732.8       2,743.5       11,055.5  

Corporate Segment Revenues

     1.2       0.4       1.1       0.4       3.1  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues before Reimbursements

     2,389.0       3,191.8       2,733.9       2,743.9       11,058.6  

Brokerage & Risk Management Compensation & Operating

     1,669.4       1,986.4       1,874.1       1,868.9       7,398.8  

Corporate Segment Compensation & Operating

     50.6       59.9       48.4       66.2       225.1  

Interest

     78.2       92.2       94.3       92.9       357.6  

Depreciation

     43.5       45.4       40.8       45.3       175.0  

Amortization

     —        —        —        —        —   

Change in estimated acquisition earnout payables

     19.1       18.8       15.0       13.8       66.7  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Expenses

     1,860.8       2,202.7       2,072.6       2,087.1       8,223.2  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings before income taxes

     528.2       989.1       661.3       656.8       2,835.4  

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     119.8       214.5       154.7       150.5       639.5  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net earnings

     408.4       774.6       506.6       506.3       2,195.9  

Net earnings attributable to non-controlling interests

     0.2       1.3       2.0       1.5       5.0  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net earnings attributable to controlling interests

     408.2       773.3       504.6       504.8       2,190.9  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted net earnings per share

   $ 1.85     $ 3.49     $ 2.26     $ 2.26     $ 9.85  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted Wtd. Avg. Shares Outstanding

     221.1       222.0       222.9       223.9       222.5  

Exhibit 99.2

Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Consolidated Financial Statements

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2023

 


Dolphin Topco, Inc.

Index

 

 

     Page(s)  

Report of Independent Auditors

     1-2  

Consolidated Financial Statements

  

Consolidated Balance Sheet

December 31, 2023

     3  

Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)

For the Year Ended December 31, 2023

     4  

Consolidated Statement of Shareholders’ Equity and Mezzanine Equity

For the Year Ended December 31, 2023

     5  

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

For the Year Ended December 31, 2023

     6  

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

     7-41  


Report of Independent Auditors

To the Board of Directors of Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Opinion

We have audited the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Dolphin TopCo, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”), which comprise the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income, of shareholders’ equity and mezzanine equity and of cash flows for the year then ended, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”).

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America (US GAAS). Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors’ Responsibilities for the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements section of our report. We are required to be independent of the Company and to meet our other ethical responsibilities, in accordance with the relevant ethical requirements relating to our audit. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

Responsibilities of Management for the Consolidated Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and for the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the consolidated financial statements, management is required to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date the consolidated financial statements are available to be issued.

 

1


Auditors’ Responsibilities for the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not absolute assurance and therefore is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with US GAAS will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. Misstatements are considered material if there is a substantial likelihood that, individually or in the aggregate, they would influence the judgment made by a reasonable user based on the consolidated financial statements.

In performing an audit in accordance with US GAAS, we:

 

   

Exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit.

 

   

Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks. Such procedures include examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements.

 

   

Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control. Accordingly, no such opinion is expressed.

 

   

Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluate the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements.

 

   

Conclude whether, in our judgment, there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time.

We are required to communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit, significant audit findings, and certain internal control-related matters that we identified during the audit.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (signed)

Tampa, Florida

December 6, 2024

 

2


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheet

December 31, 2023

 

 

(amounts in thousands, except share data)    December 31,
2023
 

Assets

  

Current assets

  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 256,237  

Restricted cash

     60,864  

Trust cash

     259,974  

Fixed maturity securities available-for-sale, at fair value

     35,700  

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $5,883

     901,211  

Prepaid expenses

     37,094  

Other current assets

     112,725  
  

 

 

 

Total current assets

     1,663,805  

Accounts receivable, noncurrent portion

     20,173  

Fixed assets, net

     108,843  

Goodwill

     5,704,400  

Definite-lived intangible assets, net

     3,204,244  

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

     151,299  

Other noncurrent assets, net

     79,213  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 10,931,977  
  

 

 

 

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

  

Current liabilities

  

Long-term debt, net, current portion

   $ 26,538  

Earn-out payables, current portion

     219,439  

Carrier payables

     451,129  

Accounts payable

     118,237  

Customer advances

     84,890  

Producer payables

     116,253  

Deferred revenue, current portion

     54,729  

Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, current portion

     7,146  

Accrued expenses and other

     296,360  
  

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     1,374,721  

Long-term debt, net, noncurrent portion

     6,099,168  

Earn-out payables, noncurrent portion

     191,079  

Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent portion

     126,331  

Deferred revenue, noncurrent portion

     48,159  

Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, noncurrent portion

     21,235  

Deferred income tax liabilities, net

     425,423  

Other noncurrent liabilities

     21,334  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     8,307,450  
  

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 16)

  

Mezzanine Equity:

  

Redeemable Series A Preferred Stock ($0.001 par value, 160,000 shares authorized and outstanding

     273,207  

Shareholders’ Equity:

  

Common Stock ($0.01 par value, 2,000 shares authorized and outstanding)

     20  

Additional Paid-in Capital

     2,413,757  

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income

     (6,734

Retained earnings (deficit)

     (55,723
  

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

     2,351,320  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders’ equity

   $ 10,931,977  
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

3


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)

December 31, 2023

 

 

(amounts in thousands)    For the year ended
December 31,
2023
 

Revenues

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 2,354,801  

Contingent revenue

     198,907  

Investment income

     1,803  
  

 

 

 

Total revenues

     2,555,511  
  

 

 

 

Expenses

  

Compensation expense

     1,389,298  

Selling expense

     48,048  

Administrative expense

     344,125  

Transaction expense

     15,644  

Change in estimated acquisition earn-out payables

     85,870  

Depreciation and amortization expense

     276,238  
  

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     2,159,223  
  

 

 

 

Income from operations

     396,288  
  

 

 

 

Interest expense

     (492,932

Interest income

     27,796  

Loss on debt extinguishment

     (3,171

Other income (expense), net

     4,886  
  

 

 

 

(Loss) income before income taxes

     (67,133

Income tax benefit

     11,410  
  

 

 

 

Net (loss) income

     (55,723
  

 

 

 

Other comprehensive (loss) income, before tax

  

Foreign currency translation adjustments

     (1,366

Change in fair value of fixed maturity securities available-for-sale

     696  

Change in fair value of derivative instruments

     (21,009
  

 

 

 

Other comprehensive (loss) income, before taxes

     (21,679

Income tax benefit (provision) related to items of other comprehensive income

     5,309  
  

 

 

 

Other comprehensive (loss) income

     (16,370
  

 

 

 

Comprehensive (loss) income

   $ (72,093
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

4


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Consolidated Statement of Shareholders’ Equity and Mezzanine Equity

December 31, 2023

 

 

     Mezzanine Equity     Shareholders’ Equity  
     Redeemable
Series A Preferred Stock
    Common Stock      Additional
Paid-in

Capital
    Retained
Earnings
    Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive

(Loss) income
    Total
Stockholders’

Equity
 
(amounts in thousands, except share data)    Shares      Amount     Shares      Amount  

Balances at December 31, 2022

     160,000      $ 246,338       2,000      $ 20      $ 2,418,848     $ —      $ 9,636     $ 2,428,504  

Change in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes

     —         —        —         —         —        —        (15,554     (15,554

Change in fair value of fixed maturity securities available-for-sale, net of taxes

     —         —        —         —         —        —        550       550  

Adjustment of Preferred Stock to redemption value

     —         26,869       —         —         (26,869     —        —        (26,869

Foreign currency translation

     —         —        —         —         —        —        (1,366     (1,366

Compensation expense related to incentive units

     —         —        —         —         21,778       —        —        21,778  

Net loss

     —         —        —         —         —        (55,723     —        (55,723
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balances at December 31, 2023

     160,000      $ 273,207       2,000      $ 20      $ 2,413,757     $ (55,723   $ (6,734   $ 2,351,320  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

5


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

December 31, 2023

 

 

(amounts in thousands)    For the year ended
December 31,

2023
 

Cash flows from operating activities

  

Net (loss) income

   $ (55,723

Adjustments to net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities

  

Amortization

     247,964  

Depreciation

     28,274  

Non-cash lease expense

     1,602  

Credit loss expense

     2,175  

Amortization of interest rate cap premium

     5,765  

Amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs

     21,849  

Equity-based compensation

     21,778  

Change in estimated acquisition earn-out payables

     85,870  

Payments on acquisition earn-outs in excess of original estimated payables

     (38,509

Deferred income taxes

     (20,148

Loss on debt extinguishment

     3,171  

Gain on sale of book of business

     (533

Other, net

     (603

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect from acquisitions

  

Accounts receivable

     (125,100

Prepaid and other assets

     (30,462

Carrier payables

     30,914  

Accounts payable

     (3,734

Customer advances

     15,903  

Producer payables

     11,144  

Accrued interest payable

     1,050  

Other accrued expenses

     21,798  

Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses

     397  

Deferred revenue

     9,767  

Other liabilities

     (8,824
  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

     225,785  
  

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities

  

Additions to fixed assets

     (65,205

Payments for businesses, net of cash acquired

     (1,044,782

Purchases of fixed maturity securities

     (12,047

Proceeds from sales and maturities of fixed maturity securities

     4,863  

Proceeds from sales of books of business

     1,485  
  

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

     (1,115,686
  

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities

  

Payments on acquisition holdback

     (2,556

Payments on acquisition earn-out payables

     (46,112

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt, net of discount

     400,000  

Payments on long-term debt

     (44,185

Borrowings on revolving credit facility

     75,000  

Payments of capitalized debt issuance costs

     (3,856

Other, net

     (1,705
  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

     376,586  
  

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and trust cash

     (513,315

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and trust cash, beginning of period

     1,090,390  
  

 

 

 

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and trust cash, end of period

     577,075  

Less: Restricted cash

     60,864  

Less: Trust cash

     259,974  
  

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 256,237  
  

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of non-cash financing and investing activities

  

Cash paid for interest

   $ 464,056  

Cash paid for taxes

   $ 21,770  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

6


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

1.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Nature of Operations

Dolphin TopCo, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the Company) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The AssuredPartners Group LP (the Parent) and wholly-owns AssuredPartners, Inc. and its subsidiaries (AP Inc.). The Company is one of the leading insurance brokers in the United States (U.S.) and provides a broad array of insurance-related products and services on a retail basis to middle-market businesses, with a particular focus on property and casualty and employee benefits insurance products and solutions. At December 31, 2023, the Company has over 10,400 employees in over 400 offices in forty states across the U.S., the District of Columbia, United Kingdom (U.K.), Ireland and Belgium. Since its founding in 2011, the Company has built a broad insurance distribution platform that is concentrated in the U.S. through a strategic acquisition program coupled with a focus on driving organic growth. Through its operations, the Company provides diversified services to its customers through a broad range of insurance products and services to commercial, public entity and professional and individual customers.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany account balances and transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and revenues and expenses as well as disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of the consolidated financial statements. The principal estimates used include, among others, the allocation of purchase price to the fair value of net assets acquired in connection with acquisitions, the valuation of earn-out payables, revenue recognition, equity-based compensation, assessments regarding potential impairment of assets, and the estimated fair value of financial instruments. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Acquisition Accounting

Assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded based on their respective fair values at the date of acquisition. Goodwill and other intangible assets generally represent the largest components of the Company’s acquisitions. Intangible assets include noncompete agreements, and customer related and contract-based assets. Goodwill is calculated as the excess of the cost of the acquired agency over the net of the fair value of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. The principal factor that results in recognition of goodwill is a combination of the value the Company expects to receive as it provides additional markets and capabilities to the acquired companies, as well as the value the Company assigns to the assembled workforce which may not be recognized as an intangible asset. Noncompete agreements, tradenames, and customer-related and contract-based assets are valued using the income approach which is based on future cash flow projections. Contingent liabilities that arise from acquisitions, referred to as earn-out payables, are established and measured at fair value as of the acquisition date.

 

7


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The amounts recorded as earn-out payables are primarily based upon estimated future operating results of the acquired entities over a one- to three-year period and are recorded as part of the purchase price consideration. The fair value of the earn-out payables is based on the present value of the expected future payments to be made to the sellers of the acquired entities in accordance with the provisions outlined in the respective purchase agreements. The Company estimates future payments using the earn-out formula and performance targets specified in each purchase agreement and these financial projections. In determining fair value, the Company estimates the acquired entity’s future performance using financial projections developed by management and market participant assumptions that were derived for revenue growth and/or profitability. The Company utilizes an option-pricing approach to incorporate the risks associated with financial projections, counterparty credit risk, as well as the nature of the earn-out payout structure. The Company remeasures these estimated earn-out payables on a quarterly basis. Subsequent changes, including the accretion of discount and changes in fair value, are recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

The Company also acquires other assets and assumes other liabilities that typically include accounts receivable, accounts payable and other working capital items. Due to their short-term nature, the carrying values of these other assets and liabilities generally approximate the fair values that are recorded on the balance sheet of the acquired business.

Subsequent to recording the opening balance sheet of the acquiree, management may make measurement period adjustments to the acquired assets and liabilities. Measurement period adjustments are adjustments made to purchase price allocations of acquisitions after the recording of the opening balance sheet, but during the one-year period following the acquisition date. These adjustments generally consist of final allocations arising from third-party valuation reports and working capital adjustments.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents principally consist of demand deposits with financial institutions and highly liquid investments with quoted market prices with maturities not more than three months when purchased. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash. The Company manages this risk by using high credit worthy financial institutions. Interest-bearing accounts and noninterest-bearing accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to $250,000. Deposits exceed amounts insured by the FDIC. The Company has not experienced any losses from its deposits.

Restricted Cash

Certain of the Company’s cash balances are contractually limited or are generally designated for specific purposes arising out of other obligations. These cash balances are classified as restricted cash in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet. Restricted cash includes amounts that have been pledged as collateral for an appeal bond in connection with a legal case. See Note 16 for further discussion.

 

8


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Trust Cash, Carrier Payables and Accounts Receivable, net

Unremitted net insurance premiums are held by the Company until disbursement. The Company invests these unremitted funds primarily in cash and money market accounts. In certain states in which the Company operates, the use of investment alternatives for these funds are regulated and restricted by various state laws and agencies. These restricted funds are reported as trust cash and carrier payables on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The interest income earned on these unremitted funds is reported as investment income in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

The Company’s accounts receivable, net is comprised of premiums and commissions receivable. In its capacity as an insurance agent or broker, the Company typically collects premiums from insureds and, after deducting its authorized commissions, remits the net premiums to the appropriate insurance carrier or carriers. Accordingly, premium receivables are accounts receivable from the insureds. In other circumstances, insurance carriers collect premiums directly from the insureds themselves and upon collection, the insurance carriers remit to the Company its earned commissions. Accordingly, commissions receivables are accounts receivable from insurance carriers.

Investments

The Company indirectly owns a captive insurance company (the Captive) formed and domiciled in the state of Hawaii. The Captive’s investments are classified on the Consolidated Balance Sheet of the Company as available-for-sale, which are recorded at fair market value with unrealized gains or losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income within the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The cost of investments sold is based on the specific identification method. Premiums and discounts are amortized using the interest method.

For mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and asset-backed securities (ABS), the Company recognizes income using a constant effective yield based on anticipated prepayments over the economic life of the security. Prepayment assumptions are based on market expectations. When actual prepayments differ significantly from anticipated prepayments, the effective yield is recalculated to actual payments to date and anticipated future payments, and any resulting adjustment is included in investment income within the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

The Company reviews its available-for-sale debt securities for credit loss impairment at the individual security level on at least a quarterly basis. A security is impaired if its fair value is less than its amortized cost basis. A decline in fair value below amortized cost basis represents a credit loss impairment to the extent the Company does not expect to recover the amortized cost basis of the security. Impairments related to credit losses are recorded through an allowance for credit losses to the extent fair values are less than the amortized cost bases. Declines in fair value that have not been recorded through the allowance for credit losses are recorded through other comprehensive income, net of applicable taxes.

 

9


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Fixed Assets, net

Fixed assets, net are recorded at cost at the time of purchase or fair value at the date of acquisition and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Leasehold improvements are carried at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Expenditures for leasehold improvements are capitalized, and expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed to operations as incurred. Upon sale or retirement, the cost and related accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss, if any, is reflected in other income (expense), net in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). The Company capitalizes certain costs incurred for internally developed and licensed software upon the establishment of technological feasibility. Costs incurred during the preliminary project stage and post-implementation stage of an internal-use software project are expensed as incurred while costs incurred during the application development stage of an internal-use software project are capitalized. Costs related to updates and enhancements to the software are only capitalized if they result in additional functionality to the Company. Software licenses which are part of cloud computing hosting arrangements are capitalized only if the Company can take possession of the software at any time without significant penalty and can run the software on its own (or on an independent third party’s) hardware; otherwise, such costs are expensed as incurred. Costs for capitalizable projects which are not complete are classified as construction in process and are not amortized until they are put into use. Depreciation for fixed assets computed using the straight-line method is calculated using the following estimated useful lives:

 

Asset Category

   Useful Life  

Furniture and fixtures

     5 to 7 years  

Office equipment

     5 years  

Computer equipment

     3 years  

Software

     3 years  

Leasehold improvements

     Length of lease or 5 years, whichever is less  

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The excess of the purchase price of an acquisition over the fair value of the identifiable tangible and intangible net assets is assigned to goodwill. The Company is required to test goodwill for impairment at least annually, or if triggering events are identified.

The Company tests goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level by either performing a qualitative assessment or a quantitative test. The qualitative assessment is an assessment of historical information and relevant events and circumstances to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. If a qualitative assessment is not performed or if a determination is made that it is more likely than not that the value of the reporting unit does not exceed its carrying amount, then the Company will perform a quantitative analysis. If the fair value of a reporting unit is determined to be greater than the carrying value of the reporting unit, goodwill is deemed not to be impaired and no further testing is necessary.

The Company completed its annual qualitative impairment assessment and concluded that there were no indicators of impairment. The Company also determined there were no events or changes since the period following the annual impairment review through December 31, 2023 that would cause the Company to perform an interim period impairment assessment.

 

10


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Definite-lived intangible assets are stated at fair value at the date of acquisition, less accumulated amortization. Customer-related and contract-based assets, noncompete agreements, and tradenames are amortized over the related estimated lives and contract periods, which range from three to twenty-one years generally on a straight-line basis or as the related benefits are consumed. Customer-related and contract-based assets primarily consist of records and files that contain information about insurance policies and the related insured parties that are essential to policy renewals. Favorable lease assets or unfavorable lease liabilities that arise from business combinations before the adoption of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 842, Leases, are amortized over the remaining term of the respective lease agreements.

Definite-lived intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. Annually, the Company conducts an assessment to determine whether there are any triggering events that would require an impairment analysis of the underlying intangible assets. In reviewing intangible assets for recoverability, if the future expected undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying amount of the respective asset, the Company recognizes an impairment loss based on any excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. There were no events that would trigger the Company to perform the impairment analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Revenue from Contracts with Customers, by following a five-step model: (1) identifying the contract with the customer, (2) identifying performance obligations, (3) determining the transaction price, (4) allocating the transaction price to performance obligations, and (5) recognizing revenue when the performance obligation is satisfied.

Commissions and Fees. Commissions are fixed at the contract effective date and generally are based on a percentage of premiums for insurance coverage or employee headcount for employer sponsored benefit plans. Commissions depend on various factors, including the type of risk being placed, the particular underwriting enterprise’s demand, the expected loss experience of the particular risk coverage, and historical benchmarks surrounding the level of effort necessary for us to place and service the insurance contracts. Commission revenues are recognized on the effective date of the insurance policy, which is the date that the control of the insurance policy transfers to the customer upon satisfaction of the related performance obligation. Fee revenues, negotiated in lieu of commissions, are recognized in the same manner as commission revenue. Fee revenues generated from other services, which include but are not limited to third party claims administration and other risk management consulting services, are recognized throughout the contract term, typically within one year as the services are rendered, and the related performance obligation is satisfied. Fee revenues received in advance are deferred until the related performance obligation is satisfied which is either on effective date of the insurance policy or over the term of the insurance policy as services transfer to the customer. In certain circumstances, the Company provides more than one performance obligation to the customer that is comprised of placement of an insurance policy and other post-placement services. For consideration allocated to the placement of an insurance policy, the Company recognizes revenue on the policy effective date. For certain products, remaining consideration is allocated to other performance obligations based on their relative fair values over the term of the insurance policy, which is generally one year or less, as the services are rendered. Management reserves for estimated policy cancellations based upon historical cancellation experience adjusted in accordance with known circumstances.

 

11


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Contingent Revenue: Supplemental and profit-sharing contingent commissions represent variable consideration from insurance carriers that may be received in certain cases separate from commissions and fees and are generally received within one year. A supplemental commission is a commission paid by an insurance carrier that is above the base commission paid, is based on historical performance criteria, and is established annually in advance of the contractual period. For supplemental revenue contracts, our obligation to the underwriting company is fully earned and recognized consistent with the performance of our obligations.

A profit-sharing contingent commission is a commission paid by an insurance carrier and is based on, among other things, the overall underwriting results and/or growth of the business placed with that insurance carrier during a particular performance year and is determined after the contractual period. These revenues are variable in nature until all contingencies are resolved and therefore estimated and recognized at which time significant reversal of contingent revenue is not probable. As such, an estimated amount of consideration that will be received from the insurance carrier the following year is accrued on the effective date of the insurance policy. Because our expectation of the ultimate contingent revenue amounts to be earned can vary from period to period, especially in contracts sensitive to loss ratios, our estimates might change significantly from quarter to quarter. Variable consideration is recognized when we conclude, based on all the facts and information available at the reporting date, that it is probable that a significant revenue reversal will not occur in future periods.

Transaction Expenses

In the process of acquiring companies, the Company incurs certain incremental costs associated with consummating the transactions. These costs are expensed as incurred and include, but are not limited to, fees paid for legal, advisory, accounting and valuation experts.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of investments. The Company’s investments are available-for-sale fixed maturity securities in corporate and government obligations, as well as non-agency MBS and ABS. These investments are managed by professional investment managers under investment guidelines. As of December 31, 2023, there was no significant concentration of financial instruments in a single investee, industry or geographic location.

Reserve for Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses

The Captive is licensed as a Class 4 sponsored captive insurance company and, as such, is authorized to be a reinsurer and direct writer of insurance. The Captive writes and reinsures workers’ compensation business and excess liability business only for policyholders associated with a subsidiary of the Company.

 

12


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Unpaid claims and loss adjustment expenses consist of (1) case or claims reserves for known claims that are unpaid as of the balance sheet date; (2) incurred but not reported reserves for claims when the insured event has occurred but has not been reported to the Company; and (3) loss adjustment expense reserves for the expected costs of settling these claims. The Company estimates incurred but not yet reported losses using actuarial principles and assumptions based on settlement factors derived from its historical experiences, which reflect judgments and possible adjustments based on data such as historical and projected claim incidence patterns, claim size, expected payment patterns and period. The Company recognizes the best estimate of the ultimate liability under moderately adverse conditions. The methods for making such estimates, and for establishing the resulting liability, are continually reviewed and any adjustments are reflected in current earnings.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company incurred expenses associated with current period claims of approximately $9.9 million offset by prior period developments of approximately $2.1 million and made loss and loss adjustment expense payments associated with current and prior period claims of approximately $1.9 million and $5.4 million, respectively.

Debt Issuance Costs

Debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability are directly deducted from the carrying amount of the debt. These costs, along with debt discounts, are deferred and amortized over the term of the debt using the effective interest method. Upfront commitment fees and unamortized debt costs associated with the Company’s revolving loan credit facility are classified as other current assets and amortized ratably over the term of the arrangement. Amortization expense from debt issuance costs is included within Interest expense, net on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and comprehensive income (Loss).

Fair Value Measurements

As defined by the FASB, the Company established a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair values as follows:

 

 Level 1    Observable inputs such as quoted prices for identical assets in active markets;
 Level 2    Inputs other than quoted prices for identical assets in active markets, that are observable either directly or indirectly; and
 Level 3    Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data which requires the use of valuation techniques and the development of assumptions.

The carrying amounts of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, including cash and cash equivalents; restricted cash; trust cash; accounts receivable; carrier payables; accounts payable; customer advances; producer payables; reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses; contract assets; contract liabilities and deferred revenue at December 31, 2023 approximate fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments.

 

13


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income

Other comprehensive income (loss) includes certain transactions that have generally been reported in the statement of shareholders’’ equity. The following tables summarize the components and changes in accumulated balances of other comprehensive loss for the periods presented:

 

     Year Ended December 31, 2023  
     Foreign
currency
translation
     Fixed maturity
securities
available-for-sale
     Derivative
instruments
     Total  

Beginning Balance

   $ 2,422      $ 1,882      $ (13,940    $ (9,636

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications

     1,366        3,499        22,474        27,339  

Reclassified to earnings

     —         (4,049      (6,920      (10,969
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Impact to SOCI

     1,366        (550      15,554        16,370  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Ending Balance

   $ 3,788      $ 1,332      $ 1,614      $ 6,734  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The following methods and assumptions are used to estimate the fair values of the Company’s financial instruments that are measured on a recurring basis:

Interest Rate Contracts

Interest rate contracts are valued using pricing models that are based on certain assumptions and readily observable market-based inputs, including yield curves and implied volatilities of closely related instruments, for which transparent pricing is available. The Company reflects the credit considerations inherent in the derivative contracts with both positive and negative exposures over the remaining life of the derivative. The credit spreads calculated for each party (e.g., the hedging entity and the bank counterparty) are converted into default probabilities. The default probabilities of the hedging entity are applied to the negative exposures, resulting in a positive credit adjustment, and the default probabilities of the bank counterparty are applied to the positive exposures, resulting in a negative credit adjustment. The bilateral credit valuation adjustment is the sum of the positive and negative adjustments.

The Company enters into hedging contracts (generally, interest rate swaps and caps) to manage the associated interest rate risk in its variable interest rate debt obligations at what management believes are acceptable levels. These debt obligations expose the Company to variability in interest payments due to changes in interest rates. The Company believes it is prudent to limit the variability of a portion of its interest payments and the Company has protected against future increases in interest rates by entering into interest rate contracts whereby the Company receives variable interest rate payments and makes fixed interest rate payments on a portion of its debt to a designated counterparty (for swaps), or the Company receives payments from a designated counterparty when variable rates exceed the specified strike rate of the contract (for caps).

The fair value of these interest rate contracts is recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as an asset or liability with the related gains or losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). Changes in fair value are reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income into earnings as an adjustment to interest expense in the same period that the hedged items affect earnings. The Company does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

 

14


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Earn-Out Payables

Earn-out payables are recorded at fair value based on the present value of the expected future payments that are to be made to the sellers of the acquired entities. The Company estimates the future performance of acquired entities using financial projections that are primarily based on earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) or revenue targets to be achieved over one to three years. The expected future payments are discounted to present value using a risk-adjusted rate that takes into consideration market-based rates of return that reflect the ability of the acquired entities to achieve the target EBITDA or revenue. Revenue growth rates range from 3.0% to 18.0% and the discount rates range from 8.0% to 11.0%. On a quarterly basis, the Company reassesses its current estimates of performance relative to the financial targets and adjusts the liability to fair value. Changes in financial projections, market participant assumptions for revenue growth and profitability, or the risk-adjusted discount rate, would result in a change in fair value of recorded earn-out payables. See Note 3 for a reconciliation of acquisition earn-out payables measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

Fixed Maturity Securities

Corporate bonds (foreign and domestic) are valued by models using inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data. In the instance that observable market data is unavailable, the Company incorporates inputs from third-party sources and applies reasonable judgment in developing assumptions used to estimate the probability of collecting all contractual cash flows.

U.S. government and agency securities are estimated using values obtained from independent pricing services and based on expected future cash flows using a current market rate applicable to the yield, credit quality, and maturity of the investments.

For asset-backed securities, including residential MBS, commercial MBS, and other ABS, the Company uses values obtained from independent pricing services. The independent pricing service may consider various factors in determining fair value, including but not limited to, the type of security, issuer-specific news and/or long-term outlook, market conditions and other relevant information, size and position in the issuer’s capital structure, information available in the issuer’s financial statements or other reports, the price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable companies, and/or factors deemed relevant and appropriate.

Leases

The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception, which is the date on which the terms of the contract are agreed to, and the agreement creates enforceable rights and obligations. Under Topic 842, a contract is or contains a lease when (i) explicitly or implicitly identified assets have been deployed in the contract and (ii) the customer obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of that underlying asset and directs how and for what purpose the asset is used during the term of the contract. The Company also considers whether its service arrangements include the right to control the use of an asset.

 

15


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The Company made an accounting policy election under Topic 842 not to recognize right-of-use (ROU) assets and lease liabilities for leases with a term of twelve months or less. For all other leases, the Company recognizes ROU assets and lease liabilities based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term at the commencement date of the lease.

When material leases are acquired in business combinations, the Company is required to measure the acquired lease liabilities at the present value of the remaining lease payments as if the acquired leases were new leases. A reassessment of the lease term, lessee options to purchase an underlying asset, lease payments, and discount rates is performed as of the date of acquisition. The ROU assets are then remeasured at the amount of the lease liability, adjusted for any off-market terms present in the acquired leases.

Future lease payments may include fixed rent escalation clauses or payments that depend on an index (such as the consumer price index). Subsequent changes in an index and other periodic market-rate adjustments to base rent are recorded in variable lease expense in the period incurred. Payments for terminating the lease are included in the lease payments only when it is probable they will be incurred.

The Company’s leases may include a non-lease component representing additional services transferred to the Company, such as common area maintenance for real estate. The Company made an accounting policy election to account for each separate lease component and the non-lease components associated with that lease component as a single lease component. Non-lease components that are variable in nature are recorded in variable lease expense in the period incurred.

The Company utilizes discount rates to determine the present value of the lease payments based on information available at the commencement date of the lease. The Company uses an incremental borrowing rate based on factors such as the lease term, the Company’s credit rating and current market valuations for similarly rated credits in the market, as the rate implicit in the lease is not always readily available. Incremental borrowing rates are updated quarterly and the new rates are used for the acquired leases and lease modifications occurring in the following quarter.

Equity-based Compensation

The Company’s employees are participants in The AssuredPartners Group LP Equity Incentive Plan (Incentive Plan), an equity incentive plan sponsored by the Parent which awards profits interest units of the Parent to certain participating employees of the Company who have substantial responsibility for the management and growth of the Company. These awards are accounted for as equity-classified stock-based compensation awards under ASC Topic 718, Stock Compensation. Compensation expense for these awards is measured as the grant-date fair value of the award and is recognized in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) over the vesting terms of the employees’ agreements.

Defined Contribution Plan

The Company sponsors a defined contribution plan covering eligible employees of the Company. Under this plan, the Company makes matching contributions of up to 3.0% of each participant’s annual compensation. Company matching contributions to the plan were approximately $10.0 million in 2023.

 

16


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes (ASC 740). Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates which apply to the taxable income in years in which these temporary differences are expected to impact taxable income. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities because of a change in tax rates is recorded in the results of continuing operations in the period that includes the enactment date under law.

The Company reduces deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. All significant available positive and negative evidence is considered in determining the amount of valuation allowance required, which includes, but is not limited to, the Company’s estimate of future taxable income and any applicable tax-planning strategies. Establishment or reversal of certain valuation allowances may have a significant impact on both current and future results. For uncertain tax positions, ASC 740 prescribes a minimum probability threshold that a tax position must meet before a financial statement benefit is recognized. The minimum threshold is defined as a tax position that is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefit to be recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than fifty percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company records interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in the provision for income taxes.

Foreign Currency Transactions

The Company’s functional currency is the U.S. dollar. The Company has exposure to foreign currency translation gains and losses arising from foreign operations. The revenues, expenses, and financial results of these foreign subsidiaries are recorded in their respective functional currencies. The financial statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using a current rate of exchange, with gains or losses, net of tax as applicable, included in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income within the Consolidated Statement of Shareholders’ Equity and Mezzanine Equity.

Realized gains and losses on foreign exchange resulting from the settlement of the Company’s foreign currency assets and liabilities and unrealized impacts on foreign exchange resulting from remeasurement of transactions and monetary assets and liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies are recognized as a component of other income (expenses), net on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

 

17


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted

In September 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The new guidance and its amendments require the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable forward-looking information, which is intended to result in more timely recognition of such losses. The new guidance adds an allowance for credit losses impairment model that is based on expected losses rather than incurred losses. The new standard also makes targeted changes to the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities. Credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities are now limited to the difference between the security’s amortized cost basis and its fair value and should be recognized through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a direct reduction in amortized cost basis. Effective January 1, 2023, the Company adopted the new standard, which did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting, which provides optional expedients and exceptions for accounting for contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The amendments apply only to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions that reference the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or another reference rate expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform. These amendments, along with the amendments within ASU 2022-06, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848, which extended the period companies can utilize the reference rate reform relief guidance in Topic 848, may be applied prospectively to contract modifications made and hedging relationships entered into or evaluated on or before December 31, 2024. The LIBOR index, used by existing loans under the Company’s Credit Facility (Credit Facility), was discontinued immediately after December 31, 2021 for one-week and two-month U.S. dollar settings. The Credit Facility included provisions for the administrative agent of the facility to amend the facility to replace LIBOR with an alternate benchmark rate (i.e., Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR). In April 2023, the Credit Facility’s terms were amended to replace LIBOR with SOFR. As a result of this amendment, the Company adopted ASU 2020-04, effective April 1, 2023, which did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08, Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers which made improvements to the guidance by addressing diversity in practice and inconsistency related to the recognition of an acquired contract liability and payment terms and their effect on subsequent revenue recognized by the acquirer. The amendments in ASU 2021-08 require that the Company recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The amendments in ASU 2021-08 also provide certain practical expedients for acquirers when recognizing and measuring acquired contract assets and contract liabilities from revenue contracts in a business combination. Effective January 1, 2023, the Company adopted the new standard, which did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

 

18


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

New Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. The standard requires disaggregated income tax information about a reporting entity’s effective tax rate reconciliation as well as information on income taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 requires non-public business entities to provide qualitative disclosures about specific categories of reconciling items and individual jurisdictions that result in a significant difference between the statutory tax rate and the effective tax rate. Additionally, ASU 2023-09 requires that disclosures of taxes paid by non-public business entities must be disaggregated into federal, state and foreign tax components, and separate disclosure of taxes paid to individual jurisdictions to which greater than 5% of the total taxes are paid. The Company is subject to the provisions of this standard for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024 and is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its disclosures.

 

2.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Disaggregation of Revenue

Property & Casualty (P&C): The Company’s commissions earned from P&C products and services are comprised of a broad range of insurance lines that are offered to middle-market businesses, public institutions, and individuals.

Employee Benefits (EB): The Company places EB products and provides consulting and administrative support services on both fully insured and self-insured EB plan structures for employers of all sizes.

Services & Other: The Company offers various services which include, but are not limited to, risk management, consulting, and third-party administration services to customers in a wide variety of industries.

The following table summarizes total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023:

 

     For the Year Ended
December 31,
 
     2023  

Commissions and fees

   $ 2,354,801  

Contingent revenue

     198,907  
  

 

 

 

Total revenues from contracts with customers

     2,553,708  

Investment Income

     1,803  
  

 

 

 

Total revenues

   $ 2,555,511  
  

 

 

 

 

19


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

     For the Year Ended
December 31,
 
     2023  

P&C

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 1,542,921  

Contingent revenue

     116,697  
  

 

 

 

Total P&C Revenue

   $ 1,659,618  
  

 

 

 

EB

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 570,121  

Contingent revenue

     64,596  
  

 

 

 

Total EB Revenue

   $ 634,717  
  

 

 

 

Services & Other

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 241,759  

Contingent revenue

     17,614  
  

 

 

 

Total Services & Other Revenue

   $ 259,373  
  

 

 

 

Total

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 2,354,801  

Contingent revenue

     198,907  
  

 

 

 

Total Revenue from contracts with customers

   $ 2,553,708  
  

 

 

 

Contract Balances

The Company presents contract assets and contract liabilities as reflected below:

 

     December 31,
2023
     December 31,
2022
 

Billed receivables, net of allowance for credit losses

   $ 437,653      $ 344,226  

Unbilled receivables

     369,827        332,389  

Contract assets

     93,731        51,668  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses

     901,211        728,283  

Accounts receivable, noncurrent portion

     20,173     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total accounts receivable

   $ 921,384      $ 728,283  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Deferred revenue, current portion

   $ 54,729      $ 50,040  

Deferred revenue, noncurrent portion

     48,159        43,081  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Contract liabilities

   $ 102,888      $ 93,121  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Unbilled receivables (contract assets) arise when the Company recognizes revenue for amounts which have not yet been billed in our systems and are reflected in commissions, fees and other receivables in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. The increase in contracts assets over the balance as of December 31, 2022 is due to businesses acquired and growth in our business.

 

20


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Revenue recognized during the year ended December 31, 2023 included in deferred revenue at December 31, 2022 was $45.6 million. Remaining performance obligations represent the portion of the contract price for which work has yet to be performed. As of December 31, 2023, the aggregate amount of the contract price allocated to remaining performance obligations was $102.9 million.

The Company records billed receivables when the right to consideration is unconditional, subject only to the passage of time. Unbilled receivables arise when the Company recognizes revenue for amounts which have not yet been billed but performance obligations have been satisfied. Additionally, contract assets relate to relationships with customers where the Company has satisfied performance obligations under the contract, however, the Company’s right to the receipt of consideration is conditional primarily based on underwriting results, but may also reflect considerations for volume, growth and/or retention. These contract assets primarily relate to profit-sharing contingent commissions from insurance carriers for which the revenue cannot be collected until all contingencies are resolved which typically occurs a year subsequent to the end of the contract period.

Contract liabilities relate to payments received in advance of the Company satisfying performance obligations under its contracts. Contract liabilities are reported as deferred revenue, current portion and deferred revenue, noncurrent portion in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023.

Deferred Costs

Costs incurred by the Company to obtain a customer contract (costs to obtain) are capitalized and amortized over 15 years based on the expected life of the underlying customer relationships. As of December 31, 2023 costs to obtain of approximately $61.4 million are recorded within other noncurrent assets, net in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Certain contract related costs, including pre-placement brokerage costs to fulfill a customer contract (costs to fulfill), are capitalized and are amortized on a systematic basis consistent with the transfer of control of the services to which the asset relates, which is generally less than one year. As of December 31, 2023, costs to fulfill of approximately $83.3 million are recorded within other current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The amount of amortization of the deferred contract costs was $4.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 which is included within compensation expense on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

 

3.

Business Combinations

The Company completed 52 acquisitions during the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company acquired substantially all the net assets of the companies primarily in exchange for cash and accounted for these acquisitions using the acquisition method for recording business combinations. The results of the acquired companies are included in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) from the date of acquisition. Certain amounts recorded reflect management’s best estimate at the balance sheet date and may change during the measurement period (not to exceed one year from date of acquisition). During the year ended December 31, 2023, adjustments made within the permitted measurement period resulted in a decrease to goodwill as disclosed in Note 6.

 

21


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Total consideration transferred during the year ended December 31, 2023 was as follows:

 

     Breckenridge
Insurance
Solutions, Inc.
     Your Way Medicare
Insurance, LLC
     Romero
Insurance & Club
Insure
     CIA Insurance      Evergreen/UNI LLC      Other      Total  

Location

     Kennesaw, GA        Chicago, IL        Leeds, UK        Rugby, UK        Mayfield Heights, OH        Multiple     

Date of Acquisition

     June 1, 2023        September 7, 2023        December 1, 2023        December 1, 2023        December 22, 2023        Multiple     

Cash

   $ 108,428      $ 90,000        192,957      $ 86,875      $ 166,748      $ 474,383      $ 1,119,391  

Notes or other payables

     —         —         —         —         —         833        833  

Purchase price holdback

     958        —         33,211        34,486        —         1,184        69,839  

Earn-out payables

     —         60,945        16,518        —         —         51,960        129,423  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total consideration transferred

   $ 109,386      $ 150,945      $ 242,686      $ 121,361      $ 166,748      $ 528,360      $ 1,319,486  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Maximum potential earn-out payable

   $ —       $ 80,000      $ 81,101      $ —       $ —       $ 156,435      $ 317,536  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed for the business combinations consummated during the year ended December 31, 2023 were as follows:

 

     Breckenridge
Insurance
Solutions, Inc.
     Your Way Medicare
Insurance, LLC
     Romero
Insurance & Club
Insure
     CIA Insurance      Evergreen/UNI LLC      Other      Total  

Cash

   $ —       $ 2,318        14,379        15,164        2,718      $ 6,301      $ 40,880  

Trust cash

     8,669        —         9,337        5,303        4,692        5,728        33,729  

Operating lease right-of-use assets

     553        —         —         —         —         7,373        7,926  

Other current assets

     14,729        10,548        12,289        453        8,385        20,697        67,101  

Fixed assets

     44        181        1,575        356        100        2,077        4,333  

Goodwill

     54,832        139,695        111,549        48,490        59,269        313,506        727,341  

Customer-related and contract-based

     51,220        —         112,500        60,620        96,730        196,450        517,520  

Other noncurrent assets

     —         —         1        273        —         61        335  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets acquired

   $ 130,047      $ 152,742      $ 261,630      $ 130,659      $ 171,894      $ 552,193      $ 1,399,165  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Current liabilities

     20,108        1,797        18,816        9,298        5,146        16,449        71,614  

Lease liability

     553        —         —         —         —         7,373        7,926  

Other noncurrent liabilities

     —         —         128        —         —         11        139  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities assumed

     20,661        1,797        18,944        9,298        5,146        23,833        79,679  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total net assets acquired

   $ 109,386      $ 150,945      $ 242,686      $ 121,361      $ 166,748      $ 528,360      $ 1,319,486  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

For goodwill acquired during 2023, approximately $405.8 million, of $727.3 million in goodwill, is tax deductible and is amortized over 15 years for income tax purposes and approximately $220.7 million is nondeductible for income tax purposes. The remaining approximately $100.8 million relates to the acquisition earn-out payables and will not be deductible until it is earned and paid.

For the 2023 acquisitions, goodwill is attributable to the anticipated growth of the acquiree’s market upon implementation of the Company’s business model.

Acquisition Earn-Out Payables

As of December 31, 2023, the fair values of the estimated acquisition earn-out payables were re-evaluated and measured at fair value on a recurring basis using unobservable inputs (Level 3). See Note 14 for additional details. The resulting additions, payments and net changes, as well as the interest expense accretion on the estimated acquisition earn-out payables, for the year ended December 31, 2023 were as follows:

 

22


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

     For the Year Ended
December 31,

2023
 

Balance as of beginning of the period

   $ 280,728  

Estimated earn-out payables from new acquisitions

     129,423  

Payments for acquisition earn-out payables

     (46,112

Payments on acquisition earn-outs in excess of original estimated payables

     (38,509

Other measurement period adjustments

     (882
  

 

 

 

Subtotal

     324,648  
  

 

 

 

Net change in earnings from estimated acquisition earn-out payables

  

Change in fair value on estimated acquisition earn-out payables

     37,156  

Interest expense accretion

     48,714  
  

 

 

 

Net change in earnings from estimated acquisition earn-out payables

     85,870  
  

 

 

 

Balance as of end of the period

     410,518  
  

 

 

 

Earn-out payables, current portion

     219,439  
  

 

 

 

Earn-out payables, noncurrent portion

   $ 191,079  
  

 

 

 

 

4.

Investments

The amortized cost and fair value of the Company’s investments are as follows:

 

     As of December 31, 2023  
     Amortized
Cost
     Gross
Unrealized
(Losses)
     Gross
Unrealized
Gains
     Fair Value  

Government obligations:

           

US government

   $ 17,139      $ (765    $ 45      $ 16,419  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

US agency:

           

Residential MBS

     7,855        (359      53        7,549  

Commercial MBS

     449        (10      3        442  

Other ABS

     1        (1      —         —   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total US agency

     8,305        (370      56        7,991  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total government obligations

     25,444        (1,135      101        24,410  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Corporate bonds:

           

United States

     8,282        (583      50        7,749  

Other foreign

     985        (58      7        934  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total corporate bonds

     9,267        (641      57        8,683  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-agency ABS:

           

Residential MBS

     75        (9      —         66  

Commercial MBS

     1        (1      —         —   

Other ABS

     2,562        (26      5        2,541  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total non-agency ABS

     2,638        (36      5        2,607  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total investments

   $ 37,349      $ (1,812    $ 163      $ 35,700  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

23


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The number, fair values, and duration of investments in a continuous loss position are as follows:

 

     As of December 31, 2023  
     Less than 12 Months      Greater than 12 Months  
($ in thousands, except for investment quantities)    Number of
Investments
     Gross
Unrealized
(Losses)
    Estimated
Fair Value
     Number of
Investments
     Gross
Unrealized
(Losses)
    Estimated
Fair Value
 

Government obligations:

               

US government

     13      $ (66   $ 6,708        19      $ (699   $ 8,247  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

US agency:

               

Residential MBS

     27        (47     1,905        64        (312     3,486  

Commercial MBS

     —         —        —         4        (10     441  

Other ABS

     1        (1     —         —         —        —   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total US agency

     28        (48     1,905        68        (322     3,927  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total government obligations

     41        (114     8,613        87        (1,021     12,174  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Corporate bonds:

               

United States

     60        (34     143        154        (549     6,559  

Other foreign

     7        (3     —         22        (55     785  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total corporate bonds

     67        (37     143        176        (604     7,344  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-agency ABS:

               

Residential MBS

     2        (1     —         4        (8     67  

Commercial MBS

     2        (1     —         —         —        —   

Other ABS

     22        (16     1,526        8        (10     553  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total non-agency ABS

     26        (18     1,526        12        (18     620  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total investments

     134      $ (169   $ 10,282        275      $ (1,643   $ 20,138  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

The Company reviews its available-for-sale debt securities for credit loss impairment at the individual security level on at least a quarterly basis. A security is impaired if its fair value is less than its amortized cost basis. A decline in fair value below amortized cost basis represents a credit loss impairment to the extent the Company does not expect to recover the amortized cost basis of the security. Impairment related to credit losses is recorded through an allowance for credit losses to the extent fair value is less than the amortized cost basis. Declines in fair value that have not been recorded through the allowance for credit losses are recorded through other comprehensive (loss) income, net of applicable taxes.

No securities were determined to be credit loss impaired during the year ended December 31, 2023. At December 31, 2023, the Company did not have an intent to sell securities that were in unrealized loss positions and it was more likely than not that the Company would not be required to sell these securities before recovery of the amortized cost basis, which may be at maturity. In making this determination, the Company considered its current and projected liquiditiy position, its investment policy as to permissible holdings and concentration limits, regulatory requirements, and other relevant factors.

 

24


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

A summary of the amortized cost and fair value of fixed maturity securities, by contractual maturity, is as follows:

 

     As of December 31, 2023  
     Amortized
Cost
     Fair
Value
 

Due in one year or less

   $ 711      $ 707  

Due in over one year through five years

     17,528        16,926  

Due after five through ten years

     8,107        7,407  

Due after ten years

     60        62  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total fixed maturity investments

     26,406        25,102  

Agency and non-agency MBS and ABS

     10,943        10,598  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total investments

   $ 37,349      $ 35,700  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Expected maturities may differ from stated due dates because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations.

 

5.

Fixed Assets, net

Major classes of fixed assets are as follows:

 

     December 31,
2023
 

Office equipment

   $ 15,859  

Furniture and fixtures

     45,507  

Computer equipment

     36,082  

Leasehold improvements

     20,849  

Software

     74,243  

Other

     640  
  

 

 

 

Total fixed assets

     193,180  

Accumulated depreciation

     (90,765
  

 

 

 
     102,415  

Construction in process

     6,428  
  

 

 

 

Fixed assets, net

   $ 108,843  
  

 

 

 

Depreciation expense for fixed assets amounted to $28.3 million in 2023.

 

6.

Goodwill

The changes in goodwill is as follows:

 

Balance at December 31, 2022

   $ 4,978,568  

Goodwill of acquired businesses

     727,341  

Measurement period adjustments

     (1,509
  

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2023

   $ 5,704,400  
  

 

 

 

 

25


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

7. Definite-Lived Intangible Assets, net

The carrying amount of the definite-lived intangible assets, net are as follows:

 

     Gross Carrying
Value
     Accumulated
Amortization
     Net Carrying
Value
     Weighted Average
Life (In years)
 

Customer-related and contract-based

   $ 4,095,480      $ (920,012    $ 3,175,468        12.9  

Noncompete agreements

     12,714        (10,720      1,994        1.9  

Trade name

     25,880        (1,151      24,729        18.7  

Other

     3,895        (1,842      2,053        8.3  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Balances as of December 31, 2023

   $ 4,137,969      $ (933,725    $ 3,204,244     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

The estimated future amortization expense for definite-lived intangible assets is as follows:

 

     For the year ended
December 31,
 
        

2024

   $ 279,804  

2025

     271,379  

2026

     270,488  

2027

     269,510  

2028

     268,633  

Thereafter

     1,844,430  
  

 

 

 
   $ 3,204,244  
  

 

 

 

 

8.

Long-Term Debt, net

The components of the Company’s long-term debt, net are as follows:

 

     December 31,
2023
 

First lien term loans

   $ 4,591,648  

Revolver loans

     75,000  

2025 Notes, 7%, interest paid semiannually

     500,000  

2027 Notes, 8%, interest paid semiannually

     475,000  

2029 Notes, 5.625%, interest paid semiannually

     550,000  

Obligations under finance lease

     678  
  

 

 

 

Total long-term debt

     6,192,326  

Less:

  

Total unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs(1)

     (66,620

Long-term debt, net, current portion

     (26,538
  

 

 

 

Long-term debt, net, noncurrent portion

   $ 6,099,168  
  

 

 

 

 

(1)

Includes $21,243 at December 31, 2023 of current unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs. Unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the revolver loans are classified as other current assets.

 

26


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Credit Facility

The Credit Facility consists of (i) first lien term loans (First Lien Term Loans), and (ii) a revolving loan credit facility (Revolver Loans). All obligations under the Credit Facility are unconditionally guaranteed by the Company and certain subsidiaries. All obligations and guarantees of such obligations under the Credit Facility are secured by substantially all assets of the Company and each guarantor, subject to certain exceptions.

The First Lien Term Loans accrue interest at the benchmark rate plus an applicable margin of 3.50% - 4.25%. They are not subject to any maintenance financial covenants and they mature in February 2027.

The Revolver Loans have borrowing limits up to approximately $414.5 million and are scheduled to mature in August 2026. Borrowings under the Revolver Loans accrue interest at the benchmark rate, plus an applicable margin of 3.50%. The Revolver Loans are subject to a springing leverage covenant in the event the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Revolver Loans plus letters of credit exceed 35% of the revolving commitment at the end of each fiscal quarter. Upon becoming subject to the springing covenant, the required ratio of first lien indebtedness (First Lien Term Loans outstanding less operating cash) to EBITDA cannot exceed 7.50:1. The Credit Facility also contains affirmative covenants (e.g., the Company is required to make certain prepayments out of cash flow) and negative covenants (e.g., the Company is limited from incurring additional indebtedness, making payments to the Company’s equity unit holders and selling certain of its assets, except, in each case, as otherwise permitted). At December 31, 2023, the Company had $339.3 million available in Revolver Loan capacity and was in compliance with all financial covenants. The Credit Facility contains covenants that limits the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries to, among other things: (i) enter into sale and leaseback transactions; (ii) engage in mergers or consolidations; (iii) sell assets; (iv) pay dividends and distributions or repurchase capital stock; (v) make investments, loans or advances; (vi) repay subordinated indebtedness; (vii) make certain acquisitions; (viii) engage in certain transactions with affiliates; (ix) amend material agreements governing its subordinated indebtedness; and (x) change its lines of business.

During 2023, the Company amended the First Lien Term Loans for an incremental borrowing and to reprice the November 2022 borrowings. The table below represents the key terms of the amendments.

 

Debt Amendment

  

Date of

Amendment

   First Lien Term
Loans Borrowed
(in millions)
     Applicable Margin     Maturity Date  

Credit Facility

  

April 1, 2023(1)

   $ —         0.00     —   

Credit Facility

  

October 6, 2023(2)

   $ 400.00        3.75     February 2027  

 

(1) 

The Company amended the terms of the Credit Facility to replace LIBOR with SOFR in April 2023.

(2) 

The 2023 borrowings are intended to be used to finance acquisitions and other general corporate purposes. This amendment also repriced the November 2022 borrowings, reducing the applicable margin by 0.50%.

As a result of the October 2023 amendment and the repricing of the November 2022 borrowings, the Company wrote off certain discounts and debt issuance costs, resulting in a debt extinguishment loss of $3.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

27


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Notes

The Company issued the 2025 Notes, 2027 Notes, and 2029 Notes (the Notes) at par on the following dates as shown in the following table. The Notes may be individually redeemed in whole, or in part, at any time prior to the respective initial redemption dates as shown in the following table, at a redemption price calculated using a formula designed to provide the bondholders with a make-whole premium. Before the initial redemption dates, the Company may also individually redeem the respective Notes, on one or more occasions, at an initial redemption price as noted below, up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the respective Notes in an amount not to exceed the net cash proceeds of certain equity offerings provided that at least 50% of the respective Notes from their respective original issue date remain outstanding after giving effect to such redemption.

After the initial redemption dates, the Company may redeem the respective notes at the following redemption prices:

 

     2025 Notes    2027 Notes    2029 Notes

Note amount issued (at par)

   $500 million    $475 million    $550 million

Issuance date

   August 2, 2017    May 13, 2019    December 10, 2020
  

 

  

 

  

 

Initial redemption before

   August 15, 2020    May 15, 2022    December 15, 2023

Initial redemption price (subject to conditions above)

   107% + accrued
interest
   108% + accrued
interest
   105.625% + accrued
interest
  

 

  

 

  

 

Redemption after

   August 15, 2020    May 15, 2022    December 15, 2023

Redemption price

   103.50%    104%    102.813%
  

 

  

 

  

 

Redemption after

   August 15, 2021    May 15, 2023    December 15, 2024

Redemption price

   101.75%    102%    101.406%
  

 

  

 

  

 

Redemption after

   August 15, 2022    May 15, 2024    December 15, 2025

Redemption price

   100%    100%    100%
  

 

  

 

  

 

Maturity date

   August 15, 2025    May 15, 2027    January 15, 2029

For the Notes, if the Company experiences certain change of control events, the Company is required to offer to repurchase at 101% of the principal amount of such notes plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. The Notes also include a change of control portability feature whereby the Company does not have to make an offer to repurchase (and holders of the notes do not have the ability to require such repurchase), so long as the change of control qualifies as a Permitted Change of control. In order to qualify as a Permitted Change of control, on the date of the change of control: 

 

  a.

The Company’s Moody’s corporate rating must be B3 (stable) or better, and the Company’s S&P corporate rating must be B (stable) or better; and

 

  b.

The Consolidated Total Net Debt Ratio (as defined) is equal to or less than 6.85x (for the 2025 Notes) and 7.00x (for the 2027 Notes and 2029 Notes, respectively).

 

28


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a joint-and-several basis by the Company’s 100% owned domestic subsidiaries. The Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and are senior in right of payment to all existing and future subordinated indebtedness of the Company and rank equally in right of payment with all existing and future senior indebtedness of the Company, including the existing Credit Facility obligations. The Notes are effectively subordinated to the obligations under the existing Credit Facility, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. The Notes were issued in private transactions that are not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, or the ongoing reporting requirements of the Securities Act of 1934.

Refer to Note 17 for a summary of financing activity occurring subsequent to December 31, 2023.

Principal maturities of long-term debt are as follows:

 

     For the year ended
December 31,
 

2024

   $ 47,731  

2025

     547,244  

2026

     122,148  

2027

     4,925,203  

2028

     —   

Thereafter

     550,000  
  

 

 

 
   $ 6,192,326  
  

 

 

 

The fair value of the Company’s debt is estimated based on observable inputs such as the change in yield on comparable indices and unobservable inputs such as the enterprise value. The inputs used to determine the fair value of the Company’s debt were classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. The following table presents the carrying value and fair value of the Company’s long-term debt, including current portions and excluding unamortized debt issuance costs:

 

     December 31, 2023  
     Carrying value      Fair value  

Term loan

   $ 4,592      $ 4,553  

Revolver

     75        73  

2025 Notes

     500        501  

2027 Notes

     475        480  

2029 Notes

     550        509  

 

29


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

9.

Other Current Assets

Other current assets balance consists of the following:

 

     December 31,
2023
 

Deferred compensation

   $ 83,268  

Deferred financing costs

     3,193  

Tax receivable

     14,368  

Other

     11,896  
  

 

 

 

Total other current assets

   $ 112,725  
  

 

 

 

 

10.

Accrued Expenses and Other

Accrued expenses and other balances consists of the following:

 

     December 31,
2023
 

Accrued compensation and benefits

   $ 122,568  

Accrued interest

     35,801  

Lease liability, current portion

     36,861  

Purchase price holdback

     49,672  

Other accrued expenses

     51,458  
  

 

 

 

Total accrued expenses and other

   $ 296,360  
  

 

 

 

 

11.

Derivatives and Hedging Arrangements

The relevant terms of the Company’s interest rate cap contract as of December 31, 2023 are as follows:

Interest Rate Cap Contract

 

Contract Start Date

  

Contract End Date

   Original Notional      Purchased Strike Rate     Benchmark Index  

March 31, 2023

   September 30, 2024    $ 3,500,000        5.25     3-month CME Term SOFR  

During 2023, the Company received $1.2 million in payments from the contract counterparty associated with the periods in which the contract strike rate exceeded the benchmark index. These payments reduced interest expense in 2023. Approximately $5.8 million of cap premium amortization was recorded within interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company has not received or pledged any collateral related to any derivative contracts at December 31, 2023.

 

30


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The Company’s interest rate swap contracts expired on March 31, 2023. Relevant terms of these contracts were as follows:

Interest Rate Swap Contracts

 

Contract Start Date

  

Contract End Date

   Notional Value at
Reporting Date
     Notional Value at End of
Contract Period
     30 Day LIBOR Rate
Above Which Settlement
Occurs
 

May 28, 2021

   March 31, 2023    $ 850,000      $ 850,000        0.2000

May 28, 2021

   March 31, 2023      850,000        850,000        0.1977

Upon expiration of the Company’s interest rate swap contracts, $18.0 million was recognized as a reduction in the fair value of the related interest rate swap assets, with offsetting reductions of $13.3 million and $4.7 million in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income and non-current deferred tax liabilities, respectively. There was no earnings impact from the expiration of the Company’s interest rate swap contracts.

Changes in fair value of interest rate contracts are reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income into earnings as an adjustment to interest expense in the same period that the hedged items affect earnings. Accordingly, approximately $22.4 million in unrealized gains in fair value of derivatives were reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income, before taxes to interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The fair value of the Company’s interest rate contracts at December 31, 2023 was $2.1 million and included within Other current assets.

 

12.

Shareholders’ Equity, Mezzanine Equity and Equity-Based Compensation

Redeemable Series A Preferred Stock (Mezzanine Equity)

In May 2019, the Company issued 160,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock with an initial liquidation preference of $1,000 per share and an aggregate initial liquidation preference of $160,000 to one investor in exchange for cash consideration of $156,816. Shares of Series A Preferred Stock are non-convertible. Holders of the Series A Preferred Stock do not have any voting rights in the operation or management of the Company. Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock will accrue and accumulate daily at an annual dividend rate on the liquidation preference (equal the sum of the initial liquidation preference and all accrued, accumulated, and unpaid dividends). The annual dividend rate will be 11.5% per annum for the first eight years and then increase by 2.0% for the first year thereafter and 1.0% each subsequent year thereafter, provided that the aggregate increase in the annual dividend rate shall not exceed 5.0%. The Series A Preferred Stock (inclusive of any and all dividends) shall rank senior in priority of payment to all existing and future preferred stock and other capital stock in respect of dividends and upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company. As long as any share of Series A Preferred Stock is outstanding, no dividends, or distributions on, or purchases or redemption of, junior preferred stock and other capital stock, shall be made, paid or declared.

 

31


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Shares of the Series A Preferred Stock are redeemable at the Company’s option at any time, in whole or in part, in cash at the defined redemption price. Series A Preferred Shares are also contingently redeemable upon specific material events which include any Change in Control events, the consummation of a Qualified Initial Public Offering (IPO), any insolvency event, or any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company or of its significant subsidiaries. After November 13, 2021, the redemption price equals to the liquidation preference (equaling the stated value of $160 million in aggregate or $1,000 per share, plus the aggregate accumulated dividends up to, but excluding the redemption date) multiplied by the applicable redemption percentage, is defined as below:

 

   

If the redemption occurs between November 13, 2021 and November 12, 2022, the redemption percentage shall be 103%;

 

   

If the redemption occurs between November 13, 2022 and November 12, 2023, the redemption percentage shall be 102%;

 

   

If the redemption occurs between November 13, 2023 and November 12, 2024, the redemption percentage shall be 101%;

 

   

If the redemption occurs after November 13, 2024, the redemption percentage shall be 100%.

As of December 31, 2023, the applicable redemption percentage was 101%.

For the year ended December 31, 2023 the accrued and unpaid dividend on Series A Preferred Stock amounted to approximately $29.0 million. As of December 31, 2023, the total accumulated unpaid dividends on Series A Preferred Stock amounted to approximately $110.5 million. The Board has not declared a distribution of dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock.

Commencing on the 10th anniversary of the issue date, majority holders of the Series A Preferred Stock shall have a right to demand the Company to engage in a process to either effect an IPO or a sale that would result in a change of control of the Company. The Company shall use their reasonable best efforts to pursue an IPO or sale. If the Company breaches such covenant or fails to consummate such IPO or sale within 12 months after such demand is issued, the majority holders may take control of the process and consummate an IPO or sale; provided that such controlled transaction will be structured to maximize cash value to all shareholders. Additionally, such a breach or failure would result in a one-time increase of 2.00% per annum to the dividend rate.

Shares of the Series A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding are accounted for as redeemable shares in the mezzanine section on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as the shares are redeemable outside of the Company’s control. As of December 31, 2023, shares of the Series A Preferred Stock were considered probable of becoming redeemable due to the existence of the sale demand provision. The Company has elected to adjust the carrying value of the redeemable Series A Preferred Stock to their earliest redemption value through the accretion method. In the absence of retained earnings, adjustments to the redemption value were recorded against additional paid-in capital.

 

32


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Common Stock

The Company is authorized to issue 2,000 shares of Common Stock with a par value of $0.01 per share. The holder of each share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote on each matter presented before the shareholders.

Class C Profits Interest Units

Class C Profits Interest Units (the “Award Units”) are time-based incentive units awarded by the Company’s Parent to select employees under provisions of the Incentive Plan, which vest over five years generally from the date of grant subject to the employees’ continued employment with the Company; certain awards provide for accelerated vesting upon a change of control of the Company. Total equity-based compensation expense for these Award Units recognized in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) was approximately $21.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the unrecognized compensation expense is $85.8 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.4 years.

The following table summarizes the activity of the Award Units:

 

     Award Units      Weighted-
Average Grant
Date Fair Value
 

Outstanding at December 31, 2022

     161,548,756     
  

 

 

    

Granted

     66,677,098      $ 0.80  

Forfeited

     (7,533,704   
  

 

 

    

Outstanding at December 31, 2023

     220,692,150      $ 0.78  
  

 

 

    

Vested at December 31, 2023

     110,045,175     

The Parent is a private company. The estimated fair value of the Award Units has been determined by a third-party valuation specialist in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation. The valuation starts with the estimate of the enterprise value of the Parent using generally accepted valuation methodologies, including discounted cash flow analysis and comparable public company analysis.The total equity value is then allocated among the different classes of equity units of the Parent using the Option-Pricing Method (“OPM”) to arrive at the fair value of the Award Units.

The weighted average assumptions used in the OPM to allocate the equity value include the following:

 

     2023  

Risk-free interest rate

     5.17

Expected volatility

     36.82

Expected life (in years)

     1.09  

 

33


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The expected volatility was based on historical volatility of a comparable group of entities within similar industries that are public entities, along with other factors. The expected term represented the expected holding period of the Parent until a major liquidity event. The risk-free rate was based on the U.S. Treasury yields for the expected term.

 

13.

Income Taxes

The components of the income tax benefit for income taxes are as follows:

 

     For the year ended
December 31,

2023
 

Current

  

Federal

   $ 7,086  

State

     4,177  

Foreign

     2,488  
  

 

 

 

Total current provision

     13,751  
  

 

 

 

Deferred

  

Federal

     (18,138

State

     (7,681

Foreign

     658  
  

 

 

 

Total deferred benefit

     (25,161
  

 

 

 

Total benefit for income taxes

   $ (11,410
  

 

 

 

A reconciliation between the effective tax rate and the federal statutory tax rate is as follows:

 

     For the year ended
December 31,

2023
 

Federal statutory rate

     21.00

State income taxes, net of federal benefit

     6.53  

Meals and entertainment

     (2.71

Equity-based compensation expense

     (6.81

Other permanent items

     (0.20

Other

     (0.78
  

 

 

 

Effective tax rate

     17.00
  

 

 

 

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes.

 

34


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:

 

     For the year ended
December 31,

2023
 

Deferred tax assets

  

Transaction costs

   $ 9,439  

Net operating losses

     33,860  

Accruals and reserves

     4,476  

Charitable contribution carryover

     7  

Interest expense carryover

     116,091  

Deferred revenue

     9,384  

Interest rate contracts

     969  

Other

     2,779  
  

 

 

 
     177,005  

Less: valuation allowance

     (7,199
  

 

 

 

Total deferred tax assets

     169,806  
  

 

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities

  

Fixed assets

     (17,075

Intangible amortization

     (463,321

Deferred costs

     (37,569

ASC 606 impact

     (77,210

Other

     (54
  

 

 

 

Total deferred tax liabilities

     (595,229
  

 

 

 

Net deferred tax liabilities

   $ (425,423
  

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2023, the Company has approximately $4.1 billion of net tax-deductible goodwill and other intangible assets, which are generally amortized over a 15-year period. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no unrecognized tax benefits or associated interest or penalties recorded.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had a federal net operating loss (NOL) carryforward of $79.1 million and $17.3 million NOL carryforwards for state income tax reporting purposes. The federal NOL consists of amounts that carryforward indefinitely. The state NOL consists of amounts which expire depending on corresponding state statutes, portions of which will begin to expire in 2027 and portions of which carryforward indefinitely.

The Company’s net deferred tax assets include a valuation allowance of $7.2 million as of December 31, 2023 related to certain state NOLs. The state NOLs may be carried forward to offset future taxable income. Realization is dependent upon generating sufficient taxable income prior to the expiration of the NOLs.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company had income attributable to foreign subsidiaries of approximately $10.5 million. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, enacted in 2017, subjects a U.S. shareholder to current tax on global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) earned by certain foreign subsidiaries. The Company elected to utilize current NOL carryforwards to offset the GILTI taxable inclusion and therefore did not record any related income tax payable for U.S. federal tax purposes.

 

35


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The Company has conducted business and files tax returns in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, and Belgium. The Company’s U.S. federal return is subject to examination for the years 2012 and later, due to NOLs generated in 2012 and subsequent years. The Company’s State returns are subject to examination for the years 2011 and later due to net operating losses generated in 2011 and subsequent years. The Company’s U.K. returns for the 2022 year and later are subject to examination and the Belgium returns for the 2021 year and later are subject to examination. The Company’s Ireland returns for the 2020 year and later are subject to examination.

 

14.

Fair Value of Measurements and Financial Instruments

The Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are as follows:

 

     December 31, 2023 Fair Value Measurements Using         
     Quoted Prices
in Active
Market

(Level 1)
     Significant
Other Observable
Inputs

(Level 2)
     Significant
Unobservable
Inputs

(Level 3)
     Balance at
December 31,
2023
 

Assets

           

Interest rate contracts

   $ —       $ 2,151      $ —       $ 2,151  

Fixed maturity securities:

           

U.S. Government

     —         16,419        —         16,419  

U.S. Agency

     —         7,991        —         7,991  

U.S. Corporate

     —         7,749        —         7,749  

Foreign Government

     —         934        —         934  

Non-agency Residential MBS

     —         —         66        66  

Non-agency ABS

     —         —         2,541        2,541  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total securities:

     —         33,093        2,607        35,700  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets at fair value

   $ —       $ 35,244      $ 2,607      $ 37,851  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Liabilities

           

Earn-out payables

     —         —       $ 410,518      $ 410,518  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities at fair value

   $ —       $ —       $ 410,518      $ 410,518  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

There were no financial assets or liabilities recorded at fair value by the Company on a nonrecurring basis at December 31, 2023.

 

15.

Leases

The Company leases premises for general office and administrative purposes from unrelated parties and certain employees under an operating lease agreement that has an average lease term, ranging from 5 to 15 years. The Company excludes options to extend or terminate a lease from recognition as part of the Company’s ROU assets and operating lease liabilities until those options are reasonably certain and/or executed. The Company’s lease agreements typically do not contain any material residual value guarantees or restrictive covenants.

From time to time the Company may enter into subleases if it is unable to cancel or fully occupy a space and are able to find an appropriate subtenant. However, entering subleases is not a primary objective of the Company’s business operations.

 

36


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Operating lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Finance lease cost is recognized as a combination of the amortization expense for the ROU assets and interest expense for the outstanding lease liabilities, and results in a front-loaded expense pattern over the lease term.

The following tables provide additional information about the Company’s operating leases:

The balances and classification of operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities within the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023 is as follows:

 

          Year ended
December 31,
2023
 

Assets

  

Balance Sheet Classification

  

Right-of-use assets

  

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

   $ 151,299  
     

 

 

 

Liabilities

     

Current lease liabilities

     

Operating

   Accrued expenses and other      36,861  

Non-current lease liabilities

     

Operating

   Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent portion      126,331  
     

 

 

 

Total operating lease liabilities

      $ 163,192  
     

 

 

 

The components of lease cost for operating leases for the year ended December 31, 2023 were:

 

     December 31,
2023
 

Operating lease cost

   $ 51,634  

Short-term lease cost

     787  

Sublease income

     (506
  

 

 

 

Net lease cost

   $ 51,915  
  

 

 

 

The weighted average remaining lease term and the weighted average discount rate for operating leases as of December 31, 2023 were:

 

For right-of-use assets as of the end of the year:

  

Right-of-use assets - Weighted average remaining lease term (years)

     5.4  

Right-of-use assets - Weighted average discount rate

     6.79

 

37


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Supplemental cash flow information for operating leases:

 

Cash paid for amounts included in measurement of lease liabilities

  

Operating cash flows from operating leases

   $ 50,032  

Non-cash related activities

  

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities

   $ 45,073  

The following table shows the Company’s future lease obligations:

 

     For the year
ended
December 31,
 

2024

   $ 46,342  

2025

     40,090  

2026

     33,891  

2027

     24,977  

2028

     16,634  

Thereafter

     35,637  
  

 

 

 

Total future minimum lease payments

     197,571  

Less: Imputed interest

     34,379  
  

 

 

 

Present value of lease liabilities

   $ 163,192  
  

 

 

 

The Company occupies and leases certain office space owned by employees of the Company. Rent expense incurred for the year ended December 31, 2023 under these leases, which is included in the total rent expense above, was approximately $11.3 million. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had additional operating leases that had not commenced of $16.1 million. These operating leases will commence over the next 12 months.

 

16.

Commitments and Contingencies

In February 2019, a plaintiff filed suit against his employer and against the Company’s indirectly-owned subsidiary, Keenan & Associates (Keenan), who served as the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance administrator, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated from his employment. The plaintiff alleged that Keenan repeatedly provided inaccurate medical reports to his employer. Before trial, the plaintiff’s employer settled with the plaintiff and agreed to testify that had Keenan provided accurate medical reports, the employer would not have fired the plaintiff in January 2018 and would have rehired him in September 2018. In May 2022, a trial jury returned a liability verdict finding that Keenan had aided and abetted the employer’s violation of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and that Keenan had also conspired with the employer to violate the Act. The jury awarded the plaintiff approximately $6.9 million in compensatory damages and punitive damages of approximately $27.6 million bringing the total damages awarded against the Company to approximately $34.5 million. The Company is appealing these findings and believes that it has a reasonable chance of substantially reducing this award on appeal. Any damages that may result are expected to be fully covered by third-party insurance policies. Restricted cash on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023, includes approximately $57.8 million which has been pledged as collateral for an appeals bond in connection with an appeal of this case. The restriction

 

38


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

on cash will lapse when the related litigation is resolved. On the basis of current information, the availability of insurance and legal advice, the Company does not believe that the resolution of this case, or any others in which the Company is involved, would have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, operations or cash flows, individually or in the aggregate. The amount of any claims and related costs, if any, cannot be estimated at this time and as such, no provision has been made.

On October 8, 2021, AP of South Florida, LLC (APSF), an indirectly-owned subsidiary of the Company, was served with a civil investigative demand (CID) from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The CID seeks information relating to the operation of Fiorella Insurance Agency, Inc. (Fiorella), certain assets of which were purchased by APSF in February 2021. The CID seeks information relating to operations before and after the acquisition of Fiorella by APSF. To date, APSF, through outside counsel, has engaged with the DOJ to respond to requests for documents and coordinate witness interviews. In connection with the investigation, APSF is working with a compliance consultant to evaluate operations, identify areas for improvement and to implement compliance measures. In December 2023, special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed search warrants on two APSF employees for their personal devices. After communications with DOJ Criminal Division trial attorneys, the Company accepted service in early January 2024 of a criminal grand jury subpoena to APSF. The grand jury subpoena seeks information and documents among other things, related to the operation of Fiorella before and after APSF’s purchase of certain Fiorella assets as it pertains to the sale of Florida Blue health plans. The Company is cooperating with the DOJ and responding to the grand jury subpoena. The amount of any claims and related costs, if any, cannot be estimated at this time and as such, no provision has been made.

On August 27, 2023, Keenan discovered certain disruptions occurring on some Keenan network servers. Keenan activated its incident response plan and engaged leading third-party cybersecurity and forensic experts to investigate and remediate. In relatively short order, Keenan restored full functionality to its systems and was able to minimize business disruption. The incident was the result of ransomware. Due to the nature of the incident, Keenan was obligated to provide legally-required notices regarding the incident to a number of its business partners and their respective employees and to certain government agencies. The Company subsequently became subject to a number of class action lawsuits regarding the incident. Following a recent mediation, the Company has entered into an agreement in principle on a nationwide settlement of the class action lawsuits. However, any potential settlement is not yet final or certain because it is subject to preliminary and final court approval, as well as an opt-out and objection process.

Other than the matters mentioned above, there are a variety of legal proceedings pending or threatened against the Company. Accruals are recorded when it is probable a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated based on current law, progress of each case, opinions and views of legal counsel and other advisers, and the Company’s experience in similar matters and intended response to the litigation. These amounts, which are not discounted and are exclusive of claims against third parties, are adjusted periodically as assessment efforts progress or additional information becomes available. The Company expenses amounts for administering or litigating claims as incurred. Neither the outcomes of these matters nor their effect upon the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations can be determined at this time.

 

39


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

17.

Subsequent Events

The Company has evaluated events and transactions occurring subsequent to December 31, 2023 through December 6, 2024 the date the accompanying consolidated financial statements were available to be issued. During this period, the Company acquired substantially all of the net assets of 25 companies with cash consideration paid of $225.3 million and maximum potential earn-out payables of $115.4 million. The nature of all businesses acquired are similar in all material respects to the acquisitions previously completed by the Company, and as such the Company expects the purchase price to be allocated in a similar manner.

On February 7, 2024, the Company issued $500 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.50% senior unsecured notes due February 15, 2032 (the “2032 Notes”) in a private placement to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. Net proceeds after discounts and customary fees were approximately $495 million and were used to retire the 2025 Notes. The 2032 Notes may be redeemed in whole or in part at the Company’s option at any time at the redemption prices set forth in the indenture governing the 2032 Notes.

On February 16, 2024, the Company amended its Credit Facility to obtain an additional $500.0 million in First Lien Term Loans and increase its Revolver capacity to $600.0 million. Proceeds from the new First Lien Term Loans were used to repay the outstanding Revolver balance at December 31, 2023, of $75.0 million, to finance future acquisitions, and for general corporate purposes. These First Lien Term Loans accrue interest at the applicable benchmark rate plus an applicable margin of 3.50%, mature February 2031 and are not fungible with previous First Lien Term Loan borrowings. The Revolver accrues interest on the outstanding balance at the benchmark rate plus an applicable margin of 3.50% and matures August 2028. However, if there is no action taken by August 2025 to refinance the First Lien Term Loans that mature in February 2027, the Revolver maturity is accelerated to August 2026.

On April 9, 2024, the Company amended its Credit Facility to obtain $4.6 billion in a First Lien Term Loan and to amend certain terms of its Revolver. Proceeds from the new First Lien Term Loan were used to repay all First Lien Term Loan borrowings obtained prior to 2024 ($4.6 billion). This First Lien Term Loan accrues interest at the benchmark rate (term SOFR) plus an applicable margin of 3.50% and matures February 2031. The Revolver maturity date remains at August 2028; however, the springing maturity provision no longer applies due to the extension of the remaining 2027 First Lien Term Loans to February 2031.

On August 14, 2024, the Parent made an offer to current and former employees of the Company to repurchase in cash a portion of their vested Class C profits Interest Units (“Tender Offer”). The Parent repurchased 19,502,569 vested Class C Profits Interest Units for a total of $50.2 million. The Company funded $25.3 of total cash payments for the Tender Offer to its Parent and has accounted for it as a return of capital to the Parent. Because the purchase price for all the Class C Profits Interest Units was lower than their respective fair value at the time, the Tender Offer did not result in any additional compensation expenses. Additionally, at the time of the repurchase, all the repurchased Class C Profits Interest Units had been held by their holders for more than six months after vesting.

 

40


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2023

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

On September 26, 2024, the Parent’s Board approved the issuance of a new class of profits interest units, Class D Profits Interest Units. These units are time-based incentive units awarded to selective employees in accordance with the Incentive Plan, which will vest over four years generally from the date of grant subject to the employees’ continued employment with the Company; the awards provide for accelerated vesting upon a change of control of the Company. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company granted 34,500,000 Class D Profits Interest Units. Compensation expense will be recognized starting during the fourth quarter of 2024.

In October 2024, the Company amended its Credit Facility to obtain an additional $600 million in First Lien Term Loan. Proceeds from the First Lien Term were used to repay the principal and accrued interest of the 2027 Notes and for general corporate purposes. This First Lien Term Loan accrues interest at the benchmark rate (term SOFR) plus an applicable margin of 3.50% and matures in February 2031.

In April 2024, customer-related and contract-based assets with a gross carrying value of $53.8 million and a net book value of $42.6 million, and noncompete agreements with a gross carrying value of $1.6 million and a net book value of $0.6 million, were determined to be fully impaired. The related impairment expense was recognized in the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

 

41

Exhibit 99.3

Dolphin Topco, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

(Unaudited) As of and for the Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2024


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Index

 

     Page(s)  

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

  

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet

September 30, 2024

     1  

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss)

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024

     2  

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Shareholders’ Equity and Mezzanine Equity

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024

     3  

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024

     4  

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

     5 – 32  


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

 

 

(amounts in thousands, except share data)    September 30,
2024
 

Assets

  

Current assets

  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 342,182  

Restricted cash

     60,043  

Trust cash

     292,186  

Fixed maturity securities available-for-sale, at fair value

     37,843  

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $6,654

     1,040,906  

Prepaid expenses

     36,693  

Other current assets

     68,386  
  

 

 

 

Total current assets

     1,878,239  

Accounts receivable, noncurrent portion

     37,217  

Fixed assets, net

     166,967  

Goodwill

     5,848,433  

Definite-lived intangible assets, net

     3,042,351  

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

     155,366  

Other noncurrent assets, net

     92,892  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 11,221,465  
  

 

 

 

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

  

Current liabilities

  

Long-term debt, net, current portion

   $ 33,305  

Earn-out payables, current portion

     279,891  

Carrier payables

     567,382  

Accounts payable

     90,414  

Customer advances

     57,208  

Producer payables

     137,235  

Deferred revenue, current portion

     69,790  

Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, current portion

     5,586  

Accrued expenses and other

     269,233  
  

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     1,510,044  

Long-term debt, net, noncurrent portion

     6,484,663  

Earn-out payables, noncurrent portion

     66,061  

Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent portion

     130,603  

Deferred revenue, noncurrent portion

     43,105  

Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, noncurrent portion

     22,475  

Deferred income tax liabilities, net

     396,062  

Other noncurrent liabilities

     23,341  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     8,676,354  
  

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 15)

  

Mezzanine Equity:

  

Redeemable Series A Preferred Stock ($0.001 par value, 160,000 shares authorized and outstanding)

     297,455  

Shareholders’ Equity:

  

Common Stock ($0.01 par value, 1,993 shares authorized and outstanding)

     20  

Additional Paid-in Capital

     2,384,289  

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income

     (6,397

Retained earnings (deficit)

     (130,256
  

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

     2,247,656  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders’ equity

   $ 11,221,465  
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

1


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss)

Income (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

 

 

(amounts in thousands)    For the Nine Months Ended
September 30,

2024
 

Revenues

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 2,034,493  

Contingent commissions

     182,434  

Investment income

     4,985  
  

 

 

 

Total revenues

     2,221,912  
  

 

 

 

Expenses

  

Compensation expense

     1,189,410  

Selling expense

     43,686  

Administrative expense

     300,883  

Transaction expense

     5,226  

Change in estimated acquisition earn-out payables

     68,642  

Depreciation and amortization expense

     276,543  
  

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     1,884,390  
  

 

 

 

Income from operations

     337,522  
  

 

 

 

Interest expense

     (439,486

Interest income

     14,084  

Loss on debt extinguishment

     (3,426

Other (expense) income, net

     (580
  

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

     (91,886

Income tax benefit

     17,353  
  

 

 

 

Net loss

     (74,533
  

 

 

 

Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax

  

Foreign currency translation adjustments

     (832

Change in fair value of fixed maturity securities available-for-sale

     1,013  

Change in fair value of derivative instruments

     491  
  

 

 

 

Other comprehensive income (loss), before taxes

     672  

Income tax benefit (provision) related to items of other comprehensive income

     (335
  

 

 

 

Other comprehensive income (loss)

     337  
  

 

 

 

Comprehensive (loss) income

   $ (74,196
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

2


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Shareholders’ Equity and Mezzanine Equity (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

 

 

     Mezzanine Equity     Shareholders’ Equity  
     Redeemable
Series A Preferred Stock
    Common Stock      Additional
Paid-in

Capital
    Retained
Earnings
    Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive

(Loss) income
    Total
Stockholders’

Equity
 
(amounts in thousands, except share)    Shares      Amount     Shares     Amount  

Balances at December 31, 2023

     160,000        273,207       2,000     $ 20      $ 2,413,757     $ (55,723   $ (6,734   $ 2,351,320  

Change in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes

     —         —         —        —         —        —        370       370  

Change in fair value of fixed maturity securities available-for-sale, net of taxes

     —         —        —        —         —        —        799       799  

Adjustment of Preferred Stock to redemption value

     —         24,248       —        —         (24,248     —        —        (24,248

Foreign currency translation

     —         —        —        —         —        —        (832     (832

Return of Capital to Parent

     —         —        (7     —         (25,334     —        —        (25,334

Compensation expense related to incentive units

     —         —        —        —         20,114       —        —        20,114  

Net loss

     —         —        —        —         —        (74,533     —        (74,533
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balances at September 30, 2024

     160,000      $ 297,455       1,993     $ 20      $ 2,384,289     $ (130,256   $ (6,397   $ 2,247,656  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

3


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

 

 

(amounts in thousands)    For the Nine Months Ended
September 30,

2024
 

Cash flows from operating activities

  

Net loss

   $ (74,533

Adjustments to net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities

  

Amortization

     203,101  

Depreciation

     30,239  

Impairment of intangible assets

     43,203  

Non-cash lease expense

     1,109  

Credit loss expense

     2,443  

Amortization of interest rate cap premium

     4,485  

Amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs

     15,525  

Equity-based compensation

     20,114  

Change in estimated acquisition earn-out payables

     68,642  

Payments on acquisition earn-outs in excess of original estimated payables

     (91,145

Deferred income taxes

     (29,444

Loss on debt extinguishment

     3,426  

Other, net

     4,613  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect from acquisitions

  

Accounts receivable

     (153,510

Prepaid and other assets

     29,004  

Carrier payables

     116,253  

Accounts payable

     (51,980

Customer advances

     (27,528

Producer payables

     20,703  

Accrued interest payable

     (8,148

Other accrued expenses

     (5,899

Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses

     (320

Deferred revenue

     10,007  

Other liabilities

     203  
  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

     130,563  
  

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities

  

Additions to fixed assets

     (86,682

Payments for businesses, net of cash acquired

     (179,601

Purchases of fixed maturity securities

     (8,287

Proceeds from sales and maturities of fixed maturity securities

     7,032  

Proceeds from sales of books of business

     2,954  
  

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

     (264,584
  

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities

  

Payments on acquisition holdback

     (24,224

Return of capital to Parent

     (25,334

Payments on acquisition earn-out payables

     (72,923

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt, net of discount

     5,622,198  

Payments on long-term debt

     (5,118,498

Payments on revolver loans

     (75,000

Payments of capitalized debt issuance costs

     (53,088

Other, net

     (1,774
  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

     251,357  
  

 

 

 

Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and trust cash

     117,336  

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and trust cash, beginning of period

     577,075  
  

 

 

 

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and trust cash, end of period

     694,411  

Less: Restricted cash

     60,043  

Less: Trust cash

     292,186  
  

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 342,182  
  

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of non-cash financing and investing activities

  

Cash paid for interest

   $ 427,581  

Taxes (received) paid, net

   $ (1,617

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

4


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

1.

Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Dolphin TopCo, Inc and its subsidiaries (the Company) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The AssuredPartners Group LP (the Parent) and wholly-owns AssuredPartners, Inc. and its subsidiaries (AP Inc). The Company is one of the leading insurance brokers in the United States (U.S.) and provides a broad array of insurance-related products and services on a retail basis to middle-market businesses, with a particular focus on property and casualty and employee benefits insurance products and solutions. At September 30, 2024, the Company has over 10,900 employees in over 450 offices in forty states across the U.S., the District of Columbia, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Belgium. Since its founding in 2011, the Company has built a broad insurance distribution platform that is concentrated in the U.S. through a strategic acquisition program coupled with a focus on driving organic growth. Through its operations, the Company provides diversified services to its customers through a broad range of insurance products and services to commercial, public entity and professional and individual customers.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and related notes required by GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of recurring accruals, considered necessary for fair presentation of the financial statements have been included and all intercompany account balances and transactions have been eliminated in the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited annual consolidated financial statements and related notes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income

Other comprehensive income (loss) includes certain transactions that have generally been reported in the statement of shareholders’ equity. The following tables summarize the components and changes in accumulated balances of other comprehensive loss for the periods presented:

 

     Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024  
     Foreign
currency
translation
     Fixed maturity
securities
available-for-sale
     Derivative
instruments
     Total  

Beginning Balance

   $ 3,788      $ 1,332      $ 1,614      $ 6,734  

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications

     832        1,412        1,464        3,708  

Reclassified to earnings

     —         (2,211      (1,834      (4,045
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Impact to AOCI

     832        (799      (370      (337
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Ending Balance

   $ 4,620      $ 533      $ 1,244      $ 6,397  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses as well as disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial

 

5


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

statements. The principal estimates used include, among others, the allocation of purchase price to the fair value of net assets acquired in connection with acquisitions, the valuation of earn-out payables, revenue recognition, equity-based compensation, assessments regarding potential impairment of assets, and the estimated fair value of financial instruments. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

New Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2023-09, Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (ASU 2023-09). The standard requires disaggregated income tax information about a reporting entity’s effective tax rate reconciliation as well as information on income taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 requires non-public business entities to provide qualitative disclosures about specific categories of reconciling items and individual jurisdictions that result in a significant difference between the statutory tax rate and the effective tax rate. Additionally, ASU 2023-09 requires that disclosures of taxes paid by non-public business entities must be disaggregated into federal, state and foreign tax components, and separate disclosure of taxes paid to individual jurisdictions to which greater than 5% of the total taxes are paid. The Company is subject to the provisions of this standard for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024 and is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its disclosures.

In November 2024, the FASB issue ASU 2024-03, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income-Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (ASU 2024-03). The amendments in ASU 2024-03 require public entities to disclose specified information about certain costs and expenses. ASU 2024-03 is effective for the Company’s annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that ASU 2024-03 will have on its consolidated financial statements.

 

2.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Revenue from Contracts with Customers, by following a five-step model: (1) identifying the contract with the customer, (2) identifying performance obligations, (3) determining the transaction price, (4) allocating the transaction price to performance obligations, and (5) recognizing revenue when the performance obligation is satisfied.

Commissions and Fees. Commissions are fixed at the contract effective date and generally are based on a percentage of premiums for insurance coverage or employee headcount for employer sponsored benefit plans. Commissions depend on various factors, including the type of risk being placed, the particular underwriting enterprise’s demand, the expected loss experience of the particular risk coverage, and historical benchmarks surrounding the level of effort necessary for us to place and service the insurance contracts. Commission revenues are recognized on the effective date of the insurance policy, which is the date that the control of the insurance policy transfers to the customer upon satisfaction of the related performance obligation. Fee revenues, negotiated in lieu of commissions, are recognized in the same manner as commission revenue. Fee revenues generated from other services, which include but are not limited to third party claims administration and other risk management consulting services, are recognized throughout the contract term, typically within one year as the services are rendered, and the related performance obligation is satisfied. Fee revenues received in advance are deferred until the related performance obligation is satisfied which is either on effective date of the insurance policy or over the term of the insurance policy as services transfer to the customer. In certain circumstances, the Company

 

6


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

provides more than one performance obligation to the customer that is comprised of placement of an insurance policy and other post-placement services. For consideration allocated to the placement of an insurance policy, the Company recognizes revenue on the policy effective date. For certain products, remaining consideration is allocated to other performance obligations based on their relative fair values over the term of the insurance policy, which is generally one year or less, as the services are rendered. Management reserves for estimated policy cancellations based upon historical cancellation experience adjusted in accordance with known circumstances.

 

7


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Contingent Revenue: Supplemental and profit-sharing contingent commissions represent variable consideration from insurance carriers that may be received in certain cases separate from commissions and fees and are generally received within one year. A supplemental commission is a commission paid by an insurance carrier that is above the base commission paid, is based on historical performance criteria, and is established annually in advance of the contractual period. For supplemental revenue contracts, our obligation to the underwriting company is substantially completed upon the effective date of the underlying insurance contract and revenue is fully earned at that time. For supplemental revenue contracts, our obligation to the underwriting company is fully earned and recognized consistent with the performance of our obligations.

A profit-sharing contingent commission is a commission paid by an insurance carrier and is based on, among other things, the overall underwriting results and/or growth of the business placed with that insurance carrier during a particular performance year and is determined after the contractual period. These revenues are variable in nature until all contingencies are resolved and therefore estimated and recognized at which time significant reversal of contingent revenue is not probable. As such, an estimated amount of consideration that will be received from the insurance carrier the following year is accrued on the effective date of the insurance policy. Because our expectation of the ultimate contingent revenue amounts to be earned can vary from period to period, especially in contracts sensitive to loss ratios, our estimates might change significantly from quarter to quarter. Variable consideration is recognized when we conclude, based on all the facts and information available at the reporting date, that it is probable that a significant revenue reversal will not occur in future periods.

Disaggregation of Revenue

Property & Casualty (P&C): The Company’s commissions earned from P&C products and services are comprised of a broad range of insurance lines that are offered to middle-market businesses, public institutions, and individuals.

Employee Benefits (EB): The Company places EB products and provides consulting and administrative support services on both fully insured and self-insured EB plan structures for employers of all sizes.

Services & Other: The Company offers various services which include, but are not limited to, risk management, consulting, and third-party administration services to customers in a wide variety of industries.

The following table summarizes total revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2024:

 

     For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
2024
 

Commissions and fees

   $ 2,034,493  

Contingent commissions

     182,434  
  

 

 

 

Total Revenues from Contracts with Customers

     2,216,927  

Investment Income

     4,985  
  

 

 

 

Total Revenues

   $ 2,221,912  
  

 

 

 

 

8


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The following table summarizes revenue from contracts with customers, disaggregated by type of revenue and by product line, for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

 

     For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
2024
 

P&C

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 1,339,149  

Contingent commissions

     121,741  
  

 

 

 

Total P&C revenue

   $ 1,460,890  
  

 

 

 

EB

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 505,252  

Contingent commissions

     60,414  
  

 

 

 

Total EB revenue

   $ 565,666  
  

 

 

 

Services & Other

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 190,092  

Contingent commissions

     279  
  

 

 

 

Total Services & Other revenue

   $ 190,371  
  

 

 

 

Total

  

Commissions and fees

   $ 2,034,493  

Contingent commissions

     182,434  
  

 

 

 

Total Revenues from Contracts with Customers

   $ 2,216,927  
  

 

 

 

Contract Balances

The Company presents accounts receivable, net on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, which includes the following components:

 

     September 30,
2024
     December 31,
2023
 

Billed receivables, net of allowance for credit losses

   $ 491,362      $ 437,653  

Unbilled receivables

     445,192        369,827  

Contract assets

     104,352        93,731  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses

     1,040,906        901,211  

Accounts receivable, noncurrent portion

     37,217        20,173  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Accounts receivable

   $ 1,078,123      $ 921,384  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Deferred revenue, current portion

   $ 69,790      $ 54,729  

Deferred revenue, noncurrent portion

     43,105        48,159  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Contract liabilities

   $ 112,895      $ 102,888  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Unbilled receivables (contract assets) arise when the Company recognizes revenue for amounts which have not yet been billed in our systems and are reflected in commissions, fees and other receivables in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. The increase in contracts assets over the balance as of December 31, 2023 is due to businesses acquired and growth in our business. 

 

9


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Revenue recognized for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 included in deferred revenue at December 31, 2023 was $40.2 million. Remaining performance obligations represent the portion of the contract price for which work has yet to be performed. As of September 30, 2024, the aggregate amount of the contract price allocated to remaining performance obligations was $112.9 million.

The Company records billed receivables when the right to consideration is unconditional, subject only to the passage of time. Unbilled receivables arise when the Company recognizes revenue for amounts which have not yet been billed but performance obligations have been satisfied. Additionally, contract assets relate to relationships with customers where the Company has completed some or all performance obligations under the contract, however, the Company’s right to the receipt of consideration is conditional primarily based on underwriting results, but may also reflect considerations for volume, growth and/or retention. These contract assets primarily relate to profit-sharing contingent commissions from insurance carriers for which the revenue cannot be collected until all contingencies are resolved which typically occurs a year subsequent to the end of the contract period.

Contract liabilities relate to payments received in advance of the Company satisfying performance obligations under its contracts. Contract liabilities are reported as deferred revenue, current portion and deferred revenue, noncurrent portion in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2024.

Deferred Costs

Costs incurred by the Company to obtain a customer contract (costs to obtain) are capitalized and amortized over 15 years based on the expected life of the underlying customer relationships. As of September 30, 2024, costs to obtain of approximately $71.5 million are recorded within other noncurrent assets, net in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. Certain contract related costs, including pre-placement brokerage costs to fulfill a customer contract (costs to fulfill), are capitalized and are amortized on a systematic basis consistent with the transfer of control of the services to which the asset relates, which is generally less than one year. As of September 30, 2024, costs to fulfill of approximately $50.8 million, respectively, are recorded within other current assets in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

The amount of amortization of the deferred contract costs was $4.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 which is included within compensation expense on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

 

3.

Business Combinations

The Company completed 20 acquisitions during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The Company acquired substantially all the net assets of the companies primarily in exchange for cash and accounted for these acquisitions using the acquisition method for recording business combinations. The results of the acquired companies are included in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income from the date of acquisition. Certain amounts recorded reflect management’s best estimate at the balance sheet date and may change during the measurement period (not to exceed one year from date of acquisition). During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, measurement period adjustments consisted primarily of changes relating to working capital accounts. These are reflected as adjustments to goodwill as disclosed in Note 5.

 

10


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Total consideration transferred during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was as follows:

 

     Total  

Location

     Multiple  

Date of Acquisition

     Multiple  

Cash

   $ 195,598  

Purchase price holdback

     4,163  

Earn-out payable

     30,860  
  

 

 

 

Total consideration transferred

   $ 230,621  
  

 

 

 

Maximum potential earn-out payable

   $ 84,414  
  

 

 

 

Amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed for the business combinations completed during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 were as follows:

 

     Total  

Cash

   $ 3,462  

Trust cash

     14,642  

Other current assets

     11,798  

Fixed assets

     1,680  

Goodwill

     140,480  

Definite-lived intangibles

     87,104  

Operating lease right-of-use assets

     2,805  
  

 

 

 

Total assets acquired

     261,971  
  

 

 

 

Current liabilities

     28,832  

Lease liability

     2,518  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities assumed

     31,350  
  

 

 

 

Total net assets acquired

   $ 230,621  
  

 

 

 

 

11


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, approximately $2.1 million in cash was paid for certain measurement period adjustments associated with prior acquisitions.

Of the $140.5 million of goodwill acquired in 2024, approximately $125.6 million is expected to be tax deductible and is amortized over 15 years for income tax purposes starting in the current year. The remaining $14.9 million relates to international acquisitions that are not tax deductible for income tax purposes.

For the 2024 acquisitions, goodwill is attributable to the anticipated growth of the acquiree’s market upon implementation of the Company’s business model.

 

12


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

As of September 30, 2024, the fair values of the estimated acquisition earn-out payables were re-evaluated and measured at fair value on a recurring basis using unobservable inputs (Level 3). See Note 11 for additional details. The resulting additions, payments and net changes, as well as the interest expense accretion on the estimated acquisition earn-out payables, for the period ended September 30, 2024, were as follows:

 

     For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
2024
 

Balance as of beginning of the period

   $ 410,518  

Estimated earn-out payables from new acquisitions

     30,860  

Payments for acquisition earn-out payables

     (72,923

Payments on acquisition earn-outs in excess of originally estimated payables

     (91,145
  

 

 

 

Subtotal

     277,310  
  

 

 

 

Net change in earnings from estimated acquisition earn-out payables

  

Change in fair value on estimated acquisition earn-out payables

     27,945  

Interest expense accretion

     40,697  
  

 

 

 

Net change in earnings from estimated acquisition earn-out payables

     68,642  
  

 

 

 

Balance as of end of the period

     345,952  
  

 

 

 

Earn-out payables, current portion

     279,891  
  

 

 

 

Earn-out payables, noncurrent portion

   $ 66,061  
  

 

 

 

 

13


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

4.

Investments

The amortized cost and fair value of the financial assets are as follows:

 

     As of September 30, 2024  
     Amortized
Cost
     Gross
Unrealized
Losses
    Gross
Unrealized
Gains
     Allowance
For Credit
Losses
     Fair Value  

Government obligations:

             

US government

   $ 15,949      $ (512   $ 158      $ —       $ 15,595  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

US agency:

             

Residential MBS

     7,765        (240     113        —         7,638  

Commercial MBS

     131        (4     3        —         130  

Other ABS

     1        (1     —         —         —   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total US agency

     7,897        (245     116        —         7,768  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total government

     23,846        (757     274        —         23,363  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Corporate bonds:

             

United States

     10,740        (333     189        —         10,596  

Other foreign

     634        (29     9        —         614  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total corporate bonds

     11,374        (362     198        —         11,210  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-agency ABS:

             

Residential MBS

     72        (6     —         —         66  

Commercial MBS

     1        (1     —         —         —   

Other ABS

     3,186        (10     28        —         3,204  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total non-agency ABS

     3,259        (17     28        —         3,270  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 38,479      $ (1,136   $ 500      $ —       $ 37,843  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

14


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The number, fair values, and duration of investments in a continuous loss position are as follows:

 

     As of September 30, 2024  
     Less than 12 Months      Greater than 12 Months  
     Number of
Investments
     Gross
Unrealized
Losses
    Estimated
Fair Value
     Number of
Investments
     Gross
Unrealized
Losses
    Estimated
Fair Value
 

Government obligations:

               

US government

     4      $ (15   $ 924        19      $ (497   $ 6,910  

US agency:

               

Residential MBS

     21        (10     829        62        (230     3,401  

Commercial MBS

     —         —        —         3        (4     130  

Other ABS

     1        (1     —         —         —        —   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total US agency

     22        (11     829        65        (234     3,531  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total government obligations

     26        (26     1,753        84        (731     10,441  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Corporate bonds:

               

United States

     66        (37     873        116        (296     4,359  

Other foreign

     8        (5     15        14        (24     438  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total corporate bonds

     74        (42     888        130        (320     4,797  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-agency ABS:

               

Residential MBS

     3        (3     31        3        (3     35  

Commercial MBS

     2        (1     —         —         —        —   

Other ABS

     15        (9     307        4        (1     306  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total non-agency ABS

     20        (13     338        7        (4     341  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total investments

     120      $ (81   $ 2,979        221      $ (1,055   $ 15,579  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

The Company reviews its available-for-sale debt securities for credit loss impairment at the individual security level on at least a quarterly basis. A security is impaired if its fair value is less than its amortized cost basis. A decline in fair value below amortized cost basis represents a credit loss impairment to the extent the Company does not expect to recover the amortized cost basis of the security. Impairment related to credit losses is recorded through an allowance for credit losses to the extent fair value is less than the amortized cost basis. Declines in fair value that have not been recorded through the allowance for credit losses are recorded through other comprehensive income, net of applicable taxes.

No securities were determined to be credit loss impaired during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. At September 30, 2024, the Company did not have an intent to sell securities that were in unrealized loss positions and it was more likely than not that the Company would not be required to sell these securities before recovery of the amortized cost basis, which may be at maturity. In making this determination, the Company considered its current and projected liquidity position, its investment policy as to permissible holdings and concentration limits, regulatory requirements and other relevant factors.

 

15


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

A summary of the amortized cost and fair value of fixed maturity securities, by contractual maturity, is as follows:

 

     As of September 30, 2024  
     Amortized
Cost
     Fair
Value
 

Due in one year or less

   $ 961      $ 984  

Due in over one year through five years

     15,392        15,154  

Due after five through ten years

     10,834        10,527  

Due after ten years

     136        140  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total fixed maturity investments

     27,323        26,805  

Agency and non-agency MBS and ABS

     11,156        11,038  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total investments

   $ 38,479      $ 37,843  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Expected maturities may differ from stated due dates because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations.

 

5.

Goodwill

The changes in goodwill are as follows:

 

Balance as of December 31, 2023

   $ 5,704,400  

Goodwill of acquired businesses

     140,480  

Measurement period adjustments

     3,553  
  

 

 

 

Balance as of September 30, 2024

   $ 5,848,433  
  

 

 

 

The Company has historically evaluated its goodwill for impairment annually as of September 30 or more frequently if impairment indicators arose in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 350, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other.” In the third quarter of 2024, the Company changed the date of its annual assessment of goodwill to October 1 for all reporting units. The change in testing date for goodwill is a change in accounting principle, which management believes is preferable as the new date of the assessment better aligns with the Company’s budgeting process and will create a more efficient and timely process surrounding the impairment tests. The change in the assessment date does not delay, accelerate or avoid a potential impairment charge. The Company determined that it is impracticable to determine cash flows and valuation estimates that would have been used as of each October 1 of prior reporting periods. As such, the Company prospectively applied the change in annual goodwill impairment testing date.

 

16


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

6.

Definite-Lived Intangible Assets

The carrying amount of the definite-lived intangible assets, net are as follows:

 

     Gross
Carrying
Value
     Accumulated
Amortization
     Net Carrying
Value
     Weighted
Average Life
 

Customer-related and contract-based

   $ 4,123,488      $ (1,107,192    $ 3,016,296        13.6  

Noncompete agreements

     11,084        (10,398      686        1.3  

Trade name

     25,888        (2,323      23,565        19.0  

Other

     3,895        (2,091      1,804        7.9  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Balances as of September 30, 2024

   $ 4,164,355      $ (1,122,004    $ 3,042,351     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

During 2024, customer-related and contract-based assets with a gross carrying value of $53.8 million and a net book value of $42.6 million, and noncompete agreements with a gross carrying value of $1.6 million and a net book value of $0.6 million, were determined to be fully impaired. The impairment charges for these assets are included within depreciation and amortization expense on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Estimated amortization expense for definite-lived intangible assets for the next five years at the end of the current reporting period is as follows:

 

2024 (remaining)

   $ 68,113  

2025

     271,759  

2026

     270,799  

2027

     269,769  

2028

     268,841  

Thereafter

     1,893,070  
  

 

 

 
   $ 3,042,351  
  

 

 

 

 

7.

Long-Term Debt, net

The components of the Company’s long-term debt, net are as follows:

 

     September 30,
2024
 

First lien term loans

   $ 5,094,400  

2027 Notes, 8%, interest paid semiannually

     475,000  

2029 Notes, 5.625%, interest paid semiannually

     550,000  

2032 Notes, 7.5%, interest paid semiannually

     500,000  

Obligations under capital lease

     254  
  

 

 

 

Total long-term debt

     6,619,654  

Less:

  

Total unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs(1)

     (101,686

Long-term debt, net, current portion

     (33,305
  

 

 

 

Long-term debt, net, noncurrent portion

   $ 6,484,663  
  

 

 

 

 

(1)

Includes $17,972 at September 30, 2024 of current unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs. Unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the revolver loans are classified as other current assets.

 

17


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Credit Facility

The Company’s Credit Facility consists of (i) first lien term loans (First Lien Term Loans), and (ii) a revolving loan credit facility (Revolver Loans). All obligations under the Credit Facility are unconditionally guaranteed by the Company and certain subsidiaries. All obligations and guarantees of such obligations under the Credit Facility are secured by substantially all assets of the Company and each guarantor, subject to certain exceptions.

In April 2024, the Company amended its Credit Facility to obtain $4.6 billion in a First Lien Term Loan, the proceeds of which were used to repay all First Lien Term Loan borrowings obtained prior to 2024 ($4.6 billion). The First Lien Term Loans accrue interest at the benchmark rate plus an applicable margin of 3.50%. They are not subject to any maintenance financial covenants and they mature in February 2031.

The Revolver Loans have borrowing limits up to approximately $600.0 million and are scheduled to mature in August 2028. The Credit Facility also contains affirmative covenants (e.g., the Company is required to make certain prepayments out of cash flow) and negative covenants (e.g., the Company is limited from incurring additional indebtedness, making payments to the Company’s equity unit holders and selling certain of its assets, except, in each case, as otherwise permitted). At September 30, 2024, the Company had $599.8 million available in Revolver Loan capacity and was in compliance with all financial covenants. The Credit Facility contains covenants that limits the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries to, among other things: (i) enter into sale and leaseback transactions; (ii) engage in mergers or consolidations; (iii) sell assets; (iv) pay dividends an distributions or repurchase capital stock; (v) make investments, loans or advances; (vi) repay subordinated indebtedness; (vii) make certain acquisitions; (viii) engage in certain transactions with affiliates; (ix) amend material agreements governing its subordinated indebtedness; and (x) change its lines of business.

The table below represents the key terms of amendments to the Credit Facility in 2024:

 

Debt Amendment

  

Date of Amendment

   First Lien Term
Loans Borrowed
(in millions)
     Applicable % margin
in

addition to SOFR
    Maturity Date  

Credit Facility

   February 16, 2024(1)      500.00        3.50     February 2031  

Revolver

   February 16, 2024(1)      —         3.50     August 2028  

Credit Facility

   April 9, 2024(2)      4,620.00        3.50     February 2031  

 

(1)

The Company amended the terms of the Credit Facility to obtain an additional $500.0 million in First Lien Term Loans and increase its Revolver capacity to $600.0 million. These borrowings were used to pay down the outstanding balance on the Revolver Loans, finance acquisitions, and for other general corporate purposes.

(2)

The Company amended the terms of the Credit Facility to refinance $4.6 billion in outstanding First Lien Term Loans originated before 2024 and to revise certain terms of its Revolver Loans.

 

18


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

As of a result of the amendments in 2024, the Company wrote off certain discounts and debt issuance costs, resulting in a debt extinguishment loss of $3.4 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

 

19


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Notes

The Company issued the 2025 Notes, 2027 Notes, 2029 Notes, and 2032 Notes at par on the following dates as shown in the table below. The 2025 Notes were retired in February 2024 upon the issuance of the 2032 Notes. On February 14, 2024, the Company issued $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.50% senior unsecured notes due February 15, 2032 at par (the 2032 Notes). Net proceeds after discounts and customary fees were approximately $495.0 million and were used to retire the 2025 Notes. The 2025 Notes, 2027 Notes, 2029 Notes and 2032 Notes are referred to collectively herein as the Notes.

The Notes may be individually redeemed in whole, or in part, at any time prior to the respective initial redemption dates as shown in the following table, at a redemption price calculated using a formula designed to provide the bondholders with a make-whole premium. Before the initial redemption dates, the Company may also individually redeem the respective Notes, on one or more occasions, at an initial redemption price as noted below, up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the respective Notes in an amount not to exceed the net cash proceeds of certain equity offerings provided that at least 50% of the respective Notes from their respective original issue date remain outstanding after giving effect to such redemption.

After the initial redemption dates, the Company may redeem the respective notes at the following redemption prices:

 

     2027 Notes    2029 Notes    2032 Notes

Note amount issued (at par)

   $475 million    $550 million    $500 million

Issuance date

   May 13, 2019    December 10, 2020    February 14, 2024
  

 

  

 

  

 

Initial redemption before

   May 15, 2022    December 15, 2023    February 15, 2027

Initial redemption price (subject to conditions above)

   108% + accrued
interest
   105.625% + accrued
interest
   107.5% + accrued
interest
  

 

  

 

  

 

Redemption after

   May 15, 2022    December 15, 2023    February 15, 2027

Redemption price

   104%    102.813%    103.750%
  

 

  

 

  

 

Redemption after

   May 15, 2023    December 15, 2024    February 15, 2028

Redemption price

   102%    101.406%    101.875%
  

 

  

 

  

 

Redemption after

   May 15, 2024    December 15, 2025    February 15, 2029

Redemption price

   100%    100%    100%
  

 

  

 

  

 

Maturity date

   May 15, 2027    January 15, 2029    February 15, 2032

As it relates to the Notes, if the Company experiences certain change of control events, the Company is required to offer to repurchase at 101% of the principal amount of such notes plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. The Notes also include a change of control portability feature whereby the Company does not have to make an offer to repurchase (and holders of the notes do not have the ability to require such repurchase), so long as the change of control qualifies as a Permitted Change of Control.

In order to qualify as a Permitted Change of Control, on the date of the change of control:

 

  a.

The Company’s Moody’s corporate rating must be B3 (stable) or better, and the Company’s S&P corporate rating must be B (stable) or better; and

 

  b.

The Consolidated Total Net Debt Ratio (as defined) is equal to or less than 7.00x for the 2027, 2029 and 2032 Notes.

 

20


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a joint-and-several basis by the Company’s 100% owned domestic subsidiaries. The Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and are senior in right of payment to all existing and future subordinated indebtedness of the Company and rank equally in right of payment with all existing and future senior indebtedness of the Company, including the existing Credit Facility obligations. The Notes are effectively subordinated to the obligations under the existing Credit Facility, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. The Notes were issued in private transactions that are not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, or the ongoing reporting requirements of the Securities Act of 1934.

Refer to Note 16 for a summary of financing activity occurring subsequent to September 30, 2024.

Principal maturities of long-term debt as of September 30, 2024 are as follows:

 

2024 (remaining)

   $ 12,876  

2025

     51,377  

2026

     51,201  

2027

     526,200  

2028

     51,200  

Thereafter

     5,926,800  
  

 

 

 
   $ 6,619,654  
  

 

 

 

The fair value of the Company’s debt is estimated based on observable inputs such as the change in yield on comparable indices and unobservable inputs such as the enterprise value. The inputs used to determine the fair value of the Company’s debt were classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. The following table presents the carrying value and fair value of the Company’s long-term debt, including current portions and excluding unamortized debt issuance costs:

 

     September 30, 2024  
     Carrying value      Fair value  

Term loan

   $ 5,094      $ 5,329  

2027 Notes

     475        476  

2029 Notes

     550        527  

2032 Notes

     500        522  

 

8.

Other Current Assets

Other current assets balance consists of the following:

 

     September 30,
2024
 

Deferred compensation

   $ 50,795  

Deferred financing costs

     1,349  

Tax receivable

     5,591  

Other

     10,651  
  

 

 

 

Total other current assets

   $ 68,386  
  

 

 

 

 

21


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

9.

Accrued Expenses and Other

Accrued expenses and other balances consists of the following:

 

     September 30,
2024
 

Accrued compensation and benefits

   $ 124,860  

Accrued interest

     29,208  

Lease liability, current portion

     37,591  

Purchase price holdback

     24,095  

Other accrued expenses

     53,479  
  

 

 

 

Total accrued expenses and other

   $ 269,233  
  

 

 

 

 

10.

Derivatives and Hedging Arrangements

As of September 30, 2024 the Company has one interest rate cap contract and three cost-free interest rate collars with notional amounts as outlined in the following tables. These derivatives were designated as cash flow hedges against the variability of cash flows from interest payments related to a portion of the Company’s variable-rate debt for accounting purposes.

The relevant terms of the Company’s interest rate cap contracts as of September 30, 2024 are as follows:

Interest Rate Cap Contracts

 

Contract Start Date

  

Contract End Date

   Original Notional      Purchased Strike
Rate
    Benchmark Index

March 31, 2023

  

September 30, 2024

   $ 3,500,000        5.25   3-month CME Term SOFR

September 30, 2024

  

September 30, 2025

   $ 1,000,000        5.50   3-month CME Term SOFR

Unamortized costs associated with the cap contracts approximates $0.4 million as of September 30, 2024. The interest rate cap premiums represent a hedge component excluded from the assessment of effectiveness and are recognized as interest expense, with a corresponding increase to accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income, over the life of the cap contracts on a systematic and rational basis, as documented at hedge inception in accordance with the Company’s accounting policy election. Changes in the valuation of this cap contract are reflected in the recorded derivative asset and accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company received interest rate cap payments of $2.1 million from the contract counterparty associated with the periods in which the contract strike rate exceeded the benchmark index. These payments reduced interest expense in the stated period. Approximately $4.5 million was recorded as interest expense related to the amortization of the interest rate cap premium during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The Company has not received or pledged any collateral related to any derivative contracts at September 30, 2024.

 

22


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The interest rate collars are structured such that the Company pays the counterparty an incremental amount if the collar index falls below the floor rate, and receives an incremental amount if the index exceeds the cap rate. All contract indices are based on three-month term SOFR. No payments are required if the collar index falls between the cap and floor rates. Changes in the fair value of these contracts are reflected in the appropriate derivative asset or liability account and accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income. Cash flows associated with the interest rate collars are recognized as an adjustment to interest expense. Since SOFR was within the collar cap and floor rates, there were no payments received or made for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

Details of the Company’s cost-free interest rate collar agreements are as follows:

Interest Rate Collars

 

Contract Start Date

  

Contract End Date

   Notional Value at
Reporting Date
     Floor Rate     Cap Rate  

September 30, 2024

   September 30, 2025    $ 1,000,000        2.53     5.50

September 30, 2024

   September 30, 2025      500,000        2.55     5.50

September 30, 2024

   September 30, 2025      1,000,000        2.55     5.50

The fair value of the Company’s interest rate contracts included within the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet is as follows:

 

September 30, 2024

  

 

 

Balance Sheet Location

   Fair Value  

Other current assets

   $ 70  

Accrued expenses and other

   $ 1,556  

 

11.

Fair Value of Measurements and Financial Instruments

As defined by the FASB, the Company established a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair values as follows:

 

Level 1    Observable inputs such as quoted prices for identical assets in active markets;
Level 2    Inputs other than quoted prices for identical assets in active markets, that are observable either directly or indirectly; and
Level 3    Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data which requires the use of valuation techniques and the development of assumptions.

The carrying amounts of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, including cash and cash equivalents; restricted cash; trust cash; accounts receivable; carrier payables; accounts payable; customer advances; producer payables; reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses; contract assets; contract liabilities and deferred revenue on September 30, 2024 approximate fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments.

 

23


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The following methods and assumptions are used to estimate the fair values of the Company’s financial instruments that are measured on a recurring basis:

Interest Rate Contracts

Interest rate contracts are valued using pricing models that are based on certain assumptions and readily observable market-based inputs, including yield curves and implied volatility of closely related instruments, for which transparent pricing is available. The Company reflects the credit considerations inherent in the derivative contracts with both positive and negative exposures over the remaining life of the derivative. The credit spreads calculated for each party (e.g., the hedging entity and the bank counterparty) are converted into default probabilities. The default probabilities of the hedging entity are applied to the negative exposures, resulting in a positive credit adjustment, and the default probabilities of the bank counterparty are applied to the positive exposures, resulting in a negative credit adjustment. The bilateral credit valuation adjustment is the sum of the positive and negative adjustments.

Earn-Out Payables

Earn-out payables are recorded at fair value based on the present value of the expected future payments that are to be made to the sellers of the acquired entities. The Company estimates the future performance of acquired entities using financial projections that are primarily based on EBITDA or revenue targets to be achieved over one to three years. The expected future payments are discounted to present value using a risk-adjusted rate that takes into consideration market-based rates of return that reflect the ability of the acquired entities to achieve the target EBITDA or revenue. Revenue growth rates range from 6.0% to 18.0% and the discount rates range from 8.0% to 11.0%. On a quarterly basis, the Company reassesses its current estimates of performance relative to the projection and adjusts the liability to fair value. Changes in financial projections, market participant assumptions for revenue growth and profitability, or the risk-adjusted discount rate, would result in a change in fair value of recorded earn-out payables. See Note 3 for a reconciliation of acquisition earn-out payables measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

Fixed Maturity Securities

Corporate bonds (foreign and domestic) are valued by models using inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data. In the instance that observable market data is unavailable, the Company incorporates inputs from third-party sources and applies reasonable judgment in developing assumptions used to estimate the probability of collecting all contractual cash flows.

U.S. government and agency securities are estimated using values obtained from independent pricing services and based on expected future cash flows using a current market rate applicable to the yield, credit quality, and maturity of the investments.

For asset-backed securities, including residential MBS, commercial MBS, and other ABS, the Company uses values obtained from independent pricing services. The independent pricing service may consider various factors in determining fair value, including but not limited to, the type of security, issuer-specific news and/or long-term outlook, market conditions and other relevant information, size and position in the issuer’s capital structure, information available in the issuer’s financial statements or other reports, the price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable companies, and/or factors deemed relevant and appropriate.

 

24


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are as follows:

 

     Using         
($ in thousands)    Quoted Prices
in Active
Market
(Level 1)
     Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
     Significant
Unobservable
Inputs

(Level 3)
     Balance at
September 30,
2024
 

Assets

           

Interest rate contracts

   $ —       $ (1,486    $ —       $ (1,486

Fixed maturity securities:

           

U.S. Government

     —         15,595        —         15,595  

U.S. Agency

     —         7,768        —         7,768  

U.S. Corporate

     —         10,596        —         10,596  

Foreign Government

     —         614        —         614  

Non-agency Residential MBS

     —         —         66        66  

Non-agency ABS

     —         —         3,204        3,204  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total securities:

     —         34,573        3,270        37,843  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets at fair value

   $ —       $ 33,087      $ 3,270      $ 36,357  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Liabilities

           

Earn-out payables

   $ —       $ —       $ 345,952      $ 345,952  

Interest rate contracts

     —         1,556        —         1,556  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities at fair value

   $ —       $ 1,556      $ 345,952      $ 347,508  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

There were no financial assets or liabilities recorded at fair value by the Company on a nonrecurring basis at September 30, 2024.

 

12.

Income Taxes

The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, was 18.9%. A valuation allowance has been established against the deferred tax assets related to certain state net operating losses (NOLs) for which it is not more likely than not that the benefit will be realized. The Company evaluates the recoverability of the deferred tax assets on a regular basis based upon all available positive and negative evidence.

 

13.

Leases

The Company leases premises for general office and administrative purposes from unrelated parties and certain employees under an operating lease agreement that has an average lease term, ranging from 5 to 15 years. The Company excludes options to extend or terminate a lease from recognition as part of the Company’s ROU assets and operating lease liabilities until those options are reasonably certain and/or executed. The Company’s lease agreements typically do not contain any material residual value guarantees or restrictive covenants.

From time to time the Company may enter into subleases if it is unable to cancel or fully occupy a space and are able to find an appropriate subtenant. However, entering subleases is not a primary objective of the Company’s business operations.

 

25


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Operating lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Finance lease cost is recognized as a combination of the amortization expense for the ROU assets and interest expense for the outstanding lease liabilities, and results in a front-loaded expense pattern over the lease term.

The balances and classification of operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities within

the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2024 is as follows:

 

Assets

  

Balance Sheet Classification

   As of
September 30,
2024
 

Right-of-use assets

  

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

   $ 155,366  
     

 

 

 

Liabilities

     

Current lease liabilities

     

Operating

   Accrued expenses and other      37,591  

Non-current lease liabilities

     

Operating

   Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent portion      130,603  
     

 

 

 

Total operating lease liabilities

      $ 168,194  
     

 

 

 

The components of lease cost for operating leases for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 were:

 

     For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
2024
 

Operating lease cost

   $ 38,780  

Short-term lease cost

     666  

Sublease income

     (122
  

 

 

 

Net Lease cost

   $ 39,324  
  

 

 

 

The weighted average remaining lease term and the weighted average discount rate for operating leases as of September 30, 2024 were:

 

For right-of-use assets as of September 30, 2024:

  

Right-of-use assets - Weighted average remaining lease term (years)

     5.21  

Right-of-use assets - Weighted average discount rate

     7.53

Supplemental cash flow information for operating leases:

 

Cash paid for amounts included in measurement of lease liabilities

  

Operating cash flows from operating leases

   $ 37,671  

Non-cash related activities

  

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities

   $ 20,361  

 

26


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

Maturities of the Company’s future lease obligations by fiscal year are as follows:

 

2024 (remaining)

   $ 12,158  

2025

     47,301  

2026

     41,293  

2027

     32,264  

2028

     23,704  

Thereafter

     48,960  
  

 

 

 

Total undiscounted lease payments

     205,680  

Less: Imputed interest

     37,486  
  

 

 

 

Present value of lease liabilities

   $ 168,194  
  

 

 

 

The Company occupies and leases certain office space owned by employees of the Company. Rent expense incurred for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 under these leases, which is included in the total lease cost above, was approximately $8.6 million. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had additional operating leases that had not commenced of $4.5 million. These operating leases will commence over the next 12 months.

 

14.

Shareholders’ Equity, Mezzanine Equity and Equity-Based Compensation

Redeemable Series A Preferred Stock (Mezzanine Equity)

In May 2019, the Company issued 160,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock with an initial liquidation preference of $1,000 per share and an aggregate initial liquidation preference of $160,000 to one investor in exchange for cash consideration of $156,816. Shares of Series A Preferred Stock are non-convertible. Holders of the Series A Preferred Stock do not have any voting rights in the operation or management of the Company. Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock will accrue and accumulate daily at an annual dividend rate on the liquidation preference (equal the sum of the initial liquidation preference and all accrued, accumulated, and unpaid dividends). The annual dividend rate will be 11.5% per annum for the first eight years and then increase by 2.0% for the first year thereafter and 1.0% each subsequent year thereafter, provided that the aggregate increase in the annual dividend rate shall not exceed 5.0%. The Series A Preferred Stock (inclusive of any and all dividends) shall rank senior in priority of payment to all existing and future preferred stock and other capital stock in respect of dividends and upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company. As long as any share of Series A Preferred Stock is outstanding, no dividends, or distributions on, or purchases or redemption of, junior preferred stock and other capital stock, shall be made, paid or declared.

Shares of the Series A Preferred Stock are redeemable at the Company’s option at any time, in whole or in part, in cash at the defined redemption price. Series A Preferred Shares are also contingently redeemable upon specific material events which include any Change in Control events, the consummation of a Qualified Initial Public Offering (IPO), any insolvency event, or any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company or of its significant subsidiaries. After November 13, 2021, the redemption price equals to the liquidation preference (equaling the stated value of $160 million in aggregate or $1,000 per share, plus the aggregate accumulated dividends up to, but excluding the redemption date) multiplied by the applicable redemption percentage, is defined as below:

 

27


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

   

If the redemption occurs between November 13, 2021 and November 12, 2022, the redemption percentage shall be 103%;

 

   

If the redemption occurs between November 13, 2022 and November 12, 2023, the redemption percentage shall be 102%;

 

   

If the redemption occurs between November 13, 2023 and November 12, 2024, the redemption percentage shall be 101%;

 

   

If the redemption occurs after November 13, 2024, the redemption percentage shall be 100%.

As of September 30, 2024, the applicable redemption percentage was 101%.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 the accrued and unpaid dividend on Series A Preferred Stock amounted to approximately $24.0 million. As of September 30, 2024, the total accumulated unpaid dividends on Series A Preferred Stock amounted to approximately $134.5 million. The Board has not declared a distribution of dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock.

Commencing on the 10th anniversary of the issue date, majority holders of the Series A Preferred Stock shall have a right to demand the Company to engage in a process to either effect an IPO or a sale that would result in a change of control of the Company. The Company shall use their reasonable best efforts to pursue an IPO or sale. If the Company breaches such covenant or fails to consummate such IPO or sale within 12 months after such demand is issued, the majority holders may take control of the process and consummate an IPO or sale; provided that such controlled transaction will be structured to maximize cash value to all shareholders. Additionally, such a breach or failure would result in a one-time increase of 2.00% per annum to the dividend rate.

Shares of the Series A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding are accounted for as redeemable shares in the mezzanine section on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet as the shares are redeemable outside of the Company’s control. As of September 30, 2024, shares of the Series A Preferred Stock were considered probable of becoming redeemable due to the existence of the sale demand provision. The Company has elected to adjust the carrying value of the redeemable Series A Preferred Stock to their earliest redemption value through the accretion method. In the absence of retained earnings, adjustments to the redemption value were recorded against additional paid-in capital.

Common Stock

The Company is authorized to issue 2,000 shares of Common Stock with a par value of $0.01 per share. The holder of each share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote on each matter presented before the shareholders.

On August 14, 2024, in connection with the Parent’s repurchase of their vested Class C profits Interest Units, 6.73 of Common Stocks were purchased as treasury stock and retired.

Profits Interest Units

The employees of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, AssuredPartners, Inc., are participants in The AssuredPartners Group LP Equity Incentive Plan (Incentive Plan), an equity incentive plan sponsored by the Parent which awards equity units of the Parent to certain participating employees of the Company who have substantial responsibility for the management and growth of the Company.

 

28


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

The Company’s Class C Profits Interest Units are time-based incentive units awarded to select employees under provisions of the Incentive Plan, which will vest over five years generally from the date of grant subject to the employees’ continued employment with the Company; certain awards provide for accelerated vesting upon a change of control of the Company. Total equity-based compensation expense for these Class C Profits Interest Units recognized in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income was approximately $20.1 million, for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company granted 46,709,972 Class C Profits Interest Units and 14,659,658 million units were forfeited.

 

29


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

On August 14, 2024 the Company’s Parent, The AssuredPartners Group LP, made an offer to certain current and former employees to repurchase, in cash, a portion of their vested Class C profits Interest Units (“Tender Offer”). The AssuredPartners, Group LP, repurchased 19,502,569 vested Class C Profits Interest Units for a total of $50.2 million. The Company funded $25.3 million of cash for the Tender Offer to its Parent and has accounted for it as a return of capital to the Parent. The Tender Offer did not result in any additional compensation expense.

On September 26, 2024, the Board approved a new class of Profits Interest Units, Class D Profits Interest Units. These units are time-based incentive units awarded to select employees under provisions of the Incentive Plan, which will vest over four years generally from the date of grant subject to the employees’ continued employment with the Company; the awards provide for accelerated vesting upon a change of control of the Company. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company granted 34,500,000 Class D Profits Interest Units. Compensation expense will be recognized starting during the fourth quarter of 2024.

The Parent is a private company. The estimated fair value of the Award Units has been determined by a third-party valuation specialist in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation. The valuation starts with the estimate of the enterprise value of the Parent using generally accepted valuation methodologies, including discounted cash flow analysis and comparable public company analysis, and adjusted for outstanding cash and debt and value related to the acquisition pipeline. The total equity value is then allocated among the different classes of equity units of the Parent using the Option-Pricing Method (“OPM”) to arrive at the fair value of the Award Units.

The weighted average assumptions used in the OPM to allocate the equity value include the following:

 

     September 30,
2024
 

Risk-free interest rate

     3.80

Expected volatility

     33.00

Expected life (in years)

     1.50

The expected volatility was based on historical volatility of a comparable group of entities within similar industries that are public entities, along with other factors. The expected term represented the expected holding period of the Parent until a major liquidity event. The risk-free rate was based on the U.S. Treasury yields for the expected term.

 

30


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

15.

Commitments and Contingencies

In February 2019, a plaintiff filed suit against his employer and against the Company’s indirectly-owned subsidiary, AP Keenan, who served as the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance administrator, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated from his employment. The plaintiff alleged that AP Keenan repeatedly provided inaccurate medical reports to his employer. Before trial, the plaintiff’s employer settled with the plaintiff and agreed to testify that had AP Keenan provided accurate medical reports, the employer would not have fired the plaintiff in January 2018 and would have rehired him in September 2018. In May 2022, a trial jury returned a liability verdict finding that AP Keenan had aided and abetted the employer’s violation of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and that AP Keenan had also conspired with the employer to violate the Act. The jury awarded the plaintiff approximately $6.9 million in compensatory damages and punitive damages of approximately $27.6 million bringing the total damages awarded against the Company to approximately $34.5 million. The Company is appealing these findings and believes that it has a reasonable chance of substantially reducing this award on appeal. Any damages that may result are expected to be fully covered by third-party insurance policies. Restricted cash on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2024 includes approximately $57.8 million which has been pledged as collateral for an appeals bond in connection with an appeal of this case. The restriction on cash will lapse when the related litigation is resolved. On the basis of current information, the availability of insurance and legal advice, the Company does not believe that the resolution of this case, or any others in which the Company is involved, would have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, operations or cash flows, individually or in the aggregate. The amount of any claims and related costs, if any, cannot be estimated at this time and as such, no provision has been made.

On October 8, 2021, AP of South Florida, LLC (APSF), an indirectly-owned subsidiary of the Company, was served with a civil investigative demand (CID) from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The CID seeks information relating to the operation of Fiorella Insurance Agency, Inc. (Fiorella), certain assets of which were purchased by APSF in February 2021. The CID seeks information relating to operations before and after the acquisition of Fiorella by APSF. To date, APSF, through outside counsel, has engaged with the DOJ to respond to requests for documents and coordinate witness interviews. In connection with the investigation, APSF is working with a compliance consultant to evaluate operations, identify areas for improvement and to implement compliance measures. In December 2023, special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed search warrants on two APSF employees for their personal devices. After communications with DOJ Criminal Division trial attorneys, the Company accepted service in early January 2024 of a criminal grand jury subpoena to APSF. The grand jury subpoena seeks information and documents among other things, related to the operation of Fiorella before and after APSF’s purchase of certain Fiorella assets as it pertains to the sale of Florida Blue health plans. In April 2024, the Company terminated the contract with Fiorella’s (APSF’s) largest carrier trading partner, and the carrier has moved its business under the contract (which represents the majority of Fiorella’s revenue) to third-party agencies, as is the carrier’s right under the contract. Following a strategic review of the business, after the termination of the contract, management decided to cease all further material business operations of Fiorella. As mentioned in Note 6, management recorded an impairment charge of $43.2 million in 2024 against certain intangible assets of Fiorella in connection with the cessation of these business activities. The Company is cooperating with the DOJ and responding to the grand jury subpoena. The amount of any claims and related costs, if any, cannot be estimated at this time and as such, no provision has been made.

 

31


Dolphin TopCo, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

September 30, 2024

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

On August 27, 2023, Keenan discovered certain disruptions occurring on some Keenan network servers. Keenan activated its incident response plan and engaged leading third-party cybersecurity and forensic experts to investigate and remediate. In relatively short order, Keenan restored full functionality to its systems and was able to minimize business disruption. The incident was the result of ransomware. Due to the nature of the incident, Keenan was obligated to provide legally-required notices regarding the incident to a number of its business partners and their respective employees and to certain government agencies. The Company subsequently became subject to a number of class action lawsuits regarding the incident. Following a recent mediation, the Company has entered into an agreement in principle on a nationwide settlement of the class action lawsuits. However, any potential settlement is not yet final or certain because it is subject to preliminary and final court approval, as well as an opt-out and objection process.

Other than the matters mentioned above, there are a variety of legal proceedings pending or threatened against the Company. Accruals are recorded when it is probable a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated based on current law, progress of each case, opinions and views of legal counsel and other advisers, and the Company’s experience in similar matters and intended response to the litigation. These amounts, which are not discounted and are exclusive of claims against third parties, are adjusted periodically as assessment efforts progress or additional information becomes available. The Company expenses amounts for administering or litigating claims as incurred. Neither the outcomes of these matters nor their effect upon the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations can be determined at this time.

 

16.

Subsequent events

The Company is required to evaluate events and transactions occurring subsequent to September 30, 2024 through December 6, 2024, the date the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements were available to be issued. During this period, the Company acquired substantially all the net assets of 5 companies with consideration paid of $41.9 million and a maximum potential earn-out payable of $19.8 million. The nature of all businesses acquired are similar in all material respects to the acquisitions previously completed by the Company, and as such the Company expects the purchase price to be allocated in a similar manner.

In October 2024, the Company amended its Credit Facility to obtain an additional $600 million in First Lien Term Loan. Proceeds from the new First Lien Term Loan were used to repay the principal and accrued interest of the 2027 Notes and for general corporate purposes. This First Lien Term Loan accrues interest at the benchmark rate (term SOFR) plus an applicable margin of 3.50% and matures in February 2031.

 

32

Exhibit 99.4

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

On December 7, 2024, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (“Gallagher”, or the “Company”) entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), by and among the Company, The AssuredPartners Group LP (the “Seller”) and Dolphin TopCo, Inc. (“AssuredPartners”, or the “Acquired Entity”), pursuant to which the Company will acquire all of the issued and outstanding stock of the Acquired Entity for an aggregate purchase price of $13.450 billion in cash payable at closing, subject to certain customary adjustments as set forth in the Purchase Agreement (the “Transaction”).

The Company plans to fund the purchase price with a combination of (i) net proceeds from a contemplated follow-on common stock offering, and (ii) net proceeds from the issuances of unsecured senior notes (the “Acquisition Financing”), described further in Note 3 to this unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information set forth below has been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X as amended and should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information was derived from and should be read in conjunction with:

 

   

Audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes of the Company as of and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 (as contained in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 9, 2024);

 

   

Unaudited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes of the Company as of September 30, 2024 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 (as contained in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024 filed with the SEC on October 29, 2024);

 

   

Audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes of AssuredPartners as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023 and unaudited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes of AssuredPartners as of September 30, 2024 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is based on the historical consolidated financial statements of the Company and the historical consolidated financial statements of AssuredPartners, as adjusted to give effect to the Transaction and the Acquisition Financing (collectively, the “Transactions”). The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2024 gives effect to the Transactions as if they occurred or had become effective on September 30, 2024. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of earnings for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, give effect to the Transactions as if they occurred or had become effective on January 1, 2023. Further information about this basis of presentation is provided in Note 1 to this unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.

The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information provides for pro forma adjustments giving effect to the following transactions:

 

   

The Transaction

 

   

The Acquisition Financing

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared by us using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Gallagher has been treated as the acquirer in the Transaction for accounting purposes. The pro forma adjustments are based upon available information and certain assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is provided for illustrative and informational purposes only and does not purport to represent or be indicative of the consolidated results of operations or financial condition of the Company had the Transaction been completed as of the dates presented and should not be construed as representative of the future consolidated results of operations or financial condition of the combined entity.

Provisional estimates of fair value of AssuredPartners’ assets acquired and liabilities assumed will be subsequently reviewed and finalized within the first year of operations subsequent to the acquisition date to determine the necessity for adjustments. Fair value adjustments, if any, are most common to the values established for amortizable intangible assets, including expiration lists, trade name, and assembled workforce, with the offset to goodwill, net of any income tax effect. Provisional estimates of fair value were used by us to disclose the acquisition of AssuredPartners as of the acquisition date. We are using independent third party valuation specialists to assist us in determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed for the Transaction. As of this filing, the specialists have not completed their analysis and thus these fair value estimates are provisional. These provisional fair value estimates will be subsequently reviewed and adjusted based on the results of this valuation.

As a result of the foregoing, the pro forma adjustments are preliminary and have been made solely for the purpose of providing unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. Differences between these preliminary estimates and the final acquisition accounting may arise, and these differences could have a material impact on the accompanying unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information and the combined Company’s future results of operations and financial position.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information does not reflect any expected cost savings, operating synergies or revenue enhancements that the combined entity may achieve as a result of the acquisition or the costs necessary to achieve any such cost savings, operating synergies or revenue enhancements.


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED BALANCE SHEET

As of September 30, 2024

(in millions)

 

     Arthur J.
Gallagher
& Co.
As
Reported
    Assured
Partners
As
Adjusted
(Note 2)
    Acquisition
Financing
Adjustments
     Note
3
  Transaction
Accounting
Adjustments
    Note
4
  Pro Forma
Combined
 

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 2,022.4     $ 376.9     $  13,215.4      (a) (b)   $ (13,450.0   (b)   $ 2,164.7  

Fiduciary assets

     30,836.3       703.9       —           —          31,540.2  

Accounts receivable, net

     3,988.8       654.5       —           —          4,643.3  

Other current assets

     435.2       142.9       —           —          578.1  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total current assets

     37,282.7       1,878.2       13,215.4          (13,450.0       38,926.3  

Fixed assets – net

     660.1       167.0       —           —          827.1  

Deferred income taxes

     1,016.8       —        —           (1,016.8   (i)     —   

Other noncurrent assets

     1,361.8       130.1       —           (71.6   (c)     1,420.3  

Right-of-use assets

     374.7       155.4       —           —          530.1  

Goodwill

     12,193.4       5,848.4       —           2,474.0     (a) (b) (c) (d)     20,515.8  

Amortizable intangible assets – net

     4,353.2       3,042.4       —           2,681.7     (d)     10,077.3  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total assets

   $  57,242.7     $  11,221.5     $ 13,215.4        $ (9,382.7     $  72,296.9  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Fiduciary liabilities

   $ 30,836.3     $ 703.9     $ —         $ —        $ 31,540.2  

Accrued compensation and other current liabilities

     3,222.5       703.0       —           10.0     (f)     3,935.5  

Deferred revenue – current

     680.8       69.8       —           —          750.6  

Premium financing debt

     259.9       —        —           —          259.9  

Corporate related borrowings – current

     200.0       33.3       —           (33.3   (a)     200.0  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     35,199.5       1,510.0       —           (23.3       36,686.2  

Corporate related borrowings – noncurrent

     7,791.9       6,484.7       4,907.2      (b)     (6,484.7   (a)     12,699.1  

Deferred revenue – noncurrent

     65.3       43.1       —           —          108.4  

Lease liabilities – noncurrent

     326.2       130.6       —           —          456.8  

Deferred tax liabilities – noncurrent

     96.0       396.1       —           (319.6   (i)     172.5  

Other noncurrent liabilities

     1,554.2       111.9       —           —          1,666.1  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     45,033.1       8,676.4       4,907.2          (6,827.6       51,789.1  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Mezzanine equity

               

Redeemable Series A Preferred Stock

     —        297.5       —           (297.5   (a)     —   

Stockholders’ equity

               

Common stock

     219.4       —        31.0      (a)     —          250.4  

Capital in excess of par value

     7,697.4       2,384.3       8,277.2      (a)     (2,384.3   (a)     15,974.6  

Retained earnings

     4,860.6       (130.3     —           120.3     (a) (f)     4,850.6  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

     (593.4     (6.4     —           6.4     (a)     (593.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity attributable to controlling interests

     12,184.0       2,545.1       8,308.2          (2,555.1       20,482.2  

Stockholders’ equity attributable to noncontrolling interests

     25.6       —        —           —          25.6  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

     12,209.6       2,545.1       8,308.2          (2,555.1       20,507.8  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity, and stockholders’ equity

   $ 57,242.7     $ 11,221.5     $ 13,215.4        $ (9,832.7     $ 72,296.9  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENT OF EARNINGS

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024

(in millions, except per share data)

 

     Arthur J.
Gallagher
& Co.
As
Reported
    Assured
Partners
As
Adjusted

(Note 2)
    Acquisition
Financing
Adjustments
    Note
3
  Transaction
Accounting
Adjustments
    Note
4
  Pro Forma
Combined
 

Commissions

   $  5,193.2     $ 1,704.2     $ —        $ —        $ 6,897.4  

Fees

     2,723.3       330.3       —          —          3,053.6  

Supplemental revenues

     261.7       —        —          —          261.7  

Contingent revenues

     215.1       182.4       —          —          397.5  

Interest income, premium finance revenues and other income

     327.3       18.5       —          —          345.8  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Revenues before reimbursements

     8,720.6       2,235.4       —          —          10,956.0  

Reimbursements

     118.3       —        —          —          118.3  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total revenues

     8,838.9       2,235.4       —          —          11,074.3  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Compensation

     4,967.9       1,189.4       —          10.1     (c)     6,167.4  

Operating

     1,315.0       349.8       —          —          1,664.8  

Reimbursements

     118.3       —        —          —          118.3  

Interest

     279.4       439.5       204.8     (c)     (439.5   (h)     484.2  

Depreciation

     131.5       28.4       —          —          159.9  

Amortization

     497.8       248.2       —          36.8     (e) (h)     782.8  

Loss on extinguishment of debt

     —        3.4       —          —          3.4  

Change in estimated acquisition earnout payables

     (12.6     68.6       —          —          56.0  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses

     7,297.3       2,327.3       204.8         (392.6       9,436.8  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Earnings before income taxes

     1,541.6       (91.9     (204.8       392.6         1,637.5  

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     329.4       (17.4     (53.2   (d)     102.1     (g)     360.9  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net earnings (loss)

     1,212.2       (74.5     (151.6       290.5         1,276.6  

Net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests

     7.8       —        —          —          7.8  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net earnings attributable to controlling interests

   $ 1,204.4     $ (74.5   $ (151.6     $ 290.5       $ 1,268.8  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Basic net earnings per share (5)

   $ 5.51               $ 5.09  

Diluted net earnings per share (5)

   $ 5.40               $ 5.00  

See accompanying notes to unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENT OF EARNINGS

For the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023

(in millions, except per share data)

 

     Arthur J.
Gallagher
& Co.

As
Reported
    Assured
Partners
As
Adjusted
(Note 2)
    Acquisition
Financing
Adjustments
    Note
3
  Transaction
Accounting
Adjustments
    Note
4
  Pro Forma
Combined
 

Commissions

   $ 5,865.0     $  1,962.2     $ —        $ —        $ 7,827.2  

Fees

     3,144.7       392.6       —          —          3,537.3  

Supplemental revenues

     314.2       —        —          —          314.2  

Contingent revenues

     235.3       198.9       —          —          434.2  

Interest income, premium finance revenues and other income

     367.3       34.5       —          —          401.8  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Revenues before reimbursements

     9,926.5       2,588.2       —          —          12,514.7  

Reimbursements

     145.4       —        —          —          145.4  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total revenues

     10,071.9       2,588.2       —          —          12,660.1  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Compensation

     5,681.2       1,389.3       —          11.8     (c)     7,082.3  

Operating

     1,689.7       407.8       —          10.0     (f)     2,107.5  

Reimbursements

     145.4       —        —          —          145.4  

Interest

     296.7       492.9       273.0     (c)     (492.9   (h)     569.7  

Depreciation

     165.2       28.2       —          —          193.4  

Amortization

     531.3       248.0       —          156.0     (e) (h)     935.3  

Loss on extinguishment of debt

     —        3.2       —          —          3.2  

Change in estimated acquisition earnout payables

     377.3       85.9       —          —          463.2  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total expenses

     8,886.8       2,655.3       273.0         (315.1       11,500.0  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Earnings before income taxes

     1,185.1       (67.1     (273.0       315.1         1,160.1  

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     219.1       (11.4     (71.0   (d)     81.9     (g)     218.6  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net earnings (loss)

     966.0       (55.7     (202.0       233.2         941.5  

Net earnings attributable (loss) to noncontrolling interests

     (3.5     —        —          —          (3.5
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net earnings attributable to controlling interests

   $ 969.5     $ (55.7   $ (202.0     $ 233.2       $ 945.0  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

 

Basic net earnings per share (5)

   $ 4.51               $ 3.84  

Diluted net earnings per share (5)

   $ 4.42               $ 3.78  

See accompanying notes to unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information


NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 – Basis of presentation

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared by Gallagher in connection with the Company’s acquisition of AssuredPartners.

The unaudited condensed combined pro forma financial information and related notes were prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X and are based on the historical consolidated financial statements of the Company and the historical consolidated financial statements of AssuredPartners, as adjusted to give effect to the pro forma adjustments described below.

The pro forma adjustments to the statements of earnings have been prepared as if the Transaction occurred on January 1, 2023. The pro forma adjustments to the balance sheet have been prepared as if the Transaction occurred on September 30, 2024. The historical consolidated financial information has been adjusted in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X as amended. The pro forma adjustments are based on currently available information and certain estimates and assumptions, and therefore the actual effect of these transactions may differ from the pro forma adjustments.

Gallagher and AssuredPartners’ historical financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

The audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes of AssuredPartners as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023 and the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes of AssuredPartners as of September 30, 2024 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 are attached to this filing as Exhibits 99.2 and 99.3.

The accompanying unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information and related notes were prepared using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”), with Gallagher considered the accounting acquirer of AssuredPartners. ASC 805 requires, among other things, that the assets acquired, and liabilities assumed in a business combination be recognized at their fair values as of the acquisition date. For purposes of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet, the purchase price consideration has been allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed of AssuredPartners based upon management’s preliminary estimate of their fair values as of September 30, 2024. The excess of the purchase price consideration over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is allocated to goodwill. Accordingly, the purchase price allocation and related adjustments reflected in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information are preliminary and subject to adjustment based on a final determination of fair value. The purchase price consideration as well as the estimated fair values of the assets and liabilities will be updated and finalized as soon as practicable, but no later than one year from the closing of the acquisition.

The pro forma adjustments are based upon available information and certain assumptions that Gallagher believes are reasonable. Management has included certain reclassification and policy alignment adjustments for consistency in presentation as indicated in the subsequent notes (see Note 2 for further details). The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is provided for informational purposes only and does not purport to represent or be indicative of the consolidated results of operations or financial condition of the Company had the Transactions been completed as of the dates presented and should not be construed as representative of the future consolidated results of operations or financial condition of the combined entity.


Note 2 – Reclassification adjustments

Certain balances were reclassified from the AssuredPartners historical financial statements so its presentation would be consistent with that of Gallagher. These reclassifications are based on management’s preliminary analysis and have no effect on separately reported net assets, equity or net earnings attributed to common shareholders of AssuredPartners.

When the Company completes its detailed review of AssuredPartners’ chart of accounts and accounting policies, additional reclassification adjustments could be identified that, when conformed, could have a material impact on the combined Company’s financial information. Refer to the table below for a summary of the reclassification adjustments made to AssuredPartners’ unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2024 to conform its presentation to that of Gallagher.


Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Presentation    AssuredPartners Presentation   

Historical
Assured
Partners

at
September 30,

2024

     Reclassification
Adjustments
     Note   

Historical

Assured

Partners

as adjusted

For

Arthur J.
Gallagher &

Co.

 

Cash and cash equivalents

  

Cash and cash equivalents

     342.2        34.7      (a)      376.9  
  

Restricted cash

     60.0        (60.0    (a)      —   
  

Trust cash

     292.2        (292.2    (a)      —   
  

Fixed maturity securities

     37.8        (37.8    (b)      —   

Fiduciary assets

        —         703.9      (a)      703.9  

Accounts receivable, net

   Accounts receivable, net      1,040.9        (386.4    (a)      654.5  
  

Prepaid expenses

     36.7        (36.7    (b)      —   

Other current assets

  

Other current assets

     68.4        74.5      (b)      142.9  
  

Accounts receivable, noncurrent portion

     37.2        (37.2    (c)      —   

Fixed assets – net

  

Fixed assets – net

     167.0        —            167.0  

Deferred income taxes

        —         —            —   

Other noncurrent assets

  

Other noncurrent assets

     92.9        37.2      (c)      130.1  

Right-of-use assets

  

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

     155.4        —            155.4  

Goodwill

  

Goodwill

     5,848.4        —            5,848.4  

Amortizable intangible assets – net

  

Definite-lived intangible assets, net

     3,042.4        —            3,042.4  

Total assets

        11,221.5        —            11,221.5  

Fiduciary liabilities

        —         703.9      (a)      703.9  
  

Long-term debt, net, current portion

     33.3        (33.3    (d)      —   
  

Earn-out payables, current portion

     279.9        (279.9    (e)      —   
  

Carrier payables

     567.4        (567.4    (a)   
  

Accounts payable

     90.4       

(79.3

(11.1


  

(a)

(f)

     —   
  

Customer advances

     57.2        (57.2    (a)      —   
  

Producer payables

     137.2        (137.2    (f)      —   
  

Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, current portion

     5.6        (5.6    (f)      —   
  

Accrued expenses and other

     269.2        (269.2    (f)      —   

Accrued compensation and other current liabilities

        —         703.0     

(f) (e)

     703.0  

Deferred revenue – current

  

Deferred revenue – current

     69.8        —            69.8  

Corporate related borrowings – current

        —         33.3      (d)      33.3  

Corporate related borrowings – noncurrent

        —         6,484.7      (h)      6,484.7  

Deferred revenue – noncurrent

  

Deferred revenue – noncurrent

     43.1        —            43.1  
  

Earn-out payables, noncurrent portion

     66.1        (66.1    (g)      —   
  

Long-term debt, net, noncurrent portion

     6,484.7        (6,484.7    (h)      —   
  

Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, noncurrent portion

     22.5        (22.5    (g)      —   
  

Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent portion

     130.6        (130.6    (i)      —   

Lease liabilities – noncurrent

        —         130.6      (i)      130.6  

Deferred income taxes – noncurrent

  

Deferred income taxes, net

     396.1        —            396.1  

Other noncurrent liabilities

  

Other noncurrent liabilities

     23.3        88.6      (g)      111.9  

Total liabilities

        8,676.4        —            8,676.4  
  

Redeemable Series A Preferred Stock

     297.5        —            297.5  

Total Mezzanine equity

        297.5        —            297.5  

Common stock

        —         —            —   

Capital in excess of par value

        2,384.3        —            2,384.3  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

  

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income

     (6.4      —            (6.4

Retained earnings

  

Retained earnings

     (130.3      —            (130.3

Total liabilities and stockholder’s equity

        11,221.5        —            11,221.5  

 

(a)

Represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Restricted cash” amount to “Cash and cash equivalents” and the reclassification of “Trust Cash” and “Agency bill accounts receivables” amounts to “Fiduciary assets” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation. Additionally, represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Carrier payables”, “Customer advances” and select “Accounts payable” amounts to “Fiduciary liabilities” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(b)

Represents the combination and reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Fixed maturity securities” and “Prepaid expenses” amounts to “Other current assets” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(c)

Represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Accounts receivable, noncurrent portion” amounts to “Other noncurrent assets” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(d)

Represents the combination and reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Long-term debt, net, current portion” amounts to “Corporate related borrowings – current” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.


(e)

Represents the combination and reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Earn-out payables, current portion” amounts to “Accrued compensation and other current liabilities” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(f)

Represents the combination and reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Accounts payable”, “Producer payables”, “Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, current portion” and “Accrued expenses and other” amounts to “Accrued compensation and other current liabilities” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(g)

Represents the combination and reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Earn-outs payables, noncurrent portion” and “Reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, noncurrent portion” amounts to “Other noncurrent liabilities” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(h)

Represents the combination and reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Long-term debt, net, noncurrent portion” amounts to “Corporate related borrowings – noncurrent” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(i)

Represents the combination and classification of AssuredPartners’ “Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent portion” amounts to “Lease liabilities – noncurrent” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.


Refer to the tables below for a summary of the reclassification adjustments made to AssuredPartners’ unaudited condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and the year ended December 31, 2023 to conform its presentation to that of Gallagher.

 

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Presentation

  

AssuredPartners

Presentation

  

Historical
AssuredPartners
for the period ended

September 30, 2024

    Reclassification
Adjustments
    Note  

Historical
AssuredPartners
Adjusted for
Arthur J.
Gallagher &

Co.

 

Commissions

        —        1,704.2     (a)     1,704.2  

Fees

        —        330.3     (a)     330.3  
   Commissions and fees      2,034.5       (2,034.5   (a)     —   

Supplemental revenues

        —        —          —   

Contingent revenues

   Contingent revenues      182.4       —          182.4  
   Investment income      5.0       (5.0   (b)     —   

Interest income, premium finance revenues and other income

        —        18.5     (b)(e)     18.5  
   Interest income      14.1       (14.1   (b)     —   

Reimbursements

        —        —          —   

Total revenues

        2,236.0       (0.6       2,235.4  

Compensation

   Compensation expense      1,189.4       —          1,189.4  
   Selling expense      43.7       (43.7   (c)     —   
   Administrative expense      300.9       (300.9   (c)     —   
   Transaction expense      5.2       (5.2   (c)     —   

Operating

        —        349.8     (c)     349.8  

Reimbursements

        —        —          —   

Interest

   Interest      439.5       —          439.5  
   Depreciation and amortization expense      276.6       (276.6   (d)     —   

Depreciation

        —        28.4     (d)     28.4  

Amortization

        —        248.2     (d)     248.2  
   Other (Income) expense, net      0.6       (0.6   (e)     —   

Debt extinguishment loss

   Debt extinguishment loss      3.4       —          3.4  
   Change in estimated acquisition earnout payables      68.6       —          68.6  

Total expenses

        2,327.9       (0.6       2,327.3  

Earnings before income taxes

        (91.9     —          (91.9

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

   Provision (benefit) for income taxes      (17.4     —          (17.4

Net earnings

        (74.5     —          (74.5

 

(a)

Represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Commission and fees” amounts to “Commissions” and “Fees” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(b)

Represents the combination and reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Investment income” and “Interest income” amounts to “Interest income, premium finance revenues and other income” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(c)

Represents the combination and reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Selling expense”, “Administrative expense” and “Transaction expense” amounts to “Operating” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(d)

Represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Depreciation and amortization” amounts to “Depreciation” and “Amortization” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(e)

Represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Other (Income) expense, net” amounts to “Interest income, premium finance revenues and other income” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.


Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Presentation

  

AssuredPartners

Presentation

  

Historical

Assured

Partners

the period

ended
December 31,
2023

    Reclassification
Adjustments
    Note  

Historical

Assured

Partners

adjusted for

Arthur J.
Gallagher &

Co.

 

Commissions

        —        1,962.2     (a)     1,962.2  

Fees

        —        392.6     (a)     392.6  
   Commissions and fees      2,354.8       (2,354.8   (a)     —   

Supplemental revenues

        —        —          —   

Contingent revenues

   Contingent revenues      198.9       —          198.9  
   Investment income      1.8       (1.8   (b)     —   

Interest income, premium finance revenues and other income

        —        34.5     (b) (e)     34.5  
   Interest income      27.8       (27.8   (b)     —   

Reimbursements

        —        —          —   

Total revenues

        2,583.3       4.9         2,588.2  

Compensation

   Compensation expense      1,389.3       —          1,389.3  
   Selling expense      48.1       (48.1   (c)     —   
   Administrative expense      344.1       (344.1   (c)     —   
   Transaction expense      15.6       (15.6   (c)     —   

Operating

        —        407.8     (c)     407.8  

Interest

   Interest      492.9       —          492.9  
   Depreciation and amortization expense      276.2       (276.2   (d)     —   

Depreciation

        —        28.2     (d)     28.2  

Amortization

        —        248.0     (d)     248.0  
   Other (Income) expense, net      (4.9     4.9     (e)     —   

Debt extinguishment loss

   Debt extinguishment loss      3.2       —          3.2  
   Change in estimated acquisition earnout payables      85.9       —          85.9  

Total expenses

        2,650.4       4.9         2,655.3  

Earnings before income taxes

        (67.1     —          (67.1

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

   Provision (benefit) for income taxes      (11.4     —          (11.4

Net earnings

        (55.7     —          (55.7

 

(a)

Represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Commission and fees” amounts to “Commissions” and “Fees” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(b)

Represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Investment income” and “Interest income” amounts to “Interest income, premium finance revenues and other income” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(c)

Represents the combination and reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Selling expense”, “Administrative expense” and “Transaction expense” amounts to “Operating” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(d)

Represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Depreciation and amortization” amounts to “Depreciation” and “Amortization” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.

(e)

Represents the reclassification of AssuredPartners’ “Other (Income) expense, net” amounts to “Interest income, premium finance revenues and other income” to conform to Gallagher’s historical presentation.


Note 3 – Financing adjustments

Prior to the close of the Transaction, Gallagher signed an agreement on December 7, 2024 to acquire AssuredPartners. To finance the planned acquisition, Gallagher expects to:

 

  (a)

close on a follow-on offering of its common stock, whereby 31 million shares of common stock are expected to be issued for net proceeds of $8,308.2 million, after underwriting discounts and other expenses related to the offering.

 

  (b)

close and fund a debt offering of $4,950 million aggregate principal amount with a weighted average interest rate of 5.40% (the “Notes”).

Based on Gallagher’s financing for the Transaction, the impacts to the condensed combined pro forma balance sheet were as follows:

 

  (a)

Reflects the cash proceeds of $8,308.2 million, net of issuance costs and underwriting discounts related to the follow-on offering of common stock.

 

  (b)

Reflects the cash proceeds, net of issuance costs and underwriting discounts, related to issuance of the Notes. These Notes were issued at a principal amount of $4,950 million with issuance costs and underwriting discounts of $42.8 million amortized over the life of the notes.

The impacts to the condensed combined pro forma statements of earnings were as follows:

 

  (c)

Reflects the pro forma interest expense and amortized issuance costs and discounts adjustment for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and year ended December 31, 2023, calculated as follows:

 

(in millions)    Amount  

Notes principal

   $ 4,950  

Annual weighted average interest rate

     5.40

Annual interest on Notes

   $ 270  

Total Notes issuance cost and underwriting discount

   $ 42.8  

Notes term (years)

     12.5  

Annual amortized debt issuance cost and discount

   $ 3.0  

Amortized debt issuance cost and discount for 9 months ended September 30, 2024

   $ 2.3  

Pro forma interest and amortization expense for 9 months ended September 30, 2024

   $ 204.8  

Pro forma interest and amortization expense for year-ended December 31, 2023

   $ 273.0  

 

  (d)

Reflects the U.S. income tax benefit of the interest expense related to the Acquisition Financing using an estimated blended U.S. federal and state income tax rate of 26%. Because the adjustments contained in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information are based on estimates, the effective tax rate herein will likely vary from the effective rate in periods subsequent to the Transaction.


Note 4 – Transaction accounting adjustments

Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, the Company expects to acquire AssuredPartners for total consideration of $13,450 million. The debt and equity transactions to raise the cash necessary to finance the planned acquisition are discussed in Note 3. The Company is not expected to assume any outstanding borrowings of AssuredPartners. The following table summarizes the source of the estimated purchase consideration.

 

(in millions)    Amount  

Total purchase consideration

   $ 13,450.0  

The following is a summary of the estimated fair values of the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed as if the Transaction occurred on September 30, 2024 (in millions):

 

(in millions)    Amount  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 376.9  

Fiduciary assets

     703.9  

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses

     654.5  

Other current assets

     142.9  

Fixed assets, net

     167.0  

Goodwill

     8,322.4  

Definite-lived intangible assets, net

     5,724.1  

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

     155.4  

Other noncurrent assets, net

     58.5  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 16,305.6  
  

 

 

 

Fiduciary liabilities

   $ 703.9  

Accrued compensation and other current liabilities

     703.0  

Deferred revenue, current

     69.8  

Deferred revenue, noncurrent

     43.1  

Lease liabilities, noncurrent

     130.6  

Deferred income taxes, noncurrent

     1,093.3  

Other noncurrent liabilities

     111.9  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

   $ 2,855.6  
  

 

 

 

The preliminary estimates are based on the data available to Gallagher and may change upon completion of the final purchase price allocation. Any change in the estimated fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired may have a corresponding impact on the amount of the goodwill. In addition, only intangible assets were evaluated for fair value. The goodwill amount represents the total purchase consideration less the preliminary fair value of net assets acquired. Goodwill will not be amortized but instead will be tested for impairment at least annually (or more frequently if indicators of impairment arise). When the Company completes its detailed review of AssuredPartners’ accounting policies, additional reclassifications could be identified that, when confronted, could have a material impact on the combined Company’s financial information.

The impacts to the condensed combined pro forma balance sheet from the AssuredPartners acquisition were as follows:

 

(in millions)    Amount  

Cash consideration (b)

   $ 13,450.0  

Elimination of deferred commissions (c)

     71.6  

Deferred tax adjustment (i)

     697.2  

Fair value step up of intangibles (d)

     (2,681.7

Elimination of historical AssuredPartners’ debt (a)

     (6,518.0

Elimination of historical AssuredPartners’ equity (a)

     (2,545.1
  

 

 

 

Total adjustment to goodwill

     2,474.0  

Historical AssuredPartners goodwill

     5,848.4  
  

 

 

 

Total goodwill from Transaction

   $ 8,322.4  
  

 

 

 

 

(a)

Reflects adjustment to write off the equity (including retained earnings) of AssuredPartners and reflects the repayment of AssuredPartners outstanding corporate borrowings, which is expected to occur as part of the transaction.

(b)

Reflects the $13,450 million cash transferred in connection with the close of the Transaction.

(c)

Reflects the reversal of deferred commissions in AssuredPartners Balance Sheet and recording of expenses as incurred to the pro forma combined statement of earnings, consistent with Company’s accounting policy for costs to obtain contracts with customers.

(d)

Reflects the impact of fair value step up of acquired trade names and expiration lists, as compared to the carrying value for AssuredPartners as of September 30, 2024. The estimated fair value of acquired trade names is $24.0 million, and the estimated value of expiration lists is $5,700 million.

The impacts to the condensed combined pro forma statements of earnings from the AssuredPartners acquisition were as follows:

 

(e)

Reflects an adjustment to Amortization for the intangible expiration lists amortization expense based on the fair values and estimated useful life below. There was no previous expiration lists amortization expense in the historical AssuredPartners financial results to remove.

 

(in millions)    Amount  

Expiration lists fair value

   $ 5,700.0  

Estimated useful life

     15 years  

Annual straight line amortization expense

   $ 380.0  

9 months straight line amortization expense

   $ 285.0  

Reflects an adjustment to Amortization for the intangible trade names amortization expense based on the fair values and estimated useful life below. The historical amortization related to trade names has been adjusted as noted in tickmark (h).

 

(in millions)    Amount  

Trade names fair value

   $ 24.0  

Estimated useful life

     1 year  

Annual straight line amortization expense

   $ 24.0  

9 months straight line amortization expense

     —   

 

(f)

Reflects the estimated one-time transaction-related costs incurred which have not been reflected in the Company’s historical statements of earnings for the year ended December 31, 2023 or nine months ended September 30, 2024, or balance sheet as of September 30, 2024.

(g)

Reflects the U.S. income tax expense of the Transaction pro forma adjustments using an estimated blended U.S. federal and state income tax rate of 26%. Because the adjustments contained in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information are based on estimates, the effective tax rate herein will likely vary from the effective rate in periods subsequent to the Transaction.


(h)

Reflects the adjustment for the reversal of historical amortization and interest booked related to AssuredPartners’ debt, which is written off in (a) above and is not expected to legally convey as part of the Transaction.

(i)

Reflects the deferred tax balance sheet adjustment for the impact of purchase price adjustments for the fair value of intangible assets. Additionally, reflects the reclassification of the Company’s deferred tax asset related to US book-tax differences to Deferred tax liabilities – noncurrent, to present the net deferred tax liability within Deferred tax liabilities – noncurrent:

 

(in millions)    Amount  

Deferred tax liability for fair value intangible adjustment

   $ 697.2  

Company DTA reclassified to Deferred tax liabilities – noncurrent

     (1,016.8
  

 

 

 

Net deferred tax adjustment to Deferred tax liabilities – noncurrent

     (319.6

Note 5 – Net earnings per share

Basic net earnings per share is computed by dividing net earnings by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted net earnings per share is computed by dividing net earnings by the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the reporting period. Common equivalent shares include incremental shares from dilutive stock options, which are calculated from the date of grant under the treasury stock method using the average market price for the period.

The following table sets forth the computation of pro forma basic and diluted net earnings per share (in millions, except per share data):

 

(in millions)    Nine months
Ended
September 30,
2024
    

Year

ended
December 31,
2023

 

Net earnings attributable to controlling interests of Gallagher

   $ 1,204.4      $ 969.5  

Net earnings attributable to controlling interests of AssuredPartners

     (74.5      (55.7

Pro Forma adjustments to net earnings attributable to controlling interest

     138.9        31.2  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Pro Forma net earnings attributable to controlling interest

     1,268.8        945.0  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding

     218.5        214.9  

Follow-on public offering

     31.0        31.0  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Pro Forma weighted average number of common shares outstanding

     249.5        245.9  

Dilutive effect of stock options using the treasury stock method

     4.4        4.4  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Pro Forma weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding

     253.9        250.3  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Pro Forma basic net earnings per share

   $ 5.09      $ 3.84  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Pro Forma diluted net earnings per share

   $ 5.00      $ 3.78