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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 10, 2020

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.
(Exact name of Company as specified in its charter)

New Jersey 001-11486 52-1273725
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission (IRS Employer
of incorporation) File Number) Identification No.)
 
301 Sylvan Avenue
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Company's telephone number, including area code: (201) 816-8900

[ ] 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:

Name of each exchange on
Title of each class       Trading symbol       which registered
Common Stock CNOB NASDAQ

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.

Underwriting Agreement

On June 10, 2020, ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, as representatives of the Underwriters named therein, with respect to the issuance and sale of $75,000,000 of the Company’s 5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030 (the “Notes”).

The Underwriting Agreement includes customary representations, warranties and covenants by the Company. These representations, warranties and covenants are not representations of factual information to investors about the Company or its subsidiaries, and the sale of the Notes is not a representation that there has not been any change in the condition of the Company. The Company also agreed to indemnify the Underwriters against certain liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

Indenture and Second Supplemental Indenture

The terms of the Notes are governed by the Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2018 (the “Indenture”), between the Company and U.S. Bank, National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”), as amended and supplemented by the Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of June 15, 2020 (the “Second Supplemental Indenture”), entered into between the Company and the Trustee.

Subordinated Notes

The Notes were offered pursuant to a prospectus supplement, dated June 10, 2020 (the “prospectus supplement”), to the prospectus, dated December 4, 2017, filed as part of the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-221705) originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act on November 21, 2017, and declared effective on December 4, 2017.

The offering of the Notes closed on June 15, 2020. The net proceeds from the sale of the Notes to the Company were approximately $73,575,000 after giving effect to the underwriting discount of 1.5% and estimated expenses of the offering of the Notes. The Company intends to use a portion of the proceeds to redeem its outstanding subordinated notes due July 1, 2025 within a year, and the remainder for general corporate purposes, which may include providing capital to support growth of ConnectOne Bank, the Registrant’s wholly owned banking subsidiary (the “Bank”), through organic growth, or through the acquisition of financial institutions or branches thereof, the acquisition of failed institutions from the FDIC or the acquisition of businesses related to banking, repaying other indebtedness, financing investments and capital expenditures, repurchasing shares of its common stock and for investments in the Bank as regulatory capital.

The terms of the Notes are set forth in the Second Supplemental Indenture. The Notes will bear interest at 5.750% annually from, and including, the date of initial issuance to, but excluding, June 15, 2025 or the date of earlier redemption, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing December 15, 2020. From and including June 15, 2025 through maturity or earlier redemption, the interest rate shall reset quarterly to an interest rate per annum equal to a benchmark rate, which is expected to be Three-Month Term SOFR (as defined in the Second Supplemental Indenture), plus 560.5 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing on September 15, 2025. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the benchmark rate is less than zero, then the benchmark rate shall be deemed to be zero.

The Company may, at its option, redeem the Notes (i) in whole or in part beginning with the interest payment date of June 15, 2025, and on any interest payment date thereafter or (ii) in whole but not in part upon the occurrence of a “Tax Event,” a “Tier 2 Capital Event” or the Company becoming required to register as an investment company pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The redemption price for any redemption is 100% of the principal amount of the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the date of redemption. Any redemption of the Notes will be subject to the receipt of the approval of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to the extent then required under applicable laws or regulations, including capital regulations.


The Notes are unsecured, subordinated and (i) rank junior in right of payment and upon the Company’s liquidation to any existing and all future senior indebtedness (as defined in the Second Supplemental Indenture and described under “Description of the Notes” in the prospectus supplement), (ii) rank equally in right of payment and upon the Company’s liquidation with any future unsecured indebtedness the terms of which provide that such indebtedness ranks equally with the Notes, and (iii) rank senior in right of payment and upon the Company’s liquidation to any indebtedness the terms of which provide that such indebtedness ranks junior to the Notes. In addition, the Notes will be effectively subordinated to all of the Company’s secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness and will be effectively subordinated to all of the existing and future indebtedness, deposits and other liabilities and preferred equity of the Bank, and the Company’s other current and future subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the Bank’s liabilities to its depositors, liabilities to general creditors and liabilities arising in the ordinary course or otherwise.

The foregoing summaries of the Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture, the Second Supplemental Indenture and the Notes are not complete and are each qualified in their entirety by reference to the complete text of the respective documents, which are filed as Exhibits 1.1, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3, respectively, to this Current Report on Form 8-K and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

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

The information set forth in Item 1.01 is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

Exhibit No.       Description
1.1 Underwriting Agreement, dated June 10, 2020, by and between the Company and the Bank and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, as Representative, without exhibits.
4.1 Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2018, between the Company and U.S. Bank, National Association, as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed January 17, 2018 (File No. 000-11486)
4.2 Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of June 15, 2020, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee.
4.3 Form of 5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Note due 2030 (included in Exhibit 4.2).
5.1 Opinion of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP regarding the legality of the Notes
23.1 Consent of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).
 

SIGNATURES

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

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.
(Registrant)
 
Dated: June 15, 2020 By:   /s/ William S. Burns
     WILLIAM S. BURNS
     Executive Vice President and
     Chief Financial Officer
 

Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.       Description
1.1 Underwriting Agreement, dated June 10, 2020, by and between the Company and the Bank and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, as Representative, without exhibits.
4.1 Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2018, between the Company and U.S. Bank, National Association, as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed January 17, 2018 (File No. 000-11486)
4.2 Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of June 15, 2020, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee.
4.3 Form of 5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Note due 2030 (included in Exhibit 4.2).
5.1 Opinion of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP regarding the legality of the Notes
23.1 Consent of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).
 

Execution Copy

$75,000,000

ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.

5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due June 15, 2030

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

June 10, 2020

KEEFE, BRUYETTE & WOODS, INC.
GOLDMAN SACHS & CO. LLC
As Representatives of the Underwriters listed in Schedule A hereto

c/o: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.
787 Seventh Avenue, 4th Floor
New York, New York 10019
          
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
200 West Street
New York, NY 10282

Ladies and Gentlemen:

ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc., a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (the “Underwriters”) pursuant to the terms set forth herein (this “Agreement”) $75,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due June 15, 2030 (the “Securities”). The Securities will be issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of January 17, 2018 (the “Base Indenture”), between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by a second supplemental indenture thereto relating to the Securities, to be dated as of the Closing Time, between the Company and the Trustee (the “Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”). Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. (“KBW”) and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman Sachs”) have agreed to act as Representatives of the several Underwriters (in such capacity, the “Representatives”) in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities.

To the extent there are no additional underwriters listed on Schedule A, the term “Representatives” as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriters, and the term “Underwriters” shall mean KBW and Goldman Sachs.


The Company has prepared and filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement, on Form S-3 (File No. 333-221705) covering the public offering and sale from time to time of certain securities of the Company, including the Securities, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Securities Act Regulations”), which registration statement has become effective. Such registration statement, as of any time, means such registration statement as amended by any post-effective amendment thereto at such time, including the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein at such time pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430B of the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 430B”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”; provided, that the “Registration Statement” without reference to a time means such registration statement as amended by any post-effective amendment thereto as of the time of the first contract of sale for the Securities, which time shall be considered the “new effective date” of the Registration Statement with respect to the Securities within the meaning of Rule 430B(f)(2), including the exhibits and schedules thereto as of such time, the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein at such time pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430B. From and after the date and time of filing of any registration statement increasing the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 462(b)” and such registration statement, a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. Each preliminary prospectus supplement and the base prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Securities, including the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), are collectively referred to herein as a “preliminary prospectus.” Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a final prospectus supplement relating to the Securities in accordance with the provisions of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 424(b)”). The final prospectus supplement and the base prospectus, in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities, including the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), are collectively referred to herein as the “Prospectus.” For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (or any successor system) (“EDGAR”).

As used in this Agreement:

Applicable Time” means 3:15 p.m., New York City time, on June 10, 2020 or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Representatives.

Pricing Disclosure Package” means each Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus and the most recent preliminary prospectus furnished to the Underwriters for general distribution to investors prior to the Applicable Time, all considered together.

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Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means (a) the “Term Sheet” (as defined below) and (b) any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), including, without limitation, any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act (“Rule 405”)) relating to the Securities that is (i) required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission, or (iii) exempt from filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering thereof that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).

Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule B hereto.

Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.

Term Sheet” means a pricing term sheet substantially in the form of Schedule C hereto.

All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” (or other references of like import) in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include all such financial statements and schedules and other information incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, prior to the Applicable Time; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Exchange Act Regulations”) incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, at or after the Applicable Time.

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SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties.

(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter at the date hereof, the Applicable Time and the Closing Time (as defined below), and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:

(i) Compliance of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and Incorporated Documents. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. The Registration Statement is a shelf registration statement, and the offer and sale of the Securities is registered by the Company on such shelf registration statement. Each of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto has become effective under the Securities Act and the initial effective date of the Registration Statement is not more than three years before the date of this Agreement. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the Securities Act, no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g) of the Securities Act Regulations (“Rule 401(g)”) has been received by the Company, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated. The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information.

Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time of its effectiveness, as of each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2), at the Closing Time and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act, the Securities Act Regulations, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated under the Trust Indenture Act. Each preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time each was filed or is hereafter filed with the Commission and at the Closing Time complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and are and will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, when they became effective or at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the Exchange Act Regulations.

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(ii) Accurate Disclosure. Neither the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement nor any post-effective amendment thereto, at its effective time and at the Closing Time contained, contains or will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. At the Applicable Time, neither (A) the Pricing Disclosure Package nor (B) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the Pricing Disclosure Package, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto, as of its issue date and at the Closing Time, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, at the time the Registration Statement or Rule 462(b) Registration Statement became effective or when such incorporated documents were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, when read together with the other information in the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, did not, does not and will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. There are no statutes, regulations, documents or contracts of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, which are not described or filed as required. There are no business relationships or related person transactions involving the Company or any Subsidiary (as defined herein) or any other person required to be described in the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus that have not been described as required.

The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any amendment thereto or the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein. For purposes of this Agreement, the only information so furnished shall be the information in the second and third sentences of the third paragraph, the third sentence under the subheading “No Public Trading Markets” and the first and sixth sentences in the first paragraph under the subheading “Stabilization,” each under the heading “Underwriting,” in each case, contained in the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the preliminary prospectus contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (collectively, the “Underwriter Information”).

(iii) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. No Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein, that has not been superseded or modified. If, at any time prior to or as of the Closing Time and following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information then contained in the Registration Statement or as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, if republished immediately following such event or development, would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (A) the Company has promptly notified or will promptly notify the Representatives thereof and (B) the Company has promptly amended or will promptly amend or supplement such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

(iv) Company Not Ineligible Issuer. (A) At the time of filing the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, (B) at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the Securities Act Regulations) of the Securities and (C) at the Applicable Time, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405.

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(v) Independent Accountants. Crowe LLP, the accounting firm that certified the financial statements and supporting schedules of the Company that are included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, is (i) an independent public accountant as required by the Securities Act, the Securities Act Regulations, the Exchange Act, the Exchange Act Regulations and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”), (ii) a registered public accounting firm, as defined by the PCAOB, which has not had its registration superseded or revoked and which has not requested that such registration be withdrawn, and (iii) with respect to the Company, is not and has not been in violation of the auditor independence requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and the rules and regulations of the Commission.

(vi) Financial Statements; Non-GAAP Financial Measures. The financial statements of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries (as defined below) included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, comply with the requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries (as defined below). The financial statements of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries (as defined below) have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules, if any, present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference therein. Except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus. To the extent applicable, all disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, if any, regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G under the Exchange Act and Item 10(e) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is updated as necessary to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto and present fairly the consolidated financial position, results of operations and changes in financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Subsidiaries”) on the basis stated in the Registration Statement at the respective dates or for the respective periods to which they apply.

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(vii) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no material adverse effect, or any development that could be expected to result in a material adverse effect, (i) on the general affairs, condition (financial or otherwise), business, properties, prospects, management, financial position, shareholders’ equity, assets, liabilities or results of operations, of the Company and its Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business or (ii) in the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under, and to consummate the transactions contemplated by, this Agreement (each of (i) and (ii) a “Material Adverse Effect”), (B) there has not been any change in the capital stock, short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, (C) there have been no transactions entered into by, and no obligations or liabilities, contingent or otherwise, incurred by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, whether or not in the ordinary course of business, which are material to the Company and the Subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, (D) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding capital stock and there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock or (E) there has been no material loss or interference with the Company’s business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, in each case, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

(viii) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of New Jersey and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to so qualify or to be in good standing could not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

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(ix) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. ConnectOne Bank (the “Bank”) is a bank chartered under the laws of the State of New Jersey and the charter of the Bank is in full force and effect. The Bank is the only “significant subsidiary” of the Company (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X) and is the only depositary institution subsidiary of the Company. Each subsidiary (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) of the Company (each, a “Subsidiary”) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation or other organization in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, formation or organization, has the requisite corporate or organizational power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation or other business entity to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to so qualify or to be in good standing could not result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each such Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through Subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any Subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such Subsidiary arising by operation of law, or under the certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents of the Company or any Subsidiary or under any agreement to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party. The only Subsidiaries of the Company are those listed on Schedule D hereto. The only Subsidiary of the Company that constitutes a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X (the “Significant Subsidiaries”) is the Bank. Except for the Subsidiaries, the Company does not own beneficially, directly or indirectly, more than five percent (5%) of any class of equity securities or similar interests in any corporation, business trust, association or similar organization, and is not, directly or indirectly, a partner in any partnership or party to any joint venture.

(x) Capitalization. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company and consolidated long-term debt (i.e. a maturity greater than one year) as of March 31, 2020 is as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus in the column entitled “Actual” under the caption “Capitalization” (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to this Agreement, pursuant to reservations, agreements or employee benefit plans referred to in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of convertible securities or options referred to in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus). The shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company was issued in violation of the preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company arising by operation of law, or under the certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents of the Company or any Subsidiary or under any agreement to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party. Other than pursuant to the FRB’s Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility, there have been no long-term borrowings (i.e., a maturity greater than one year) by the Company or its consolidated Subsidiaries since such date.

(xi) Authorization of Agreement. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby has been duly and validly taken. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(xii) Securities Offerings. All offers and sales of the Company’s capital stock and debt or other securities prior to the date hereof were made in compliance with or were the subject of an available exemption from the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and all other applicable state and federal laws or regulations, or any actions under the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations or any state or federal laws or regulations in respect of any such offers or sales are effectively barred by effective waivers or statutes of limitation.

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(xiii) Authorization, Validity and Enforceability of Indenture and Securities. The Indenture will be duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Indenture by the Trustee, the Indenture will constitute a valid, legal and binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except to the extent that enforceability may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws now or hereafter in effect relating to creditors’ rights generally and (b) general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity). The Indenture has been, and at the Closing Time will be, duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act. The Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and, at Closing, will have been duly executed by the Company, and when authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in the manner provided for in the Indenture, and issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will constitute valid, legal and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except to the extent that enforceability may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws now or hereafter in effect relating to creditors’ rights generally and (b) general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity). The Securities will be in the form contemplated by, and will be entitled to the benefits of, the Indenture. The description of the Indenture contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus conforms in all material respects to the Indenture.

(xiv) Registration Rights. There are no contracts, agreements or understandings granting any person registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered for resale pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered for resale or sold by the Company under the Securities Act by reason of filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission or by reason of the sale of the Securities by the Company pursuant to this Agreement.

(xv) Summaries of Legal Matters. The statements set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the captions “Description of the Notes” and “Benefit Plan Investor Considerations” and under the captions “Supervision and Regulation” and “Legal Proceedings” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, insofar as they purport to describe legal matters or provisions of the laws and regulations or documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects; and the statements set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”, insofar as they purport to summarize certain federal income tax laws of the United States, constitute a fair summary of the principal U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Securities.

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(xvi) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. The Company is not in violation of its Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the “Charter”), or By-Laws, as amended (the “Bylaws”); none of the Subsidiaries is in violation of its charter, bylaws or other organizational documents and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary is subject (collectively, “Agreements and Instruments”), or in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except for such violations or defaults that could not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Indenture and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and therein, and in the Registration Statement (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments (except for such conflicts, breaches or defaults or liens, charges or encumbrances that could not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect); nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Charter or Bylaws of the Company or the charter, bylaws or other organizational document of any Subsidiary; nor will such action result in any violation of any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any Subsidiary or any of their assets, properties or operations (except for such violations that could not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect). As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any Subsidiary.

(xvii) Nasdaq Compliance. The Company is in compliance in all material respects with the requirements of The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”) for continued listing of the Company’s common stock, no par value per share (the “Common Stock”), thereon. The Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or the listing of the Common Stock on Nasdaq, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. The transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not contravene the rules or regulations of Nasdaq.

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(xviii) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent. The Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its or any Subsidiary’s principal suppliers, vendors, customers or contractors, which, in either case, could, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of the Significant Subsidiaries is engaged in any unfair labor practice; except for matters which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (A) there is (1) no unfair labor practice complaint pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of the Significant Subsidiaries before the National Labor Relations Board or any similar domestic or foreign body, and no grievance or arbitration proceeding arising out of or under collective bargaining agreements is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened, (2) no strike, labor dispute, slowdown or stoppage pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of the Significant Subsidiaries and (3) no union representation dispute currently existing concerning the employees of the Company or any of the Significant Subsidiaries, (B) to the Company’s knowledge, no union organizing activities are currently taking place concerning the employees of the Company or any of the Significant Subsidiaries and (C) there has been no violation of any federal, state, local or foreign law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees, any applicable wage or hour laws or any provision of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, “ERISA”) or any similar domestic or foreign law or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder concerning the employees of the Company or any of the Significant Subsidiaries.

(xix) Absence of Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any Subsidiary, which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement (other than as disclosed therein), or which, if determined adversely to the Company or any Subsidiary, individually or in the aggregate, could result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which could materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, is there any basis for any such action, suit, inquiry, proceeding or investigation; the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective property or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, if determined adversely to the Company or any Subsidiary, individually or in the aggregate, could not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xx) Bank Holding Company Act. The Company has been duly registered as, and meets in all material respects the applicable requirements for qualification as, a bank holding company and has not elected to be treated as a financial holding company under the applicable provisions of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended. The activities of the Subsidiaries are permitted of subsidiaries of a bank holding company under applicable law and the rules and regulations of the Federal Reserve set forth in Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

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(xxi) Compliance with Bank Regulatory Authorities. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws, rules and regulations (including, without limitation, all applicable regulations and orders) of, or agreements with, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) and the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, as applicable (collectively, the “Bank Regulatory Authorities”), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Community Reinvestment Act (the “CRA”), the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Bank Secrecy Act and Title III of the USA Patriot Act, to the extent such laws or regulations apply to the Company or the Bank, as applicable. The Company and the Bank have no knowledge of any facts and circumstances, and have no reason to believe that any facts or circumstances exist, that could cause the Bank (A) to be deemed not to be in satisfactory compliance with the CRA and the regulations promulgated thereunder or to be assigned a CRA rating by federal or state banking regulators of lower than “satisfactory,” or (B) to be deemed to be operating in violation, in any material respect, of the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 as amended by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (or otherwise known as the “Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act”), the USA Patriot Act (or otherwise known as “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001”) or any order issued with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws (as defined below). As of March 31, 2020, each of the Company and the Bank met or exceeded the standards necessary to be considered “well capitalized” under the FDIC’s regulatory framework for prompt corrective action. The Bank has a Community Reinvestment Act rating of at least “Satisfactory.” The Bank has been duly chartered, is validly existing under the laws of the State of New Jersey and holds the requisite authority to do business as a state-chartered bank with banking powers under the laws of the State of New Jersey. The Bank is the only depository institution subsidiary of the Company and the Bank is a member in good standing of the Federal Home Loan Bank System. The activities of the Bank are permitted under the laws and regulations of State of New Jersey. Since December 31, 2014, the Company, the Bank and each of its subsidiaries have filed all material reports, registrations and statements, together with any required amendments thereto, that it was required to file with the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, and any other applicable federal or state banking authorities. All such reports and statements filed with any such regulatory body or authority are collectively referred to herein as the “Company Reports.” As of their respective dates, the Company Reports complied as to form in all material respects with all the rules and regulations promulgated by the Federal Reserve, FDIC and any other applicable federal or state banking authorities, as the case may be. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, none of the Company, the Bank nor any of their respective subsidiaries is a party or subject to any formal or informal agreement, memorandum of understanding, consent decree, directive, cease-and-desist order, order of prohibition or suspension, written commitment, supervisory agreement or other written statement as described under 12 U.S.C. 1818(u) with, or order issued by, or has adopted any board resolutions at the request of, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, the CFPB or any other bank regulatory authority that restricts materially the conduct of its business, or in any manner relates to its capital adequacy, its credit policies or its management, nor have any of them been advised by any Bank Regulatory Authority that it is contemplating issuing or requesting (or is considering the appropriateness of issuing or requesting) any such order, decree, agreement, memorandum of understanding, extraordinary supervisory letter, commitment letter or similar submission, or any such board resolutions or that imposes any restrictions or requirements not generally applicable to bank holding companies or commercial banks. There is no unresolved violation, criticism or exception by any Bank Regulatory Authority with respect to any examination of the Company, the Bank or any of the Company’s other Subsidiaries, which might reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

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(xxii) Accuracy of Exhibits. There are no contracts or documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference therein or to be filed as exhibits thereto which have not been so described and filed as required.

(xxiii) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental agency or body is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement prior to the Closing Time, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the Securities Act, the Securities Act Regulations, the rules of Nasdaq, the securities laws of any state or non-U.S. jurisdiction or the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). All of the information provided to the Underwriters or to counsel for the Underwriters by the Company, its counsel, its officers and directors and the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the offering of the Securities is true, complete, correct and compliant with FINRA’s rules, and any letters, filings or other supplemental information provided to FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rules or National Association of Securities Dealers Conduct Rules are true, complete and correct.

(xxiv) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its Subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, registrations, memberships, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them; the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure to so comply could not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect and no event has occurred that allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation or termination of any such Governmental License or result in any other material impairment of the rights of any such Governmental License; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect; and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has failed to file with applicable regulatory authorities any material statement, report, information or form required by any applicable law, regulation or order, all such filings were in material compliance with applicable laws when filed and no material deficiencies have been asserted by any regulatory commission, agency or authority with respect to any such filings or submissions.

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(xxv) Title to Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries and good title to all other properties owned by them, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind except such as (A) are described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or (B) do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any Subsidiary. All of the leases and subleases under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries holds properties described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are in full force and effect and are held under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any Subsidiary under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such Subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.

(xxvi) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures and excluding generally commercially available “off the shelf” software programs licensed pursuant to shrink wrap or “click and accept” licenses), systems, technology, trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on the business now operated by them. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement or misappropriation of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which could render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries therein.

(xxvii) Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement and except as could not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its Subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (D) there are no events or circumstances that could result in forming the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws, and (E) none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries anticipate material capital expenditures relating to Environmental Laws.

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(xxviii) ERISA. Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA, that is maintained, administered or contributed to by the Company or any Subsidiary or any member of the Company’s “control group” (within the meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) for employees or former employees of the Company and its affiliates (“Plan”) has been maintained in material compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code. No “prohibited transaction,” within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code has occurred with respect to any such Plan excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption. No “reportable event” (as defined under ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with respect to any “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates. No “employee benefit plan” (as defined under ERISA) established or maintained by the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates, if such employee benefit plan were terminated, could have any “amount of unfunded benefit liabilities” (as defined under ERISA). Neither the Company, the Subsidiaries nor any of their ERISA Affiliates has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any liability under (A) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan,” or (B) Sections 412, 4971, 4975 or 4980B of the Code. Each employee benefit plan established or maintained by the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or failure to act, which could cause the loss of such qualification. With respect to each Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA, the minimum funding standard of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code, as applicable, has been satisfied (without taking into account any waiver thereof or extension of any amortization period) and is reasonably expected to be satisfied in the future (without taking into account any waiver thereof or extension of any amortization period) and the fair market value of the assets under each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan). There is no pending audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any other governmental agency or any foreign agency.

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(xxix) Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act Regulations) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the Exchange Act Regulations and has been designed by the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer and is sufficient to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, including that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (E) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement is accurate and fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. The systems of internal control over financial reporting of the Company and its Subsidiaries are overseen by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company in accordance with Nasdaq rules and regulations. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, (i) there has been no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated), (ii) there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and (iii) the Company has not been advised of (a) any significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls that could adversely affect the ability of the Company or any Subsidiary to record, process, summarize and report financial data, or any material weakness in internal controls, or (b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the internal controls of the Company and each of the Subsidiaries.

(xxx) Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company and its Subsidiaries employ disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act Regulations), which (A) are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms and that material information relating to the Company and its Subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within the Company and its Subsidiaries to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure, (B) have been evaluated by management of the Company for effectiveness as of the end of the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter, and (C) were then effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established. Based on the evaluation of the Company’s and each Subsidiary’s disclosure controls and procedures described above, the Company is not aware of (1) any significant deficiency in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data or any material weakness in internal controls or (2) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ internal controls. Since the most recent evaluation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures described above, there have been no changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls. Within the next 90 days the Company does not reasonably expect to publicly disclose or report to the Audit Committee or the Board of Directors a material weakness, change in internal control over financial reporting or fraud involving management or other employees who have a significant role in internal control over financial reporting, any violation of, or failure to comply with, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or the Exchange Act, or any matter related to internal control over financial reporting which, if determined adversely, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

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(xxxi) Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

(xxxii) Pending Procedures and Examinations. The Registration Statement is not the subject of a pending proceeding or examination under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Securities Act, and the Company is not the subject of a pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Securities.

(xxxiii) Payment of Taxes. All United States federal income tax returns of the Company and the Subsidiaries required by law to be filed have been timely filed and all taxes shown by such returns or otherwise assessed, which are due and payable, have been paid, except assessments which have been or will be promptly contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been provided in the Company’s financials in accordance with GAAP. The Company and the Subsidiaries have filed all other tax returns that are required to have been filed by them pursuant to applicable foreign, state, local or other law, except insofar as the failure to file such returns, individually or in the aggregate, could not result in a Material Adverse Effect, and have paid all taxes due pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any assessment received by the Company or any Subsidiary except for such taxes, if any, as are being contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been provided. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company and the Subsidiaries in respect of any income and corporation tax liability for any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there is no tax deficiency that has been or would reasonably be expected to be asserted against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets.

(xxxiv) Insurance. The Company and each Subsidiary is insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged including, but not limited to, policies covering real and personal property owned or leased by the Company and each Subsidiary against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and earthquakes; neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and the Company has no reason to believe that it or any Subsidiary will not be able to renew their existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that could not have a Material Adverse Effect. All such insurance is fully in force as of the date hereof. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects; and there are no claims by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause.

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(xxxv) Investment Company Act. The Company is not, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not be, an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).

(xxxvi) Absence of Manipulation. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries, nor any affiliates of the Company or its Subsidiaries, has taken, directly, or indirectly, and neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries, nor any affiliates of the Company or its Subsidiaries, will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or which constitutes or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company or any “reference security” (as defined in Rule 100 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act) to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities or otherwise, and has taken no action which would directly or indirectly violate Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

(xxxvii) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. None of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or, to the best knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent or employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, any of the respective affiliates of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or their respective affiliates has (A) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (B) made or taken an act in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or giving of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any foreign or domestic government official (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for public office) from corporate funds; (C) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the “FCPA”), or any applicable law or regulations implementing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offense under the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom, or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption statute or regulation; or (D) made, offered, agreed, requested or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment or benefit in violation of any applicable law, rule or regulation. The Company and its Subsidiaries and their respective affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA and all other applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

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(xxxviii) Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries and, to the best knowledge of the Company, their respective affiliates, are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company and its Subsidiaries and their respective affiliates conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency or body (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court, governmental agency or body involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened. The Company and its Subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, their respective affiliates, have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintain and will continue to maintain policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws.

(xxxix) OFAC. None of the Company, any of the Subsidiaries or any officer or director of either the Company or any Subsidiary, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, after due inquiry, any agent, employee, affiliate or person, in any case acting on behalf of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is or has been (A) engaged in any services (including financial services), transfers of goods, software, or technology, or any other business activity related to (i) Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, the Crimea region of Ukraine claimed by Russia or any other country or territory that is, or whose government is, the subject of sanctions that broadly prohibit dealings with that country or territory (collectively, “Sanctioned Countries” and each, a “Sanctioned Country”), (ii) the government of any Sanctioned Country, (iii) any person, entity or organization located in, resident in, formed under the laws of, or owned or controlled by the government of, any Sanctioned Country, or (iv) any person, entity or organization made subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government, including, without limitation, the list of Specially Designated Nationals (“SDN List”) of the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”), or by the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”) and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of this offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, or any joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of or business with any person, or in any country or territory, that currently is the subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC; (B) engaged in any transfers of goods, technologies or services (including financial services) that may assist the governments of Sanctioned Countries or facilitate money laundering or other activities proscribed by United States laws, rules or regulations; (C) is a person, entity or organization currently the subject of any Sanctions; or (D) located, organized or resident in any Sanctioned Country.

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(xl) Relationship. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, shareholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act or Securities Act Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement and/or the Prospectus and that is not so described.

(xli) Lending Relationship. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company (A) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any Underwriter and (B) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.

(xlii) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. Except in each case as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no Subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such Subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such Subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such Subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other Subsidiary of the Company.

(xliii) Statistical and Market-Related Data. The statistical and market-related data contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the requirements of Commission Industry Guide 3 (where applicable) and are based on or derived from sources which the Company believes are reliable and accurate, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent required.

(xliv) Distribution of Offering Material By the Company. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the Closing Time and the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Securities, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than the Registration Statement, the preliminary prospectus contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Representatives and included in Schedule B hereto or any electronic road show or other written communications reviewed and consented to by the Representatives and listed on Schedule B hereto (each a, “Company Additional Written Communication”). Each such Company Additional Written Communication, when taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package, did not, and at the Closing Time will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Company Additional Written Communication based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter through the Representatives consists of the Underwriter Information.

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(xlv) Forward-Looking Statements. Each financial or operational projection or other “forward-looking statement” (as defined by Section 27A of the Securities Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (A) was so included by the Company in good faith and with reasonable basis after due consideration by the Company of the underlying assumptions, estimates and other applicable facts and circumstances, and (B) is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying those factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statement. No such statement was made with the knowledge of an executive officer or director of the Company that it was false or misleading.

(xlvi) No Fees or Advisory Rights. Other than as contemplated by this Agreement, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company or any Subsidiary any brokerage or finder’s fee or any other fee, commission or payment as a result of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. No person has the right to act as a financial advisor to the Company in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities.

(xlvii) Deposit Insurance. The deposit accounts of the Bank are insured by the FDIC up to applicable legal limits, the Bank has paid all premiums and assessments required by the FDIC and the regulations thereunder, and no proceeding for the termination or revocation of such insurance is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

(xlviii) Derivative Instruments. Any and all material swaps, caps, floors, futures, forward contracts, option agreements (other than options issued under the Company’s shareholder-approved benefit plans) and other derivative financial instruments, contracts or arrangements, whether entered into for the account of the Company or one of its Subsidiaries or for the account of a customer of the Company or one of its Subsidiaries, were entered into in the ordinary course of business and in accordance with applicable laws, rules, regulations and policies of all applicable regulatory agencies and with counterparties believed by the Company to be financially responsible. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have duly performed in all material respects all of their obligations thereunder to the extent that such obligations to perform have accrued, and there are no breaches, violations or defaults or allegations or assertions of such by any party thereunder except as could not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(xlix) Termination of Contracts. Except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect, neither the Company nor any Significant Subsidiary has sent or received any communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the contracts or agreements referred to or described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and Prospectus, or referred to or described in, or filed as an exhibit to, the Pricing Disclosure Package and Prospectus, and no such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party to any such contract or agreement; and there are no contracts or documents of the Company or any of the Significant Subsidiaries that are required to be described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits thereto by the Securities Act or by the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder that have not been so described and filed.

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(l) Off-Balance Sheet Transactions. There is no transaction, arrangement or other relationship between the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and an unconsolidated or other off-balance sheet entity which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (other than as disclosed therein).

(li) Margin Rules. The application of the proceeds received by the Company from the issuance, sale and delivery of the Securities as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not violate Regulation T, U or X of the Federal Reserve or any other regulation of the Federal Reserve.

(lii) Cybersecurity. (A) There has been no security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure, or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data and databases (including the data and information of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained, processed or stored by the Company and its Subsidiaries, and any such data processed or stored by third parties on behalf of the Company and its Subsidiaries, equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”); (B) neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries have been notified of, and each of them have no knowledge of any event or condition that could result in, any security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure or other compromise to their IT Systems and Data; and (C) the Company and its Subsidiaries have implemented appropriate controls, policies, procedures, and technological safeguards to maintain and protect the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of their IT Systems and Data reasonably consistent with industry standards and practices, or as required by applicable regulatory standards. The Company and its Subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.

(b) The Bank represents and warrants to each Underwriter at the date hereof, the Applicable Time, the Closing Time and any Date of Delivery, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:

(i) The Bank has been duly chartered and is validly existing as a state-chartered bank in good standing under the laws of New Jersey, and has been duly qualified as a foreign bank for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such other jurisdiction;

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(ii) Neither the Bank nor any of its subsidiaries is (A) in violation of its articles or certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or governing documents, (B) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Bank or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Bank or any of its subsidiaries is subject (collectively, the “Bank Instruments”) or (C) in violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, order, decree of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Bank or any of its subsidiaries; in the case of clauses (B) and (C), except for defaults or violations that could not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a material adverse effect (i) on the general affairs, condition (financial or otherwise), business, properties, prospects, management, financial position, shareholders’ equity, assets, liabilities or results of operations, of the Bank and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business or (ii) in the ability of the Bank to perform its obligations under this Agreement (each of (i) and (ii) a “Bank MAE”); and

(iii) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Bank, compliance by the Bank with all of the provisions of this Agreement to which the Bank must comply and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated do not and will not contravene, conflict with, or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any Bank Instrument, nor does or will any such action contravene, conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of the certificate of incorporation or association or bylaws of the Bank or any statute, order, law, rule, regulation or decree of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Bank or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, except for violations of statutes, orders, laws, rules, regulations or decrees that could not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Bank MAE.

(iv) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Bank.

(c) Officer’s Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

SECTION 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

(a) Sale of Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, the aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter, at a purchase price equal to 98.5% of the aggregate principal amount thereof.

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(b) Payment. Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of the Securities shall be made at the offices of Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP, 201 E. Fourth Street, Suite 1900, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, at 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) on June 15, 2020 (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of SECTION 11), or such other time not later than 10 business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called “Closing Time”).

Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company against delivery of the Securities (in the form of one or more global notes), through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters. It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for its account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Securities which it has agreed to purchase. The Representatives, individually and not as Representatives of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Securities to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Time, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

(a) Compliance with Commission Requests. Prior to the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement, the Company, subject to SECTION 3(b) hereof will comply with the requirements of Rule 430B of the Securities Act Regulations, and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any new registration statement relating to the Securities shall become effective or any amendment or supplement to the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus shall have been used or filed, as the case may be, including any document incorporated by reference therein, in each case only as permitted by SECTION 3 hereof, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein, or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or any notice of objection to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g) or of the issuance of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Securities Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will effect all filings required under Rule 424(b), in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus. Until the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement, the Company will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop, prevention or suspension order and, if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment. If, before all the Securities have been sold by the Underwriters, the Company receives from the Commission a notice pursuant to Rule 401(g) or otherwise ceases to be eligible to use the shelf registration statement form, the Company will (A) promptly notify the Underwriters, (B) promptly file a new registration statement or post-effective amendment on the proper form relating to the Securities in such form as is reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, (C) use its best efforts to cause such registration statement or post-effective amendment to be declared effective as soon as practicable, and (D) promptly notify the Underwriters of such effectiveness. The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the registration statement that was the subject of the Rule 401(g) notice or for which the Company has otherwise become ineligible. References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new registration statement or post-effective amendment, as the case may be.

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(b) Payment of Filing Fees. If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company will file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date of this Agreement, and at the time of filing either to pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or to give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111 under the Securities Act.

(c) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the Securities Act, the Securities Act Regulations, the Exchange Act and the Exchange Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172 of the Securities Act Regulations, would be) required by the Securities Act (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act Regulations) to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities ending no later than nine months from the date hereof (the “Delivery Period”) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to (i) amend the Registration Statement in order that the Registration Statement will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order that the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act Regulations) is delivered to a purchaser or (iii) amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, including, without limitation, any document incorporated therein by reference, in order to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act, the Securities Act Regulations, the Exchange Act or the Exchange Act Regulations, the Company will promptly (A) give the Representatives written notice of such event or condition, (B) prepare any amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus comply with such requirements and, a reasonable amount of time prior to any proposed filing or use, furnish the Representatives with copies of any such amendment or supplement and (C) file with the Commission any such amendment or supplement and use its best efforts to have any amendment to the Registration Statement declared effective by the Commission as soon as possible, provided that the Company shall not file or use any such amendment or supplement to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall object.

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(d) Filing or Use of Amendments or Supplements. During the Delivery Period, the Company (A) will furnish to the Representatives for review, a reasonable period of time prior to the proposed time of filing of any proposed amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement (including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement), a copy of each such amendment or supplement, and (B) will not amend or supplement the Registration Statement without the Representatives’ prior written consent. Prior to amending or supplementing any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, the Company shall furnish to the Representatives for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the time of filing or use of the proposed amendment or supplement, a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement. The Company shall not file or use any such proposed amendment or supplement without the Representatives’ prior written consent.

(e) Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Representatives, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The signed copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(f) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the Securities Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the Delivery Period, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(g) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and non-U.S. jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect during the Delivery Period; provided, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.

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(h) Earnings Statements. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the Exchange Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 16 months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) of the Securities Act), an earnings statement (satisfying the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations (including Rule 158)).

(i) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Registration Statement, the preliminary prospectus contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”

(j) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the Delivery Period, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by, and each such document will meet the requirements of, the Exchange Act and the Exchange Act Regulations.

(k) Pricing Term Sheet. The Company will prepare the Term Sheet, containing solely a description of the final terms of the Securities and the offering thereof, and after affording the Representatives the opportunity to comment thereon, file the Term Sheet with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) within the time required by such Rule.

(l) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Representatives, it will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” or a portion thereof, required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433; provided, that the Representatives will be deemed to have consented to any Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses listed on Schedule B hereto and any “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i) that has been reviewed by the Representatives. The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each such free writing prospectus consented to, or deemed consented to, by the Representatives as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and that it has complied and will comply with the applicable requirements of Rule 433 with respect thereto, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus during the Delivery Period there occurred or occurs an event or condition as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives in writing and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to correct such untrue statement or omission.

(m) Renewal Deadline. If, immediately prior to the third anniversary of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement (the “Renewal Deadline”), any Securities remain unsold by the Underwriters, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Deadline, (i) promptly notify the Representatives in writing and (ii) promptly file, if it is eligible to do so, a new shelf registration statement relating to the Securities, in a form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters. If, at the Renewal Deadline, the Company is not eligible to file a shelf registration statement, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Deadline, (i) promptly notify the Representatives in writing, (ii) promptly file a new shelf registration statement or post-effective amendment on the proper form relating to such Securities, in a form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, (iii) use its best efforts to cause such registration statement or post-effective amendment to be declared effective within 60 days after the Renewal Deadline and (iv) promptly notify the Representatives in writing of such effectiveness. The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the expired Registration Statement. References herein to the “Registration Statement” shall include such new shelf registration statement or post-effective amendment, as the case may be.

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(n) DTC. The Company will cooperate with the Underwriters and use its best efforts to permit the Securities to be eligible for clearance, settlement and trading through the facilities of DTC.

(o) Investment Company Act. The Company shall not invest or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Securities in such a manner as could require the Company or any of the Subsidiaries to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

(p) Regulation M. The Company will not take, and will ensure that no affiliate of the Company will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in or which constitutes or might reasonably be expected to constitute stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities or any reference security with respect to the Securities, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities or otherwise, and the Company will, and shall cause each of its affiliates to, comply with all applicable provisions of Regulation M.

(q) Trustee, Registrar and Paying Agent. The Company shall engage and maintain, at its expense, a trustee, registrar and paying agent for the Securities.

(r) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company and its Subsidiaries will comply with all effective applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

(s) Taxes. The Company will indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters against any documentary, stamp, issue or similar tax, including any interest and penalties, on the creation, issue and sale of the Securities and on the execution and delivery of this Agreement. All payments to be made by the Company hereunder shall be made without withholding or deduction for or on account of any present or future taxes, duties or governmental charges whatsoever unless the Company is compelled by law to deduct or withhold such taxes, duties or charges. In that event, the Company shall pay such additional amounts as may be necessary in order that the net amounts received after such withholding or deduction shall equal the amounts that would have been received if no withholding or deduction had been made.

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

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(u) Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Additional Securities. During the period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the Closing Time, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives (which consent may be withheld at the sole discretion of the Representatives), directly or indirectly, sell, offer, contract or grant any option to sell, pledge, transfer or establish an open "put equivalent position" within the meaning of Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act, or otherwise dispose of or transfer, or announce the offering of, or file any registration statement under the Securities Act in respect of, any debt securities of the Company similar to the Securities or securities exchangeable for or convertible into debt securities similar to the Securities (other than as contemplated by this Agreement with respect to the Securities).

(v) Restriction on Sale of Securities. The Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, offer, sell, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, any debt securities issued or guaranteed by the Company (other than the Securities) or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, for a period of 45 days after the date of this Agreement.

SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses.

(a) Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing by the Underwriters to investors, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, including any transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of SECTION 3(g) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, and the fees and expenses of making the Securities eligible for clearance, settlement and trading through the facilities of DTC, (vi) the fees and expenses of any trustee, registrar or paying agent, including the fees and expenses of the Trustee and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Indenture and the Securities, (vii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Securities, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, travel and lodging expenses of the Representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with the road show, (viii) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the review by FINRA, if required, of the terms of the sale of the Securities, (ix) expenses associated with the ratings of the Securities, (x) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement, (xi) the costs and expenses (including, without limitation, any damages or other amounts payable in connection with legal or contractual liability) associated with the reforming of any contracts for sale of the Securities made by the Underwriters caused by a breach of the representation contained in the second sentence of SECTION 1(a)(ii) and SECTION 1(a)(x) of this Agreement, (xii) the legal fees and expenses (including fees and disbursements of the counsel for the Underwriters), and marketing, syndication and travel expenses and any expenses related to an investor presentation and/or roadshow that are incurred by the Underwriters, and (xiii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section 4(a).

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(b) Termination of Agreement. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of SECTION 6, SECTION 10(a) or SECTION 11 hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

SECTION 5. Use of Free Writing Prospectuses by Underwriters. Each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission.

SECTION 6. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Bank contained herein or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement, etc. The Registration Statement was filed by the Company with the Commission and has been declared effective not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof. Each preliminary prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus shall have been filed as required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)) and Rule 433, as applicable, within the time period prescribed by, and in compliance with, the Securities Act Regulations. If the Company has elected to rely on Rule 462(b), the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date of this Agreement. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto shall have been issued under the Securities Act or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, no notice of objection to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g) has been received by the Company, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated. The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information.

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(b) Opinion of Counsel for Company. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated the Closing Time, of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives and substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, respectively, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letters for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.

(c) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated the Closing Time, of Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they may request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters. In giving such opinion, such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York and the federal securities laws of the United States, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representatives. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers and other Representatives of the Company and its Subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.

(d) Officers’ Certificate. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the Chief Executive Officer or the President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time, and (iv) the conditions specified in SECTION 6(a) hereof have been satisfied.

(e) Comfort Letters. At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from Crowe LLP a letter with respect to the Company, dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, confirming that they are a registered public accounting firm and independent registered public accountants as required by the Securities Act and containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

(f) Bring-down Comfort Letter. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received from Crowe LLP a letter with respect to the Company, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to SECTION 6(e) hereof, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to the Closing Time.

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(g) Certificate of the Chief Financial Officer. At the time of the execution of this Agreement and at the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received a certificate executed by the Chief Financial Officer, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.

(h) Beneficial Ownership Certificate. On or before the date of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received a certificate satisfying the beneficial ownership due diligence requirements of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network from the Company in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.

(i) Other Documents. The Underwriters shall have received such other documents as they may reasonably request with respect to other matters related to the sale of the Securities.

(j) Absence of Rating Downgrade. Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Time, there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of (i) any downgrading, (ii) any intended or potential downgrading, or (iii) any review or possible change that does not indicate an improvement, in the rating accorded to the Securities by Kroll Bond Rating Agency, Inc.

(k) No Objection. If applicable, FINRA shall have not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements relating to the offering of the Securities.

(l) No Important Changes. Since the execution of this Agreement, (i) in the judgment of the Representatives, since the respective date hereof or the respective dates of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Effect, and (ii) there shall not have been any decrease in or withdrawal of the rating of any debt securities or preferred securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined for purposes of Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act) or any notice given of any intended or potential decrease in or withdrawal of any such rating or of a possible change in any such rating that does not indicate the direction of the possible change.

(m) Delivery of Prospectus. The Company shall have complied with the provisions hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses, in electronic or printed format, on the New York business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement.

(n) No Termination Event. On or after the date hereof, there shall not have occurred any of the events, circumstances or occurrences set forth in SECTION 10(a).

(o) No Legal Impediment to Issuance and/or Sale. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Time, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities by the Company.

(p) Good Standing. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Time satisfactory evidence of the good standing of the Company and the Bank in their respective jurisdictions of organization, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.

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(q) Additional Documents. At the Closing Time, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.

(r) If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to Closing Time and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in SECTION 4 and except that SECTION 1, SECTION 6, SECTION 7, SECTION 8, SECTION 9, SECTION 14, SECTION 15, SECTION 16 and SECTION 17 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 7. Indemnification.

(a) Indemnification of Underwriters. The Company and the Bank, jointly and severally, agree to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) of the Securities Act Regulations (each, an “Affiliate”)), selling agents, employees, officers and directors and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act as follows:

(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “road show”, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to SECTION 7(d) hereof) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company;

(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representatives), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;

provided, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, or in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.

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(b) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in SECTION 7(a) hereof, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, or in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.

(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to SECTION 7(a) hereof, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Representatives, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to SECTION 7(b) hereof, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the prior written consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this SECTION 7 or SECTION 8 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

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(d) Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by SECTION 7(a)(ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 45 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

SECTION 8. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in SECTION 7 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Bank, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company and the Bank, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

The relative benefits received by the Company and the Bank, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the Bank, on the one hand, and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, on the other hand, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus.

The relative fault of the Company and the Bank, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company and the Bank or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

The Company, the Bank and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this SECTION 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this SECTION 8. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this SECTION 8 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

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Notwithstanding the provisions of this SECTION 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discount received by such Underwriter in connection with the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public.

No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this SECTION 8 are several in proportion to the aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.

For purposes of this SECTION 8, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each Underwriter’s Affiliates, officers, directors, employees and selling agents shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.

SECTION 9. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive. The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in Section 7 and Section 8, and all representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or its Affiliates, officers, directors and or selling agents, any person controlling any Underwriter or the Company’s officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (ii) delivery of and payment for the Securities.

SECTION 10. Termination of Agreement.

(a) Termination. The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Time, (i) if there has been, in the judgment of the Representatives, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, any Material Adverse Effect, (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, including without limitation as a result of terrorist activities, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or Nasdaq, (iv) if trading generally on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by order of the Commission, FINRA or any other governmental agency or body, (v) if a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or with respect to Clearstream or Euroclear systems in Europe, or (vi) if a general moratorium on commercial banking activities has been declared by either federal, New York or State of New Jersey authorities or if there is a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States.

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(b) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in SECTION 4 hereof, and provided further that SECTION 1, SECTION 6, SECTION 7, SECTION 8, SECTION 9, SECTION 14, SECTION 15, SECTION 16 and SECTION 17 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 11. Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at the Closing Time to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representatives shall have the right, within 36 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 36-hour period, then:

(i) if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased at the Closing Time, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or

(ii) if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased at the Closing Time, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.

No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.

In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement, either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Time for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this SECTION 11.

SECTION 12. Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to the Representatives c/o KBW at 787 Seventh Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, New York 10019, attention of Michael C. Garea, Director, Capital Markets, e-mail: mgarea@kbw.com and c/o Goldman Sachs at 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282; Attention: Registration Department. Notices to the Company shall be directed to it at 301 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs NJ 07632, attention William S. Burns, Executive Vice President and CFO, fax 20-1816-4474.

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SECTION 13. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the initial public offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering of the Securities and the process leading thereto, each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or its shareholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company in connection with the offering of the Securities or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company or any of its Subsidiaries on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company in connection with the offering of the Securities except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, financial, regulatory or tax advice in connection with the offering of the Securities and the Company has consulted its own respective legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company waives to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law any claims that it may have against the Underwriters arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Securities.

SECTION 14. Parties. This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and the Bank and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters, the Company and the Bank and their respective successors and the indemnified parties referred to in SECTION 7 and SECTION 8 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters, the Company and the Bank and their respective successors, and said controlling persons, Affiliates, selling agents, officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

SECTION 15. Trial by Jury. Each of the Company (on its behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its shareholders and affiliates) and the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

SECTION 16. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT, ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICTS OF LAW PRINCIPLES THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE APPLICATION OF ANY LAW OTHER THAN THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

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SECTION 17. Consent to Jurisdiction. Each of the parties hereto agrees that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be instituted in (i) the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan or (ii) the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any Specified Court, as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of the Specified Courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or proceeding brought in any Specified Court. Each of the parties hereto irrevocably and unconditionally waives any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waives and agrees not to plead or claim in any Specified Court that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any Specified Court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

SECTION 18. TIME. TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

SECTION 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. The exchange of copies of this Agreement and of signature pages by facsimile or other electronic means shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Agreement by the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original signature pages to this Agreement for all purposes.

SECTION 20. Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

SECTION 21. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.

(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity (as defined below) becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime (as defined below), the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate (as defined below) of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights (as defined below) under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

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(c) As used in this Section:

(i) “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).

(ii) “Covered Entity” means any of the following:

a) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);
   
b) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or
   
c) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).

(iii) “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.

(iv) “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (A) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (B) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

SECTION 22. Entire Agreement; Amendments. This Agreement constitutes the entire Agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party that the condition is meant to benefit.

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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Underwriters, the Company and the Bank in accordance with its terms.

      Very truly yours,
   
CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.
   
   
/s/ William S. Burns
Name: William S. Burns
Title: EVP/CFO
   
CONNECTONE BANK
   
   
/s/ William S. Burns
Name: William S. Burns
Title: EVP/CFO

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written:


KEEFE, BRUYETTE & WOODS, INC.

/s/ Ben Plotkin      
By:
Name: Ben Plotkin
Title: Executive Vice President
     
GOLDMAN SACHS & CO. LLC
     
/s/ Sam Chaffin
By:
Name: Sam Chaffin
Title: Vice President

For themselves and as Representatives of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.


SCHEDULE A

      Aggregate Principal
Amount of Securities to be
Name of Underwriter Purchased
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. 30,000,000
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC 30,000,000
Stephens Inc. 15,000,000
Total 75,000,000
     

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.

and

U.S. Bank National Association

as Trustee, Paying Agent and Registrar

SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

Dated as of June 15, 2020

to

INDENTURE

Dated as of January 17, 2018

5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030

SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE (this “Second Supplemental Indenture”), dated as of June 15, 2020, between CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC., a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), and U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a national banking association, organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, as trustee (the “Trustee”), Registrar and Paying Agent.

RECITALS

WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee have heretofore executed and delivered the Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2018 (the “Base Indenture” and, as hereby supplemented and amended, the “Indenture”), providing for the establishment from time to time of series of the Company’s unsecured debt securities, which may be debentures, notes, bonds or other evidences of indebtedness (hereinafter called the “Securities”) and the issuance from time to time of Securities under the Indenture; and

WHEREAS, Section 9.01(g) of the Base Indenture provides that the Company and the Trustee may enter into a supplemental indenture to the Base Indenture to establish the form or terms of Securities of a series thereunder as permitted by Article II and Article III of the Base Indenture; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 3.01 of the Base Indenture, the Company desires to establish a new series of Securities under the Indenture to be known as its “5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030” (the “Notes”), to establish the form and terms and conditions of the Notes, as provided in this Second Supplemental Indenture, and to provide for the initial issuance of Notes in the aggregate principal amount of SEVENTY FIVE MILLION and No/100 ($75,000,000.00) dollars; and

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WHEREAS, the Company has requested that the Trustee execute and deliver this Second Supplemental Indenture; and all requirements necessary to make (i) this Second Supplemental Indenture a valid, binding and enforceable instrument in accordance with its terms, and (ii) the Notes, when executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in accordance with the Indenture, the valid, binding and enforceable obligations of the Company, have been satisfied; and the execution and delivery of this Second Supplemental Indenture has been duly authorized in all respects; and

WHEREAS, this Second Supplemental Indenture shall not result in a material modification of the Notes for purposes of compliance with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

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

ARTICLE I. DEFINITIONS

Section 1.01 Relation to Base Indenture. This Second Supplemental Indenture constitutes an integral part of the Base Indenture.

Section 1.02 Definition of Terms. For all purposes of this Second Supplemental Indenture:

(a) Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings set forth in the Base Indenture, provided that, if the definition of a capitalized term defined in this Second Supplemental Indenture conflicts with the definition of that capitalized term in the Base Indenture, the definition of that capitalized term in this Second Supplemental Indenture shall control for purposes of this Second Supplemental Indenture and the Notes and (in respect of the Notes but not any other series of Securities) the Base Indenture;

(b) a term defined anywhere in this Second Supplemental Indenture has the same meaning throughout;

(c) the singular includes the plural and vice versa;

(d) headings are for convenience of reference only and do not affect interpretation;

(e) unless otherwise specified or unless the context requires otherwise, (i) all references in this Second Supplemental Indenture to Sections refer to the corresponding Sections of this Second Supplemental Indenture, and (ii) the terms “herein,” “hereof,” “hereunder” and any other word of similar import refer to this Second Supplemental Indenture; and

(f) for purposes of this Second Supplemental Indenture and the Notes, the following terms have the meanings given to them in this Section 1.02(f):

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1940 Act Event” means an event requiring the Company to register as an investment company pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

“Benchmark” means, initially, Three-Month Term SOFR; provided that if a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred on or prior to the Reference Time with respect to Three-Month Term SOFR or the then-current Benchmark, then “Benchmark” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement.

“Benchmark Replacement” means the Interpolated Benchmark with respect to the then-current Benchmark, plus the Benchmark Replacement Adjustment for such Benchmark; provided that if (a) the Calculation Agent cannot determine the Interpolated Benchmark as of the Benchmark Replacement Date or (b) the then-current Benchmark is Three-Month Term SOFR and a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred with respect to Three-Month Term SOFR (in which event no Interpolated Benchmark with respect to Three-Month Term SOFR shall be determined), then “Benchmark Replacement” means the first alternative set forth in the order below that can be calculated by the Calculation Agent as of the Benchmark Replacement Date:

(1) Compounded SOFR;

(2) the sum of (a) the alternate rate that has been selected or recommended by the Relevant Governmental Body as the replacement for the then-current Benchmark for the applicable Corresponding Tenor and (b) the Benchmark Replacement Adjustment;

(3) the sum of (a) the ISDA Fallback Rate and (b) the Benchmark Replacement Adjustment; and

(4) the sum of (a) the alternate rate that has been selected by the Company, and communicated thereby in writing to the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company), as the replacement for the then-current Benchmark for the applicable Corresponding Tenor, giving due consideration to any industry-accepted rate as a replacement for the then-current Benchmark for U.S. dollar-denominated floating rate securities at such time, and (b) the Benchmark Replacement Adjustment.

“Benchmark Replacement Adjustment” means the first alternative set forth in the order below that can be calculated by the Calculation Agent as of the Benchmark Replacement Date:

(1) the spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment (which may be a positive or negative value or zero), that has been selected or recommended by the Relevant Governmental Body for the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement;

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(2) if the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement is equivalent to the ISDA Fallback Rate, then the ISDA Fallback Adjustment; and

(3) the spread adjustment (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) that has been selected by the Company, and communicated thereby in writing to the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company), giving due consideration to any industry-accepted spread adjustment or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for the replacement of the then-current Benchmark with the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement for U.S. dollar-denominated floating rate securities at such time.

“Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes” means, with respect to any Benchmark Replacement, any technical, administrative or operational changes (including changes to the definition of “Interest Period”, timing and frequency of determining rates with respect to each Interest Period and making payments of interest, rounding of amounts or tenors, and other administrative matters) that the Company determines may be appropriate to reflect the adoption of such Benchmark Replacement in a manner substantially consistent with market practice (or, if the Company determines that adoption of any portion of such market practice is not administratively feasible or if the Company determines that no market practice for use of the Benchmark Replacement exists, in such other manner as the Company determines is reasonably necessary). The Company shall promptly notify the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company) in writing of any such determination.

“Benchmark Replacement Date” means the earliest to occur of the following events with respect to the then-current Benchmark:

(1) in the case of clause (1) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event,” the relevant Reference Time in respect of any determination;

(2) in the case of clause (2) or (3) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event,” the later of (a) the date of the public statement or publication of information referenced therein and (b) the date on which the administrator of the Benchmark permanently or indefinitely ceases to provide the Benchmark; or

(3) in the case of clause (4) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event,” the date of the public statement or publication of information referenced therein.

For the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of the definitions of Benchmark Replacement Date and Benchmark Transition Event, references to the Benchmark also include any reference rate underlying the Benchmark (for example, if the Benchmark becomes Compounded SOFR, references to the Benchmark would include SOFR).

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For the avoidance of doubt, if the event giving rise to the Benchmark Replacement Date occurs on the same day as, but earlier than, the Reference Time in respect of any determination, the Benchmark Replacement Date will be deemed to have occurred prior to the Reference Time for such determination.

“Benchmark Transition Event” means the occurrence of one or more of the following events with respect to the then-current Benchmark:

(1) if the Benchmark is Three-Month Term SOFR, (a) the Relevant Governmental Body has not selected or recommended a forward-looking term rate for a tenor of three months based on SOFR, (b) the development of a forward-looking term rate for a tenor of three months based on SOFR that has been recommended or selected by the Relevant Governmental Body is not complete or (c) the Company determines that the use of a forward-looking rate for a tenor of three months based on SOFR is not administratively feasible;

(2) a public statement or publication of information by or on behalf of the administrator of the Benchmark announcing that such administrator has ceased or will cease to provide the Benchmark, permanently or indefinitely, provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide the Benchmark;

(3) a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of the Benchmark, the central bank for the currency of the Benchmark, an insolvency official with jurisdiction over the administrator for the Benchmark, a resolution authority with jurisdiction over the administrator for the Benchmark or a court or an entity with similar insolvency or resolution authority over the administrator for the Benchmark, which states that the administrator of the Benchmark has ceased or will cease to provide the Benchmark permanently or indefinitely, provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide the Benchmark; or

(4) a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of the Benchmark announcing that the Benchmark is no longer representative.

Business Day” means any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which the Trustee or banking institutions in the City of New York are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.

Calculation Agent” means the agent appointed by the Company prior to the commencement of the Floating Rate Period (which may include the Company or any of its Affiliates) to act in accordance with this Second Supplemental Indenture. The Company shall initially act as the Calculation Agent.

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Compounded SOFR” means the compounded average of SOFRs for the applicable Corresponding Tenor, with the rate, or methodology for this rate, and conventions for this rate being established by the Company and communicated thereby in writing to the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company) in accordance with:

(1) the rate, or methodology for this rate, and conventions for this rate selected or recommended by the Relevant Governmental Body for determining compounded SOFR; provided that:

(2) if, and to the extent that, the Company determines that Compounded SOFR cannot be determined in accordance with clause (1) above, then the rate, or methodology for this rate, and conventions for this rate that have been selected by the Company and communicated thereby in writing to the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company) giving due consideration to any industry-accepted market practice for U.S. dollar-denominated floating rate securities at such time.

For the avoidance of doubt, the calculation of Compounded SOFR shall exclude the Benchmark Replacement Adjustment and the spread specified in Section 2.05(b)(ii).

“Corresponding Tenor” with respect to a Benchmark Replacement means a tenor (including overnight) having approximately the same length (disregarding business day adjustment) as the applicable tenor for the then-current Benchmark.

DTC” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03 hereof.

Federal Reserve Board” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any successor regulatory authority with jurisdiction over bank holding companies.

Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(b)(i) hereof.

Fixed Rate Interest Record Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(b)(i).

Fixed Rate Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(b)(i) hereof.

Floating Rate Interest Payment Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(b)(ii) hereof.

Floating Rate Interest Record Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(b)(ii).

Floating Rate Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(b)(ii)hereof.

“FRBNY” means the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

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“Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Website” means the website of the FRBNY at http://www.newyorkfed.org, or any successor source.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” means mean Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as amended from time to time) as of the date hereof (or any amended or successor version to the extent such version is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or other official governmental interpretations thereof and any intergovernmental agreements or any “FFI agreements” entered into pursuant to the foregoing.

Global Note” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.04 hereof.

Independent Bank Regulatory Counsel” means a law firm, a member of a law firm or an independent practitioner that is experienced in matters of federal bank holding company and banking regulatory law, including the laws, rules and the guidelines of the Federal Reserve Board relating to regulatory capital, and shall include any Person who, under the standards of professional conduct then prevailing and applicable to such counsel, would not have a conflict of interest in representing the Company or the Trustee in connection with providing the legal opinion contemplated by the definition of the term “Tier 2 Capital Event.”

Independent Tax Counsel” means a law firm, a member of a law firm or an independent practitioner that is experienced in matters of federal income taxation law, including the deductibility of interest payments made with respect to corporate debt instruments, and shall include any Person who, under the standards of professional conduct then prevailing and applicable to such counsel, would not have a conflict of interest in representing the Company or the Trustee in connection with providing the legal opinion contemplated by the definition of the term “Tax Event.”

“Interest Period” means the period from and including the immediately preceding Interest Payment Date in respect of which interest has been paid or duly provided for or, if no interest has been paid or duly provided for, from and including the issue date to, but excluding, the applicable Interest Payment Date for such period (or the Stated Maturity Date or earlier Redemption Date, if applicable).

Interest Payment Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(b)(ii) hereof.

“Interpolated Benchmark” with respect to the Benchmark means the rate calculated by the Calculation Agent for the Corresponding Tenor by interpolating on a linear basis between: (1) the Benchmark for the longest period (for which the Benchmark is available) that is shorter than the Corresponding Tenor and (2) the Benchmark for the shortest period (for which the Benchmark is available) that is longer than the Corresponding Tenor.

“ISDA Definitions” means the 2006 ISDA Definitions published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. or any successor thereto, as amended or supplemented from time to time, or any successor definitional booklet for interest rate derivatives published from time to time.

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“ISDA Fallback Adjustment” means the spread adjustment (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) that would apply for derivatives transactions referencing the ISDA Definitions to be determined upon the occurrence of an index cessation event with respect to the Benchmark for the applicable tenor.

“ISDA Fallback Rate” means the rate that would apply for derivatives transactions referencing the ISDA Definitions to be effective upon the occurrence of an index cessation date with respect to the Benchmark for the applicable tenor excluding the applicable ISDA Fallback Adjustment.

“Reference Time” with respect to any determination of the Benchmark means (1) if the Benchmark is Three-Month Term SOFR, the time determined by the Company, and communicated in writing thereby to the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company) after giving effect to the Three-Month Term SOFR Conventions, or (2) if the Benchmark is not Three-Month Term SOFR, the time determined by the Company, and communicated in writing thereby to the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company) after giving effect to the Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes.

“Relevant Governmental Body” means the Federal Reserve and/or the FRBNY, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Federal Reserve and/or the FRBNY or any successor thereto.

Representative” means the indenture trustee or other trustee, agent or representative for an issue of Senior Indebtedness.

Senior Indebtedness” means:

(a) any of the Company’s indebtedness (including the principal of and premium, if any, and unpaid interest on such indebtedness) for borrowed or purchased money including overdrafts, foreign exchange contracts, currency exchange agreements, interest rate protection agreements, and any loans or advances from banks, whether or not evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, or other written instruments, including any obligations of the Company to general creditors, depositors or trade creditors;

(b) the Company’s obligations under letters of credit, bank guarantees or bankers’ acceptances;

(c) any of the Company’s indebtedness or other obligations with respect to commodity contracts, interest rate and currency swap agreements, cap, floor, and collar agreements, currency spot and forward contracts, and other similar agreements or arrangements designed to protect against fluctuations in currency exchange or interest rates;

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(d) any guarantees, endorsements (other than by endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business), or other similar contingent obligations in respect of obligations of others of a type described in clauses (a), (b), and (c), whether or not such obligation is classified as a liability on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States;

(e) all obligations and liabilities in respect of leases required in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles to be accounted for as capitalized lease obligations on the Company’s balance sheet;

(f) all obligations and other liabilities under any lease or related document in connection with the lease of real property which provides that we are contractually obligated to purchase or cause a third party to purchase the leased property and thereby guarantee a minimum residual value of the leased property to the lessor and the Company’s obligations under the lease or related document to purchase or to cause a third party to purchase the leased property;

(g) all direct or indirect guarantees or similar agreements in respect of, and the Company’s obligations or liabilities to purchase, acquire or otherwise assure a creditor against loss in respect of, indebtedness, obligations or liabilities of others of the type described in clauses (a) through (f) above; and

(h) any and all refinancings, replacements, deferrals, renewals, extensions and refundings of, or amendments, modifications or supplements to, any indebtedness, obligation or liability of the kind described in clauses (a) through (g) above, other than obligations ranking on a parity with the Notes or ranking junior to the Notes.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Federal Reserve Board (or other competent regulatory agency or authority) promulgates any rule or issues any interpretation that defines general creditor(s), the main purpose of which is to establish a criteria for determining whether the subordinated debt of a bank holding company is to be included in its capital, then the term “general creditors” as used herein the definition of Senior Indebtedness will have the meaning as described in that rule or interpretation.

The term “Senior Indebtedness” does not include: (i) any indebtedness of the Company which when incurred, and without respect to any election under Section 1111(b) of the Federal Bankruptcy Code, was without recourse to the Company; (ii) any indebtedness of the Company to any of its Subsidiaries; (iii) indebtedness to any employee of the Company; (iv) any liability for taxes; (v) any indebtedness of the Company which is expressly subordinate in right of payment to any other indebtedness of the Company; or (vi) renewals, extensions, modifications and refundings of any such indebtedness.

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“SOFR” means the secured overnight financing rate published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as the administrator of the Benchmark (or any successor administrator), on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Website.

Stated Maturity Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.02 hereof.

Tax Event” means the receipt by the Company of an opinion of Independent Tax Counsel to the effect that, as a result of:

(a) an amendment to or change (including any announced prospective amendment or change) in any law or treaty, or any regulation thereunder, of the United States or any of its political subdivisions or taxing authorities;

(b) a judicial decision, administrative action, official administrative pronouncement, ruling, regulatory procedure, regulation, notice or announcement, including any notice or announcement of intent to adopt or promulgate any ruling, regulatory procedure or regulation (any of the foregoing, an “administrative or judicial action”);

(c) an amendment to or change in any official position with respect to, or any interpretation of, an administrative or judicial action or a law or regulation of the United States that differs from the previously generally accepted position or interpretation; or

(d) a threatened challenge asserted in writing in connection with an audit of the Company’s federal income tax returns or positions or a similar audit of any of its Subsidiaries, or a publicly known threatened challenge asserted in writing against any other taxpayer that has raised capital through the issuance of securities that are substantially similar to the Notes, in each case, occurring or becoming publicly known on or after the original issue date of the Notes, there is more than an insubstantial risk that interest payable by the Company on the Notes is not, or, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will not be, deductible by the Company, in whole or in part, for United States federal income tax purposes.

“Term SOFR” means the forward-looking term rate for the applicable Corresponding Tenor based on SOFR that has been selected or recommended by the Relevant Governmental Body.

“Term SOFR Administrator” means any entity designated by the Relevant Governmental Body as the administrator of Term SOFR.

“Three-Month Term SOFR” means Term SOFR for a tenor of three months that is published by the Term SOFR Administrator at the Reference Time for any Interest Period, as determined by the Company and communicated in writing thereby to the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company), after giving effect to the Three-Month Term SOFR Conventions. All percentages used in or resulting from any calculation of Three-Month Term SOFR shall be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one-hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with 0.000005% rounded up to 0.00001%.

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“Three-Month Term SOFR Conventions” means any determination, decision or election with respect to any technical, administrative or operational matter (including with respect to the manner and timing of the publication of Three-Month Term SOFR, or changes to the definition of “Interest Period”, timing and frequency of determining Three-Month Term SOFR with respect to each Interest Period and making payments of interest, rounding of amounts or tenors, and other administrative matters) that the Company determines may be appropriate to reflect the use of Three-Month Term SOFR as the Benchmark in a manner substantially consistent with market practice (or, if the Company determines that adoption of any portion of such market practice is not administratively feasible or if the Company determines that no market practice for the use of Three-Month Term SOFR exists, in such other manner as the Company determines is reasonably necessary). The Company shall promptly notify the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company) in writing of any such determination.

Tier 2 Capital Event” shall mean the receipt by the Company of an opinion of Independent Bank Regulatory Counsel to the effect that, as a result of:

(a) any amendment to, or change (including any announced prospective amendment or change) in, the laws or any regulations thereunder of the United States or any rules, guidelines or policies of an applicable regulatory authority for the Company; or

(b) any official administrative pronouncement or judicial decision interpreting or applying such laws or regulations, which amendment or change is effective or which pronouncement or decision is announced on or after the original issue date of the Notes, the Notes do not constitute, or within 90 days of the date of such opinion will not constitute, Tier 2 capital (or its then-equivalent if the Company were subject to such capital requirement) for purposes of capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve Board, as then in effect and applicable to the Company.

“Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement” means the Benchmark Replacement excluding the Benchmark Replacement Adjustment.

The terms “Company,” “Trustee,” “Base Indenture,” “Second Supplemental Indenture,” “Indenture,” “Securities” and “Notes” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the recitals to this Second Supplemental Indenture and the paragraph preceding such recitals.

Article II. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NOTES AND GENERAL TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF THE NOTES

Section 2.01 Establishment of the Series of the Notes and Designation. There is hereby authorized and established a series of Securities designated as the “5.750% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030.” The Securities that are a part of such series shall be in the form and have the terms, provisions and conditions as set forth in the Base Indenture, this Second Supplemental Indenture and the Notes in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.

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Section 2.02 Payment of Principal; Issue Price. Except as earlier redeemed in accordance with this Second Supplemental Indenture, the date upon which the entire principal amount of the Notes shall become due and payable, together with any accrued and unpaid interest then owing, shall be June 15, 2030 (the “Stated Maturity Date”). The Notes issued on the date hereof will be issued at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof.

Section 2.03 Form, Payment and Appointment. Except as provided in Section 3.05 of the Base Indenture, the Notes will be issued only in book-entry form, will be represented by one or more Global Notes registered in the name of or held by The Depository Trust Company or any successor thereto (“DTC”) or its nominee as the Depositary therefor. So long as DTC or its nominee is the registered owner of Global Notes, DTC or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the Holder of the Notes represented by such Global Notes for all purposes under the Indenture. The Company will make payments of principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on the Global Notes to DTC or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered Holder of the Notes. The principal of any Notes in the form of Individual Securities will be payable at the place of payment set forth below.

The terms and conditions contained in the Notes shall constitute, and are hereby expressly made, a part of the Indenture, and the Company and the Trustee, by their execution and delivery of this Second Supplemental Indenture, expressly agree to such terms and conditions and to be bound thereby.

The Security Registrar and Paying Agent for the Notes shall initially be the Trustee.

The Place of Payment for the Notes shall be an office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose, which shall initially be the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee at 333 Thornall Street, 4th Floor, Edison, New Jersey 08837.

The Notes will be issuable and may be transferred only in minimum denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof that is an integral multiple of $1,000. The amounts payable with respect to the Notes shall be payable in U.S. Dollars.

Section 2.04 Global Note. The Notes shall be issued initially in the form of one or more fully registered Global Securities (each such Global Security, a “Global Note”) registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with DTC or its designated custodian or such other Depositary as any officer of the Company may from time to time designate. Unless and until a Global Note is exchanged for Notes in certificated form, such Global Note may be transferred, in whole but not in part, and any payments on the Notes shall be made, only to DTC or a nominee of DTC, or to a successor Depositary selected or approved by the Company or to a nominee of such successor Depositary as provided in the Indenture.

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Section 2.05 Interest.

(a) Interest payable on any Interest Payment Date, the Stated Maturity Date or the Redemption Date, if any, with respect to the Notes shall be the amount of interest accrued from, and including, the immediately preceding Interest Payment Date in respect of which interest has been paid or duly provided for (or from and including the original issue date of Notes if no interest has previously been paid or duly provided for with respect to the Notes) to, but excluding, such Interest Payment Date, Stated Maturity Date or the Redemption Date, if any, as the case may be.

(b)

(i) The Notes will bear interest at the annual rate of 5.750% from, and including, the original issue date of the Notes to, but excluding, June 15, 2025 or earlier Redemption Date (the “Fixed Rate Period”). During the Fixed Rate Period, interest on the Notes will be payable semi-annually in arrears on each June 15 and December 15, beginning on December 15, 2020 and ending on June 15, 2025 or earlier redemption date (each such payment date, a “Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date”). The interest payable during the Fixed Rate Period will be paid to each Holder in whose name a Note is registered at the close of business on the fifteenth day (whether or not a Business Day) immediately preceding the applicable Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date (each such date, a “Fixed Rate Regular Record Date”).
   
(ii) The Notes will bear a floating interest rate from and including June 15, 2025, to but excluding the Stated Maturity Date or earlier Redemption Date (the “Floating Rate Period”). The floating interest rate will be reset for each Interest Period in the Floating Rate Period, and the interest rate for each such Interest Period shall be equal to the then-current Three-Month Term SOFR for such Interest Period plus 560.5 basis points, provided that if Three-Month Term SOFR (or other applicable Benchmark) is less than zero for any Interest Period during the Floating Rate Period, then Three-Month Term SOFR (or other such Benchmark) shall be deemed to be zero for such Interest Period. During the Floating Rate Period, interest on the Notes will be payable quarterly in arrears on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing on September 15, 2025 (each such date, a “Floating Rate Interest Payment Date” and, together with each Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date, each an “Interest Payment Date”). The last Floating Rate Interest Payment Date shall be June 15, 2030, unless the Notes are earlier redeemed. The interest payable during the Floating Rate Period will be paid to each Holder in whose name a Note is registered at the close of business on the fifteenth day (whether or not a Business Day) immediately preceding the applicable Floating Rate Interest Payment Date (each such date, a “Floating Rate Regular Record Date”). The Calculation Agent will provide the Company and the Trustee with the interest rate in effect for each Interest Period during the Floating Rate Period promptly after the Reference Time therefor (or other date of determination for the applicable Benchmark).

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(iii) The Company shall take such actions as are necessary to ensure that from the commencement of the Floating Rate Period for so long as any of the Notes remain outstanding there will at all times be a Calculation Agent appointed to calculate Three-Month Term SOFR in respect of each Floating Rate Period. The calculation of Three-Month Term SOFR for each applicable Floating Rate Period by the Calculation Agent will (in the absence of manifest error) be final and binding. The Calculation Agent’s calculation of any interest rate and interest payments for any period will be maintained on file at the Calculation Agent’s principal offices, will be made available to any Holder of the Notes upon request and will be provided to the Trustee. The Calculation Agent shall have all the rights, protections and indemnities afforded to the Trustee under the Base Indenture and hereunder. The Calculation Agent may be removed by the Company at any time. If the Calculation Agent is unable or unwilling to act as Calculation Agent or is removed by the Company, the Company will promptly appoint a replacement Calculation Agent, which shall not be the Trustee without the Trustee’s express written consent. The Calculation Agent may resign from such role at any time in its sole discretion upon written notice to the Company. Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor calculation agent, and if a successor Calculation Agent has not been appointed by the Company and such successor accepted such position within 30 days after the giving of notice of resignation by the Calculation Agent, then the resigning Calculation Agent may petition, at the expense of the Company, any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Calculation Agent with respect to such series. For the avoidance of doubt, if at any time there is no Calculation Agent appointed by the Company, then the Company shall be the Calculation Agent. The Company may appoint itself or any of its Affiliates to be the Calculation Agent.

(c) Effect of Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date.

(i) If the Company determines that a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred on or prior to the Reference Time in respect of any determination of the Benchmark on any date, then upon written notice by the Company to the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company), the Benchmark Replacement will replace the then-current Benchmark for all purposes relating to the Floating Rate Period in respect of such determination on such date and all determinations on all subsequent dates. In connection with the implementation of a Benchmark Replacement, the Company will have the right to make Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes from time to time.
   
(ii) Notwithstanding anything set forth in clause (b)(ii) above, if the Company determines that a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred on or prior to the relevant Reference Time with respect to Three-Month Term SOFR, then upon written notice by the Company to the Calculation Agent (if other than the Company), the provisions set forth in this clause (c) will thereafter apply to all determinations of the rate or interest payable on the Notes during the Floating Rate Period. After a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred, the interest rate on the Notes for each Interest Period during the Floating Rate Period will be an annual rate equal to the Benchmark Replacement plus the spread specified in clause (b)(ii) above.

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(iii) The Company and the Calculation Agent are expressly authorized to make certain determinations, decisions and elections as contemplated by the terms of the Notes, including with respect to the use of any Benchmark Replacement for the Floating Rate Period and under this clause (c). Any determination, decision or election that may be made by the Company or by the Calculation Agent under the terms of the Notes, including any determination with respect to a tenor, rate or adjustment or of the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event, circumstance or date and any decision to take or refrain from taking any action or selection (A) will be conclusive and binding on the Holders and the Trustee absent manifest error, (B) if made by the Company, will be made in the Company’s sole discretion, (C) if made by the Calculation Agent, will be made after consultation with the Company, and the Calculation Agent will not make any such determination, decision or election to which the Company reasonably objects, and (D) notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in the Base Indenture, shall become effective without consent from the Holders or the Trustee. If the Calculation Agent fails to make any determination, decision or election that it is required to make under the terms of the Notes, then the Company will make such determination, decision or election on the same basis as described above.

(d) The Company (or its Calculation Agent) shall notify the Trustee in writing (1) upon the occurrence of the Benchmark Transition Event or the Benchmark Replacement Date, and (2) of any Benchmark Replacements, Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes and other items affecting the interest rate on the Notes after a Benchmark Transition Event.

(e) The Trustee (acting in its capacity hereunder) shall have no (1) responsibility or liability for (A) Three-Month Term SOFR Conventions, (B) selection of an alternative reference rate to Three-Month Term SOFR (including whether the conditions for the designation of such rate have been satisfied or whether such rate is a Benchmark Replacement or an Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement), (C) determination or calculation of a Benchmark Replacement, (D) determination of whether a Benchmark Transition Event or Benchmark Replacement Date has occurred, or (E) any information used in any calculation or determination hereunder or in connection herewith, and in each such case under clauses (A) through (D) above shall be entitled to conclusively rely upon the selection, determination, and/or calculation thereof as provided by the Company or its Calculation Agent, as applicable, or (2) liability for any failure or delay in performing its duties hereunder as a result of the unavailability of a Benchmark as described in the definition thereof, including as a result of the Company’s or Calculation Agent’s failure to select a Benchmark Replacement or the Calculation Agent’s failure to calculate a Benchmark. The Trustee shall be entitled to rely conclusively on all notices from the Company or its Calculation Agent regarding any Benchmark or Benchmark Replacement, including in regards to Three-Month Term SOFR Conventions, a Benchmark Transition Event, Benchmark Replacement Date, and Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes and any related information.

(f) If the then-current Benchmark is Three-Month Term SOFR and any of the foregoing provisions concerning the calculation of the interest rate and the payment of interest during the Floating Rate Period are inconsistent with any of the Three-Month Term SOFR Conventions determined by the Company, then the relevant Three-Month Term SOFR Conventions will apply.

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(g) Interest due on the Stated Maturity Date (whether or not an Interest Payment Date) of the Notes will be paid to the Person to whom principal of the Notes is payable, subject to DTC’s applicable procedures.

(h) The amount of interest payable on any Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date during the Fixed Rate Period will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months to, but excluding, June 15, 2025, and, the amount of interest payable on any Floating Rate Interest Payment Date during the Floating Rate Period will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed. The Company or the Calculation Agent, as applicable, shall calculate the amount of interest payable on any Interest Payment Date and the Trustee shall have no duty to confirm or verify any such calculation. In the event that any scheduled Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date falls on a day that is not a Business Day, then payment of interest payable on such Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date will be postponed to the next succeeding day which is a Business Day (any payment made on such date will be treated as being made on the date that the payment was first due and no interest on such payment will accrue for the period from and after such scheduled Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date). In the event that any scheduled Floating Rate Interest Payment Date falls on a day that is not a Business Day, then payment of interest payable on such Floating Rate Interest Payment Date will be postponed to the next succeeding day that is a Business Day, unless such day falls in the next succeeding calendar month, in which case such Floating Rate Interest Payment Date will be accelerated to the immediately preceding day that is a Business Day, and, in each such case, the amounts payable on such Business Day will include interest accrued to, but excluding, such Business Day. If the Stated Maturity Date of the Notes falls on a date that is not a Business Day, the payment of interest and principal of the Notes may be made on the next succeeding Business Day, and no interest on such payment shall accrue for the period from and after the Stated Maturity Date. Dollar amounts resulting from interest calculations will be rounded to the nearest cent, with one half cent being rounded upward.

Section 2.06 Subordination.

(a) Except as otherwise specified, the Company agrees, and each Holder of the Notes by accepting the Notes agrees, that the indebtedness evidenced by the Notes is subordinated in right of payment, to the extent and in the manner provided in this Section 2.06, to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness and that the subordination is for the benefit of the holders of Senior Indebtedness.

(b) In the event of (a) any insolvency or bankruptcy case or proceeding, or any receivership, liquidation, reorganization or other similar case or proceeding in connection therewith, relative to the Company or to its creditors, as such, or to its assets, or (b) any liquidation, dissolution or other winding up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary and whether or not involving insolvency or bankruptcy, or (c) any assignment for the benefit of creditors or any other marshalling of assets and liabilities of the Company:

(i) holders of Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled to receive payment in full in cash of the principal thereof, premium, if any, additional amounts owing in respect thereof, if any, and interest (including interest accruing after the commencement of any such proceeding) to the date of payment on the Senior Indebtedness before Holders shall be entitled to receive any payment of principal of or interest on Notes;

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(ii) until the Senior Indebtedness is paid in full in cash, any indebtedness to which Holders of the Notes or the Trustee would be entitled but for this Section 2.06 shall be made to holders of Senior Indebtedness as their interests may appear for the application to the payment thereof, except that Holders of the Notes may receive securities that are subordinated to Senior Indebtedness to at least the same extent as the Notes; and
   
(iii) the Trustee is entitled to conclusively rely upon an order or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction or a certificate of a bankruptcy trustee or other similar official for the purpose of ascertaining the persons entitled to participate in such distribution, the holders of Senior Indebtedness and other Company debt, the amount thereof or payable thereon and all other pertinent facts relating to the Trustee’s obligations under this Section 2.06.

In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section, the Trustee or the Holder of any of the Notes shall have received any payment or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, including by way of set-off or any such payment or distribution which may be payable or deliverable by reason of the payment of any other indebtedness of the Company being subordinated to the payment of the Notes, before all Senior Indebtedness is paid in full or payment thereof provided for, and if such fact shall, at or prior to the time of such payment or distribution, have been made known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in writing or, as the case may be, such Holder of the Notes, then and in such event such payment or distribution shall be paid over or delivered forthwith to the trustee in bankruptcy, receiver, liquidating trustee, custodian, assignee, agent or other Person making payment or distribution of assets of the Company for application to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness remaining unpaid, to the extent necessary to pay all Senior Indebtedness in full, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the holders of Senior Indebtedness. Any taxes that have been withheld or deducted from any payment or distribution in respect of the Notes, or any taxes that ought to have been withheld or deducted from any such payment or distribution that have been remitted to the relevant taxing authority, shall not be considered to be an amount that the Trustee or the Holder of any of the Notes receives for purposes of this Section.

(c) The Company may not pay principal, premium, interest or additional amounts owing with respect to the Notes and may not acquire any Notes for cash or property other than capital stock of the Company if:

(i) (A) in the event and during the continuation of any default in the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest on any Senior Indebtedness beyond any applicable grace period with respect thereto or (B) a default on Senior Indebtedness occurs and is continuing that permits holders of such Senior Indebtedness (or a trustee on their behalf) to accelerate its maturity, or

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(ii) the default is the subject of judicial proceedings or the Company receives a notice of the default from a person who may give it pursuant to Section 2.06(l) hereof.

The Company may resume payments on the Notes and may acquire them when:

(iii) the default is cured or waiver; or
   
(iv) if this Section 2.06 otherwise permits the payments or acquisition at that time.

(d) In the event that any Notes are declared due and payable before their Stated Maturity Date, then and in such event the holders of Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled to receive payment in full of all amounts due or to become due on or in respect of all Senior Indebtedness or provision shall be made for such payment in cash, before the Holders of the Notes are entitled to receive any payment (including any payment which may be payable by reason of the payment of any other indebtedness of the Company being subordinated to the payment of the Notes) by the Company on account of the principal of, premium, if any, additional amounts owing in respect thereof, if any or interest on the Notes or on account of the purchase or other acquisition of Notes; provided, that any money deposited pursuant to Article IV of the Base Indenture not in violation of the Indenture shall not be subject to the claims of holders of Senior Indebtedness.

In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall make any payment to the Trustee or the Holder of any Note prohibited by the foregoing provisions of this Section, and if such fact shall, at or prior to the time of such payment, have been made known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in writing or, as the case may be, such Holder, then and in such event such payment shall be paid over and delivered forthwith to the Company.

(e) If payment or distribution on account of the Notes of any character or security, whether in cash, securities or other property, is received by Holder, including any applicable Trustee, in contravention of any of the terms of this Section 2.06 and before all Senior Indebtedness has been paid in full, such payment or distribution or security will be received in trust for the benefit of, and must be paid over or delivered and transferred to, holders of Senior Indebtedness at the time outstanding in accordance with the priorities then existing among those holders of Senior Indebtedness for application to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness remaining unpaid to the extent necessary to pay all Senior Indebtedness in full.

(f) The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee, in writing, and any Paying Agent of any facts known to the Company that would cause a payment on the Notes to violate this Section 2.06.

(g) After all Senior Indebtedness is paid in full and until the Notes are paid in full, Holders shall be subrogated to the rights of holders of Senior Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions applicable to Senior Indebtedness to the extent that distributions otherwise payable to the Holders have been applied to the payment of Senior Indebtedness. A payment or distribution made under this Section 2.06 to holders of Senior Indebtedness which otherwise would have been made to Holders is not, as among the Company, its creditors other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness and Holders, a payment or distribution by the Company on account of the Senior Indebtedness.

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(h) This Section 2.06 is intended solely to define the relative rights of Holders on the one hand and the holders of Senior Indebtedness on the other hand. Nothing in the Indenture or in the Notes shall:

(i) impair, as among the Company, its creditors other than holders of Senior Indebtedness and the Holders of the Notes, the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay to the Holders of the Notes the principal of, premium, if any, additional amounts in respect thereof, if any, and interest on the Notes as and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with their terms;
 
(ii) affect the relative rights of Holders and creditors of the Company other than holders of Senior Indebtedness; or
 
(iii) prevent the Trustee or any Holder from exercising its available remedies upon an Event of Default, subject to the rights of holders of Senior Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions otherwise payable to Holders or the Trustee.

If the Company fails because of this Section 2.06 to pay principal, premium, if any, additional amounts in respect thereof, if any, or interest on any of the Notes on the due date, such failure shall constitute a default hereunder.

(i) No right of any holder of Senior Indebtedness to enforce the subordination of the indebtedness evidenced by the Notes shall be impaired by any act or failure to act by the Company or by its failure to comply with the Indenture.

(j) Whenever a distribution is to be made or a notice given to holders of Senior Indebtedness, the distribution may be made and the notice given to their Representative.

(k) The Trustee or any Paying Agent may continue to make payments on the Notes until it receives written notice of facts that would cause a payment of principal of or interest on the Notes to violate this Section 2.06. Only the Company, a Representative or a holder of an issue of Senior Indebtedness that has no Representative may give the written notice.

The Trustee has no fiduciary duty to the holders of Senior Indebtedness other than as created under this Indenture. The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may hold Senior Indebtedness with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee.

Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company’s obligation to pay, and the Company’s payment of, the amounts required by Section 6.07 of the Base Indenture are excluded from the operation of this Section 2.06. For the sake of clarity, such payments are not subordinated to the Company’s Senior Indebtedness.

(l) Nothing contained in this Section 2.06 or elsewhere in the Indenture or in any of the Notes shall prevent (a) the Company, at any time except during the pendency of any case, proceeding, dissolution, liquidation or other winding up, assignment for the benefit of creditors or other marshalling of assets and liabilities of the Company referred to in Section 2.06(b) hereof or under the conditions described in Section 2.06(c) or Section 2.06(d) hereof, from making payments at any time of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, additional amounts owing in respect thereof, if any or interest on the Notes or on account of the purchase or other acquisition of the Notes, or (b) the application by the Trustee of any money deposited with it hereunder to the payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, additional amounts owing in respect thereof, if any, or interest on the Notes or the retention of such payment by the Holders, if, at the time of such application by the Trustee, it did not have knowledge (in accordance with Section 2.06(f) hereof) that such payment would have been prohibited by the provisions of this Section 2.06

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(m) Each Holder of a Note by his acceptance thereof authorizes and directs the Trustee on his behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination provided in this Section 2.06 and appoints the Trustee his attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes.

(n) Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Section 2.06, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Section 6.02 of the Base Indenture, and the Holders of the Notes shall be entitled to conclusively rely upon any order or decree entered by any court of competent jurisdiction in which such insolvency, bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation, reorganization, dissolution, winding up or similar case or proceeding is pending, or a certificate of the trustee in bankruptcy, receiver, liquidating trustee, custodian, assignee for the benefit of creditors, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, delivered to the Trustee or to the Holders of the Notes, for the purpose of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such payment or distribution, the holders of Senior Indebtedness and other indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Section 2.06.

(o) In case at any time any Paying Agent other than the Trustee shall have been appointed by the Company and be then acting hereunder, the term “Trustee” as used in Section 2.06 shall in such case (unless the context otherwise requires) be construed as extending to and including such Paying Agent within its meaning as fully for all intents and purposes as if such Paying Agent were named in this Section 2.06 in addition to or in place of the Trustee.

Section 2.07 Events of Default; Acceleration. Neither the Trustee nor the Holders of the Notes shall have the right to accelerate the maturity of the Notes unless there is an Event of Default specified under clause (e) or (f) of Section 5.01 of the Base Indenture. If an Event of Default specified in clause (e) or (f) of Section 5.01 of the Base Indenture occurs, then the principal amount of all of the Outstanding Notes, including any accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes and premium, if any, shall become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or the Holders of the Notes in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.02 of the Base Indenture.

Section 2.08 No Sinking Fund. The Notes are not entitled to the benefit of any sinking fund.

Section 2.09 No Conversion or Exchange Rights. The Notes shall not be convertible into or exchangeable for any other securities or property of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company.

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Section 2.10 Defeasance; No Covenant Defeasance. Section 4.02 of the Base Indenture shall be applicable to the Notes. Section 4.03 of the Base Indenture shall not be applicable to the Notes.

Article III. REDEMPTION OF THE NOTES

Section 3.01 Optional Redemption. The Company may, at its option, redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, on any Interest Payment Date on or after June 15, 2025, at a Redemption Price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the Redemption Date fixed by the Company; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, the payment of such accrued and unpaid interest paid as a part of the Redemption Price shall satisfy in full the obligation of the Company to pay accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes redeemed from and including the most recent Interest Payment Date on which all accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes was paid or provided for to, but excluding, the Redemption Date. Any partial redemption will be made in accordance with the Base Indenture. The Company’s election to redeem any Notes shall be provided to the Trustee in the form of an Officers’ Certificate at least 60 days prior to the Redemption Date, or such shorter notice as may be acceptable to the Trustee.

Section 3.02 Redemption Upon Special Events. The Company may also, at its option, redeem the Notes before the Stated Maturity Date in whole, but not in part, at any time, upon the occurrence of a Tier 2 Capital Event, a Tax Event or a 1940 Act Event. Any such redemption will be at a Redemption Price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the Redemption Date fixed by the Company; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, the payment of such accrued and unpaid interest paid as a part of the Redemption Price shall satisfy in full the obligation of the Company to pay accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes redeemed from and including the most recent Interest Payment Date on which all accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes was paid or provided for through, but excluding, the Redemption Date. The Company’s election to redeem any Notes shall be provided to the Trustee in the form of an Officers’ Certificate at least 60 days prior to the Redemption Date, or such shorter notice as may be acceptable to the Trustee. If any conditions precedent to such optional redemption have not been satisfied, the Company shall provide written notice to the Trustee and each Holder of the Notes prior to the close of business prior to the Redemption Date fixed by the Company in the same manner in which the notice of redemption was given. Upon receipt of such notice, the notice of redemption shall be rescinded or delayed as provided in such notice. In no event shall the Trustee be responsible to satisfy any such conditions precedent, including making a deposit of money required to effectuate the redemption.

Section 3.03 Redemption Approval. No redemption of the Notes by the Company prior to the Stated Maturity Date pursuant to this Article 3 shall be made without the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board if such prior approval is or will be required at the scheduled Redemption Date. To the extent that the approval of the Federal Reserve Board is required for the Company’s redemption of the Notes pursuant to this Article 3, the Trustee shall not have any duty or obligation to determine whether such approval is required or any duty or obligation to obtain such approval. Prior to the delivery of the notice of redemption to the Holders of the Notes, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating (i) whether or not the approval of the Federal Reserve Board is required for the Company’s redemption of the Notes and (ii) if such approval is required, whether or not such approval has been obtained by the Company.

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Section 3.04 Redemption Procedures. Notice of redemption must be provided to the Holders of the Notes to be redeemed not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the applicable Redemption Date. The provisions of Article XI of the Base Indenture shall apply to any redemption of the Notes pursuant to this Article III.

Article IV. FORM OF NOTES

The Notes and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication thereon are to be substantially in the form attached as Exhibit A hereto, with such changes therein as the officers of the Company executing the Notes (by manual or facsimile signature) may approve, such approval to be conclusively evidenced by their execution thereof.

Article V. ISSUE OF NOTES

Section 5.01 Additional Issues of Notes. The Company may, from time to time, without notice to or the consent of the Holders of the Notes, issue an unlimited amount of additional subordinated Securities of the same series as the Notes, which Securities will rank pari passu with the Notes and be identical in all respects to the Notes previously issued except for their issuance date, the offering price, the interest commencement date and the first payment of interest following the issue date of such additional subordinated Securities in order that such additional subordinated Securities may be consolidated and form a single series with the Notes outstanding immediately prior to the issuance of such additional subordinated Securities and have the same terms as to status, redemption or otherwise as the Notes; provided that, if any additional subordinated Securities are not fungible with the initial Notes for U.S. income tax purposes, such additional subordinated Securities will have a separate CUSIP number.

Article VI. IMMUNITY OF STOCKHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

No director, officer, employee or shareholder of the Company, as such, shall have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the Notes or this Second Supplemental Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of such obligations or their creation. By accepting the Notes, each Holder waives and releases all such liability.

Article VII. MISCELLANEOUS

Section 7.01 Ratification of Base Indenture. The Base Indenture, as supplemented by this Second Supplemental Indenture, is in all respects ratified and confirmed, and this Second Supplemental Indenture shall be deemed part of the Base Indenture in the manner and to the extent herein and therein provided; provided that the provisions of this Second Supplemental Indenture apply solely with respect to the Notes.

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Section 7.02 Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals. The recitals contained herein and in the Notes, except the Trustee’s certificates of authentication, shall be taken as statements of the Company and not those of the Trustee, and the Trustee assumes no responsibility for the correctness thereof. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Second Supplemental Indenture or of the Notes. The Trustee shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of the Notes or of the proceeds thereof.

Section 7.03 Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial. THIS SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE AND EACH NOTE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. THE ISSUER, THE TRUSTEE AND THE HOLDERS HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE, THE NOTES OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

Section 7.04 Separability Clause. In case any provision in this Second Supplemental Indenture or in the Notes shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

Section 7.05 Counterparts Originals. This Second Supplemental Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. The exchange of copies of this Second Supplemental Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile transmission or by transmission as a PDF e-mail attachment shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Second Supplemental Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Second Supplemental Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or PDF e-mail attachment shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.

Section 7.06 Benefits of Second Supplemental Indenture. Nothing in this Second Supplemental Indenture or in the Notes, express or implied, shall give to any Person, other than the parties to this Second Supplemental Indenture and their successors under this Second Supplemental Indenture and the Persons in whose names the Notes are registered from time to time, any benefit or any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Second Supplemental Indenture.

Section 7.07 Conflict with Base Indenture. To the extent that any provision of this Second Supplemental Indenture relating to the Notes is inconsistent with any provision of the Base Indenture, such provision of this Second Supplemental Indenture shall control with respect to the Notes.

Section 7.08 Trust Indenture Act Controls. This Second Supplemental Indenture is subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act that are required to be part of the Indenture and shall, to the extent applicable, be governed by such provisions. If any provision of this Second Supplemental Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with another provision that is required or deemed to be included in this Second Supplemental Indenture by the Trust Indenture Act, such required or deemed provision shall control.

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Section 7.09 Rights, Protections and Immunities of the Trustee. All of the rights, protections, benefits, immunities and indemnities afforded or given to the Trustee, the Security Registrar and the Paying Agent pursuant to the Base Indenture shall apply to and be enforceable by the Trustee, the Security Registrar and the Paying Agent acting in their respective capacities relating to the Notes and pursuant to this Second Supplemental Indenture mutatis mutandi as if set forth and incorporated herein. The Trustee, the Security Registrar and the Paying Agent is acting hereunder, not in its individual capacity, but solely in its capacity as Trustee, Security Registrar or Paying Agent, as applicable, for the Notes under the Indenture.

Section 7.10 Electronic Signatures. All notices, approvals, consents, requests and any communications hereunder must be in writing (provided that any communication sent to Trustee hereunder must be in the form of a document that is signed manually or by way of a digital signature provided by DocuSign or Smart Sign (or such other digital signature provider as specified in writing to Trustee by the authorized representative), in English. Company agrees to assume all risks arising out of the use of using digital signatures and electronic methods to submit communications to Trustee, including without limitation the risk of Trustee acting on unauthorized instructions, and the risk of interception and misuse by third parties.

Section 7.11 Force Majeure. In no event shall the Trustee (acting in any capacity hereunder) be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, epidemics, pandemics, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.

Section 7.12 USA PATRIOT Act. The parties hereto acknowledge that in accordance with Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Trustee, like all financial institutions and in order to help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering, are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that establishes a relationship or opens an account. The parties to this agreement agree that they will provide the Trustee with such information as it may request to satisfy the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Second Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed as of the day and year first written above.

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.
 
/s/ Frank Sorrentino III 
By:    
Name:  Frank Sorrentino III
Title: Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer
 
U.S, BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Trustee, Registrar and Paying Agent
 
/s/ Annette Marsula
By:
Name: Annette Marsula
Title: Vice President

[Signature Page to Second Supplemental Indenture]

25


EXHIBIT A

THIS SECURITY AND THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY (AS DEFINED HEREIN) AS EVIDENCED HEREBY (1) ARE NOT DEPOSITS WITH OR HELD BY THE COMPANY AND ARE NOT INSURED OR GUARANTEED BY ANY FEDERAL AGENCY OR INSTRUMENTALITY, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION AND (2) ARE SUBORDINATE IN THE RIGHT OF PAYMENT TO THE SENIOR INDEBTEDNESS (AS DEFINED IN THE INDENTURE IDENTIFIED HEREIN).

GLOBAL NOTE

THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, WHICH MAY BE TREATED BY THE COMPANY, THE TRUSTEE AND ANY AGENT THEREOF AS OWNER AND HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY FOR ALL PURPOSES.

UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR THE INDIVIDUAL SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY, THIS GLOBAL SECURITY MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE (I) BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR (II) BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR THE DEPOSITARY TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY. UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY TO THE ISSUER OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO., ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL SINCE THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

TRANSFERS OF THIS GLOBAL SECURITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO TRANSFERS IN WHOLE, BUT NOT IN PART, BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.

26


CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.

5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030

No. 1 CUSIP: 20786W AE7
$75,000,000 ISIN: US20786WAE75

ConnectOne Bancorp Inc., a New Jersey corporation (hereinafter called the “Company,” which term includes any successor corporation under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for value received, hereby promises to pay to CEDE & CO., or its registered assigns, the principal sum of $75,000,000 (or such other amount as set forth in the Schedule of Increases or Decreases in Note attached hereto) on June 15, 2030 (such date is hereinafter referred to as the “Stated Maturity Date”), unless redeemed prior to such date, and to pay interest thereon (i) from, and including, June 15, 2020, to, but excluding, June 15, 2025 or any early redemption date (the “Fixed Rate Period”), at a rate of 5.750% per annum, semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing December 15, 2020 (each such date, a “Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date”) and (ii) from, and including, June 15, 2025, to, but excluding, the Stated Maturity Date or any early redemption date, at a rate equal to Three-Month Term SOFR, reset quarterly, plus 560.5 basis points (5.605%), or such other rate as may be determined pursuant to the Supplemental Indenture hereinafter referred to, payable quarterly in arrears on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing September 15, 2025 through the Stated Maturity Date or earlier redemption date (each, a “Floating Rate Interest Payment Date,” and together with the Fixed Rate Interest Payment Dates, the “Interest Payment Dates,” with the period from, and including, June 15, 2025 to, but excluding, the first Floating Rate Interest Payment Date and each successive period from, and including a Floating Rate Interest Payment Date to, but excluding, the next Floating Rate Interest Payment Date being a “Floating Rate Period”).

Interest payable on this Note during the Fixed Rate Period shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months. In the event that any scheduled Fixed Rate Interest Payment date on this Note falls on a day that is not a Business Day (as defined in the Indenture), then payment of interest payable on such Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date will be postponed to the next succeeding day that is a Business Day and no additional interest shall accrue. Interest payable on this Note during any Floating Rate Period shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year and the actual number of days in such Floating Rate Period. All percentages used in or resulting from any calculation of Three-Month Term SOFR shall be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with 0.000005% rounded up to 0.00001%. In the event that any scheduled Floating Rate Interest Payment Date on this Note falls on a day that is not a Business Day, then payment of interest payable on such Floating Rate Interest Payment Date will be postponed to the next succeeding day that is a Business Day, unless such day falls in the next succeeding calendar month, in which case such Floating Rate Interest Payment Date will be accelerated to the immediately preceding day that is a Business Day, and, in each case, the amounts payable on such Business Day will include interest accrued to, but excluding, such Business Day.

27


Any principal and premium, and any such installment of interest, which is overdue shall bear interest at the applicable rate set forth in the previous paragraph (to the extent that the payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable), from the dates such amounts are due until they are paid or made available for payment, and such interest shall be payable on demand. The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Note is registered at the close of business on the Fixed Rate Interest Record Date for such interest, which shall be the close of business on the May 31 or November 30 (whether or not a Business Day) immediately preceding such Fixed Rate Interest Payment Date, through May 31, 2025, and thereafter, on any Floating Rate Interest Payment Date, on the Floating Rate Interest Record Date for such interest, which shall be the close of business on the last day of February, May 31, August 31, and November 30 (whether or not a Business Day) immediately preceding such Floating Rate Interest Payment Date.

Payment of the principal of and interest on this Note will be made at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose, which shall initially be the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, in such currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts.

Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Note set forth on the reverse hereof, which further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as if set forth at this place.

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

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

28


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Note to be signed manually or by facsimile by its duly authorized officer.

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.
 
 
By:                                              
Name: Frank Sorrentino III
Title:   Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer

ATTEST UNDER THE CORPORATE
SEAL:
 
By:        
Name:  Laura Criscione
Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, & Corporate Secretary

29


TRUSTEE’S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the Notes of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

Date of authentication: June 15, 2020

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Trustee
 
 
By   
Annette Marsula, Vice President
Authorized Signatory

30


REVERSE OF NOTE

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.

5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030

This Note is one of a duly authorized issue of Securities of the Company of a series designated as the “5.750% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030” (herein called the “Notes”) initially issued in an aggregate principal amount of $75,000,000 on June 15, 2020. Such series of Securities has been established pursuant to, and is one of an indefinite number of series of subordinated debt securities of the Company issued or issuable under and pursuant to the Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2018 (the “Base Indenture”), between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee (herein called the “Trustee,” which term includes any successor trustee), as supplemented and amended by the Second Supplemental Indenture between the Company and the Trustee, dated as of June 15, 2020 (the “Second Supplemental Indenture,” and the Base Indenture as supplemented and amended by the Second Supplemental Indenture, the “Indenture”), to which Indenture and any other indentures supplemental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company, the Trustee and the Persons in whose names Notes are registered from time to time and of the terms upon which the Notes are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. The terms, conditions and provisions of the Notes are those stated in the Indenture, those made part of the Indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”), and those set forth in this Note. To the extent that the terms, conditions and provisions of this Note modify, supplement or are inconsistent with those of the Indenture, then the terms, conditions and other provisions of this Note shall govern to the extent that such terms, conditions and other provisions of this Note are not inconsistent with the terms, conditions and provisions made part of the Indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act.

All capitalized terms used in this Note and not defined herein that are defined in the Indenture shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture. To the extent that any capitalized term used in this Note and defined herein is also defined in the Indenture but conflicts with the definition provided in the Indenture, the definition of the capitalized term in this Note shall control.

The indebtedness of the Company evidenced by the Notes, including the principal thereof, premium, if any, and interest thereon, is, to the extent and in the manner set forth in the Indenture, subordinate and subject in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, whether outstanding at the date hereof or hereafter incurred, and on the terms and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Indenture, and shall rank pari passu in right of payment with all other Securities and with all other unsecured subordinated indebtedness of the Company and not by its terms subordinate and subject in right of payment to the prior payment in full of debentures, notes, bonds or other evidences of indebtedness of types that include the Notes. Each Holder of this Note, by the acceptance hereof, agrees to and shall be bound by such provisions of the Indenture and authorizes and directs the Trustee on his behalf to take such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination so provided.

31


The Notes are intended to be treated as Tier 2 capital (or its then-equivalent if the Company were subject to such capital requirement) for purposes of capital adequacy guidelines of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (or any successor regulatory authority with jurisdiction over bank holding companies) (the “Federal Reserve Board”) as then in effect and applicable to the Company. If an Event of Default with respect to Notes shall occur and be continuing, the principal and interest owed on the Notes shall only become due and payable in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in Sections 5.01(e) and (f) of the Base Indenture and Section 2.07 of the Second Supplemental Indenture. Accordingly, the Holder of this Note has no right to accelerate the maturity of this Note in the event that the Company fails to pay interest on any of the Notes, or fails to perform any other obligations under the Notes or in the Indenture that are applicable to the Notes.

The Company may, at its option, redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, on any Interest Payment Date on or after June 15, 2025. The Company may also, at its option, redeem the Notes before the Stated Maturity Date, in whole, but not in part, at any time, upon the occurrence of a Tier 2 Capital Event, a Tax Event or a 1940 Act Event. Any such redemption will be at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the Redemption Date fixed by the Company. No redemption of the Notes by the Company prior to the Stated Maturity Date shall be made without the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board if such prior approval is or will be required at the scheduled Redemption Date. The provisions of Article XI of the Base Indenture and Article 3 of the Second Supplemental Indenture shall apply to the redemption of any Notes by the Company.

The Notes are not entitled to the benefit of any sinking fund. The Notes are not convertible into or exchangeable for any other securities or property of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company.

The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Company and the rights of the Holders of the Notes at any time by the Company and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Notes. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the Holders of specified percentages in principal amount of the Notes at the time Outstanding, on behalf of the Holders of all Notes, to waive certain past defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Note shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Note and of any Note issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Note.

As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, the transfer of this Note is registrable in the Security Register described in Section 3.05 of the Base Indenture, upon surrender of this Note for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company in any place where the principal of and interest on this Note are payable, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar duly executed by the Holder hereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Notes, of authorized denominations and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the designated transferee or transferees.

32


The Notes are issuable only in registered form without coupons in minimum denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof that is an integral multiple of $1,000.

The Company and the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name this Note is registered as the owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Note is overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

This Security is a global note, represented by one or more permanent global certificates registered in the name of the nominee of The Depository Trust Company (each a “Global Note” and collectively, the “Global Notes”). Accordingly, unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates, this Note may not be transferred except as a whole by The Depository Trust Company (the “Depositary”) to a nominee of such Depositary or by a nominee of such Depositary or by the Depositary or any nominee to a successor Depositary or any nominee of such successor. Ownership of beneficial interests in this Security will be shown on, and the transfer of that ownership will be effected only through, records maintained by the applicable Depositary or its nominee (with respect to interest of persons that have accounts with the Depositary (“Participants”)) and the records of Participants (with respect to interests of persons other than Participants). Beneficial interests in Notes owned by persons that hold through Participants will be evidenced only by, and transfers of such beneficial interests with such Participants will be effected only through, records maintained by such Participants. Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in this Note will not be entitled to have any individual certificates and will not be considered the owners or Holders thereof under the Indenture.

Except in the limited circumstances set forth in the Base Indenture, Participants and owners of beneficial interests in the Global Notes will not be entitled to receive Notes in the form of Individual Securities and will not be considered Holders of Notes. None of the Company, the Trustee, the Security Registrar, the Paying Agent or any of their respective agents will be liable for any delay by the Depositary, its nominee or any direct or indirect Participant in identifying the beneficial owners of the related Notes. The Company, the Trustee, the Security Registrar, the Paying Agent and each of their respective agents may conclusively rely on, and will be protected in relying on, instructions from the Depositary or its nominee for all purposes, including with respect to the registration and delivery, and the respective principal amounts, of the Notes to be issued.

Except as provided in Section 3.05 of the Base Indenture, beneficial owners of Global Notes will not be entitled to receive physical delivery of Notes in the form of Individual Securities, and no Global Note will be exchangeable except for another Global Note of like denomination and tenor to be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a Global Note must rely on the procedures of the Depositary and, if such person is not a Participant, on the procedures of the Participant through which such person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a Holder under the Notes.

33


The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of those securities in definitive form. Accordingly, the ability to transfer interests in the Notes represented by a Global Note to those persons may be limited. In addition, because the Depositary can act only on behalf of its Participants, who in turn act on behalf of persons who hold interests through Participants, the ability of a person having an interest in Notes represented by a Global Note to pledge or transfer such interest to persons or entities that do not participate in the Depositary’s system, or otherwise to take actions in respect of such interest, may be affected by the lack of a physical definitive security in respect of such interest. None of the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent and the Security Registrar will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of Notes by the Depositary, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records of the Depositary relating to the Notes.

U.S. Bank National Association will act as the Company’s Paying Agent with respect to the Notes through its Corporate Trust Office presently located at 333 Thornall Street, 4th Floor, Edison, New Jersey 07960. The Company may at any time rescind the designation of a Paying Agent, appoint a successor Paying Agent, or approve a change in the office through which any Paying Agent acts.

Notices to the Holders of registered Notes in the form of Individual Securities will be given to such Holders at their respective addresses in the Security Register, or in the case of Global Notes, electronic delivery in accordance with DTC’s applicable procedures. The Indenture contains provisions setting forth certain conditions to the institution of proceedings by the Holders of Notes with respect to the Indenture or for any remedy under the Indenture.

THIS NOTE SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE A CONTRACT MADE UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

34


ASSIGNMENT FORM

To assign the within Security, fill in the form below: I or we assign and transfer the within Security to:

 
(Insert assignee’s legal name)
 
(Insert assignee’s social security or tax I.D. no.)
 
(Print or type assignee’s name, address and zip code)

and irrevocably appoint ___________________ as agent to transfer this Security on the books of _____________. The agent may substitute another to act for it.

Your Signature:   
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Security)

Your Name:   

Date:   

Signature Guarantee:   

35


SIGNATURE GUARANTEE

Signatures must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” meeting the requirements of the Security Registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Security Transfer Agent Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Security Registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

SCHEDULE OF INCREASES OR DECREASES IN GLOBAL NOTE

The initial principal amount of this Global Note is $75,000,000. The following increases or decreases in the principal amount of this Global Note have been made:

Principal
Amount of Amount of amount of this
increase in decrease in Global Note
principal principal following such
amount of this amount of this increase of Signature of authorized
Date Global Note Global Note decrease signatory of Trustee
 
 
 

36



 

June 15, 2020

ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.
301 Sylvan Avenue
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632

Re: ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.—Prospectus Supplement to Shelf Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-221705)

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc., a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the issuance and sale by the Company of an aggregate of $75 million principal amount of 5.750% fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes due June 15, 2030 (the “Notes”), pursuant to the Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2018 (the “Indenture”), as supplemented by the Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of June 15, 2020 (the “Second Supplemental Indenture”), between the Company and U.S. Bank, National Association (the “Trustee”).

We have reviewed (i) the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-221705) (the “Registration Statement”) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), (ii) the prospectus of the Company, dated December 4, 2017, as supplemented by the prospectus supplement, dated June 10, 2020, relating to the Notes (the “Prospectus Supplement”), as filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, (iii) the Indenture, as supplemented by the Second Supplemental Indenture, (iv) the Underwriting Agreement, dated June 10, 2020 by and between the Company and ConnectOne Bank and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named therein (v) corporate proceedings of the Company relating to the issuance of the Notes, and (vi) such other documents and records and such matters of law and fact as we have deemed necessary or advisable to enable us to render this opinion.

In our examination, we have assumed, without verification, the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents and instruments submitted to us as originals, and the conformity to the originals of all documents and instruments submitted to us as certified or conformed copies.


Based upon, and subject to, the foregoing, and subject to the limitations, qualifications and assumptions stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Notes have been duly authorized (assuming their due authentication by the Trustee), in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, as amended by the Second Supplemental Indenture, and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits provided by the Indenture.

The opinion expressed herein is limited to the applicable provisions of the laws of the States of New Jersey and New York, and the federal laws of the United States of America, each as currently in effect.

We hereby consent to the references to our firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus Supplement and to the inclusion of this opinion as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 15, 2020 which is incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and the prospectus dated December 4, 2017, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement.

Very truly yours,
   
/s/ Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP