Attached files

file filename
8-K - 8-K - ENERGEN CORPd646748d8k.htm

Exhibit 10.1

 

 

 

Published CUSIP Number: 29269JAE3

CREDIT AGREEMENT

Dated as of December 17, 2013

among

ENERGEN CORPORATION,

as the Borrower,

CERTAIN SUBSIDIARIES OF THE BORROWER IDENTIFIED HEREIN,

as the Guarantors,

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,

as Administrative Agent

WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

REGIONS BANK,

COMPASS BANK,

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.

and

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

as Co-Syndication Agents

and

THE OTHER LENDERS PARTY HERETO

Arranged By:

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED,

WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC,

REGIONS CAPITAL MARKETS,

A DIVISION OF REGIONS BANK,

COMPASS BANK,

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

and

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Book Managers

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS

     1   
 

1.01

 

Defined Terms.

     1   
 

1.02

 

Other Interpretive Provisions.

     20   
 

1.03

 

Accounting Terms.

     21   
 

1.04

 

Rounding.

     22   
 

1.05

 

Times of Day.

     22   

ARTICLE II THE COMMITMENTS AND BORROWINGS

     22   
 

2.01

 

Loans.

     22   
 

2.02

 

Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans.

     24   
 

2.03

 

[Reserved].

     25   
 

2.04

 

[Reserved].

     25   
 

2.05

 

Voluntary Prepayments.

     25   
 

2.06

 

[Reserved].

     25   
 

2.07

 

Repayment of Loans.

     26   
 

2.08

 

Interest.

     26   
 

2.09

 

Fees.

     27   
 

2.10

 

Computation of Interest and Fees.

     27   
 

2.11

 

Evidence of Debt.

     27   
 

2.12

 

Payments Generally; Administrative Agent’s Clawback.

     27   
 

2.13

 

Sharing of Payments by Lenders.

     29   
 

2.14

 

[Reserved].

     29   
 

2.15

 

Defaulting Lenders.

     30   

ARTICLE III TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY

     31   
 

3.01

 

Taxes.

     31   
 

3.02

 

Illegality.

     35   
 

3.03

 

Inability to Determine Rates.

     35   
 

3.04

 

Increased Costs.

     36   
 

3.05

 

Compensation for Losses.

     37   
 

3.06

 

Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.

     38   
 

3.07

 

Survival.

     38   

ARTICLE IV GUARANTY

     38   
 

4.01

 

The Guaranty.

     38   
 

4.02

 

Obligations Unconditional.

     39   
 

4.03

 

Reinstatement.

     40   
 

4.04

 

Certain Additional Waivers.

     40   
 

4.05

 

Remedies.

     40   
 

4.06

 

Rights of Contribution.

     40   
 

4.07

 

Guarantee of Payment; Continuing Guarantee.

     40   

ARTICLE V CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO BORROWINGS

     41   
 

5.01

 

Conditions of Effectiveness.

     41   
 

5.02

 

Conditions to all Borrowings.

     42   

 

i


ARTICLE VI REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

     43   
 

6.01

 

Existence, Qualification and Power.

     43   
 

6.02

 

Authorization; No Contravention.

     43   
 

6.03

 

Governmental Authorization; Other Consents.

     43   
 

6.04

 

Binding Effect.

     44   
 

6.05

 

Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect.

     44   
 

6.06

 

Litigation.

     44   
 

6.07

 

No Default.

     44   
 

6.08

 

Ownership of Property.

     45   
 

6.09

 

Environmental Compliance.

     45   
 

6.10

 

[Reserved].

     45   
 

6.11

 

Taxes.

     45   
 

6.12

 

ERISA Compliance.

     45   
 

6.13

 

Subsidiaries.

     46   
 

6.14

 

Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act.

     46   
 

6.15

 

Disclosure.

     46   
 

6.16

 

Compliance with Laws.

     46   
 

6.17

 

Solvency.

     47   

ARTICLE VII AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

     47   
 

7.01

 

Financial Statements.

     47   
 

7.02

 

Certificates; Other Information.

     48   
 

7.03

 

Notices.

     49   
 

7.04

 

Payment of Obligations.

     49   
 

7.05

 

Preservation of Existence, Etc.

     49   
 

7.06

 

Maintenance of Properties.

     49   
 

7.07

 

Maintenance of Insurance.

     50   
 

7.08

 

Compliance with Laws.

     50   
 

7.09

 

Books and Records.

     50   
 

7.10

 

Inspection Rights.

     50   
 

7.11

 

Use of Proceeds.

     51   
 

7.12

 

ERISA Compliance.

     51   
 

7.13

 

Additional Subsidiaries.

     51   
 

7.14

 

Ownership of Certain Subsidiaries.

     51   
 

7.15

 

Investments.

     51   

ARTICLE VIII NEGATIVE COVENANTS

     52   
 

8.01

 

Liens.

     52   
 

8.02

 

[Reserved].

     55   
 

8.03

 

Indebtedness.

     55   
 

8.04

 

Fundamental Changes.

     55   
 

8.05

 

Dispositions.

     56   
 

8.06

 

Restricted Payments.

     56   
 

8.07

 

Change in Nature of Business.

     57   
 

8.08

 

Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders.

     57   
 

8.09

 

[Reserved].

     57   
 

8.10

 

Use of Proceeds.

     57   
 

8.11

 

Financial Covenant.

     57   
 

8.12

 

Organization Documents; Fiscal Year; Legal Name, State of Formation and Form of Entity.

     57   

 

ii


ARTICLE IX EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

     58   
 

9.01

 

Events of Default.

     58   
 

9.02

 

Remedies Upon Event of Default.

     59   
 

9.03

 

Application of Funds.

     60   

ARTICLE X ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT

     61   
 

10.01

 

Appointment and Authority.

     61   
 

10.02

 

Rights as a Lender.

     61   
 

10.03

 

Exculpatory Provisions.

     61   
 

10.04

 

Reliance by Administrative Agent.

     62   
 

10.05

 

Delegation of Duties.

     62   
 

10.06

 

Resignation of Administrative Agent.

     63   
 

10.07

 

Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders.

     64   
 

10.08

 

No Other Duties; Etc.

     64   
 

10.09

 

Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim.

     64   
 

10.10

 

Guaranty Matters.

     65   

ARTICLE XI MISCELLANEOUS

     65   
 

11.01

 

Amendments, Etc.

     65   
 

11.02

 

Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communications.

     66   
 

11.03

 

No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement.

     68   
 

11.04

 

Expenses; Indemnity; and Damage Waiver.

     69   
 

11.05

 

Payments Set Aside.

     70   
 

11.06

 

Successors and Assigns.

     70   
 

11.07

 

Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality.

     74   
 

11.08

 

Set-off.

     75   
 

11.09

 

Interest Rate Limitation.

     75   
 

11.10

 

Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness.

     75   
 

11.11

 

Survival of Representations and Warranties.

     76   
 

11.12

 

Severability.

     76   
 

11.13

 

Replacement of Lenders.

     76   
 

11.14

 

Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.

     77   
 

11.15

 

Waiver of Right to Trial by Jury.

     78   
 

11.16

 

No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility.

     78   
 

11.17

 

Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents.

     79   
 

11.18

 

USA PATRIOT Act Notice.

     79   

 

iii


SCHEDULES

 

  2.01    Commitments and Applicable Percentages
  6.13    Subsidiaries
  8.01    Liens Existing on the Closing Date
  8.03    Indebtedness Existing on the Closing Date
  11.02    Certain Addresses for Notices

EXHIBITS

 

  2.01(b)    Form of Incremental Term Loan Agreement
  2.02    Form of Loan Notice
  2.11(a)    Form of Term Loan Note
  2.11(b)    Form of Incremental Term Loan Note
  3.01    Forms of U.S. Tax Compliance Certificates
  7.02    Form of Compliance Certificate
  7.13    Form of Joinder Agreement
  11.06(b)    Form of Assignment and Assumption

 

iv


CREDIT AGREEMENT

This CREDIT AGREEMENT is entered into as of December 17, 2013 among ENERGEN CORPORATION, an Alabama corporation (the “Borrower”), the Guarantors (defined herein), the Lenders (defined herein) and BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as Administrative Agent.

The Borrower has requested that the Lenders provide a $600,000,000 term loan facility for the purposes set forth herein, and the Lenders are willing to do so on the terms and conditions set forth herein.

In consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS

 

1.01 Defined Terms.

As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Act” has the meaning specified in Section 11.18.

Acquisition”, by any Person, means the acquisition by such Person, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of either (a) all or any substantial portion of the property of, or a line of business or division of, another Person or (b) at least a majority of the Voting Stock of another Person, in each case whether or not involving a merger or consolidation with such other Person.

Administrative Agent” means Bank of America in its capacity as administrative agent under any of the Loan Documents, or any successor administrative agent.

Administrative Agent’s Office” means the Administrative Agent’s address and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 11.02 or such other address or account as the Administrative Agent may from time to time notify to the Borrower and the Lenders.

Administrative Questionnaire” means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form approved by the Administrative Agent.

Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified.

Agreement” means this Credit Agreement.

Applicable Percentage” means, with respect to any Lender, at any time the percentage of the outstanding principal amount of the Loans held by such Lender at such time. The initial Applicable Percentage of each Lender is set forth opposite the name of such Lender on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable. The Applicable Percentages shall be subject to adjustment as provided in Section 2.15.


Applicable Rate” means from time to time, the following percentages per annum, based upon the Debt Rating as set forth below:

 

Pricing
Level

  

Debt Rating

(S&P/Fitch/Moody’s)

   Eurodollar
Rate Loans
    Base Rate
Loans
 

I

   ³ A-/A-/A3      1.000     0.000

II

   BBB+/BBB+/Baa1      1.125     0.125

III

   BBB/BBB/Baa2      1.375     0.375

IV

   BBB-/BBB-/Baa3      1.625     0.625

V

   < BBB-/ BBB-/Baa3      1.875     0.875

Debt Rating” means, as of any date of determination, the rating as determined by any of S&P, Fitch or Moody’s (collectively, the “Debt Ratings”) of the Borrower’s non-credit-enhanced, senior unsecured long-term debt; provided that, (a) if the Borrower is split-rated and all three (3) Debt Ratings fall in different Pricing Levels, the applicable Pricing Level shall be based upon the Pricing Level indicated by the middle Debt Rating, (b) if the Borrower is split-rated and two (2) of the Debt Ratings fall in the same Pricing Level (the “Majority Level”) and the third Debt Rating is in a different Pricing Level, the applicable Pricing Level shall be based upon the Majority Level, (c) if the Borrower shall maintain Debt Ratings from only two (2) of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch, the applicable Pricing Level shall be based on (x) if the two Debt Ratings are one Pricing Level apart, the higher of the two Debt Ratings (the lower pricing); (y) if the two Debt Ratings are two or three Pricing Levels apart, the applicable Pricing Level shall be determined by reference to the Pricing Level one Debt Rating lower than the higher of the two Debt Ratings; and (z) if the two Debt Ratings are four Pricing Levels apart, the applicable Pricing Level shall be determined by reference to the Pricing Level two Debt Ratings lower than the higher of the two Debt Ratings. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Borrower does not have any Debt Rating, Pricing Level V shall apply.

Initially, the Applicable Rate shall be Pricing Level IV. Thereafter, each change in the Applicable Rate resulting from a publicly announced change in a Debt Rating shall be effective on the date of the public announcement thereof and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date of the next such change.

Approved Fund” means any Fund that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.

Arrangers” means MLPFS, WFS, Regions Capital, Compass Bank, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and U.S. Bank National Association in their capacity as joint lead arrangers and joint book managers.

Assignment and Assumption” means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 11.06(b)), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in substantially the form of Exhibit 11.06(b) or any other form (including electronic documentation generated by MarkitClear or other electronic platform) approved by the Administrative Agent.

Attributable Indebtedness” means, with respect to any Person on any date, (a) in respect of any Capital Lease, the capitalized amount thereof that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP, (b) in respect of any Synthetic Lease, the capitalized amount of the remaining lease payments under the relevant lease that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP if such lease were accounted for as a

 

2


Capital Lease and (c) in respect of any Securitization Transaction, the outstanding principal amount of such financing, after taking into account reserve accounts and making appropriate adjustments, determined by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable judgment.

Audited Financial Statements” means the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such fiscal year, including the notes thereto.

BAML Fee Letter” means the letter agreement, dated as of November 20, 2013, among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and MLPFS.

Bank of America” means Bank of America, N.A. and its successors.

Base Rate” means for any day a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest of (a) the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.50%, (b) the rate of interest in effect for such day as publicly announced from time to time by Bank of America as its “prime rate” and (c) the one month Eurodollar Rate plus 1.0%. The “prime rate” is a rate set by Bank of America based upon various factors including Bank of America’s costs and desired return, general economic conditions and other factors, and is used as a reference point for pricing some loans, which may be priced at, above, or below such announced rate. Any change in such “prime rate” announced by Bank of America shall take effect at the opening of business on the day specified in the public announcement of such change.

Base Rate Loan” means a Loan that bears interest based on the Base Rate.

Borrower” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

Borrower Materials” has the meaning specified in Section 7.02.

Borrowing” means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the Lenders pursuant to Section 2.01.

Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks are authorized to close under the Laws of, or are in fact closed in, the state where the Administrative Agent’s Office is located and, if such day relates to any Eurodollar Rate Loan or any Base Rate Loan bearing interest at a rate based on the Eurodollar Rate, means any such day that is also a London Banking Day.

Capital Lease” means, as applied to any Person, any lease of any property by that Person as lessee which, in accordance with GAAP, is required to be accounted for as a capital lease on the balance sheet of that Person.

Cash Equivalents” means, as at any date, (a) securities issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof (provided that the full faith and credit of the United States is pledged in support thereof) having maturities of not more than twelve months from the date of acquisition, (b) Dollar denominated time deposits, certificates of deposit, eurodollar time deposits or overnight bank deposits of (i) any Lender, (ii) any domestic commercial bank of recognized standing having capital and surplus in excess of $500,000,000 or (iii) any bank whose short-term commercial paper rating from S&P is at least A-1 or the equivalent thereof, from Moody’s is at least P-1 or the equivalent thereof or from Fitch is at least F1 or the equivalent thereof (any such bank being an “Approved Bank”), in each case

 

3


with maturities of not more than 270 days from the date of acquisition, (c) commercial paper and variable or fixed rate notes issued by any Approved Bank (or by the parent company thereof) or any commercial paper and fixed or variable rate notes issued by, or guaranteed by, any domestic corporation rated A-1 (or the equivalent thereof) or better by S&P, P-1 (or the equivalent thereof) or better by Moody’s or F1 (or the equivalent thereof) or better by Fitch on the date such commercial paper or notes are acquired and, in each case, maturing within six months of the date of acquisition, (d) repurchase agreements entered into by any Person with a bank or trust company (including any of the Lenders or any Approved Bank) or recognized securities dealer having capital and surplus in excess of $500,000,000 for direct obligations issued by or fully guaranteed by the United States and having, on the date of purchase thereof, a fair market value of at least 100% of the amount of the repurchase obligations, (e) securities with maturities of one year or less from the date of acquisition issued or fully guaranteed by any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States, by any political subdivision or taxing authority of such state, commonwealth or territory or by any foreign government, the securities of which state, commonwealth, territory, political subdivision, taxing authority or foreign government (as the case may be) are rated at least A by S&P, A2 by Moody’s or A by Fitch on the date such securities are acquired and (f) investments, classified in accordance with GAAP as current assets, in money market investment programs registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which are administered by reputable financial institutions having capital of at least $500,000,000 and the portfolios of which are limited to Investments of the character described in the foregoing subdivisions (a) through (e).

Change in Law” means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement, of any of the following: (a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation, implementation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority or (c) the making or issuance of any request, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law) by any Governmental Authority, provided that, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (x) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith and (y) all requests, rules, guidelines or directives concerning capital adequacy promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the United States or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law”, regardless of the date enacted, adopted or issued.

Change of Control” means an event or series of events by which:

(a) any “person” or “group” (as such terms are used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, but excluding any employee benefit plan of such person or its subsidiaries, and any person or entity acting in its capacity as trustee, agent or other fiduciary or administrator of any such plan) becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except that a person or group shall be deemed to have “beneficial ownership” of all Equity Interests that such person or group has the right to acquire, whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time (such right, an “option right”)), directly or indirectly, of 30% or more of the Equity Interests of the Borrower entitled to vote for members of the board of directors or equivalent governing body of the Borrower on a fully diluted basis (and taking into account all such securities that such person or group has the right to acquire pursuant to any option right); or

(b) during any period of 12 consecutive months, a majority of the members of the board of directors or other equivalent governing body of the Borrower cease to be composed of individuals (i) who were members of that board or equivalent governing body on the first day of such period, (ii) whose election or nomination to that board or equivalent governing body was approved by individuals referred to in clause (i) above constituting at the time of such election or nomination at least a majority of that board or equivalent governing body or (iii) whose election

 

4


or nomination to that board or other equivalent governing body was approved by individuals referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) above constituting at the time of such election or nomination at least a majority of that board or equivalent governing body (excluding, in the case of both clause (ii) and clause (iii), any individual whose initial nomination for, or assumption of office as, a member of that board or equivalent governing body occurs as a result of an actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents for the election or removal of one or more directors by any person or group other than a solicitation for the election of one or more directors by or on behalf of the board of directors).

Closing Date” means December 17, 2013.

Commitment” means, as to each Lender, the commitment of such Lender to make a Loan pursuant to Section 2.01.

Commodity Exchange Act” means the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.).

Compliance Certificate” means a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit 7.02.

Connection Income Taxes” means Other Connection Taxes that are imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated) or that are franchise Taxes or branch profits Taxes.

Consolidated Capital” means, as of any date of determination, the sum of (a) Consolidated Indebtedness plus (b) Consolidated Net Worth.

Consolidated Debt to Capitalization Ratio” means, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Indebtedness as of such date to (b) Consolidated Capital as of such date.

Consolidated Indebtedness” means at any time the Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries calculated on a consolidated basis as of such time.

Consolidated Net Worth” means at any time the consolidated stockholders’ equity of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries (excluding accumulated other comprehensive gain and loss and any non-cash gains and losses on open Swap Contracts) calculated on a consolidated basis as of such time and in accordance with GAAP.

Contractual Obligation” means, as to any Person, any provision of any security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument or other undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its property is bound.

Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.

Debtor Relief Laws” means the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally.

Debt Rating” has the meaning set forth under the definition of “Applicable Rate.”

 

5


Default” means any event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default or that, with the giving of any notice, the passage of time, or both, would be an Event of Default.

Default Rate” means when used with respect to Obligations (arising under the Loan Documents), an interest rate equal to (i) the Base Rate plus (ii) the Applicable Rate, if any, applicable to Base Rate Loans plus (iii) 2% per annum; provided, however, that with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, the Default Rate shall be an interest rate equal to the interest rate (including any Applicable Rate) otherwise applicable to such Loan plus 2% per annum, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.

Defaulting Lender” means, subject to Section 2.15(b), any Lender that (a) has failed to (i) fund all or any portion of its Loans within two (2) Business Days of the date such Loans were required to be funded hereunder or under any Incremental Term Loan Agreement to which it is a party, unless such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower in writing that such failure is the result of such Lender’s determination that one or more conditions precedent to funding (each of which conditions precedent, together with any applicable default, shall be specifically identified in such writing) has not been satisfied or (ii) pay to the Administrative Agent or any other Lender any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder within two Business Days of the date when due, (b) has notified the Borrower or the Administrative Agent in writing that it does not intend to comply with its funding obligations hereunder or has made a public statement to that effect (unless such writing or public statement relates to such Lender’s obligation to fund a Loan hereunder and states that such position is based on such Lender’s determination that a condition precedent to funding (which condition precedent, together with any applicable default, shall be specifically identified in such writing or public statement) cannot be satisfied), (c) has failed, within three Business Days after written request by the Administrative Agent or the Borrower, to confirm in writing to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that it will comply with its prospective funding obligations hereunder (provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon receipt of such written confirmation by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower), or (d) has, or has a direct or indirect parent company that has, (i) become the subject of a proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or (ii) had appointed for it a receiver, custodian, conservator, trustee, administrator, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with reorganization or liquidation of its business or assets, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other state or federal regulatory authority acting in such a capacity; provided, that, a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any Equity Interest in that Lender or any direct or indirect parent company thereof by a Governmental Authority so long as such ownership interest does not result in or provide such Lender with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permit such Lender (or such Governmental Authority) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made with such Lender. Any determination by the Administrative Agent that a Lender is a Defaulting Lender under any one or more of clauses (a) through (d) above, and any determination of the effective date of such status, shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error, and such Lender shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender (subject to Section 2.15(b)) as of the date established therefor by the Administrative Agent in a written notice of such determination, which shall be delivered by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower and each Lender promptly following such determination.

Disposition” or “Dispose” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition of any property by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, including any Sale and Leaseback Transaction and any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith, but excluding any Involuntary Disposition.

Dollar” and “$” mean lawful money of the United States.

 

6


Domestic Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of any state of the United States or the District of Columbia.

Eligible Assignee” means any Person that meets the requirements to be an assignee under Sections 11.06(b)(iii) and (v) (subject to such consents, if any, as may be required under Section 11.06(b)(iii)).

Environmental Laws” means any and all federal, state, local and foreign statutes, laws, judicial decisions, regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees, plans, injunctions, permits, concessions, grants, franchises, licenses, agreements and other governmental restrictions relating to (i) the protection of the environment, (ii) the effect of the environment on human health, (iii) emissions, discharges or releases of Hazardous Materials into surface water, ground water or land or (iv) the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials or the clean-up or other remediation thereof.

Environmental Liability” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.

Equity Interests” means, with respect to any Person, all of the shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the warrants, options or other rights for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person or warrants, rights or options for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of such shares (or such other interests), and all of the other ownership or profit interests in such Person (including partnership, member or trust interests therein), whether voting or nonvoting, and whether or not such shares, warrants, options, rights or other interests are outstanding on any date of determination.

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

ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) under common control with the Borrower within the meaning of Section 414(b) or (c) of the Internal Revenue Code (and Sections 414(m) and (o) of the Internal Revenue Code for purposes of provisions relating to Section 412 of the Internal Revenue Code).

ERISA Event” means (a) a Reportable Event with respect to a Pension Plan; (b) the withdrawal of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Pension Plan subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which such entity was a substantial employer (as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA) or a cessation of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of ERISA; (c) a complete or partial withdrawal by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan or notification that a Multiemployer Plan is in reorganization; (d) the filing of a notice of intent to terminate, the treatment of a Pension Plan amendment as a termination under Section 4041 or 4041A of ERISA, (e) the institution by the PBGC of proceedings to terminate a Pension Plan; (f) any event or condition which constitutes grounds under Section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Pension Plan; (g) the determination that any Pension Plan is considered an at-risk plan

 

7


or a plan in endangered or critical status within the meaning of Sections 430, 431 and 432 of the Internal Revenue Code or Sections 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA or (h) the imposition of any liability under Title IV of ERISA, other than for PBGC premiums due but not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA, upon the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate.

Eurodollar Base Rate” means:

(a) for any Interest Period with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, the rate per annum equal to the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or a comparable or successor rate, which rate is approved by the Administrative Agent, as published on the applicable Reuters screen page (or such other commercially available source providing such quotations as may be designated by the Administrative Agent from time to time) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period, for Dollar deposits (for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period) with a term equivalent to such Interest Period; and

(b) for any interest rate calculation with respect to a Base Rate Loan on any date, the rate per annum equal to LIBOR, at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, determined two Business Days prior to such date for Dollar deposits with a term of one month commencing that date;

provided, that, to the extent a comparable or successor rate is approved by the Administrative Agent in connection herewith, the approved rate shall be applied to the applicable Interest Period in a manner consistent with market practice; provided, further, that, to the extent such market practice is not administratively feasible for the Administrative Agent, such approved rate shall be applied to the applicable Interest Period as otherwise reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent.

Eurodollar Rate” means (a) for any Interest Period with respect to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, a rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent to be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the Eurodollar Base Rate for such Eurodollar Rate Loan for such Interest Period by (ii) one minus the Eurodollar Reserve Percentage for such Eurodollar Rate Loan for such Interest Period and (b) for any day with respect to any Base Rate Loan bearing interest at a rate based on the Eurodollar Rate, a rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent to be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the Eurodollar Base Rate for such Base Rate Loan for such day by (ii) one minus the Eurodollar Reserve Percentage for such Base Rate Loan for such day.

Eurodollar Rate Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on clause (a) of definition of “Eurodollar Rate.”

Eurodollar Reserve Percentage” means, for any day, the reserve percentage (expressed as a decimal, carried out to five decimal places) in effect on such day, whether or not applicable to any Lender, under regulations issued from time to time by the FRB for determining the maximum reserve requirement (including any emergency, supplemental or other marginal reserve requirement) with respect to Eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency liabilities”). The Eurodollar Rate for each outstanding Eurodollar Rate Loan and for each outstanding Base Rate Loan the interest rate on which is determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate shall be adjusted automatically as of the effective date of any change in the Eurodollar Reserve Percentage.

Event of Default” has the meaning specified in Section 9.01.

 

8


Existing Credit Agreement” means that certain Credit Agreement dated as of November 29, 2011 among the Borrower, the Guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto and Bank of America, N.A. as agent, as amended or modified from time to time.

Excluded Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Guarantor, any Swap Obligation if, and to the extent that, all or a portion of the Guaranty of such Guarantor of, or the grant under a Loan Document by such Guarantor of a security interest to secure, such Swap Obligation (or any Guarantee thereof) is or becomes illegal under the Commodity Exchange Act or any rule, regulation or order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (or the application or official interpretation of any thereof) by virtue of such Guarantor’s failure for any reason to constitute an “eligible contract participant” as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act (determined after giving effect to Section 4.08 and any and all guarantees of such Guarantor’s Swap Obligations by other Loan Parties) at the time the Guaranty of such Guarantor, or grant by such Guarantor of a security interest, becomes effective with respect to such Swap Obligation. If a Swap Obligation arises under a Master Agreement governing more than one Swap Contract, such exclusion shall apply to only the portion of such Swap Obligation that is attributable to Swap Contracts for which such Guaranty or security interest is or becomes illegal.

Excluded Taxes” means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to any Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient, (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes, and branch profits Taxes, in each case, (i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its Lending Office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes; (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan or Commitment pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan or Commitment (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower under Section 11.13) or (ii) such Lender changes its Lending Office, except in each case to the extent that pursuant to Section 3.01(a)(ii), (a)(iii) or (c), amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender became a party hereto or to such Lender immediately before it changed its Lending Office; (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipient’s failure to comply with Section 3.01(e); and (d) any U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA.

FASB ASC” means the Accounting Standards Codification of the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Internal Revenue Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof and any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Federal Funds Rate” means, for any day, the rate per annum equal to the weighted average of the rates on overnight federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by federal funds brokers on such day, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the Business Day next succeeding such day; provided that (a) if such day is not a Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be such rate on such transactions on the next preceding Business Day as so published on the next succeeding Business Day, and (b) if no such rate is so published on such next succeeding Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be the average rate (rounded upward, if necessary, to a whole multiple of 1/100 of 1%) charged to Bank of America on such day on such transactions as determined by the Administrative Agent.

Fee Letters” means the BAML Fee Letter, the WFS Fee Letter and the Joint Fee Letter.

 

9


Fitch” means Fitch, Inc., and any successor thereto.

Foreign Lender” means any Lender that is organized under the Laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is resident for tax purposes. For purposes of this definition, the United States, each State thereof and the District of Columbia shall be deemed to constitute a single jurisdiction.

Foreign Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is not a Domestic Subsidiary.

FRB” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States.

Fund” means any Person (other than a natural person) that is (or will be) engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its activities.

GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession in the United States, that are applicable to the circumstances as of the date of determination, consistently applied and as in effect from time to time.

Governmental Authority” means the government of the United States or any other nation, or of any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).

Guarantee” means, as to any Person, (a) any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation payable or performable by another Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or indirect, (i) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation, (ii) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance of such Indebtedness or other obligation, (iii) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity or level of income or cash flow of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation, or (iv) entered into for the purpose of assuring in any other manner the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part), or (b) any Lien on any assets of such Person securing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person, whether or not such Indebtedness or other obligation is assumed by such Person (or any right, contingent or otherwise, of any holder of such Indebtedness to obtain any such Lien); provided, that the term “Guarantee” shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business. The amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be the lower of (i) an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation as of the determination date in respect of which such Guarantee is made and (ii) the maximum amount for which such guaranteeing Person may be liable pursuant to the terms of the instrument embodying such Guarantee as of the determination date, unless such primary obligation and maximum amount for which such guaranteeing Person may be liable are not stated, in which case the amount of such Guarantee shall be such guaranteeing Person’s maximum reasonably anticipated liability as of the determination date in respect thereof as determined by the guaranteeing Person in good faith. The term “Guarantee” as a verb has a corresponding meaning.

 

10


Guarantors” means (a) Energen Resources Corporation, and each future Material Subsidiary of the Borrower that the Borrower is required to join as a Guarantor pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, (b) with respect to (i) Obligations under any Swap Contract between a Swap Bank and a Loan Party, and (ii) any Swap Obligation of a Specified Loan Party (determined before giving effect to Sections 4.01 and 4.08) under the Guaranty, the Borrower, and (c) the successors and permitted assigns of the foregoing.

Guaranty” means the Guaranty made by the Guarantors in favor of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Article IV.

Hazardous Materials” means all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.

Incremental Term Loan” has the meaning provided in Section 2.01(b).

Incremental Term Loan Agreement” means an agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit 2.01(b), executed and delivered in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.01(b).

Incremental Term Loan Commitment” means, as to each Incremental Term Loan Lender, the commitment of such Incremental Term Loan Lender to make an Incremental Term Loan hereunder pursuant to the applicable Incremental Term Loan Agreement; provided that, at any time after the funding of an Incremental Term Loan, determination of “Required Lenders” shall include the Outstanding Amount of such Incremental Term Loan.

Incremental Term Loan Lender” means each of the Persons identified as an “Incremental Term Loan Lender” in the applicable Incremental Term Loan Agreement, together with their respective successors and assigns.

Incremental Term Loan Maturity Date” shall be as set forth in the applicable Incremental Term Loan Agreement.

Incremental Term Loan Note” has the meaning specified in Section 2.11.

Indebtedness” means, as to any Person at a particular time, without duplication, all of the following, whether or not included as indebtedness or liabilities in accordance with GAAP:

(a) all obligations for borrowed money and all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments;

(b) the maximum amount available to be drawn under letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments;

(c) the Swap Termination Value of any Swap Contract;

 

11


(d) all obligations to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade accounts payable in the ordinary course of business and not past due for more than 90 days after the date on which such trade account was created);

(e) indebtedness (excluding prepaid interest thereon) secured by a Lien on property owned or being purchased by such Person (including indebtedness arising under conditional sales or other title retention agreements), whether or not such indebtedness shall have been assumed by such Person or is limited in recourse;

(f) all Attributable Indebtedness;

(g) all obligations to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise make any payment in respect of any Equity Interests or any warrant, right or option to acquire such Equity Interest, valued, in the case of a redeemable preferred interest, at the greater of its voluntary or involuntary liquidation preference plus accrued and unpaid dividends;

(h) all Guarantees of such Person in respect of any of the foregoing; and

(i) all Indebtedness of the types referred to in clauses (a) through (h) above of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which such Person is a general partner or joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to such Person.

Notwithstanding the above, for the avoidance of doubt, “Indebtedness” shall not include (1) performance guaranties, (2) monetary obligations of such Person as lessee under leases that are, in accordance with GAAP, recorded as operating leases or (3) long-term commitments of a regulated Subsidiary for the purchase, delivery and storage of natural gas.

Indemnified Taxes” means (a) Taxes other than Excluded Taxes imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in (a), Other Taxes.

Indemnitees” has the meaning specified in Section 11.04(b).

Information” has the meaning specified in Section 11.07.

Interest Payment Date” means (a) as to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the Maturity Date; provided, however, that if any Interest Period for a Eurodollar Rate Loan exceeds three months, the respective dates that fall every three months after the beginning of such Interest Period shall also be Interest Payment Dates; and (b) as to any Base Rate Loan, the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and the Maturity Date.

Interest Period” means, as to each Eurodollar Rate Loan, the period commencing on the date such Eurodollar Rate Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a Eurodollar Rate Loan and ending on the date one, two, three or six months thereafter, as selected by the Borrower in its Loan Notice; provided that:

(i) any Interest Period that would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day;

 

12


(ii) any Interest Period that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period; and

(iii) no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date.

Internal Revenue Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

Investment” means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other acquisition of Equity Interests of another Person, (b) a loan, advance or capital contribution to, Guarantee or assumption of debt of, or purchase or other acquisition of any other debt or equity participation or interest in, another Person, or (c) an Acquisition. For purposes of covenant compliance, the amount of any Investment shall be the amount actually invested, without adjustment for subsequent increases or decreases in the value of such Investment.

Involuntary Disposition” means any loss of, damage to or destruction of, or any condemnation or other taking for public use of, any property of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary.

IRS” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.

Joinder Agreement” means a joinder agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit 7.13 executed and delivered by a Material Subsidiary in accordance with the provisions of Section 7.13.

Joint Fee Letter” means the letter agreement, dated as of November 20, 2013, among the Borrower, Regions Capital, Regions Bank, Compass Bank, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and U.S. Bank National Association.

Laws” means, collectively, all international, foreign, federal, state and local statutes, treaties, rules, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, codes and administrative or judicial precedents or authorities, including the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental Authority charged with the enforcement, interpretation or administration thereof, and all applicable administrative orders, directed duties, requests, licenses, authorizations and permits of, and agreements with, any Governmental Authority, in each case whether or not having the force of law.

Lenders” means each of the Persons identified as a “Lender” on the signature pages hereto, each Incremental Term Loan Lender, each other Person that becomes a “Lender” in accordance with this Agreement and their successors and permitted assigns.

Lending Office” means, as to any Lender, the office or offices of such Lender described as such in such Lender’s Administrative Questionnaire, or such other office or offices as a Lender may from time to time notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.

LIBOR” has the meaning set forth in the definition of Eurodollar Base Rate.

Lien” means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or otherwise), charge, or preference, priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement in the nature of a security interest of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any easement, right of way or other encumbrance on title to real property, and any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).

 

13


Loan” means an extension of credit by a Lender to the Borrower under Article II in the form of the Term Loan or an Incremental Term Loan.

Loan Documents” means this Agreement, each Note, each Joinder Agreement, each Incremental Term Loan Agreement and the Fee Letters.

Loan Notice” means a notice of (a) a Borrowing of Loans, (b) a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or (c) a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, in each case pursuant to Section 2.02(a), which, if in writing, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit 2.02.

Loan Parties” means, collectively, the Borrower and each Guarantor.

London Banking Day” means any day on which dealings in Dollar deposits are conducted by and between banks in the London interbank eurodollar market.

Master Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the definition of “Swap Contract.”

Material Adverse Effect” means (a) a material adverse change in, or a material adverse effect on, the operations, business, assets, properties, liabilities or financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; or (b) a material impairment of the ability of any Loan Party to perform its obligations under any Loan Document to which it is a party.

Material Subsidiary” means any non-regulated Subsidiary of the Borrower that either directly or indirectly through another Subsidiary (a) generates revenues in any fiscal year in excess of 10% of the consolidated total revenues of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries or (b) owns assets with an aggregate value greater than or equal to 10% of Total Assets.

Maturity Date” means December 17, 2017; provided, however, that, if such date is not a Business Day, the Maturity Date shall be the next preceding Business Day.

MLPFS” means Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, in its capacity as a joint lead arranger and a joint book manager.

Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and any successor thereto.

Multiemployer Plan” means any employee benefit plan of the type described in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA, to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate makes or is obligated to make contributions, or during the preceding five plan years, has made or been obligated to make contributions.

Multiple Employer Plan” means a Plan which has two or more contributing sponsors (including the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate) at least two of whom are not under common control, as such a plan is described in Section 4064 of ERISA.

Non-Consenting Lender” means any Lender that does not approve any consent, waiver or amendment that (a) requires the approval of all Lenders or all affected Lenders in accordance with the terms of Section 11.01 and (b) has been approved by the Required Lenders.

Non-Defaulting Lender” means, at any time, each Lender that is not a Defaulting Lender at such time.

 

14


Note” means a Term Loan Note or, if applicable, an Incremental Term Loan Note.

Obligations” means all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, any Loan Party arising under any Loan Document or otherwise with respect to any Loan, whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding. The foregoing shall also include all obligations under any Swap Contract between any Loan Party and any Swap Bank to the extent such Swap Contract is permitted by Section 8.03(d); provided that the “Obligations” of a Guarantor shall exclude any Excluded Swap Obligations with respect to such Guarantor.

Organization Documents” means, (a) with respect to any corporation, the certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction); (b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles of formation or organization and operating agreement; and (c) with respect to any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or organization and any agreement, instrument, filing or notice with respect thereto filed in connection with its formation or organization with the applicable Governmental Authority in the jurisdiction of its formation or organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or organization of such entity.

Other Connection Taxes” means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient and the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (other than connections arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to or enforced any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan or Loan Document).

Other Taxes” means all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 3.06).

Outstanding Amount” means with respect to any Loans on any date, the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of any Loans occurring on such date.

Participant” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(d).

Participant Register” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(d).

PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any successor thereto.

Pension Act” means the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

Pension Funding Rules” means the rules of the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA regarding minimum required contributions (including any installment payment thereof) to Pension Plans and set

 

15


forth in, with respect to plan years ending prior to the effective date of the Pension Act, Section 412 of the Internal Revenue Code and Section 302 of ERISA, each as in effect prior to the Pension Act and, thereafter, Section 412, 430, 431, 432 and 436 of the Internal Revenue Code and Sections 302, 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA.

Pension Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan (including a Single Employer Plan, a Multiple Employer Plan or a Multiemployer Plan) that is maintained or is contributed to by the Borrower and any ERISA Affiliate and is either covered by Title IV of ERISA or is subject to the minimum funding standards under Section 412 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Permitted Liens” means, at any time, Liens in respect of property of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary permitted to exist at such time pursuant to the terms of Section 8.01.

Permitted Transfers” means (a) Dispositions of inventory in the ordinary course of business; (b) Dispositions of machinery and equipment no longer used or useful in the conduct of business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries that are Disposed of in the ordinary course of business; (c) Dispositions of property to the Borrower or any Subsidiary; provided, that if the transferor of such property is a Loan Party then the transferee thereof must be a Loan Party; (d) Dispositions of accounts receivable in connection with the collection or compromise thereof; (e) licenses, sublicenses, leases or subleases granted to others not interfering in any material respect with the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries; (f) the sale or disposition of Cash Equivalents for fair market value; (g) Dispositions permitted by Section 8.04; (h) sales or issuances of any Subsidiary’s Equity Interests to the Borrower or any other Loan Party; (i) Restricted Payments permitted by Section 8.06; (j) Dispositions in satisfaction of judgments or in settlement of pending or threatened claims that do constitute an Event of Default; and (k) Dispositions of Equity Interests in connection with Acquisitions.

Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.

Plan” means any employee benefit plan within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA (including a Pension Plan), maintained for employees of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate or any such Plan to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate is required to contribute on behalf of any of its employees.

Platform” has the meaning specified in Section 7.02.

Pro Forma Basis” means, with respect to any transaction (including the incurrence of any Incremental Term Loan), that for purposes of calculating the financial covenant set forth in Section 8.11, such transaction shall be deemed to have occurred on the last day of the most recent fiscal quarter for which financial statements were delivered pursuant to Section 7.01(a) or (b). In connection with the foregoing, (a) with respect to any Disposition, (i) the value of the property disposed of shall be excluded and (ii) Indebtedness which is retired shall be excluded and deemed to have been retired as of such date; (b) with respect to any Acquisition or property acquired pursuant to a Property-for-Property Transfer, (i) the value of the Person or property acquired shall be included and (ii) any Indebtedness incurred or assumed by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary (including the Person or property acquired) in connection with such transaction and any Indebtedness of the Person or property acquired which is not retired in connection with such transaction shall be deemed to have been incurred as of such date; (c) with respect to any Restricted Payment, the value of such Restricted Payment shall be excluded; and (d) with respect to any Incremental Term Loan, any Indebtedness which is simultaneously retired with the proceeds of such Incremental Term Loan shall be excluded and deemed to have been retired as of such date. The “value” of any property for purposes of calculating the foregoing shall equal (A) for any Property-for-Property Transfer, the value assigned to such acquired or disposed property in good faith by the

 

16


Borrower, (B) for any other Acquisition, the agreed upon purchase price of such property and (C) for any other Disposition, the book value of such property as reflected on the most recent balance sheet of the applicable Loan Party or Subsidiary.

Property-for-Property Transfer” means exchanges of oil and natural gas property, including mineral rights, other real property interests and related property and equipment.

Public Lender” has the meaning specified in Section 7.02.

Qualified ECP Guarantor” means at any time each Loan Party with total assets exceeding $10,000,000 or that qualifies at such time as an “eligible contract participant” under the Commodity Exchange Act and can cause another Person to qualify as an “eligible contract participant” at such time under Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.

Recipient” means the Administrative Agent or any Lender, as applicable.

Regions Capital” means Regions Capital Markets, a division of Regions Bank, in its capacity as a joint lead arranger and joint book manager.

Register” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(c).

Related Parties” means, with respect to any Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees and advisors of such Person and of such Person’s Affiliates.

Reportable Event” means any of the events set forth in Section 4043(c) of ERISA, other than events for which the thirty-day notice period has been waived.

Request for Borrowing” means a Loan Notice delivered by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent with respect to the Borrowing of the Term Loan to be made on the Closing Date or with respect to the Borrowing of any Incremental Term Loan to be made following the Closing Date.

Required Lenders” means, at any time, Lenders holding in the aggregate more than 50% of the outstanding Loans. The outstanding Loans held or deemed held by, any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for purposes of making a determination of Required Lenders.

Responsible Officer” means (a) with respect to the Borrower, (i) for purposes of the execution of this Agreement and any amendments thereto, the chairman of the board, president or treasurer of the Borrower, and (ii) for all other purposes, including, without limitation, the execution of all Notes and any amendments, modifications or restatements thereof, the chairman of the board, president, treasurer, senior vice president, executive vice president, general counsel, any vice president, secretary, controller, any assistant secretary, any assistant treasurer or any other officer of the Borrower; and (b) with respect to any other Loan Party, the chairman of the board, president, senior vice president, general counsel, any vice president, secretary, controller, any assistant secretary, any assistant treasurer or any other officer of such Loan Party. Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by a Responsible Officer of a Loan Party shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership and/or other action on the part of such Loan Party and such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf of such Loan Party.

Restricted Payment” means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any Equity Interests of any Person, or any payment (whether in cash,

 

17


securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, defeasance, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such Equity Interests or on account of any return of capital to such Person’s stockholders, partners or members (or the equivalent Person thereof), or any option, warrant or other right to acquire any such dividend or other distribution or payment.

S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, LLC, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and any successor thereto.

Sale and Leaseback Transaction” means, with respect to any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, any arrangement, directly or indirectly, with any Person whereby such Loan Party or such Subsidiary shall sell or transfer any property used or useful in its business, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, and thereafter rent or lease such property or other property that it intends to use for substantially the same purpose or purposes as the property being sold or transferred.

SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any of its principal functions.

SEC Filings” means all reports, statements, schedules and other information filed with, or furnished to, the SEC by the Borrower, including, without limitation, each Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K filed by the Borrower with the SEC.

Securitization Transaction” means, with respect to any Person, any financing transaction or series of financing transactions (including factoring arrangements) pursuant to which such Person or any Subsidiary of such Person may sell, convey or otherwise transfer, or grant a security interest in, accounts, payments, receivables, rights to future lease payments or residuals or similar rights to payment to a special purpose subsidiary or Affiliate of such Person.

Single Employer Plan” means any Pension Plan that is covered by Title IV of ERISA, but that is not a Multiemployer Plan.

Solvent” or “Solvency” means, with respect to any Person as of a particular date, that on such date (a) such Person is able to pay its debts and other liabilities, contingent obligations and other commitments as they mature in the ordinary course of business, (b) such Person does not intend to, and does not believe that it will, incur debts or liabilities beyond such Person’s ability to pay such debts and liabilities as they mature in the ordinary course of business, (c) such Person is not engaged in a business or a transaction, and is not about to engage in a business or a transaction, for which such Person’s property would constitute unreasonably small capital, (d) the fair value of the property of such Person is greater than the total amount of liabilities, including contingent liabilities, of such Person and (e) the present fair salable value of the assets of such Person is not less than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of such Person on its debts as they become absolute and matured. The amount of contingent liabilities at any time shall be computed as the amount that, in the light of all the facts and circumstances existing at such time, represents the amount that can reasonably be expected to become an actual or matured liability.

Specified Loan Party” has the meaning specified in Section 4.08.

Subsidiary” of a Person means a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the shares of Voting Stock is at the time beneficially owned, or the management of which is otherwise controlled, directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both, by such Person. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to a “Subsidiary” or to “Subsidiaries” shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of the Borrower.

 

18


Swap Bank” means any Person that is a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender and a party to a Swap Contract with a Loan Party.

Swap Contract” means (a) any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward commodity contracts (excluding, for clarification purposes, ordinary course contracts for purchases and sales of product requiring physical delivery), equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options, forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions, collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap transactions, currency options, spot contracts, or any other similar transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is governed by or subject to any master agreement, and (b) any and all transactions of any kind, and the related confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by, any form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. or any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement (any such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a “Master Agreement”), including any such obligations or liabilities under any Master Agreement.

Swap Obligations” means with respect to any Guarantor any obligation to pay or perform under any agreement, contract or transaction that constitutes a “swap” within the meaning of Section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act.

Swap Termination Value” means, in respect of any one or more Swap Contracts, after taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Swap Contracts, for any date on or after the date such Swap Contracts have been closed out and termination value(s) determined in accordance therewith, such termination value(s).

Synthetic Lease” means any synthetic lease, tax retention operating lease, off-balance sheet loan or similar off-balance sheet financing arrangement whereby the arrangement is considered borrowed money indebtedness for tax purposes but is classified as an operating lease or does not otherwise appear on a balance sheet under GAAP.

Taxes” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.

Term Loan” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01(a).

Term Loan Commitment” means, as to each Lender, its obligation to make its portion of the Term Loan to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01(a), in the principal amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 2.01. The aggregate principal amount of the Term Loan Commitments of all of the Lenders as in effect on the Closing Date is SIX HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS ($600,000,000).

Term Loan Note” has the meaning specified in Section 2.11.

Threshold Amount” means $50,000,000.

Total Assets” means the total consolidated assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, as determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

19


Type” means, with respect to any Loan, its character as a Base Rate Loan or a Eurodollar Rate Loan.

United States” and “U.S.” mean the United States of America.

U.S. Person” means any Person that is a “United States Person” as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Internal Revenue Code.

U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate” has the meaning specified in Section 3.01(e)(ii)(B)(III).

Voting Stock” means, with respect to any Person, Equity Interests issued by such Person the holders of which are ordinarily, in the absence of contingencies, entitled to vote for the election of directors (or persons performing similar functions) of such Person, even though the right so to vote has been suspended by the happening of such a contingency.

WFS” means Wells Fargo Securities, LLC in its capacity as a joint lead arranger and joint book manager.

WFS Fee Letter” means the letter agreement, dated as of November 20, 2013, among the Borrower, WFS and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association.

 

1.02 Other Interpretive Provisions.

With reference to this Agreement and each other Loan Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other Loan Document:

(a) The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include,” “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation.” The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall.” Unless the context requires otherwise, (i) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document (including any Organization Document) shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein or in any other Loan Document), (ii) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns, (iii) the words “hereto,” “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder,” and words of similar import when used in any Loan Document, shall be construed to refer to such Loan Document in its entirety and not to any particular provision thereof, (iv) all references in a Loan Document to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, the Loan Document in which such references appear, (v) any reference to any law shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing or interpreting such law and any reference to any law or regulation shall, unless otherwise specified, refer to such law or regulation as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, and (vi) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.

 

20


(b) In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including;” the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding;” and the word “through” means “to and including.”

(c) Section headings herein and in the other Loan Documents are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.

 

1.03 Accounting Terms.

(a) Generally. Except as otherwise specifically prescribed herein, all accounting terms not specifically or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all financial data (including financial ratios and other financial calculations) required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in conformity with, GAAP applied on a consistent basis, as in effect from time to time, applied in a manner consistent with that used in preparing the Audited Financial Statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of determining compliance with any covenant (including the computation of any financial covenant) contained herein, Indebtedness of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries shall be deemed to be carried at 100% of the outstanding principal amount thereof, and the effects of FASB ASC 825 permitting the valuation of financial liabilities or indebtedness at the fair value thereof shall be disregarded.

(b) Changes in GAAP. If at any time any change in GAAP would affect the computation of any financial ratio or requirement set forth in any Loan Document, and either the Borrower or the Required Lenders shall so request, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Borrower shall negotiate in good faith to amend such ratio or requirement to preserve the original intent thereof in light of such change in GAAP (subject to the approval of the Required Lenders); provided that, until so amended, (i) such ratio or requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to such change therein and (ii) the Borrower shall provide to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders financial statements and other documents required under this Agreement or as reasonably requested hereunder setting forth a reconciliation between calculations of such ratio or requirement made before and after giving effect to such change in GAAP.

(c) Calculations. Notwithstanding the above, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that all calculations of the financial covenant in Section 8.11 shall be made on a Pro Forma Basis with respect to any Disposition (other than Permitted Transfers), Acquisition, incurrence of Indebtedness pursuant to Section 8.03(g) or incurrence of any Incremental Term Loan occurring during the applicable period.

(d) Changes in GAAS. If at any time, as a result of any change in generally accepted auditing standards, it becomes customary or acceptable with respect to the audits of the financial statements of entities in the same or similar line of business as the Borrower for there to be qualifications or exceptions as to the scope of the audits of such entities, and if either the Borrower or the Required Lenders shall so request, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Borrower shall negotiate in good faith to amend the requirements of Section 7.01(a) with respect to the scope of the audit of the financial statements of the Borrower and the form and substance of the opinion of the independent certified public accountant with respect thereto so as to provide for an audit and opinion to be prepared in light of such changes to generally accepted auditing standards, subject to the approval of the Required Lenders.

 

21


1.04 Rounding.

Any financial ratios required to be maintained by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement shall be calculated by dividing the appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place more than the number of places by which such ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest number (with a rounding-up if there is no nearest number).

 

1.05 Times of Day.

Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to times of day shall be references to Central time (daylight or standard, as applicable).

ARTICLE II

THE COMMITMENTS AND BORROWINGS

 

2.01 Loans.

(a) Term Loan. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Lender severally agrees to make, in a single advance, its portion of a term loan (the “Term Loan”) to the Borrower in Dollars on the Closing Date in an amount equal to such Lender’s Term Loan Commitment. Amounts repaid on the Term Loan may not be reborrowed. The Term Loan may consist of Base Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans or a combination thereof, as further provided herein.

(b) Incremental Term Loans.

(i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, on the effective date of the applicable Incremental Term Loan Agreement, each Incremental Term Loan Lender severally agrees to make its portion of the applicable Incremental Term Loan in a single advance to the Borrower in the amount of its respective Incremental Term Loan Commitment as set forth in the applicable Incremental Term Loan Agreement; provided, however, that after giving effect to such advances, the Outstanding Amount of such Incremental Term Loan shall not exceed the aggregate amount of the Incremental Term Loan Commitments of the Incremental Term Loan Lenders set forth in such Incremental Term Loan Agreement. Amounts repaid on the Incremental Term Loans may not be reborrowed. The Incremental Term Loans may consist of Base Rate Loans, Eurodollar Rate Loans, or a combination thereof, as further provided herein. For the avoidance of doubt, as of the Closing Date, no Incremental Term Loans are available to the Borrower.

(ii) Institution of Incremental Term Loans. The Borrower may, at any time, upon ten Business Days prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, institute one or more tranches of additional term loans (each an “Incremental Term Loan”); provided that:

(A) the Borrower (in consultation and coordination with the Administrative Agent) shall obtain commitments for the amount of the increase from existing Lenders or other Persons reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent, which Lenders shall join in this Agreement as Incremental Term Loan Lenders by executing an Incremental Term Loan Agreement or other agreement reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent; it being

 

22


understood that no existing Lender shall be under any obligation to make an Incremental Term Loan and any such decision whether to make an Incremental Term Loan shall be in such Lender’s sole and absolute discretion;

(B) any such institution of an Incremental Term Loan shall be in a minimum aggregate principal amount of $10,000,000 and multiples of $1,000,000 in excess thereof;

(C) the aggregate amount of Incremental Term Loans shall not exceed $0, unless consented to in writing by the Required Lenders in accordance with Section 11.01;

(D) the applicable Incremental Term Loan Maturity Date for each Incremental Term Loan shall be as set forth in the applicable Incremental Term Loan Agreement; provided that such date shall not be earlier than the Maturity Date;

(E) the scheduled principal amortization payments under each Incremental Term Loan shall be as set forth in the applicable Incremental Term Loan Agreement;

(F) the documentation governing each Incremental Term Loan shall not contain any covenants, defaults or other similar provisions (other than provisions relating to economic terms);

(G) each Incremental Term Loan Lender, if not already a Lender hereunder, shall become a party to this Agreement;

(H) Schedule 2.01 shall be deemed revised to reflect the Commitments and Applicable Percentages of the Incremental Term Loan Lenders as set forth in each Incremental Term Loan Agreement;

(I) as a condition precedent to each Incremental Term Loan and the effectiveness of each Incremental Term Loan Agreement, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of each Loan Party dated as of the date of effectiveness of any Incremental Term Loan (in sufficient copies for each Lender) signed by a Responsible Officer of such Loan Party (1) certifying and attaching the resolutions adopted by such Loan Party approving or consenting to such Incremental Term Loan, and (2) certifying that, before and after giving effect to such Incremental Term Loan, (x) the representations and warranties contained in Article VI and the other Loan Documents are true and correct in all material respects on and as of the date of such increase, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they are true and correct in all material respects as of such earlier date and (y) no Default or Event of Default exists;

(J) as a condition precedent to each Incremental Term Loan and the effectiveness of each Incremental Term Loan Agreement, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate demonstrating that, upon giving effect to such Incremental Term Loan on a Pro Forma Basis, the Loan Parties would be in compliance with the financial covenant set forth in Section 8.11 as of the most recent fiscal quarter for which the Borrower was required to deliver financial statements pursuant to Section 7.01(a) or (b); and

 

23


(K) if any new or supplemental regulatory approval by any applicable regulatory body is required in connection with such Incremental Term Loan, the Administrative Agent shall have received evidence, in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, of such approval.

(iii) Consent of Lenders. The Lenders who do not provide the applicable Incremental Term Loan hereby consent to any Incremental Term Loan Agreement evidencing such Incremental Term Loan that is consistent with the provisions of this Section 2.01(b).

 

2.02 Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans.

(a) Each Borrowing, each conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, and each continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be made upon the Borrower’s irrevocable notice to the Administrative Agent, which may be given by telephone. Each such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. (i) three Business Days prior to the requested date of any Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of, Eurodollar Rate Loans or of any conversion of Eurodollar Rate Loans to Base Rate Loans, and (ii) on the requested date of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans. Each telephonic notice by the Borrower pursuant to this Section 2.02(a) must be confirmed promptly by delivery to the Administrative Agent of a written Loan Notice, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower. Each Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $10,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof. Each Borrowing of or conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof. Each Loan Notice (whether telephonic or written) shall specify (i) whether the Borrower is requesting a Borrowing, a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, (ii) the requested date of the Borrowing, conversion or continuation, as the case may be (which shall be a Business Day), (iii) the principal amount of Loans to be borrowed, converted or continued, (iv) the Type of Loans to be borrowed or to which existing Loans are to be converted, and (v) if applicable, the duration of the Interest Period with respect thereto. If the Borrower fails to specify a Type of a Loan in a Loan Notice or if the Borrower fails to give a timely notice requesting a conversion or continuation, then the applicable Loans shall be made as, or converted to, Base Rate Loans. Any such automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be effective as of the last day of the Interest Period then in effect with respect to the applicable Eurodollar Rate Loans. If the Borrower requests a Borrowing of, conversion to, or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans in any Loan Notice, but fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an Interest Period of one month.

(b) Following receipt of a Loan Notice, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of the amount of its Applicable Percentage of the applicable Loans, and if no timely notice of a conversion or continuation is provided by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the details of any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans as described in the preceding subsection. In the case of a Borrowing, each Lender shall make the amount of its Loan available to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds at the Administrative Agent’s Office not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in the applicable Loan Notice. Upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in Section 5.02 (and, if such Borrowing is the Borrowing of the Term Loan, Section 5.01), the Administrative Agent shall make all funds so received available to the Borrower in like funds as received by the Administrative Agent either by (i) crediting the account of the Borrower on the books of Bank of America with the amount of such funds or (ii) wire transfer of such funds, in each case in accordance with instructions provided to (and reasonably acceptable to) the Administrative Agent by the Borrower.

 

24


(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, a Eurodollar Rate Loan may be continued or converted only on the last day of the Interest Period for such Eurodollar Rate Loan. During the existence of a Default, no Loans may be requested as, converted to or continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans without the consent of the Required Lenders, and the Required Lenders may demand that any or all of the then outstanding Eurodollar Rate Loans be converted immediately to Base Rate Loans.

(d) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the interest rate applicable to any Interest Period for Eurodollar Rate Loans upon determination of such interest rate. At any time that Base Rate Loans are outstanding, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of any change in Bank of America’s prime rate used in determining the Base Rate promptly following the public announcement of such change.

(e) After giving effect to all Borrowings, all conversions of Loans from one Type to the other, and all continuations of Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than twelve Interest Periods in effect with respect to all Loans.

 

2.03 [Reserved].

 

2.04 [Reserved].

 

2.05 Voluntary Prepayments.

The Borrower may, upon notice from the Borrower to the Administrative Agent, at any time or from time to time voluntarily prepay Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that (A) such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. (1) three Business Days prior to any date of prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans and (2) on the date of prepayment of Base Rate Loans; (B) any such prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $10,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof (or, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding); and (C) any prepayment of Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof (or, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding). Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment, if any Incremental Term Loan is outstanding, whether such prepayment is to be applied to the Term Loan or any Incremental Term Loan(s), and if more than one Type of Loan is outstanding, the Type(s) of Loans to be prepaid and, if Eurodollar Rate Loans are to be prepaid, the Interest Period(s) of such Loans. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify each Lender of its receipt of each such notice, and of the amount of such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such prepayment. If such notice is given by the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein. Any prepayment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan shall be accompanied by all accrued interest on the amount prepaid, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05. Each such prepayment shall be applied to the remaining principal amortization payments of such Loans as directed by the Borrower and to the applicable Lenders holding such Loans in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages. If no such direction is provided by the Borrower, each such prepayment of the Loans shall be applied pro rata among all outstanding Loans in direct order of maturity.

 

2.06 [Reserved].

 

25


2.07 Repayment of Loans.

(a) Term Loans. Beginning with the quarter ending March 31, 2014, on each March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31, the Borrower shall repay the outstanding principal amount of the Term Loan in quarterly installments equal to 2.5% of the initial principal amount of the Term Loan as of the Closing Date (as such installments may hereafter be adjusted as a result of prepayments made pursuant to Section 2.05), unless accelerated sooner pursuant to Section 9.02. All remaining outstanding Obligations related to the Term Loan shall be due and payable on the Maturity Date.

(b) Incremental Term Loans. The Borrower shall repay the outstanding principal amount of the Incremental Term Loans in the installments on the dates and in the amounts set forth in the applicable Incremental Term Loan Agreement (as such installments may hereafter be adjusted as a result of prepayments made pursuant to Section 2.05), unless accelerated sooner pursuant to Section 9.02. All remaining outstanding Obligations related to an Incremental Term Loan shall be due and payable on the applicable Incremental Term Loan Maturity Date.

 

2.08 Interest.

(a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) below, (i) each Eurodollar Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to the Eurodollar Rate for such Interest Period plus the Applicable Rate; and (ii) each Base Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the borrowing date or conversion date, as applicable, at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate.

(b) (i) If any amount of principal of any Loan is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.

(ii) If any amount (other than principal of any Loan) payable by the Borrower under any Loan Document is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, then upon the request of the Required Lenders, such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.

(iii) Upon the request of the Required Lenders, while any Event of Default exists, the Borrower shall pay interest on the principal amount of all outstanding Obligations arising under the Loan Documents at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.

(iv) To the extent permitted by applicable Law, accrued and unpaid interest on past due amounts (including interest on past due interest) shall be due and payable upon demand.

(c) Interest on each Loan shall be due and payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date applicable thereto and at such other times as may be specified herein. Interest hereunder shall be due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof before and after judgment, and before and after the commencement of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law.

 

26


2.09 Fees.

The Borrower shall pay to the Arrangers and the Administrative Agent for their own respective accounts fees in the amounts and at the times specified in the Fee Letters. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.

 

2.10 Computation of Interest and Fees.

All computations of interest for Base Rate Loans (including Base Rate Loans determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate) shall be made on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as the case may be, and actual days elapsed. All other computations of fees and interest shall be made on the basis of a 360-day year and actual days elapsed (which results in more fees or interest, as applicable, being paid than if computed on the basis of a 365-day year). Interest shall accrue on each Loan for the day on which the Loan is made, and shall not accrue on a Loan, or any portion thereof, for the day on which the Loan or such portion is paid, provided that any Loan that is repaid on the same day on which it is made shall, subject to Section 2.12(a), bear interest for one day. Each determination by the Administrative Agent of an interest rate or fee hereunder shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error.

 

2.11 Evidence of Debt.

The Loans made by each Lender shall be evidenced by one or more accounts or records maintained by such Lender and by the Administrative Agent in the ordinary course of business. The accounts or records maintained by the Administrative Agent and each Lender shall be conclusive absent manifest error of the amount of the Loans made by the Lenders to the Borrower and the interest and payments thereon. Any failure to so record or any error in doing so shall not, however, limit or otherwise affect the obligation of the Borrower hereunder to pay any amount owing with respect to the Obligations. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by any Lender and the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error. Upon the request of any Lender made through the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Lender (through the Administrative Agent) a promissory note, which shall evidence such Lender’s Loans in addition to such accounts or records. Each such promissory note shall be (a) in the case of the Term Loan, in the form of Exhibit 2.11(a) (a “Term Loan Note”) and (b) in the case of an Incremental Term Loan, in the form of Exhibit 2.11(b) (an “Incremental Term Loan Note”). Each Lender may attach schedules to its Note and endorse thereon the date, Type, amount and maturity of its Loans and payments with respect thereto.

 

2.12 Payments Generally; Administrative Agent’s Clawback.

(a) General. All payments to be made by the Borrower shall be made free and clear of and without condition or deduction for any counterclaim, defense, recoupment or setoff. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all payments by the Borrower hereunder shall be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the Administrative Agent’s Office in Dollars and in immediately available funds not later than 2:00 p.m. on the date specified herein. The Administrative Agent will promptly distribute to each Lender its Applicable Percentage (or other applicable share as provided herein) of such payment in like funds as received by wire transfer to such Lender’s Lending Office. All payments received by the Administrative Agent after 2:00 p.m. shall be deemed received on the next succeeding Business Day and any applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue. If any payment to be made by the Borrower shall come due on a day other than a Business Day, payment shall be made on the next following Business Day, and such extension of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case may be.

 

27


(b) (i) Funding by Lenders; Presumption by Administrative Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing of Eurodollar Rate Loans (or, in the case of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, prior to 12:00 noon on the date of such Borrowing) that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with Section 2.02 (or, in the case of a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, that such Lender has made such share available in accordance with and at the time required by Section 2.02) and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount in immediately available funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (A) in the case of a payment to be made by such Lender, the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the Administrative Agent in connection with the foregoing, and (B) in the case of a payment to be made by the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to the Loan made pursuant to such Borrowing. If the Borrower and such Lender shall pay such interest to the Administrative Agent for the same or an overlapping period, the Administrative Agent shall promptly remit to the Borrower the amount of such interest paid by the Borrower for such period. If such Lender pays its share of the applicable Borrowing to the Administrative Agent, then the amount so paid (excluding interest paid by such Lender) shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing. Any payment by the Borrower shall be without prejudice to any claim the Borrower may have against a Lender that shall have failed to make such payment to the Administrative Agent.

(ii) Payments by Borrower; Presumptions by Administrative Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the Borrower prior to the time at which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the Lenders the amount due. In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the Lenders severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender in immediately available funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.

A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender or the Borrower with respect to any amount owing under this subsection (b) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.

(c) Failure to Satisfy Conditions Precedent. If any Lender makes available to the Administrative Agent funds for any Loan to be made by such Lender as provided in the foregoing provisions of this Article II, and such funds are not made available to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent because the conditions to the applicable Loan set forth in Article V are not satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms hereof, the Administrative Agent shall return such funds (in like funds as received from such Lender) to such Lender, without interest.

 

28


(d) Obligations of Lenders Several. The obligations of the Lenders hereunder to make Loans and to make payments pursuant to Section 11.04(c) are several and not joint. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan or to make any payment under Section 11.04(c) on any date required hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender of its corresponding obligation to do so on such date, and no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to so make its Loan or to make its payment under Section 11.04(c).

(e) Funding Source. Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any Lender to obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner or to constitute a representation by any Lender that it has obtained or will obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner.

(f) Insufficient Funds. If at any time insufficient funds are received by and available to the Administrative Agent to pay fully all amounts of principal, interest and fees then due hereunder, such funds shall be applied (i) first, toward payment of interest and fees then due hereunder, ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of interest and fees then due to such parties, and (ii) second, toward payment of principal then due hereunder, ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of principal then due to such parties.

 

2.13 Sharing of Payments by Lenders.

If any Lender shall, by exercising any right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of the Loans made by it resulting in such Lender’s receiving payment of a proportion of the aggregate amount of such Loans and accrued interest thereon greater than its pro rata share thereof as provided herein, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall (a) notify the Administrative Agent of such fact, and (b) purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans of the other Lenders, or make such other adjustments as shall be equitable, so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and other amounts owing them, provided that:

(i) if any such participations or subparticipations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations or subparticipations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest; and

(ii) the provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to (A) any payment made by or on behalf of the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement (including the application of funds arising from the existence of a Defaulting Lender) or (B) any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans to any assignee or participant, other than an assignment to any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof (as to which the provisions of this Section shall apply).

Each Loan Party consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against such Loan Party rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of such Loan Party in the amount of such participation.

 

2.14 [Reserved].

 

29


2.15 Defaulting Lenders.

(a) Adjustments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then, until such time as that Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender, to the extent permitted by applicable Law:

(i) Waivers and Amendments. Such Defaulting Lender’s right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent with respect to this Agreement shall be restricted as set forth in the definition of “Required Lenders” and Section 11.01.

(ii) Defaulting Lender Waterfall. Any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Article IX or otherwise) or received by the Administrative Agent from a Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 11.08, shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first, to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second, as the Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of any Loan in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent; third, if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to be held in a deposit account and released pro rata in order to satisfy obligations of that Defaulting Lender to fund Loans under this Agreement; fourth, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; fifth, so long as no Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Borrower as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by the Borrower against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; and sixth, to such Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (x) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share and (y) such Loans were made at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 5.02 were satisfied or waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of all Non-Defaulting Lenders on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of such Defaulting Lender. Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender shall be deemed paid to and redirected by that Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto.

(b) Defaulting Lender Cure. If the Borrower and the Administrative Agent agree in writing in their sole discretion that a Lender should no longer be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender, the Administrative Agent will so notify the parties hereto, whereupon as of the effective date specified in such notice and subject to any conditions set forth therein, that Lender will, to the extent applicable, purchase that portion of outstanding Loans of the other Lenders or take such other actions as the Administrative Agent may determine to be necessary to cause the Loans to be held on a pro rata basis by the Lenders in accordance with their Applicable Percentages whereupon such Lender will cease to be a Defaulting Lender; provided that no adjustments will be made retroactively with respect to fees accrued or payments made by or on behalf of the Borrower while that Lender was a Defaulting Lender; and provided, further, that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no change hereunder from Defaulting Lender to Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lender’s having been a Defaulting Lender.

 

30


ARTICLE III

TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY

 

3.01 Taxes.

(a) Payments Free of Taxes; Obligation to Withhold; Payments on Account of Taxes. (i) Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document shall be made without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except as required by applicable Laws. If any applicable Laws (as determined in the good faith discretion of the Administrative Agent) require the deduction or withholding of any Tax from any such payment by the Administrative Agent or a Loan Party, then the Administrative Agent or such Loan Party shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding, upon the basis of the information and documentation to be delivered pursuant to subsection (e) below.

(ii) If any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent shall be required by the Internal Revenue Code to withhold or deduct any Taxes, including both U.S. federal backup withholding and withholding taxes, from any payment, then (A) the Administrative Agent shall withhold or make such deductions as are determined by the Administrative Agent to be required based upon the information and documentation it has received pursuant to subsection (e) below, (B) the Administrative Agent shall timely pay the full amount withheld or deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code, and (C) to the extent that the withholding or deduction is made on account of Indemnified Taxes, the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after any required withholding or the making of all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01) the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such withholding or deduction been made.

(iii) If any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent shall be required by any applicable Laws other than the Internal Revenue Code to withhold or deduct any Taxes from any payment, then (A) such Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, as required by such Laws, shall withhold or make such deductions as are determined by it to be required based upon the information and documentation it has received pursuant to subsection (e) below, (B) such Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, to the extent required by such Laws, shall timely pay the full amount withheld or deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with such Laws, and (C) to the extent that the withholding or deduction is made on account of Indemnified Taxes, the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after any required withholding or the making of all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01) the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such withholding or deduction been made.

(b) Payment of Other Taxes by the Loan Parties. Without limiting the provisions of subsection (a) above, the Loan Parties shall timely pay any Other Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for the payment of, any Other Taxes.

 

31


(c) Tax Indemnification.

(i) Each of the Loan Parties shall, and does hereby, jointly and severally indemnify each Recipient, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section 3.01) payable or paid by such Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to such Recipient, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the Borrower by a Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each of the Loan Parties shall, and does hereby, jointly and severally indemnify the Administrative Agent, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, for any amount which a Lender for any reason fails to pay indefeasibly to the Administrative Agent as required pursuant to Section 3.01(c)(ii) below.

(ii) Each Lender shall, and does hereby, severally indemnify, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, (x) the Administrative Agent against any Indemnified Taxes attributable to such Lender (but only to the extent that any Loan Party has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Loan Parties to do so), (y) the Administrative Agent and the Loan Parties, as applicable, against any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 11.06(d) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Loan Parties, as applicable, against any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent or a Loan Party in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this clause (ii).

(d) Evidence of Payments. Upon request by any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, after any payment of Taxes by such Loan Party or by the Administrative Agent to a Governmental Authority as provided in this Section 3.01, such Loan Party shall deliver to the Administrative Agent or the Administrative Agent shall deliver to such Loan Party, as the case may be, the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of any return required by Law to report such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to such Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be.

(e) Status of Lenders; Tax Documentation. (i) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or

 

32


information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 3.01(e)(ii)(A), (ii)(B) and (ii)(D) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.

(ii) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that the Borrower is a U.S. Person,

(A) any Lender that is a U.S. Person shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed originals of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;

(B) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:

(I) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;

(II) executed originals of IRS Form W-8ECI;

(III) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, (x) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit 3.01(a) to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code, a “10 percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code, or a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Internal Revenue Code (a “U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate”) and (y) executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN; or

(IV) to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, executed originals of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN, a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit 3.01(b) or Exhibit 3.01(c), IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit 3.01(d) on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner;

 

33


(C) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed originals of any other form prescribed by applicable law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding Tax, duly completed, together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and

(D) if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this clause (D), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.

Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered pursuant to this Section 3.01 expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.

(f) Treatment of Certain Refunds. Unless required by applicable Laws, at no time shall the Administrative Agent have any obligation to file for or otherwise pursue on behalf of a Lender, or have any obligation to pay to any Lender, any refund of Taxes withheld or deducted from funds paid for the account of such Lender. If any Recipient determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by any Loan Party or with respect to which any Loan Party has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section 3.01, it shall pay to the Loan Party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made, or additional amounts paid, by a Loan Party under this Section 3.01 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) incurred by such Recipient, and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund), provided that the Loan Party, upon the request of the Recipient, agrees to repay the amount paid over to the Loan Party (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) to the Recipient in the event the Recipient is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection, in no event will the applicable Recipient be required to pay any amount to the Loan Party pursuant to this subsection the payment of which would place the Recipient in a less favorable net after-Tax position than such Recipient would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been

 

34


deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts with respect to such Tax had never been paid. This subsection shall not be construed to require any Recipient to make available its tax returns (or any other information relating to its Taxes that it deems confidential) to any Loan Party or any other Person.

(g) Survival. Each party’s obligations under this Section 3.01 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all other Obligations.

 

3.02 Illegality.

If any Lender determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for any Lender or its applicable Lending Office to make, maintain or fund Loans whose interest is determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate, or any Governmental Authority has imposed material restrictions on the authority of such Lender to purchase or sell, or to take deposits of, Dollars in the London interbank market, then, on notice thereof by such Lender to the Borrower through the Administrative Agent, (i) any obligation of such Lender to make or continue Eurodollar Rate Loans or to convert Base Rate Loans to Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended and (ii) if such notice asserts the illegality of such Lender making or maintaining Base Rate Loans the interest rate on which is determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate, the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans of such Lender, shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Administrative Agent without reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate, in each case until such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist. Upon receipt of such notice, (x) the Borrower shall, upon demand from such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), prepay or, if applicable, convert all of such Lender’s Eurodollar Rate Loans to Base Rate Loans (the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans of such Lender shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Administrative Agent without reference to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate), either on the last day of the Interest Period therefor, if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans to such day, or immediately, if such Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans and (y) if such notice asserts the illegality of such Lender determining or charging interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate, the Administrative Agent shall during the period of such suspension compute the Base Rate applicable to such Lender without reference to the Eurodollar Rate component thereof until the Administrative Agent is advised in writing by such Lender that it is no longer illegal for such Lender to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate. Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrower shall also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted.

 

3.03 Inability to Determine Rates.

If in connection with any request for a Eurodollar Rate Loan or a conversion to or continuation thereof or otherwise, (a) the Administrative Agent determines that (i) Dollar deposits are not being offered to banks in the London interbank eurodollar market for the applicable amount and Interest Period of such Eurodollar Rate Loan or (ii) adequate and reasonable means do not exist for determining the Eurodollar Base Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan or in connection with an existing or proposed Base Rate Loan (in each case with respect to this clause (a), “Impacted Loans”), or (b) the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders determine that for any reason the Eurodollar Base Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to the Lenders of funding such Loan, the Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Borrower and all Lenders. Thereafter, (x) the obligation of the Lenders to make or maintain Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended (to the extent of the affected

 

35


Eurodollar Rate Loans or Interest Periods) and (y) in the event of a determination described in the preceding sentence with respect to the Eurodollar Rate component of the Base Rate, the utilization of the Eurodollar Rate component in determining the Base Rate shall be suspended, in each case until the Administrative Agent revokes such notice. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower may revoke any pending request for a Borrowing, conversion or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans (to the extent of the affected Eurodollar Rate Loans or Interest Periods) or, failing that, will be deemed to have converted such request into a request for a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans in the amount specified therein.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Administrative Agent has made the determination described in clause (a) of this Section 3.03, the Administrative Agent, in consultation with the Borrower and the affected Lenders, may establish an alternative interest rate for the applicable Impacted Loans, in which case, such alternative interest rate shall apply with respect to such Impacted Loans until (1) the Administrative Agent revokes the notice delivered with respect to the applicable Impacted Loans under clause (a) of the first sentence of this Section 3.03, (2) the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that such alternative interest rate does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of funding the applicable Impacted Loans, or (3) any Lender determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for such Lender or its applicable Lending Office to make, maintain or fund Loans whose interest is determined by reference to such alternative interest rate or to determine or charge interest rates based upon such rate or any Governmental Authority has imposed material restrictions on the ability of such Lender to do any of the foregoing and, in each case, such Lender provides the Administrative Agent and the Borrower written notice thereof.

 

3.04 Increased Costs.

(a) Increased Costs Generally. If any Change in Law shall:

(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended or participated in by, any Lender (except any reserve requirement reflected in the Eurodollar Rate);

(ii) subject any Recipient to any Taxes (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes, (B) Taxes described in clauses (b) through (d) of the definition of Excluded Taxes and (C) Connection Income Taxes) on its loans, loan principal, commitments or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto; or

(iii) impose on any Lender or the London interbank market any other condition, cost or expense (other than Taxes) affecting this Agreement or Eurodollar Rate Loans made by such Lender;

and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender of making, converting to, continuing or maintaining any Loan the interest on which is determined by reference to the Eurodollar Rate (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan), or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender hereunder (whether of principal, interest or any other amount) then, upon request of such Lender, the Borrower will pay to such Lender such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.

(b) Capital Requirements. If any Lender determines that any Change in Law affecting such Lender or any Lending Office of such Lender or such Lender’s holding company, if any, regarding capital requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement, the Commitments

 

36


of such Lender or the Loans made by such Lender to a level below that which such Lender or such Lender’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such Lender’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.

(c) Certificates for Reimbursement. A certificate of a Lender setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in subsection (a) or (b) of this Section and delivered to the Borrower shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within ten days after receipt thereof.

(d) Delay in Requests. Failure or delay on the part of any Lender to demand compensation pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s right to demand such compensation, provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section for any increased costs incurred or reductions suffered more than six months prior to the date that such Lender notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s intention to claim compensation therefor (except that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the six-month period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof).

 

3.05 Compensation for Losses.

Within three Business Days after written demand by any Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) from time to time, the Borrower shall promptly compensate such Lender for and hold such Lender harmless from any loss, cost or expense incurred by it as a result of:

(a) any continuation, conversion, payment or prepayment of any Eurodollar Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period for such Loan (whether voluntary, mandatory, automatic, by reason of acceleration, or otherwise);

(b) any failure by the Borrower (for a reason other than the failure of such Lender to make a Loan) to prepay, borrow, continue or convert any Eurodollar Rate Loan on the date or in the amount notified by the Borrower; or

(c) any assignment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period therefor as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 11.13; or

including any loss or expense arising from the liquidation or reemployment of funds obtained by it to maintain such Loan or from fees payable to terminate the deposits from which such funds were obtained. The Borrower shall also pay any customary administrative fees charged by such Lender in connection with the foregoing.

For purposes of calculating amounts payable by the Borrower to the Lenders under this Section 3.05, each Lender shall be deemed to have funded each Eurodollar Rate Loan made by it at the Eurodollar Base Rate used in determining the Eurodollar Rate for such Loan by a matching deposit or other borrowing in the London interbank eurodollar market for a comparable amount and for a comparable period, whether or not such Eurodollar Rate Loan was in fact so funded. A certificate of any Lender setting forth any amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section 3.05 shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

 

37


3.06 Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.

(a) Designation of a Different Lending Office. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01, or if any Lender gives a notice pursuant to Section 3.02, then such Lender shall, as applicable, use reasonable efforts to designate a different Lending Office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 3.01 or 3.04, as the case may be, in the future, or eliminate the need for the notice pursuant to Section 3.02, as applicable, and (ii) in each case, would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment.

(b) Replacement of Lenders. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01 and, in each case, such Lender has declined or is unable to designate a different Lending Office in accordance with Section 3.06(a), the Borrower may replace such Lender in accordance with Section 11.13.

 

3.07 Survival.

All of the Loan Parties’ obligations under this Article III shall survive termination of the Commitments, repayment of all other Obligations arising under the Loan Documents, and resignation of the Administrative Agent.

ARTICLE IV

GUARANTY

 

4.01 The Guaranty.

Each of the Guarantors hereby jointly and severally guarantees to each Lender, each Swap Bank and the Administrative Agent as hereinafter provided, as primary obligor and not as surety, the prompt payment of the Obligations in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) strictly in accordance with the terms thereof. The Guarantors hereby further agree that if any of the Obligations are not paid in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise), the Guarantors will, jointly and severally, promptly pay the same, without any demand or notice whatsoever, and that in the case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any of the Obligations, the same will be promptly paid in full when due (whether at extended maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) in accordance with the terms of such extension or renewal.

Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein or in any other of the Loan Documents or Swap Contracts, the obligations of each Guarantor under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall not exceed an aggregate amount equal to the largest amount that would not render such obligations subject to avoidance under the Debtor Relief Laws or any comparable provisions of any applicable state law.

 

38


4.02 Obligations Unconditional.

The obligations of the Guarantors under Section 4.01 are joint and several, absolute and unconditional, irrespective of the value, genuineness, validity, regularity or enforceability of any of the Loan Documents, Swap Contracts or any other agreement or instrument referred to therein, or any substitution, release, impairment or exchange of any other guarantee of or security for any of the Obligations, and, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, irrespective of any law or regulation or other circumstance whatsoever which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a surety or guarantor, it being the intent of this Section 4.02 that the obligations of the Guarantors hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances. Each Guarantor agrees that such Guarantor shall have no right of subrogation, indemnity, reimbursement or contribution against the Borrower or any other Guarantor for amounts paid under this Article IV until such time as the Obligations have been paid in full and the Commitments have expired or terminated. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, it is agreed that, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, the occurrence of any one or more of the following shall not alter or impair the liability of any Guarantor hereunder, which shall remain absolute and unconditional as described above:

(a) at any time or from time to time, without notice to any Guarantor, the time for any performance of or compliance with any of the Obligations shall be extended, or such performance or compliance shall be waived;

(b) any of the acts mentioned in any of the provisions of any of the Loan Documents, any Swap Contract between any Loan Party and any Swap Bank, or any other agreement or instrument referred to in the Loan Documents or such Swap Contracts shall be done or omitted (other than repayment of the Obligations guaranteed hereunder);

(c) the maturity of any of the Obligations shall be accelerated, or any of the Obligations shall be modified, supplemented or amended in any respect, or any right under any of the Loan Documents, any Swap Contract between any Loan Party and any Swap Bank or any other agreement or instrument referred to in the Loan Documents shall be waived or any other guarantee of any of the Obligations or any security therefor shall be released, impaired or exchanged in whole or in part or otherwise dealt with;

(d) any Lien granted to, or in favor of, the Administrative Agent or any other holder of the Obligations as security for any of the Obligations shall fail to attach or be perfected; or

(e) any of the Obligations shall be determined to be void or voidable (including, without limitation, for the benefit of any creditor of any Guarantor) or shall be subordinated to the claims of any Person (including, without limitation, any creditor of any Guarantor).

With respect to its obligations hereunder, each Guarantor hereby expressly waives diligence, presentment, demand of payment, protest and all notices whatsoever, and any requirement that the Administrative Agent or any other holder of the Obligations exhaust any right, power or remedy or proceed against any Person under any of the Loan Documents, any Swap Contract between any Loan Party and any Swap Bank, or any other agreement or instrument referred to in the Loan Documents, or against any other Person under any other guarantee of, or security for, any of the Obligations.

 

39


4.03 Reinstatement.

The obligations of the Guarantors under this Article IV shall be automatically reinstated if and to the extent that for any reason any payment by or on behalf of any Person in respect of the Obligations is rescinded or must be otherwise restored by any holder of any of the Obligations, whether as a result of any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, and each Guarantor agrees that it will indemnify the Administrative Agent and each other holder of the Obligations on demand for all reasonable costs and expenses (including, without limitation, the fees, charges and disbursements of counsel) incurred by the Administrative Agent or such holder of the Obligations in connection with such rescission or restoration, including any such costs and expenses incurred in defending against any claim alleging that such payment constituted a preference, fraudulent transfer or similar payment under any Debtor Relief Law.

 

4.04 Certain Additional Waivers.

Each Guarantor agrees that such Guarantor shall have no right of recourse to security for the Obligations, except through the exercise of rights of subrogation pursuant to Section 4.02 and through the exercise of rights of contribution pursuant to Section 4.06.

 

4.05 Remedies.

The Guarantors agree that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, as between the Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Administrative Agent and the other holders of the Obligations, on the other hand, the Obligations (arising under the Loan Documents) may be declared to be forthwith due and payable as specified in Section 9.02 (and shall be deemed to have become automatically due and payable in the circumstances specified in said Section 9.02) for purposes of Section 4.01 notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such declaration (or preventing the Obligations from becoming automatically due and payable) as against any other Person and that, in the event of such declaration (or the Obligations being deemed to have become automatically due and payable), the Obligations (whether or not due and payable by any other Person) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Guarantors for purposes of Section 4.01.

 

4.06 Rights of Contribution.

The Guarantors agree among themselves that, in connection with payments made hereunder, each Guarantor shall have contribution rights against the other Guarantors as permitted under applicable law. Such contribution rights shall be subordinate and subject in right of payment to the obligations of such Guarantors under the Loan Documents and no Guarantor shall exercise such rights of contribution until all Obligations arising under the Loan Documents have been paid in full and the Commitments have terminated.

 

4.07 Guarantee of Payment; Continuing Guarantee.

The guarantee in this Article IV is a guaranty of payment and not of collection, is a continuing guarantee, and shall apply to all Obligations whenever arising. For the avoidance of doubt, the guarantee in this Article IV shall terminate upon repayment of all Obligations arising under the Loan Documents and the termination of this Agreement.

 

4.08 Keepwell.

Each Loan Party that is a Qualified ECP Guarantor at the time the Guaranty in this Article IV by any Loan Party that is not then an “eligible contract participant” under the Commodity Exchange Act (a “Specified Loan Party”) or the grant of a security interest under the Loan Documents by any such

 

40


Specified Loan Party, in either case, becomes effective with respect to any Swap Obligation, hereby jointly and severally, absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably undertakes to provide such funds or other support to each Specified Loan Party with respect to such Swap Obligation as may be needed by such Specified Loan Party from time to time to honor all of its obligations under this Guaranty and the other Loan Documents in respect of such Swap Obligation (but, in each case, only up to the maximum amount of such liability that can be hereby incurred without rendering such Qualified ECP Guarantor’s obligations and undertakings under this Article IV voidable under applicable Debtor Relief Laws, and not for any greater amount). The obligations and undertakings of each Qualified ECP Guarantor under this Section 4.08 shall remain in full force and effect until the Obligations (other than contingent indemnification obligations as to which no claim has been asserted) have been indefeasibly paid and performed in full. Each Loan Party intends this Section 4.08 to constitute, and this Section 4.08 shall be deemed to constitute, a “keepwell, support, or other agreement” for the benefit of each Specified Loan Party for all purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act.

ARTICLE V

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO BORROWINGS

 

5.01 Conditions of Effectiveness.

This Agreement shall be effective upon satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:

(a) Loan Documents. Receipt by the Administrative Agent of executed counterparts of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the signing Loan Party and, in the case of this Agreement, by each Lender.

(b) Opinions of Counsel. Receipt by the Administrative Agent of favorable opinions of legal counsel to the Loan Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, dated as of the Closing Date, and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

(c) Financial Statements. The Administrative Agent shall have received the unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2013, including balance sheets and statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows.

(d) No Material Adverse Effect. There shall not have occurred since December 31, 2012 any event or condition that has had or would reasonably be expected, either individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(e) Litigation. There shall not exist any action, suit, investigation or proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Loan Parties, threatened in any court or before an arbitrator or Governmental Authority that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(f) Organization Documents, Resolutions, Etc. Receipt by the Administrative Agent of the following, in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:

(i) copies of the Organization Documents of each Loan Party certified to be true and complete as of a recent date by the appropriate Governmental Authority of the state or other jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, where applicable, and certified by a secretary or assistant secretary of such Loan Party to be true and correct as of the Closing Date;

 

41


(ii) such certificates of resolutions or other action, incumbency certificates and/or other certificates of Responsible Officers of each Loan Party as the Administrative Agent may require evidencing the identity, authority and capacity of each Responsible Officer thereof authorized to act as a Responsible Officer in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party; and

(iii) such documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require to evidence that each Loan Party is duly organized or formed, and is validly existing, in good standing and qualified to engage in business in its state of organization or formation.

(g) Closing Certificate. Receipt by the Administrative Agent of a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower certifying that the conditions specified in Sections 5.01(d), (e) and (h) and Sections 5.02(a) and (b) have been satisfied and such other matters as reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent.

(h) Governmental and Third Party Consents. Receipt by the Administrative Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that the Loan Parties have obtained all governmental and third party consents and approvals (including without limitation, any required approvals from any applicable regulatory body) required for the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents.

(i) Existing Credit Agreement. Receipt by the Administrative Agent of evidence that the Existing Credit Agreement has been, or substantially simultaneously with the closing of this Agreement will be, terminated, and any and all obligations with respect thereto have been paid in full.

(j) Fees. Receipt by the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers and the Lenders of any fees required to be paid on or before the Closing Date.

(k) Attorney Costs. The Borrower shall have paid all fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent (directly to such counsel if requested by the Administrative Agent) to the extent invoiced prior to or on the Closing Date, plus such additional amounts of such fees, charges and disbursements as shall constitute its reasonable estimate of such fees, charges and disbursements incurred or to be incurred by it through the closing proceedings (provided that such estimate shall not thereafter preclude a final settling of accounts between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent).

Without limiting the generality of the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 10.03, for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 5.01, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its objection thereto.

 

5.02 Conditions to all Borrowings.

The obligation of each Lender to honor any Request for Borrowing is subject to the following conditions precedent:

(a) The representations and warranties of each Loan Party contained in Article VI (other than the representations and warranties contained in Sections 6.05(d) and 6.06) or any other Loan Document, or which are contained in any document furnished at any time under or in connection herewith or therewith, shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the date of such Borrowing, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct as of such earlier date.

 

42


(b) No Default shall exist, or would result from such proposed Borrowing or from the application of the proceeds thereof.

(c) The Administrative Agent shall have received a Request for Borrowing in accordance with the requirements hereof.

Each Request for Borrowing submitted by the Borrower shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty that the conditions specified in Sections 5.02(a) and (b) have been satisfied on and as of the date of the applicable Borrowing.

ARTICLE VI

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

The Loan Parties represent and warrant to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders that:

 

6.01 Existence, Qualification and Power.

Each Loan Party (a) is duly organized or formed, validly existing and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, (b) has all requisite entity power and authority and all requisite governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals to (i) own or lease its assets and carry on its business and (ii) execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and (c) is duly qualified and is licensed and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification or license; except in each case referred to in clause (b)(i) or (c), to the extent that failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.02 Authorization; No Contravention.

The execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party of each Loan Document to which such Person is party have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action, and do not (a) contravene the terms of any of such Person’s Organization Documents; (b) conflict with or result in any breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under, or require any payment to be made under (i) any material Contractual Obligation to which such Person is a party or affecting such Person or the properties of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which such Person or its property is subject; or (c) violate any material Law.

 

6.03 Governmental Authorization; Other Consents.

No approval, consent, exemption, authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any Governmental Authority or any other Person is necessary or required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance by, or enforcement against, any Loan Party of this Agreement or any other Loan Document other than those that have already been obtained and are in full force and effect.

 

43


6.04 Binding Effect.

Each Loan Document has been duly executed and delivered by each Loan Party that is party thereto. Each Loan Document constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of each Loan Party that is party thereto, enforceable against each such Loan Party in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar Debtor Relief Laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles (whether enforcement is sought by proceedings in equity or at law).

 

6.05 Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect.

(a) The financial statements delivered pursuant to Sections 5.01(c), 7.01(a) and 7.01(b) (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein (subject, in the case of unaudited financial statements, to the absence of footnotes and to normal year-end audit adjustments); and (ii) fairly present the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein (subject, in the case of unaudited financial statements, to the absence of footnotes and to normal year-end audit adjustments).

(b) The Audited Financial Statements (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; and (ii) fairly present the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby.

(c) From September 30, 2013 to and including the Closing Date, there has been no Disposition or any Involuntary Disposition of any material part of the business or property of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and no purchase or other acquisition by any of them of any business or property (including any Equity Interests of any other Person) material in relation to the consolidated financial condition of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case, which has not been disclosed in writing to the Lenders on or prior to the Closing Date.

(d) Since the date of the Audited Financial Statements, there has been no event or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.06 Litigation.

There are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims or disputes pending or, to the knowledge of the Loan Parties, threatened or contemplated, at law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, by or against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary or against any of their properties or revenues that (a) purport to affect or pertain to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (b) could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.07 No Default.

No Default has occurred and is continuing.

 

44


6.08 Ownership of Property.

Each Loan Party has good and defensible title to all real property or interest therein necessary or used in the ordinary conduct of its business, except for such defects in title as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.09 Environmental Compliance.

The Loan Parties are conducting their businesses in material compliance with all applicable Environmental Laws, and have and are in compliance with all licenses and permits required under any such Environmental Laws, unless the failure to so comply would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Loan Parties, none of the operations or properties of any Loan Party is the subject of federal, state or local investigation evaluating whether any material remedial action is needed to respond to a release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or to the improper storage or disposal (including storage or disposal at offsite locations) of any Hazardous Materials, unless such remedial action would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No Loan Party (and to the best knowledge of the Loan Parties, no other Person) has filed any notice under any Environmental Law indicating that any Loan Party is responsible for the improper release into the environment, or the improper storage or disposal, of any material amount of any Hazardous Materials or that any Hazardous Materials have been improperly released, or are improperly stored or disposed of, upon any property of any Loan Party, unless such improper release, storage or disposal would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.10 [Reserved].

 

6.11 Taxes.

Each Loan Party has filed all federal, state and other material tax returns and reports required to be filed, and has paid all federal, state and other material taxes, assessments, fees and other governmental charges levied or imposed upon it or its properties, income or assets otherwise due and payable, except those which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and for which adequate reserves have been provided in accordance with GAAP. There is no proposed tax assessment against any Loan Party that would, if made, have a Material Adverse Effect. No Loan Party is party to any tax sharing agreement other than the tax sharing agreements among the Borrower and one or more of its Subsidiaries.

 

6.12 ERISA Compliance.

During the five year period prior to the date on which this representation has been made there have been no ERISA Events. To the knowledge of the Loan Parties, each Plan has complied in all material respects with the applicable provisions of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, and there are no pending, or the best knowledge of the Loan Parties, threatened claims, actions or lawsuits, or action by an Governmental Authority, with respect to any Plan, expect where such non-compliance or action either singly or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No termination of a Single Employer Plan has occurred, and no Lien in favor of the PBGC or a Plan has arisen, during such five-year period. The present value of all accrued benefits under each Single Employer Plan (based on those assumptions used to fund such Plans) did not, as of the last annual valuation date prior to the date on which this representation is made or deemed made, exceed the value of the assets of such Plan allocable to such accrued benefits by an amount that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Borrower and each ERISA Affiliate has met all applicable requirements under the Pension Funding Rules with respect to each Pension Plan and no waiver of the

 

45


minimum funding standards under the Pension Funding Rules has been applied for or obtained. Neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has had a complete or partial withdrawal from any Multiemployer Plan that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a liability or loss under ERISA, and neither the Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate would become subject to any liability or loss under ERISA if the Borrower or any such ERISA Affiliate were to withdraw completely from all Multiemployer Plans as of the valuation date most closely preceding the date on which this representation is made or deemed made, in any case where, either singly or in the aggregate, the aggregate amount of loss or liability would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.13 Subsidiaries.

Set forth on Schedule 6.13 is a complete and accurate list of each Subsidiary of any Loan Party, together with (i) jurisdiction of organization, (ii) number of shares of each class of Equity Interests outstanding, (iii) number and percentage of outstanding shares of each class owned (directly or indirectly) by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary and (iv) an identification of which Subsidiaries are Material Subsidiaries as such schedule may be updated from time to time pursuant to Section 7.02(a). The outstanding Equity Interests of each Subsidiary of any Loan Party are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

 

6.14 Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act.

(a) The Borrower is not engaged and will not engage, principally or as one of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U issued by the FRB), or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock. Following the application of the proceeds of each Borrowing, not more than 25% of the value of the assets (either of the Borrower only or of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis) subject to the provisions of Section 8.01 or Section 8.05 or subject to any restriction contained in any agreement or instrument between the Borrower and any Lender or any Affiliate of any Lender relating to Indebtedness and within the scope of Section 9.01(e) will be margin stock.

(b) Neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary is or is required to be registered as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

 

6.15 Disclosure.

No report, financial statement, certificate or other information furnished (whether in writing or orally) by a Responsible Officer of any Loan Party to the Administrative Agent or any Lender for use in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder or under any other Loan Document (in each case, as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contained, as of the date of such report, statement, certificate or information, any untrue statement of material fact or, when taken together with all of the SEC Filings, omitted to state any material fact known to any Loan Party (other than industry-wide risks normally associated with the types of businesses conducted by the Loan Parties) necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading as of the date made; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Loan Parties represent only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.

 

6.16 Compliance with Laws.

Each Loan Party is in compliance with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its properties, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted or (b) the failure to comply therewith, either individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

46


6.17 Solvency.

The Borrower is Solvent, and the Loan Parties are Solvent on a consolidated basis.

ARTICLE VII

AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment outstanding, any Loan or other Obligation arising under the Loan Documents shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied (other than contingent indemnification obligations as to which no claim has been asserted), each Loan Party shall, and shall cause, to the extent it may lawfully do so, each Subsidiary to:

 

7.01 Financial Statements.

Deliver to the Administrative Agent for delivery to each Lender, in form and detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:

(a) As soon as available, but in any event, within the earlier of (i) 100 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Borrower and (ii) the date that is 10 days after the date the Borrower delivered its 10-K to the SEC, a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal year, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail and prepared in accordance with GAAP, audited and accompanied by a report and opinion of an independent certified public accountant of nationally recognized standing, which report and opinion shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and shall not be subject to any “going concern” or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit; and

(b) As soon as available, but in any event, within the earlier of (i) 50 days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Borrower and (ii) the date that is 5 days after the date the Borrower delivered its 10-Q to the SEC, a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal quarter, the related consolidated statements of income or operations for such fiscal quarter and for the portion of the Borrower’s fiscal year then ended, and the related consolidated statements of changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the portion of the Borrower’s fiscal year then ended, in each case setting forth in comparative form, as applicable, the figures for the corresponding fiscal quarter of the previous fiscal year and the corresponding portion of the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail and certified by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower as fairly presenting the financial condition, results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, subject only to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes.

As to any information contained in materials furnished pursuant to Section 7.02(b), the Borrower shall not be separately required to furnish such information under Section 7.01(a) or (b) above, but the foregoing shall not be in derogation of the obligation of the Borrower to furnish the information and materials described in Section 7.01(a) or (b) above at the times specified therein.

 

47


7.02 Certificates; Other Information.

Deliver to the Administrative Agent for delivery to each Lender, in form and detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:

(a) concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Sections 7.01(a) and (b), a duly completed Compliance Certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower which shall include such supplements to Schedule 6.13 as are necessary such that, as supplemented, such Schedule would be accurate and complete as of the date of such Compliance Certificate (which delivery may, unless the Administrative Agent or a Lender requests executed originals, be by electronic communication including fax or email and shall be deemed to be an original authentic counterpart thereof for all purposes);

(b) promptly after the same are available, copies of each annual report, proxy or financial statement or other report or communication sent to the equity holders of any Loan Party, and copies of all annual, regular, periodic and special reports and registration statements which a Loan Party may file or be required to file with the SEC under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and not otherwise required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant hereto; and

(c) promptly, such additional information regarding the business, financial or corporate affairs of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of the Loan Documents, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may from time to time reasonably request.

Documents and/or financial information required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7.01(a) or (b) or Section 7.02(b) (to the extent any such documents and/or financial information are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Administrative Agent on the date on which such documents are filed with the SEC (provided that the Administrative Agent and the Lenders have access to such documents on such date); provided that: (i) the Borrower shall deliver paper copies of such documents to the Administrative Agent or any Lender upon its request to the Borrower to deliver such paper copies until a written request to cease delivering paper copies is given by the Administrative Agent or such Lender and (ii) the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent (by facsimile or electronic mail) of the filing of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail a link to such documents (which may be included in the notice). The Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to request the delivery of or to maintain paper copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by the Borrower with any such request by a Lender for delivery, and each Lender shall be solely responsible for requesting delivery to it or maintaining its copies of such documents.

The Borrower hereby acknowledges that (a) the Administrative Agent and/or the Arrangers will make available to the Lenders materials and/or information provided by or on behalf of the Borrower hereunder (collectively, “Borrower Materials”) by posting the Borrower Materials on IntraLinks or another similar electronic system (the “Platform”) and (b) certain of the Lenders (each a “Public Lender”) may have personnel who do not wish to receive material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its Affiliates, or the respective securities of any of the foregoing, and who may be engaged in investment and other market-related activities with respect to such Persons’ securities. The Borrower hereby agrees that (w) all Borrower Materials that are to be made available to Public Lenders shall be clearly and conspicuously marked “PUBLIC” which, at a minimum, shall mean that the word “PUBLIC” shall appear prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by marking Borrower Materials “PUBLIC,” the Borrower shall be deemed to have authorized the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers and the Lenders to treat such Borrower Materials as not containing any material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States federal and state securities laws (provided, however, that to the extent such Borrower Materials constitute Information, they shall be treated as set

 

48


forth in Section 11.07); (y) all Borrower Materials marked “PUBLIC” are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform designated as “Public Side Information;” and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers shall be entitled to treat any Borrower Materials that are not marked “PUBLIC” as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform that is not marked as “Public Side Information.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Borrower shall be under no obligation to mark any Borrower Materials “PUBLIC.”

 

7.03 Notices.

Within five (5) Business Days after any Loan Party obtains knowledge thereof, notify the Administrative Agent (who will notify the other Lenders) of:

(a) the occurrence of any Default.

(b) any matter that has resulted or would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(c) the occurrence of any ERISA Event.

Each notice pursuant to this Section 7.03 shall be accompanied by a statement of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower setting forth details of the occurrence referred to therein and stating what action the Borrower has taken and proposes to take with respect thereto. Each notice pursuant to Section 7.03(a) shall describe with particularity any and all provisions of this Agreement and any other Loan Document that have been breached.

 

7.04 Payment of Obligations.

Pay and discharge, before the same shall become delinquent, all its material obligations and liabilities, including all material tax liabilities, assessments and governmental charges or levies upon it or its properties or assets, unless the same are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and adequate reserves in accordance with GAAP are being maintained by such Loan Party or such Subsidiary.

 

7.05 Preservation of Existence, Etc.

(a) Preserve, renew and maintain in full force and effect its (i) legal existence and (ii) good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, in each case, except in a transaction permitted by Section 8.04 or Section 8.05.

(b) Take all reasonable action to maintain all rights, privileges, permits, licenses and franchises necessary or desirable in the normal conduct of its business, except to the extent that the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

7.06 Maintenance of Properties.

Other than in connection with a transaction permitted by Section 8.05, keep all of its property material to the operation of its business (taken as a whole) in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted.

 

49


7.07 Maintenance of Insurance.

Maintain or cause to be maintained in full force and effect insurance (including worker’s compensation insurance, liability insurance, casualty insurance and business interruption insurance) in such amounts, with such deductibles and covering such risks as are customarily carried by business enterprises of established reputation similarly situated. Such insurance shall be maintained with, in the good faith judgment of the Borrower, financially sound and reputable insurance companies or through self-insurance, and may be subject to co-insurance, deductibility or similar clauses which, in effect, result in self-insurance of certain losses, provided that such self-insurance is in accord with the customary practices of business enterprises of established reputation similarly situated and adequate insurance reserves are maintained in connection with such self-insurance, and, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 7.07, any Loan Party may effect workers’ compensation or similar insurance in respect of operations in any state or any other jurisdiction through an insurance fund operated by such state or other jurisdiction or by causing to be maintained a system or systems of self-insurance in accord with applicable Laws.

 

7.08 Compliance with Laws.

Comply with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its business or property, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted; or (b) the failure to comply therewith would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

7.09 Books and Records.

(a) Maintain proper books of record and account, in which full, true and correct entries in conformity with GAAP consistently applied shall be made of all financial transactions and matters involving the assets and business of such Loan Party and the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.

(b) Maintain such books of record and account in material conformity with all applicable requirements of any Governmental Authority having regulatory jurisdiction over such Loan Party or such Subsidiary, as the case may be.

 

7.10 Inspection Rights.

Permit representatives and independent contractors of the Administrative Agent and each Lender to visit and inspect any of its properties, to examine its corporate, financial and operating records, and make copies thereof or abstracts therefrom (in each case, subject to compliance with reasonable confidentiality agreements and requirements and applicable copyright laws), and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its directors, officers, and independent public accountants, and, if the Borrower requests, in the presence of a Responsible Officer or an appointee of a Responsible Officer, at the reasonable expense of the Lenders, and at such reasonable times during normal business hours and as often as may be reasonably desired (but, unless an Event of Default exists, no more frequently than once during any calendar year), upon reasonable advance notice to the Borrower; provided, however, that when an Event of Default exists the Administrative Agent or any Lender (or any of their respective representatives or independent contractors) may do any of the foregoing at the expense of the Borrower at any time during normal business hours and without advance notice.

 

50


7.11 Use of Proceeds.

Use the proceeds of the Borrowings (a) for general corporate purposes, (b) to refinance certain existing Indebtedness and (c) to pay fees and expenses in connection with this Agreement, provided that in no event shall the proceeds of the Borrowings be used in contravention of any Law or of any Loan Document.

 

7.12 ERISA Compliance.

Do, and cause each of its ERISA Affiliates to do, each of the following: (a) maintain each Plan in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code and other federal or state law; (b) cause each Plan that is qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code to maintain such qualification; and (c) make all required contributions to any Plan subject to Section 412, Section 430 or Section 431 of the Internal Revenue Code; except in each such instance in clause (a), (b) or (c) where the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

7.13 Additional Subsidiaries.

Within thirty days after the acquisition or formation of any Material Subsidiary, or within thirty days after the Borrower has knowledge that an existing Subsidiary meets the threshold to be a Material Subsidiary:

(a) notify the Administrative Agent thereof in writing, together with the (i) jurisdiction of formation, (ii) number of shares of each class of Equity Interests outstanding, (iii) number and percentage of outstanding shares of each class owned (directly or indirectly) by the Borrower or any Subsidiary and (iv) number and effect, if exercised, of all outstanding options, warrants, rights of conversion or purchase and all other similar rights with respect thereto; and

(b) if such Material Subsidiary is a Domestic Subsidiary, cause such Person to (i) become a Guarantor by executing and delivering to the Administrative Agent a Joinder Agreement or such other documents as the Administrative Agent shall deem appropriate for such purpose, and (ii) upon the request of the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion, deliver to the Administrative Agent such Organization Documents, resolutions and favorable opinions of counsel, all in form, content and scope reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

 

7.14 Ownership of Certain Subsidiaries.

Take such actions as are necessary to ensure that the Borrower, at all times, shall own and control, directly or indirectly, 100% of the Voting Stock of Energen Resources Corporation and Alabama Gas Corporation.

 

7.15 Investments.

Make any material Investments solely in Persons and/or property which are used or useful in the same or a similar line of business as the Borrower and its Subsidiaries are engaged in on the Closing Date (or any reasonable extension thereof).

 

51


ARTICLE VIII

NEGATIVE COVENANTS

So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment outstanding, any Loan or other Obligation arising under the Loan Documents shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied (other than contingent indemnification obligations as to which no claim has been asserted), no Loan Party shall, nor shall it permit, to the extent it may lawfully do so, any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly:

 

8.01 Liens.

Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its property, assets or revenues, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, other than the following:

(a) Liens pursuant to any Loan Document;

(b) Liens existing on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 8.01 and any renewals or extensions thereof, provided that the property covered thereby is not changed;

(c) Liens (other than Liens imposed under ERISA) for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or levies not yet delinquent or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person in accordance with GAAP;

(d) statutory Liens of landlords and Liens of carriers, warehousemen, mechanics, materialmen and suppliers and other Liens imposed by law or pursuant to customary reservations or retentions of title arising in the ordinary course of business, provided that such Liens secure only amounts not yet delinquent or, if delinquent, are unfiled and no other action has been taken to enforce the same or are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings for which adequate reserves determined in accordance with GAAP have been established;

(e) pledges or deposits in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security legislation, other than any Lien imposed by ERISA;

(f) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts and leases (other than Indebtedness), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;

(g) easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar encumbrances affecting real property which, in the aggregate, are not substantial in amount, and which do not in any case materially detract from the value of the property subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the applicable Person, including, without limitation, easements or reservations in any property of a Loan Party or Subsidiary for the purpose of roads, rights-of-way, railroads, railroad side tracks, electric lines, pipe lines, sewers, water and gas transmission and distribution mains, conduits, water rights of states, any subdivision thereof or others, building and use restrictions and defects of title to, or leases of, any parts of the property of a Loan Party or its Subsidiary;

(h) Liens securing judgments for the payment of money (or appeal or other surety bonds relating to such judgments) not constituting an Event of Default under Section 9.01(h);

 

52


(i) Liens securing purchase money Indebtedness, including, without limitation, any Indebtedness incurred to finance the acquisition, construction or improvement of any real estate acquired by a Loan Party or a Subsidiary; provided that (i) such Liens do not at any time encumber any property other than the property and improvements thereto financed by such Indebtedness, (ii) such Liens attach to such property concurrently with or within ninety days after the acquisition, construction or improvement thereof and (iii) such Liens do not secure obligations that exceed, in the aggregate at any one time outstanding, an amount equal to fifteen percent (15%) of Total Assets minus the amount of obligations secured by Liens incurred pursuant to Sections 8.01(z) and 8.01(ee).

(j) leases or subleases granted to others not interfering in any material respect with the business of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary;

(k) any interest of title of a lessor under, and Liens arising from UCC financing statements (or equivalent filings, registrations or agreements in foreign jurisdictions) relating to, leases permitted by this Agreement;

(l) Liens deemed to exist in connection with Investments in repurchase agreements entered into in connection with Investments in Cash Equivalents;

(m) normal and customary rights of setoff upon deposits of cash in favor of banks or other depository institutions;

(n) Liens of a collection bank arising under Section 4-210 of the Uniform Commercial Code on items in the course of collection;

(o) pledges by a Loan Party or a Subsidiary of assets as security to be deposited with any Governmental Authority at any time required by Law as a condition to the transaction of any business or the exercise of any privilege, license or right;

(p) good faith deposits or the granting of security in connection with tenders, redemption, contracts or leases to which a Loan Party or a Subsidiary is a party or deposits for the purpose of terminating obligations under an indenture;

(q) Liens (including, without limitation, purchase money mortgages, conditional sale agreements and other title retention agreements and leases in the nature of title retention agreements) on property of a Loan Party or a Subsidiary in favor of the United States or any state thereof, or any department, agency, instrumentality or political subdivision of the United States or any state thereof, or in favor of any other country or political subdivision thereof, or any agency or instrumentality of such country or political subdivision, to secure partial progress installment, advance or other payment pursuant to any contract or statute or to secure any Indebtedness or other obligation (or related instrument) incurred for the purpose of financing all or any part of the purchase price or the cost of construction of the property subject to such Liens;

(r) Liens incurred or created in the ordinary course of business and in accordance with sound oil and gas industry practice in respect of the exploration, development or operation of oil and gas properties or related production or processing facilities or the transmission of petroleum substances as security in favor of any other Person conducting the exploration, development, operation or transmission of the property to which such Liens relate, for any Loan Party’s or a Subsidiary’s portion of the costs and expenses of such exploration, development, operation or transmission, provided that such costs or expenses are not delinquent or, which are being contested in good faith; provided such Loan Party or Subsidiary shall have made adequate provision therefor in accordance with GAAP;

 

53


(s) overriding royalty interests, net profit interests, reversionary interests and carried interests or other similar burdens on production in respect of any Loan Party’s or Subsidiary’s oil and gas properties that are entered into with or granted to arm’s length third parties in the ordinary course of business and in accordance with sound oil and gas industry practice in the area of operation;

(t) Liens for penalties arising under non-participation provisions of operating agreements in respect of any Loan Party’s or a Subsidiary’s oil and gas properties if such Liens do not materially detract from the value of any material part of the property of the Loan Parties and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;

(u) the right reserved to or vested in any Governmental Authority by the terms of any lease, license, grant or permit or by any statutory or regulatory provision to terminate any such lease, license, grant or permit or to require annual or other periodic payments as a condition of the continuance thereof;

(v) any right of first refusal in favor of any Person granted in the ordinary course of business with respect to all or any of the oil and gas properties of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary;

(w) the rights of buyers under production sale contracts related to any Loan Party’s or Subsidiary’s share of petroleum substances entered into in the ordinary course of business, provided that the contracts create no rights (including any Lien) in favor of the buyer or any other Person in, to or over any reserves of petroleum substances or other assets of any Loan Party or Subsidiary, other than a dedication of reserves (not by way of Lien or absolute assignment) on usual industry terms;

(x) the making of good faith deposits or providing security in connection with tenders, redemptions, contracts or leases to which a Loan Party or Subsidiary is a party or deposits for the purpose of terminating obligations under an indenture;

(y) Liens granted to trustees under any indentures for debt securities of a Loan Party or a Subsidiary for payment of the fees and expenses of such trustees

(z) Liens securing Indebtedness existing in or relating to real estate acquired by a Loan Party or a Subsidiary for transmission, distribution or right-of-way purposes or in connection with its usual operations; provided that such Liens do not secure obligations that exceed, in the aggregate at any one time outstanding, an amount equal to fifteen percent (15%) of Total Assets minus the amount of obligations secured by Liens incurred pursuant to Sections 8.01(i) and 8.01(ee);

(aa) any obligations or duties affecting the property of a Loan Party or its Subsidiaries to any municipality or public authority with respect to any franchise, grant, license, permit or certificate;

(bb) any irregularities or deficiencies of title to any rights-of-way for mains or pipes and/or appurtenances thereto or other improvements thereon and to any real estate used or to be used primarily for right-of-way purposes;

(cc) leases made, or existing on property acquired, in the ordinary course of business;

(dd) any extension, renewal or replacement (or successive extension, renewal or replacement) in whole or in part of any Lien referred to in the foregoing clauses, provided, however, that the principal amount of Indebtedness secured thereby is not increased and the extension, renewal or replacement shall be limited to all or part of the property which secured the Indebtedness so extended, renewed or replaced (plus improvements and construction on such property); and

(ee) other Liens not described above; provided that such Liens do not secure obligations that exceed, in the aggregate at any one time outstanding, an amount equal to fifteen percent (15%) of Total Assets minus the amount of obligations secured by Liens incurred pursuant to Sections 8.01(i) and 8.01(z).

 

54


8.02 [Reserved].

 

8.03 Indebtedness.

Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:

(a) Indebtedness under the Loan Documents;

(b) Indebtedness set forth on Schedule 8.03 (and renewals, refinancings and extensions thereof); provided that (i) the amount of such Indebtedness is not increased at the time of such refinancing, renewal or extension except by an amount equal to a reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such refinancing and by an amount equal to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder and (ii) the terms relating to principal amount, amortization, maturity, collateral (if any) and subordination (if any), and other material terms taken as a whole, of any such refinancing, renewal or extension are no less favorable in any material respect to the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries or the Lenders than the terms of any agreement or instrument governing the Indebtedness being refinanced, renewed or extended and the interest rate applicable to any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness does not exceed the then applicable market interest rate;

(c) intercompany Indebtedness among the Borrower and its Subsidiaries;

(d) obligations (contingent or otherwise) existing or arising under any Swap Contract, provided that (i) such obligations are (or were) entered into by such Person in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of directly mitigating risks associated with liabilities, commitments, investments, assets, or property held or reasonably anticipated by such Person, or changes in the value of securities issued by such Person, and not for purposes of speculation or taking a “market view;” and (ii) such Swap Contract does not contain any provision exonerating the non-defaulting party from its obligation to make payments on outstanding transactions to the defaulting party;

(e) purchase money Indebtedness, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 8.01(i);

(f) Indebtedness existing in or relating to real estate acquired by a Loan Party or a Subsidiary for transmission, distribution or right-of-way purposes or in connection with its usual operations, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 8.01(z);

(g) other Indebtedness as long as after giving effect thereto the Borrower is in compliance with the financial covenant in Section 8.11 on a Pro Forma Basis, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 8.01; and

(h) Guarantees with respect to Indebtedness permitted under this Section 8.03.

 

8.04 Fundamental Changes.

Merge, dissolve, liquidate or consolidate with or into another Person, except that so long as no Default exists or would result therefrom, (a) the Borrower may merge or consolidate with any of its

 

55


Subsidiaries provided that the Borrower is the continuing or surviving Person, (b) any Subsidiary may merge or consolidate with any other Subsidiary provided that if a Loan Party is a party to such transaction, the continuing or surviving Person is a Loan Party, (c) the Borrower or any Subsidiary may merge with any other Person in connection with an Acquisition; provided that if the Borrower or any other Loan Party is a party to such transaction, the Borrower or such Loan Party is the continuing or surviving Person and (d) any Subsidiary may dissolve, liquidate or wind up its affairs at any time provided that such dissolution, liquidation or winding up, as applicable, could not have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

8.05 Dispositions.

Make any Disposition except:

(a) Permitted Transfers;

(b) Property-to-Property Transfers; and

(c) other Dispositions so long as (i) at least 90% of the consideration paid in connection therewith shall be cash or Cash Equivalents paid contemporaneous with consummation of the transaction and shall be in an amount not less than the fair market value of the property disposed of, (ii) such transaction does not involve the sale or other disposition of a minority equity interest in any Subsidiary, (iii) such transaction does not involve a sale or other disposition of receivables other than receivables owned by or attributable to other property concurrently being disposed of in a transaction otherwise permitted under this Section 8.05, and (iv) at the time of such Disposition, the aggregate net book value of all of the assets sold or otherwise disposed of by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in all such transactions (including such Disposition) occurring during the period commencing with the date three years prior to such Disposition and ending on the date of such Disposition, shall not exceed 15% of Total Assets (as determined as the end of the most recent fiscal quarter for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 7.01); provided, however, in determining the Borrower’s compliance with the limitation in clause (iv), the Borrower may exclude Dispositions of assets to the extent the net cash proceeds of such Disposition are reinvested in assets (excluding current assets as classified by GAAP) that are useful in the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries within one (1) year of the date of such Disposition.

 

8.06 Restricted Payments.

Declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, except that:

(a) each Subsidiary may make Restricted Payments to the Borrower, the Guarantors and any other Person that owns an Equity Interest in such Subsidiary, ratably according to their respective holdings of the type of Equity Interest in respect of which such Restricted Payment is being made;

(b) the Borrower and each Subsidiary may declare and make dividend payments or other distributions payable (i) in the common stock or other common Equity Interests or (ii) in other Equity Interests pursuant to a shareholders rights plan;

(c) so long as no Default exists or would result therefrom, the Borrower and each Subsidiary may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire Equity Interests issued by it with the proceeds received from the substantially concurrent issue of new shares of its common stock or other common Equity Interests; and

(d) so long as (i) no Event of Default exists or would result therefrom and (ii) the Borrower is in compliance on a Pro Forma Basis with the financial covenant set forth in Section 8.11 after giving effect to such Restricted Payment, the Borrower may (x) declare or pay cash dividends to its stockholders and (y) purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire for cash Equity Interests issued by it.

 

56


8.07 Change in Nature of Business.

Engage in any material line of business substantially different from those lines of business conducted by the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries on the Closing Date or any business substantially related or incidental thereto.

 

8.08 Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders.

Enter into or permit to exist any transaction or series of transactions with any officer, director or Affiliate of such Person other than (a) advances of working capital to any Loan Party, (b) transfers of cash and assets to any Loan Party, (c) intercompany transactions (including intercompany Indebtedness and business services sharing agreements entered into among the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business) or any other transactions with any officer, director or Affiliate permitted by Section 7.15, Section 8.03, Section 8.04, Section 8.05 or Section 8.06, (d) normal and reasonable compensation and reimbursement of expenses of officers and directors and (e) except as otherwise specifically limited in this Agreement, other transactions which are entered into in the ordinary course of such Person’s business on terms and conditions substantially as favorable to such Person as would be obtainable by it in a comparable arms-length transaction with a Person other than an officer, director or Affiliate.

 

8.09 [Reserved].

 

8.10 Use of Proceeds.

Use the proceeds of any Borrowing, whether directly or indirectly, and whether immediately, incidentally or ultimately, to purchase or carry margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U of the FRB) or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock or to refund indebtedness originally incurred for such purpose.

 

8.11 Financial Covenant.

Permit the Consolidated Debt to Capitalization Ratio, as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower, to be greater than 0.65 to 1.0.

 

8.12 Organization Documents; Fiscal Year; Legal Name, State of Formation and Form of Entity.

(a) Amend, modify or change its Organization Documents in a manner materially adverse to the Lenders in their capacity as such.

(b) Change its fiscal year.

(c) Without providing ten days prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, change its name, state of formation or form of organization.

 

57


ARTICLE IX

EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

 

9.01 Events of Default.

Any of the following shall constitute an Event of Default:

(a) Non-Payment. Any Loan Party fails to pay (i) when and as required to be paid herein, any amount of principal of any Loan or (ii) within five days after the same becomes due, any interest on any Loan or any fee due hereunder, or (iii) within ten days after the same becomes due, any other amount payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document; or

(b) Specific Covenants. Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement (i) contained in any of Sections 7.03, 7.05(a), 7.11, 7.13, 7.14, 7.15 or Article VIII; or (ii) contained in any of Sections 7.01, 7.02 or 7.10 and such failure continues for five Business Days; provided that it is understood that it shall not be an Event of Default under Section 7.05(a)(ii) solely as a result of a failure to be able to obtain a certificate of good standing from the Department of Revenue of Alabama.

(c) Other Defaults. Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any other covenant or agreement (not specified in subsection (a) or (b) above) contained in any Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed and such failure continues for thirty days after the earlier of the date on which (i) a Responsible Officer of a Loan Party becomes aware of such failure or (ii) notice thereof shall have been given to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent or any Lender; or

(d) Representations and Warranties. Any representation, warranty, certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of any Loan Party herein, in any other Loan Document, or in any document delivered in connection herewith or therewith shall be incorrect or misleading in any material respect when made or deemed made; or

(e) Cross-Default. (i) Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary (A) fails to make any payment when due (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand, or otherwise and after the expiration of any applicable grace period) in respect of any Indebtedness or Guarantee (other than Indebtedness hereunder and Indebtedness under Swap Contracts) having an aggregate principal amount (including undrawn committed or available amounts and including amounts owing to all creditors under any combined or syndicated credit arrangement) of more than the Threshold Amount, or (B) fails to observe or perform any other agreement or condition relating to any such Indebtedness or Guarantee or contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing, securing or relating thereto, or any other event occurs, the effect of which default or other event is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Indebtedness or the beneficiary or beneficiaries of such Guarantee (or a trustee or agent on behalf of such holder or holders or beneficiary or beneficiaries) to cause, with the giving of notice if required, such Indebtedness to be demanded or to become due or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise), or an offer to repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such Indebtedness to be made, prior to its stated maturity, or such Guarantee to become payable or cash collateral in respect thereof to be demanded; or (ii) there occurs under any Swap Contract an Early Termination Date (as defined in such Swap Contract) resulting from (A) any event of default under such Swap Contract as to which any Loan Party is the Defaulting Party (as defined in such Swap Contract) or (B) any Termination Event (as so defined) under such Swap Contract as to which any Loan Party is an Affected Party (as so defined) and, in either event, the Swap Termination Value owed by such Loan Party as a result thereof is greater than the Threshold Amount, unless satisfied in full within any applicable grace period; or

 

58


(f) Insolvency Proceedings, Etc. Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary institutes or consents to the institution of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or applies for or consents to the appointment of any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer for it or for all or any material part of its property; or any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer is appointed without the application or consent of such Person and the appointment continues undischarged or unstayed for sixty calendar days; or any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law relating to any such Person or to all or any material part of its property is instituted without the consent of such Person and continues undismissed or unstayed for sixty calendar days, or an order for relief is entered in any such proceeding; or

(g) Inability to Pay Debts; Attachment. (i) Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary becomes unable or admits in writing its inability or fails generally to pay its debts as they become due, or (ii) any writ or warrant of attachment or execution or similar process is issued or levied against all or any material part of the property of any such Person and is not released, vacated or fully bonded within thirty days after its issue or levy; or

(h) Judgments. There is entered against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary (i) one or more final judgments or orders for the payment of money in an aggregate amount (as to all such judgments or orders) exceeding the Threshold Amount (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance as to which the insurer has been notified of the claim and does not dispute coverage), or (ii) any one or more non-monetary final judgments that have, or could reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect and, in either case, (A) enforcement proceedings are commenced by any creditor upon such judgment or order, and (B) there is a period of thirty consecutive days during which a stay of enforcement of such judgment, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect; or

(i) ERISA. (i) An ERISA Event occurs with respect to a Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan which has resulted or would reasonably be expected to result in liability of any Loan Party under Title IV of ERISA to the Pension Plan, Multiemployer Plan or the PBGC in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount, or (ii) the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate fails to pay when due, after the expiration of any applicable grace period, any installment payment with respect to its withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA under a Multiemployer Plan in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount; or

(j) Invalidity of Loan Documents. Any Loan Document, at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other than as expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder or satisfaction in full of all the Obligations, ceases to be in full force and effect; or any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of any Loan Party contests in any manner the validity or enforceability of any Loan Document; or any Loan Party denies that it has any or further liability or obligation under any Loan Document, or purports to revoke, terminate or rescind any Loan Document; or

(k) Change of Control. There occurs any Change of Control.

 

9.02 Remedies Upon Event of Default.

If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Administrative Agent shall, at the request of, or may, with the consent of, the Required Lenders, take any or all of the following actions:

(a) declare the commitment of each Lender to make Loans to be terminated, whereupon such commitments and obligation shall be terminated;

 

59


(b) declare the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon, and all other amounts owing or payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document to be immediately due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by the Borrower; and

(c) exercise on behalf of itself and the Lenders all rights and remedies available to it and the Lenders under the Loan Documents or applicable Law;

provided, however, that upon the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to the Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans and all interest and other amounts as aforesaid shall automatically become due and payable without further act of the Administrative Agent or any Lender.

 

9.03 Application of Funds.

After the exercise of remedies provided for in Section 9.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and payable) any amounts received on account of the Obligations shall be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following order:

First, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting reasonable fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent and amounts payable under Article III) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such;

Second, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting reasonable fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal and interest) payable to the Lenders (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the respective Lenders and amounts payable under Article III), ratably among them in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;

Third, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting accrued and unpaid interest on the Loans and fees, premiums and scheduled periodic payments, and any interest accrued thereon, due under any Swap Contract between any Loan Party and any Swap Bank, to the extent such Swap Contract is permitted by Section 8.03(d), ratably among the Lenders (and, in the case of such Swap Contracts, Swap Banks) in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Third held by them;

Fourth, to (a) payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans and (b) payment of breakage, termination or other payments, and any interest accrued thereon, due under any Swap Contract between any Loan Party and any Swap Bank, to the extent such Swap Contract is permitted by Section 8.03(d), in each case, in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth held by them; and

Last, the balance, if any, after all of the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to the Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.

Excluded Swap Obligations with respect to any Guarantor shall not be paid with amounts received from such Guarantor or such Guarantor’s assets, but appropriate adjustments shall be made with respect to payments from other Loan Parties to preserve the allocation to Obligations otherwise set forth above in this Section.

 

60


ARTICLE X

ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT

 

10.01 Appointment and Authority.

Each of the Lenders hereby irrevocably appoints Bank of America to act on its behalf as the Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms hereof or thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and no Loan Party shall have rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions. It is understood and agreed that the use of the term “agent” herein or in any other Loan Documents (or any other similar term) with reference to the Administrative Agent is not intended to connote any fiduciary or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable Law. Instead such term is used as a matter of market custom, and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between contracting parties.

 

10.02 Rights as a Lender.

The Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not the Administrative Agent and the term “Lender” or “Lenders” shall, unless otherwise expressly indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, include the Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder in its individual capacity. Such Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, own securities of, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of business with any Loan Party or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if such Person were not the Administrative Agent hereunder and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders.

 

10.03 Exculpatory Provisions.

The Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents and its duties hereunder shall be administrative in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent:

(a) shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing;

(b) shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that the Administrative Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents), provided that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may expose the Administrative Agent to liability or that is contrary to any Loan Document or applicable law, including for the avoidance of doubt any action that may be in violation of the automatic stay under any Debtor Relief Law or that may effect a forfeiture, modification or termination of property of a Defaulting Lender in violation of any Debtor Relief Law; and

(c) shall not, except as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to any Loan Party or any of its Affiliates that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity.

 

61


The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it (i) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in Sections 11.01 and 9.02) or (ii) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and non-appealable judgment. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until notice describing such Default is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower or a Lender.

The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein or therein or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article V or elsewhere herein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.

 

10.04 Reliance by Administrative Agent.

The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request, certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper Person. The Administrative Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to have been made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. In determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender, the Administrative Agent may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender prior to the making of such Loan. The Administrative Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Loan Parties), independent accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants or experts.

 

10.05 Delegation of Duties.

The Administrative Agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agents except to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and non-appealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agents.

 

62


10.06 Resignation of Administrative Agent.

(a) The Administrative Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to the Lenders and the Borrower. Upon receipt of any such notice of resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, with the consent of the Borrower (which shall not be unreasonably withheld), to appoint a successor, which shall be a bank with an office in the United States, or an Affiliate of any such bank with an office in the United States. If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation (or such earlier day as shall be agreed by the Required Lenders) (the “Resignation Effective Date”), then the retiring Administrative Agent may (but shall not be obligated to) on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Administrative Agent meeting the qualifications set forth above. Whether or not a successor has been appointed, such resignation shall become effective in accordance with such notice on the Resignation Effective Date.

(b) If the Person serving as Administrative Agent is a Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (d) of the definition thereof, the Required Lenders and/or the Borrower may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, by notice in writing to the Borrower and such Person remove such Person as Administrative Agent and, with the consent of the Borrower (which shall not be unreasonably withheld), appoint a successor. If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days (or such earlier day as shall be agreed by the Required Lenders) (the “Removal Effective Date”), then such removal shall nonetheless become effective in accordance with such notice on the Removal Effective Date.

(c) With effect from the Resignation Effective Date or the Removal Effective Date (as applicable) (1) the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and (2) except for any indemnity payments or other amounts then owed to the retiring or removed Administrative Agent, all payments, communications and determinations provided to be made by, to or through the Administrative Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender directly, until such time, if any, as the Required Lenders (with the consent of the Borrower, which shall not be unreasonably withheld) appoint a successor Administrative Agent as provided for above. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or removed) Administrative Agent (other than as provided in Section 3.01(g) and other than any rights to indemnity payments or other amounts owed to the retiring or removed Administrative Agent as of the Resignation Effective Date or the Removal Effective Date, as applicable), and the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this Section). The fees payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Borrower and such successor. After the retiring or removed Administrative Agent’s resignation or removal hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the provisions of this Article and Section 11.04 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring or removed Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring or removed Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent.

 

63


10.07 Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders.

Each Lender acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.

 

10.08 No Other Duties; Etc.

Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, none of the bookrunners, arrangers, syndication agents, documentation agents or co-agents shall have any powers, duties or responsibilities under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, except in its capacity, as applicable, as the Administrative Agent or a Lender hereunder.

 

10.09 Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim.

In case of the pendency of any proceeding under any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or any other judicial proceeding relative to any Loan Party, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:

(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans and all other Obligations arising under the Loan Documents (other than obligations under Swap Contracts) that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent and their respective agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Lenders and the Administrative Agent under Section 2.09 and 11.04) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and

(b) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;

and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, if the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Administrative Agent and its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.09 and 11.04.

Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender in any such proceeding.

 

64


10.10 Guaranty Matters.

The Lenders irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its discretion, to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty if such Person ceases to be a Subsidiary (or a Material Subsidiary, as applicable) as a result of a transaction permitted hereunder. Upon request by the Administrative Agent at any time, the Required Lenders will confirm in writing the Administrative Agent’s authority to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty, pursuant to this Section 10.10.

ARTICLE XI

MISCELLANEOUS

 

11.01 Amendments, Etc.

No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, and no consent to any departure by the Borrower or any other Loan Party therefrom, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the Required Lenders and the Borrower or the applicable Loan Party, as the case may be, and acknowledged by the Administrative Agent, and each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given; provided, that

(a) no such amendment, waiver or consent shall:

(i) extend or increase the Commitment of a Lender (or reinstate any Commitment terminated pursuant to Section 9.02) without the written consent of such Lender whose Commitment is being extended or increased (it being understood and agreed that a waiver of any condition precedent set forth in Section 5.02 or of any Default is not considered an extension or increase in Commitments of any Lender);

(ii) postpone any date fixed by this Agreement or any other Loan Document for any payment (excluding mandatory prepayments) of principal, interest, fees or other amounts due to the Lenders (or any of them) hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender entitled to receive such payment;

(iii) reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest specified herein on, any Loan or (subject to clause (i) of the final proviso to this Section 11.01) any fees or other amounts payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender entitled to receive such amount; provided, however, that only the consent of the Required Lenders shall be necessary to (A) amend the definition of “Default Rate” or waive any obligation of the Borrower to pay interest at the Default Rate or (B) to amend any financial covenant hereunder (or any defined term used therein) even if the effect of such amendment would be to reduce the rate of interest on any Loan or to reduce any fee payable hereunder;

(iv) change Section 9.03 or any other provision that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby;

(v) change any provision of this Section 11.01(a) or the definition of “Required Lenders” without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby; or

(vi) release the Borrower without the consent of each Lender, or, except in connection with a transaction permitted under Section 8.04 or Section 8.05, all or substantially all of the value of the Guaranty without the written consent of each Lender whose Obligations are guaranteed thereby, except to the extent such release is permitted pursuant to Section 10.10 (in which case such release may be made by the Administrative Agent acting alone); and

 

65


(b) unless also signed by the Administrative Agent, no amendment, waiver or consent shall affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan Document;

provided, however, that notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, (i) the Fee Letters may be amended, or rights or privileges thereunder waived, in a writing executed only by the parties thereto, (ii) each Lender is entitled to vote as such Lender sees fit on any bankruptcy reorganization plan that affects the Loans, and each Lender acknowledges that the provisions of Section 1126(c) of the Bankruptcy Code of the United States supersedes the unanimous consent provisions set forth herein and (iii) the Required Lenders shall determine whether or not to allow a Loan Party to use cash collateral in the context of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding and such determination shall be binding on all of the Lenders.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, (A) no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder (and any amendment, waiver or consent which by its terms requires the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender may be effected with the consent of the applicable Lenders other than Defaulting Lenders), except that (x) the Commitment of any Defaulting Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent of such Lender and (y) any waiver, amendment or modification requiring the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender that by its terms affects any Defaulting Lender disproportionately adversely relative to other affected Lenders shall require the consent of such Defaulting Lender, (B) no amendment affecting only the Lenders holding the Term Loan shall require the consent of any Person other than the Borrower and the Lenders holding the Term Loan and (C) no amendment affecting only the Lenders holding any Incremental Term Loan shall require the consent of any Person other than the Borrower and the Lenders holding any Incremental Term Loan.

 

11.02 Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communications.

(a) Notices Generally. Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and except as provided in subsection (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by facsimile as follows, and all notices and other communications expressly permitted hereunder to be given by telephone shall be made to the applicable telephone number, as follows:

(i) if to any Loan Party or the Administrative Agent, to the address, facsimile number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified for such Person on Schedule 11.02; and

(ii) if to any other Lender, to the address, facsimile number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified in its Administrative Questionnaire (including, as appropriate, notices delivered solely to the Person designated by a Lender on its Administrative Questionnaire then in effect for the delivery of notices that may contain material non-public information relating to the Borrower).

Notices and other communications sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices and other

 

66


communications sent by facsimile shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient). Notices and other communications delivered through electronic communications to the extent provided in subsection (b) below, shall be effective as provided in such subsection (b).

(b) Electronic Communications. Notices and other communications to the Lenders hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communication (including e-mail and Internet or intranet websites) pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent, provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices to any Lender pursuant to Article II if such Lender has notified the Administrative Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such Article by electronic communication. The Administrative Agent or the Borrower may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it, provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.

Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement) and (ii) notices or communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (i) of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor; provided that, for both clauses (i) and (ii), if such notice, email or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice, email or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient.

(c) The Platform. THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” THE AGENT PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE PLATFORM, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM THE BORROWER MATERIALS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY ANY AGENT PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE PLATFORM. In no event shall the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties (collectively, the “Agent Parties”) have any liability to the Borrower, any Lender or any other Person for losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses of any kind (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) arising out of the Borrower’s or the Administrative Agent’s transmission of Borrower Materials through the Internet, except to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Agent Party; provided, however, that in no event shall any Agent Party have any liability to the Borrower, any Lender or any other Person for indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages).

(d) Change of Address, Etc. Each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent may change its address, facsimile or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto. Each other Lender may change its address, facsimile or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent. In addition, each Lender agrees to notify the Administrative Agent from time to time to ensure that the Administrative Agent has on record (i) an effective address, contact name,

 

67


telephone number, facsimile number and electronic mail address to which notices and other communications may be sent and (ii) accurate wire instructions for such Lender. Furthermore, each Public Lender agrees to cause at least one individual at or on behalf of such Public Lender to at all times have selected the “Private Side Information” or similar designation on the content declaration screen of the Platform in order to enable such Public Lender or its delegate, in accordance with such Public Lender’s compliance procedures and applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws, to make reference to Borrower Materials that are not made available through the “Public Side Information” portion of the Platform and that may contain material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal or state securities laws.

(e) Reliance by Administrative Agent and Lenders. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall be entitled to rely and act upon any notices (including telephonic Loan Notices) purportedly given by or on behalf of any Loan Party even if (i) such notices were not made in a manner specified herein, were incomplete or were not preceded or followed by any other form of notice specified herein, or (ii) the terms thereof, as understood by the recipient, varied from any confirmation thereof. The Loan Parties shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, each Lender and the Related Parties of each of them from all losses, costs, expenses and liabilities resulting from the reliance by such Person on each notice purportedly given by or on behalf of a Loan Party. All telephonic notices to and other telephonic communications with the Administrative Agent may be recorded by the Administrative Agent, and each of the parties hereto hereby consents to such recording.

 

11.03 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement.

No failure by any Lender or the Administrative Agent to exercise, and no delay by any such Person in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder or under any other Loan Document preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided, and provided under each other Loan Document are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by law.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or in any other Loan Document, the authority to enforce rights and remedies hereunder and under the other Loan Documents against the Loan Parties or any of them shall be vested exclusively in, and all actions and proceedings at law in connection with such enforcement shall be instituted and maintained exclusively by, the Administrative Agent in accordance with Section 9.02 for the benefit of all the Lenders; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not prohibit (a) the Administrative Agent from exercising on its own behalf the rights and remedies that inure to its benefit (solely in its capacity as Administrative Agent) hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, (b) any Lender from exercising setoff rights in accordance with Section 11.08 (subject to the terms of Section 2.13), or (c) any Lender from filing proofs of claim or appearing and filing pleadings on its own behalf during the pendency of a proceeding relative to any Loan Party under any Debtor Relief Law; and provided, further, that if at any time there is no Person acting as Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, then (i) the Required Lenders shall have the rights otherwise ascribed to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 9.02 and (ii) in addition to the matters set forth in clauses (b) and (c) of the preceding proviso and subject to Section 2.13, any Lender may, with the consent of the Required Lenders, enforce any rights and remedies available to it and as authorized by the Required Lenders.

 

68


11.04 Expenses; Indemnity; and Damage Waiver.

(a) Costs and Expenses. The Loan Parties shall pay (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent), in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation, negotiation, execution, delivery and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated) and (ii) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent or any Lender (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent or any Lender), in connection with the successful enforcement or reasonable protection of its rights following an Event of Default (A) in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section, or (B) in connection with the Loans made hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans.

(b) Indemnification by the Loan Parties. The Loan Parties shall indemnify the Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof), each Lender and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and related expenses (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee), incurred by any Indemnitee or asserted against any Indemnitee by any Person (including the Borrower or other Loan Party) other than an Indemnitee and its Related Parties, arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or thereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or, in the case of the Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof) and its Related Parties only, the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including in respect of any matters addressed in Section 3.01), (ii) any Loan or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom, (iii) any actual or alleged presence or release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by a Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to a Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries, or (iv) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory, whether brought by a third party or by the Borrower or any other Loan Party, and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses (x) are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment (or a consent or settlement agreement) to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee or (y) result from a claim brought by the Borrower or any other Loan Party against an Indemnitee for a material breach of such Indemnitee’s obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document, if the Borrower or such Loan Party has obtained a final and nonappealable judgment in its favor on such claim as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. Without limiting the provisions of Section 3.01(c), this Section 11.04(b) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses, claims, damages, etc. arising from any non-Tax claim.

(c) Reimbursement by Lenders. To the extent that the Loan Parties for any reason fail to indefeasibly pay any amount required under subsection (a) or (b) of this Section to be paid by them to the Administrative Agent (or any sub-agent thereof) or any Related Party of any of the foregoing, but without limiting such Loan Parties’ continuing obligations with respect thereto, each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent) or such Related Party, as the case may be, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or

 

69


indemnity payment is sought) of such unpaid amount, provided that the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage, liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent) or against any Related Party of any of the foregoing acting for the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent). The obligations of the Lenders under this subsection (c) are subject to the provisions of Section 2.12(d).

(d) Waiver of Consequential Damages, Etc. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, no Loan Party shall assert, and each Loan Party hereby waives, any claim against any Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, any Loan or the use of the proceeds thereof. No Indemnitee referred to in subsection (b) above shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of any information or other materials distributed to such unintended recipients by such Indemnitee through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby other than for direct or actual damages resulting from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee as determined by a final and nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.

(e) Payments. All amounts due under this Section shall be payable not later than ten Business Days after demand therefor.

(f) Survival. The agreements in this Section and the indemnity provisions of Section 11.02(e) shall survive the resignation of the Administrative Agent, the replacement of any Lender, the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all the other Obligations arising under the Loan Documents.

 

11.05 Payments Set Aside.

To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of any Loan Party is made to the Administrative Agent or any Lender, or the Administrative Agent or any Lender exercises its right of setoff, and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Administrative Agent or such Lender in its discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred, and (b) each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent upon demand its applicable share (without duplication) of any amount so recovered from or repaid by the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such payment is made at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect. The obligations of the Lenders under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.

 

11.06 Successors and Assigns.

(a) Successors and Assigns Generally. The provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and thereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder or thereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and each Lender and no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or

 

70


obligations hereunder except (i) to an assignee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section, (ii) by way of participation in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this Section or (iii) by way of pledge or assignment of a security interest subject to the restrictions of subsection (f) of this Section (and any other attempted assignment or transfer by any party hereto shall be null and void). Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, Participants to the extent provided in subsection (d) of this Section and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.

(b) Assignments by Lenders. Any Lender may at any time assign to one or more assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including all or a portion of its Commitment and the Loans at the time owing to it); provided that any such assignment shall be subject to the following conditions:

(i) Minimum Amounts.

(A) in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment and the related Loans at the time owing to it or contemporaneous assignments to related Approved Funds that equal at least the amount specified in paragraph (b)(i)(B) of this Section in the aggregate or in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund, no minimum amount need be assigned; and

(B) in any case not described in subsection (b)(i)(A) of this Section, the aggregate amount of the Commitment (which for this purpose includes Loans outstanding thereunder) or, if the Commitment is not then in effect, the principal outstanding balance of the Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment, determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent or, if “Trade Date” is specified in the Assignment and Assumption, as of the Trade Date, shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Administrative Agent and, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Borrower otherwise consents (each such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).

(ii) Proportionate Amounts. Each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s Loans and Commitments, and rights and obligations with respect thereto, assigned, except that this clause (ii) shall not prohibit any Lender from assigning all or a portion of its rights and obligations among the Term Loan and any Incremental Term Loans on a non-pro rata basis.

(iii) Required Consents. No consent shall be required for any assignment except to the extent required by subsection (b)(i)(B) of this Section and, in addition:

(A) the consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) shall be required unless (1) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing at the time of such assignment or (2) such assignment is to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund; provided that the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within five (5) Business Days after having received notice thereof; and

(B) the consent of the Administrative Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required for assignments in respect of any Loan if such assignment is to a Person that is not a Lender, an Affiliate of such Lender or an Approved Fund with respect to such Lender.

 

71


(iv) Assignment and Assumption. The parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee in the amount of $3,500; provided, however, that the Administrative Agent may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such processing and recordation fee in the case of any assignment. The assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire.

(v) No Assignment to Certain Persons. No such assignment shall be made to (A) the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries, (B) any Defaulting Lender or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Person who, upon becoming a Lender hereunder, would constitute any of the foregoing Persons described in this clause (B), or (C) a natural person.

(vi) Certain Additional Payments. In connection with any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder, no such assignment shall be effective unless and until, in addition to the other conditions thereto set forth herein, the parties to the assignment shall make such additional payments to the Administrative Agent in an aggregate amount sufficient, upon distribution thereof as appropriate (which may be outright payment, purchases by the assignee of participations or subparticipations, or other compensating actions, including funding, with the consent of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, the applicable pro rata share of Loans previously requested but not funded by the Defaulting Lender, to each of which the applicable assignee and assignor hereby irrevocably consent), to (x) pay and satisfy in full all payment liabilities then owed by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent or any Lender hereunder (and interest accrued thereon) and (y) acquire (and fund as appropriate) its full pro rata share of all Loans in accordance with its Applicable Percentage. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder shall become effective under applicable Law without compliance with the provisions of this paragraph, then the assignee of such interest shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender for all purposes of this Agreement until such compliance occurs.

Subject to acceptance and recording thereof by the Administrative Agent pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party to this Agreement and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04, 3.05 and 11.04 with respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment; provided, that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no assignment by a Defaulting Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lender’s having been a Defaulting Lender. Upon request, the Borrower (at its expense) shall execute and deliver a replacement Note to the assignee Lender. Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this subsection shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with subsection (d) of this Section.

 

72


(c) Register. The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower (and such agency being solely for tax purposes), shall maintain at the Administrative Agent’s Office a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it (or the equivalent thereof in electronic form) and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amounts (and stated interest) of the Loans owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders may treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower and any Lender at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.

(d) Participations. Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to any Person (other than a natural person, a Defaulting Lender or the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries) (each, a “Participant”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and/or obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and/or the Loans owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, each Lender shall be responsible for the indemnity under Section 11.04(c) without regard to the existence of any participation.

Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, waiver or other modification described in Section 11.01 that affects such Participant. The Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04 and 3.05 (subject to the requirements and limitations therein, including the requirements under Section 3.01(e) (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 3.01(e) shall be delivered to the Lender who sells the participation) to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section; provided that such Participant (A) agrees to be subject to the provisions of Sections 3.06 and 11.13 as if it were an assignee under subsection (b) of this Section and (B) shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Sections 3.01 or 3.04, with respect to any participation, than the Lender from whom it acquired the applicable participation would have been entitled to receive, except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation. Each Lender that sells a participation agrees, at the Borrower’s request and expense, to use reasonable efforts to cooperate with the Borrower to effectuate the provisions of Sections 3.06 and 11.13 with respect to any Participant. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 11.08 as though it were a Lender; provided that such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.13 as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as an agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under the Loan Documents (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any commitments, loans or its other obligations under any Loan Document) to any Person except to the extent that such disclosure is

 

73


necessary to establish that such commitment, loan or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.

(e) Certain Pledges. Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including under its Note, if any) to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank; provided that no such pledge or assignment shall release such Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.

 

11.07 Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality.

Each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its Affiliates and to its Related Parties (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any regulatory authority purporting to have jurisdiction over such Person or its Related Parties (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party hereto, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or any Eligible Assignee invited to become an Incremental Term Loan Lender pursuant to Section 2.01(b) or (ii) any actual or prospective party (or its Related Parties) to any swap, derivative or other transaction under which payments are to be made by reference to the Borrower and its obligations, this Agreement or payments hereunder, (g) on a confidential basis to (i) any rating agency in connection with rating the Borrower or its Subsidiaries or the credit facilities provided hereunder or (ii) the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar agency in connection with the issuance and monitoring of CUSIP numbers or other market identifiers with respect to the credit facilities provided hereunder, (h) with the consent of the Borrower or (i) to the extent such Information (x) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (y) becomes available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any of their respective Affiliates on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Borrower.

For purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from a Loan Party or any Subsidiary relating to the Loan Parties or any Subsidiary or any of their respective businesses, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by such Loan Party or any Subsidiary (which includes, without limitation, all information obtained during an inspection conducted under Section 7.10). Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.

Each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders acknowledges that (a) the Information may include material non-public information concerning a Loan Party or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, (b) it has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non-public information and (c) it will handle such material non-public information in accordance with applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws.

 

74


11.08 Set-off.

If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender and each of its Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, after obtaining the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final, in whatever currency) at any time held and other obligations (in whatever currency) at any time owing by such Lender, but excluding any Plan accounts and assets and any other account for which set off would be prohibited by Law or any such Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of any Loan Party against any and all of the obligations of such Loan Party now or hereafter existing under this Agreement or any other Loan Document to such Lender, irrespective of whether or not such Lender shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations of such Loan Party may be contingent or unmatured or are owed to a branch or office of such Lender different from the branch or office holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness; provided, that in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, (x) all amounts so set off shall be paid over immediately to the Administrative Agent for further application in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.15 and, pending such payment, shall be segregated by such Defaulting Lender from its other funds and deemed held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, and (y) the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to the Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the Obligations owing to such Defaulting Lender as to which it exercised such right of setoff. The rights of each Lender and its Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender or its Affiliates may have. Each Lender agrees to notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent promptly after any such setoff and application, provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.

 

11.09 Interest Rate Limitation.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the interest paid or agreed to be paid under the Loan Documents shall not exceed the maximum rate of non-usurious interest permitted by applicable Law (the “Maximum Rate”). If the Administrative Agent or any Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the Loans or, if it exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to the Borrower. In determining whether the interest contracted for, charged, or received by the Administrative Agent or a Lender exceeds the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the Obligations hereunder.

 

11.10 Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness.

This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto in different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement and the other Loan Documents constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Except as provided in Section 5.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof that, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by telecopy or other electronic imaging means shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.

 

75


11.11 Survival of Representations and Warranties.

All representations and warranties made hereunder and in any other Loan Document or other document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto or in connection herewith or therewith shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and thereof. Such representations and warranties have been or will be relied upon by the Administrative Agent and each Lender, regardless of any investigation made by the Administrative Agent or any Lender or on their behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default at the time of any Borrowing, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other Obligation arising under the Loan Documents shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied.

 

11.12 Severability.

If any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, (a) the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall not be affected or impaired thereby and (b) the parties shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions. The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. Without limiting the foregoing provisions of this Section 11.12, if and to the extent that the enforceability of any provisions in this Agreement relating to Defaulting Lenders shall be limited by Debtor Relief Laws, as determined in good faith by the Administrative Agent, then such provisions shall be deemed to be in effect only to the extent not so limited.

 

11.13 Replacement of Lenders.

If the Borrower is entitled to replace a Lender pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.06, or if any Lender is a Defaulting Lender or a Non-Consenting Lender, then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in, and consents required by, Section 11.06), all of its interests, rights (other than its existing rights to payments pursuant to Sections 3.01 and 3.04) and obligations under this Agreement and the related Loan Documents to an Eligible Assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment), provided that:

(a) the Borrower shall have paid to the Administrative Agent the assignment fee specified in Section 11.06(b);

(b) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (including any amounts under Section 3.05) from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts);

(c) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 3.04 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 3.01, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments thereafter;

 

76


(d) such assignment does not conflict with applicable Laws; and

(e) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a Lender becoming a Non-Consenting Lender, the applicable assignee shall have consented to the applicable amendment, waiver or consent; provided that the failure by such Non-Consenting Lender to execute and deliver an Assignment and Assumption shall not impair the validity of the removal of such Non-Consenting Lender and the mandatory assignment of such Non-Consenting Lender’s Commitments and outstanding Loans pursuant to this Section 11.13 shall nevertheless be effective without the execution by such Non-Consenting Lender of an Assignment and Assumption.

A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment or delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply.

 

11.14 Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.

(a) GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS AND ANY CLAIMS, CONTROVERSY, DISPUTE OR CAUSE OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR TORT OR OTHERWISE) BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT (EXCEPT, AS TO ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT, AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH THEREIN) AND THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY AND THEREBY SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

(b) SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION. EACH LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY SUBMITS, FOR ITSELF AND ITS PROPERTY, TO THE NONEXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SITTING IN NEW YORK COUNTY AND OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OF THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, AND ANY APPELLATE COURT FROM ANY THEREOF, IN ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT, OR FOR RECOGNITION OR ENFORCEMENT OF ANY JUDGMENT, AND EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN RESPECT OF ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN SUCH NEW YORK STATE COURT OR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN SUCH FEDERAL COURT. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT IN ANY SUCH ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS BY SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT OR IN ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL AFFECT ANY RIGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT OR ANY LENDER MAY OTHERWISE HAVE TO BRING ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT AGAINST ANY LOAN PARTY OR ITS PROPERTIES IN THE COURTS OF ANY JURISDICTION.

(c) WAIVER OF VENUE. EACH LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT IN ANY COURT REFERRED TO IN

 

77


PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS SECTION. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE DEFENSE OF AN INCONVENIENT FORUM TO THE MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN ANY SUCH COURT.

(d) SERVICE OF PROCESS. EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE MANNER PROVIDED FOR NOTICES IN SECTION 11.02. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT WILL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF ANY PARTY HERETO TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

 

11.15 Waiver of Right to Trial by Jury.

EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PERSON HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PERSON WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.

 

11.16 No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility.

In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document), each of the Loan Parties acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Affiliates’ understanding, that: (i) (A) the arranging and other services regarding this Agreement provided by the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Arrangers, are arm’s-length commercial transactions between the Loan Parties and their respective Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Arrangers, on the other hand, (B) each of the Loan Parties has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate, and (C) each of the Loan Parties is capable of evaluating, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents; (ii) (A) the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Arrangers each is and has been acting solely as a principal and, except as expressly agreed in writing by the relevant parties, has not been, is not, and will not be acting as an advisor, agent or fiduciary for the Loan Parties or any of their respective Affiliates, or any other Person and (B) neither the Administrative Agent, nor any Lender or any Arranger has any obligation to the Loan Parties or any of their respective Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents; and (iii) the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Arrangers and their respective Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Loan Parties and their respective Affiliates, and neither the Administrative Agent nor the Lenders or any Arranger has any obligation to disclose any of such interests to the Loan Parties and their respective Affiliates. To the fullest extent permitted by Law, each of the Loan Parties hereby waives and releases any claims that it may have against the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Arrangers with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty in connection with any aspect of any transaction contemplated hereby.

 

78


11.17 Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents.

The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in any Assignment and Assumption or in any amendment or other modification hereof (including waivers and consents) shall be deemed to include electronic signatures or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

 

11.18 USA PATRIOT Act Notice.

Each Lender that is subject to the Act (as hereinafter defined) and the Administrative Agent (for itself and not on behalf of any Lender) hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “Act”), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the Borrower, which information includes the name and address of the Borrower and other information that will allow such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as applicable, to identify the Borrower in accordance with the Act. The Borrower shall, promptly following a request by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, provide all documentation and other information that the Administrative Agent or such Lender requests in order to comply with its ongoing obligations under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Act.

[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]

 

79


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

BORROWER:     ENERGEN CORPORATION,
    an Alabama corporation
    By:  

/s/ Charles W. Porter, Jr.

    Name:   Charles W. Porter, Jr.
    Title:   Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
GUARANTOR:     ENERGEN RESOURCES CORPORATION,
    an Alabama corporation
    By:  

/s/ Charles W. Porter, Jr.

    Name:   Charles W. Porter, Jr.
    Title:   Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

 

ENERGEN CORPORATION

TERM CREDIT AGREEMENT


ADMINISTRATIVE      
AGENT:     BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
    as Administrative Agent
    By:  

/s/ Christine Trotter

    Name:   Christine Trotter
    Title:   Assistant Vice President
LENDERS:     BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
    as a Lender
    By:  

/s/ Stephanie Pendleton

    Name:   Stephanie Pendleton
    Title:   Senior Vice President
    WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
    as a Lender
    By:  

/s/ Leanne S. Phillips

    Name:   Leanne S. Phillips
    Title:   Director
    REGIONS BANK,
    as a Lender
    By:  

/s/ David A. Simmons

    Name:   David A. Simmons
    Title:   Senior Vice President
    COMPASS BANK,
    as a Lender
    By:  

/s/ Ann Van Wagener

    Name:   Ann Van Wagener
    Title:   Senior Vice President
    JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,
    as a Lender
    By:  

/s/ Muhammad Hasan

    Name:   Muhammad Hasan
    Title:   Vice President

 

ENERGEN CORPORATION

TERM CREDIT AGREEMENT


   

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Patrick Jeffrey
    Name:   Patrick Jeffrey
    Title:   Vice President
   

SUMITOMO MITSUI BANKING CORPORATION,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ James D. Weinstein
    Name:   James D. Weinstein
    Title:   Managing Director
   

THE BANK OF TOKYO-MITSUBISHI UFJ, LTD.,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Andrew Oram
    Name:   Andrew Oram
    Title:   Managing Director
   

FIFTH THIRD BANK,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Byron Cooley
    Name:   Byron Cooley
    Title:   Executive Director
   

DNB CAPITAL LLC,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Robert Dupree
    Name:   Robert Dupree
    Title:   Senior Vice President
   

DNB CAPITAL LLC,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Asulv Tveit
    Name:   Asulv Tveit
    Title:   Vice President

 

ENERGEN CORPORATION

TERM CREDIT AGREEMENT


   

CIBC INC.,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Daria Mahoney
    Name:   Daria Mahoney
    Title:   Authorized Signatory
    By:   /s/ Trudy Nelson
    Name:   Trudy Nelson
    Title:   Authorized Signatory
   

MIZUHO BANK, LTD.,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Leon Mo
    Name:   Leon Mo
    Title:   Authorized Signatory
   

BRANCH BANKING AND TRUST COMPANY,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Brantley Echols
    Name:   Brantley Echols
    Title:   Senior Vice President
   

PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Tom Byargeon
    Name:   Tom Byargeon
    Title:   Managing Director
   

BMO HARRIS BANK, N.A.,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Joseph A. Bliss
    Name:   Joseph A. Bliss
    Title:   Managing Director
   

KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Paul J. Pace
    Name:   Paul J. Pace
    Title:   Senior Vice President

 

ENERGEN CORPORATION

TERM CREDIT AGREEMENT


   

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Don J. McKinnerney
    Name:   Don J. McKinnerney
    Title:   Authorized Signatory
   

RBS CITIZENS, N.A.,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ James Riley
    Name:   James Riley
    Title:   Senior Vice President
   

THE HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Christopher Renyi
    Name:   Christopher Renyi
    Title:   Vice President
   

SYNOVUS BANK,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Alan T. Drennen, III
    Name:   Alan T. Drennen, III
    Title:   Senior Vice President
   

CAPITAL BANK, N.A.,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Brian Reeves
    Name:   Brian Reeves
    Title:   Market President
   

MEGA INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL BANK CO., LTD., NEW YORK BRANCH

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Angela Chen
    Name:   Angela Chen
    Title:   VP & DGM

 

ENERGEN CORPORATION

TERM CREDIT AGREEMENT


   

SABADELL UNITED BANK, N.A.,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Maurici Llado
    Name:   Maurici Llado
    Title:   EVP – Corporate & Commercial Banking
   

CADENCE BANK, N.A.,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Brent Balogh
    Name:   Brent Balogh
    Title:   Senior Vice President
   

BRYANT BANK,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Brian Ethridge
    Name:   Brian Ethridge
    Title:   Executive Vice President
   

FIRSTMERIT BANK, N.A.,

as a Lender

    By:   /s/ Timothy Daniels
    Name:   Timothy Daniels
    Title:   Senior Vice President

 

ENERGEN CORPORATION

TERM CREDIT AGREEMENT