Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Replacement Credit Agreement, dated March 6, 2023, among Argan, Inc. and certain subsidiaries of Argan, Inc., as borrowers, and Bank of America, N.A., as the lender
EXHIBIT 10.1
SECOND AMENDMENT TO
AMENDED AND RESTATED REPLACEMENT CREDIT AGREEMENT
THIS SECOND AMENDMENT TO AMENDED AND RESTATED REPLACEMENT CREDIT AGREEMENT (this “Amendment”), is entered into as of March 6, 2023, by and among ARGAN, INC., a corporation organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Company”), SOUTHERN MARYLAND CABLE, INC., a corporation organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, GEMMA POWER, INC., a corporation organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of Connecticut, GEMMA POWER SYSTEMS CALIFORNIA, INC., a corporation organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of California, GEMMA POWER SYSTEMS, LLC, a limited liability company organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of Connecticut, GEMMA POWER HARTFORD, LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Connecticut, GEMMA PLANT OPERATIONS, LLC, a limited liability company organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, ATLANTIC PROJECTS COMPANY, INC., a corporation organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of New York, GEMMA RENEWABLE POWER LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, TRC ACQUISITION, LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware and THE ROBERTS COMPANY, INC., a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, together with certain other Subsidiaries of the Company from time to time a party hereto (each a “Designated Borrower” and, together with the Company, the “Borrowers” and each a “Borrower”) and BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., a national banking association, as the Lender (the “Lender”).
The Borrowers and the Lender are parties to an Amended and Restated Replacement Credit Agreement dated as of May 15, 2017 (as amended, amended and restated, supplemented, substituted, extended, or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Existing Credit Agreement”), and they now desire to amend certain provisions of the Existing Credit Agreement as provided herein.
Accordingly, for and in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants contained herein, the receipt and sufficiency of which consideration are hereby mutually acknowledged, the Borrowers and the Lender hereby agree as follows:
“CME” means CME Group Benchmark Administration Limited.
“Conforming Changes” means, with respect to the use, administration of or any conventions associated with SOFR or any proposed Successor Rate or Term SOFR, as applicable, any conforming changes to the definitions of “Base Rate”, “SOFR”, “Term SOFR” and “Interest Period”, timing and frequency of determining rates and making payments of interest and other technical, administrative or operational matters (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the definitions of “Business Day” and “U.S. Government Securities Business Day”, timing of borrowing requests or prepayment, conversion or continuation notices and length of lookback periods) as may be appropriate, in the discretion of the Lender, to reflect the adoption and implementation of such applicable rate(s) and to permit the administration thereof by the Lender in a manner substantially consistent with market practice (or, if the Lender determines that adoption of any portion of such market practice is not administratively feasible or that no market practice for the administration of such rate exists, in such other manner of administration as the Lender determines is reasonably necessary in connection with the administration of this Agreement and any other Loan Document).
“Daily Simple SOFR” with respect to any applicable determination date means the SOFR published on such date on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s website (or any successor source).
“SOFR Adjustment” with respect to Daily Simple SOFR means 0.10% (10.00 basis points); and with respect to Term SOFR means 0.10% (10.00 basis points) for an Interest Period of one-month’s duration, and 0.15% (15.00 basis points) for an Interest Period of three-month’s duration.
“Term SOFR Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on clause (a) of the definition of Term SOFR.
“Term SOFR Screen Rate” means the forward-looking SOFR term rate administered by CME (or any successor administrator satisfactory to the Lender) and published on the applicable Reuters screen page (or such other commercially available source providing such quotations as may be designated by the Lender from time to time).
“U.S. Government Securities Business Day” means any Business Day, except any Business Day on which any of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, the New York Stock Exchange or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is not open for business because such day is a legal holiday under the federal laws of the United States or the laws of the State of New York, as applicable.
“Applicable Rate” means, for any day, the rate per annum set forth:
Tern SOFR Revolving Loans | Daily Simple SOFR Revolving Loans | Base Rate Revolving Loans | Letters of Credit | Cash Collateralized Letters of Credit | Unused Fee |
1.60% | 1.60% | 1.00% | 1.60% | 1.00% | 0.25% |
“Base Rate” means, on any day, a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the Applicable Rate for the Base Rate Revolving Loans plus the highest of: (a) the Federal Funds Rate for that day plus ½ of 1%, (b) the rate of interest in effect for such day as publicly announced from time to time by Lender as its “Prime Rate,” or (c) the Term SOFR for that day plus 1.00%. If the Base Rate is being used as an alternate rate of interest pursuant to Section 2.16 hereof, then the Base Rate shall be the greater of clauses (a) and (b) above and shall be determined without reference to clause (c) above. The “Prime Rate” is a rate set by Lender based upon various factors including Lender’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 Lender shall take effect at the opening of business on the day specified in the public announcement of such change. Notwithstanding anything else herein, if the Base Rate shall be less than zero percent (0.00%), such rate shall be deemed to equal zero percent (0.00%) for purposes of this Agreement.
“Interest Payment Date” means, (a) as to any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the Maturity Date; and (b) as to any Base Rate Loan, the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, and the Maturity Date.
“Term SOFR” means:
(a)for any Interest Period with respect to a Term SOFR Loan, the rate per annum equal to the Term SOFR Screen Rate two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period with a term equivalent to such Interest Period; provided that if the rate is not published prior to 11:00 a.m. on such determination date then Term SOFR means the Term SOFR Screen Rate on the first U.S. Government Securities Business Day immediately prior thereto, in each case, plus the SOFR Adjustment for such Interest Period; and
(b)for any interest calculation with respect to a Base Rate Loan on any date, the rate per annum equal to the Term SOFR Screen Rate with a term of one month commencing that day;
provided that if the Term SOFR determined in accordance with either of the foregoing provisions (a) or (b) of this definition would otherwise be less than zero, the Term SOFR shall be deemed zero for purposes of this Agreement.
“Interest Period” means as to each Term SOFR Loan, the period commencing on the date such Term SOFR Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a Term SOFR Loan and ending on the date one or three months thereafter, as selected by the Borrowers in its Loan Notice, or such other period that is twelve months or less requested by the Borrowers and consented to by the Lender (in the case of each requested Interest Period, subject to availability); provided that:
(a)any Interest Period that would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless, in the case of a Term SOFR Loan, such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day;
(b)any Interest Period pertaining to a Term SOFR Loan that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period; and
(c) no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date.
“SOFR” means the Secured Overnight Financing Rate as administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (or a successor administrator).
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 Term SOFR Loans shall be made upon the Company’s irrevocable notice to the Lender, which may be given by (A) telephone or (B) a Loan Notice; provided that any telephonic notice must be confirmed immediately by delivery to the Lender of a Loan Notice. Each such Loan Notice must be received by the Lender not later than 11:00 a.m. (i) two Business Days prior to the requested date of any Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Term SOFR Loans or of any conversion of Term SOFR Loans to Base Rate Loans, and (ii) on the requested date of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans; provided, however, that if the Company wishes to request Term SOFR Loans having an Interest Period other than one or three months in duration as provided in the definition of “Interest Period,” the applicable notice must be received by the Lender not later than 11:00 a.m. four Business Days prior to the requested date of such Borrowing, conversion or continuation. Not later than 11:00 a.m., three Business Days before the requested date of such Borrowing, conversion or continuation, the Lender shall notify the Company (which notice may be by telephone) whether or not the requested Interest Period has been consented to by the Lender. Each Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Term SOFR Loans shall be in a principal amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple of $500,000 in excess thereof. Except as provided in Sections 2.03(f) and 2.04(c), each Borrowing of or conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof. Each Loan Notice shall specify (i) whether the Company is requesting a Borrowing, a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or a continuation of Term SOFR 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 Company fails to specify a Type of Loan in a Loan Notice or if the Company 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 Term SOFR Loans. If the Company requests a Borrowing of, conversion to, or continuation of Term SOFR Loans in any such Loan Notice, but fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an Interest Period of one month.
(b)Following receipt of a Loan Notice, upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (and, if such Borrowing is the initial Credit Extension, Section 4.01), the Lender shall make the requested funds available to the applicable Borrower either by (i) crediting the account of the Company 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 Lender by the Company.
(c)Except as otherwise provided herein, a Term SOFR Loan may be continued or converted only on the last day of an Interest Period for such Term SOFR Loan. During the existence of a Default, no Loans may be requested as, converted to or continued as Term SOFR Loans without the consent of the Required Lenders.
(d)The Lender shall promptly notify the Company of the interest rate applicable to any Interest Period for Term SOFR Loans upon determination of such interest rate.
(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 ten Interest Periods in effect with respect to Loans.
(f)With respect to SOFR or Term SOFR, the Lender will have the right to make Conforming Changes from time to time and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, any amendments implementing such Conforming Changes will become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document; provided that, with respect to any such amendment effected, the Lender shall post each such amendment implementing such Conforming Changes to the Company reasonably promptly after such amendment becomes effective.
2.05.(a). Optional. The Company may, upon notice to the Lender pursuant to delivery to the Lender of a Notice of Loan Prepayment, at any time or from time to time voluntarily prepay Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that (i) such notice must be received by the Lender not later than 11:00 a.m. (A) two Business Days prior to any date of prepayment of Term SOFR Loans and (B) on the date of prepayment of Base Rate Loans; (ii) any prepayment of Term SOFR Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof; and (iii) any prepayment of Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof or, in each case, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding. Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment and the Type(s) of Loans to be prepaid and, if Term SOFR Loans are to be prepaid, the Interest Period(s) of such Loans. If such notice is given by the Borrowers, the Borrowers 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 any Term SOFR Loan shall be accompanied by all accrued interest on the amount prepaid, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05.
2.14.Illegality. If the Lender determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for the Lender or its applicable Lending
Office to make, maintain or fund Loans whose interest is determined by reference to SOFR or Term SOFR, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon SOFR or Term SOFR, then, upon notice thereof by the Lender to the Borrowers, (a) any obligation of the Lender to make or continue Term SOFR Loans or to convert Base Rate Loans to Term SOFR Loans shall be suspended, and (b) if such notice asserts the illegality of the Lender making or maintaining Base Rate Loans the interest rate on which is determined by reference to the Term SOFR component of the Base Rate, the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans of the Lender shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Lender without reference to the Term SOFR component of the Base Rate, in each case until the Lender notifies the Borrowers that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist. Upon receipt of such notice, (i) the Borrowers shall, upon demand from the Lender, prepay or, if applicable, convert all Term SOFR Loans of such Lender to Base Rate Loans (the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans of the Lender shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Lender without reference to the Term SOFR component of the Base Rate), either on the last day of the Interest Period therefor, if the Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Term SOFR Loan to such day, or immediately, if the Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Term SOFR Loan and (ii) if such notice asserts the illegality of the Lender determining or charging interest rates based upon SOFR, the Lender shall during the period of such suspension compute the Base Rate applicable to the Lender without reference to the Term SOFR component thereof until the Borrowers are advised in writing by the Lender that it is no longer illegal for the Lender to determine or charge interest rates based upon SOFR. Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrowers shall also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 2.05.
2.15.Inability to Determine Rates.
(a) If in connection with any request for a Term SOFR Loan or a conversion of Base Rate Loans to Term SOFR Loans or a continuation of any of such Loans, as applicable, (i) the Lender determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) that (A) no Successor Rate has been determined in accordance with Section 3.03(b), and the circumstances under clause (i) of Section 3.03(b) or the Scheduled Unavailability Date has occurred, or (B) adequate and reasonable means do not otherwise exist for determining Term SOFR for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Term SOFR Loan or in connection with an existing or proposed Base Rate Loan, or (ii) the Lender determines that for any reason that Term SOFR for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Loan does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to the Lender of funding such Loan, the Lender will promptly so notify the Borrowers.
Thereafter, (x) the obligation of the Lender to make or maintain Term SOFR Loans, or to convert Base Rate Loans to Term SOFR Loans, shall be suspended (to the extent of the affected Term SOFR Loans or Interest Periods), and (y) in the event of a determination described in the preceding sentence with respect to the Term SOFR component of the Base Rate, the utilization of the Term SOFR component in determining the Base Rate shall be suspended, in each case until the Lender revokes such notice.
Upon receipt of such notice, (i) the Borrowers may revoke any pending request for a Borrowing of, or conversion to, or continuation of Term SOFR Loans (to the extent of the affected Term SOFR 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 and (ii)
any outstanding Term SOFR Loans shall be deemed to have been converted to Base Rate Loans immediately at the end of their respective applicable Interest Period.
(b) Replacement of Term SOFR or Successor Rate. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any other Loan Documents, if the Lender determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error), or the Borrowers notify the Lender that the Borrowers have determined, that:
(i) adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining one month and three month interest periods of Term SOFR, including, without limitation, because the Term SOFR Screen Rate is not available or published on a current basis and such circumstances are unlikely to be temporary; or
(ii) CME or any successor administrator of the Term SOFR Screen Rate or a Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Lender or such administrator with respect to its publication of Term SOFR, in each case acting in such capacity, has made a public statement identifying a specific date after which one month and three month interest periods of Term SOFR or the Term SOFR Screen Rate shall or will no longer be made available, or permitted to be used for determining the interest rate of U.S. dollar denominated syndicated loans, or shall or will otherwise cease, provided that, at the time of such statement, there is no successor administrator that is satisfactory to the Lender, that will continue to provide such interest periods of Term SOFR after such specific date (the latest date on which one month and three month interest periods of Term SOFR or the Term SOFR Screen Rate are no longer available permanently or indefinitely, the “Scheduled Unavailability Date”);
then, on a date and time determined by the Lender (any such date, the “Term SOFR Replacement Date”), which date shall be at the end of an Interest Period or on the relevant interest payment date, as applicable, for interest calculated and, solely with respect to clause (ii) above, no later than the Scheduled Unavailability Date, Term SOFR will be replaced hereunder and under any Loan Document with Daily Simple SOFR plus the SOFR Adjustment for any payment period for interest calculated that can be determined by the Lender, in each case, without any amendment to, or further action or consent of any other party to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document (the “Successor Rate”).
If the Successor Rate is Daily Simple SOFR plus the SOFR Adjustment, all interest payments will be payable on a monthly basis.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, (i) if the Lender determines that Daily Simple SOFR is not available on or prior to the Term SOFR Replacement Date, or (ii) if the events or circumstances of the type described in Section 3.03(b)(i) or (ii) have occurred with respect to the Successor Rate then in effect, then in each case, the Lender and the Borrowers may amend this Agreement solely for the purpose of replacing Term SOFR or any then current Successor Rate in accordance with this Section 3.03 at the end of any Interest Period, relevant interest payment date or payment period for interest calculated, as applicable, with an alternative benchmark rate giving due consideration to any evolving or then existing convention for similar U.S. dollar denominated credit facilities syndicated and agented in the United States for such alternative benchmark. and, in each case, including any mathematical or other adjustments to such benchmark giving due consideration to any evolving or then existing convention for similar U.S. dollar denominated credit facilities syndicated and agented in the United States for such benchmark, which adjustment or method for calculating such adjustment shall be published on an information service as selected by
the Lender from time to time in its reasonable discretion and may be periodically updated. For the avoidance of doubt, any such proposed rate and adjustments, shall constitute a “Successor Rate”.
The Lender will promptly (in one or more notices) notify the Borrowers of the implementation of any Successor Rate.
Any Successor Rate shall be applied in a manner consistent with market practice; provided that to the extent such market practice is not administratively feasible for the Lender, such Successor Rate shall be applied in a manner as otherwise reasonably determined by the Lender.
Notwithstanding anything else herein, if at any time any Successor Rate as so determined would otherwise be less than zero%, the Successor Rate will be deemed to be zero% for the purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
In connection with the implementation of a Successor Rate, the Lender will have the right to make Conforming Changes from time to time and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, any amendments implementing such Conforming Changes will become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement; provided that, with respect to any such amendment effected, the Lender shall post each such amendment implementing such Conforming Changes to the Borrowers reasonably promptly after such amendment becomes effective.
2.16.[Reserved].
(c)Budget. As soon as available, but in any event within ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, an annual budget of the Company and its Subsidiaries on a Consolidated basis, including forecasts prepared by management of the Company, in form satisfactory to the Lender, of Consolidated balance sheets and statements of income or operations and cash flows of the Company and its Subsidiaries on a quarterly basis for such fiscal year.
(d)the Loan Parties shall be permitted to make special (i) dividends or other distributions, direct or indirect, on account of any shares (or equivalent) of any class of Equity Interests of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, now or hereafter outstanding, (ii) redemption, retirement, sinking fund or similar payment, purchase or other acquisition for value, direct or indirect, of any shares (or equivalent) of any class of Equity Interests of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, now or hereafter outstanding, or (iii) payment made to retire, or to obtain the surrender of, any outstanding warrants, options or other rights to acquire shares of any class of Equity Interests of any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries, now or hereafter outstanding (each, a “Permitted Payment” and collectively, the “Permitted Payments”), provided the Permitted Payments do not exceed (i) Fifty-Five Million Dollars ($55,000,000) in the fiscal year ending January 31, 2023, and (ii) Forty Million Dollars ($40,000,000) in any other fiscal year, and shall be made out of available funds as set forth on the Consolidated and consolidating balance sheet of
the Company and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal year, and further, provided that each of the following conditions is satisfied at the time of, and after giving effect to, any Permitted Payments:
(i)The Borrowers shall, on a consolidated Pro Forma Basis after giving effect to such Permitted Payment, have a positive balance in the Borrowers’ retained earnings account as reflected on the related Consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such fiscal year of the Company and its Subsidiaries, including the notes thereto;
(ii)No Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing;
(iii)Not less than five (5) Business Days prior to the closing of any Permitted Payment (excluding a share repurchase program), Borrowers shall have provided the Lender written notice of such Permitted Payment, together with calculations and supporting materials which demonstrate that the Borrowers will satisfy each of the requirements for a Permitted Payment; and
(iv)Not less than five (5) Business Days prior to the execution of a share repurchase program transacting in the capital markets, Borrowers shall have provided the Lender written notice of such share repurchase program, together with calculations and supporting materials which demonstrate that the Borrowers will satisfy each of the requirements for a Permitted Payment.
4.5.The Lender shall have received the fees and expenses owing pursuant to Section 7.
[Signatures begin on following page]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed under seal, all as of the day and year first above written.
BORROWER: | ARGAN, INC. |
By: __/s/ David Watson__________________(Seal)
David Watson
Chief Executive Officer
DESIGNATED
BORROWERS: | SOUTHERN MARYLAND CABLE, INC. |
By: __/s/ David Watson__________________(Seal)
David Watson
Vice President and Treasurer
GEMMA POWER, INC.
By: __/s/ David Watson__________________(Seal)
David Watson
Vice Chairman
GEMMA POWER SYSTEMS CALIFORNIA, INC.
By: __/s/ David Watson__________________(Seal)
David Watson
Vice Chairman
GEMMA POWER SYSTEMS, LLC
By: __/s/ David Watson__________________(Seal)
David Watson
Vice Chairman
GEMMA POWER HARTFORD, LLC
By: __/s/ Charles Collins IV______________(Seal)
Charles Collins IV
Manager
GEMMA PLANT OPERATIONS, LLC
By: __/s/ Charles Collins IV______________(Seal)
Charles Collins IV
Manager
ATLANTIC PROJECTS COMPANY, INC.
By: __/s/ David Watson__________________(Seal)
David Watson
Chairman
GEMMA RENEWABLE POWER, LLC
By: __/s/ David Watson__________________(Seal)
David Watson
Vice Chairman
TRC ACQUISITION, LLC
By: __/s/ David Watson__________________(Seal)
David Watson
Manager
THE ROBERTS COMPANY, INC.
By: __/s/ David Watson__________________(Seal)
David Watson
Chairman
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
as Lender
By: __/s/ Colleen Landau______________ (Seal)
Colleen Landau
Senior Vice President