[LETTERHEAD OF SANDLER ONEILL]
Exhibit 1.1
[LETTERHEAD OF SANDLER ONEILL]
October 24, 2006
Boards of Directors
Bradford Bank MHC
Bradford Bancorp, Inc.
Bradford Bank
6900 York Road
Baltimore, Maryland 21212-1550
Attention: |
| Mr. Dallas R. Arthur |
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| President |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We understand that the Boards of Directors of Bradford Bank MHC (MHC) and its subsidiaries, Bradford Bancorp, Inc. (BBI) and Bradford Bank (the Bank and, collectively with MHC and BBI and any successor company formed in connection with the conversion, the Company), are considering the adoption of a Plan of Conversion (the Plan) pursuant to which the Company will be converted from mutual holding company to full stock holding company form, and shares of the common stock (the Common Stock) of BBI (or successor stock holding company) will be offered and sold to the Banks eligible account holders in a Subscription Offering and, under certain circumstances, to members of the Banks community in a Direct Community Offering and to the general public in a Syndicated Community Offering (collectively, the Offering). Sandler ONeill & Partners, L.P. (Sandler ONeill) is pleased to assist the Company with the Offering. This letter is to confirm the terms and conditions of our engagement.
OFFERING SERVICES
Sandler ONeill will act as exclusive marketing agent for the Company in the Offering. We will work with the Company and its management, counsel, accountants and other advisors on the Offering and anticipate that our services will include the following, each as may be necessary and as the Company may reasonably request:
1. Consulting as to the financial and securities market implications of the Plan and any related corporate documents;
Boards of Directors
Bradford Bank MHC
Bradford Bancorp, Inc.
Bradford Bank
October 24, 2006
Page 2
2. Reviewing with the Board the financial impact of the Offering on the Company, based upon the independent appraisers appraisal of the Common Stock;
3. Reviewing all offering documents, including the Prospectus, stock order forms and related offering materials (it being understood that preparation and filing of such documents will be the responsibility of the Company and its counsel);
4. Assisting in the design and implementation of a marketing strategy for the Offering;
5. Assisting management in scheduling and preparing for meetings with potential investors and/or other broker-dealers in connection with the Offering; and
6. Providing such other general advice and assistance as may be requested to promote the successful completion of the Offering.
SUBSCRIPTION AND COMMUNITY OFFERING FEES
If the Offering is consummated, the Company agrees to pay Sandler ONeill for its services a fee of one and one-quarter percent (1.25%) of the aggregate Actual Purchase Price of the shares of Common Stock sold in the Subscription Offering and Direct Community Offering, excluding in each case shares purchased by or on behalf of (i) any employee benefit plan or trust of the Company established for the benefit of their respective directors, officers and employees, (ii) any charitable foundation established by the Company (or any shares contributed to such a charitable foundation), and (iii) any director, officer or employee of the Company or members of their immediate families. For purposes of this letter, the term Actual Purchase Price shall mean the price at which the shares of the Common Stock are sold in the Offering.
If (a) Sandler ONeills engagement hereunder is terminated for any of the reasons provided for under the second paragraph of the section of this letter captioned Definitive Agreement, or (b) the Offering is terminated by the Company, no fees shall be payable by the Company to Sandler ONeill hereunder; however, the Company shall reimburse Sandler ONeill for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including legal fees) incurred in connection with its engagement hereunder and for any fees and expenses incurred by Sandler ONeill on behalf of the Company pursuant to the second paragraph under the section captioned Costs and Expenses below.
Boards of Directors
Bradford Bank MHC
Bradford Bancorp, Inc.
Bradford Bank
October 24, 2006
Page 3
All fees payable to Sandler ONeill hereunder shall be payable in cash at the time of the closing of the Offering, or upon the termination of Sandler ONeills engagement hereunder or termination of the Offering, as the case may be. In recognition of the long lead times involved in the stock offering process, the Company agrees to make an advance payment to Sandler ONeill in the amount of $25,000, payable upon execution of this letter, which shall be credited against any fees or reimbursement of expenses payable hereunder. In the event that the advance payment exceeds the amount due in payment of fees and reimbursement of expenses hereunder, the excess shall be refunded to the Company.
SYNDICATED COMMUNITY OFFERING
If any shares of Common Stock remain available after the expiration of the Subscription Offering and Direct Community Offering, at the request of the Company and subject to the continued satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the second paragraph under the caption Definitive Agreement below, Sandler ONeill will seek to form a syndicate of registered dealers to assist in the sale of such Common Stock in a Syndicated Community Offering on a best efforts basis, subject to the terms and conditions to be set forth in a selected dealers agreement. With respect to any shares of the Common Stock sold by Sandler ONeill or any other NASD member firm under any selected dealers agreements in a Syndicated Community Offering, the Company agrees to pay: (a) the sales commission payable to the selected dealer under such agreement and (b) a management fee to Sandler ONeill of one percent (1.00%) of the aggregate Actual Purchase Price of the shares of Common Stock sold in the Syndicated Community Offering. Sandler ONeill will endeavor to limit the aggregate fees to be paid by the Company under any such selected dealers agreements to an amount competitive with gross underwriting discounts charged at such time for underwritings of comparable amounts of stock sold at a comparable price per share in a similar market environment, which shall not exceed 6% of the aggregate Actual Purchase Price of the shares sold under such agreements. Sandler ONeill will endeavor to distribute the Common Stock among dealers in a fashion that best meets the distribution objectives of the Company and the requirements of the Plan, which may result in limiting the allocation of stock to certain selected dealers. It is understood that in no event shall Sandler ONeill be obligated to act as a selected dealer or to take or purchase any shares of the Common Stock in the Offering.
Boards of Directors
Bradford Bank MHC
Bradford Bancorp, Inc.
Bradford Bank
October 24, 2006
Page 4
COSTS AND EXPENSES
In addition to any fees that may be payable to Sandler ONeill hereunder and the expenses to be borne by the Company pursuant to the following paragraph, the Company agrees to reimburse Sandler ONeill, upon request made from time to time, for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with its engagement hereunder, regardless of whether the Offering is consummated, including, without limitation, legal fees and expenses, advertising, syndication and travel expenses, up to a maximum of $70,000; provided, however, that Sandler ONeill shall document such expenses to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company. The provisions of this paragraph are not intended to apply to or in any way impair the indemnification provisions of this letter.
As is customary, the Company will bear all other expenses incurred in connection with the Offering, including, without limitation, (i) the cost of obtaining all securities and bank regulatory approvals, including any required NASD filing fees; (ii) the cost of printing and distributing the offering materials; (iii) the costs of blue sky qualification (including fees and expenses of blue sky counsel) of the shares in the various states; (iv) listing fees; and (v) all fees and disbursements of the Companys counsel, accountants, conversion agent and other advisors. In the event Sandler ONeill incurs any such fees and expenses on behalf of the Company, the Company will reimburse Sandler ONeill for such fees and expenses whether or not the Offering is consummated; provided, however, that Sandler ONeill shall not incur any expenses exceeding $5,000 on behalf of the Company pursuant to this paragraph without the prior approval of the Company.
DUE DILIGENCE REVIEW
Sandler ONeills obligation to perform the services contemplated by this letter shall be subject to the satisfactory completion of such investigation and inquiries relating to the Company and its directors, officers, agents and employees as Sandler ONeill and its counsel in their sole discretion may deem appropriate under the circumstances. In this regard, the Company agrees that, at its expense, it will make available to Sandler ONeill all information that Sandler ONeill requests, and will allow Sandler ONeill the opportunity to discuss with the Companys management the financial condition, business and operations of the Company. The Company acknowledges that Sandler ONeill will rely upon the accuracy and completeness of all information received from the Company and its directors, trustees, officers, employees, agents, independent accountants and counsel.
BLUE SKY MATTERS
Sandler ONeill and the Company agree that the Companys counsel shall serve as counsel with respect to blue sky matters in connection with the Offering. The Company will cause such counsel to prepare a Blue Sky Memorandum related to the Offering, including Sandler ONeills participation therein, and shall furnish Sandler ONeill a copy thereof addressed to Sandler ONeill or upon which such counsel shall state Sandler ONeill may rely.
Boards of Directors
Bradford Bank MHC
Bradford Bancorp, Inc.
Bradford Bank
October 24, 2006
Page 5
CONFIDENTIALITY
Except as contemplated in connection with the performance of its services under this agreement, as authorized by the Company or as required by law, regulation or legal process, Sandler ONeill agrees that it will treat as confidential all material, non-public information relating to the Company obtained in connection with its engagement hereunder (the Confidential Information); provided, however, that Sandler ONeill may disclose such information to its agents and advisors who are assisting or advising Sandler ONeill in performing its services hereunder and who have agreed to be bound by the terms and conditions of this paragraph. As used in this paragraph, the term Confidential Information shall not include information which (a) is or becomes generally available to the public other than as a result of a disclosure by Sandler ONeill, (b) was available to Sandler ONeill on a non-confidential basis prior to its disclosure to Sandler ONeill by the Company, or (c) becomes available to Sandler ONeill on a non-confidential basis from a person other than the Company who is not otherwise known to Sandler ONeill to be bound not to disclose such information pursuant to a contractual, legal or fiduciary obligation.
The Company hereby acknowledges and agrees that the financial models and presentations used by Sandler ONeill in performing its services hereunder have been developed by and are proprietary to Sandler ONeill and are protected under applicable copyright laws. The Company agrees that it will not reproduce or distribute all or any portion of such models or presentations without the prior written consent of Sandler ONeill.
INDEMNIFICATION
Since Sandler ONeill will be acting on behalf of the Company in connection with the Offering, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold Sandler ONeill and its affiliates and their respective partners, directors, officers, employees, agents and controlling persons within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 or Section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Sandler ONeill and each such person being an Indemnified Party) harmless from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities, joint or several, to which such Indemnified Party may become subject under applicable federal or state law, or otherwise, related to or arising out of the Offering or the engagement of Sandler ONeill pursuant to, or the performance by Sandler ONeill of the services contemplated by, this letter, and will reimburse any Indemnified Party for all expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses) as they are incurred, including expenses incurred in connection with the investigation of, preparation for or defense of any pending or threatened claim or any action or proceeding arising therefrom, whether or not such Indemnified Party is a party; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (i) arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement of a material fact or the omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make not misleading any statements contained in any final prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, made in reliance on and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by Sandler ONeill expressly for use therein, or (ii) is primarily attributable to the gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of Sandler ONeill. If the foregoing indemnification is unavailable for any reason, the Company agrees to contribute to such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses in the proportion that its financial interest in the Offerings bears to that of Sandler ONeill.
Boards of Directors
Bradford Bank MHC
Bradford Bancorp, Inc.
Bradford Bank
October 24, 2006
Page 6
The Company agrees to notify Sandler ONeill promptly of the assertion against it or any other person of any claim or the commencement of any action or proceeding relating to any transaction contemplated by this agreement.
DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT
Sandler ONeill and the Company agree that (a) except as set forth in clause (b), the foregoing represents the general intention of the Company and Sandler ONeill with respect to the services to be provided by Sandler ONeill in connection with the Offering, which will serve as a basis for Sandler ONeill commencing activities, and (b) the only legal and binding obligations of the Company and Sandler ONeill with respect to the Offering shall be (1) the Companys obligation to reimburse costs and expenses pursuant to the section captioned Costs and Expenses, (2) those set forth under the captions Confidentiality and Indemnification, and (3) as set forth in a duly negotiated and executed definitive Agency Agreement to be entered into prior to the commencement of the Offering relating to the services of Sandler ONeill in connection with the Offering. Such Agency Agreement shall be in form and content satisfactory to Sandler ONeill and the Company and their respective counsel and shall contain standard indemnification and contribution provisions consistent herewith.
Sandler ONeills execution of such Agency Agreement shall also be subject to (i) Sandler ONeills satisfaction with its investigation of the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations, (ii) preparation of offering materials that are satisfactory to Sandler ONeill, (iii) compliance with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements to the reasonable satisfaction of Sandler ONeill, (iv) agreement that the price established by the independent appraiser is reasonable, and (v) market conditions at the time of the proposed offering.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and can be altered only by written consent signed by the parties. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflicts of laws principles thereof.
Please confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth our agreement by signing and returning to Sandler ONeill the duplicate copy of this letter enclosed herewith.
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| Very truly yours, | |||
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| Sandler ONeill & Partners, L.P. | ||
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| By: Sandler ONeill & Partners Corp., | ||
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| the sole general partner | ||
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| By: |
| /s/ J. Andrew Hitt |
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| J. Andrew Hitt |
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| Authorized Signatory |
Accepted and agreed to as of |
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the date first above written: |
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Bradford Bank MHC |
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Bradford Bancorp, Inc. |
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Bradford Bank |
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By: |
| /s/ Dallas R. Arthur |
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| Dallas R. Arthur |
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| President |
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