Form of 2004 Credit Agreement

 

“Receivables and Related Security” means the Receivables and the related security and collections with respect thereto which are sold or transferred by any Originator or SPV in connection with any Permitted Receivables Transfer.

 

“Receivables Facility Attributed Indebtedness” means the amount of obligations outstanding under a receivables purchase facility on any date of determination that would be characterized as principal if such facility were structured as a secured lending transaction rather than as a purchase.

 

“Receivables Facility Financing Costs” means such portion of the cash fees, service charges, and other costs, as well as all collections or other amounts retained by purchasers of receivables pursuant to a receivables purchase facility, which are in excess of amounts paid to the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries under any receivables purchase facility for the purchase of receivables pursuant to such facility and are the equivalent of the interest component of the financing if the transaction were characterized as an on-balance sheet transaction.

 

“Receivables Purchase Documents” means (i) the 2000 Receivables Sale Agreement and (ii) the 2000 Receivables Purchase Agreement, or any other series of receivables purchase or sale agreements generally consistent with terms contained in comparable structured finance transactions pursuant to which an Originator or Originators sell or transfer to SPVs all of their respective right, title and interest in and to certain Receivables and Related Security for further sale or transfer to other purchasers of or investors in such assets (in any such case, together with the other documents, instruments and agreements executed in connection therewith), as any s uch agreements may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, or any replacement or substitution therefor.

 

“Receivables Purchase Facility” means the securitization facility made available to the Borrower, pursuant to which the Receivables and Related Security of the Originators are transferred to one or more SPVs, and thereafter to certain investors, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Receivables Purchase Documents.

 

“Register” is defined in Section 13.3(D) hereof.

 

“Regulation D” means Regulation D of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as from time to time in effect and any successor thereto or other regulation or official interpretation of said Board of Governors relating to reserve requirements applicable to member banks of the Federal Reserve System.

 

“Regulation T” means Regulation T of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as from time to time in effect and any successor or other regulation or official interpretation of said Board of Governors relating to the extension of credit by and to brokers and dealers of securities for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock (as defined therein).

 

“Regulation U” means Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as from time to time in effect and any successor or other regulation or official interpretation of said Board of Governors relating to the extension of credit by banks, non-banks and non-broker lenders for the purpose of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock applicable to member banks of the Federal Reserve System.

 

“Regulation X” means Regulation X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as from time to time in effect and any successor or other regulation or official interpretation of said Board of Governors relating to the extension of credit by foreign lenders for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock (as defined therein).

 

“Reimbursement Obligation” is defined in Section 3.7 hereof.

 

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

 

“Release” means any release, spill, emission, leaking, pumping, injection, deposit, disposal, discharge, dispersal, leaching or migration into the environment, including the movement of Contaminants through or in the air, soil, surface water or groundwater.

 

“Replacement Lender” is defined in Section 2.19 hereof.

 

“Reportable Event” means a reportable event as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA and the regulations issued under such section, with respect to a Plan, excluding, however, such events as to which the PBGC by regulation waived the requirement of Section 4043(a) of ERISA that it be notified within thirty (30) days after such event occurs.

 

“Required Lenders” means Lenders whose Pro Rata Shares, in the aggregate, are greater than fifty percent (50%); provided, however, that, if any Lender shall have failed to fund its Pro Rata Share of (i) any Revolving Loan requested by the Borrower, (ii) any Revolving Loan required to be made in connection with reimbursement for any L/C Obligatio ns or (iii) any Swing Line Loan as requested by the Administrative Agent, which such Lender is obligated to fund under the terms of this Agreement and any such failure has not been cured, then for so long as such failure continues, “Required Lenders” means Lenders (excluding all Lenders whose failure to fund their respective Pro Rata Shares of such Revolving Loans or Swing Line Loans has not been so cured) whose Pro Rata Shares represent greater than fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate Pro Rata Shares of such Lenders; provided further, however, that, if the Revolving Loan Commitments have been terminated pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, “Required Lenders” means Lenders (without regard to such Lenders’ performance of their respective obligations hereunder) whose aggregate ratable shares (stated as a percentage) of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of all Loans and L/C Obligations are greater than fifty percent (50%).

 

“Requirements of Law” means, as to any Person, the charter and by-laws or other organizational or governing documents of such Person, and any law, rule or regulation, or determination of an arbitrator or a court or other Governmental Authority, in each case applicable to or binding upon such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any of its property is subject including, without limitation, the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Regulations T, U and X, ERISA, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and any certificate of occupancy, zoning ordinance, building, environmental or land use requirement or permit or environmental, labor, employment, occupational safety or health law, rule or regulation, including Environmental, Health or Safety Requirements of Law.

 

“Revolving Credit Availability” means, at any particular time, the amount by which the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment at such time exceeds the Revolving Credit Obligations outstanding at such time.

 

“Revolving Credit Obligations” means, at any particular time, the sum of (i) the outstanding principal amount of the Revolving Loans at such time, plus (ii) the outstanding principal amount of the Swing Line Loans at such time, plus (iii) the outstanding L/C Obligations at such time.

 

“Revolving Loan” is defined in Section 2.1 hereof.

 

“Revolving Loan Commitment” means, for each Lender, the obligation of such Lender to make Revolving Loans and to purchase participations in Letters of Credit and to participate in Swing Line Loans not exceeding the amount set forth on Exhibit A to this Agreement opposite its name thereon under the heading “Revolving Loan Commitment” or in the Assignment and Assumption or the Commitment and Acceptance by which it became a Lender, as such amount may be modified from time to time pursuant t o the terms of this Agreement or to give effect to any applicable Assignment and Assumption or Commitment and Acceptance.

 

“Revolving Loan Termination Date” means November 16, 2009.

 

“Risk-Based Capital Guidelines” is defined in Section 4.2 hereof.

 

“Senior Management Team” means (a) each Authorized Officer, the chief executive officer, secretary or any other member of management of the Borrower and (b) any chief executive officer, president, vice president, chief financial officer, treasurer, secretary or any other member of management of any Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

“Senior Note Purchase Agreements” means, collectively, the 2003 Note Purchase Agreement and the 2004 Note Purchase Agreement.

 

“Senior Notes” means, collectively, the 2003 Senior Notes and the 2004 Senior Notes.

 

“Singapore Credit Agreement” means that certain Facility Agreement, dated 25 July 2003, among Energizer Asia Investments Pte. Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Singapore and a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Borrower, as the borrower thereunder, the Borrower, Energizer Singapore Pte. Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Singapore, and Sonca Products Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Hong Kong, as the guarantors thereunder, the financial institutions from time to time parties thereto, Citigroup Global Markets Singapore Merchant Bank Ltd. and Standard Chartered Bank, as the arrangers thereunder, and with Citicorp Investment B ank (Singapore) Limited, as the agent, under which the financial institutions party thereto have committed to make loans and other extensions of credit to Energizer Asia Investments Pte. Ltd. in an original aggregate principal amount of $125,000,000 in Dollars and S$220,000,000 in Singapore dollars, as the same may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in a manner that is not materially adverse to the interests of the Lenders.

 

“Singapore Credit Facility” means the credit facility evidenced by the Singapore Credit Agreement, the Singapore Guarantees and the other instruments, documents and agreements executed or delivered in connection therewith.

 

“Singapore Guarantees” means those certain guarantees of the Indebtedness and other obligations of the borrower under the Singapore Credit Agreement by each of the Borrower, Energizer Singapore Pte. Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Singapore, and Sonca Products Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Hong Kong, as the same may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in a manner that is not materially adverse to the interests of the Lenders.

 

“Singapore Regional Group” means each of Energizer Asia Investments Pte. Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Singapore, Energizer Singapore Pte. Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Singapore, and Sonca Products Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Hong Kong.

 

“Solvent” means, when used with respect to any Person, that at the time of determination:

 

(i) the fair value of its assets (both at fair valuation and at present fair saleable value) is equal to or in excess of the total amount of its liabilities, including, without limitation, contingent liabilities; and

 

(ii) it is then able and believes that it will be able to pay its debts as they mature; and

 

(iii) it has capital sufficient to carry on its business as conducted and as proposed to be conducted.

 

With respect to contingent liabilities (such as litigation and guarantees), such liabilities shall be computed at the amount which, in light of all the facts and circumstances existing at the time, represent the amount which can be reasonably be expected to become an actual or matured liability.

 

“SPV” means any special purpose entity established for the purpose of purchasing receivables in connection with a receivables securitization transaction permitted under the terms of this Agreement.

 

“Statutory Reserve Rate” means a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which is the number one minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentages (including any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves) expressed as a decimal established by the Board to which the Administrative Agent is subject (a) with respect to the Base CD Rate, for new negotiable nonpersonal time deposits in dollars of over $100,000 with maturities approximately equal to three months and (b) with respect to the Eurodollar Rate, for eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency Liabi lities” in Regulation D of the Board). Such reserve percentages shall include those imposed pursuant to such Regulation D. Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be deemed to constitute eurocurrency funding and to be subject to such reserve requirements without benefit of or credit for proration, exemptions or offsets that may be available from time to time to any Lender under such Regulation D or any comparable regulation. The Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.

 

“Subsidiary” of a Person means (i) any corporation more than 50% of the outstanding securities having ordinary voting power of which shall at the time be owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such Person or by one or more of its Subsidiaries or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries, or (ii) any partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture or similar business organization more than 50% of the ownership interests having ordinary voting power of which shall at the time be so owned or controlled. Unless otherwise expressly provided, all references herein to a “Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary of the B orrower.

 

“Subsidiary Guarantors” means (i) as of the Closing Date, all of the Borrower’s Material Domestic Subsidiaries; (ii) all New Subsidiaries which are Material Domestic Subsidiaries and which have satisfied the provisions of Section 7.2(K)(a); (iii) all of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries which become Material Domestic Subsidiaries and which have satisfied the provisions of Section 7.2(K)(b); and (iv) all other domestic Subsidiaries which become Subsidiary Guarantors in satisfaction of the provisions of Section 7.2(K)(c)(i) or any Subsidiaries which become Subsidiary Guarantors in satisfaction of the provisions of Section 7.2(K)(c)(ii), in each case with respect to clauses (i) through (iv) above, other than the SPVs and together with thei r respective successors and assigns.

 

“Subsidiary Guaranty” means that certain Guaranty dated as of the Closing Date, executed by the Subsidiary Guarantors in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the ratable benefit of the Lenders, the Swing Line Bank and the Issuing Banks, as it may be amended, modified, supplemented and/or restated (including to add new Subsidiary Guarantors), and as in effect from time to time.

 

“Supplement” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7.2(K).

 

“Swing Line Bank” means JPMorgan pursuant to the terms hereof.

 

“Swing Line Commitment” means the commitment of the Swing Line Bank, in its discretion, to make Swing Line Loans up to a maximum principal amount of $10,000,000 at any one time outstanding.

 

“Swing Line Loan” means a Loan made available to the Borrower by the Swing Line Bank pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof.

 

“Syndication Agent” means Bank of America, N.A. (and its successors) in its capacity as syndication agent for the loan transaction evidenced by this Agreement.

 

“Taxes” means any and all present or future taxes, duties, levies, imposts, deductions, charges or withholdings, and any and all liabilities with respect to the foregoing, but excluding Excluded Taxes.

 

“Termination Date” means the earliest of (a) the Revolving Loan Termination Date and (b) the date of termination in whole of the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment pursuant to Section 2.5(A) hereof or the Revolving Loan Commitments pursuant to Section 9.1 hereof.

 

“Termination Event” means (i) a Reportable Event with respect to any Benefit Plan; (ii) the withdrawal of the Borrower or any member of the Controlled Group from a Benefit Plan during a plan year in which the Borrower or such Controlled Group member was a “substantial employer” as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA with respect to such plan; (iii) the imposition of an obligation under Section 4041 of ERISA to provide affected parties written notice of intent to terminate a Benefit Plan in a distress termination described in Section 4041(c) of ERISA; (iv) the institution by the PBGC or any foreign governmental authority of proceedings t o terminate or appoint a trustee to administer a Benefit Plan or Foreign Pension Plan; (v) any event or condition which might constitute grounds under Section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Benefit Plan; or (vi) the partial or complete withdrawal of the Borrower or any member of the Controlled Group from a Multiemployer Plan.

 

“Three-Month Secondary CD Rate” means, for any day, the secondary market rate for three-month certificates of deposit reported as being in effect on such day (or, if such day is not a Business Day, the next preceding Business Day) by the Board through the public information telephone line of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (which rate will, under the current practices of the Board, be published in Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15(519) during the week following such day) or, if such rate is not so reported on such day or such next preceding Business Day, the average of the secondary market quotations for three-month certificates of depos it of major money center banks in New York City received at approximately 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on such day (or, if such day is not a Business Day, on the next preceding Business Day) by the Administrative Agent from three negotiable certificate of deposit dealers of recognized standing selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion.

 

“Transferee” is defined in Section 13.5 hereof.

 

“Transitional Letters of Credit” is defined in Section 3.2 hereof.

 

“2000 Receivables Purchase Agreement” means that certain Receivables Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 4, 2000, as amended, extended or replaced in a manner permitted by this Agreement, among Energizer Receivables Funding Corporation, a Delaware corporation, as the seller thereunder, Eveready Battery Company, a Delaware Corporation, as the servicer thereunder, Falcon Asset Securitization Corporation and Bank One, NA, as the agent thereunder

 

“2000 Receivables Sale Agreement” means that certain Receivables Sale Agreement, dated as of April 4, 2000, as amended, extended or replaced in a manner permitted by this Agreement, between Eveready Battery Company, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Energizer Receivables Funding Corporation, a Delaware corporation and an SPV.

 

“2003 Note Purchase Agreement” means that certain Note Purchase Agreement dated as of June 1, 2003 among the Borrower and the “Purchasers” referred to therein, under which the Borrower has issued senior unsecured notes in the aggregate principal amount of $700,000,000 (the “2003 Senior Notes”), which shall be pari passu with the Obligations hereunder and the Hedging Obligations, as such Note Purchase Agreement may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in a manner that is not materially adverse to the interests of the Lenders.

 

“2003 Senior Notes” is defined in the definition of “2003 Note Purchase Agreement” above.

 

“2004 Note Purchase Agreement” means that certain Note Purchase Agreement dated as of November 1, 2004 among the Borrower and the “Purchasers” referred to therein, under which the Borrower has issued senior unsecured notes in an aggregate principal amount of $300,000,000 (the “2004 Senior Notes”), which shall be pari passu with the Obligations hereunder and the Hedging Obligations, as such Note Purchase Agreement may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in a manner that is not materially adverse to the interests of the Lenders.

 

“2004 Senior Notes” is defined in the definition of “2004 Note Purchase Agreement” above.

 

“Type” means, with respect to any Loan, its nature as a Floating Rate Loan or a Eurodollar Rate Loan.

 

“Unmatured Default” means an event which, but for the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a Default.

 

The foregoing definitions shall be equally applicable to both the singular and plural forms of the defined terms. Any accounting terms used in this Agreement which are not specifically defined herein shall have the meanings customarily given them in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in existence as of the date hereof.

 

1.2  References. Any references to Subsidiaries of the Borrower shall not in any way be construed as consent by the Administrative Agent or any Lender to the establishment, maintenance or acquisition of any Subsidiary, except as may otherwise be permitted hereunder.

 

 

2.1  Revolving Loans. (a) Upon the satisfaction of the conditions precedent set forth in Sections 5.1 and 5.2, as applicable, from and including the Initial Funding Date and prior to the Termination Date, each Lender severally and not jointly agrees, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, to make revolving loans to the Borrower from time to time, in Dollars, in an amount not to exceed such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of Revolving Credit Availability at such time (each individually, a “Revolving Loan” and, collectively, the “Revolving Loans”); provided, however, at no time shall the Revolving Credit Obligations exceed the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Borrower may borrow, repay and reborrow Revolving Loans at any time prior to the Termination Date. The Revolving Loans made on the Initial Funding Date or on or before the third (3^rd) Business Day thereafter shall initially be Floating Rate Loans and thereafter may be continued as Floating Rate Loans or converted into Eurodollar Rate Loans in the manner provided in Section 2.9 and subject to the other conditions and limitations therein set forth and set forth in this Article II and set forth in the definition of Interest Period; provided, however, that if the Borrower delivers a Borrowing/Election Notice, signed by it, together with appropriate documentation in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent indemnifying the Lenders for the amounts described in Section 4.4 on or before the third (3^rd) Business Day prior to the Initial Funding Date, the Revolving Loans made on the Initial Funding Date may be Eurodollar Rate Loans. Revolving Loans made after the Initial Funding Date shall be, at the option of the Borrower, selected in accordance with Section 2.9, either Floating Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans. On the Termination Date, the Borrower shall repay in full the outstanding principal balance of the Revolving Loans. Each Advance under this Section 2.1 shall consist of Revolving Loans made by each Lender ratably in proportion to such Lender’s respective Pro Rata Share.

 

(b)    Borrowing/Election Notice; Making of Revolving Loans. The Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a Borrowing/Election Notice, signed by it, in accordance with the terms of Section 2.7. Promptly after receipt of the Borrowing/Election Notice under Section 2.7 in respect of Rev olving Loans, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender by telex or telecopy, or other similar form of transmission, of the requested Revolving Loan. Each Lender shall make available its Revolving Loan in accordance with the terms of Section 2.6. The Administrative Agent will promptly make the funds so received from the Lenders available to the Borrower at the Administrative Agent’s office in Chicago, Illinois on the applicable Borrowing Date and shall disburse such proceeds in accordance with the Borrower’s disbursement instructions set forth in such Borrowing/Election Notice. The failure of any Lender to deposit the amount described above with the Administrative Agent on the applicable Borrowing Date shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligations hereunder to make its Revolving Loan on such Borrowing Date.

 

2.2  Swing Line Loans. (A) Amount of Swing Line Loans. Upon the satisfaction of the conditions precedent set forth in Section 5.1 and 5.2, as applicable, from and including theInitial Funding Date and prior to the Termination Date, the Swing Line Bank may, in its discretion, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, make swing line loans to the Borrower from time to time, in Dollars, in an amount not to exceed the Swing Line Commitment (each, individually, a “Swing Line Loan” and collectively, the “Swing Line Loans”); provided, however, at no time shall the Revolving Credit Obligations exceed the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment; and provided, further, that at no time shall the sum of (a) the outstanding amount of the Swing Line Bank’s Pro Rata Share of the Swing Line Loans, plus (b) the outstanding amount of Revolving Loans made by the Swing Line Ba nk pursuant to Section 2.1, exceed the Swing Line Bank’s Revolving Loan Commitment at such time. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Borrower may borrow, repay and reborrow Swing Line Loans at any time prior to the Termination Date.

 

(B) Borrowing/Election Notice for Swing Line Loans. The Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent and the Swing Line Bank a Borrowing/Election Notice, signed by it, not later than noon (Chicago time) on the Borrowing Date of each Swing Line Loan, specifying (i) the applicable Borrowing Date (which date shall be a Business Day and which may be the same date as the date the Borrowing/Election Notice is given), and (ii) the aggregate amount of the requested Swing Line Loan which shall be an amount not less than $500,000 and increments of $100,000 in excess thereof. The Swing Line Loans shall at all times be Floating Rate Loans or shall bear interest at such other rate a s shall be agreed to between the Borrower and the Swing Line Bank at the time of the making of such Swing Line Loans.

 

(C) Making of Swing Line Loans. Promptly after receipt of the Borrowing/Election Notice under Section 2.2(B) in respect of Swing Line Loans, the Swing Line Bank may, in its sole discretion make available its Swing Line Loan, in funds immediately available to the Administrative Agent at its address specified pursuant to Article XIV. The Administrative Agent will promptly m ake the funds so received from the Swing Line Bank available to the Borrower on the Borrowing Date at the Administrative Agent’s aforesaid address.

 

(D) Repayment of Swing Line Loans. Each Swing Line Loan shall be paid in full by the Borrower on or before the fifth (5^th) Business Day after the Borrowing Date for such Swing Line Loan. The Borrower may at any time pay, without penalty or premium, all outstanding Swing Line Loans or, in a minimum amount of $500,000 and increments of $100,000 in excess thereof, any portion of the outstanding Swing Line Loans, upon notice to the Administrative Agent and the Swing Line Bank. In addition, the Administrative Agent (i) may a t any time in its sole discretion with respect to any outstanding Swing Line Loan, or (ii) shall, in the event the Borrower shall not have otherwise repaid such Loan, on the fifth (5^th) Business Day after the Borrowing Date of any Swing Line Loan, require each Lender (including the Swing Line Bank) to make a Revolving Loan in the amount of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of such Swing Line Loan, for the purpose of repaying such Swing Line Loan. The making of such Revolving Loans by the Lenders shall discharge the Borrower’s obligation under the first sentence of this Section 2.2(D) and such failure to pay shall not constitute a Default by the Borrower. Promptly following receipt of notice purs uant to this Section 2.2(D) from the Administrative Agent, each Lender shall make available its required Revolving Loan or Revolving Loans, in funds immediately available to the Administrative Agent at its address specified pursuant to Article XIV. Revolving Loans made pursuant to this Section 2.2(D) shall initially be Floating Rate Loans and thereafter may be continued as Floating Rate Loans or converted into Eurodollar Rate Loans in the manner provided in Section 2.9 and subject to the other conditions and limitations therein set forth and set forth in this Article II. Unless a Lender shall have notified the Swing Line Bank, prior to its making any Swing Line Loan, that any applicable condition precedent set forth in Sections 5.1 and 5.2, as applicable, had not then been satisfied, such Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Loans pursuant to this Section 2.2(D) to repay Swing Line Loans shall be unconditional, continuing, irrevocable and absolute and shall not be affected by any circumstances, including, without limitation, (a) any set-off, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against the Administrative Agent, the Swing Line Bank or any other Person, (b) the occurrence or continuance of a Default or Unmatured Default, (c) any adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or (d) any other circumstances, happening or event whatsoever. In the event that any Lender fails to make payment to the Administrative Agent of any amount due under this Section 2.2(D), the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to receive, retain and apply against such obligation the principal and interest otherwise payable to such Lender hereunder until the Administrative Agent receives such payment from such Lender or such obligation is otherwise fully satisfied. In addition to the foregoing, if for any reason any Lender fails to make payment to the Administrative Agent of any amount due under this Section 2.2(D), such Lender shall be deemed, at the option of the Administrative Agent, to have unconditionally and irrevocably purchased from the Swing Line Bank, without recourse or warranty, an undivided interest and participation in the applicable Swing Line Loan in the amount of such Revolving Loan, and such interest and participation may be recovered from such Lender together with interest thereon at the Federal Funds Effective Rate for each day during the period commencing on the date of demand and ending on the date such amount is received. On the Termi nation Date, the Borrower shall repay in full the outstanding principal balance of the Swing Line Loans.

 

2.3  Rate Options for all Advances; Maximum Interest Periods. The Swing Line Loans shall be Floating Rate Loans at all times or shall bear interest at such other rate as may be agreed to between the Borrower and the Swing Line Bank at the time of the making of any such Swing Line Loan. The Revolving Loans may be Floating Rate Advances or Eurodollar Rate Advances, or a combination thereof, selected by the Borrower in accordance with Section 2.10. The Borrower may select, in accordance with Section 2.9, rate options and Interest Periods applicable to the Revolving Loans; provided that there shall be no more than eight (8) Interest Periods in effect with respect to all of the Loans at any time.

 

2.4  Optional Payments. The Borrower may from time to time and at any time upon at least one (1) Business Day’s prior written notice repay or prepay, without penalty or premium all or any part of outstanding Floating Rate Advances in an aggregate minimum amount of $10,000,000 and in integral multiples of $1,000,000 in excess thereof. Eurodollar Rate Advances may be voluntarily repaid or prepaid prior to the last day of the applicable Interest Period, subject to the indemnification provisions conta ined in Section 4.4, provided, that the Borrower may not so prepay Eurodollar Rate Advances unless it shall have provided at least three (3) Business Days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent of such prepayment and provided, further, that optional prepayments of Eurodollar Rate Advances made pursuant to Sec tion 2.1 shall be for the entire amount of the outstanding Eurodollar Rate Advance.

 

2.5  Reduction of Revolving Loan Commitments; Increase of Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment.

 

(A)  Reduction of Revolving Loan Commitments. The Borrower may permanently reduce the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment in whole, or in part ratably among the Lenders, in an aggregate minimum amount of $25,000,000 and integral multiples of $5,000,000 in excess of that amount (unless the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment is reduced in whole), upon a t least three (3) Business Days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, which notice shall specify the amount of any such reduction; provided, however, that the amount of the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment may not be reduced below the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Revolving Credit Obligations. All accrued Facility Fees shall be payable on the effective date of any termination of the obligations of the Lenders to make Loans hereunder and all accrued Facility Fees shall be payable upon any reduction of the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment on the amount so reduced.

 

(B)  Increase of Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment.

 

(i)  At any time, the Borrower may arrange (in consultation with the Administrative Agent) for the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment to be increased by an aggregate amount of up to $100,000,000 without the prior written consent of all of the Lenders; provided, that the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment shall at no time exceed $400,000,000. The Borrower shall provide notice of such proposed increase in a written notice to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders not less than twenty (20) Business Days prior to the proposed effective date of such increase, which notice (a “Commitment Increase Notice”) shall specify the amount of the proposed increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment and the proposed effective date of such increase. No Lender shall have any obligation to increase its Revolving Loan Commitment pursuant to a Commitment Increase Notice, and the Borrower shall not be required to offer any Lender an opportunity to participate in the requested increase.

 

(ii)  Not later than three (3) Business Days prior to the proposed effective date, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of (i) any Lender (each, a “Proposed Increase Lender”) that shall have agreed to increase its existing Revolving Loan Commitment in connection with such Commitment Increase Notice and (ii) any financial institution that shall have agreed to become a new “Lender” party hereto (each, a “Proposed New Lender”) in connection with such Commitment Increase Notice. Each Proposed Increase Lender and Proposed New Lender, and the allocation of the proposed increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment, shall be subject to the consent of the Administrative Agent and JPMorgan, in its respective capacities as Principal Issuing Bank and Swing Line Bank (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld). If the Borrower shall not have arranged for Lenders and Proposed New Lenders to commit to increases in their Revolving Loan Commitment or new Revolving Loan Commitments, as applicable, in an aggregate amount equal to the proposed increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have reduced the amount of its Commitment Increase Notice to the aggregate amount of such increases and new Revolving Loan Commitments. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders on or before the Business Day immediately p rior to the proposed effective date of the amount of each Lender’s and Proposed New Lender’s Revolving Loan Commitment and the amount of the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment, which amount shall be effective on the following Business Day.

 

(iii)  Any increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment shall be subject to the following conditions precedent: (i) the Borrower shall have obtained the consent thereto of each Subsidiary Guarantor and its reaffirmation of any Loan Documents executed by it, which consent and reaffirmation shall be in writing and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, (ii) as of the date of the Commitment Increase Notice and as of the proposed effective date of the increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment, all representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all material respects as though made on such date (unle ss any such representation and warranty is made as of a specific date, in which case, such representation and warranty shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such date) and no Default or Unmatured Default shall have occurred and then be continuing, (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and each Proposed New Lender or Proposed Increase Lender shall have executed and delivered a Commitment and Acceptance (a “Commitment and Acceptance”) substantially in the form of Exhibit J hereto and (iv) the Borrower and any Proposed New Lender shall otherwise have executed and delivered such other instruments, documents and agreements as the Administrative Agent shall have re asonably requested in connection with such increase. If any fee shall be charged by the Lenders in connection with any such increase, such fee shall be in accordance with then prevailing market conditions, which market conditions shall have been reasonably documented by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower. Upon satisfaction of the conditions precedent to any increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment, the Administrative Agent shall promptly advise the Borrower and each Lender of the effective date of such increase. Upon the effective date of any increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment that is provided by a Proposed New Lender, such Proposed New Lender shall be a party to this Agreement as a Lender and shall have the rights and obligations of a Lender hereunder. Nothing contained herein shall constitute, or otherwise be deemed to be, a co mmitment on the part of any Lender to increase its Revolving Loan Commitment hereunder at any time.

 

(iv)  Upon the execution and delivery of such Commitment and Acceptance, the Administrative Agent shall reallocate any outstanding Loans ratably among the Lenders after giving effect to each such increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment; provided, that the Borrower hereby agrees to compensate each Lender for all losses, expenses and liabilities incurred by such Lender in connection with the sale and assignment of any Eurocurrency Rate Loans hereunder on the terms and in the manner as set forth in Article IV.

 

2.6  Method of Borrowing. Not later than 2:00 p.m. (Chicago time) on each Borrowing Date, each Lender shall make available its Revolving Loan, in immediately available funds, to the Administrative Agent at its address specified pursuant to Article XIV. The Administrative Agent will promptly make the funds so received from the Lenders available to the Borrower at the Administrative Agent’s aforesaid address.

 

2.7  Method of Selecting Types and Interest Periods for Advances. The Borrower shall select the Type of Advance and, in the case of each Eurodollar Rate Advance, the Interest Period applicable to each Advance from time to time. The Borrower shall give the Administrative Agent irrevocable notice in substantially the form of Exhibit B hereto (a “Borrowing/Election Notice”) not later than 11:00 a.m. (Chicago time) (a) on or before the Borrowing Date of each Floating Rate Advance and (b) three (3) Business Days before the Borrowing Date for each Eurodollar Rate Advance specifying: (i) the Borrowing Date (which shall be a Business Day) of such Advance; (ii) the aggregate amount of such Advance; (iii) the Type of Advance selected; and (iv) in the case of each Eurodollar Rate Advance, the Interest Period applicable thereto; provided, however, that with respect to the borrowing on the Initial Funding Date, such notice shall be delivered in accordance with the terms of Section 2.1(a) and shall be accompanied by the documentation specified in such Section, if applicable. The Borrower shall select Interest Periods so that, to the best of the Borrower’s knowledge, it will not be necessary to prepay all or any portion of any Eurodollar Rate Advance prior to the last day of the applicable Interest Period in order to make mandatory prepayments as required pursuant to the terms hereof. Each Floating Rate Advance and all Obligations other than Loans shall bear interest from and including the date of the making of such Advance, in the case of Floating Rate Advances, and the date such Obligation is due and owing in the case of such other Obligations, to (but not including) the date of repayment thereof at the Alternate Base Rate, changing when and as such Alternate Base Rate changes. Changes in the rate of interest on that portion of the Loans maintained as Floating Rate Loans will take effect simultaneously with each change in the Alternate Base Rate. Each Eurodollar Rate Advance shall bear interest from and including the first day of the Interest Period applicable thereto to (but not including) the last day of such Interest Period at the inter est rate determined as applicable to such Eurodollar Rate Advance, changing when and as the Applicable Margin changes. Changes in the rate of interest on that portion of the Loans maintained as Eurodollar Rate Advances will take effect simultaneously with each change in the Applicable Margin.

 

2.8  Minimum Amount of Each Advance. Each Advance (other than an Advance to repay Swing Line Loans or a Reimbursement Obligation) shall be in the minimum amount of $10,000,000 (and in multiples of $1,000,000 if in excess thereof); provided, however, that any Floating Rate Advance may be in the amount of the unused Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment.

 

2.9  Method of Selecting Types and Interest Periods for Conversion and Continuation of Advances.

 

(A)  Right to Convert. The Borrower may elect from time to time, subject to the provisions of Section 2.3,this Section 2.9 and Section 5.2 to convert all or any part of a Loan of any Type into an y other Type or Types of Loans; provided that any conversion of any Eurodollar Rate Advance shall be made on, and only on, the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto.

 

(B)  Automatic Conversion and Continuation. Floating Rate Loans shall continue as Floating Rate Loans unless and until such Floating Rate Loans are repaid or converted into Eurodollar Rate Loans. Eurodollar Rate Loans shall continue as Eurodollar Rate Loans until the end of the then applicable Interest Period therefor, at which time such Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be automatically converted into Floating Rate Loans unless the Borrower shall have repaid such Loans or given the Administrative Agent a Borrowing/Election Notice in accordance with Section 2.9(D) requesting that, at the end of such Interest Period, such Eurodollar Rate Loans continue as a Eurodollar Rate Loan.

 

(C)  No Conversion Post-Default. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 2.9(A) or Section 2.9(B), no Loan may be converted into or continued as a Eurodollar Rate Loan (except with the consent of the Required Lenders) when any Default has occurred and is continuing.

 

(D)  Borrowing/Election Notice. The Borrower shall give the Administrative Agent an irrevocable Borrowing/Election Notice of each conversion of a Floating Rate Loan into a Eurodollar Rate Loan or continuation of a Eurodollar Rate Loan not later than 11:00 a.m. (Chicago time) three (3) Business Days prior to the date of the requested conversion or continuation, specifying: (i) the requested date (which shall be a Business Day) of such conversion or continuation; (ii) the amount and Type of the Loan to be converted or continued; and (iii) the amount of Eurodollar Rate Loan(s) into which such Loan is to be converted or continued, and the duration of the I nterest Period applicable thereto.

 

2.10  Default Rate. After the occurrence and during the continuance of a Default, the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may, at their option, by notice to the Borrower declare that, (a) the interest rate(s) applicable to the Obligations (other than Eurodollar Rate Advances, Letter of Credit fees under Section 3.8(i) and Facility Fees) shall be equal to the Alternate Base Rate, changing as and when the Alternate Base Rate changes, or, for Eurodollar Rate Advances, the then highest Eurodolla r Rate (utilizing the highest Applicable Margin in effect from time to time), in each case, plus two percent (2.00%) per annum for all Loans and other Obligations, (b) the fees payable under Section 3.8(i) with respect to Letters of Credit shall be calculated using the highest Applicable L/C Fee Percentage plus two percent (2.00%) per annum and (c) the Facility Fees shall be calculated using the highest Applicable Facility Fee Percentage; provided, that after the occurrence and during the continuance of a Default under Sections 8.1(F), (G) or (I), the interest rate described in clause (a) above, the Letter of Credit Fee described in clause (b) above and the Facility Fee described in clause (c) above shall be applicable without any election or action on the part of the Administrative Agent or any other Lender.

 

2.11  Method of Payment. All payments of principal, interest, fees, commissions and L/C Obligations hereunder shall be made, without setoff, deduction or counterclaim, in immediately available funds to the Administrative Agent at the Administrative Agent’s address specified pursuant to Article XIV, or at any other Lending Installation of the Administrative Agent specified in writing by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower, by 2:00 p.m. (Chicago time) on the date when due and shall be made ratably among the Lenders (unless such amount is not to be shared ratably in accordance with the terms hereof). Each payment delivered to the Administrative Agent for the account of any Lender shall be delivered promptly by the Administrative Agent to such Lender in the same type of funds which the Administrative Agent received at its address specified pursuant to Article XIV or at any Lending Installation specified in a notice received by the Administrative Agent from such Lender. The Borrower authorizes the Administrative Agent to charge the account of the Borrower maintained with JPMorgan for each payment of principal, interest, fees, commissions and L/C Obligations as it becomes due hereunder. Each reference to the Administrative Agent in this Section 2.11 shall also be deemed to refer, and shall apply equally, to each Issuing Bank, in the case of payments required to be made by the Borrower to such Issuing Bank pursuant to Article III.

 

2.12  Evidence of Debt; Noteless Agreement.

 

(A)  Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice an account or accounts evidencing the indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such Lender from time to time, including the amounts of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time to time hereunder.

 

(B)  The Administrative Agent shall also maintain accounts in which it will record (i) the amount of each Loan made hereunder, the Type thereof and the Interest Period, if any, with respect thereto, (ii) the amount of any principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender hereunder, (iii) the original stated amount of each Letter of Credit and the amount of the L/C Obligations outstanding at any time and (iv) the amount of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder from the Borrower and each Lender’s share thereof.

 

(C)  The entries made in the accounts maintained pursuant to clauses (A) and (B) above shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts of the Obligations therein recorded unless the Borrower objects to information contained therein within thirty (30) days of the Borrower’s receipt of such information; provided, however, that the failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such accounts or any error therein shall not in any manner affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay the Obligations in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

 

(D)  Any Lender may request that its Loans be evidenced by a promissory note. In such event, the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a promissory note for such Loans payable to the order of such Lender and in a form approved by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion and consistent with the terms of this Agreement. Thereafter, the Loans evidenced by such promissory note and interest thereon shall at all times (prior to any assignment pursuant to Section 13.3) be represented by one or more promissory notes in such form, payable to the order of the payee named therein, except to the extent that any such Lender subsequently returns any such note for cancellation and requests that such Loans once again be evidenced as described in clauses (A) and (B) above.

 

2.13  Telephonic Notices. The Borrower authorizes the Lenders and the Administrative Agent to extend, convert or continue Advances, effect selections of Types of Advances and to transfer funds based on telephonic notices made by any person or persons the Administrative Agent or any Lender in good faith believes to be acting on behalf of the Borrower. The Borrower agrees to deliver promptly to the Administrative Agent a written confirmation, signed by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower, if such confirmation is requested by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, of each telephonic notice. If the written confirmation differs in any material respect fr om the action taken by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, the records of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders with respect to such telephonic notice shall govern absent manifest error. In case of disagreement concerning such notices, if the Administrative Agent has recorded telephonic Borrowing/Election Notices, such recordings will be made available to the Borrower upon the Borrower’s request therefor.

 

2.14  Promise to Pay; Interest and Facility Fees; Interest Payment Dates; Interest and Fee Basis; Loan and Control Accounts.

 

(A)  Promise to Pay. The Borrower unconditionally promises to pay when due the principal amount of each Loan and all other Obligations incurred by it, and to pay all unpaid interest accrued thereon, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.

 

(B)  Interest Payment Dates. Interest accrued on each Floating Rate Loan shall be payable on each Payment Date, commencing with the first such date to occur after the date hereof and on any date on which such Floating Rate Loan is prepaid, whether by acceleration or otherwise (including at maturity). Interest accrued on each Eurodollar Rate Loan shall be payable on the last day of its applicable Interest Period, on any date on which the Eurodollar Rate Loan is prepaid, whether by acceleration or otherwise, and at maturity. Interest accrued on each Eurodollar Rate Loan having an Interest Period longer than three months shall also be payable on the last day of each three-month interval during such Interest Period. Interest accrued on the principal balance of all other Obligations shall be payable in arrears (i) on each Payment Date, commencing on the first such day following the incurrence of such Obligation, (ii) upon repayment thereof in full or in part, and (iii) if not theretofore paid in full, at the time such other Obligation becomes due and payable (whether by acceleration or otherwise).

 

(C)  Facility Fees and Administrative Agent’s and Arrangers’ Fees.

 

(i)  The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the Lenders in accordance with their Pro Rata Shares, from and after the Closing Date until the Termination Date, a facility fee (the “Facility Fee”) accruing at the per annum rate of the then Applicable Facility Fee Percentage, on the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment (whether used or unused).  All such Facility Fee s payable under this clause (C)(i) shall be payable quarterly in arrears on each Payment Date occurring after the Closing Date (with the first such payment being calculated for the period from the Closing Date and ending on December 31, 2004), and on the Termination Date.

 

(ii)  The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the sole account of the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers (unless otherwise agreed between the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers and any Lender) the fees set forth in the Initial Fee Letters, payable at the times and in the amounts set forth therein.

 

(D)  Interest and Fee Basis; Applicable Margin, Applicable Facility Fee Percentage and Applicable L/C Fee Percentage.

 

(i)  Interest accrued on Eurodollar Rate Advances, fees payable with respect to Letters of Credit and Facility Fees shall be calculated for actual days elapsed on the basis of a year of 360 days, and interest accrued on Floating Rate Advances and Swing Line Loans where the basis for calculation is the Alternate Base Rate shall be calculated for actual days elapsed on the basis of a year of 365, or when appropriate 366, days. Interest shall be payable for the day an Obligation is incurred but not for the day of any payment on the amount paid if payment is received prior to 2:00 p.m. (Chicago time) at the place of payment. If any payment of principal of or interest on a Loan or any payment of any other Obligations shall become due on a day which is not a Business Day, such payment shall be made on the next succeeding Business Day and, in the case of a principal payment, such extension of time shall be included in computing interest, fees and commissions in connection with such payment.

 

(ii)  The Applicable Margin, Applicable Facility Fee Percentage and Applicable L/C Fee Percentage shall be determined from time to time by reference to the Pricing Schedule on the basis of the then applicable Leverage Ratio as described in such Pricing Schedule. For purposes of such Pricing Schedule, the Leverage Ratio shall be calculated as provided in Section 7.4(A).

 

2.15  Notification of Advances, Interest Rates, Prepayments and Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment Reductions. Promptly after receipt thereof, the Administrative Agent will notify each Lender of the contents of each Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment reduction notice, Commitment Increase Notice, Borrowing/Election Notice repayment notice and issuance of Letter of Credit notice received by it hereunder. The Administrative Agent will notify each Lender of the interest rate applicable to each Eurodollar Rate Loan promptly upon determination of such interest rate and will give each Lender prompt notice of each change in the Alternate Base Rate.

 

2.16  Lending Installations. Each Lender may book its Loans or Letters of Credit at any Lending Installation selected by such Lender and may change its Lending Installation from time to time. All terms of this Agreement shall apply to any such Lending Installation. Subject to the provisions of Section 4.6, each Lender may, by written or facsimile notice to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, designate a Lending Installation through which Loans will be made by it and for whose account Loan paym ents and/or payments of L/C Obligations are to be made.

 

2.17  Non-Receipt of Funds by the Administrative Agent. Unless the Borrower or a Lender, as the case may be, notifies the Administrative Agent prior to the date on which it is scheduled to make payment to the Administrative Agent of (i) in the case of a Lender, the proceeds of a Loan or (ii) in the case of the Borrower, a payment of principal, interest or fees to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders, that it does not intend to make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that such payment has been made. The Administrative Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, make the amount of such payment available to the intended rec ipient in reliance upon such assumption. If such Lender or the Borrower, as the case may be, has not in fact made such payment to the Administrative Agent, the recipient of such payment shall, on demand by the Administrative Agent, repay to the Administrative Agent the amount so made available together with interest thereon in respect of each day during the period commencing on the date such amount was so made available by the Administrative Agent until the date the Administrative Agent recovers such amount at a rate per annum equal to (i) in the case of payment by a Lender, the Federal Funds Effective Rate for such day or (ii) in the case of payment by the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to the relevant Loan.

 

2.18  Termination Date. This Agreement shall be effective until the Termination Date. Notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement, until all of the Obligations (other than contingent indemnity obligations) shall have been fully and indefeasibly paid and satisfied in cash (to the full extent that such Obligations are payable in cash), all financing arrangements among the Borrower and the Lenders under or in connection with this Agreement, the other Loan Documents or the Hedging Agreements shall ha ve been terminated and all of the Letters of Credit shall have expired, been canceled or terminated, all of the rights and remedies under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall survive.

 

2.19  Replacement of Certain Lenders. In the event a Lender (an “Affected Lender”) shall have: (i) failed to fund its Pro Rata Share of any Advance requested by the Borrower, or to fund a Revolving Loan in order to repay Swing Line Loans or Reimbursement Obligations, which such Lender is obligated to fund under the terms of this Agreement and which failure has not been cured, (ii) requested compensation from the Borrower under Sections 4.1, 4.2 or 4.5 to recover Taxes, Other Taxes or other additional costs incurred by such Lender which are not being incurred generally by the other Lenders, (iii) delivered a notice pursuant to Section 4.3 claiming that such Lender is unable to extend Eurodollar Rate Loans to the Borrower for r easons not generally applicable to the other Lenders or (iv) has invoked Section 10.2, then, in any such case, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent may make written demand on such Affected Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent in the case of a demand by the Borrower and a copy to the Borrower in the case of a demand by the Administrative Agent) for the Affected Lender to assign, and such Affected Lender shall use commercially reasonable efforts to assign five (5) Business Days after the date of such demand, to one or more financial institutions that comply with the provisions of Section 13.3 which the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, shall have engaged for such purpose (“Replacement Lender”), all of such Affected Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including, without limitation, its Revolving Loan Commitment, all Loans owing to it, all of its participation interests in existing Letters of Credit, and its obligation to participate in additional Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans hereunder) in accordance with Section 13.3. The Administrative Agent agrees, upon the occurrence of such events with respect to an Affected Lender and upon the writt en request of the Borrower, to use its reasonable efforts to obtain the commitments from one or more financial institutions to act as a Replacement Lender. The Administrative Agent is authorized to execute any Assignment and Assumption as attorney-in-fact for any Affected Lender failing to execute and deliver the same within five (5) Business Days after the date of such demand. Further, with respect to such assignment the Affected Lender shall have concurrently received, in cash, all amounts due and owing to the Affected Lender hereunder or under any other Loan Document, including, without limitation, the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loans owed to such Lender, together with accrued interest thereon through the date of such assignment, amounts payable under Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.5 with respect to such Affected Lender and compensation payable under Section 2.14(C) in the event of any replacement of any Affected Lender under clause (ii) or clause (iii) of this Section 2.19; provided that upon such Affected Lender’s replacement, such Affected Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5 and 10.7, as well as to any fees accrued for its account hereunder and not yet paid, and shall continue to be obligated under Article XI with respect to losses, obligations, liabilities, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, costs, expenses or disbursements for matters which occurred prior to the date the Affected Lender is replaced. Upon the replacement of any Affected Lender pursuant to this Section 2.19, the provisions of Section 9.2 shall continue to apply with respect to Loans which are then outstanding with respect to which the Affected Lender failed to fund its Pro Rata Share and which failure has not been cured.

 

 

3.1  Obligation to Issue Letters of Credit. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and in reliance upon the representations, warranties and covenants of the Borrower herein set forth, each Issuing Bank hereby agrees to issue for the account of the Borrower through such Issuing Bank’s branches as it and the Borrower may jointly agree, one or more standby Letters of Credit denominated in Dollars in accordance with this Article III, from time to time during the period, commencing on the Initial Funding Date and ending on the fifth (5^th) Business Day prior to the Revolving Loan Termination Date.

 

3.2  Transitional Letters of Credit. Schedule 3.2 contains a schedule of certain letters of credit issued for the account of the Borrower prior to the Initial Funding Date (the “Transitional Letters of Credit”), all of which have been issued pursuant to the Existing Credit Agreement. Subject to the satisfaction of the conditions contained in Sections 5.1 and 5.2, from and after the Initial Funding Date such letters of credit shall be deemed to be Letters of Credit issued by an Issuing Bank pursuant to this Article III for all purposes hereunder. For purposes of clarification, each term or provision applicable to the issuance of a Letter of Credit (including conditions applicable thereto) shall be deemed to include the deemed issuance of the Transitional Letters of Credit on the Initial Funding Date.

 

3.3  Types and Amounts. No Issuing Bank shall have any obligation to and no Issuing Bank shall:

 

(i)  issue any Letter of Credit if on the date of issuance, before or after giving effect to the Letter of Credit requested hereunder, (a) the Revolving Credit Obligations at such time would exceed the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment at such time, or (b) the aggregate outstanding amount of the L/C Obligations would exceed $10,000,000; or

 

(ii)  issue any Letter of Credit which has an expiration date later than the date which is the earlier of (a) one (1) year after the date of issuance thereof or (b) five (5) Business Days immediately preceding the Revolving Loan Termination Date; provided that any Letter of Credit with a one-year tenor may provide for the renewal thereof for additional one-year periods (which shall in no event extend beyond the date referred to in clause (b) above).

 

3.4  Conditions. In addition to being subject to the satisfaction of the conditions contained in Sections 5.1 and 5.2, the obligation of any Issuing Bank to issue any Letter of Credit is subject to the satisfaction in full of the following conditions:

 

(i)  the Borrower shall have delivered to such Issuing Bank (with copies delivered simultaneously to the Administrative Agent) at such times and in such manner as such Issuing Bank may reasonably prescribe, a request for issuance of such Letter of Credit in substantially the form of Exhibit C hereto, duly executed applications for such Letter of Credit, and such other documents, instructions and agreements as may be required pursuant to the terms thereof (all such applications, documents, instructions, and agreements being referred to herein as the “L/C Documents”), and the proposed Letter of Credit shall be reasonably satisfactory to such Issuing Bank as to form and content; and

 

(ii)  as of the date of issuance no order, judgment or decree of any court, arbitrator or Governmental Authority shall purport by its terms to enjoin or restrain such Issuing Bank from issuing such Letter of Credit and no law, rule or regulation applicable to such Issuing Bank and no request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from a Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over such Issuing Bank shall prohibit or request that such Issuing Bank refrain from the issuance of Letters of Credit generally or the issuance of that Letter of Credit.

 

3.5  Procedure for Issuance of Letters of Credit. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Article III and provided that the applicable conditions set forth in Sections 5.1 and 5.2 hereof have been satisfied, the applicable Issuing Bank shall, on the requested date, issue a Letter of Credit on behalf of the Borrower in accordance with such Issuing Bank’s usual and customary business practices and, in this connection, such Issuing Bank may assume that the applicable conditions set forth in Section 5.2 hereof have been satisfied unless it shall have received notice to the contrary from the Administrative Agent or a Lender or has knowledge that the applicable conditions have not been met.

 

(b) Immediately upon such issuance, the applicable Issuing Bank shall give the Administrative Agent written or telex notice, or telephonic notice confirmed promptly thereafter in writing, of the issuance of a Letter of Credit, provided, however, that the failure to provide such notice shall not result in any liability on the part of such Issuing Bank.

 

(c) The applicable Issuing Bank shall not extend (including as a result of any evergreen provision) or amend any Letter of Credit unless the requirements of this Section 3.5 are met as though a new Letter of Credit was being requested and issued.

 

3.6  Letter of Credit Participation. On the date of this Agreement, with respect to the Transitional Letters of Credit, and immediately upon the issuance of each additional Letter of Credit hereunder, each Lender with a Pro Rata Share shall be deemed to have automatically, irrevocably and unconditionally purchased and received from each Issuing Bank an undivided interest and participation in and to each Letter of Credit, the obligations of the Borrower in respect thereof, and the liability of the appli cable Issuing Bank thereunder (collectively, an “L/C Interest”) in an amount equal to the amount available for drawing under such Letter of Credit multiplied by such Lender’s Pro Rata Share. If the Borrower fails at any time to repay a Reimbursement Obligation pursuant to Section 3.7, promptly following receipt of notice from the Administrative Agent or the applicable Issuing Bank, each Lender shall make payment to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the applicable Issuing Bank, in immediately available funds in an amoun t equal to such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the amount of any unreimbursed payment of an L/C Draft or other draw under a Letter of Credit. The obligation of each Lender to reimburse the applicable Issuing Bank under this Section 3.6 shall be unconditional, continuing, irrevocable and absolute. In the event that any Lender fails to make payment to the Administrative Agent of any amount due under this Section 3.6, the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to receive, retain and apply against such obligation the principal and interest otherwise payable to such Lender hereunder until the Administrative Agent receives such payment from such Lender or such obligation is otherwise fully satisfied; provided, however, that nothing contained in this sentence shall relieve such Lender of its obligation to reimburse the applicable Issuing Bank for such amount in accordance with this S ection 3.6.

 

3.7  Reimbursement Obligation. The Borrower agrees unconditionally, irrevocably and absolutely to pay immediately to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the Lenders, the amount of each advance drawn under or pursuant to a Letter of Credit or an L/C Draft related thereto (such obligation of the Borrower to reimburse the Administrative Agent for an advance made under a Letter of Credit or L/C Draft being hereinafter referred to as a “Reimbursement Obligation” with respect to such Letter of Credit or L/C Draft), each such reimbursement to be made by the Borrower no later than the Business Day on which the applicable Issuing Bank makes payment of each such L/C Draft or, in the case of any other draw on a Letter of Credit, the date specified in the demand of the applicable Issuing Bank. If the Borrower at any time fails to repay a Reimbursement Obligation pursuant to this Section 3.7, such failure shall not constitute a Default if the Revolving Credit Obligations do not, and after making Revolving Loans in repayment of such Reimbursement Obligation would not, exceed the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitments and the conditions set forth in Sections 5.2(i) and (ii) have been satisfied, and the Borrower shall be deemed to have elected to borrow Revolving Loans from the Lenders, as of the date of the advance giving rise to the Reimbursement Obligation, equal in amount to the amount of the unpaid Re imbursement Obligation. Such Revolving Loans shall be made as of the date of the payment giving rise to such Reimbursement Obligation, automatically, without notice and without any requirement to satisfy the conditions precedent otherwise applicable to an Advance of Revolving Loans. Such Revolving Loans shall constitute a Floating Rate Advance, the proceeds of which Advance shall be used to repay such Reimbursement Obligation. If, for any reason, the Borrower fails to repay a Reimbursement Obligation on the day such Reimbursement Obligation arises and, for any reason, the Lenders are unable to make or have no obligation to make Revolving Loans, then such Reimbursement Obligation shall bear interest from and after such day, until paid in full, at the interest rate applicable to a Floating Rate Advance.

 

3.8  Letter of Credit Fees. The Borrower agrees to pay:

 

(i)  quarterly, in arrears, to the Administrative Agent for the ratable benefit of the Lenders, except as set forth in Section 9.2, a letter of credit fee at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable L/C Fee Percentage on the average daily outstanding face amount available for drawing under all standby Letters of Credit;

 

(ii)  quarterly, in arrears, to the applicable Issuing Bank, a letter of credit fronting fee in an amount or at a rate per annum to be negotiated by the Borrower and the applicable Issuing Bank at the time of issuance of each standby Letter of Credit on the average daily outstanding face amount available for drawing under all Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank; and

 

(iii)  to the applicable Issuing Bank, all customary fees and other issuance, amendment, cancellation, document examination, negotiation, transfer and presentment expenses and related charges in connection with the issuance, amendment, cancellation, presentation of L/C Drafts, negotiation, transfer and the like customarily charged by such Issuing Bank with respect to standby Letters of Credit, payable at the time of invoice of such amounts.

 

3.9  Issuing Bank Reporting Requirements. Upon the request of any Lender, each Issuing Bank shall furnish to such Lender copies of any Letter of Credit and any application for or reimbursement agreement with respect to a Letter of Credit to which such Issuing Bank is party.

 

3.10  Indemnification; Exoneration. In addition to amounts payable as elsewhere provided in this Article III, the Borrower hereby agrees to protect, indemnify, pay and save harmless the Administrative Agent, each Issuing Bank and each Lender from and against any and all liabilities and costs which the Administrative Agent, such Issuing Bank or such L ender may incur or be subject to as a consequence, direct or indirect, of (i) the issuance of any Letter of Credit other than, in the case of such Issuing Bank, as a result of its gross negligence or willful misconduct, as determined by the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) the failure of such Issuing Bank to honor a drawing under a Letter of Credit as a result of any act or omission, whether rightful or wrongful, of any present or future de jure or de facto Governmental Authority (all such acts or omissions herein called “ ;Governmental Acts”).

 

(B) As among the Borrower, the Lenders, the Administrative Agent and each Issuing Bank, the Borrower assumes all risks of the acts and omissions of, or misuse of such Letter of Credit by, the beneficiary of any Letters of Credit. In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, subject to the provisions of the Letter of Credit applications and Letter of Credit reimbursement agreements executed by the Borrower at the time of request for any Letter of Credit, neither the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank nor any Lender shall be responsible (in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct in connection therewith, as determined by the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction): (i) for the form, validity, sufficiency, accuracy, genuineness or legal effect of any document submitted by any party in conne ction with the application for and issuance of the Letters of Credit, even if it should in fact prove to be in any or all respects invalid, insufficient, inaccurate, fraudulent or forged; (ii) for the validity or sufficiency of any instrument transferring or assigning or purporting to transfer or assign a Letter of Credit or the rights or benefits thereunder or proceeds thereof, in whole or in part, which may prove to be invalid or ineffective for any reason; (iii) for failure of the beneficiary of a Letter of Credit to comply duly with conditions required in order to draw upon such Letter of Credit; (iv) for errors, omissions, interruptions or delays in transmission or delivery of any messages, by mail, cable, telegraph, telex, or other similar form of teletransmission or otherwise; (v) for errors in interpretation of technical trade terms; (vi) for any loss or delay in the transmission or otherwise of any document required in order to make a drawing under any Letter of Credit or of the proceeds thereof; (v ii) for the misapplication by the beneficiary of a Letter of Credit of the proceeds of any drawing under such Letter of Credit; and (viii) for any consequences arising from causes beyond the control of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders, including, without limitation, any Governmental Acts. None of the above shall affect, impair, or prevent the vesting of any Issuing Bank’s rights or powers under this Section 3.10.

 

(C) In furtherance and extension and not in limitation of the specific provisions hereinabove set forth, any action taken or omitted by any Issuing Bank under or in connection with the Letters of Credit or any related certificates shall not, in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct, as determined by the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, put such Issuing Bank, the Administrative Agent or any Lender under any resulting liability to the Borrower or relieve the Borrower of any of its obligations hereunder to any such Person.

 

(D) Without prejudice to the survival of any other agreement of the Borrower hereunder, the agreements and obligations of the Borrower contained in this Section 3.10 shall survive the payment in full of principal and interest hereunder, the termination of the Letters of Credit and the termination of this Agreement.

 

3.11  Cash Collateral. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any application for a Letter of Credit, after the occurrence and during the continuance of a Default, the Borrower shall, upon the Administrative Agent’s demand, deliver to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Lenders and the Issuing Banks, cash, or other collateral of a type satisfactory to the Required Lenders, having a value, as determined by such Lenders, equal to 105% of the aggregate outstanding L/C Oblig ations. In addition, but without duplication of amounts deposited pursuant to the foregoing sentence, if the Revolving Credit Availability is at any time less than the amount of contingent L/C Obligations outstanding at any time, the Borrower shall deposit cash collateral with the Administrative Agent in an amount equal to 105% of the amount by which such L/C Obligations exceed such Revolving Credit Availability. Any such collateral shall be held by the Administrative Agent in a separate account appropriately designated as a cash collateral account in relation to this Agreement and the Letters of Credit and retained by the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Lenders and the Issuing Banks as collatera l security for the Borrower’s obligations in respect of this Agreement and each of the Letters of Credit and L/C Drafts. Such amounts shall be applied to reimburse the Issuing Banks for drawings or payments under or pursuant to Letters of Credit or L/C Drafts, or if no such reimbursement is required, to payment of such of the other Obligations as the Administrative Agent shall determine. If no Default shall be continuing, amounts remaining in any cash collateral account established pursuant to this Section 3.11 which are not to be applied to reimburse the Issuing Banks for amounts actually paid or to be paid by the Issuing Banks in respect of a Letter of Credit or L/C Draft, shall be returned promptly to the Borrower (after deduction of the Administrative Agent’s reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with such cash collateral a ccount) as the Letters of Credit expire.

 

 

4.1  Yield Protection. If, on or after the date of this Agreement, the adoption of any law or any governmental or quasi-governmental rule, regulation, policy, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law), or any change in the interpretation or administration thereof by any governmental or quasi-governmental authority, central bank or comparable agency charged with the interpretation or administration thereof, or compliance by any Lender or applicable Lending Installation with any req uest or directive (whether or not having the force of law) of any such authority, central bank or comparable agency:

 

(i)  subjects any Lender or any applicable Lending Installation to any Taxes, or changes the basis of taxation of payments (other than with respect to Excluded Taxes) to any Lender in respect of its Loans or L/C Interests, or

 

(ii)  imposes or increases or deems applicable any reserve, assessment, insurance charge, special deposit or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended by, any Lender or any applicable Lending Installation (other than reserves and assessments taken into account in determining the interest rate applicable to Eurodollar Rate Advances), or

 

(iii)  imposes any other condition the result of which is to increase the cost to any Lender or any applicable Lending Installation of making, funding or maintaining its Loans or L/C Interests or reduces any amount receivable by any Lender or any applicable Lending Installation in connection with its Loans or L/C Interests, or requires any Lender or any applicable Lending Installation to make any payment calculated by reference to the amount of Loans or L/C Interests held or interest received by it, by an amount deemed material by such Lender,

 

and the result of any of the foregoing is to increase the cost to such Lender or applicable Lending Installation of making or maintaining its Loans, L/C Interests or Revolving Loan Commitment or to reduce the return received by such Lender or applicable Lending Installation in connection with such Loans, L/C Interests or Revolving Loan Commitment, then, within fifteen (15) days of demand by such Lender, the Borrower shall pay such Lender such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender for such increased cost or reduction in amount received.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 4.1, if any Lender fails to notify the Borrower of any event or circumstance which will entitle such Lender to compensation pursuant to this Section 4.1 within ninety (90) days after such Lender obtains knowledge of such event or circumstance, then such Lender shall not be entitled to compensation from the Borrower for any amount arising prior to the date which is ninety (90) days before the date on which such Lender notifies the Borrower of such event or circumstance .

 

4.2  Changes in Capital Adequacy Regulations. If a Lender determines the amount of capital required or expected to be maintained by such Lender, any Lending Installation of such Lender or any corporation controlling such Lender is increased as a result of a Change, then, within fifteen (15) days of demand by such Lender, the Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount necessary to compensate for any shortfall in the rate of return on the portion of such increased capital which such Lender reasonably dete rmines is attributable to this Agreement, its Loans, L/C Interests or its Revolving Loan Commitment hereunder (after taking into account such Lender’s customary policies as to capital adequacy). “Change” means (i) any change after the date of this Agreement in the Risk-Based Capital Guidelines or (ii) any adoption of or change in any other law, governmental or quasi-governmental rule, regulation, policy, guideline, interpretation, or directive (whether or not having the force of law) after the date of this Agreement which affects the amount of capital required or expected to be maintained by any Lender or any Lending Installation or any corporation controlling any Lender. “Risk-Based Capital Guidelines” means (i) the risk-based capital guidelines in effect in the United States on the date of this Agreement, including transition rules, and (ii) the corresponding capital regulations promulgated by regulatory authorities outside the United States implementing the July 1988 report of the Basle Committee on Banking Regulation and Supervisory Practices Entitled “International Convergence of Capital Measurements and Capital Standards,” including transition rules, and any amendments to such regulations adopted prior to the date of this Agreement.

 

4.3  Availability of Types of Advances. If any Lender determines that maintenance of its Eurodollar Rate Loans at a suitable Lending Installation would violate any applicable law, rule, regulation, or directive, whether or not having the force of law, or if the Required Lenders determine that (i) deposits of a type and maturity appropriate to match fund Eurodollar Rate Advances are not available or (ii) the interest rate applicable to Eurodollar Rate Advances does not accurately reflect the cost of making or maintaining Eurodollar Rate Advances, then the Administrative Agent shall suspend the availability of Eurodollar Rate Advances and require any affected Eurodollar Rate Advances to be repaid or converted to Floating Rate Advances, subject to the payment of any funding indemnification amounts required by Section 4.4.

 

4.4  Funding Indemnification. If any payment of a Eurodollar Rate Advance occurs on a date which is not the last day of the applicable Interest Period, whether because of acceleration, prepayment or otherwise, or a Eurodollar Rate Advance is not made on the date specified by the Borrower for any reason other than default by the Lenders, the Borrower will indemnify each Lender for any loss or cost incurred by it resulting therefrom (excluding loss of margin), including, without limitation, any loss or c ost in liquidating or employing deposits acquired to fund or maintain such Eurodollar Rate Advance.

 

4.5  Taxes.

 

(i)  All payments by the Borrower to or for the account of any Lender or the Administrative Agent hereunder or under any of the other Loan Documents shall be made free and clear of and without deduction for any and all Taxes. If the Borrower shall be required by law to deduct any Taxes from or in respect of any sum payable hereunder to any Lender, any Issuing Bank or the Administrative Agent, (a) the sum payable shall be increased as necessary so that after making all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 4.5) such Lend er, such Issuing Bank or the Administrative Agent (as the case may be) receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deductions been made, (b) the Borrower shall make such deductions, (c) the Borrower shall pay the full amount deducted to the relevant authority in accordance with applicable law and (d) the Borrower shall furnish to the Administrative Agent the original copy of a receipt evidencing payment thereof within thirty (30) days after such payment is made. Such Lender, such Issuing Bank or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, shall promptly reimburse the Borrower for such payments to the extent such Lender, such Issuing Bank or the Administrative Agent receives actual knowledge that it has received any tax credit or other benefit in connection with such tax payments and that such tax credit or benefit is clearly attributable to this Agreement.

 

(ii)  In addition, the Borrower hereby agrees to pay any present or future stamp or documentary taxes and any other excise or property taxes, charges or similar levies which arise from any payment made hereunder or under any promissory note issued hereunder or from the execution or delivery of, or otherwise with respect to, this Agreement or any promissory note issued hereunder (“Other Taxes”).

 

(iii)  The Borrower hereby agrees to indemnify the Administrative Agent and each Lender for the full amount of Taxes or Other Taxes (including, without limitation, any Taxes or Other Taxes imposed on amounts payable under this Section 4.5) paid by the Administrative Agent or such Lender and any liability (including penalties, interest and expenses) arising therefrom or with respect thereto. Payments due under this indemnification shall be made within thirty (30) days of the date the Administrative Agent or such Lender makes demand therefor pursuant to Section 4.6.

 

(iv)  Each Lender that is not incorporated or organized under the laws of the United States of America or a state thereof (each a “Non-U.S. Lender”) agrees that it will, not less than ten (10) Business Days after the date of this Agreement, or, if later, the date on which such Non-U.S. Lender becomes a party hereto, deliver to each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent a United States Internal Revenue Form W-8 or W-9, as the case may be, and deliver to the Administrative Agent two duly completed copies of United States Internal Revenue Forms W-8BEN and W-8ECI, certifying in either case that it is entitled to an exemption from United States backup withholding tax. Each Non-U.S. Lender further undertakes to deliver to each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (x) renewals or additional copies of such form (or any successor form) on or before the date that such form expires or becomes obsolete, and (y) after the occurrence of any event requiring a change in the most recent forms so delivered by it, such additional forms or amendments thereto as may be reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent. All forms or amendments described in the preceding sentence shall certify that such Lender is entitled to receive payments under this Agreement without deduction or withholding of any United States federal income taxes, unless an event (including without limitation any change in treaty, law or regulation) has occurred prior to the date on which any such delivery would otherwise be required which renders all such forms inapplicable or which would prevent such Lender from duly completing and delivering any such form or amendment with respect to it and such Lender advises the Borrower and the Administrative Agent that it is not capable of receiving payments without any deduction or withholding of United States federal income tax.

 

(v)  For any period during which a Non-U.S. Lender has failed to provide the Borrower with an appropriate form pursuant to clause (iv), above (unless such failure is due to a change in treaty, law or regulation, or any change in the interpretation or administration thereof by any governmental authority, occurring subsequent to the date on which a form originally was required to be provided), such Non-U.S. Lender shall not be entitled to indemnification under this Section 4.5 with respect to Taxes imposed by the United States; provided that, should a Non-U.S. Lender which is otherwise exempt from or subject to a reduced rate of withholding tax become subject to Taxes because of its failure to deliver a form required under clause (iv), above, the Borrower shall take such steps as such Non-U.S. Lender shall reasonably request (without cost to the Borrower) to assist such Non-U.S. Lender to recover such Taxes.

 

(vi)  Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding tax with respect to payments under this Agreement or any promissory note issued hereunder pursuant to the law of any relevant jurisdiction or any treaty shall deliver to the Borrower (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), at the time or times prescribed by applicable law, such properly completed and executed documentation prescribed by applicable law as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate.

 

(vii)  If the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or any other governmental authority of the United States or any other country or any political subdivision thereof asserts a claim that the Administrative Agent did not properly withhold tax from amounts paid to or for the account of any Lender (because the appropriate form was not delivered or properly completed, because such Lender failed to notify the Administrative Agent of a change in circumstances which rendered its exemption from withholding ineffective, or for any other reason other than as a result of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Administrative Agent), such Lender shall indemnify the Administrative Agent fully for all amounts paid, directly or indirectly, by the Administrative Agent as tax, withholding therefor, or otherwise, including penalties and interest, and including taxes imposed by any jurisdiction on amounts payable to the Administrative Agent under this subsection, together with all costs and expenses related thereto (including attorneys fees and time charges of attorneys for the Administrative Agent, which attorneys may be employees of the Administrative Agent). The obligations of the Lenders under this Section 4.5(vii) shall survive the payment of the Obligations, the termination of the Letters of Credit and termination of this Agreement.

 

4.6  Lender Statements; Survival of Indemnity. To the extent reasonably possible, each Lender shall designate an alternate Lending Installation with respect to its Eurodollar Rate Loans to reduce any liability of the Borrower to such Lender under Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.5 or to avoid the unavailability of Eurodollar Rate Advances under Section 4.3, so long as such designation is not, in the reasonable judgment of such Lender, disadvantageous to such Lender. Each Lender shall deliver a written statement of such Lender to the Borrower (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) as to the amount due, if any, under Section 4.1, 4.2, 4.4 or 4.5. Such written statement shall set forth in reasonable detail the calculations upon which such Lender determined such amount and shall be final, conclusive and binding on the Borrower in the absence of manifest error. Determination of amounts payable under such Sections in connection with a Eurodollar Rate Loan shall be calculated as though each Lender funded its Eurodollar Rate Loan through the purchase of a deposit of the type and maturity corresponding to the deposit used as a reference in determining the E urodollar Rate applicable to such Loan, whether in fact that is the case or not, and without regard to loss of margin. Unless otherwise provided herein, the amount specified in the written statement of any Lender shall be payable on demand after receipt by the Borrower of such written statement. The obligations of the Borrower under Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4 and 4.5 shall survive payment of the Obligati ons, termination of the Letters of Credit and termination of this Agreement.

 

 

5.1  Initial Advances and Letters of Credit. The Lenders shall not be required to make the initial Loans or issue any Letters of Credit (including the deemed issuance of the Transitional Letters of Credit) unless the Borrower has furnished to the Administrative Agent each of the following, with sufficient copies for the Lenders, all in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders:

 

(1)  Copies of the Certificate of Incorporation of the Borrower and each of the Subsidiary Guarantors (collectively, the “Loan Parties”), together with all amendments and a certificate of good standing, both certified by the appropriate governmental officer in its jurisdiction of incorporation;

 

(2)  Copies, certified by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of each of the Loan Parties, of its By-Laws and of its Board of Directors’ resolutions authorizing the execution of the Loan Documents entered into by it;

 

(3)  An incumbency certificate, executed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of each of the Loan Parties, which shall identify by name and title and bear the original or facsimile signature of the officers of the Loan Parties authorized to sign the Loan Documents and the officers of the Borrower authorized to make borrowings hereunder, upon which certificate the Lenders shall be entitled to rely until informed of any change in writing by the Borrower;

 

(4)  A certificate, in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent signed by the treasurer of the Borrower, stating that on the Initial Funding Date (both before and after giving effect to any proposed Loan to be made and/or Letter of Credit to be issued thereon), all of the representations in this Agreement are true and correct and no Default or Unmatured Default has occurred and is continuing;

 

(5)  The written opinion of the Loan Parties’ counsel, addressed to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit E and containing assumptions and qualifications acceptable to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders;

 

(6)  Written money transfer instructions reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, addressed to the Administrative Agent and signed by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower;

 

(7)  Evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that the Borrower had paid to the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers the fees agreed to in the Initial Fee Letters;

 

(8)  Evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that the Existing Credit Agreement has terminated and that all obligations, indebtedness and liabilities outstanding under the Existing Credit Agreement have been repaid in full (it being understood and agreed that the Transitional Letters of Credit shall be evidenced hereby in accordance with Section 3.2), or the Borrower has arranged for such termination a nd repayment from the proceeds of the initial Loans hereunder (in each case, as documented in a payoff letter in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent); and

 

(9)  Such other documents as the Administrative Agent or any Lender or its counsel may have reasonably requested, including, without limitation, the Subsidiary Guaranty, opinions of counsel, an officer’s no-default certificate and each other document reflected on the List of Closing Documents attached as Exhibit F to this Agreement.

 

5.2  Each Advance and Letter of Credit. The Lenders shall not be required to make, convert or continue any Advance, or issue, amend, extend or renew any Letter of Credit, unless on the applicable Borrowing Date, or in the case of a Letter of Credit, the date on which the Letter of Credit is to be issued, amended, extended or renewed, both before and after taking into account the proposed borrowing, conversion or continuation or Letter of Credit:

 

(i)  There exists no Default or Unmatured Default;

 

(ii)  The representations and warranties contained in Article VI are true and correct in all material respects as of such Borrowing Date or issuance date, as applicable; and

 

(iii)  The Revolving Credit Obligations do not, and after making such proposed Advance or issuing such Letter of Credit would not, exceed the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment.

 

Each Borrowing/Election Notice with respect to each such Advance and the letter of credit application with respect to each Letter of Credit shall constitute a representation and warranty by the Borrower that the conditions contained in Sections 5.2(i) and (ii) have been satisfied. Any Lender may require a duly completed officer’s certificate in substantially the form of Exhibit G hereto and/or a duly completed compliance certificate in substantially the form of Exhibit H hereto as a condition to making an Advance.

 

 

In order to induce the Administrative Agent and the Lenders to enter into this Agreement and to make the Loans and the other financial accommodations to the Borrower, and to issue the Letters of Credit described herein, the Borrower represents and warrants as follows to each Lender and the Administrative Agent as of the Closing Date and thereafter on each date as required by Sections 5.1 and 5.2:

 

6.1  Organization; Corporate Powers. Each of the Borrower and each of its Material Subsidiaries (i) is a corporation, limited liability company, partnership or other commercial entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, (ii) is duly qualified to do business as a foreign entity and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction in which failure to be so qualified and in good standing could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and (iii) has all requisite power and authority to own, operate and encumber its property and to conduct its business as presently conducted and as proposed to be conducted.

 

6.2  Authority.

 

(A)  Each of the Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries has the requisite power and authority to execute, deliver and perform each of the Loan Documents which are to be executed by it or which have been executed by it as required by this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and (ii) to file the Loan Documents, if any, which must be filed by it or which have been filed by it as required by this Agreement, the other Loan Documents or otherwise with any Governmental Authority.

 

(B)  The execution, delivery, performance and filing, as the case may be, of each of the Loan Documents which must be executed or filed by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or which have been executed or filed as required by this Agreement, the other Loan Documents or otherwise and to which the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, have been duly approved by the respective boards of directors and, if necessary, the shareholders of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, and such approvals have not been rescinded. No other action or proceedings on the part of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries are necessary to consummate such transactions.

 

(C)  Each of the Loan Documents to which the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is a party has been duly executed, delivered or filed, as the case may be, by such party and constitutes its legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms (except as enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles, including concepts of reasonableness, materiality, good faith and fair dealing and the possible unavailability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies (whether enforcement is sought by proceedings in equity or at law)), is in full force and effect and no material term or condition thereof has been amended, modified or waived from the terms and conditions contained in the Loan Documents delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 5.1 without the prior written consent of the Required Lenders (or all of the Lenders if required by Section 9.3), and the Borrower and its Subsidiaries have performed and complied with all the material terms, provisions, agreements and conditions set forth therein and required to be performed or complied with by the Borrower or its Subsidiaries on or before the Initial Funding Date, and no unmatured default, default or breach of any covenant by any such party exists thereunder.

 

6.3  No Conflict; Governmental Consents. The execution, delivery and performance of each of the Loan Documents to which the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is a party do not and will not (i) conflict with the certificate or articles of incorporation or by-laws (or equivalent constituent documents) of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) constitute a tortious interference with any Contractual Obligation of any Person or conflict with, result in a breach of or constitute (with or without not ice or lapse of time or both) a default under any Requirement of Law (including, without limitation, any Environmental Property Transfer Act) or Contractual Obligation of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or require termination of any Contractual Obligation, except such interference, breach or default which individually or in the aggregate could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (iii) result in or require the creation or imposition of any Lien whatsoever upon any of the property or assets of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, other than Liens permitted or created by the Loan Documents, or (iv) require any approval of the Borrower’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ Board of Directors (or equivalent governing body) or shareholders, as applicable, except such as have been obtained. Except as set forth on Schedule 6.3 to this Agreement, the execution, delivery and performance of each of the Loan Documents to which the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is a party do not and will not require any registration with, consent or approval of, or notice to, or other action to, with or by any Governmental Authority, including under any Environmental Property Transfer Act, except filings, consents or notices which have been m ade, obtained or given, or which, if not made, obtained or given, individually or in the aggregate could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.4  Financial Statements.

 

The September 30, 2003 consolidated financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries heretofore delivered to the Lenders were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in effect on the date such statements were prepared and fairly present the consolidated financial condition and operations of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries at such date and the consolidated results of their operations for the period then ended.

 

6.5  No Material Adverse Change. Since September 30, 2003 (determined by reference to the financial statements prepared with respect to the Borrower and its Subsidiaries), there has occurred no change in the business, properties, condition (financial or otherwise), performance, results of operations or prospects of the Borrower, or the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole or any other event which has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.6  Taxes.

 

(A)  Tax Examinations. All deficiencies which have been asserted against the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries as a result of any federal, state, local or foreign tax examination for each taxable year in respect of which an examination has been conducted have been fully paid or finally settled or are being contested in good faith, and no issue has been raised by any taxing authority in any such examination which, by application of similar principles, reasonably can be expected to result in assertion by such taxing authority of a material deficiency for any other year not so examined which has not been reserved for in the Borrower’ ;s consolidated financial statements to the extent, if any, required by Agreement Accounting Principles. Except as permitted pursuant to Section 7.2(D), neither the Borrower nor any of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries anticipates any material tax liability with respect to the years which have not been closed pursuant to applicable law.

 

(B)  Payment of Taxes. All tax returns and reports of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries required to be filed have been timely filed, and all taxes, assessments, fees and other governmental charges thereupon and upon their respective property, assets, income and franchises which are shown in such returns or reports to be due and payable have been paid except those items which are being contested in good faith and have been reserved for in accordance with Agreement Accounting Principles. The Borrower has no knowledge of any proposed tax assessment against the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries that will have or could reasonably be expected to have a Mat erial Adverse Effect, except for any such liability in respect of other members of the consolidated group of which the Borrower previously was a member as a Subsidiary of Ralston Purina Company, in respect of which and solely to the extent that (i) the Borrower is entitled to be indemnified by Ralston Purina Company or its successors pursuant to that certain Tax Sharing Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2000, between Ralston Purina Company and the Borrower (as the same has been or may hereafter be amended or otherwise modified) and (ii) the Borrower’s right to indemnification for such liability is not being contested by Ralston Purina Company (or, if previously contested, any such contest has not been resolved in favor of Ralston Purina Company).

 

6.7  Litigation; Loss Contingencies and Violations. Except as set forth in Schedule 6.7 (the “Disclosed Litigation”), as of the Closing Date, there is no action, suit, proceeding, arbitration or, to the knowledge of any member of the Borrower’s Senior Management Team, investigation before or by any Governmental Authority or private arbitrator pending or, to the knowledge of any member of the Borrower’s Senior Management Team, threatened against the Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries or any property of any of them. Neither (a) any of the Disclosed Litigation nor (b) from and after the Closing Date, any other action, suit, proceeding, arbitration or, to the knowledge of any member of the Borrower’s Senior Management Team, investigation before or by any Governmental Authority or private arbitrator pending or, to the knowledge of any member of the Borrower’s Senior Management Team, threatened against the Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries or any property of any of them (i) challenges the validity or the enforceability of any material provision of the Loan Documents or (ii) has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. There is no material loss contingency within the meaning of Agreement Accounting Principles which has not been reflected in the consolidated financial statements of the Borrower prepared and delivered pursuant to Section 7.1(A) for the fiscal period during which such material loss contingency was incurred. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is (A) in violation of any applicable Requirements of Law which violation will have or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or (B) subject to or in default with respect to any final judgment, writ, injunction, restraining order or order of any nature, decree, rule or regulation of any court or Governmental Authority which will have or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.8  Subsidiaries. Schedule 6.8 to this Agreement (i) contains, as of the Closing Date, a description of the corporate structure of the Borrower, its Subsidiaries and any other Person in which the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries holds an Equity Interest in excess of 5%; and (ii) accurately sets forth, as of the Closing Date, (A) the correct legal name, the jurisdiction of incorporation or organization and the jurisdictions in which each of the Borrower and the direct and indirect Subsidiaries of the Borrower are qualified to transact business as a foreign corporation, (B) the authorized, issued and outstanding shares of each class of Capital Stock of the Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries and the owners of such shares (on a fully-diluted basis), and (C) a summary of the direct and indirect partnership, joint venture, or other Equity Interests, if any, of the Borrower and each Subsidiary of the Borrower in any Person that is not a corporation. After the formation or acquisition of any New Subsidiary permitted under Section 7.3(F), if requested by the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall provide a supplement to Schedule 6.8 to this Agreement reflecting the addition of such New Subsidiary. Except as disclosed on Schedule 6.8, none of the issued and outstanding Capital Stock of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any vesting, redemption, or repurchase agreement, and there are no warrants or options outstanding with respect to such Capital Stock. The outstanding Capital Stock of the Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries is duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and the stock of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries is not Margin Stock.

 

6.9  ERISA. No Benefit Plan has incurred any material accumulated funding deficiency (as defined in Sections 302(a)(2) of ERISA and 412(a) of the Code) whether or not waived. Neither the Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group has incurred any material liability to the PBGC which remains outstanding other than the payment of premiums. As of the last day of the most recent prior plan year, the market value of assets under each Benefit Plan, other than any Multiemployer Plan, was not by a material amount less than the present value of benefit liabilities thereunder (determined in accordance with the actuarial valuation assumptions described therein). Neither the Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group has (i) failed to make a required contribution or payment to a Multiemployer Plan of a material amount or (ii) incurred a material complete or partial withdrawal under Section 4203 or Section 4205 of ERISA from a Multiemployer Plan. Neither the Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group has failed to make an installment or any other paymen t of a material amount required under Section 412 of the Code on or before the due date for such installment or other payment. Each Plan, Foreign Employee Benefit Plan and Non-ERISA Commitment complies in all material respects in form, and has been administered in all material respects in accordance with its terms and, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code. There have been no and there is no prohibited transaction described in Sections 406 of ERISA or 4975 of the Code with respect to any Plan for which a statutory or administrative exemption does not exist which could reasonably be expected to subject the Borrower or any of is Subsidiaries to material liability. Neither the Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group has taken or failed to take any action which would constitute or result in a Termination Event, which action or inaction could reasonably be expected to subject the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries to material liability. Neither the Borrower nor any member of the Controlled Group is subject to any material liability under, or has any potential material liability under, Section 4063, 4064, 4069, 4204 or 4212(c) of ERISA. The present value of the aggregate liabilities to provide all of the accrued benefits under any Foreign Pension Plan do not exceed the current fair market value of the assets held in trust or other funding vehicle for such plan by a material amount. With respect to any Foreign Employee Benefit Plan other than a Foreign Pension Plan, reasonable reserves have bee n established in accordance with prudent business practice or where required by ordinary accounting practices in the jurisdiction in which such plan is maintained. For purposes of this Section 6.9, “material” means any amount, noncompliance or other basis for liability which could reasonably be expected to subject the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries to liability, individually or in the aggregate with each other basis for liability under this Section 6.9, in excess of $30,000,000.

 

6.10  Accuracy of Information. The information, exhibits and reports furnished by or on behalf of the Borrower and any of its Subsidiaries to the Administrative Agent or to any Lender in connection with the negotiation of, or compliance with, the Loan Documents, the representations and warranties of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries contained in the Loan Documents, and all certificates and documents delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to the terms thereof, taken as a whole, d o not contain as of the date furnished any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements contained herein or therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

6.11  Securities Activities. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is engaged in the business of extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock.

 

6.12  Material Agreements. Neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary is a party to any Contractual Obligation or subject to any charter or other corporate or similar restriction which individually or in the aggregate will have or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries has received notice or has knowledge that (i) it is in default in the performance, observance or fulfillment of any of the obligations, covenants or conditions contained in any Contractual Obligation applicable to it, or (ii) any condition exists which, with the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute a default with respect to any such Contractual Obligation, in each case, except where such default or defaults, if any, individually or in the aggregate will not have or could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.13  Compliance with Laws. The Borrower and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all Requirements of Law applicable to them and their respective businesses, in each case where the failure to so comply individually or in the aggregate could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.14  Assets and Properties. The Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries has legal title to all of its material assets and properties (tangible and intangible, real or personal) owned by it or a valid leasehold interest in all of its leased assets (except insofar as marketability may be limited by any laws or regulations of any Governmental Authority affecting such assets), and all such assets and property are free and clear of all Liens, except Liens permitted under Section 7.3(C). Substantially all of the assets and properties owned by, leased to or used by the Borrower and/or each such Subsidiary of the Borrower are in adequate operating condition and repair, ordinary wear and tear excepted. Neither this Agreement nor any other Loan Document, nor any transaction contemplated under any such agreement, will affect any right, title or interest of the Borrower or such Subsidiary in and to any of such assets in a manner that has or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.15  Statutory Indebtedness Restrictions. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to regulation under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, the Federal Power Act, the Interstate Commerce Act, or the Investment Company Act of 1940, or any other federal or state statute or regulation which limits its ability to incur indebtedness or its ability to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

6.16  Insurance. The insurance policies and programs in effect with respect to the respective properties, assets, liabilities and business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries reflect coverage that is reasonably consistent with prudent industry practice.

 

6.17  Labor Matters. No attempt to organize the employees of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, and no labor disputes, strikes or walkouts affecting the operations of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, is pending, or, to the Borrower’s knowledge, threatened, planned or contemplated, which has or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.18  Environmental Matters. (A) Except as disclosed on Schedule 6.18 to this Agreement:

 

(i)  the operations of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries comply in all material respects with Environmental, Health or Safety Requirements of Law;

 

(ii)  the Borrower and its Subsidiaries have all material permits, licenses or other authorizations required under Environmental, Health or Safety Requirements of Law and are in material compliance with such permits;

 

(iii)  neither the Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries nor any of their respective present property or operations, or, to the Borrower’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ knowledge, any of their respective past property or operations, are subject to or the subject of, any investigation known to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, any judicial or administrative proceeding, order, judgment, decree, settlement or other agreement respecting: (A) any material violation of Environmental, Health or Safety Requirements of Law; (B) any material remedial action; or (C) any material claims or liabilities arising from the Release or threatened Release of a Contaminant into the environment;

 

(iv)  there is not now, nor to the Borrower’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ knowledge has there ever been, on or in the property of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries any landfill, waste pile, underground storage tanks, aboveground storage tanks, surface impoundment or hazardous waste storage facility of any kind, any polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) used in hydraulic oils, electric transformers or other equipment, or any asbestos containing material that would result in material remediation costs or material penalties to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries; and

 

(v)  neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries has any material Contingent Obligation in connection with any Release or threatened Release of a Contaminant into the environment.

 

(B) For purposes of this Section 6.18 “material” means any noncompliance or other basis for liability which could reasonably be likely to subject the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries to liability, individually or in the aggregate with each other basis for liability under this Section 6.18, in excess of $30,000,000.

 

6.19  Solvency. After giving effect to (i) the Loans to be made (or, if applicable, Letters of Credit to be issued) on the Initial Funding Date or each such other date as Loans requested hereunder are made (or Letters of Credit are issued), (ii) the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and (iii) the payment and accrual of all transaction costs with respect to the foregoing, the Borrower i s, and the Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole are, Solvent.

 

6.20  Benefits. Each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries will benefit from the financing arrangement established by this Agreement. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders have stated and the Borrower acknowledges that, but for the agreement by each of the Subsidiary Guarantors to execute and deliver the Subsidiary Guaranty, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders would not have made available the credit facilities established hereby on the terms set forth herein.

 

ARTICLE VII:   COVENANTS

 

The Borrower covenants and agrees that so long as any Revolving Loan Commitments are outstanding and thereafter until all of the Obligations (other than contingent indemnity obligations) shall have been fully and indefeasibly paid and satisfied in cash, all financing arrangements among the Borrower and the Lenders shall have been terminated and all of the Letters of Credit shall have expired, been canceled or terminated, unless the Required Lenders shall otherwise give prior written consent:

 

7.1  Reporting. The Borrower shall:

 

(A)  Financial Reporting. Furnish to the Administrative Agent (with sufficient copies for each of the Lenders, which the Administrative Agent shall promptly deliver to the Lenders):

 

(i)  Quarterly Reports. As soon as practicable, and in any event within forty-five (45) days after the end of each of the Borrower’s first three fiscal quarters, the consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such period and the related consolidated statements of income and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such fiscal quarter and for the period from the beginning of the then current fiscal year to the end of such fiscal quarter, certified by the chief financial officer of the Borrower on behalf of the Borrower as fairly presenting the consolidated financial position of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the dates indicated and the results of their operations and cash flows for the periods indicated in accordance with Agreement Accounting Principles, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes.

 

(ii)  Annual Reports. As soon as practicable, and in any event within ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year, (a) the consolidated and consolidating balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal year and the related consolidated and consolidating statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such fiscal year, and in comparative form the corresponding figures for the previous fiscal year along with consolidating schedules in form and substance sufficient to calculate the financial covenants set forth in Section 7.4, and (b) an audit report on the consolidated financial statements (but not the consolidating financial statements or schedules) listed in clause (a) hereof of independent certified public accountants of recognized national standing, which audit report shall be unqualified and shall state that such financial statements fairly present the consolidated financial position of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the dates indicated and the results of their operations and cash flows for the periods indicated in conformity with Agreement Accounting Principles and that the examination by such accountants in connection with such consolidated financial statements has been made in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards.

 

(iii)  Officer’s Compliance Certificate. Together with each delivery of any financial statements (a) pursuant to clauses (i) and (ii) of this Section 7.1(A), an Officer’s Certificate f rom the chief financial officer or treasurer of the Borrower, substantially in the form of Exhibit G attached hereto and made a part hereof, stating that (x) the representations and warranties of the Borrower contained in Article VI hereof shall have been true and correct in all material respects as of the date of such Officer’s Certificate and (y) as of the date of such Officer’s Certificate no Default or Unmatured Default exists, or if any Default or Unmatured Default exists, stating the nature and status thereof and (b) pursuant to clauses (i) and (ii) of this Section 7.1(A), a compliance certificate, substantially in the form of Exhibit H attached hereto and made a part hereof, signed by the Borrower’s chief financial officer or treasurer setting forth calculations for the period which demonstrate compliance, when applicable, with the provisions of Section 7.2(K), Sections 7.3(A) through (Q) and Section 7.4, and which calculate the Leverage Ratio for purposes of determining the then Applicable Margin, Applicable Facility Fee Percentage and Applicable L/C Fee Percentage.

 

(B)  Notice of Default and Adverse Developments. Promptly upon any of the chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower obtaining actual knowledge (i) of any condition or event which constitutes a Default or Unmatured Default, or becoming aware that any Lender or Administrative Agent has given any written notice with respect to a claimed Default or Unmatured Default under this Agreement, (ii) that any Person having the authority to give such a notice has given any written notice to the Borrower or any Subsidiary of the Borrower or taken any other action with respect to a claimed defau lt or event or condition of the type referred to in Section 8.1(E), or (iii) that any other development, financial or otherwise, which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect has occurred specifying (a) the nature and period of existence of any such claimed default, Default, Unmatured Default, condition or event, (b) the notice given or action taken by such Person in connection therewith, and (c) what action the Borrower has taken, is taking and proposes to take with respect thereto.

 

(C)  ERISA Notices. Deliver or cause to be delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, at the Borrower’s expense, the following information and notices as soon as reasonably possible, and in any event:

 

(i)  within ten (10) Business Days after any member of the Controlled Group obtains knowledge that a Termination Event has occurred which could reasonably be expected to subject the Borrower to liability individually or in the aggregate in excess of $25,000,000, a written statement of the chief financial officer of the Borrower describing such Termination Event and the action, if any, which the member of the Controlled Group has taken, is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto, and when known, any action taken or threatened by the IRS, DOL or PBGC with respect thereto;

 

(ii)  within ten (10) Business Days after the filing of any funding waiver request with the IRS, a copy of such funding waiver request and thereafter all communications received by the Borrower or a member of the Controlled Group with respect to such request within ten (10) Business Days after such communication is received; and

 

(iii)  within ten (10) Business Days after the Borrower or any member of the Controlled Group knows or has reason to know that (a) a Multiemployer Plan has been terminated, (b) the administrator or plan sponsor of a Multiemployer Plan intends to terminate a Multiemployer Plan, or (c) the PBGC has instituted or will institute proceedings under Section 4042 of ERISA to terminate a Multiemployer Plan, a notice describing such matter.

 

For purposes of this Section 7.1(C), the Borrower and any member of the Controlled Group shall be deemed to know all facts known by the administrator of any Plan of which the Borrower or any member of the Controlled Group is the plan sponsor.

 

(D)  Other Indebtedness. Deliver to the Administrative Agent (i) a copy of each regular report, notice or communication regarding potential or actual defaults (including any accompanying officer’s certificate) delivered by or on behalf of the Borrower to the holders of funded Material Indebtedness, including, without limitation holders of Indebtedness under any Financing Facility, pursuant to the terms of the agreements governing such Indebtedness, such delivery to be made at the same time and by the same means as such notice or other communication is delivered to such holders, and (ii) a copy of each notice received by the Borrower from the holde rs of funded Material Indebtedness who are authorized and/or have standing to deliver such notice pursuant to the terms of such Indebtedness, such delivery to be made promptly after such notice is received by Borrower.

 

(E)  Other Reports. Deliver or cause to be delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders copies of all financial statements, reports and notices, if any, sent by the Borrower to its securities holders or filed with the Commission by the Borrower, other than Reports on Form 8-K which contain only information furnished pursuant to Item 12 thereof.

 

(F)  Environmental Notices. As soon as possible and in any event within ten (10) days after receipt by the Borrower, deliver or cause to be delivered to the Administrative Agent a copy of (i) any notice or claim to the effect that the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is or may be liable to any Person as a result of the Release by the Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries, or any other Person of any Contaminant into the environment, and (ii) any notice alleging any violation of any Environmental, Health or Safety Requirements of Law by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries if, in either case, such notice or claim relates to an event which could reasona bly be expected to subject the Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries to liability individually or in the aggregate in excess of $25,000,000.

 

(G)  Amendments to Financing Facilities. Promptly after the execution thereof, deliver or cause to be delivered to the Administrative Agent copies of all material amendments to any of the documents evidencing Indebtedness extended to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries under any of the Financing Facilities and any other Material Indebtedness.

 

(H)  Other Information. Promptly upon receiving a request therefor from the Administrative Agent, prepare and deliver to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders such other information with respect to the Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries, or their respective businesses and assets, including, without limitation, schedules identifying and describing any Asset Sale (and the use of the net cash proceeds thereof), as from time to time may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent.

 

7.2  Affirmative Covenants.

 

(A)  Corporate Existence, Etc. Except as permitted pursuant to Section 7.3(H), the Borrower shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, at all times maintain its existence and preserve and keep, or cause to be preserved and kept, in full force and effect its rights and franchises material to its businesses.

 

(B)  Corporate Powers; Conduct of Business. The Borrower shall, and shall cause each of its Material Subsidiaries to, qualify and remain qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature of its business requires it to be so qualified and where the failure to be so qualified will have or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Borrower will, and will cause each Material Subsidiary to, carry on and conduct its business in substantially the same manner and in substantially the same fields of enterprise as it is presently conducted unless the failure of the Borrower or its Material Subsidiaries to carry on and co nduct its business as so described would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(C)  Compliance with Laws, Etc. The Borrower shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, (a) comply with all Requirements of Law and all restrictive covenants affecting such Person or the business, properties, assets or operations of such Person, and (b) obtain as needed all permits necessary for its operations and maintain such permits in good standing unless, in either case, failure to comply or obtain such permits would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(D)  Payment of Taxes and Claims; Tax Consolidation. The Borrower shall pay, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to pay, (i) all taxes, assessments and other governmental charges imposed upon it or on any of its properties or assets or in respect of any of its franchises, business, income or property before any penalty or interest accrues thereon, and (ii) all claims (including, without limitation, claims for labor, services, materials and supplies) for sums which have become due and payable and which by law have or may become a Lien (other than a Lien permitted by Section 7.3( C)) upon any of the Borrower’s or such Subsidiary’s property or assets, prior to the time when any penalty or fine shall be incurred with respect thereto; provided, however, that no such taxes, assessments and governmental charges referred to in clause (i) above or claims referred to in clause (ii) above (and inte rest, penalties or fines relating thereto) need be paid if being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently instituted and conducted and if such reserve or other appropriate provision, if any, as shall be required in conformity with Agreement Accounting Principles shall have been made therefor.

 

(E)  Insurance. The Borrower shall maintain for itself and its Subsidiaries, or shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to maintain in full force and effect, insurance policies and programs, with such deductibles or self-insurance amounts as reflect coverage that is reasonably consistent with prudent industry practice as determined by the Borrower.

 

(F)  Inspection of Property; Books and Records; Discussions. The Borrower shall permit and cause each of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries to permit, any authorized representative(s) designated by either the Administrative Agent or any Lender to visit and inspect any of the properties of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, to examine their respective financial and accounting records and other material data relating to their respective businesses or the transactions contemplated hereby (including, without limitation, in connection with environmental compliance, hazard or liability), and to discuss their affairs, finances and accounts with their offi cers and independent certified public accountants, all upon reasonable notice and at such reasonable times during normal business hours, as often as may be reasonably requested (provided that an officer of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries may, if it so desires, be present at and participate in any such discussion). The Borrower shall keep and maintain, and cause each of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries to keep and maintain, in all material respects, proper books of record and account in which entries in conformity with Agreement Accounting Principles shall be made of all dealings and transactions in relation to their respective businesses and activities. If a Default has occurred and is continuing, the Borrower, upon the Administrative Agent’s request, shall turn over copies of any such records to the Administrative Agent or its representatives.

 

(G)  ERISA Compliance. The Borrower shall, and shall cause each of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries to, establish, maintain and operate all Plans to comply in all material respects with the provisions of ERISA and shall operate all Plans and Non-ERISA Commitments to comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Code, all other applicable laws, and the regulations and interpretations thereunder and the respective requirements of the governing documents for such Plans and Non-ERISA Commitments, except for any noncompliance which, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.< /font>

 

(H)  Maintenance of Property. The Borrower shall cause all property necessary for the conduct of its business or the business of any Subsidiary to be maintained and kept in good condition, repair and working order and supplied with all necessary equipment and shall cause to be made all necessary repairs, renewals, replacements, betterments and improvements thereof, all as in the judgment of the Borrower may be necessary for the conduct of its business; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 7.2(H) shall prevent the Borrower from discontinuing the operation or maintenance of any of such property if such discontinuance is, in the judgment of the Borrower, desirable in the conduct of its business or the business of any Subsidiary and not disadvantageous in any material respect to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders.

 

(I)  Environmental Compliance. The Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall comply with all Environmental, Health or Safety Requirements of Law, except where noncompliance will not have or is not reasonably likely to subject the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, individually or in the aggregate, to liability in excess of $30,000,000.

 

(J)  Use of Proceeds. The Borrower shall use the proceeds of the Loans solely for the general corporate purposes of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including, without limitation, to finance Permitted Acquisitions and to refinance indebtedness outstanding under the Existing Credit Agreement.

 

(K)  Addition of Subsidiary Guarantors.

 

(a)  New Subsidiaries. The Borrower shall cause each New Subsidiary that is, at any time, a Material Domestic Subsidiary (other than a SPV) to deliver to the Administrative Agent an executed Supplement to become a Subsidiary Guarantor under the Subsidiary Guaranty in the form of Exhibit I attached hereto (a “Supplement”) and app ropriate corporate resolutions, opinions and other documentation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, such Supplement and other documentation to be delivered to the Administrative Agent as promptly as possible upon the creation, acquisition of or capitalization thereof or if otherwise necessary to remain in compliance with Section 7.3(Q), but in any event within thirty (30) days of such creation, acquisition or capitalization.

 

(b)  Additional Material Domestic Subsidiaries. If any consolidated Subsidiary of the Borrower (other than a New Subsidiary to the extent addressed in Section 7.2(K)(a) or a SPV) becomes a Material Domestic Subsidiary, the Borrower shall cause any such Material Domestic Subsidiary to deliver to the Administrative Agent an executed Supplement to become a Subsidiary Guarantor and appropriate corporate resolutions, opinions and other documentation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Adm inistrative Agent in connection therewith, such Supplement and other documentation to be delivered to the Administrative Agent as promptly as possible but in any event within thirty (30) days following the date on which such consolidated Subsidiary became a Material Domestic Subsidiary.

 

(c)  Additional Subsidiary Guarantors.

 

(i)  If at any time a member of the Senior Management Team of the Borrower has actual knowledge that the aggregate assets of all of the Borrower’s domestic consolidated Subsidiaries (other than SPVs) which are not Subsidiary Guarantors exceed ten percent (10%) of Consolidated Domestic Assets of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries (other than the SPVs), as calculated by the Borrower, the Borrower shall cause such domestic consolidated Subsidiaries as are necessary to reduce such aggregate assets to or below ten percent (10%) of such Consolidated Domestic Assets to deliver to the Administrative Agent executed Supplements to become Subsidiary Guarantors and appropriate corporate resolutions, opinions and other document ation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent in connection therewith, such Supplements and other documentation to be delivered to the Administrative Agent as promptly as possible but in any event within thirty (30) days following the initial date on which a member of the Senior Management Team of the Borrower obtained actual knowledge that such aggregate assets exceed ten percent (10%) of such Consolidated Domestic Assets.

 

(ii)  If at any time any Subsidiary of the Borrower which is not a Subsidiary Guarantor guaranties any Indebtedness of the Borrower for which the Borrower is a primary obligor (other than solely as a guarantor of obligations of its Affiliates or other third parties), other than the Indebtedness hereunder, the Borrower shall cause such Subsidiary to deliver to the Administrative Agent an executed Supplement to become a Subsidiary Guarantor and appropriate corporate resolutions, opinions and other documentation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent in connection therewith, such Supplement and other documentation to be delivered to the Administrative Agent as promptly as possible but in any event wi thin thirty (30) days following the delivery of the guaranty of such other Indebtedness.

 

7.3  Negative Covenants.

 

(A)  Subsidiary Indebtedness. The Borrower shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries directly or indirectly to create, incur, assume or otherwise become or remain directly or indirectly liable with respect to any Indebtedness, except:

 

(i)  Indebtedness of the Subsidiaries under the Subsidiary Guaranty;

 

(ii)  Indebtedness in respect of guaranties executed by any Subsidiary Guarantor with respect to any Indebtedness of the Borrower, provided such Indebtedness is not incurred by the Borrower in violation of this Agreement;

 

(iii)  Indebtedness in respect of obligations secured by Customary Permitted Liens;

 

(iv)  Indebtedness constituting Contingent Obligations permitted by Section 7.3(E);

 

(v)  Indebtedness arising from loans (a) from any Subsidiary to any wholly-owned Subsidiary or (b) from the Borrower to any wholly-owned Subsidiary; provided, that if any Subsidiary Guarantor is the obligor on such Indebtedness, such Indebtedness shall be expressly subordinate to the payment in full in cash of the Obligations on terms satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;

 

(vi)  Indebtedness in respect of Hedging Obligations permitted under Section 7.3(O);

 

(vii)  Indebtedness with respect to surety, appeal and performance bonds obtained by any of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;

 

(viii)  Indebtedness incurred in connection with the Receivables Purchase Documents, provided, that Receivables Facility Attributed Indebtedness incurred in connection therewith does not exceed $250,000,000 in the aggregate at any time; and

 

(ix)  Other Indebtedness in addition to that referred to elsewhere in this Section 7.3(A) incurred by the Borrower’s Subsidiaries; provided that no Default or Unmatured Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the date of such incurrence or would result therefrom; and provided further that the aggregate outstanding amount of all Indebtedness incurred by the Borrower’s Subsidiaries (other than Indebtedness incurred pursuant to clauses (i), (ii), (v), (vi) and (viii) of this Section 7.3(A)) shall not at any time exceed 20% of the Borrower’s Consolidated Total Capitalization.

 

(B)  Sales of Assets. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of any property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or any income or profits therefrom, or enter into any agreement to do so, except:

 

(i)  sales of Inventory in the ordinary course of business;

 

(ii)  the disposition in the ordinary course of business of Equipment that is obsolete, excess or no longer used or useful in the Borrower’s or its Subsidiaries’ businesses;

 

(iii)  any transfer of an interest in Receivables, Receivables Related Security, accounts or notes receivable on a limited recourse basis under the Receivables Purchase Documents; provided that such transfer qualifies as a legal sale and as a sale under Agreement Accounting Principles and that the amount of Receivables Facility Attributed Indebtedness does not exceed $250,000,000 at any one time outstanding; and

 

(iv)  sales, assignments, transfers, leases, conveyances or other dispositions of other assets (other than pursuant to clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above) if such transaction (a) is for not less than fair market value, and (b) when combined with all such other transactions (e ach such transaction being valued at book value) occurring during the fiscal year in which such proposed transaction occurred represents the disposition of not greater than fifteen percent (15%) of the Borrower’s Consolidated Assets (such Consolidated Assets being calculated for the end of the fiscal year immediately preceding that in which such transaction is proposed to be entered into).

 

(C)  Liens. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall directly or indirectly create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Lien on or with respect to any of their respective property or assets except:

 

(i)  Liens, if any, created by the Loan Documents or otherwise securing the Obligations;

 

(ii)  Customary Permitted Liens;

 

(iii)  Liens arising under the Receivables Purchase Documents; and

 

(iv)  other Liens, including Permitted Existing Liens, (a) securing Indebtedness of the Borrower and/or (b) securing Indebtedness of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries as permitted pursuant to Section 7.3(A), all of which, when taken together, secure Indebtedness in an aggregate outstanding principal amount not to exceed five percent (5%) of Consolidated Assets at any time.

 

In addition, neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall become a party to any agreement, note, indenture or other instrument, or take any other action, which would prohibit the creation of a Lien on any of its properties or other assets in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of itself and the Holders of Obligations, as collateral for the Obligations; provided, that any agreement, note, indenture or other instrument in connection with purchase money indebtedness (including Capitalized Leases) may prohibit the creation of a Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of itself and the Holders of Obligations on the items of property obtaine d with the proceeds of such purchase money indebtedness; provided, further, that (a) the Senior Note Purchase Agreements in connection with the Senior Notes may prohibit the creation of a Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of itself and the Holders of Obligations, as collateral for the Obligations; (b) the Receivables Purchase Documents may prohibit the creation of a Lien with respect to all of the assets of the SPV and with respect to the Receivables and Related Security of any of the Originators in favor of the A dministrative Agent for the benefit of itself and the Holders of Obligations, as collateral for the Obligations; and (c) the Singapore Credit Agreement may prohibit the creation of a Lien by the Borrower on the Capital Stock or assets of members of the Singapore Regional Group to secure the Obligations.

 

(D)  Investments. Except to the extent permitted pursuant to paragraph (G) below, neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall directly or indirectly make or own any Investment except:

 

(i)  Investments in cash and Cash Equivalents;

 

(ii)  Permitted Existing Investments in an amount not greater than the amount thereof on the Closing Date;

 

(iii)  Investments in trade receivables or received in connection with the bankruptcy or reorganization of suppliers and customers and in settlement of delinquent obligations of, and other disputes with, customers and suppliers arising in the ordinary course of business;

 

(iv)  Investments consisting of deposit accounts maintained by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries;

 

(v)  Investments consisting of non-cash consideration from a sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition of property permitted by Section 7.3(B);

 

(vi)  Investments in any consolidated Subsidiaries (other than joint ventures);

 

(vii)  Investments in joint ventures and nonconsolidated Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount not to exceed $50,000,000;

 

(viii)  Investments constituting Permitted Acquisitions;

 

(ix)  Investments constituting Indebtedness permitted by Section 7.3(A) or Contingent Obligations permitted by Section 7.3(E);

 

(x)  Investments in the SPVs (a) required in connection with the Receivables Purchase Documents and (b) resulting from the transfers permitted by Section 7.3(B)(iii); and

 

(xi)  Investments in addition to those referred to elsewhere in this Section 7.3(D) in an aggregate amount not to exceed $50,000,000.

 

(E)  Contingent Obligations. None of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries shall directly or indirectly create or become or be liable with respect to any Contingent Obligation, except: (i) recourse obligations resulting from endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business; (ii) Permitted Existing Contingent Obligations; (iii) obligations, warranties, and indemnities, not relating to Indebtedness of any Person, which have been or are undertaken or made in the ordinary course of business and not for the benefit of or in favor of an Affiliate of the Borrower or such Subsidiary; (iv) Contingent Obligations with respect to surety, appeal and performance bonds obtained by the Borrower or any Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business; (v) Contingent Obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors under the Subsidiary Guaranty; (vi) Contingent Obligations of Subsidiaries which are guarantors under a guaranty of the Indebtedness evidenced by the Senior Notes and the Senior Note Purchase Agreements; (vii) Contingent Obligations of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries arising under the Receivables Purchase Documents; (viii) Contingent Obligations of the Borrower, Energizer Singapore Pte. Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Singapore, and Sonca Products Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Hong Kong, under the Singapore Guarantees; (ix) Contingent Obligations of non-domestic Subsidiaries represented by guarantees of obligations of other non-domestic Subsidiaries; and (x) Contingent Obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business by any of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries in respect of obligations of any Subsid iary.

 

(F)  Conduct of Business; New Subsidiaries; Acquisitions. Except as expressly provided in clause (c) in the definition of “Permitted Acquisition” below, neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall engage in any business other than the businesses engaged in by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the date of such transaction and any business or activities which are substantially similar, related or incidental thereto. The Borrower may create, acquire in a Permitted Acquisition or capitalize any Subsidiary (a “New Subsidiary”) after the date hereof if (i) no Default or Unmatured Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom; (ii) after such creation, acquisition or capitalization, all of the representations and warranties contained herein shall be true and correct; and (iii) after such creation, acquisition or capitalization the Borrower shall be in compliance with the terms of Sections 7.2(K) and 7.3(Q).

 

Without in any way limiting the foregoing, neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall make any Acquisitions, other than Acquisitions meeting the following requirements or otherwise approved by the Required Lenders (each such Acquisition constituting a “Permitted Acquisition”):

 

(a)  no Default or Unmatured Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result from such Acquisition or the incurrence of any Indebtedness in connection therewith, and all of the representations and warranties contained herein shall be true and correct on and as of the date such Acquisition with the same effect as though made on and as of such date;

 

(b)  the purchase is consummated on a non-hostile basis pursuant to a negotiated acquisition agreement approved by the board of directors or other applicable governing body of the seller prior to the commencement of such Acquisition; provided, however, that nothing in this clause (b) shall prevent the Borrower from enforcing its rights against a seller following a default in such seller’s obligations under any such agreement;

 

(c)  the businesses being acquired shall be consumer product companies or other businesses that are substantially similar, related or incidental to the businesses or activities engaged in by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the Closing Date, as well as suppliers to or distributors of products similar to those of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries; provided, however, that the Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be permitte d to acquire businesses that do not satisfy the foregoing criteria in this clause (c) so long as the aggregate purchase price for all such acquisitions does not exceed five percent (5%) of the Borrower’s consolidated tangible net assets (on a pro forma basis) as of the date of the consummation of such Acquisition; and

 

(d)  prior to each such Acquisition, the Borrower shall determine that after giving effect to such Acquisition and the incurrence of any Indebtedness by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, to the extent permitted by Section 7.3(A), in connection therewith, on a pro forma basis using historical audited and reviewed unaudited financial statements obtained from the seller, broken down by fiscal quarter in the Borrower’ s reasonable judgment, as if the Acquisition and such incurrence of Indebtedness had occurred on the first day of the twelve-month period ending on the last day of the Borrower’s most recently completed fiscal quarter, the Borrower would have been in compliance with the financial covenants in Section 7.4 and not otherwise in Default.

 

(G)  Transactions with Shareholders and Affiliates. Except for (a) the transactions set forth on Schedule 7.3(G), (b) Permitted Receivables Transfers and (c) Investments permitted by Section 7.3(D), neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall directly or indirectly enter into or permit to exist any transaction (including, without limitat ion, the purchase, sale, lease or exchange of any property or the rendering of any service) with any holder or holders of any of the Equity Interests of the Borrower, or with any Affiliate of the Borrower which is not its Subsidiary, on terms that are less favorable to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, as applicable, than those that might be obtained in an arm’s length transaction at the time from Persons who are not such a holder or Affiliate.

 

(H)  Restriction on Fundamental Changes. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall enter into any merger or consolidation, or liquidate, wind-up or dissolve (or suffer any liquidation or dissolution), or convey, lease, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of, in one transaction or series of transactions, all or substantially all of the Borrower’s or any such Subsidiary’s business or property, whether now or hereafter acquired, except (i) transactions permitted under Sections 7.3(B) or 7.3(F) (including the liquidation, winding up or dissolution of a Subsidiary in connection with a transaction permitted under Section 7.3(B)) and (ii) a Subsidiary of the Borrower may be merged into, liquidated into or consolidated with the Borrower (in which case the Borrower shall be the surviving corporation) or any wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Borrower; provided if a Subsidiary Guarantor is merged into, liquidated into or consolidated with another Subsidiary of the Borrower, the surviving Subsidiary shall also be or shall become a Subsidia ry Guarantor to the extent required under Section 7.2(K) or 7.3(Q) hereunder.

 

(I)  Sales and Leasebacks. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall become liable, directly, by assumption or by Contingent Obligation, with respect to any lease, whether an operating lease or a Capitalized Lease, of any property (whether real or personal or mixed), (i) which it or one of its Subsidiaries sold or transferred or is to sell or transfer to any other Person, or (ii) which it or one of its Subsidiaries intends to use for substantially the same purposes as any other property which has been or is to be sold or transferred by it or one of its Subsidiaries to any other Person in connection with such lease, unless in either case th e sale involved is not prohibited under Section 7.3(B) and the lease involved is not prohibited under Section 7.3(A).

 

(J)  Margin Regulations; Use of Proceeds. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries, shall use all or any portion of the proceeds of any credit extended under this Agreement (i) to purchase or carry Margin Stock or (ii) for any purpose other than those set forth in Section 7.2(J).

 

(K)  ERISA. The Borrower shall not:

 

(i)  permit to exist any accumulated funding deficiency (as defined in Sections 302 of ERISA and 412 of the Code), with respect to any Benefit Plan, whether or not waived;

 

(ii)  terminate, or permit any Controlled Group member to terminate, any Benefit Plan which would result in liability of the Borrower or any Controlled Group member under Title IV of ERISA;

 

(iii)  fail, or permit any Controlled Group member to fail, to pay any required installment or any other payment required under Section 412 of the Code on or before the due date for such installment or other payment; or

 

(iv)  permit any unfunded liabilities with respect to any Foreign Pension Plan;

 

except where such transactions, events, circumstances, or failures are not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably expected to result in liability individually or in the aggregate in excess of $25,000,000 or have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(L)  Corporate Documents. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall amend, modify or otherwise change any of the terms or provisions in any of their respective constituent documents as in effect on the date hereof in any manner adverse to the interests of the Lenders, without the prior written consent of the Required Lenders.

 

(M)  Fiscal Year. Neither the Borrower nor any of its consolidated Subsidiaries shall change its fiscal year for accounting or tax purposes from a twelve-month period ending September 30 of each year.

 

(N)  Subsidiary Covenants. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, create or otherwise cause to become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction of any kind on the ability of any Subsidiary to pay dividends or make any other distribution on its stock, redeem or repurchase its stock, make any other similar payment or distribution, pay any Indebtedness or other Obligation owed to the Borrower or any other Subsidiary, make loans or advances or other Investments in the Borrower or any other Subsidiary, to sell, transfer or otherwise convey any of its property to the Borrower or any other Subsidiary or merge, consolidate with or liquidate into the Borrower or any other Subsidiary other than pursuant to (i) this Agreement, (ii) the Receivables Purchase Documents and (iii) the Singapore Credit Agreement; provided, that the Singapore Credit Agreement shall not in any way prohibit any member of the Singapore Regional Group from paying dividends or making any other distribution on its stock, redeeming or repurchasing its stock, making any other similar payment or distribution, or paying any Indebtedness or other Obligation owed to the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

(O)  Hedging Obligations. The Borrower shall not and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to enter into any Hedging Arrangements other than Hedging Arrangements entered into by the Borrower or its Subsidiaries pursuant to which the Borrower or such Subsidiary has hedged its or its Subsidiaries’ reasonably estimated interest rate, foreign currency or commodity exposure and which are of a non-speculative nature.

 

(P)  Issuance of Disqualified Stock. From and after the Closing Date, neither the Borrower, nor any of its Subsidiaries shall issue any Disqualified Stock. All issued and outstanding Disqualified Stock shall be treated as Indebtedness for borrowed money for all purposes of this Agreement, and the amount of such deemed Indebtedness shall be the aggregate amount of the liquidation preference of such Disqualified Stock.

 

(Q)  Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries. The Borrower will not at any time permit the aggregate assets of all of the Borrower’s domestic consolidated Subsidiaries (other than the SPVs) which are not Subsidiary Guarantors to exceed ten percent (10%) of Consolidated Domestic Assets of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries (other than the SPVs). The Borrower shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries (including non-domestic Subsidiaries) to guaranty any Indebtedness of the Borrower other than the Indebtedness hereunder unless each such Subsidiary is a Subsidiary Guarantor under the Subsidiary Guaranty.

 

7.4  Financial Covenants. The Borrower shall comply with the following:

 

(A)  Maximum Leverage Ratio. The Borrower shall not permit the ratio (the “Leverage Ratio”) of (i) the sum of (a) all Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries to (ii) EBITDA at any time to be greater than 3.50 to 1.00. The Leverage Ratio shall be calculated, in each case, determined as of the last day of each fiscal quarter based upon (a) for Indebtedness, Indebtedness as of the last day of each such fiscal quarter; and (b) for EBITDA, the actual amount for the four-quart er period ending on such day, calculated, with respect to Permitted Acquisitions, on a pro forma basis using unadjusted historical audited and reviewed unaudited financial statements obtained from the seller (with the EBITDA component thereof broken down by fiscal quarter in the Borrower’s reasonable judgment).

 

(B)  Minimum Interest Expense Coverage Ratio. The Borrower shall maintain a ratio (the “Interest Expense Coverage Ratio”) for any applicable period of (a) EBIT for such period to (b) Interest Expense for such period of greater than 3.00 to 1.00 for each fiscal quarter. The Interest Expense Coverage Ratio shall be calculated as of the last day of each fiscal quarter for the four-quarter period ending on such day, calculated, with respect to Permitted Acquisitions, on a pro forma basis using unadjusted historical audited and reviewed unaudited financial statements obtained from the seller (with the EBITDA component thereof broken down by fiscal quarter in the Borrower’s reasonable judgment).

 

 

8.1  Defaults. Each of the following occurrences shall constitute a Default under this Agreement:

 

(A)  Failure to Make Payments When Due. The Borrower shall (i) fail to pay when due any of the Obligations consisting of principal with respect to the Loans or Reimbursement Obligations with respect to Letters of Credit or (ii) shall fail to pay within five (5) Business Days of the date when due any of the other Obligations under this Agreement or the other Loan Documents.

 

(B)  Breach of Certain Covenants. The Borrower shall fail duly and punctually to perform or observe any agreement, covenant or obligation binding on the Borrower or there shall otherwise be a breach of any covenant under:

 

(i)  Sections 7.1 or 7.2 (other than Section 7.2(K)) and such failure or breach shall continue unremedied for thirty (30) days after the earlier to occur of (a) the date on which written notice from the Administrative Agent or any Lender is received by the Borrower of such breach and (b) the date on which a member of the Senior Management Team of the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor had knowledge of the existence of such breach or should have known of the existence of such breach; or

 

(ii)  Sections 7.2(K), 7.3 or 7.4.

 

(C)  Breach of Representation or Warranty. Any representation or warranty made or deemed made by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent or any Lender herein or by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in any of the other Loan Documents or in any statement or certificate at any time given by any such Person pursuant to any of the Loan Documents shall be false or misleading in any material respect on the date as of which made (or deemed made).

 

(D)  Other Defaults. The Borrower shall default in the performance of or compliance with any term contained in this Agreement (other than as covered by paragraphs (A) or (B) of this Section 8.1), or the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries shall default in the performance of or compliance with any term contained in any of the other Loan Documents, and such default shall continue for thirty (30) days after the earlier to occur of (a) the date on which written notice from the Administrative Agent or any Lender is received by the Borrower of such breach and (b) the date on which a member of the Senior Management Team of the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor had knowledge of the existence of such breach or should have known of the existence of such breach.

 

(E)  Default as to Other Indebtedness. The Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries shall fail to make any payment when due (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand or otherwise), beyond any period of grace provided, with respect to any Indebtedness (other than Indebtedness hereunder) which individually or together with other such Indebtedness as to which any such failure exists (other than hereunder) constitutes Material Indebtedness; or any breach, default or event of default (including any “Amortization Event” or event of like import in connection with the Receivables Purchase Facility) shall occur, or any other condition shall exist under any instrument, agreement or indenture pertaining to any such Material Indebtedness having such aggregate outstanding principal amount, beyond any period of grace, if any, provided with respect thereto, if the effect thereof is to cause an acceleration, mandatory redemption, a requirement that the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries offer to purchase such Material Indebtedness or other required repurchase of such Material Indebtedness, or permit the holder(s) of such Material Indebtedness to accelerate the maturity of any such Material Indebtedness or require a redemption or other repurchase of such Material Indebtedness; or any such Material Indebtedness shall be otherwise declared to be due and payable (by acceleration or otherwise) or required to be prepaid, redeemed or otherwise repurchased by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (other than by a regularly scheduled required prepayment) prior to the stated maturity thereof.

 

(F)  Involuntary Bankruptcy; Appointment of Receiver, Etc.

 

(i)  An involuntary case shall be commenced against the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Material Subsidiaries and the petition shall not be dismissed, stayed, bonded or discharged within sixty (60) days after commencement of the case; or a court having jurisdiction in the premises shall enter a decree or order for relief in respect of the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Material Subsidiaries in an involuntary case, under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereinafter in effect; or any other similar relief shall be granted under any applicable federal, state, local or foreign law.

 

(ii)  A decree or order of a court having jurisdiction in the premises for the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, sequestrator, trustee, custodian or other officer having similar powers over the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Material Subsidiaries or over all or a substantial part of the property of the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Material Subsidiaries shall be entered; or an interim receiver, trustee or other custodian of the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Material Subsidiaries or of all or a substantial part of the property of the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Material Subsidiaries shall be appointed or a warrant of attachment, execution or similar process against any substantial part of t he property of the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Material Subsidiaries shall be issued and any such event shall not be stayed, dismissed, bonded or discharged within sixty (60) days after entry, appointment or issuance.

 

(G)  Voluntary Bankruptcy; Appointment of Receiver, Etc. The Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Material Subsidiaries (i) shall commence a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, (ii) shall consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case, or to the conversion of an involuntary case to a voluntary case, under any such law, (iii) shall consent to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, trustee or other custodian for all or a substantial part of its property, (iv) shall make any assignment for the benefit of creditors, (v) shall take any corporate act ion to authorize any of the foregoing or (vi) is generally not paying, or admits in writing its inability to pay, its debts as they become due.

 

(H)  Judgments and Attachments. Any money judgment(s) (other than a money judgment covered by insurance as to which the insurance company has not disclaimed or reserved the right to disclaim coverage), writ or warrant of attachment, or similar process against the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective assets involving in any single case or in the aggregate an amount in excess of $30,000,000 is or are entered and shall remain undischarged, unvacated, unbonded or unstayed for a period of sixty (60) days or in any event later than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of any proposed sale thereunder.

 

(I)  Dissolution. Any order, judgment or decree shall be entered against the Borrower decreeing its involuntary dissolution or split up and such order shall remain undischarged and unstayed for a period in excess of sixty (60) days; or the Borrower shall otherwise dissolve or cease to exist except as specifically permitted by this Agreement.

 

(J)  Loan Documents. At any time, for any reason, any Loan Document as a whole that materially affects the ability of the Administrative Agent, or any of the Lenders to enforce the Obligations ceases to be in full force and effect or the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries party thereto seeks to repudiate its obligations under any Loan Document.

 

(K)  Termination Event. Any Termination Event occurs which the Required Lenders believe is reasonably likely to subject either the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries to liability individually or in the aggregate in excess of $30,000,000.

 

(L)  Waiver of Minimum Funding Standard. If the plan administrator of any Plan applies under Section 412(d) of the Code for a waiver of the minimum funding standards of Section 412(a) of the Code and the Required Lenders believe the substantial business hardship upon which the application for the waiver is based could reasonably be expected to subject either the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries to liability individually or in the aggregate in excess of $30,000,000.

 

(M)  Change of Control. A Change of Control shall occur.

 

(N)  Hedging Agreements. Nonpayment by the Borrower of any material obligation under any Hedging Agreement or the breach by the Borrower of any material term, provision or condition contained in any such Hedging Agreement.

 

(O)  Environmental Matters. The Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries shall be the subject of any proceeding or investigation pertaining to (i) the Release by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries of any Contaminant into the environment, (ii) the liability of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries arising from the Release by any other Person of any Contaminant into the environment, or (iii) any violation of any Environmental, Health or Safety Requirements of Law which by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, which, in any case, has or is reasonably likely to subject either the Borrower or its Subsidiaries to liability individually or in the aggrega te in excess of $30,000,000.

 

(P)  Subsidiary Guarantor Revocation. Any Subsidiary Guarantor shall terminate or revoke any of its obligations under the Subsidiary Guaranty or breach any of the material terms of such Subsidiary Guaranty.

 

(Q)  Receivables Purchase Document Events. A “Termination Event” (as defined in the 2000 Receivables Sale Agreement), an “Amortization Event” (as defined in the 2000 Receivables Purchase Agreement) or any other breach or event of like import under any replacement Receivables Purchase Documents permitted hereby (any such event, a “Receivables Facility Trigger Event”) shall (i) occur with respect to the conduct or performance of (a) any Originator, (b) any servic er of the Receivables (so long as such servicer is the Borrower or a Subsidiary thereof) under the Receivables Purchase Documents, (c) any guarantor of the obligations of any Originator or servicer under the Receivables Purchase Documents or (d) any of their respective Subsidiaries other than an SPV and (ii) result in the termination of reinvestments of collections or proceeds of Receivables and Related Security under any agreements evidencing Receivables Facility Attributed Indebtedness (it being understood and agreed that the occurrence of a Receivables Facility Trigger Event resulting solely from (x) the conduct or performance of an SPV and/or (y) the performance or quality of the Receivables securing the obligations under the Receivables Purchase Documents, taken together with the circumstances described in the foregoing clause (ii), shall not give ris e to a Default under this Section 8.1(Q)).

 

A Default shall be deemed “continuing” until cured or until waived in writing in accordance with Section 9.3.

 

 

9.1  Termination of Revolving Loan Commitments; Acceleration. If any Default described in Section 8.1(F), (G) or (I) occurs with respect to the Borrower, the obligations of the Lenders to make Lo ans hereunder and the obligation of the Issuing Banks to issue Letters of Credit hereunder shall automatically terminate and the Obligations shall immediately become due and payable without any election or action on the part of the Administrative Agent or any Lender. If any other Default occurs, the Required Lenders may terminate or suspend the obligations of the Lenders to make Loans hereunder and the obligation of the Issuing Banks to issue Letters of Credit hereunder, or declare the Obligations to be due and payable, or both, whereupon the Obligations shall become immediately due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or notice of any kind, all of which the Borrower expressly waives. Without in any way limiting the foregoing, after the occurrence and during the continuanc e of a Default, the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to exercise its right to require cash collateral in support of 105% of the then aggregate outstanding L/C Obligations in accordance with Section 3.11.

 

9.2  Defaulting Lender. In the event that any Lender fails to fund its Pro Rata Share of any Advance requested or deemed requested by the Borrower (or an Advance to repay Swing Line Loans to the Swing Line Bank or Reimbursement Obligations to the Issuing Banks), which such Lender is obligated to fund under the terms of this Agreement (the funded portion of such Advance being hereinafter referred to as a “Non Pro Rata Loan”), until the earlier of such Lender’s cure of such failure and the termination of the Revolving Loan Commitments, the proceeds of all amounts thereafter repaid to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower and otherwise required to be applied to such Lender’s share of all other Obligations pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be advanced to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent on behalf of such Lender to cure, in full or in part, such failure by such Lender, but shall nevertheless be deemed to have been paid to such Lender in satisfaction of such other Obligations. Notwithstanding anything in th is Agreement to the contrary:

 

(i)  the foregoing provisions of this Section 9.2 shall apply only with respect to the proceeds of payments of Obligations and shall not affect the conversion or continuation of Loans pursuant to Section 2.9;

 

(ii)  any such Lender shall be deemed to have cured its failure to fund its Pro Rata Share of any Advance at such time as an amount equal to such Lender’s original Pro Rata Share of the requested principal portion of such Advance is fully funded to the Borrower, whether made by such Lender itself or by operation of the terms of this Section 9.2, and whether or not the Non Pro Rata Loan with respect thereto has been repaid, converted or continued;

 

(iii)  amounts advanced to the Borrower to cure, in full or in part, any such Lender’s failure to fund its Pro Rata Share of any Advance (“Cure Loans”) shall bear interest at the rate applicable to Floating Rate Loans in effect from time to time, and for all other purposes of this Agreement shall be treated as if they were Floating Rate Loans;

 

(iv)  regardless of whether or not a Default has occurred or is continuing, and notwithstanding the instructions of the Borrower as to its desired application, all repayments of principal which, in accordance with the other terms of this Agreement, would be applied to the outstanding Floating Rate Loans shall be applied first, ratably to all Floating Rate Loans constituting Non Pro Rata Loans, second, ratably to Floating Rate Loans other than those constituting Non Pro Rata Loans or Cure Loans and, third, ratably to Floating Rate Loans constituting Cure Loans;

 

(v)  for so long as and until the earlier of any such Lender’s cure of the failure to fund its Pro Rata Share of any Advance and the termination of the Revolving Loan Commitments, the term “Required Lenders” for purposes of this Agreement shall mean Lenders (excluding all Lenders whose failure to fund their respective Pro Rata Share of such Advance have not been so cured) whose Pro Rata Shares represent greater than fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate Pro Rata Shares of such Lenders; and

 

(vi)  for so long as and until any such Lender’s failure to fund its Pro Rata Share of any Advance is cured in accordance with Section 9.2(ii), (A) such Lender shall not be entitled to any Facility Fees with respect to its Revolving Loan Commitment and (B) such Lender shall not be entitled to any letter of credit fees, which Facility Fees and letter of credit fees shall accrue in favor of the Lenders which have funded their respective Pro Rata Share of such requested Advance, shall be allocated among such performing Lenders ratably based upon their relative Revolving Loan C ommitments, and shall be calculated based upon the average amount by which the aggregate Revolving Loan Commitments of such performing Lenders exceeds the sum of (I) the outstanding principal amount of the Loans owing to such performing Lenders, plus (II) the outstanding Reimbursement Obligations owing to such performing Lenders, plus (III) the aggregate participation interests of such performing Lenders arising pursuant to Section 3.6 with respect to undrawn and outstanding Letters of Credit.

 

9.3  Amendments. Subject to the provisions of this Article IX, the Required Lenders (or the Administrative Agent with the consent in writing of the Required Lenders) and the Borrower may enter into agreements supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding or modifying any provisions to the Loan Documents or changing in any manner the rights of the Len ders or the Borrower hereunder or waiving any Default hereunder; provided, however, that no such supplemental agreement shall, without the consent of each Lender (which is not a defaulting Lender under the provisions of Section 9.2) adversely affected thereby (which shall be deemed to include all Lenders in the case of clauses (iii), (v), (vi) or (viii) below):

 

(i)  Postpone or extend the Revolving Loan Termination Date or any other date fixed for any payment of principal of, or interest on, the Loans, the Reimbursement Obligations or any fees or other amounts payable to such Lender (other than any modifications of the provisions relating to amounts, timing or application of prepayments of the Loans and other Obligations, which modifications shall require the approval only of the Required Lenders).

 

(ii)  Reduce the principal amount of any Loans or L/C Obligations, or reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest or fees thereon (other than (a) a waiver of the application of the default rate of interest pursuant to Section 2.10 hereof and (b) as a result of a change in the definition of Leverage Ratio or any of the components thereof or the method of calculation thereof).

 

(iii)  Reduce the percentage specified in the definition of Required Lenders or any other percentage of Lenders specified to be the applicable percentage in this Agreement to act on specified matters or amend the definitions of “Required Lenders” or “Pro Rata Share”.

 

(iv)  Increase the amount of the Revolving Loan Commitment of such Lender hereunder or increase such Lender’s Pro Rata Share except with respect to an increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment pursuant to the terms of Section 2.5(B).

 

(v)  Permit the Borrower to assign its rights under this Agreement.

 

(vi)  Other than pursuant to a transaction permitted by the terms of this Agreement, release any guarantor from its obligations under the Subsidiary Guaranty.

 

(vii)  Waive or amend any of the conditions set forth in Section 5.1.

 

(viii)  Amend Section 12.1 or 12.2.

 

(ix)  Amend this Section 9.3.

 

No amendment of any provision of this Agreement relating to (a) the Administrative Agent shall be effective without the written consent of the Administrative Agent, (b) the Swing Line Bank or the Swing Line Loans shall be effective without the written consent of the Swing Line Bank and (c) any Issuing Bank shall be effective without the written consent of such Issuing Bank. The Administrative Agent may waive payment of the fee required under Section 13.3(B)(iii) without obtaining the consent of any of the Lenders.

 

9.4  Preservation of Rights. No delay or omission of the Lenders or the Administrative Agent to exercise any right under the Loan Documents shall impair such right or be construed to be a waiver of any Default or an acquiescence therein, and the making of a Loan or the issuance of a Letter of Credit notwithstanding the existence of a Default or the inability of the Borrower to satisfy the conditions precedent to such Loan or issuance of such Letter of Credit shall not constitute any waiver or acquiescence. Any single or partial exercise of any such right shall not preclude other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, and no waiver, amendment or other variation of the terms, conditions or provisions of the Loan Documents whatsoever shall be valid unless in writing signed by the Lenders required pursuant to Section 9.3, and then only to the extent in such writing specifically set forth. All remedies contained in the Loan Documents or by law afforded shall be cumulative and all shall be available to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders until all of the Obligations (other than contingent indemnity obligations) shall have been fully and indefeasibly paid and satisfied in cash, all financing arrangements among the Borrower and the Lenders shall have been terminated and all of the Letters of Credit shall have expired, been canceled or terminated.

 

ARTICLE X:   GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

10.1  Survival of Representations. All representations and warranties of the Borrower contained in this Agreement shall survive delivery of this Agreement and the making of the Loans herein contemplated.

 

10.2  Governmental Regulation. Anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, no Lender shall be obligated to extend credit to the Borrower in violation of any limitation or prohibition provided by any applicable statute or regulation.

 

10.3  Performance of Obligations. The Borrower agrees that after the occurrence and during the continuance of a Default, the Administrative Agent may, but shall have no obligation to, make any payment or perform any act required of the Borrower under any Loan Document to the extent the Administrative Agent determines that such action shall be necessary or advisable in order to protect or preserve the rights of the Lenders and Issuing Banks hereunder. The Administrative Agent shall use its reasonable efforts to give the Borrower notice of any action taken under this Section 10. 3 prior to the taking of such action or promptly thereafter provided the failure to give such notice shall not affect the Borrower’s obligations in respect thereof. The Borrower agrees to pay the Administrative Agent, upon demand, the principal amount of all funds advanced by the Administrative Agent under this Section 10.3, together with interest thereon at the rate from time to time applicable to Floating Rate Loans from the date of such advance until the outstanding principal balance thereof is paid in full. If the Borrower fails to make payment in respect of any such advance under this Section 10.3 within one (1) Business Day after the date the Borrower receives written demand therefor from the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender and each Lender agrees that it shall thereupon make available to the Administrative Agent, in Dollars in immediately available funds, the amount equal to such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of such advance. If such funds are not made available to the Administrative Agent by such Lender within one (1) Business Day after the Administrative Agent’s demand therefor, the Administrative Agent will be entitled to recover any such amount from such Lender together with interest thereon at the Federal Funds Effective Rate for each day during the period commen cing on the date of such demand and ending on the date such amount is received. The failure of any Lender to make available to the Administrative Agent its Pro Rata Share of any such unreimbursed advance under this Section 10.3 shall neither relieve any other Lender of its obligation hereunder to make available to the Administrative Agent such other Lender’s Pro Rata Share of such advance on the date such payment is to be made nor increase the obligation of any other Lender to make such payment to the Administrative Agent. All outstanding principal of, and interest on, advances made under this Section 10.3 shall constitute Obligations subject to the terms of this Agreement until paid in full by the Borrower.

 

10.4  Headings. Section headings in the Loan Documents are for convenience of reference only, and shall not govern the interpretation of any of the provisions of the Loan Documents.

 

10.5  Entire Agreement. The Loan Documents embody the entire agreement and understanding among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and supersede all prior agreements and understandings among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders relating to the subject matter thereof other than the Fee Letters or any other prior agreements or understandings which are expressly stated to survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

 

10.6  Several Obligations; Benefits of this Agreement. The respective obligations of the Lenders hereunder are several and not joint and no Lender shall be the partner or agent of any other Lender (except to the extent to which the Administrative Agent is authorized to act as such). The failure of any Lender to perform any of its obligations hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender from any of its obligations hereunder. This Agreement shall not be construed so as to confer any right or benefit upon any Person other than the parties to this Agreement and their respective successors and assigns.

 

10.7  Expenses; Indemnification.

 

(A)  Expenses. The Borrower shall reimburse the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers for any reasonable costs, internal charges and out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ and paralegals’ fees and time charges of attorneys and paralegals for the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers, which attorneys and paralegals may be employees of the Administrative Agent or the Arrangers) paid or incurred by the Administrative Agent or the Arrangers in connection with the preparation, negotiation, execution, delivery, syndication, review, amendment modification and, after the occurrence and during the continuance of a Default or an Unma tured Default, administration of the Loan Documents. The Borrower also agrees to reimburse the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers and the Lenders for any reasonable costs and out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ and paralegals’ fees and time charges of attorneys and paralegals for the Administrative Agent ad the Arrangers and the Lenders, which attorneys and paralegals may be employees of the Administrative Agent or the Arrangers or the Lenders) paid or incurred by the Administrative Agent or the Arrangers or any Lender in connection with the collection of the Obligations and enforcement of the Loan Documents; provided, that after the occurrence and during the continuance of a Default, the Borrower agrees to reimburse the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers and the Lenders for all such costs and out-of-pocket expenses, whet her or not reasonable.

 

(B)  Indemnity. The Borrower further agrees to defend, protect, indemnify, and hold harmless the Administrative Agent, each Arranger, the Syndication Agent and each and all of the Lenders and each of their respective Affiliates, and each of such Administrative Agent’s, Syndication Agent’s, Arranger’s, Lender’s, or Affiliate’s respective officers, directors, trustees, investment advisors, employees, attorneys and agents (including, without limitation, those retained in connection with the satisfaction or attempted satisfaction of any of the conditions set forth in Article V) (collectively, the “Indemnitees”) from and against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, claims, costs, expenses of any kind or nature whatsoever (including, without limitation, the fees and disbursements of counsel for such Indemnitees in connection with any investigative, administrative or judicial proceeding, whether or not such Indemnitees shall be designated a party thereto), imposed on, incurred by, or asserted against such Indemnitees in any manner relating to or arising out of:

 

(i)  this Agreement, the other Loan Documents, or any act, event or transaction related or attendant thereto, the making of the Loans, and the issuance of and participation in Letters of Credit hereunder, the management of such Loans or Letters of Credit, the use or intended use of the proceeds of the Loans or Letters of Credit hereunder, or any of the other transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents; or

 

(ii)  any liabilities, obligations, responsibilities, losses, damages, personal injury, death, punitive damages, economic damages, consequential damages, treble damages, intentional, willful or wanton injury, damage or threat to the environment, natural resources or public health or welfare, costs and expenses (including, without limitation, attorney, expert and consulting fees and costs of investigation, feasibility or remedial action studies), fines, penalties and monetary sanctions, interest, direct or indirect, known or unknown, absolute or contingent, past, present or future relating to violation of any Environmental, Health or Safety Requirements of Law arising from or in connection with the past, present or future operation s of the Borrower, its Subsidiaries or any of their respective predecessors in interest, or, the past, present or future environmental, health or safety condition of any respective property of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries, the presence of asbestos-containing materials at any respective property of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries or the Release or threatened Release of any Contaminant into the environment (collectively, the “Indemnified Matters”);

 

provided, however, the Borrower shall have no obligation to an Indemnitee hereunder with respect to Indemnified Matters caused by or resulting from the willful misconduct or gross negligence of such Indemnitee with respect to the Loan Documents, as determined by the final non-appealed judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction. If the undertaking to indemnify, pay and hold harmless set forth in the preceding sentence may be unenforceable because it is violative of any law or public policy, the Borrower shall contribute the maximum portion which it is permitted to pay and satisfy under applicabl e law, to the payment and satisfaction of all Indemnified Matters incurred by the Indemnitees.

 

Each Indemnitee, with respect to any action against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought under this Section, shall give written notice of the commencement of such action to the Borrower within a reasonable time after such Indemnitee is made a party to such action. Upon receipt of any such notice by the Borrower, unless such Indemnitee shall be advised by its counsel that there are or may be legal defenses available to such Indemnitee that are different from, in addition to, or in conflict with, the defenses available to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, the Borrower may participate with the Indemnitee in the defense of such Indemnified Matter, including the employment of counsel consented to by such Indemnitee (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld); provided, however, nothing provided herein shall entitle (a) the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries to assume the defense of such Indemnified Matter or (b) any Indemnitee to effect any settlement in respect of any indemnified matter without the Borrower’s consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

 

(C)  Waiver of Certain Claims; Settlement of Claims. The Borrower further agrees to assert no claim against any of the Indemnitees on any theory of liability seeking consequential, special, indirect, exemplary or punitive damages. No settlement of any claim asserted against or likely to be asserted against an Indemnitee shall be entered into by the Borrower or any if its Subsidiaries with respect to any claim, litigation, arbitration or other proceeding relating to or arising out of the transactions evidenced by this Agreement or the other Loan Documents (whether or not the Administrative Agent or any Lender or any other Indemnitee is a party thereto) unless such settlement releases such Indemnitee from any and all liability with respect thereto.

 

(D)  Survival of Agreements. The obligations and agreements of the Borrower under this Section 10.7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

10.8  Numbers of Documents. All statements, notices, closing documents, and requests hereunder shall be furnished to the Administrative Agent with sufficient counterparts so that the Administrative Agent may furnish one to each of the Lenders.

 

10.9  Accounting. Except as provided to the contrary herein, all accounting terms used herein shall be interpreted and all accounting determinations hereunder shall be made in accordance with Agreement Accounting Principles. If any changes in generally accepted accounting principles are hereafter required or permitted and are adopted by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries with the agreement of its independent certified public accountants and such changes result in a change in the method of calculation of any of the financial covenants, tests, restrictions or standards herein or in the related definitions or terms used therein (“Accounting Changes”), the parties hereto agree, at the Borrower’s request, to enter into negotiations, in good faith, in order to amend such provisions in a credit neutral manner so as to reflect equitably such changes with the desired result that the criteria for evaluating the Borrower’s and its Subsidiaries’ financial condition shall be the same after such changes as if such changes had not been made; provided, however, until such provisions are amended in a manner reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders, no Accounting Change shall be given effect in such calculations and all financial statements and reports required to be delivered hereunder shall be prepared in accordance with Agreement Accounting Principles without taking into account such Accounting Changes. In the event such amendment is entered into, all references in this Agreement to Agreement Accounting Principles shall mean generally accepted accounting principles as of the date of such amendment.

 

10.10  Severability of Provisions. Any provision in any Loan Document that is held to be inoperative, unenforceable, or invalid in any jurisdiction shall, as to that jurisdiction, be inoperative, unenforceable, or invalid without affecting the remaining provisions in that jurisdiction or the operation, enforceability, or validity of that provision in any other jurisdiction, and to this end the provisions of all Loan Documents are declared to be severable.

 

10.11  Nonliability of Lenders. The relationship between the Borrower and the Lenders and the Administrative Agent shall be solely that of borrower and lender. Neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall have any fiduciary responsibilities to the Borrower. Neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender undertakes any responsibility to the Borrower to review or inform the Borrower of any matter in connection with any phase of the Borrower’s business or operations.

 

10.12  GOVERNING LAW. THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT ACCEPTS THIS AGREEMENT, ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND THE LENDERS, AT NEW YORK, NEW YORK BY ACKNOWLEDGING AND AGREEING TO IT THERE. ANY DISPUTE BETWEEN THE BORROWER AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER OR ANY OTHER HOLDER OF OBLIGATIONS ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH, RELATED TO, OR INCIDENTAL TO THE RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED BETWEEN THEM IN CONNECTION WITH, THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OF T HE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS, AND WHETHER ARISING IN CONTRACT, TORT, EQUITY, OR OTHERWISE, SHALL BE GOVERNED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, BUT GIVING EFFECT TO FEDERAL LAWS APPLICABLE TO NATIONAL BANKS.

 

10.13  CONSENT TO JURISDICTION; JURY TRIAL.

 

(A)  EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (B), EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT ALL DISPUTES AMONG THEM ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH, RELATED TO, OR INCIDENTAL TO THE RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED AMONG THEM IN CONNECTION WITH, THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OF THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS WHETHER ARISING IN CONTRACT, TORT, EQUITY, OR OTHERWISE, SHALL BE RESOLVED EXCLUSIVELY BY STATE OR FEDERAL COURTS LOCATED IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK, BUT THE PARTIES HERETO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ANY APPEALS FROM TH OSE COURTS MAY HAVE TO BE HEARD BY A COURT LOCATED OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK, NEW YORK. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO WAIVES IN ALL DISPUTES BROUGHT PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION (A) ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY HAVE TO THE LOCATION OF THE COURT CONSIDERING THE DISPUTE.

 

(B)  OTHER JURISDICTIONS. THE BORROWER AGREES THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER OR ANY OTHER HOLDER OF OBLIGATIONS SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROCEED AGAINST THE BORROWER OR ITS PROPERTY IN A COURT IN ANY LOCATION TO ENABLE SUCH PERSON TO (1) OBTAIN PERSONAL JURISDICTION OVER THE BORROWER OR (2) IN ORDER TO ENFORCE A JUDGMENT OR OTHER COURT ORDER ENTERED IN FAVOR OF SUCH PERSON. THE BORROWER AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT ASSERT ANY PERMISSIVE COUNTERCLAIMS IN ANY PROCEEDING BROUGHT BY SUCH PERSON TO REALIZE ON ANY SECURITY FOR THE OBLIGATIONS OR TO ENFORCE A JUDGMENT OR OTHER COURT ORDER IN FAVOR OF SUCH PERSON BUT SHALL ONLY BE PERMITTED TO BRING ANY S UCH PERMISSIVE COUNTERCLAIM IN A PROCEEDING BROUGHT PURSUANT TO CLAUSE (A). THE BORROWER WAIVES ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY HAVE TO THE LOCATION OF THE COURT IN WHICH SUCH PERSON HAS COMMENCED A PROCEEDING DESCRIBED IN THIS SUBSECTION (B).

 

(C)  VENUE. THE BORROWER IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY OBJECTION (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY OBJECTION OF THE LAYING OF VENUE OR BASED ON THE GROUNDS OF FORUM NON CONVENIENS) WHICH IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE BRINGING OF ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING WITH RESPECT TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER INSTRUMENT, DOCUMENT OR AGREEMENT EXECUTED OR DELIVERED IN CONNECTION HEREWITH IN ANY JURISDICTION SET FORTH ABOVE.

 

(D)  WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO HAVE A JURY PARTICIPATE IN RESOLVING ANY DISPUTE, WHETHER SOUNDING IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH, RELATED TO OR INCIDENTAL TO THE RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED AMONG THEM IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER INSTRUMENT, DOCUMENT OR AGREEMENT EXECUTED OR DELIVERED IN CONNECTION HEREWITH. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES AND CONSENTS THAT ANY SUCH CLAIM, DEMAND, ACTION OR CAUSE OF ACTION SHALL BE DECIDED BY COURT TRIAL WITHOUT A JURY AND THAT ANY PARTY HERETO MAY FILE AN ORIGINAL COUNTERPA RT OR A COPY OF THIS AGREEMENT WITH ANY COURT AS WRITTEN EVIDENCE OF THE CONSENT OF THE PARTIES HERETO TO THE WAIVER OF THEIR RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY.

 

(E)  ADVICE OF COUNSEL. EACH OF THE PARTIES REPRESENTS TO EACH OTHER PARTY HERETO THAT IT HAS DISCUSSED THIS AGREEMENT AND, SPECIFICALLY, THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 10.7 AND THIS SECTION 10.13, WITH ITS COUNSEL.

 

10.14  Subordination of Intercompany Indebtedness. The Borrower agrees that any and all claims of the Borrower against any of its Subsidiaries that is a Subsidiary Guarantor with respect to any “Intercompany Indebtedness” (as hereinafter defined), any endorser, obligor or any other guarantor of all or any part of the Obligations, or against any of its properties shall be subordinate and subject in right of payment to the prior payment, in full and in cash, of all Obligations and Hedging Obligations under Hedging Agreements; provided that, and not in contravention of the foregoing, so long as no Default has occurred and is continuing the Borrower may make loans to and receive payments in the ordinary course with respect to such Intercompany Indebtedness from each such Subsidiary Guarantor to the extent permitted by the terms of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. Notwithstanding any right of the Borrower to ask, demand, sue for, take or receive any payment from any Subsidiary Guarantor, all rights, liens and security interests of the Borrower, whether now or hereafter arising and howsoever existing, in any assets of any Subsidiary Guarantor shall be and are subordinated to the rights o f the Holders of Obligations and the Administrative Agent in those assets. The Borrower shall have no right to possession of any such asset or to foreclose upon any such asset, whether by judicial action or otherwise, unless and until all of the Obligations (other than contingent indemnity obligations) and the Hedging Obligations under Hedging Agreements shall have been fully paid and satisfied (in cash) and all financing arrangements pursuant to any Loan Document or Hedging Agreement among the Borrower and the Holders of Obligations (or any affiliate thereof) have been terminated. If all or any part of the assets of any Subsidiary Guarantor, or the proceeds thereof, are subject to any distribution, division or application to the creditors of such Subsidiary Guarantor, whether partial or complete, voluntary or involuntary, and whether by reason of liquidation, bankruptcy, arrangement, receivership, assignment for the benefit of creditors or any other action or proceeding, or if the business of any such Subsidiary Guarantor is dissolved or if substantially all of the assets of any such Subsidiary Guarantor are sold, then, and in any such event (such events being herein referred to as an “Insolvency Event”), any payment or distribution of any kind or character, either in cash, securities or other property, which shall be payable or deliverable upon or with respect to any indebtedness of any< /font> Subsidiary Guarantor to the Borrower (“Intercompany Indebtedness”) shall be paid or delivered directly to the Administrative Agent for application on any of the Obligations and Hedging Obligations under the Hedging Agreements, due or to become due, until such Obligations and Hedging Obligations (other than contingent indemnity obligations) shall have first been fully paid and satisfied (in cash). Should any payment, distribution, security or instrument or proceeds thereof be received by the Borrower upon or with respect to the Intercompany Indebtedness after an Insolvency Event prior to the satisfaction of all of the Obligations (other than contingent indemnity obligations) and Hedging Obligations under Hedging Agreements and the termination of all financing arrangements pursuant to any Loan Document or Hedging Agreement among the Borrower and the Holders of Obligations (and their affiliates), the Borrower shall receive and hold the same in trust, as trustee, for the benefit of the Holders of Obligations and shall forthwith deliver the same to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of such Persons, in precisely the form received (except for the endorsement or assignment of the Borrower where necessary), for application to any of the Obl igations and such Hedging Obligations, due or not due, and, until so delivered, the same shall be held in trust by the Borrower as the property of the Holders of Obligations. If the Borrower fails to make any such endorsement or assignment to the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent or any of its officers or employees are irrevocably authorized to make the same. The Borrower agrees that until the Obligations (other than the contingent indemnity obligations) and such Hedging Obligations have been paid in full (in cash) and satisfied and all financing arrangements pursuant to any Loan Document or Hedging Agreement among the Borrower and the Holders of Obligations (and their affiliates) have been terminated, the Borrower will not assign or transfer to any Person (other than the Administrative Agent) any claim the Borrower has or may have against any S ubsidiary Guarantor.

 

 

11.1  Appointment and Authorization. Each of the Lenders and each Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably appoints the Administrative Agent as its agent 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, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto.

 

11.2  Administrative Agent and Affiliates. The bank 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 such bank and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to and generally engage in any kind of business with the Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if it were not the Administrative Agent hereunder.

 

11.3  Action by Administrative Agent and Liability of Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, (a) the Administrative Agent shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing, (b) the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby that the Administrative Agent is required to exercise in writing as directed b y the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary under the circumstances as provided in Section 9.3), and (c) except as expressly set forth herein, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries that is communicated to or obtained by the bank serving as Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity. The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary under the circumstances as provided in Section 9.3) or in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until written notice thereof is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower or a Lender, and 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, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or in connection herewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement or any other agreement, instrument or document, or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article V or elsewhere her ein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.

 

11.4  Reliance on Documents and Counsel. 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 believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or sent 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 be made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. The Administrative Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Borrower), 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.

 

11.5  Employment of Agents. The Administrative Agent may perform any and all its duties and exercise its rights and powers 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 its duties and exercise its rights and powers through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of the preceding paragraphs 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.

 

11.6  Indemnification. To the extent that the Borrower fails to pay any amount required to be paid by it to the Agent, the Arrangers, any Issuing Bank or the Swing Line Bank under any of the Loan Documents, including under Section 10.7(A) or (B) of this Agreement, each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent or the Arrangers, as the case may be, ratably in accordance with such Lender’s Pro Rata Share (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or 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, the Arrangers, any Issuing Bank or the Swing Line Bank, in their respective capacity as such.

 

11.7  Successor Agent. Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Administrative Agent as provided in this paragraph, the Administrative Agent may resign at any time by notifying the Lenders, each Issuing Bank and the Borrower. Upon any such resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with the Borrower, to appoint a successor. If no successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within thirty (30) days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders and the Issuing Bank, appoint a successor Administrative Agent which shall be a bank with an office in New York, New York, or an Affiliate of any such bank. Upon the acceptance of its appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder by a successor, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent, and the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder. 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 Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder, the provisions of this Article and Section 10.7 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring 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 it was acting as Administrative Agent.

 

11.8  Credit Decision. Each Lender acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender 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 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 related agreement or any document furnish ed hereunder or thereunder.

 

11.9  Administrative Agent, Arrangers, Syndication Agent, Documentation Agent. None of the Persons identified on the cover page to this Agreement, the signature pages to this Agreement or otherwise in this Agreement as a “Syndication Agent,” “Documentation Agent” or “Arranger” shall have any right, power, obligation, liability, responsibility or duty under this Agreement other than if such Person is a Lender, those applicable to all Lenders as such. Without limiting the foregoing, none of the Persons identified on the cover page to this Agreement, th e signature pages to this Agreement or otherwise in this Agreement as a “Syndication Agent,” “Documentation Agent” or “Arranger” shall have or be deemed to have any fiduciary duty to or fiduciary relationship with any Lender. In addition to the agreement set forth in Section 11.8, each of the Lenders acknowledges that it has not relied, and will not rely, on any of the Persons so identified in deciding to enter into this Agreement or in taking or not taking action hereunder.

 

 

12.1  Setoff. In addition to, and without limitation of, any rights of the Lenders under applicable law, if any Default occurs and is continuing, any indebtedness from any Lender to the Borrower (including all account balances, whether provisional or final and whether or not collected or available) may be offset and applied toward the payment of the Obligations owing to such Lender, whether or not the Obligations, or any part hereof, shall then be due.

 

12.2  Ratable Payments. If any Lender, whether by setoff or otherwise, has payment made to it upon its Loans (other than payments received pursuant to Sections 4.1, 4.2 or 4.4) in a greater propo rtion than that received by any other Lender, such Lender agrees, promptly upon demand, to purchase a portion of the Loans held by the other Lenders so that after such purchase each Lender will hold its ratable proportion of Loans. If any Lender, whether in connection with setoff or amounts which might be subject to setoff or otherwise, receives collateral or other protection for its Obligation or such amounts which may be subject to setoff, such Lender agrees, promptly upon demand, to take such action necessary such that all Lenders share in the benefits of such collateral ratably in proportion to the obligations owing to them. In case any such payment is disturbed by legal process, or otherwise, appropriate further adjustments shall be made.

 

12.3  Application of Payments. Subject to the provisions of Section 9.2, the Administrative Agent shall, unless otherwise specified at the direction of the Required Lenders which direction shall be consistent with the last sentence of this Section 12.3, apply all payments and prepayments in respect of any Obligations received after the occurrence a nd during the continuance of a Default or Unmatured Default in the following order:

 

(A)  first, to pay interest on and then principal of any portion of the Loans which the Administrative Agent may have advanced on behalf of any Lender for which the Administrative Agent has not then been reimbursed by such Lender or the Borrower;

 

(B)  second, to pay interest on and then principal of any advance made under Section 10.3 for which the Administrative Agent has not then been paid by the Borrower or reimbursed by the Lenders;

 

(C)  third, to pay Obligations in respect of any fees, expenses, reimbursements or indemnities then due to the Administrative Agent;

 

(D)  fourth, to pay Obligations in respect of any fees, expenses, reimbursements or indemnities then due to the Lenders and the issuer(s) of Letters of Credit;

 

(E)  fifth, to pay interest due in respect of Swing Line Loans;

 

(F)  sixth, to pay interest due in respect of Loans (other than Swing Line Loans) and L/C Obligations;

 

(G)  seventh, to the ratable payment or prepayment of principal outstanding on Swing Line Loans;

 

(H)  eighth, to the ratable payment or prepayment of principal outstanding on Loans (other than Swing Line Loans), Reimbursement Obligations and Hedging Obligations under Hedging Agreements;

 

(I)  ninth, to provide required cash collateral, if required pursuant to Section 3.11; and

 

(J)  tenth, to the ratable payment of all other Obligations.

 

Unless otherwise designated (which designation shall only be applicable prior to the occurrence of a Default) by the Borrower, all principal payments in respect of Loans (other than Swing Line Loans) shall be applied to the outstanding Revolving Loans first, to repay outstanding Floating Rate Loans, and then to repay outstanding Eurodollar Rate Loans with those Eurodollar Rate Loans which have earlier expiring Interest Periods being repaid prior to those which have later expiring Interest Periods. The order of priority set forth in this Section 12.3 and the related provisions of this Agreement are set forth solely to determine the rights and priorities of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Swing Line Bank and the issuer(s) of Letters of Credit as among themselves. The order of priority set forth in clauses (D) through (J) of this Section 12.3 may at any time and from time to time be changed by the Required Lenders without necessity of notice to or consent of or approval by the Borrower, or any other Person; provided, that the order of priority of payments in respect of Swing Line Loans may be changed only with the prior written consent of the Swing Line Bank. The order of priority set forth in clauses (A) through (C) of this Section 12.3 may be changed only with the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent.

 

12.4  Relations Among Lenders.

 

(A)  Except with respect to the exercise of set-off rights of any Lender in accordance with Section 12.1, the proceeds of which are applied in accordance with this Agreement, and except as set forth in the following sentence, each Lender agrees that it will not take any action, nor institute any actions or proceedings, against the Borrower or any other obligor hereunder or with respect to any Loan Document, without the prior written consent of the Required Lenders or, as may be provided in this Agreement or the other Loan Documents, at the direction of the Administrative Agent.

 

(B)  The Lenders are not partners or co-venturers, and no Lender shall be liable for the acts or omissions of, or (except as otherwise set forth herein in case of the Administrative Agent) authorized to act for, any other Lender. The Administrative Agent shall have the exclusive right on behalf of the Lenders, at the direction of the Required Lenders, to enforce on the payment of the principal of and interest on any Loan after the date such principal or interest has become due and payable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

 

12.5  Representations and Covenants Among Lenders. Each Lender represents and covenants for the benefit of all other Lenders and the Administrative Agent that such Lender is not satisfying and shall not satisfy any of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement with any assets considered for any purposes of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code to be assets of or on behalf of any “plan” as defined in section 3(3) of ERISA or section 4975 of the Code, regardless of whether subject to ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.

 

 

13.1  Successors and Assigns. The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of any Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), except that (i) the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by the Borrower without such consent shall be null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer its rights or obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Article XIII. 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 (including any Affiliate of any Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), Participants (to the extent provided in Section 13.2) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Adm inistrative Agent, each Issuing Bank and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement. The Administrative Agent may treat the Person which made any Loan or which holds any note as the owner thereof for all purposes hereof unless and until such Person complies with Section 13.3; provided, however, that the Administrative Agent may in its discretion (but shall not be required to) follow instructions from the Person which made any Loan or which holds any note to direct payments relating to such Loan or note to another Person. Any assignee of the rights to any Loan or any note agrees by acceptance of such assignment to be bound by all the terms and provisions of the Loan Documents. Any request, authority or consent of any Person, who at the time of making such request or giving such authority or consent is the owner of the rights to any Loan (whether or not a note has been issued in evidence thereof), shall be conclusive and binding on any subsequent holder or assignee of the rights to such Loan.

 

13.2  Participations.

 

(A)  Permitted Participants; Effect. Any Lender may, without the consent of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks or the Swingline Lender, sell participations to one or more banks or other entities (a “Participant”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Revolving Loan Commitment and the Loans owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreeme nt 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, the Issuing Banks 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. 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, modification or waiver described in the proviso to Section 9.3 that adversely affects such Participant. Subject to paragraph (B) of this Section, the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5 to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to Section 13.3. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 12.1 as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 12.2 as though it were a Lender.

 

(B)  Limitation of Participant Rights. A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Sections 4.1, 4.2 or 4.5 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to rec eive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, unless the sale of the participation to such Participant is made with the Borrower’s prior written consent. A Participant that would be a Non-U.S. Lender if it were a Lender shall not be entitled to the benefits of Section 4.5 unless the Borrower is notified of the participation sold to such Participant and such Participant agrees, for the benefit of the Borrower, to comply with Section 4.5 as though it were a Lender.

 

13.3  Assignments.

 

(A)  Consents. Subject to the conditions set forth in paragraph (B) below, any Lender may assign to one or more assignees (“Purchasers”) all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Revolving Loan Commitment and the Loans at the time owing to it) with the prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) of: (i) the Borrower; pro vided that no consent of the Borrower shall be required for an assignment to a Purchaser that is a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund or, if a Default has occurred and is continuing, any other assignee; (ii) the Administrative Agent; (iii) the Swing Line Bank and (iv) JPMorgan in its capacity as the Principal Issuing Bank.

 

(B)  Conditions. Assignments shall be subject to the following additional conditions:

 

(i)  except in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund or an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Revolving Loan Commitment or Loans, the amount of the Revolving Loan Commitment or 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) shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent otherwise consent; provided that no such consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing;

 

(ii)  each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, provided that this clause shall not be construed to prohibit the assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations in respect of its Revolving Loan Commitments or Loans;

 

(iii)  the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee of $3,500; and

 

(iv)  the assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire.

 

(C)  Effect; Effective Date. Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to paragraph (D) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto 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 a nd obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5 and 10.7). Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 13.3 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 Section 13.2.

 

(D)  The Register. The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as an agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at one of its offices a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Revolving Loan Commitment of, and principal amount of the Loans and LC Drafts owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall b e conclusive, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks 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, the Issuing Banks and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.

 

(E)  Recording. Upon its receipt of a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee, the assignee’s completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in this Section 13.3 and any written consent to such assignment required by this Section 13.3, the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register; provided that if either the assigning Lender or the assignee shall have failed to make any payment required to be made by it pursuant to Sections 2.2(D), 2.17, 3.6, 3.7 or 11.6, the Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information therein in the Register unless and until such payment shall have been made in full, together with all accrued interest thereon. No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.

 

(F)  Pledge to a Federal Reserve Bank. Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including without limitation any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank, and this Section shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.

 

13.4  Confidentiality. 

 

(a)  Subject to Section 13.5, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and their respective representatives shall hold all nonpublic information obtained pursuant to the requirements of this Agreement and identified as such by the Borrower in accordance with such Person’s customary procedures for handling confidential information of this nature and in accordance with safe and sound commercial lending or investment practices and in any event may make disclosure reasonably required by a prospective Transferee in connection with the contemplated participation or assignment or a s required or requested by any Governmental Authority or any securities exchange or similar self-regulatory organization or representative thereof or pursuant to a regulatory examination or legal process, or to any direct or indirect contractual counterparty in swap agreements or such contractual counterparty’s professional advisor, and shall require any such Transferee to agree (and require any of its Transferees to agree) to comply with this Section 13.4. In no event shall the Administrative Agent or any Lender be obligated or required to return any materials furnished by the Borrower; provided, however, each prospective Transferee shall be required to agree that if it does not become a participant or assignee it shall return all materials furnished to it by or on behalf of the Borrower in connection with this Agreement.

 

(b)  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, confidential information shall not include, and each Lender (and each employee, representative or other agent of any Lender) may disclose to any and all Persons, without limitation of any kind, the “tax treatment” and “tax structure” (in each case, within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.6011-4) of the transactions contemplated hereby and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are or have been provided to such Lender relating to such tax treatment or tax structure; provided that (i) this authorization is not intended to permit disclosure of any other information to the extent not related to such tax treatment or tax structure and (ii) with respect to any document or similar item that in either case contains information concerning such tax treatment or tax structure of the transactions contemplated hereby as well as other information, this sentence shall only apply to such portions of the document or similar item that relate to such tax treatment or tax structure.

 

13.5  Dissemination of Information. The Borrower authorizes each Lender to disclose to any Participant or Purchaser or any other Person acquiring an interest in the Loan Documents by operation of law (each a “Transferee”) and any prospective Transferee any and all information in such Lender’s possession concerning the Borrowe r and its Subsidiaries; provided that prior to any such disclosure, such prospective Transferee shall agree to preserve in accordance with Section 13.4 the confidentiality of any confidential information described therein.

 

13.6  Tax Treatment. If any interest in any Loan Document is transferred to any Transferee which is not incorporated under the laws of the United States or any State thereof, the transferor Lender shall cause such Transferee, concurrently with the effectiveness of such transfer, to comply with the provisions of Section 4.5(iv).

 

 

14.1  Giving Notice.

 

(a)  Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and subject to paragraph (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 telecopy, as follows:

 

(i)  if to the Borrower, to it at 533 Maryville University Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141, Attention of William C. Fox, Vice President and Treasurer (Telecopy No. (314) 985-2220);

 

(ii)  if to the Administrative Agent, to it at 270 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017, Attention of Anthony White (Telecopy No. (212) 270-3279), with a copy to 131 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60057, Attention of William Oleferchik (Telecopy No. (312) 325-3077); and

 

(iii)  if to any other Lender, to it at its address (or telecopy number) set forth below its signature hereto.

 

(b)  Notices and other communications to the Lenders hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices pursuant to Article II unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and the applicable Lender. 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.

 

(c)  Any party hereto may change its address or telecopy number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto. All notices and other communications given to any party hereto in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed to have been given on the date of receipt.

 

14.2  Change of Address. The Borrower, the Administrative Agent and any Lender may each change the address for service of notice upon it by a notice in writing to the other parties hereto.

 

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, all of which taken together shall constitute one agreement, and any of the parties hereto may execute this Agreement by signing any such counterpart. This Agreement shall be effective when it has been executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and each party has notified the Administrative Agent by telex or telephone, that it has taken such action.

 

 

Each 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 to identify the Borrower in accordance with the Act.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Borrower, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent have executed this Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

[SIGNATURE PAGES TO BE POSTED SEPARATELY]