Underwriting Agreement, dated February 15, 2022, among FactSet Research Systems Inc. and BofA Securities, Inc. and PNC Capital Markets LLC as representatives of the several underwriters listed therein

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Underwriting Agreements
EX-1.1 2 ex1-1.htm UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1.1






FactSet Research Systems Inc.

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

dated February 15, 2022

BofA Securities, Inc.

PNC Capital Markets LLC



Underwriting Agreement

February 15, 2022

BOFA SECURITIES, INC.
PNC CAPITAL MARKETS LLC
    As Representatives of the several Underwriters

c/o BOFA SECURITIES, INC.
One Bryant Park
New York, NY 10036


Ladies and Gentlemen:

Introductory.  FactSet Research Systems Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you (the “Representatives”) are acting as representatives, (i) $500,000,000 principal amount of its 2.900% Senior Notes due 2027 (the “2027 Notes”) and (ii) $500,000,000 principal amount of its 3.450% Senior Notes due 2032 (the “2032 Notes” and, together with the 2027 Notes, the “Securities”).  The Securities will be issued pursuant to an indenture dated as of March 1, 2022 (the “Base Indenture”), among the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”).  Certain terms of the Securities will be established pursuant to a supplemental indenture dated as of March 1, 2022 (the “Supplemental Indenture”) to the Base Indenture (together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”).  To the extent there are no additional underwriters listed on Schedule A other than you, the term Representatives as used herein shall mean you as the Underwriters, and the terms Representatives and Underwriters shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires.  The use of the neuter in this Underwriting Agreement (the “Agreement”) shall include the feminine and masculine wherever appropriate.

The Securities are being issued in connection with the acquisition (the “Acquisition”) by the Company of assets related to the business of CUSIP Global Services, a division of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (the “Target”), pursuant to that certain Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 24, 2021 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Acquisition Agreement”), by and between the Company and S&P Global Inc., a New York corporation. In connection with the Acquisition, substantially concurrently with the date of the consummation of the Acquisition (the “Acquisition Date”), the Company will enter into (i) a senior unsecured three-year term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $1,000,000,000 (the “Three-Year Term Facility”) and (ii) a senior unsecured five-year revolving credit facility in an aggregate committed amount of $500,000,000 (the “Revolving Facility” and together with the Three-Year Term Facility, the “Facilities”), as more fully described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (each as defined below), to, together with the proceeds of the Securities, finance the Transactions (as defined below).

In the event the Acquisition has not been consummated on or prior to December 24, 2022 (the “Outside Date”) or if, prior to such date, the Acquisition Agreement is terminated (such event, a “Special Mandatory Redemption Event”), then, in either case, the Company will be required to redeem all of the Securities (the “Special Mandatory Redemption”) on the Special Mandatory Redemption Date (as defined below) at a special mandatory redemption price equal to 101.0% of the principal amount of such series of Securities being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the Special Mandatory Redemption Date.  Notice of the occurrence of a Special Mandatory Redemption Event and that a Special Mandatory Redemption is to occur (the “Special Mandatory Redemption Notice”) will be delivered to the Trustee and mailed to holders of the Securities or electronically delivered within ten business days after the Special Mandatory Redemption Event.  “Special Mandatory Redemption Date” means the date on which the Special Mandatory Redemption will occur, as specified in the Special Mandatory Redemption Notice, which shall be no more than ten business days after mailing or sending the Special Mandatory Redemption Notice.



As used herein, the term “Transactions” means, collectively, (i) the issuance and sale of the Securities, (ii) the entry by the Company into the Facilities on the Acquisition Date, (iii) the termination of all commitments, repayment of all outstanding borrowings, backstop, cash collateralization or grandfathering of all letters of credit and release of all guarantees under the Credit Agreement (the “Existing Credit Agreement”) dated as of March 29, 2019 (as amended or otherwise modified from time to time) of the Company (the “Refinancing”), (iv) the Acquisition and (v) the payment of all fees, costs and expenses related to the foregoing.

1.          Representations and Warranties.  The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date that:

(a)          The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S‑3 (File No. 333-261992), which contains a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), to be used in connection with the public offering and sale of the Securities.  Such registration statement, as amended, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, at each time of effectiveness under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), including any required information deemed to be a part thereof at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430B or 430C under the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”), is called the “Registration Statement.”  Any preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), together with the Base Prospectus, is hereafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus.”  The term “Prospectus” shall mean the final prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) after the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto, including the Base Prospectus.  Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S‑3 under the Securities Act; any reference to any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, under the Exchange Act, and incorporated by reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

(b)          Compliance with Registration Requirements.  The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S‑3 under the Securities Act.  The Registration Statement became effective upon filing with the Commission under the Securities Act.  No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect, the Commission has not issued any order or notice preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus and no proceedings for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act have been instituted or are pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission.

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Each of the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus when filed complied in all material respects with the Securities Act.  Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at each time of effectiveness, at the date hereof and at the Closing Date, complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading. The Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, as of its date, at the time of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and, at the Closing Date, did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  The representations and warranties set forth in the two immediately preceding sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements thereto, made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Representatives consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.

The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package (as defined herein) and the Prospectus, when they were filed with the Commission conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act. Any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents are filed with the Commission will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act. All documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as of their respective dates, when taken together with the other information in the Disclosure Package, at the Applicable Time and, when taken together with the other information in the Prospectus, at the Closing Date, did not or will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(c)          Well-Known Seasoned Issuer.  (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) of the Securities Act) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 of the Securities Act and (iv) at the Applicable Time (with such date and time being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (iv)), the Company was and is a “well‑known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement,” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act that has been filed with the Commission not earlier than three years prior to the Closing Date; the Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of the Securities Act objecting to use of the automatic shelf registration statement form; and the Company has not otherwise ceased to be eligible to use the automatic shelf registration form.

(d)          Disclosure Package.  The term “Disclosure Package” shall mean (i) the Preliminary Prospectus, if any, as amended or supplemented, (ii) the issuer free writing prospectuses as defined in Rule 433 of the Securities Act (each, an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”), if any, identified in Schedule B hereto, (iii) any other free writing prospectus that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Disclosure Package and (iv) the Final Term Sheet (as defined herein), which also shall be identified in Schedule B hereto.  As of 3:55 p.m. (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement (the “Applicable Time”), the Disclosure Package did not, and as of the Closing Date, the Disclosure Package will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Disclosure Package based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.

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(e)          Company Not Ineligible Issuer.  (i) At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement relating to the Securities that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the Securities Act) and (ii) as of the Applicable Time (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act), without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 of the Securities Act that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an “ineligible issuer.”

(f)          Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses.  Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the offering of Securities under this Agreement or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representatives as described in the next sentence, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.  If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, the Company has promptly notified or will promptly notify the Representatives and, if reasonably requested in writing by the Representatives, has promptly amended or supplemented or will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict.  Any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus not identified on Schedule B, when taken together with the Disclosure Package, did not, and at the Closing Date will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  The foregoing three sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.

(g)          Distribution of Offering Material by the Company.  The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the Closing Date and the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Securities, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Representatives.

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(h)          No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights.  There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, except for such rights as have been duly waived.

(i)          No Material Adverse Change.  Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto): (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, management, business, properties, operations or prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity (any such change is called a “Material Adverse Change”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, have not incurred any liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business nor entered into any material transaction or agreement not in the ordinary course of business, in each case, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and (iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or, except for dividends paid to the Company or other subsidiaries, any of its subsidiaries on any class of capital stock or repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any class of capital stock.

(j)          Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company and Its Subsidiaries.  Each of the Company and its material subsidiaries has been duly incorporated or organized and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization and has the requisite power and authority, corporate or other, to own or lease, as the case may be, and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, in the case of the Company, to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement.  The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation or other entity to transact business and is in good standing or equivalent status in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except for such jurisdictions where the failure to so qualify or to be in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or other ownership interests of each subsidiary have, to the extent relevant, been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or claim, except as disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.  The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity that would be considered a “significant subsidiary” as defined by Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X, other than the subsidiaries listed in Schedule C hereto.

(k)          Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters.  As of November 30, 2021 the authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended November 30, 2021 under the caption “Stockholders’ Equity.”  All of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and have been issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws.  There are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries other than those accurately described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

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(l)          The Securities.  The Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company will on the Closing Date be in the form contemplated by the Indenture, have been duly authorized by the Company for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and the Indenture and, at the Closing Date, will have been duly executed by the Company and, when authenticated in the manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment of the purchase price therefor, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.

(m)          The Indenture.  The Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act.  The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and, at the Closing Date, will have been duly executed and delivered by the Company and will constitute a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles.

(n)          Description of Documents.  The Securities and the Indenture will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the captions “Description of Notes” and “Description of Debt Securities.”

(o)          Regulations T, U and X.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any agent thereof acting on their behalf has taken, and none of them will take, any action that would cause this Agreement (including, without limitation, the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities) to violate or result in a violation of Section 7 of the Exchange Act, or any regulation promulgated thereunder, including, without limitation, Regulations T, U, and X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

(p)          Non-Violation of Existing Instruments.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation or in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, would be in default) under (“Default”) its charter, by‑laws or similar organizational documents, (ii) in Default under any indenture, mortgage, loan or credit agreement, deed of trust, note, contract, franchise, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or such subsidiary is a party or by which it may be bound (including, without limitation, the Existing Credit Agreement), or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”), or (iii) in violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or such subsidiary or any of its properties, except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for such Defaults or violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate (or similar) action and will not result in any Default under the charter or by‑laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any subsidiary, (ii) will not constitute a Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument, except for such Defaults as would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change and (iii) will not result in any violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of its or their properties.  As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

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(q)          No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required.  No consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, except (A) such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect, (B) such as may be required by the securities laws of the several states of the United States, the provinces of Canada or any other non-U.S. jurisdiction and (C) such as may be required under the Securities Act and the Trust Indenture Act.

(r)          No Material Actions or Proceedings.  Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental actions, suits or proceedings pending or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened (i) against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (ii) which have as the subject thereof any property owned or leased by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that, in the case of clause (i) or (ii) would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change or adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(s)          Independent Accountants.  Ernst & Young LLP, which has expressed its opinion with respect to the financial statements for the fiscal years ended August 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021 (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) and supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company as required by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable published rules and regulations thereunder and the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).

(t)          Preparation of Financial Statements.  The financial statements filed with the Commission as a part of or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and included or incorporated by reference in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of and at the dates indicated and the results of their operations and cash flows for the periods specified.  The supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the information required to be stated therein.  Such financial statements and supporting schedules have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto.  No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.  The financial data set forth in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus under the captions “Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial Data of FactSet Research Systems Inc.,” and “Capitalization of FactSet Research Systems Inc.” fairly present in all material respects the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.  All disclosures contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, if any, regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply in all material respects with Regulation G under the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, to the extent applicable.  The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus fairly present the information called for in all material respects and have been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

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(u)          This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(v)          Intellectual Property Rights.  The Company and its subsidiaries own, possess, license or have other rights to use, on reasonable terms, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service mark registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, technology, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business as now conducted or as proposed in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus to be conducted.  Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (a) no party has been granted an exclusive license to use any portion of such Intellectual Property owned by the Company that would interfere with the Company’s business as so conducted or proposed to be conducted; (b) there is no material infringement by third parties of any such Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company and its subsidiaries; (c) there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the rights of the Company and its subsidiaries in or to any material Intellectual Property, which would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (d) there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property, which would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; and (e) there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company’s business as now conducted infringes or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, which would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, and the Company is unaware of any other fact which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim.

(w)          All Necessary Permits, etc.  The Company and each of its subsidiaries possess such valid and current licenses, certificates, authorizations or permits issued by the appropriate state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct its respective business, except where the failure to possess any such certificate, authorization or permit would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such license, certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(x)          Title to Properties.  (i) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple (in the case of real property) to, or have valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property and assets that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects and imperfections of title except those that (x) are described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (y) do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries or (z) would not have a Material Adverse Change, and (ii) any material real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, existing and enforceable leases with such exceptions (x) as are not material and do not interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real property and buildings by the Company or its subsidiaries or (y) which would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

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(y)          Tax Law Compliance.  Except as disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Disclosure Package, the Company and its subsidiaries have filed all material federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to have been filed in a timely manner and have paid all material taxes required to have been paid by any of them and, if due and payable, any related or similar assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them (including in the capacity of a withholding agent), except for any taxes, assessments, fines or penalties as may be being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings and except where the failure to file or the failure to pay would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  The Company has made appropriate provisions in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 1(t) above in respect of all material federal, state, local and foreign taxes for all current or prior periods as to which the tax liability of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has not been finally determined, except where the failure to make any such charge, accrual or reserve would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(z)          Company Not an “Investment Company.”  The Company is not, and after receipt of payment for the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as contemplated under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in each of the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus will not be, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).

(aa)          Insurance.  Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, each of the Company and its subsidiaries are insured by recognized, financially sound and reputable institutions with policies in such amounts and with such deductibles and covering such risks as are generally deemed adequate and customary for their businesses.  The Company has no reason to believe that it or any of its subsidiaries will not be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (ii) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not result in a Material Adverse Change.

(bb)          Solvency.  The Company is, and immediately after the Closing Date will be, Solvent.  As used herein, the term “Solvent” means, with respect to any person on a particular date, that on such date (i) the fair market value of the assets of such person is greater than the total amount of liabilities (including contingent liabilities) of such person, (ii) the present fair salable value of the assets of such person is greater than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liabilities of such person on its debts as they become absolute and matured, (iii) such person is able to realize upon its assets and pay its debts and other liabilities, including contingent obligations, as they mature and (iv) such person does not have unreasonably small capital.

(cc)          No Price Stabilization or Manipulation.  The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might be reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.

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(dd)          Disclosure Controls.  The Company and its subsidiaries maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a‑15(e) under the Exchange Act).  The Company and its subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a‑15 of the Exchange Act.

(ee)          Internal Controls and Procedures.  The Company maintains (i) internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a-15 and Rule 15d-15 under the Exchange Act that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and (ii) a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (E) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus fairly present the information called for in all material respects and are prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.  Since the end of the Company’s most recent fiscal year, there has been no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated).

(ff)          No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the FCPA,  any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010 (the “Bribery Act”), or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law, including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA or other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA or other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law, and the Company, its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA, the Bribery Act, and the other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws, and have instituted and maintain, and enforce policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.  “FCPA” means the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

(gg)          No Conflict with Money Laundering Laws.  The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar applicable rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

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(hh)          No Conflict with Sanctions Laws.  None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or  representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is currently the subject or target of any  sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government, including, without limitation, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions; and the Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering and sale of the Securities, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person, (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any Person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation is the subject or target of Sanctions, or is in any of Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Crimea, or in any other country or territory, that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or target of Sanctions or (ii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any Person (including any Person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions.  For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, and are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not knowingly engage in any dealings or transactions with any Person that, at the time of such dealing or transaction, is or was the subject or target of Sanctions or with or in any country or territory that is or was the target or subject of Sanctions.

(ii)          Compliance with Environmental Laws.  Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries (x) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”); (y) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses, and (z) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, in each case except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(jj)          ERISA Compliance.  Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, none of the following events has occurred or exists: (i) a failure to fulfill the obligations, if any, under the minimum funding standards of Section 302 of the United States Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder with respect to a Plan, determined without regard to any waiver of such obligations or extension of any amortization period, that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; (ii) an audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any other federal or state governmental agency or any foreign regulatory agency with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; or (iii) any breach of any contractual obligation, or any violation of law or applicable qualification standards, with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  None of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur:  (i) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans in the current fiscal year of the Company compared to the amount of such contributions made in the Company’s most recently completed fiscal year; (ii) a material increase in the Company’s “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 106) compared to the amount of such obligations in the Company’s most recently completed fiscal year; (iii) any event or condition giving rise to a liability under Title IV of ERISA that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; (iv) any prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, with respect to any pension plan or welfare plan (excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption) that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; or (v) the filing of a claim by one or more employees or former employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries related to their employment that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  For purposes of this paragraph, the term “Plan” means a plan (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA) subject to Title IV of ERISA with respect to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries may have any liability.

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(kk)          Labor Matters.  No labor disturbances by the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has occurred or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, is threatened that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(ll)          Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance.  The Company and its directors and officers, in their capacities as such, are in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

(mm)          Subsidiaries.  The subsidiaries listed on Schedule C attached hereto are the only significant subsidiaries of the Company as defined by Rule 1‑02 of Regulation S‑X (the “Subsidiaries”).

(nn)          Statistical and Market Related Data.  Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.

(oo)          Cybersecurity. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (A) there has been no material security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure, or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data and databases (including the data and information of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data  maintained, processed or stored by the Company and its subsidiaries, and any such data processed or stored by third parties on behalf of the Company and its subsidiaries), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”); (B) neither the Company nor its subsidiaries have been notified of, and each of them have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any material security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure or other compromise to their IT Systems and Data; and (C) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented appropriate controls, policies, procedures, and technological safeguards to maintain and protect the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of their IT Systems and Data reasonably consistent with industry standards and practices, or as required by applicable regulatory standards. The Company and its subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

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Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters set forth therein.

2.          Purchase and Sale.  The Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters the Securities upon the terms herein set forth and, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth opposite their names on Schedule A.  The purchase price per Note to be paid by the several Underwriters to the Company shall be equal to (i) 99.229% of the principal amount of the 2027 Notes and (ii) 98.956% of the principal amount of the 2032 Notes.

3.          Delivery and Payment; Representations and Warranties and Covenants of the Underwriters.

(a)          Delivery of certificates for the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters and payment therefor shall be made at the offices of Cahill Gordon & Reindel llp, 32 Old Slip, New York, New York 10005 (or such other place as may be agreed to by the Company and the Representatives) at 9:00 a.m. New York time, on March 1, 2022 or such other time and date not later than 1:30 p.m. New York time, on March 15, 2022 as the Representatives shall designate by notice to the Company (the time and date of such closing are called the “Closing Date”).  Delivery of the Securities shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.

(b)          Public Offering of the Securities.  The Representatives hereby advise the Company that the Underwriters intend to offer for sale to the public, as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, their respective portions of the Securities as soon after this Agreement has been executed as the Representatives, in their sole judgment, have determined is advisable and practicable.

(c)          Payment for the Securities.  Payment for the Securities shall be made on the Closing Date by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the order of the Company.

It is understood that the Representatives have been authorized, for their own account and the accounts of the several Underwriters, to accept delivery of and receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Securities.  BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofAS”), individually and not as the Representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment for any Securities to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds shall not have been received by the Representatives by the Closing Date for the account of such Underwriter, but any such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from any of its obligations under this Agreement.

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(d)          Delivery of the Securities.  Delivery of the Securities shall be made through the facilities of DTC unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.  Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified in this Agreement is a further condition to the obligations of the Underwriters.

(e)          Delivery of Prospectus to the Underwriters.  Not later than 10:00 a.m. on the second business day following the date the Securities are first released by the Underwriters for sale to the public, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered, copies of the Prospectus in such quantities and at such places as the Representatives shall reasonably request.

4.          Covenants.  The Company covenants and agrees with each of the Underwriters as follows:

(a)          Representatives Review of Proposed Amendments and Supplements.  During the period beginning at the Applicable Time and ending on the later of the Closing Date or such date, as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, the Prospectus is no longer required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), prior to amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, the Company shall furnish to the Representatives for review a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement, and the Company shall not file or use any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object in writing.

(b)          Securities Act Compliance.  After the date of this Agreement and during the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company shall promptly advise the Representatives in writing (i) when the Registration Statement, if not effective at the Applicable Time, shall have become effective, (ii) of the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission, (iii) of the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, (iv) of the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective, and (v) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order or notice preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or of any receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or of the threatening or initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes (including any notice or order pursuant to Section 8A or Rule 401(g)(2) of the Securities Act).  The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or notice of prevention or suspension of such use.  If the Commission shall enter any such stop order or issue any such notice at any time, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the lifting or reversal of such order or notice as soon as reasonably practicable, or, subject to Section 4(a), will file an amendment to the Registration Statement or will file a new registration statement and use its commercially reasonable efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable.  Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with the provisions of Rules 424(b) and 430B, as applicable, under the Securities Act, including with respect to the timely filing of documents thereunder, and will use commercially reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under such Rule 424(b) were received in a timely manner by the Commission.

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(c)          Exchange Act Compliance.  During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission, the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. and the New York Stock Exchange pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15 of the Exchange Act in the manner and within the time periods required by the Exchange Act.

(d)          Final Term Sheet.  The Company will prepare a final term sheet in a form approved by the Representatives, and will file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act within the time required by such rule (such term sheet, the “Final Term Sheet”).

(e)          Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses.  The Company represents that it has not made, and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Representatives, it will not make, any offer relating to the Securities that constitutes or would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that otherwise constitutes or would constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act) or a portion thereof required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433 of the Securities Act; provided that the prior written consent of the Representatives hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the Free Writing Prospectuses included in Schedule B hereto and any electronic road show.  Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Representatives is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.”  The Company agrees that (i) it has treated and will treat, as the case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and (ii) has complied and will comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 of the Securities Act applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping. The Company consents to the use by any Underwriter of a free writing prospectus that (a) is not an “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433, or (b) contains only (1) information describing the preliminary terms of the Securities or their offering, (2) information that describes the final terms of the Securities or their offering and that is included in the Final Term Sheet of the Company contemplated in Section 1(d) or (3) information permitted under Rule 134 under the Securities Act; provided that each Underwriter severally covenants with the Company not to take any action without the Company’s consent which consent shall be confirmed in writing that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission under Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of the Underwriter.

(f)          Amendments and Supplements to the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package and Prospectus and Other Securities Act Matters.  If, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, any event or development shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if in the opinion of the Representatives it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or to file a new registration statement containing the Prospectus, in order to comply with law, including in connection with the delivery of the Prospectus, the Company agrees to (i) notify the Representatives of any such event or condition and (ii) promptly prepare (subject to Section 4(a) and 4(e) hereof), file with the Commission (and use its commercially reasonable efforts to have any amendment to the Registration Statement or any new registration statement to be declared effective) and furnish at its own expense to the Underwriters and to dealers designated by the Underwriters, amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any new registration statement, necessary in order to make the statements in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading or so that the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with law.

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(g)          Copies of Any Amendments and Supplements to the Prospectus.  The Company agrees to furnish to the Representatives, without charge, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, as many copies of the Prospectus and any amendments and supplements thereto (including any documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference therein) and the Disclosure Package as the Representatives may request.

(h)          Copies of the Registration Statements and the Prospectus.  If unavailable on the Commission’s website, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters signed copies of the Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein) and, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, as many copies of each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplement thereto and the Disclosure Package as the Representatives may reasonably request.

(i)          Blue Sky Compliance.  The Company shall cooperate with the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters to qualify or register the Securities for sale under (or obtain exemptions from the application of) the state securities or blue sky laws or Canadian provincial securities laws or other foreign laws of those jurisdictions designated by the Representatives and consented to by the Company, and the Company shall comply in all material respects with such laws and shall continue such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities.  The Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.  The Company will advise the Representatives promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Securities for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof as soon as reasonably practicable.

(j)          Use of Proceeds.  The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities sold by it in the manner described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

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

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(l)          DTC.  The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the approval of DTC to permit the Securities to be eligible for “book-entry” transfer and settlement through the facilities of DTC, and agrees to comply with all of its agreements set forth in the representation letters of the Company to DTC relating to the approval of the Securities by DTC for “book-entry” transfer.

(m)          Earnings Statement.  As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representatives an earnings statement (which need not be audited) covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158 under the Securities Act) of the Registration Statement.

(n)          Periodic Reporting Obligations.  During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company shall file, on a timely basis, with the Commission, the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. and the New York Stock Exchange all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act.

(o)          Filing Fees.  The Company agrees to pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) of the Securities Act without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the Securities Act.

(p)          Compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will comply in all material respects with all applicable securities and other laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and use its best efforts to cause the Company’s directors and officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with such laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

(q)          Future Reports to the Representatives.  During the period of two years hereafter the Company will furnish to the Representatives (i) to the extent not available on the Commission’s Next-Generation EDGAR filing system, as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, copies of the Annual Report of the Company containing the balance sheet of the Company as of the close of such fiscal year and statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the year then ended and the opinion thereon of the Company’s independent public or certified public accountants; and (ii) to the extent not available on the Commission’s Next-Generation EDGAR filing system, as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, copies of each proxy statement, Annual Report on Form 10‑K, Quarterly Report on Form 10‑Q, Current Report on Form 8‑K or other report filed by the Company with the Commission, FINRA or any securities exchange.

(r)          No Manipulation of Price.  The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.

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

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(t)          Notice of Inability to Use Automatic Shelf Registration Statement Form.  If at any time during the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company receives from the Commission a notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) or otherwise ceases to be eligible to use the automatic shelf registration statement form, the Company will (i) promptly notify the Representatives, (ii) promptly file a new registration statement or post‑effective amendment on the proper form relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Representatives, (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement or post‑effective amendment to be declared effective and (iv) promptly notify the Representatives of such effectiveness.  The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the registration statement that was the subject of the Rule 401(g)(2) notice or for which the Company has otherwise become ineligible.  References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new registration statement or post‑effective amendment, as the case may be.

5.          Payment of ExpensesThe Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation (i) all expenses incident to the issuance and delivery of the Securities (including all printing and engraving costs), (ii) all  issue, transfer, stamp and similar taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities to the Underwriters and the resale by the Underwriters to the initial investors, (iii) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other advisors, (iv) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation and distribution (including any form of electronic distribution) of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, this Agreement, the Indenture, the DTC Agreement and the Securities, (v) all filing fees, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the Underwriters in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Securities for offer and sale under the securities laws of the several states of the United States, the provinces of Canada or other jurisdictions reasonably designated by the Underwriters (including, without limitation, the cost of preparing and distributing preliminary and final blue sky or legal investment memoranda), (vi) the fees and expenses of the Trustee, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Indenture and the Securities, (vii) any fees payable in connection with the rating of the Securities with the ratings agencies, (viii) the filing fees for FINRA’s review of the offering of the Securities, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with compliance with FINRA’s rules and regulations, (ix) all fees and expenses (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) of the Company in connection with approval of the Securities by DTC for “book-entry” transfer, and the performance by the Company of its other obligations under this Agreement, (x) all expenses incident to the “road show” for the offering of the Securities, (xi) all other fees, costs and expenses referred to in Item 14 of Part II of the Registration Statement, and (xii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section 5.  It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section 5, Section 7, Section 8 and Section 11 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees and expenses of their counsel.

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6.          Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriters.  The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder to purchase and pay for the Securities as provided herein on the Closing Date shall be subject to the condition that all representations and warranties of the Company herein are true and correct at and as of the date hereof and the Closing Date as though then made, except for such representations and warranties that speak to a specific time, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified time, the condition that the Company shall have timely performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:

(a)          Accountants’ Comfort Letter.  On the date hereof, the Underwriters shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, a letter dated the date hereof addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, covering certain financial information included in or incorporated by reference in the Disclosure Package and other customary information.

(b)          Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order; No Objection from FINRA.  For the period from and after effectiveness of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date and, with respect to the Securities:

(i)          the Company shall have filed the Prospectus with the Commission (including the information required by Rules 430A, 430B and 430C under the Securities Act) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act;

(ii)          the Final Term Sheet, and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings under such Rule 433;

(iii)          no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, shall be in effect and no proceedings for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act shall have been instituted or threatened by the Commission; and the Company shall not have received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of the Securities Act objecting to use of the automatic shelf registration statement form; and

(iv)          if a filing with FINRA is required, FINRA shall have confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements relating to the offering of the Securities.

(c)          No Material Adverse Change or Ratings Agency Change.  For the period from and after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date:

(i)          in the judgment of the Representatives there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change; and

(ii)          there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as such term is defined for purposes of Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act, and no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, any such rating.

(d)          Opinion of Counsel for the Company.  On the Closing Date, the Underwriters shall have received the favorable opinion of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, counsel for the Company, dated as of such Closing Date, the form of which is attached as Exhibit A.

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(e)          Opinion of Counsel for the Underwriters.  On the Closing Date, the Underwriters shall have received the favorable opinion of Cahill Gordon & Reindel llp, counsel for the Underwriters, dated as of such Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to, and addressed to, the Underwriters, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto), the Disclosure Package and other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they reasonably request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.

(f)          Officers’ Certificate.  On the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received a written certificate executed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer or President of the Company and the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Accounting Officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and this Agreement, to the effect set forth in subsections (b) and (c)(ii) of this Section 6, and further to the effect that:

(i)          for the period from and after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date, there has not occurred any Material Adverse Change;

(ii)          the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 1 of this Agreement are true and correct on and as of the Closing Date with the same force and effect as though expressly made on and as of the Closing Date, except for such representations and warranties that speak to a specific time, in which case the representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such specified time; and

(iii)          the Company has complied in all material respects with all the agreements hereunder and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date, except for any condition previously waived in writing by the Representatives.

(g)          Bring-down Comfort Letter.  On the Closing Date, the Underwriters shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished by them pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 6, except that (i) it shall cover certain financial information included in or incorporated by reference to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and (ii) the specified date referred to therein for the carrying out of procedures shall be no more than three business days prior to the Closing Date, as the case may be.

(h)          Form of Securities and Indenture.  The Securities and the Indenture shall be executed by the Company in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives and the Trustee.

(i)          CFO Certificate.  The Representatives shall have received, on and as of (i) the date of this Agreement and (ii) the Closing Date, a certificate in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives signed by the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, with respect to certain Target financial information included in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as applicable.

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(j)          Closing Documents.  At the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished counsel for the Company or the Underwriters, as the case may be, such documents as they reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties or fulfillment of any of the conditions herein contained.

If any condition specified in this Section 6 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time on or prior to the Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 5, Section 7, Section 8, Section 9, Section 13 and Section 17 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.

7.          Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses.

If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives pursuant to Section 6 or Section 11, or if the sale to the Underwriters of the Securities on the Closing Date is not consummated because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or to comply with any provision hereof, the Company agrees to reimburse the Representatives and the other Underwriters (or such Underwriters as have terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves), severally, upon demand for all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses that shall have been incurred by the Representatives and the Underwriters in connection with the proposed purchase and the offering and sale of the Securities, including but not limited to reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of counsel, distribution expenses, travel expenses, postage, facsimile and telephone charges.

8.          Indemnification.

(a)          Indemnification of the Underwriters.  The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates, and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which such Underwriter or such controlling person may become subject, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based (i) upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B or 430C under the Securities Act, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (ii) upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact, in each case, necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and to reimburse each Underwriter, its officers, directors, employees, agents and each such controlling person for any and all expenses (including, subject to Section 8(c), the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by BofAS) as such expenses are reasonably incurred by such Underwriter, or its officers, directors, employees and agents or such controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).  The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 8(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.

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(b)          Indemnification of the Company, Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person may become subject, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or arises out of or is based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein (in the case of the Registration Statement) or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, and only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and to reimburse the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person for any legal and other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information that the Underwriters have furnished to the Company through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) are the statements set forth in the first and third sentences of the fifth paragraph, the third sentence of the eighth paragraph and the tenth and eleventh paragraphs under the caption “Underwriters; Conflicts of Interest” in the Prospectus.  The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 8(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities that each Underwriter may otherwise have.

(c)          Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure to so notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above.  In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or the other indemnified parties that are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties.  Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 8 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof (other than the reasonable costs of investigation) unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the preceding sentence (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel (other than local counsel), reasonably approved by the indemnifying party (or by BofAS in the case of Section 8(b)), representing all indemnified parties who are parties to such action) or (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party.

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(d)          Settlements. The indemnifying party under this Section 8 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, which shall not be withheld unreasonably, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment.  Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 8(c) hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.  No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

9.          Contribution.

(a)          If the indemnification provided for in Section 8 is for any reason unavailable to or otherwise insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by such indemnified party, as incurred, as a result of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions or inaccuracies in the representations and warranties herein which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.  The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the front cover page of the Prospectus bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth on such cover.  The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact or any such inaccurate or alleged inaccurate representation or warranty relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

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The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 8(c), any legal or other fees or disbursements reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim.

The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 9.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public.  No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.  The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 9 are several, and not joint, in proportion to their respective underwriting commitments as set forth opposite their names in Schedule A.  For purposes of this Section 9, each director, officer, affiliate, employee and agent of an Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.

10.          Default of One or More of the Several Underwriters.

(a)          If, on the Closing Date, any one or more of the several Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Securities that it or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate principal amount of Securities which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase does not exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated, severally, in the proportions that the principal amount of Securities to be purchased set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A bears to the aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as may be specified by the Representatives with the consent of the non-defaulting Underwriters, to purchase the Securities which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date. If, on the Closing Date, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Securities and the principal amount of Securities with respect to which such default occurs exceeds 10% of the principal amount of Securities to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Securities are not made within 48 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 5, Section 7, Section 8, Section 9, Section 13 and Section 17 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.  In any such case either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days in order that the required changes, if any, to the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any other documents or arrangements may be effected.  As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” shall be deemed to include any person substituted for a defaulting Underwriter under this Section 10.  Any action taken under this Section 10 shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.

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11.          Termination of this Agreement.

Prior to the Closing Date this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice given to the Company if at any time (i) trading or quotation in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or limited by the Commission or by the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. or the New York Stock Exchange, or in any over-the-counter market; (ii)  trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. shall have been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices shall have been generally established on any of such stock exchanges by the Commission, FINRA or any other governmental authority; (iii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by federal or New York authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States has occurred; (iv) in the judgment of the Representatives there shall have occurred any Material Adverse Change; or (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in United States’ or international, political, financial or economic conditions, as in the judgment of the Representatives is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities in the manner and on the terms described in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities.  Any termination pursuant to this Section 11 shall be without liability on the part of (a) the Company to any Underwriter, except that the Company shall be obligated to reimburse the expenses of the Representatives and the Underwriters pursuant to Sections 5, 7, 8 and 9 hereof or (b) any Underwriter to the Company.

12.          No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility.

(a)          The Company acknowledges and agrees that: (i) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, and the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding and understand and accept the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (ii) in connection with each transaction contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the financial advisor, agent or fiduciary of the Company or any of its affiliates, stockholders, creditors or employees or any other party; (iii) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory, agency or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement; (iv) the several Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the several Underwriters have no obligation to disclose any of such interests by virtue of any advisory, agency or fiduciary relationship; and (v) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent they deemed appropriate.

This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the several Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.  The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the several Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty.

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13.          Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery.  The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, of its officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any (A) investigation, or statement as to the results thereof, made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or their directors, officers, affiliates, employees or controlling persons referred to in Section 8 or (B) acceptance of the Securities and payment for them hereunder.  The provisions of Section 5, Section 7, Section 8, Section 9, this Section 13 and Section 17 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement.

14.          Notices.  All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or telecopied and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:

If to the Representatives:

BofA Securities, Inc.
1540 Broadway
NY8-540-26-02
New York, New York  10036-4039
Facsimile:  212 ###-###-####
Attention:  High Grade Debt Capital Markets Transaction Management/Legal

and

PNC Capital Markets LLC
300 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Facsimile:  412 ###-###-####
Attention:  Debt Capital Markets, Fixed Income Transaction Execution

with a copy to:

Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
32 Old Slip
New York, New York  10005
Facsimile:  212 ###-###-####
Attention:  Josiah M. Slotnick

If to the Company:

FactSet Research Systems Inc.
45 Glover Avenue
Norwalk, Connecticut 06850
Facsimile:  203 ###-###-####
Attention:  Chief Legal Officer

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with a copy to:

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
825 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York  10019
Facsimile:  (212) 474-3700
Attention:  Daniel Haaren

Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.

15.          Successors and Assigns.  This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto, including any substitute Underwriters pursuant to Section 10 hereof, and to the benefit of (i) the Company, its directors, any person who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and any officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, (ii) the Underwriters, the officers, directors, employees and agents of the Underwriters, and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and (iii) the respective successors and assigns of any of the above, all as and to the extent provided in this Agreement, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement.  The term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser of any of the Securities from any of the several Underwriters merely because of such purchase.

16.          Partial UnenforceabilityThe invalidity or unenforceability of any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other Section, paragraph or provision hereof.  If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

17.          Governing Law ProvisionsTHIS AGREEMENT AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

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

(b)          Waiver of Jury Trial.  Each of the parties hereto hereby waives any right to trial by jury in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement.

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18.          Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.

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

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

For purposes of this Section 18, a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

19.          Compliance with USA PATRIOT Act.  In accordance with the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law on October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and addresses of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.

20.          Research Analyst Independence.  The Company acknowledges that the Underwriters’ research analysts and research departments are required to be independent from their respective investment banking divisions and are subject to certain regulations and internal policies, and that such Underwriters’ research analysts may hold views and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Company, its subsidiaries and/or the offering of the Securities that differ from the views of their respective investment banking divisions.  The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any conflict of interest that may arise from the fact that the views expressed by their independent research analysts and research departments may be different from or inconsistent with the views or advice communicated to the Company by such Underwriters’ investment banking divisions.  The Company acknowledges that each of the Underwriters is a full service securities firm and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short positions in debt or equity securities of the companies that may be the subject of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

21.          General ProvisionsThis Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof.  This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.  Any signature to this Agreement may be delivered by facsimile, electronic mail (including pdf) or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. Federal ESIGN Act of 2000 or the New York Electronic Signature and Records Act or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.  Each of the parties hereto represents and warrants to the other parties that it has the capacity and authority to execute this Agreement through electronic means.  This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit.  The Section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.

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Each of the parties hereto acknowledges that it is a sophisticated business person who was adequately represented by counsel during negotiations regarding the provisions hereof, including, without limitation, the indemnification provisions of Section 8 and the contribution provisions of Section 9, and is fully informed regarding said provisions.  Each of the parties hereto further acknowledges that the provisions of Sections 8 and 9 hereto fairly allocate the risks in light of the ability of the parties to investigate the Company, its affairs and its business in order to assure that adequate disclosure has been made in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (and any amendments and supplements thereto), as required by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.

[Signature Pages Follow]

-29-

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company the enclosed copies hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.

  Very truly yours,
 
 
 
  FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS INC.
 
       

By:
/s/ Linda S. Huber  
    Name: Linda S. Huber
 
    Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
 


-30-

The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by the Representatives as of the date first above written.

Very truly yours,
 

 
BOFA SECURITIES, INC.
 
PNC CAPITAL MARKETS LLC  
 
Acting as Representatives of the
several Underwriters named in
the attached Schedule A.
 
     
By:
BofA Securities, Inc.
 
     
By:
/s/ Kevin Wehler
 
Name:
Kevin Wehler  
Title:
Managing Director
 


By:
PNC Capital Markets LLC
 
     
By:
/s/ Valerie Shadeck
 
Name:
Valerie Shadeck  
Title:
Managing Director
 


-31-


SCHEDULE A


Underwriters    
Principal Amount of
2027 Notes
To Be
Purchased
   
Principal Amount of
2032 Notes
To Be
Purchased
 
             
BofA Securities, Inc.
 
$
225,000,000
   
$
225,000,000
 
PNC Capital Markets LLC
 
$
225,000,000
   
$
225,000,000
 
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
 
$
50,000,000
   
$
50,000,000
 
Total
 
$
500,000,000
   
$
500,000,000
 



SCHEDULE B

Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses


1.          Final Term Sheet dated February 15, 2022, substantially in the form attached hereto.





Filed Pursuant to Rule 433
Registration Statement No. 333-261992
Final Term Sheet

FactSet Research Systems Inc.

Final Term Sheet

$500,000,000 2.900% Senior Notes due 2027 (the “2027 Notes”)

$500,000,000 3.450% Senior Notes due 2032 (the “2032 Notes”)

February 15, 2022



Final Term Sheet dated February 15, 2022 (this “Final Term Sheet”) to the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated February 15, 2022 (the “Preliminary Prospectus Supplement”) of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (the “Issuer”).

This Final Term Sheet is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement.  The information in this Final Term Sheet supplements the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and supersedes the information in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement to the extent the information in this Final Term Sheet is inconsistent with the information in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement.  Capitalized terms used in this Final Term Sheet but not defined have the meanings given them in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement.


Terms applicable to all the Notes


Issuer:
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
   
Format:
SEC Registered
   
Ratings (Moody’s / Fitch)*:
Baa3 (Stable) / BBB (Stable)
   
Trade Date:
February 15, 2022
   
Settlement Date**:
March 1, 2022  (T+9)
   
Interest Payment Dates:
March 1 and September 1, commencing on September 1, 2022
   
Minimum Denominations:
$2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof
   
Underwriters:
Joint Book-Running Managers:
 
BofA Securities, Inc.
 
PNC Capital Markets LLC
   
 
Co-Manager:
 
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
   






Terms applicable to the 2027 Notes

Principal Amount:
$500,000,000
   
Title of Securities:
2.900% Senior Notes due 2027
   
Final Maturity Date:
March 1, 2027
   
Issue Price:
99.829% of the principal amount, plus accrued interest, if any, from March 1, 2022
   
Coupon:
2.900%
   
Yield-to-Maturity:
2.937%
   
Spread to Benchmark Treasury:
+100 bps
   
Benchmark U.S. Treasury:
1.500% due January 31, 2027
   
Benchmark U.S. Treasury Price / Yield:
97-30¼+ / 1.937%
   
Gross Proceeds to the Issuer:
$499,145,000
   
Special Mandatory Redemption:
If the CGS Transaction (as defined in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement) is not consummated on or prior to December 24, 2022 or, if prior to such date, the Asset Purchase Agreement (as defined in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement) is terminated, then in either case, the Issuer must redeem all of the 2027 Notes at a redemption price equal to 101% of the principal amount of 2027 Notes being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the redemption date.
   
Optional Redemption:
Prior to February 1, 2027 (one month prior to the maturity date of the 2027 Notes), the Issuer may redeem the 2027 Notes at a redemption price equal to the greater of:
   
 
the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest thereon discounted to the redemption date (assuming the 2027 Notes matured on February 1, 2027) on a semiannual basis, assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months, at the applicable Treasury Rate plus 15 basis points, less interest accrued to the date of redemption; and
   
 
100% of the principal amount of the 2027 Notes to be redeemed,
   
 
plus, in either case, accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the redemption date.
   
 
On and after February 1, 2027, the Issuer may redeem the  2027 Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 2027 Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the redemption date.
   
   
CUSIPs and ISIN Numbers:
CUSIP: 303075 AA3
 
ISIN:  US303075AA30







Terms applicable to the 2032 Notes

Principal Amount:
$500,000,000
   
Title of Securities:
3.450% Senior Notes due 2032
   
Final Maturity Date:
March 1, 2032
   
Issue Price:
99.606% of the principal amount, plus accrued interest, if any, from March 1, 2022
   
Coupon:
3.450%
   
Yield-to-Maturity:
3.497%
   
Spread to Benchmark Treasury:
+145 bps
   
Benchmark U.S. Treasury:
1.875% due February 15, 2032
   
Benchmark U.S. Treasury Price / Yield:
98-14+ / 2.047%
   
Gross Proceeds to the Issuer:
$498,030,000
   
Special Mandatory Redemption:
If the CGS Transaction (as defined in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement) is not consummated on or prior to December 24, 2022 or, if prior to such date, the Asset Purchase Agreement (as defined in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement) is terminated, then in either case, the Issuer must redeem all of the 2032 Notes at a redemption price equal to 101% of the principal amount of 2032 Notes being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the redemption date.
   
Optional Redemption:
Prior to December 1, 2031 (three months prior to the maturity date of the 2032 Notes), the Issuer may redeem the 2032 Notes at a redemption price equal to the greater of:
   
 
the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest thereon discounted to the redemption date (assuming the 2032 Notes matured on December 1, 2031) on a semiannual basis, assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months, at the applicable Treasury Rate plus 25 basis points, less interest accrued to the date of redemption; and
   
 
100% of the principal amount of the 2032 Notes to be redeemed,
   
 
plus, in either case, accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the redemption date.
   
 
On and after December 1, 2031, the Issuer may redeem the  2032 Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 2032 Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the redemption date.
   
   
CUSIPs and ISIN Numbers:
CUSIP: 303075 AB1
 
ISIN:  US303075AB13





*Note: A securities rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time.  The ratings may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by Moody’s and Fitch.  Each of the security ratings above should be evaluated independently of any other security rating.

** It is expected that delivery of the Notes will be made to investors on or about March 1, 2022, which will be the ninth business day following the date of pricing of the Notes (such settlement being referred to as “T+9”). Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to a trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade notes on any day prior to two business days before delivery will be required to specify an alternative settlement arrangement at the time of any such trade to prevent a failed settlement and should consult with their own advisors.

The Issuer has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates.  Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the issuer has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Issuer and this offering.  You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov.  Alternatively, the Issuer, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you an electronic version of the prospectus if you request it by calling BofA Securities, Inc. at ###-###-#### or by email at ***@*** and PNC Capital Markets LLC at ###-###-####.








SCHEDULE C

Significant Subsidiaries


1.          FactSet Europe Limited (incorporated in England)

2.          FactSet UK Limited (incorporated in England/Wales)


Exhibit A

[Form of Opinion of Counsel for the Company]