12,000,000 shares of FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES, INC. Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Stock Agreements
EX-1.1 2 a08-16980_1ex1d1.htm EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

 

12,000,000 shares of

 

FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES, INC.

 

Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

June 20, 2008

 

LEHMAN BROTHERS INC.
745 Seventh Avenue
New York, New York 10019

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc., a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Company”), proposes to sell 12,000,000 shares (the “Firm Stock”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share (the “Common Stock”).  In addition, the Company proposes to grant to Lehman Brothers Inc., acting as the sole underwriter (the “Underwriter”), as set forth in Schedule 1 attached to this agreement (this “Agreement”) an option to purchase up to 1,800,000 additional shares of the Common Stock on the terms set forth in Section 2 (the “Option Stock”).  The Firm Stock and the Option Stock, if purchased, are hereinafter collectively called the “Stock.”  This is to confirm the agreement concerning the purchase of the Stock from the Company by the Underwriter.

 

1.     Representations, Warranties and Agreements of the Company.  The Company  represents, warrants and agrees that:

 

(a)           A registration statement on Form S-3 relating to the Stock has (i) been prepared by the Company in conformity in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the rules and regulations (the “Rules and Regulations”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) thereunder; (ii) been filed with the Commission under the Securities Act; and (iii) become effective under the Securities Act.  Copies of such registration statement and any amendment thereto have been delivered by the Company to the Underwriter.  As used in this Agreement:

 

(i)            “Applicable Time” means 8.45 a.m. (New York City time) on the date of this Agreement;

 

(ii)           “Effective Date” means any date as of which any part of such registration statement relating to the Stock became, or is deemed to have become, effective under the Securities Act in accordance with the Rules and Regulations;

 

(iii)          “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means each “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Rules and Regulations) prepared by or

 



 

on behalf of the Company or used or referred to by the Company in connection with the offering of the Stock;

 

(iv)          “Preliminary Prospectus” means any preliminary prospectus relating to the Stock included in such registration statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations, including any preliminary prospectus supplement thereto relating to the Stock;

 

(v)           “Pricing Disclosure Package” means, as of the Applicable Time, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, together with each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus filed or used by the Company on or before the Applicable Time, other than a road show that is an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus under Rule 433 of the Rules and Regulations;

 

(vi)          “Prospectus” means the final prospectus relating to the Stock, including any prospectus supplement thereto relating to the Stock,] as filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations; and

 

(vii)         “Registration Statement” means, collectively, the various parts of such registration statement, each as amended as of the Effective Date for such part, including any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus and all exhibits to such registration statement.

 

Any reference to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Form S-3 under the Securities Act as of the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be.  Any reference to the “most recent Preliminary Prospectus” shall be deemed to refer to the latest Preliminary Prospectus included in the Registration Statement or filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) prior to or on the date hereof (including, for purposes hereof, any documents incorporated by reference therein prior to or on the date hereof).  Any reference to any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any document filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), after the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, and incorporated by reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to include any annual report of the Company on Form 10-K filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the Effective Date that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.  Any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include the abbreviated registration statement to register additional shares of Common Stock under Rule 462(b) of the Rules and Regulations (the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”).  The Commission has not issued any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and no proceeding or examination for such purpose has been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission.

 

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(b)           The Company was not at the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement and at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the Rules and Regulations) of the Stock, is not on the date hereof and will not be on the applicable Delivery Date an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405).  The Company has been since the time of initial filing of the Registration Statement and continues to be eligible to use Form S-3 for the offering of the Stock.

 

(c)           The Registration Statement conformed and will conform in all material respects on the Effective Date and on the applicable Delivery Date, and any amendment to the Registration Statement filed after the date hereof will conform in all material respects when filed, to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations.  The Preliminary Prospectus conformed, and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects when filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the applicable Delivery Date to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations.  The documents incorporated by reference in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus conformed, and any further documents so incorporated will conform, when filed with the Commission, in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

(d)           The Registration Statement did not, as of the Effective Date, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 7(e).

 

(e)           The Prospectus will not, as of its date and on the applicable Delivery Date, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 7(e).

 

(f)            The documents incorporated by reference in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus did not, and any further documents filed and incorporated by reference therein will not, when filed with the Commission, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

(g)           The Pricing Disclosure Package did not, as of the Applicable Time, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to

 

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be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the price of the Stock and disclosures directly relating thereto will be included on the cover page of the Prospectus; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Pricing Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 7(e).

 

(h)           Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (including, without limitation, any road show that is a free writing prospectus under Rule 433), when considered together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the price of the Stock and disclosures directly relating thereto will be included on the cover page of the Prospectus.

 

(i)            Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conformed or will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations on the date of first use, and the Company has complied with any filing requirements applicable to such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus pursuant to the Rules and Regulations.  The Company has not made any offer relating to the Stock that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus without the prior written consent of the Underwriter.  The Company has retained in accordance with the Rules and Regulations all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses that were not required to be filed pursuant to the Rules and Regulations.

 

(j)            The Company is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and the Company is qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which qualification is required, except where failure to so qualify would not  have a Material Adverse Effect (as defined herein).  Fleetwood Holdings, Inc. (the “Significant Subsidiary”) is the Company’s only “significant subsidiary,” as such term is defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations.  The Significant Subsidiary is a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.  The Significant Subsidiary is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and is qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which qualification is required, except where failure to so qualify would not have a Material Adverse Effect (as defined below).

 

(k)           The Company had duly authorized and validly issued outstanding capitalization as set forth under the heading “Capitalization” in each of the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus as of the date set forth therein; the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws, were not issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or purchase securities, and conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the most recent Preliminary

 

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Prospectus and the Prospectus.  Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, the Company does not have outstanding any options to purchase, or any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase, any securities or obligations convertible into, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell, shares of its capital stock or any such options, rights, convertible securities or obligations.  With respect to the Significant Subsidiary (i) all the issued and outstanding shares of the Significant Subsidiary’s capital stock have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws, were not issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or purchase securities, and (ii) there are no outstanding options to purchase, or any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase, any securities or obligations convertible into, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell, shares of such Significant Subsidiary’s capital stock or any such options, rights, convertible securities or obligation.

 

(l)            The issuance and sale of the shares of Stock have been duly authorized and, when issued, delivered and paid for in the manner set forth in this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free and clear of all pledges, liens, restrictions and encumbrances, and will conform in all material respects to the description thereof set forth in each of the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.  No preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any shares of Common Stock of the Company exist with respect to the issuance and sale of the shares of Stock by the Company pursuant to this Agreement.  No stockholder of the Company has any right (which has not been waived or has not expired by reason of lapse of time following notification of the Company’s intention to file the registration statement) to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act.  No further approval or authority of the stockholders or the Board of Directors of the Company will be required for the issuance and sale of the shares of Stock to be sold by the Company as contemplated herein.

 

(m)          The Company has full legal right, corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and perform the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby.  This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.  This Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws of general application relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights and the application of equitable principles relating to the availability of remedies, and except as rights to indemnity or contribution, including but not limited to, indemnification provisions set forth in Section 7 of this Agreement may be limited by federal or state securities law or the public policy underlying such laws.  The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company, the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated and the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Stock as

 

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described under “Use of Proceeds” in each of the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus will not violate any provision of the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the Company or the organizational documents of the Significant Subsidiary and will not  result in the creation of any lien, charge, security interest or encumbrance upon any assets of the Company or the Significant Subsidiary pursuant to the terms or provisions of, and will not conflict with, result in the breach or violation of, or constitute, either by itself or upon notice or the passage of time or both, a default under (A) any agreement, mortgage, deed of trust, lease, franchise, license, indenture, permit or other instrument to which the Company or the Significant Subsidiary is a party or by which the Company or the Significant Subsidiary or their respective properties may be bound or affected and in each case that would have a Material Adverse Effect or (B) any statute or any authorization, judgment, decree, order, rule or regulation of any court or any regulatory body, administrative agency or other governmental agency or body applicable to the Company or the Significant Subsidiary or any of their respective properties.  No consent, approval, authorization or other order of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency or other governmental agency or body is required for the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the sale by the Company of the Stock, the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Stock as described under “Use of Proceeds” in each of the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, except the registration under the Securities Act of the Stock and such as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under the Exchange Act and applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and sale of the Stock by the Underwriter.  For the purposes of this Agreement the term “Material Adverse Effect” shall mean a material adverse effect on the financial condition, business or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

 

(n)           Ernst & Young LLP who have expressed an opinion with respect to certain financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, whose report appears in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or is incorporated by reference therein and who have delivered the initial letter referred to in Section 6(h) hereof, are independent public accountants as required by the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations.

 

(o)           Neither the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company nor the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated thereby (including, without limitation, the issuance and sale by the Company of the Stock) will give rise to a right to terminate or accelerate the due date of any payment due under, or conflict with or result in the breach of any term or provision of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would constitute a default) under, except such defaults that individually or in the aggregate would not cause a Material Adverse Effect, or require any consent or waiver under, or result in the execution or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any properties or assets of the Company or its subsidiaries pursuant to the terms of, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which either the Company or its subsidiaries or any of their properties or

 

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businesses is bound, or any franchise, license, permit, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or violate any provision of the charter or by-laws of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, except for such consents or waivers which have already been obtained and are in full force and effect.

 

(p)           The material contracts to which the Company is a party have been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitute the legal, valid and binding agreements of the Company, enforceable by and against it in accordance with their respective terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar laws relating to enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, and general equitable principles relating to the availability of remedies, and except as rights to indemnity or contribution may be limited by federal or state securities laws and the public policy underlying such laws.

 

(q)           Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental actions, suits or proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or the Significant Subsidiary before or by any court, regulatory body or administrative agency or any other governmental agency or body, domestic, or foreign, which actions, suits or proceedings, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and no labor disturbance by the employees of the Company exists or is imminent, that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  Neither the Company nor the Significant Subsidiary is a party to or subject to the provisions of any injunction, judgment, decree or order of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency or other governmental agency or body that might have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(r)            The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all the properties and assets described as owned by it in the consolidated financial statements included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, free and clear of all liens, mortgages, pledges, or encumbrances of any kind except (i) those, if any, reflected in such consolidated financial statements, or (ii) those that are not material in amount and do not adversely affect the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or its subsidiaries.  The Company and its subsidiaries hold their leased properties under valid and binding leases, the Company and any subsidiary owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to its operations as now conducted.

 

(s)           Since January 27, 2008 there has not occurred any event that has had or would reasonably be expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(t)            Since the date as of which information is given in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and except as may otherwise be described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, the Company has not (i) incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, other than liabilities and obligations that were incurred in the

 

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ordinary course of business, (ii) entered into any material transaction not in the ordinary course of business or (iii) declared or paid any dividend on its capital stock.

 

(u)           The Company and each of its subsidiaries own, is licensed or otherwise possesses all rights to use, all patents, patent rights, inventions, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented or unpatentable or confidential information, systems, or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights and other intellectual property rights (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) material and necessary for the conduct of its business as described in the Registration Statement, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, except where the failure to own, license or otherwise possess all rights to use Intellectual Property would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  Except as may be set forth in office actions by the applicable governmental agency no claims have been asserted against the Company or any subsidiary by any person with respect to the use of any such Intellectual Property or challenging the validity of any such Intellectual Property, other than claims which could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(v)           Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been advised, nor do any of them have any reason to believe, that it is not conducting business in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations of the jurisdictions in which it is conducting business, including, without limitation, all applicable local, state and federal environmental laws and regulations, except where failure to be so in compliance would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(w)          The Company and the Significant Subsidiary has filed on a timely basis (giving effect to extensions) all required federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax returns and has paid or accrued all taxes shown as due thereon, and none of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has knowledge of a tax deficiency that has been or might be asserted or threatened against it that could have a Material Adverse Effect.  All tax liabilities accrued through the date hereof have been adequately reserved for on the books of the Company.

 

(x)            As of the Initial Delivery Date, all stock transfer or other similar taxes (other than income taxes) that are required to be paid in connection with the sale and transfer of the shares of Stock to be sold hereunder will have been, fully paid or provided for by the Company and all laws imposing such taxes will have been fully complied with.

 

(y)           Neither the Company nor any subsidiary is, and as of the applicable Delivery Date and, after giving effect to the offer and sale of the Stock and the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, none of them will be, (i) an “investment company” within the meaning of such term under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder or (ii) a “business development company” (as defined in Section 2(a)(48) of the Investment Company Act).

 

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(z)            The Company has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of any Delivery Date and completion of the distribution of the Stock, will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Stock other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to which the Underwriter has consented in accordance with Section 1(i) or 4(a)(vi) and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus set forth on Schedule 2 hereto.

 

(aa)         The Company maintains insurance underwritten by insurers of recognized financial responsibility, of the types and in the amounts that the Company reasonably believes is adequate for its business, including, but not limited to, insurance covering all real and personal property owned or leased by the Company against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and all other risks customarily insured against, with such deductibles as are customary for companies in the same or similar business, all of which insurance is in full force and effect.

 

(bb)         The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the shares of Stock.

 

(cc)         No transaction has occurred between or among the Company, on the one hand, and its affiliates, officers or directors on the other hand, that is required to have been described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus and which is not so described.

 

(dd)         There is no transaction, arrangement or other relationship between the Company and an unconsolidated or other off-balance sheet entity that is required to be disclosed by the Company in its Exchange Act filings and is not so disclosed or that otherwise would be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect.  There are no such transactions, arrangements or other relationships with the Company that may create contingencies or liabilities that are not otherwise disclosed by the Company in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus.

 

(ee)         Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries have all franchises, licenses, certificates and other authorizations from such federal, state or local government or governmental agency, department or body that are currently necessary for the operation of the business of the Company as currently conducted, except where the failure to posses currently such franchises, licenses, certificates and other authorizations is not reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, neither the Company nor any subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such permit that, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(ff)           The consolidated financial statements (including the related notes and supporting schedules) included or incorporated by reference in the most recent

 

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Preliminary Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and present fairly the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the entities purported to be shown thereby at the dates and for the periods indicated and have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved.

 

(gg)         The Company is in material compliance with the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) for continued listing of the Common Stock thereon.  The Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or the listing of the Common Stock on the NYSE, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or the NYSE is contemplating terminating such registration or listing.  The transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not contravene in any material respect the rules and regulations of the NYSE.  The Company will comply with all requirements of the NYSE with respect to the issuance of the Stock and the Stock and shall cause the Stock to be approved for listing, subject to official notice on the NYSE, prior to the Initial Delivery Date.

 

(hh)         The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.  The Company has disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 under the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and the Company’s principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions.  The Company is otherwise in compliance in all material respects with all applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(ii)           Neither the Company, nor the Significant Subsidiary, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other Person acting on behalf of the Company or the Significant Subsidiary has, in the course of its actions for, or on behalf of, the Company (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended; or (iv) made any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee.

 

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(jj)           Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries are parties to any collective bargaining agreement or employs any person who is represented by a union.  No executive officer of the Company (as defined in Rule 501(f) promulgated under the Securities Act) has notified the Company that such officer intends to leave the Company or otherwise terminate such officer’s employment with the Company.  To the Company’s knowledge, no executive officer of the Company is, or is now expected to be, in violation of any material term of any Company employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement, non-competition agreement, or any other agreement or any restrictive covenant that is reasonably likely to cause a Material Adverse Effect, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any subsidiary to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters that is reasonably likely to cause a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(kk)         The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (herein called “ERISA”); no “reportable event” (as defined in ERISA), other than those events as to which the thirty-day notice period is waived, has occurred with respect to any “pension plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any material liability; the Company has not incurred and does not reasonably expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “pension plan”; or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”); and each “Pension Plan” for which the Company would have liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would reasonably be expected to result in the loss of such qualification.

 

(ll)           There has been no material storage, disposal, generation, manufacture, transportation, handling or treatment of toxic wastes, hazardous wastes or hazardous substances by the Company or to its knowledge, any of its subsidiaries (or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of their predecessors in interest) at, upon or from any of the property now or previously owned or leased by the Company or any of its subsidiaries in material violation of any applicable law, ordinance, rule, regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit or that would require material remedial action under any applicable law, ordinance, rule, regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit; there has been no material spill, discharge, leak, emission, injection, escape, dumping or release of any kind into such property or into the environment surrounding such property of any toxic wastes, medical wastes, solid wastes, hazardous wastes or hazardous substances due to or caused by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or with respect to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries have knowledge; the terms “hazardous wastes”, “toxic wastes”, “hazardous substances”, and “medical wastes” shall have the meanings specified in any applicable local, state, federal and foreign laws or regulations with respect to environmental protection.

 

(mm)       The Company has not sold or issued any securities that would be integrated with the offering of the Stock contemplated by this Agreement pursuant to the

 

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Securities Act, the Rules and Regulations or the interpretations thereof by the Commission.

 

(nn)         The statistical and market-related data included under the captions “Summary,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Industry Overview,” and “Business” in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate in all material respects.

 

Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Underwriter or counsel for the Underwriter in connection with the offering of the Stock shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.

 

2.     Purchase of the Stock by the Underwriter.  On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in, and subject to the terms and conditions of, this Agreement, the Company agrees to sell 1,800,000 shares of the Firm Stock to the Underwriter, and the Underwriter agrees to purchase the number of shares of the Firm Stock set forth opposite the Underwriter’s name in Schedule 1 hereto.

 

In addition, the Company grants to the Underwriter an option to purchase up to 1,800,000 additional shares of Option Stock.  Such option is exercisable in the event that the Underwriter sells more shares of Common Stock than the number of Firm Shares in the offering and as set forth in Section 3 hereof.  The Underwriter agrees to purchase the number of shares of Option Stock (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Underwriter may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of shares of Option Stock to be sold on such Delivery Date as the number of shares of Firm Stock set forth in Schedule 1 hereto opposite the name of the Underwriter bears to the total number of shares of Firm Stock.

 

The price to the public of both the Firm Stock and any Option Stock purchased by the Underwriter shall be $3.400 per share.

 

The Company shall not be obligated to deliver any of the Firm Stock or Option Stock to be delivered on the applicable Delivery Date, except upon payment for all such Stock to be purchased on such Delivery Date as provided herein.

 

As compensation to the Underwriter for its commitments hereunder, the Company, will, on the applicable Delivery Date, pay to the Underwriter, an amount equal to $0.136 per share for the Stock to be delivered by the Company hereunder on such Delivery Date.

 

3.     Delivery of and Payment for the Stock.  Delivery of and payment for the Firm Stock shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the third full business day following the date of this Agreement or at such other date or place as shall be determined by agreement between the Underwriter and the Company.  This date and time are sometimes referred to as the “Initial Delivery Date.”  Delivery of the Firm Stock shall be made to the Underwriter against payment by the Underwriter of the aggregate purchase price by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the account specified by the Company. Time shall be of the essence, and

 

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delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligation of the Underwriter hereunder.  The Company shall deliver the Firm Stock through the facilities of DTC unless the Underwriter shall otherwise instruct.

 

The option granted in Section 2 will expire 30 days after the date of this Agreement and may be exercised in whole or from time to time in part by written notice being given to the Company by the Underwriter; provided that if such date falls on a day that is not a business day, the option granted in Section 2 will expire on the next succeeding business day.  Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of shares of Option Stock as to which the option is being exercised, the names in which the shares of Option Stock are to be registered, the denominations in which the shares of Option Stock are to be issued and the date and time, as determined by the Underwriter, when the shares of Option Stock are to be delivered; provided, however, that this date and time shall not be earlier than the Initial Delivery Date nor earlier than the second business day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised nor later than the fifth business day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised.  Each date and time the shares of Option Stock are delivered is sometimes referred to as an “Option Stock Delivery Date,” and the Initial Delivery Date and any Option Stock Delivery Date are sometimes each referred to as a “Delivery Date.”

 

Delivery of the Option Stock by the Company and payment for the Option Stock by the Underwriter shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in the preceding paragraph or at such other date or place as shall be determined by agreement between the Underwriter and the Company.  On the Option Stock Delivery Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered the Option Stock to the Underwriter against payment by the Underwriter of the purchase price by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the account specified by the Company. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligation of the Underwriter hereunder.  The Company shall deliver the Option Stock through the facilities of DTC unless the Underwriter shall otherwise instruct.

 

4.     Further Agreements of the Company and the Underwriter.  (a) The Company agrees:

 

(i)            To prepare the Prospectus in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the last Delivery Date except as provided herein; to advise the Underwriter, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish the Underwriter with copies thereof; to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Stock; to advise the Underwriter, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the

 

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Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Stock for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding or examination for any such purpose or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to use promptly its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal;

 

(ii)           To furnish promptly to the Underwriter and to counsel for the Underwriter a signed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission, and each amendment thereto filed with the Commission, including all consents and exhibits filed therewith;

 

(iii)          To deliver promptly to the Underwriter such number of the following documents as the Underwriter shall reasonably request:  (A) conformed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission and each amendment thereto (in each case excluding exhibits other than this Agreement and the computation of per share earnings), (B) each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any amended or supplemented Prospectus, (C) each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and (D) any document incorporated by reference in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus; and, if the delivery of a prospectus is required at any time after the date hereof in connection with the offering or sale of the Stock or any other securities relating thereto and if at such time any events shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an 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 when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, to notify the Underwriter and, upon its request, to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to the Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many copies as the Underwriter may from time to time reasonably request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus that will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance;

 

(iv)          To file promptly with the Commission any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that may, in the reasonable judgment of the Company or the Underwriter, be required by the Securities Act or requested by the Commission;

 

(v)           Prior to filing with the Commission any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any amendment to any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, to furnish a copy thereof to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter and obtain the consent of the Underwriter to the filing, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned;

 

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(vi)          Not to make any offer relating to the Stock that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus without the prior written consent of the Underwriter.

 

(vii)         To retain in accordance with the Rules and Regulations all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses not required to be filed pursuant to the Rules and Regulations; and if at any time after the date hereof any events shall have occurred as a result of which any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or would include an 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 for any other reason it shall be necessary to amend or supplement any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to notify the Underwriter and, upon its request, to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to the Underwriter as many copies as the Underwriter may from time to time reasonably request of an amended or supplemented Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that will correct such conflict, statement or omission or effect such compliance;

 

(viii)        As soon as practicable after the Effective Date and in any event not later than 16 months after the date hereof, to make generally available to the Company’s security holders and to deliver to the Underwriter an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations;

 

(ix)           Promptly from time to time to take such action as the Underwriter may reasonably request to qualify the Stock for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriter may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Stock; provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any jurisdiction in which it would not otherwise be subject;

 

(x)            For a period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the 60th day after the date of the Prospectus (the “Lock-Up Period”), not to, directly or indirectly, (1) offer for sale, sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device that is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock (other than (1) the Stock and shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans existing on the date hereof or pursuant to currently outstanding options, warrants or rights and (2) securities required to be issued pursuant to contractual obligations of the Company in effect as of the date of this Agreement and disclosed to the Underwriter or its counsel prior to the Initial Delivery Date) or sell or grant options, rights or warrants with respect to any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock (other than the grant of options pursuant to option plans existing on the date hereof), (2) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that

 

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transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of such shares of Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise, (3) file or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments, with respect to the registration of any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable into Common Stock or any other securities of the Company (other than any registration statement on Form S-8) or (4) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing, in each case without the prior written consent of Lehman Brothers Inc., and to cause each officer and director of the Company set forth on Schedule 3 hereto to furnish to the Underwriter., prior to the Initial Delivery Date, a letter or letters, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto (the “Lock-Up Agreements”); notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs or (2) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, then the restrictions imposed in the preceding paragraph shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the announcement of the material news or the occurrence of the material event, unless Lehman Brothers Inc. waives such extension in writing;

 

(xi)           To apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Stock being sold by the Company as set forth in the Prospectus;

 

(b)           The Underwriter agrees that it shall not include any “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433) in any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405) used or referred to by the Underwriter without the prior consent of the Company (any such issuer information with respect to whose use the Company has given its prior consent, “Permitted Issuer Information”); provided that (i) no such consent shall be required with respect to any such issuer information contained in any document filed by the Company with the Commission prior to the use of such free writing prospectus and (ii) “issuer information,” as used in this Section 4(b), shall not be deemed to include information prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriter on the basis of or derived from issuer information.

 

5.     Expenses.  The Company agrees, whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, to pay all costs, expenses, fees and taxes incident to and in connection with (a) the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Stock and any stamp duties or other taxes payable in that connection, and the preparation and printing of certificates for the Stock; (b) the preparation, printing and filing under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement (including any exhibits thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto; (c) the distribution of the Registration Statement (including any exhibits thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, or any document incorporated by reference therein, all as provided in this Agreement; (d) the production and distribution of this Agreement, any supplemental agreement among underwriters, and any other related documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Stock; (g) any filings required to be made by the Underwriter with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (formerly, the National

 

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Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., “FINRA”), and the fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel for the Underwriter in connection therewith; (h) the listing of the Stock on the NYSE; (i) the qualification of the Stock under the securities laws of the several jurisdictions as provided in Section 4(a)(ix) and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including related fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriter); (j) the investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Stock, including, without limitation, expenses associated with any electronic roadshow, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company; (k) fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel to the Company, (l) all reasonable documented travel, legal (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriter) and other out-of-pocket expenses of the Underwriter, provided that such fees and expenses shall not exceed $225,000 without the Company’s prior consent; (m) the preparation, printing and distribution of one or more versions of the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus for distribution in Canada, often in the form of a Canadian “wrapper” (including related fees and expenses of Canadian counsel to the Underwriters); and (n) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement.

 

6.     Conditions of Underwriter’s Obligations.  The respective obligations of the Underwriter hereunder are subject to the accuracy, when made and on each Delivery Date, of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional terms and conditions:

 

(a)           The Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission in accordance with Section 4(a)(i); the Company shall have complied with the filing requirements applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus used or referred to after the date hereof; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been issued and no proceeding or examination for such purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and any request of the Commission for inclusion of additional material information in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or otherwise shall have been complied with.

 

(b)           The Underwriter shall not have discovered and disclosed to the Company on or prior to such Delivery Date that the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Pricing Disclosure Package, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of a fact which, in the opinion of Morrison & Foerster LLP, counsel for the Underwriter, is material or omits to state a fact which, in the opinion of such counsel, is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

 

(c)           All corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form and validity of this Agreement, the Stock, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and all other legal matters relating to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to counsel for the Underwriter, and the Company shall

 

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have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

 

(d)           Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP shall have furnished to the Underwriter its written opinion, as counsel to the Company, addressed to the Underwriter and dated such Delivery Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B-1.

 

(e)           Leonard J. McGill shall have furnished to the Underwriter his written opinion, as General Counsel of the Company, addressed to the Underwriter and dated such Delivery Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B-2

 

(f)            The Underwriter shall have received from Morrison & Foerster LLP, counsel for the Underwriter, such opinion or opinions, dated such Delivery Date, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Stock, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package and other related matters as the Underwriter 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.

 

(g)           At the time of execution of this Agreement, the Underwriter shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter, addressed to the Underwriter and dated the date hereof (i) confirming that they are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act and are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission, and (ii) stating, as of the date hereof (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, as of a date not more than three days prior to the date hereof), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings.

 

(h)           With respect to the letter of Ernst & Young LLP referred to in the preceding paragraph and delivered to the Underwriter concurrently with the execution of this Agreement (the “initial letter”), the Company shall have furnished to the Underwriter a letter (the “bring-down letter”) of such accountants, addressed to the Underwriter and dated such Delivery Date (i) confirming that they are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act and are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission, (ii) stating, as of the date of the bring-down letter (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the Prospectus, as of a date not more than three days prior to the date of the bring-down letter), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters covered by the

 

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initial letter and (iii) confirming in all material respects the conclusions and findings set forth in the initial letter.

 

(i)            The Company shall have furnished to the Underwriter a certificate, dated such Delivery Date, of its Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer stating that:

 

(i)            The representations, warranties and agreements of the Company in Section 1 are true and correct on and as of such Delivery Date, and the Company has complied with all its agreements contained herein and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such Delivery Date;

 

(ii)           No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued; and no proceedings or examination for that purpose have been instituted or, to the knowledge of such officers, threatened; and

 

(iii)          They have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package, and, in their opinion, (A) (1) the Registration Statement, as of the Effective Date, (2) the Prospectus, as of its date and on the applicable Delivery Date, or (3) the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, did not and do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact and did not and do not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (except in the case of the Registration Statement, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, except, in the case of the Pricing Disclosure Package, that the price of the Stock and disclosures directly relating thereto are included on the cover page of the Prospectus, and (B) since the Effective Date, no event has occurred that would be required to be disclosed under the Securities Act and the Rules and the Regulations in a supplement or amendment to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that has not been so set forth;

 

(j)            Except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, (i) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree or (ii) since such date there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the financial condition, results of operations or business of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is, in the judgment of the Underwriter, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Stock being delivered on such Delivery Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

 

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(k)           Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company’s debt securities or preferred stock by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) of the Rules and Regulations), and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s debt securities or preferred stock.

 

(l)            Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement there shall not have occurred any of the following:  (i) trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the American Stock Exchange or in the over-the-counter market, or trading in any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market, shall have been suspended or materially limited or the settlement of such trading generally shall have been materially disrupted or minimum prices shall have been established on any such exchange or such market by the Commission, by such exchange or by any other regulatory body or governmental authority having jurisdiction, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared by federal or state authorities, (iii) the United States shall have become engaged in hostilities, there shall have been an escalation in hostilities involving the United States or there shall have been a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States or (iv) there shall have occurred such a material adverse change in general economic, political or financial conditions, including, without limitation, as a result of terrorist activities after the date hereof (or the effect of international conditions on the financial markets in the United States shall be such), as to make it, in the judgment of the Underwriter, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or delivery of the Stock being delivered on such Delivery Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

 

(m)          The NYSE shall have approved the Stock for listing, subject only to official notice of issuance.

 

(n)           The Lock-Up Agreements between the Underwriter and the officers, and directors of the Company set forth on Schedule 3, delivered to the Underwriter on or before the date of this Agreement, shall be in full force and effect on such Delivery Date.

 

7.     Indemnification and Contribution.

 

(a)           The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriter, its directors, officers and employees and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, from and against any loss, claim, damage or liability, joint or several, or any action in respect thereof (including, but not limited to, any loss, claim, damage, liability or action relating to purchases and sales of Stock), to which the Underwriter, director, officer, employee or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of, or is based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in (A) any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto, (B) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or (C) 

 

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any Permitted Issuer Information used or referred to in any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405) used or referred to by the Underwriter, (D) any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433) not constituting an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (a “Non-Prospectus Road Show”) or (E) any Blue Sky application or other document prepared or executed by the Company (or based upon any written information furnished by the Company for use therein) specifically for the purpose of qualifying any or all of the Stock under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction (any such application, document or information being hereinafter called a “Blue Sky Application”), (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Permitted Issuer Information, any Non-Prospectus Road Show or any Blue Sky Application, any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (iii) any act or failure to act or any alleged act or failure to act by the Underwriter in connection with, or relating in any manner to, the Stock or the offering contemplated hereby, and which is included as part of or referred to in any loss, claim, damage, liability or action arising out of or based upon matters covered by clause (i) or (ii) above (provided that the Company shall not be liable under this clause (iii) to the extent that it is determined in a final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction that such loss, claim, damage, liability or action resulted directly from any such acts or failures to act undertaken or omitted to be taken by the Underwriter through its gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct), and shall reimburse each Underwriter and each such director, officer, employee or controlling person promptly upon demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by that Underwriter, director, officer, employee or controlling person in connection with investigating or defending or preparing to defend against any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of, or is based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any such amendment or supplement thereto or in any Permitted Issuer Information, any Non-Prospectus Road Show or any Blue Sky Application, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information concerning the Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information consists solely of the information specified in Section 7(e).  The foregoing indemnity agreement is in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have to the Underwriter or to any director, officer, employee or controlling person of that Underwriter.

 

(b)           The Underwriter shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its  directors, officers and employees, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, from and against any loss, claim, damage or liability, joint or several, or any action in respect thereof, to which the Companyor any such director, officer, employee or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of, or is based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any

 

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amendment or supplement thereto or in any Non-Prospectus Road Show or Blue Sky Application, or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Non-Prospectus Road Show or Blue Sky Application, any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but in each case only to the extent that the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information concerning the Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is limited to the information set forth in Section 7(e).  The foregoing indemnity agreement is in addition to any liability that the Underwriter may otherwise have to the Company or any such director, officer, employee or controlling person.

 

(c)           Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 7 of notice of any claim or the commencement of any action, the indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 7, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the claim or the commencement of that action; provided, however, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have under this Section 7 except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by such failure and, provided,  further, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 7.  If any such claim or action shall be brought against an indemnified party, and it shall notify the indemnifying party thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with any other similarly notified indemnifying party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party.  After notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense of such claim or action, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to the indemnified party under this Section 7 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, that the Underwriter shall have the right to employ counsel to represent the Underwriter and its directors, officers, employees and controlling persons who may be subject to liability arising out of any claim in respect of which indemnity may be sought by the Underwriter against the Company under this Section 7 if (i) the Company and the Underwriter shall have so mutually agreed; (ii) the Company has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter; (iii) the Underwriter and its directors, officers, employees and controlling persons shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to them that are different from or in addition to those available to the Company; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Underwriter or its directors, officers, employees or controlling persons, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand, and representation of both sets of parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them, and in any such event the fees and expenses of such separate counsel shall be paid by the Company.  No indemnifying party shall (i) without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties (which consent shall not be unreasonably

 

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withheld), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding and does not include any findings of fact or admissions of fault or culpability as to the indemnified party, or (ii) be liable for any settlement of any such action effected without its written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), but if settled with the consent of the indemnifying party or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff in any such action, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment.

 

(d)           If the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 shall for any reason be unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section 7(a) or 8(b) in respect of any loss, claim, damage or liability, or any action in respect thereof, referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, (i) in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriter, on the other, from the offering of the Stock 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 Underwriter, on the other, with respect to the statements or omissions that resulted in such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.  The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriter, on the other, with respect to such offering shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Stock purchased under this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, on the one hand, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriter with respect to the shares of the Stock purchased under this Agreement, as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, on the other hand.  The relative fault shall be determined by reference to whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Underwriter, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.  The Company and the Underwriter agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 7(d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein.  The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 7(d) shall be deemed to include, for purposes of this Section 7(d), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7(d), the Underwriter shall not be required

 

23



 

to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the net proceeds from the sale of the Stock underwritten by it exceeds the amount of any damages that the Underwriter has otherwise paid or become liable to pay by reason of any untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.  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 Underwriter’s obligations to contribute as provided in this Section 7(d) are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

 

(e)           The Underwriter confirms and the Company acknowledges and agrees that the statements regarding delivery of shares by the Underwriter set forth on the cover page of, and the concession and reallowance figures and the paragraph relating to stabilization by the Underwriter appearing under the caption “Underwriting” in, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus are correct and constitute the only information concerning the Underwriter furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriter, specifically for inclusion in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Non-Prospectus Road Show.

 

8.     Termination.  The obligations of the Underwriter hereunder may be terminated by the Underwriter by notice given to and received by the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Firm Stock if, prior to that time, any of the events described in Sections 7(j), 7(k) and 7(l) shall have occurred or if the Underwriter shall decline to purchase the Stock for any reason permitted under this Agreement.

 

9.     Reimbursement of Underwriter’s Expenses.  If the Company shall fail to tender the Stock for delivery to the Underwriter by reason of any failure, refusal or inability on the part of the Company to perform any agreement on its part to be performed, or because any other condition to the Underwriter’s obligations hereunder required to be fulfilled by the Company is not fulfilled for any reason or (b) the Underwriter shall decline to purchase the Stock for any reason permitted under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriter for all reasonable documented out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable documented fees and disbursements of counsel) incurred by the Underwriter in connection with this Agreement and the proposed purchase of the Stock, and upon demand the Company shall pay the full amount thereof to the Underwriter.

 

10.   Research Analyst Independence.  The Company acknowledges that the Underwriter’s 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 the Underwriter’s research analysts may hold views and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Company and/or the offering 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 Underwriter 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

 

24



 

Company by the Underwriter’s investment banking divisions.  The Company acknowledges that the Underwriter 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.

 

11.   No Fiduciary Duty.  The Company acknowledges and agrees that in connection with this offering, sale of the Stock or any other services the Underwriter may be deemed to be providing hereunder, notwithstanding any preexisting relationship, advisory or otherwise, between the parties or any oral representations or assurances previously or subsequently made by the Underwriter:  (i) no fiduciary or agency relationship between the Company and any other person, on the one hand, and the Underwriter, on the other, exists; (ii) the Underwriter is not acting as advisors, expert or otherwise, to the Company, including, without limitation, with respect to the determination of the public offering price of the Stock, and such relationship between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriter, on the other, is entirely and solely commercial, based on arms-length negotiations; (iii) any duties and obligations that the Underwriter may have to the Company shall be limited to those duties and obligations specifically stated herein; and (iv) the Underwriter and their respective affiliates may have interests that differ from those of the Company.  The Company hereby waives any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriter with respect to any breach of fiduciary duty in connection with this offering.

 

12.   Notices, Etc.   All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and:

 

(a)   if to the Underwriter, shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to Lehman Brothers Inc., 745 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, Attention:  Syndicate Registration (Fax: 646 ###-###-####), with a copy, in the case of any notice pursuant to Section 7(c), to the Director of Litigation, Office of the General Counsel, Lehman Brothers Inc., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 44th Floor, New York, New York 10020 (Fax:  212 ###-###-####); and

 

(b)   if to the Company, shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Leonard J. McGill (Fax: 9519772097).

 

Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect at the time of receipt thereof.  The Company shall be entitled to act and rely upon any request, consent, notice or agreement given or made on behalf of the Underwriter by Lehman Brothers Inc.

 

13.   Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement.   This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriter, the Company, and their respective legal representatives and successors.  This Agreement and the terms and provisions hereof are for the sole benefit of only those persons, except that (A) the representations, warranties, indemnities and agreements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall also be deemed to be for the benefit of the directors, officers and employees of the Underwriter and each person or persons, if any, who control the Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and (B) 

 

25



 

the indemnity agreement of the Underwriter contained in Section 7(b) of this Agreement shall be deemed to be for the benefit of the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who have signed the Registration Statement and any person controlling the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act.  Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, other than the persons referred to in this Section 13, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein.

 

14.   Survival.  The respective indemnities, representations, warranties and agreements of the Company and the Underwriter contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Stock and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any of them or any person controlling any of them.

 

15.   Definition of the Terms “Business Day” and “Subsidiary”.   For purposes of this Agreement, (a) “business day” means each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday that is not a day on which banking institutions in New York are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close and (b) “subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405.

 

16.   Governing LawThis Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

 

17.   Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts and, if executed in more than one counterpart, the executed counterparts shall each be deemed to be an original but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

 

18.   Headings.  The headings herein are inserted for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.

 

26



 

If the foregoing correctly sets forth the agreement between the Company and the Underwriter, please indicate your acceptance in the space provided for that purpose below.

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

 

FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Boyd R. Plowman

 

 

Name: Boyd R. Plowman

 

 

Title: Executive Vice President - CFO

 

27



 

Accepted:

 

LEHMAN BROTHERS INC.

 

 

By:

/s/ Victoria Hale

 

 

Authorized Representative

 

 

28



 

SCHEDULE 1

 

Underwriter

 

Number of Shares of 
Firm Stock

 

 

 

 

 

Lehman Brothers Inc.

 

12,000,000

 

Total

 

12,000,000

 

 



 

SCHEDULE 2

 

Free writing Prospectus:

 

Free Writing Prospectus including Investor Slide Presentation, filed by the Company with the Commission on June 19, 2008.

 



 

SCHEDULE 3

 

PERSONS DELIVERING LOCK-UP AGREEMENTS

 

Directors

 

Paul D. Borghesani

Loren K. Carroll

Margaret S. Dano

James L. Doti, PhD

David S. Engleman

J. Michael Hagan

Douglas M. Lawson, PhD

John T. Montford

Thomas B. Pitcher

Elden L. Smith

Daniel D. Villanueva

 

Officers

 

Paul C. Eskritt

Andrew M. Griffiths

Lyle N. Larkin

Charles E. Lott

Leonard J. McGill

Thomas B. Pitcher

Boyd R. Plowman

Elden L. Smith

James F. Smith

 



 

Exhibit A

 

LOCK-UP LETTER AGREEMENT

 

LEHMAN BROTHERS INC.

745 Seventh Avenue

New York, New York 10019

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

The undersigned understands that you (the “Underwriter”) propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) providing for the purchase by the Underwriter of shares (the “Stock”) of Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share (the “Common Stock”), of Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc., a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Company”), and that the Underwriter proposes to offer the Stock to the public (the “Offering”).

 

In consideration of the execution of the Underwriting Agreement by the Underwriter, and for other good and valuable consideration, the undersigned hereby irrevocably agrees that, without the prior written consent of Lehman Brothers Inc., the undersigned will not, directly or indirectly, (1) offer for sale, sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device that is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any shares of Common Stock (including, without limitation, shares of Common Stock that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and shares of Common Stock that may be issued upon exercise of any options or warrants) or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock (other than the Stock), (2) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of shares of Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise or (3) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing, for a period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the 60th day after the date of the Prospectus relating to the Offering (such 60-day period, the “Lock-Up Period”).

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may transfer the Undersigned’s Shares (i) as a bona fide gift or gifts, provided that the donee or donees thereof agree to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, (ii) to any trust or partnership for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned, provided that the trustee of the trust or the partnership, as the case may be, agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, and provided further that any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (iii) in accordance with trading plans pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act that have been approved by the Company, and that are in existence on the date hereof or (iv) with the prior written consent of Lehman Brothers Inc; provided that in each case that (a) no filing by any party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee, trust, trustee or partnership) under the Securities

 

1



 

Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5, Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G (or 13D-A or 13G-A) made after the expiration of the 60-day period referred to above),(b) each party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee, trust, trustee or partnership) shall not be required by law (including without limitation the disclosure requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act) to make, and shall agree to not voluntarily make, any public announcement of the transfer or disposition, and (c) the undersigned notifies Lehman Brothers Inc. at least two business days prior to the proposed transfer or disposition.  For the avoidance of doubt, the undersigned may enter into new 10b5-1 trading plans at any time after the date hereof, to the extent that none of the Undersigned’s Shares are traded under such new plan during the Lock-Up Period.  For purposes of this Lock-Up Agreement, “immediate family” shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs or (2) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, then the restrictions imposed by this Lock-Up Letter Agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the announcement of the material news or the occurrence of the material event, unless Lehman Brothers Inc. waives such extension in writing.  The undersigned hereby further agrees that, prior to engaging in any transaction or taking any other action that is subject to the terms of this Lock-Up Letter Agreement during the period from the date of this Lock-Up Letter Agreement to and including the 34th day following the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, it will give notice thereof to the Company and will not consummate such transaction or take any such action unless it has received written confirmation from the Company that the Lock-Up Period (as such may have been extended pursuant to this paragraph) has expired.

 

In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company and its transfer agent are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Lock-Up Letter Agreement.

 

It is understood that, if the Company notifies the Underwriter that it does not intend to proceed with the Offering, if the Underwriting Agreement does not become effective, or if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Stock, the undersigned will be released from its obligations under this Lock-Up Letter Agreement.

 

The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriter will  proceed with the Offering in reliance on this Lock-Up Letter Agreement.

 

2



 

Whether or not the Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions.  Any Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company, and the Underwriter.

 

[Signature page follows]

 

3



 

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Lock-Up Letter Agreement and that, upon request, the undersigned will execute any additional documents necessary in connection with the enforcement hereof.  Any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns of the undersigned.

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

 Name:

 

 

 Title:

 

 

 

Dated:

 

 

 

 

 

4



 

EXHIBIT B-1

 

FORM OF OPINION OF ISSUER’S COUNSEL

 

B-1-1



 

EXHIBIT B-2

 

FORM OF OPINION OF GENERAL COUNSEL

 

(i)            To such counsel’s knowledge and except as described in the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending, or overtly threatening, to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or that seeks to prevent the execution and delivery by the Company of the Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder.

 

(ii)           To such counsel’s knowledge, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right (other than rights which have been waived in writing or otherwise satisfied) to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act.

 

B-2-1