EX-1.1 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT DATED MARCH 21, 2006
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- Underwriting Agreements
EX-1.1 2 g00356exv1w1.txt EX-1.1 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT DATED MARCH 21, 2006 EXHIBIT 1.1 THE HOME DEPOT, INC. 5.20% Senior Notes due 2011 5.40% Senior Notes due 2016 Underwriting Agreement March 21, 2006 To the Representatives named in Schedule I hereto of the Underwriters named in Schedule II hereto Ladies and Gentlemen: The Home Depot, Inc., a corporation organized under the laws of Delaware (the "Company"), proposes to sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule II hereto (the "Underwriters"), for whom you (the "Representatives") are acting as representatives, the principal amount of its securities identified in Schedule I hereto (the "Securities"), to be issued under an indenture (the "Indenture") dated as of May 4, 2005, between the Company and The Bank of New York, as trustee (the "Trustee"). To the extent there are no additional Underwriters listed on Schedule II other than you, the term Representatives as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriters, and the terms Representatives and Underwriters shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires. Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus or the documents constituting the Disclosure Package shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3, which were filed under the Exchange Act on or before the Effective Date of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus or the documents constituting the Disclosure Package, as the case may be; and any reference herein to the terms "amend," "amendment" or "supplement" with respect to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus or the documents constituting the Disclosure Package shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the Effective Date of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus or the documents constituting the Disclosure Package, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference. Certain terms used herein are defined in Section 17 hereof. 1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter as set forth below in this Section 1. (a) The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Act and has prepared and filed with the Commission a registration statement (the file number of which is set forth in Schedule I hereto) on Form S-3, including a related Base Prospectus, for registration under the Act of the offering and sale of the Securities. The Company may have filed with the Commission, as part of an amendment to the Registration Statement or pursuant to Rule 424(b), one or more Preliminary Prospectuses relating to the Securities, each of which has previously been furnished to you. The Company will file with the Commission a Final Prospectus relating to the Securities in accordance with Rule 424(b). The Registration Statement, at the Execution Time, is effective and meets the requirements set forth in Rule 415(a)(1)(x). (b) On each Effective Date, the Registration Statement did, and when the Final Prospectus is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date (as defined herein in Section 3 of this Agreement), the Final Prospectus (and any supplement thereto) will, comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act, the Exchange Act and the Trust Indenture Act and the respective rules thereunder; on each Effective Date, the Registration Statement did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; on the Effective Date and on the Closing Date the Indenture did or will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Trust Indenture Act and the rules thereunder; and on the date of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date, the Final Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to (i) that part of the Registration Statement which shall constitute the Statement of Eligibility and Qualification (Form T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act of the Trustee or (ii) the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus (or any supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriters consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof. (c) At the Execution Time, the Disclosure Package does not and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 3), the Disclosure Package, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof. 2 (d) (i)At the time of the most recent amendment of the Registration Statement for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus) and (ii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c)) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption in Rule 163, the Company was or is (as the case may be) a Well-Known Seasoned Issuer. (e) At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2)) of the Securities Act, the Company was not and is not an Ineligible Issuer. (f) Each Free Writing Prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. (g) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not include any information that conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, including any document incorporated therein and any prospectus supplement deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter. 2. Purchase and Sale. Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price set forth in Schedule I hereto the principal amount of the Securities set forth opposite such Underwriter's name in Schedule II hereto. 3. Delivery and Payment. Delivery of and payment for the Securities shall be made on the date and at the time specified in Schedule I hereto or at such time on such later date not more than three Business Days after the foregoing date as the Representatives shall designate, which date and time may be postponed by agreement between the Representatives and the Company or as provided in Section 9 hereof (such date and time of delivery and payment for the Securities being herein called the "Closing Date"). Delivery of the Securities shall be made to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters against payment by 3 the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the purchase price thereof to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to an account specified by the Company. Delivery of the Securities shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct. 4. Offering by Underwriters. It is understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Final Prospectus. 5. Agreements. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that: (a) Prior to the termination of the offering of the Securities, the Company will not file any amendment of the Registration Statement or supplement (including the Final Prospectus or any Preliminary Prospectus) to the Base Prospectus unless the Company has furnished you a copy for your review prior to filing. The Company will cause the Final Prospectus, properly completed, and any supplement thereto to be filed in a form approved by the Representatives with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed. The Company will promptly advise the Representatives (1) when the Final Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed (if required) with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), (2) when, prior to termination of the offering of the Securities, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been filed and become effective, (3) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment of the Registration Statement or for any supplement to the Final Prospectus or for any additional information, (4) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any notice that would prevent its use or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (5) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use all reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the occurrence of any such suspension or objection to the use of the Registration Statement and, upon such issuance, occurrence or notice of objection, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal of such stop order or relief from such occurrence or objection, including, if necessary, by filing an amendment to the Registration Statement or a new registration statement and, if necessary, using all reasonable efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable. (b) If so requested by you, to prepare a final term sheet, containing solely a description of final terms of the Securities and the offering thereof, in a form approved by you and to file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) within the time required by such Rule. (c) If, at any time prior to the filing of the Final Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b), any event occurs as a result of which the Disclosure Package would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made at such time not misleading, the Company will (1) notify promptly the Representatives so that any use of the Disclosure Package may cease until it is amended or supplemented; (2) 4 amend or supplement the Disclosure Package to correct such statement or omission; and (3) supply any amendment or supplement to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request. (d) If, at any time when a Final Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, any event occurs as a result of which the Final Prospectus as then supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made at such time not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration Statement, file a new registration statement or supplement the Final Prospectus to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act or the respective rules thereunder the Company promptly will (1) notify the Representatives of such event, (2) prepare, at its own expense, and file with the Commission, subject to the second sentence of paragraph (a) of this Section 5, an amendment or supplement or new registration statement which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance, (3) use all reasonable efforts to have any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable in order to avoid any disruption in use of the Final Prospectus, and (4) supply any supplemented Final Prospectus to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request. (e) As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representatives an earnings statement or statements of the Company and its subsidiaries which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158. (f) Upon request, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and to each other Underwriter a copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto), and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by an Underwriter or dealer may be required by the Act, as many copies of each Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any supplement thereto as the Representatives may reasonably request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing or other production of all documents relating to the offering. (g) The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of the Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate, will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities and will pay any fee of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., in connection with its review of the offering; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Securities, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject. (h) The Company agrees that, unless it has obtained or will obtain the prior written consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, 5 agrees with the Company that, unless it has obtained or will obtain, as the case may be, the prior written consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a Free Writing Prospectus required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433, other than the information contained in any final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(b) hereto; provided that the prior written consent of the parties hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, included in Schedule III hereto. Any such Free Writing Prospectus consented to by the Representatives or the Company is hereinafter referred to as a "Permitted Free Writing Prospectus." The Company agrees that (x) it has treated and will treat, as the case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and (y) it has complied and will comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping. Each Underwriter agrees to furnish the Company with a copy of each proposed Free Writing Prospectus to be prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter before its first use and not to use any Free Writing Prospectus, to which the Company reasonably objects; provided, however, that without consent of the Company each Underwriter may use one or more preliminary or final term sheets relating to the Securities and the offering thereof containing customary information. 6. Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Securities shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of the Execution Time and the Closing Date, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions: (a) The Final Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b), any final term sheet contemplated by Section 5(b) hereto, and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice that would prevent its use shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened. (b) You shall have received an opinion, dated the Closing Date, of the General Counsel of the Company, to the effect that: (i) the Company has been duly incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware; (ii) the Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered, has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and constitutes a legal, 6 valid and binding instrument enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms (subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors' rights generally from time to time in effect and to general principles of equity including, without limitation, concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the Securities have been duly authorized and, when executed and authenticated in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits of the Indenture; (iii) such counsel does not know of any legal or governmental proceedings required to be described in the Preliminary Prospectus or Final Prospectus in which are not described as required or of any contracts or documents of a character required to be described in the Preliminary Prospectus or Final Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to any document incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Prospectus or Final Prospectus which are not described and filed as required; (iv) the Registration Statement has become effective under the Act; any required filing of the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus and the Final Prospectus, and any supplements thereto, pursuant to Rule 424(b), has been made in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); to the knowledge of such counsel, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice that would prevent its use has been issued, no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or threatened and the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus (other than the financial statements and other financial and statistical information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act, the Exchange Act and the Trust Indenture Act and the respective rules thereunder; and such counsel has no reason to believe that on the Effective Date the Registration Statement contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or that the Final Prospectus as of its date and on the Closing Date included or includes any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (in each case, other than the financial statements and other financial and statistical information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion); (v) such counsel has no reason to believe that the documents specified in a schedule to such counsel's letter, consisting of those included in the Disclosure Package at the Execution Time or as amended or supplemented, if applicable, as of the Closing Date contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the 7 statements therein, in the light of circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; (vi) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company; (vii) no consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated in this Agreement and in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus or the Disclosure Package and such other approvals (specified in such opinion) as have been obtained; and (viii) the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Indenture, this Agreement and the issuance and sale of the Securities, and compliance with the terms and provisions thereof, will not result in a breach or violation of any of the material terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bond, debenture, note or other evidence of indebtedness or any material lease, contract or other agreement or instrument known to such counsel to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any such subsidiary is bound or to which any of the properties of the Company or any such subsidiary is bound. In giving the opinions required by this subsection (b) of this Section 6, the General Counsel of the Company (i) may limit such opinion to the laws of the State of New York, the corporate law of the State of Delaware and the Federal laws of the United States and (ii) may rely, as to matters of fact, upon the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein and upon certificates of officers of the Company and of public officials. The foregoing opinions may also be subject to such assumptions and qualifications as are satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters. (c) The Representatives shall have received from Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Indenture, the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) and other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters. (d) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate of the Company, signed by the President or any Vice President and the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Final 8 Prospectus, the Disclosure Package and any supplements or amendments thereto, and this Agreement and that, to the knowledge of the signers: (i) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct on and as of the Closing Date with the same effect as if made on the Closing Date and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date; (ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice that would prevent its use has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company's knowledge, threatened; and (iii) since the date of the most recent financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there has been no material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto). (e) The Representatives shall have received a letter from KPMG LLP, dated the Closing Date, addressed and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, confirming that such firm is "independent" within the meaning of the Act and covering matters that are ordinarily covered by "comfort letters" drafted in accordance with Statement of Accounting Standards No. 72. (f) Subsequent to the Execution Time or, if earlier, the dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus, there shall not have been any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus the effect of which is, in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus. (g) Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives such further information, certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request. If any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, this Agreement and all obligations of 9 the Underwriters hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing Date by the Representatives. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or facsimile confirmed in writing. The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 shall be delivered at the location specified in Schedule I hereto, on the Closing Date. 7. Reimbursement of Underwriters' Expenses. If the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Underwriters set forth in Section 6 hereof is not satisfied, because of any termination pursuant to Section 10 hereof or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriters, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters severally through Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated on demand for all out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been incurred by them in connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the Securities. 8. Indemnification and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees and agents of each Underwriter and each person who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or in the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus relating to the Securities, Final Prospectus, the Disclosure Package or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion therein. 10 (b) Each Underwriter severally and not jointly agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to each Underwriter, but only with reference to written information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company acknowledges that (i) the names of Underwriters and their respective participation in the sale of the Securities as set forth in the table of Underwriters under the first paragraph of text under the heading "Underwriting" in the prospectus supplement included in the Final Prospectus, (ii) the third paragraph of text under the heading "Underwriting" in the prospectus supplement included in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Final Prospectus relating to the initial sale of the Securities at the initial public offering price, selling concessions and reallowances and (iii) the tenth paragraph under the heading "Underwriting" in the prospectus supplement included in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Final Prospectus related to stabilization, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids and (iv) the last paragraph under the heading "Underwriting" in the prospectus supplement included in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Final Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the several Underwriters for inclusion in the prospectus supplement included in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Final Prospectus. (c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party's choice at the indemnifying party's expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be satisfactory to the indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party's election to appoint counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which 11 are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, 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. (d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending same) (collectively "Losses") to which the Company and one or more of the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and by the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities; provided, however, that in no case shall any Underwriter (except as may be provided in any agreement among underwriters relating to the offering of the Securities) be responsible for any amount in excess of the underwriting discount or commission applicable to the Securities purchased by such Underwriter hereunder. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by it, and benefits received by the Underwriters shall be deemed to be equal to the total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as set forth on the cover page of the Final Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information provided by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration 12 Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d). 9. Default by an Underwriter. If any one or more Underwriters shall fail to purchase and pay for any of the Securities agreed to be purchased by such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to purchase shall constitute a default in the performance of its or their obligations under this Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated severally to take up and pay for (in the respective proportions which the principal amount of Securities set forth opposite their names in Schedule II hereto bears to the aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth opposite the names of all the remaining Underwriters) the Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase; provided, however, that in the event that the aggregate principal amount of Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase shall exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth in Schedule II hereto, the remaining Underwriters shall have the right to purchase all, but shall not be under any obligation to purchase any, of the Securities, and if such nondefaulting Underwriters do not purchase all the Securities, this Agreement will terminate without liability to any nondefaulting Underwriter or the Company. In the event of a default by any Underwriter as set forth in this Section 9, the Closing Date shall be postponed for such period, not exceeding five Business Days, as the Representatives shall determine in order that the required changes in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the Company and any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages occasioned by its default hereunder. 10. Termination. This Agreement shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice given to the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if at any time prior to such time (i) trading in the Company's Common Stock shall have been suspended by the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange or trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange shall have been suspended or limited or minimum prices shall have been established on such Exchange, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared either by Federal or New York State authorities or (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war, or other calamity or crisis the effect of which on financial markets is such as to make it, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by any Preliminary Prospectus, the Final Prospectus or the Disclosure Package (exclusive of any supplement thereto). 11. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of the officers, directors, employees, agents or controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. The Company's responsibility for the expenses to be paid by it pursuant to Section 5 hereof and the provisions of Sections 7 and 8 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement. 13 The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arm's length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect to the offering of Securities contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company or any other person. Additionally, neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter is advising the Company or any other person as to any legal , tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction. The Company shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making their own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Underwriters shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company. 12. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Representatives, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated at 1585 Broadway 4th Floor, New York, New York, 10036 (fax no.: 212 ###-###-####) J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. 270 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017, Attention: High Grade Syndicate Desk - 8th floor (fax no.: 212 ###-###-####), and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated 4 World Financial Center, North Tower, 11 Floor, New York, New York 10080 at (fax no.: 212 ###-###-####) or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to The Home Depot, Inc., 2455 Paces Ferry Rd., N.W., Atlanta, Georgia, 30339-4024, (fax no: (770) 384-5842), to the attention of the Chief Financial Officer and a copy sent to the General Counsel. 13. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers, directors, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. 14. Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York. 15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement. 16. Headings. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof. 17. Definitions. The terms which follow, when used in this Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated. "Act" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder. "Base Prospectus" shall mean the base prospectus referred to in paragraph 1(a) above contained in the Registration Statement at the Execution Time. 14 "Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City. "Commission" shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission. "Disclosure Package" shall mean (i) the Base Prospectus, (ii) the Preliminary Prospectus used most recently prior to the Execution Time, (iii) the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule III hereto, and (iv) any other Free Writing Prospectus that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Disclosure Package. "Effective Date" shall mean each date and time that the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto relating to the Securities became or become effective. "Exchange Act" shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder. "Execution Time" shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto. "Final Prospectus" shall mean the final prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that was first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) after the Execution Time, together with the Base Prospectus. "Free Writing Prospectus" shall mean a free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405 of the Act. "Ineligible Issuer" shall mean an ineligible issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Act. "Issuer Free Writing Prospectus" shall mean an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 that the Issuer has filed or is required to file under Rule 433(d) under the Act. "Material Adverse Effect" shall mean the material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole. "Preliminary Prospectus" shall mean any preliminary form of the prospectus supplement to the Base Prospectus referred to in paragraph 1(a) above which relates to the Securities and is used prior to the filing of the Final Prospectus, together with the Base Prospectus. "Registration Statement" shall mean the registration statement referred to in paragraph 1(a) above, including exhibits and financial statements and any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and deemed part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B, as 15 amended on the most recent Effective Date and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto becomes effective prior to the Closing Date, shall also mean such registration statement as so amended. "Rule 158," "Rule 163," "Rule 164," "Rule 405," "Rule 415," "Rule 424" and "Rule 433" refer to such rules under the Act. "Trust Indenture Act" shall mean the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder. "Well-Known Seasoned Issuer" shall mean a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405. 16 If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the Company and the several Underwriters. Very truly yours, THE HOME DEPOT, INC. By: /s/ Carol B. Tome _________________________________ Name: Carol B. Tome Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date specified in Schedule I hereto. Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated By: Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated By: /s/ Michael Fusco ____________________________________ Name: Michael Fusco Title: Executive Director By: J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. By: /s/ Robert Bottamedi ____________________________________ Name: Robert Bottamedi Title: Vice President By: Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated By: /s/ R. Mitchell Theiss ____________________________________ Name: R. Mitchell Theiss Title: Managing Director SCHEDULE I Underwriting Agreement dated: March 21, 2006 Registration Statement No. 333-124699 Representative(s): Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated Title, Purchase Price and Description of Securities: Title: 5.20% Senior Notes due 2011 Title: 5.40% Senior Notes due 2016 Principal amount: $ 1,000,000,000 Principal amount: $ 3,000,000,000 Purchase price (include accrued Purchase price (include accrued interest or amortization, if interest or amortization, if any): 99.598% any): 99.061% Redemption provisions: Redemption provisions: Optional redemption at the Optional redemption at the option of the Company as described option of the Company as described under the heading "Description at under the heading "Description at the Notes" in the Prospectus the Notes" in the Prospectus Supplement including the Final Supplement including the Final Prospectus. Prospectus. Closing Date, Time and Location: March 24, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. at the offices of King & Spalding at 1180 Peachtree, N.E, Atlanta, Georgia 30309. Type of Offering: Non-delayed SCHEDULE II
SCHEDULE III Final Term Sheet March 21, 2006 THE HOME DEPOT, INC. $1,000,000,000 5.20% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2011 $3,000,000,000 5.40% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2016 ISSUER: The Home Depot, Inc. TITLE OF SECURITIES: 5.20% Senior Notes due March 1, 2011 (the "Notes due 2011") 5.40% Senior Notes due March 1, 2016 (the "Notes due 2016") TRADE DATE: March 21, 2006 SETTLEMENT DATE (T+3): March 24, 2006 MATURITY DATE: Notes due 2011: March 1, 2011 Notes due 2016: March 1, 2016 AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT Notes due 2011: $1,000,000,000 OFFERED: Notes due 2016: $3,000,000,000 PRICE TO PUBLIC (ISSUE PRICE): Notes due 2011: 99.948% plus accrued interest, if any, from March 24, 2006 Notes due 2016: 99.511% plus accrued interest, if any, from March 24, 2006 PRICE TO THE HOME DEPOT: Notes due 2011: 99.598% Notes due 2016: 99.061% INTEREST RATE: Notes due 2011: 5.20% per annum Notes due 2016: 5.40% per annum INTEREST PAYMENT DATES: Notes due 2011: Semi-annually on each September 1 and March 1, commencing September 1, 2006. Notes due 2016: Semi-annually on each September 1 and March 1, commencing September 1, 2006. OPTIONAL REDEMPTION: Notes due 2011: Make-whole call at any time at the greater of 100% or discounted present value at Treasury Rate plus 10 basis points. Notes due 2016: Make-whole call at any time at the greater of 100% or discounted present value at Treasury Rate plus 15 basis points. JOINT BOOKRUNNERS: Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated THE ISSUER HAS FILED A REGISTRATION STATEMENT (INCLUDING A PROSPECTUS) WITH THE SEC FOR THE OFFERING TO WHICH THIS COMMUNICATION RELATES. BEFORE YOU INVEST, YOU SHOULD READ THE PROSPECTUS IN THAT REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS THE ISSUER HAS FILED WITH THE SEC FOR MORE COMPLETE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ISSUER AND THIS OFFERING. YOU MAY GET THESE DOCUMENTS FOR FREE BY VISITING EDGAR ON THE SEC WEB SITE AT WWW.SEC.GOV. ALTERNATIVELY, THE ISSUER, ANY UNDERWRITER OR ANY DEALER PARTICIPATING IN THE OFFERING WILL ARRANGE TO SEND YOU THE PROSPECTUS IF YOU REQUEST IT BY CALLING (i) MORGAN STANLEY TOLL-FREE ###-###-#### (INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS) OR ###-###-#### (RETAIL INVESTORS) (ii) J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC. COLLECT ###-###-#### OR (iii) MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED TOLL-FREE ###-###-####. ANY DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES THAT MAY APPEAR BELOW ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS COMMUNICATION AND SHOULD BE DISREGARDED. SUCH DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES WERE AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED AS A RESULT OF THIS COMMUNICATION BEING SENT VIA BLOOMBERG OR ANOTHER EMAIL SYSTEM.
