McKESSON CORPORATION

EX-1.1 2 f27940exv1w1.htm EXHIBIT 1.1 exv1w1
 

Exhibit 1.1
McKESSON CORPORATION
$1,000,000,000
5.25% Notes due 2013
5.70% Notes due 2017
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
February 28, 2007
Banc of America Securities LLC
Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC

 


 

Underwriting Agreement
February 28, 2007
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
WACHOVIA CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC
As Representatives of the several Underwriters
       c/o  Banc of America Securities LLC
9 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
Ladies and Gentlemen:
     Introductory. McKesson Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule A (the “Underwriters”), acting severally and not jointly, the respective amounts set forth in such Schedule A of $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 5.25% Notes due 2013 (the “2013 Notes”) and $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 5.70% Notes due 2017 (the “2017 Notes” and, together with the 2013 Notes, the “Notes”). Banc of America Securities LLC and Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC have agreed to act as representatives of the several Underwriters (in such capacity, the “Representatives”) in connection with the offering and sale of the Notes.
     The Notes will be issued pursuant to an indenture to be dated as of the Closing Date (the “Base Indenture”), between the Company and The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “Trustee”). Certain terms of the Notes will be established pursuant to an officer’s certificate (the “Officer’s Certificate”) to the Base Indenture (together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”). The Notes will be issued in book-entry form in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of The Depository Trust Company (the “Depositary”), pursuant to a Letter of Representations, to be dated on or before the Closing Date (as defined in Section 2 below) (the “DTC Agreement”), between the Company and the Depositary.
     The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-124921), which contains a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), to be used in connection with the public offering and sale of debt securities, including the Notes, and other securities of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), and the offering thereof from time to time in accordance with Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Such registration statement, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, in the form in which it became effective under the Securities Act, including any information deemed to be a part thereof at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, is called the “Registration Statement.” The term “Prospectus” shall mean the final prospectus supplement relating to the Notes, together with the

 


 

Base Prospectus, that is first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act after the date and time that this Agreement is executed (the “Execution Time”) by the parties hereto. The term “Preliminary Prospectus” shall mean any preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the Notes, together with the Base Prospectus, that is first filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act. Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents that are or are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act prior to 1:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on February 28, 2007 (the “Initial Sale Time”). All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, shall be deemed to be the electronically transmitted copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”).
     All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” (or other references of like import) in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Preliminary Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Preliminary Prospectus, as the case may be, prior to the Initial Sale Time; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Preliminary Prospectus shall be deemed to include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”), which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Preliminary Prospectus, as the case may be, after the Initial Sale Time.
The Company hereby confirms its agreements with the Underwriters as follows:
     Section 1. Representations and Warranties of the Company
     The Company hereby represents, warrants and covenants to each Underwriter as follows:
     (a) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the Securities Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with. In addition, the Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Trust Indenture Act”).
     At the respective times the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto (including the filing with the Commission of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 2006 (the “Annual Report on Form 10-K”)) became effective and as of the date hereof the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto (i) complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Trust Indenture Act,

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and (ii) did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. At the date of the Prospectus and at the Closing Date, neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment or the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by any of the Underwriters through the Representatives expressly for use therein (it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter through the Representatives consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof) and to those parts of the Registration Statement that constitute the Statement of Eligibility (Form T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act of the Trustee.
     Each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, at the time each was filed with the SEC, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act, and the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Notes will, at the time of such delivery, be identical to any electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
     (b) Disclosure Package. The term “Disclosure Package” shall mean (i) the Preliminary Prospectus dated February 27, 2007, (ii) the issuer free writing prospectuses as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act (each, an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”), if any, identified in Schedule B hereto and (iii) any other free writing prospectus that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Disclosure Package. As of the Initial Sale Time, the Disclosure Package did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Disclosure Package based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter through the Representatives consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
     (c) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement , the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material

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respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and will 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 light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
     (d) Company is a Well-Known Seasoned Issuer. At the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the Securities Act) made any offer relating to the Notes in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Securities Act, and as of the Execution Time, the Company was and is a “well known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
     (e) Company is not an Ineligible Issuer. (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (ii) as of the Execution Time (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 under the Securities Act that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer.
     (f) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the offering of Notes under this Agreement or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representatives as described in the next sentence, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein that has not been superseded or modified. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus the Company has promptly notified or will promptly notify the Representatives and has promptly amended or supplemented or will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict. The foregoing two sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter through the Representatives consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
     (g) Distribution of Offering Material By the Company. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the Closing Date and the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Notes, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Notes other than the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) or the Registration Statement.

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     (h) No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, except for such rights as have been duly waived.
     (i) The Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
     (j) Authorization of the Indenture. The Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and has been duly authorized by the Company and, when executed and delivered by the Company and assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by the Trustee, will constitute a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles.
     (k) Authorization of the Notes. The Notes to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company are in the form contemplated by the Indenture, have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and the Indenture and, at the Closing Date, will have been duly executed by the Company and, when authenticated in the manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment of the purchase price therefor, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles, and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.
     (l) Description of the Notes and the Indenture. The Notes and the Indenture conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
     (m) No Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Package, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Disclosure Package, there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, management, business, properties, results of operations or prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity (any such change is called a “Material Adverse Change”).
     (n) Independent Accountants. Deloitte & Touche LLP, who have expressed their opinion with respect to the Company’s audited financial statements for the fiscal years ended 2004, 2005 and 2006 incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with respect to the Company as required by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and are a registered public accounting firm with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

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     (o) Preparation of the Financial Statements. The financial statements together with the related notes thereto incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of and at the dates indicated and the results of their operations and cash flows for the periods specified. Such financial statements comply as to form with the accounting requirements of the Securities Act and have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto.
     (p) Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company and its Significant Subsidiary. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has corporate power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except for such jurisdictions where the failure to so qualify or to be in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the condition, financial or otherwise, earnings, management, business, properties, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity (a “Material Adverse Effect”). McKesson Information Solutions Holdings Limited, an Ireland corporation, is the Company’s sole significant subsidiary, as defined by Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act (the “Significant Subsidiary”), and has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to own its property and to conduct its business as presently conducted.
     (q) Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments; No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required. The execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement, the Indenture and the Notes (collectively, the “Operative Instruments”), and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated thereby, including the issuance and sale of the Notes, (A) will not violate or conflict with or result in any contravention of any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), or (B) conflict with the charter or by-laws of the Company, or (C) constitute a violation of, or a breach or default under the laws of any agreement, contract, bond, indenture or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (D) violate or conflict with, or result in any contravention of, any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, except for a violation, conflict or contravention which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (E) do not and will not result in the imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, pursuant to the terms of any agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any of their respective properties is bound, except for any liens, charges or encumbrances which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, and (F) do not require any consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency, except such as may be required

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by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states, the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the Trust Indenture Act and the securities laws of any jurisdiction outside the United States in which the Notes are offered.
     (r) No Material Actions or Proceedings. There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (i) which are required to be described in the documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and are not so described or (ii) which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, or materially affect the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Operative Instruments or to consummate any of the transactions contemplated by the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or the Operative Instruments. There are no contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required.
     (s) Intellectual Property Rights. Except as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, to the Company’s knowledge, the Company or its subsidiaries own or possess a valid right to use all patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, patentable inventions, trade secrets, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) used by the Company or its subsidiaries in, and material to, the conduct of the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ business as now conducted or as proposed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus to be conducted, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change or adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
     (t) All Necessary Permits, etc. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has all necessary consents, authorizations, approvals, orders, certificates and permits (collectively, “Permits”) of and from, and has made all declarations and filings with, all federal, state, provincial, local and other governmental authorities, all self-regulatory organizations and all courts and other tribunals, to own, lease, license and use its properties and assets and to conduct its business in the manner described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except to the extent that the failure to obtain or file could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Permits which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
     (u) Compliance with Environmental Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or regulated wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or

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failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
     (v) Environmental Costs. There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, except as otherwise disclosed or incorporated by reference in the Disclosure Package.
     (w) Tax Law Compliance. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all necessary federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise tax returns in a timely manner and have paid all taxes required to be paid by any of them and, if due and payable, any related or similar assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them, except for any taxes, assessments, fines or penalties as may be being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings, except where a default to make such filings or payments would not result in a Material Adverse Change.
     (x) Company Not an “Investment Company. The Company is not, and after receipt of payment for the Notes and the application of the proceeds thereof as contemplated under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus will not be an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
     (y) No Price Stabilization or Manipulation. The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would be reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Notes.
     (z) Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance. The Company has complied in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith.
     (aa) Controls. The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The internal control over financial reporting of the Company is effective.
     Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters set forth therein.
     Section 2. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of the Shares.
     (a) The Notes. The Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters, severally and not jointly, all of the Notes upon the terms herein set forth. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to

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the conditions herein set forth, each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the aggregate principal amount of Notes set forth opposite its name on Schedule A, plus any additional principal amount of Notes that such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to Section 10 of this Agreement, at a purchase price of 98.955% of the principal amount of the 2013 Notes and 99.185% of the principal amount of the 2017 Notes, payable on the Closing Date.
     (b) The Closing Date. Delivery of certificates for the Notes in global form to be purchased by the Underwriters and payment therefor shall be made at the offices of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, 71 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606 (or such other place as may be agreed to by the Company and the Representatives) at 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on March 5, 2007, or such other time and date as the Underwriters and the Company shall mutually agree (the time and date of such closing are called the “Closing Date”).
     (c) Public Offering of the Notes. The Representatives hereby advise the Company that the Underwriters intend to offer for sale to the public, as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, their respective portions of the Notes as soon after the Execution Time as the Representatives, in their sole judgment, have determined is advisable and practicable.
     (d) Payment for the Notes. Payment for the Notes shall be made at the Closing Date by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the order of the Company.
     It is understood that the Representatives have been authorized, for their own accounts and for the accounts of the several Underwriters, to accept delivery of and receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Notes that the Underwriters have agreed to purchase. The Representatives may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment for any Notes to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds shall not have been received by the Representatives by the Closing Date for the account of such Underwriter, but any such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from any of its obligations under this Agreement.
     (e) Delivery of the Notes. The Company shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters the Notes at the Closing Date, against the irrevocable release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price therefor. The Notes shall be issued in book-entry only form and shall be represented by one or more global certificates in such denominations and registered in such names and denominations as the Representatives shall have requested at least two full business days prior to the Closing Date and shall be made available for inspection on the business day preceding the Closing Date at a location in New York City, as the Representatives may designate. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified in this Agreement is a further condition to the obligations of the Underwriters.
     Section 3. Covenants of the Company.
     The Company covenants and agrees with each Underwriter as follows:
     (a) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests. The Company will promptly notify the Representatives, and confirm the notice in writing, of (i) the effectiveness during the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below) of any post-effective

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amendment to the Registration Statement or the filing of any supplement or amendment to the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, (ii) the receipt of any comments from the Commission during the Prospectus Delivery Period, (iii) any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or for additional information, and (iv) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Notes for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes. The Company will promptly effect the filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424 under the Securities Act was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such document. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
     (b) Filing of Amendments. During such period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the later of the Closing Date or such date as, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, the Prospectus is no longer required by law to be delivered in connection with sales of the Notes by an Underwriter or dealer, including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), the Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act), or any amendment, supplement or revision to the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object.
     (c) Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company will deliver, upon request, to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to any electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
     (d) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company will deliver to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of the Preliminary Prospectus as such Underwriter may reasonably request, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the Securities Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, such number of copies of the Prospectus as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to any electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

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     (e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Notes as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. If at any time during the Prospectus Delivery Period, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement in order that the Registration Statement will 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 not misleading or to amend or supplement the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order that the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at the Initial Sale Time or at the time it is delivered or conveyed to a purchaser, not misleading, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of either such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of any law, the Company will (1) notify the Representatives of any such event, development or condition and (2) promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b) hereof, such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus comply with such law, and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters, without charge, such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.
     (f) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company shall cooperate with the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters to qualify or register the Notes for sale under (or obtain exemptions from the application of) the state securities or blue sky laws of those jurisdictions designated by the Representatives, shall comply with such laws and shall continue such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Notes. The Company shall not be required to qualify to transact business or to take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any such jurisdiction where it is not presently qualified or where it would be subject to taxation as a foreign business. The Company will advise the Representatives promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Notes for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof at the earliest possible moment.
     (g) Use of Proceeds. The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Notes sold by it in the manner described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
     (h) Depositary. The Company will cooperate with the Underwriters and use its reasonable best efforts to permit the Notes to be eligible for clearance and settlement through the facilities of the Depositary.
     (i) Periodic Reporting Obligations. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company shall file, on a timely basis, with the Commission all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act.

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     (j) Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Additional Securities. During the period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the Closing Date, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives (which consent may be withheld at the sole discretion of the Representatives), offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or            contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any debt securities of or guaranteed by the Company which are substantially similar to the Notes.
     (k) Final Term Sheet. The Company will prepare a final term sheet, in a form approved by the Representatives and included in Exhibit A to this Agreement, and will file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act within the time required by such rule (such term sheet, the “Final Term Sheet”). Any such Final Term Sheet is an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus for purposes of this Agreement.
     (l) Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents that it has not made, and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Representatives, it will not make, any offer relating to the Notes that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433 under the Securities Act; provided that the prior written consent of the Representatives shall be deemed to have been given in respect of any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses included in Schedule B to this Agreement. Any such free writing prospectus consented to or deemed to be consented to by the Representatives is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company agrees that (i) it has treated and will treat, as the case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and (ii) has complied and will comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 under the Securities Act applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping. The Company consents to the use by any Underwriter of a free writing prospectus that (a) is not an “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433, and (b) contains only (i) information describing the preliminary terms of the Notes or their offering, (ii) information permitted by Rule 134 under the Securities Act or (iii) information that describes the final terms of the Notes or their offering and that is included in the Final Term Sheet of the Company contemplated in Section 3(k).
     (m) No Manipulation of Price. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Notes.
     The Representatives, on behalf of the several Underwriters, may, in their sole discretion, waive in writing the performance by the Company of any one or more of the foregoing covenants or extend the time for their performance.
     Section 4. Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation (i) all

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expenses incident to the issuance and delivery of the Notes (including all printing and engraving costs), (ii) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Notes, (iii) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other advisors, (iv) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement, the Indenture, the DTC Agreement and the Notes, (v) all filing fees, reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the Underwriters in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Notes in accordance with Section 3(f) for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws, and, if requested by the Representatives, preparing a “Blue Sky Survey” or memorandum, and any supplements thereto, advising the Underwriters of such qualifications, registrations and exemptions, (vi) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the review, if any, by the NASD of the terms of the sale of the Notes, (vii) the fees and expenses of the Trustee, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Indenture and the Notes, (viii) any fees payable in connection with the rating of the Notes with the ratings agencies, (ix) all fees and expenses (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) of the Company in connection with approval of the Notes by the Depositary for “book-entry” transfer, (x) all other fees, costs and expenses referred to in Item 14 of Part II of the Registration Statement, and (xi) all other fees, costs and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. Except as provided in this Section 4 and Sections 6, 8 and 9 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay their own expenses, including the fees and disbursements of their counsel.
     Section 5. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Notes as provided herein on the Closing Date shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company set forth in Section 1 hereof as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date as though then made and to the timely performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional conditions:
          a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act and on the Closing Date no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the Securities Act and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or be pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission, any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. The Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (or any required post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and declared effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430B under the Securities Act).
          b) Accountants’ Comfort Letter. On the date hereof, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent public or certified public accountants for the

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Company, a letter dated the date hereof addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives with respect to the audited and unaudited financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
          c) Bring-down Comfort Letter. On the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent public or certified public accountants for the Company, a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished by them pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section 5, except that the specified date referred to therein for the carrying out of procedures shall be no more than three business days prior to the Closing Date.
          d) No Objection. If the Registration Statement and/or the offering of the Notes has been filed with the NASD for review, the NASD shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.
          e) No Material Adverse Change or Ratings Agency Change. For the period from and after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date:
     (i) in the judgment of the Representatives there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change; and
     (ii) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as such term is defined for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act.
          f) Opinion of Counsel for the Company. On the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinion of Laureen E. Seeger, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company, dated as of such Closing Date, to the effect set forth in Exhibit B.
          g) Opinion of Counsel for the Company. On the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, special counsel for the Company, dated as of such Closing Date, to the effect set forth in Exhibit C.
          h) Opinion of Counsel for the Underwriters. On the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated as of such Closing Date, with respect to such matters as may be reasonably requested by the Underwriters.
          i) Officers’ Certificate. On the Closing Date, the Representative shall have received a written certificate executed by the Chairman of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer or a Vice President of the Company and the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Accounting Officer of the Company, dated as of such Closing Date, to the effect that:

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     (i) the Company has received no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or, to the knowledge of such officers, threatened by the Commission;
     (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 1 of this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made on and as of such Closing Date; and
     (iii) the Company has complied with all the agreements hereunder and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such Closing Date.
          j) Additional Documents. On or before the Closing Date, the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters shall have received such information, documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Notes as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained.
          If any condition specified in this Section 5 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time on or prior to the Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Sections 4, 6, 8, 9 and 17 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
     Section 6. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives pursuant to Section 5, 10 or 11, or if the sale to the Underwriters of the Notes on the Closing Date is not consummated because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or to comply with any provision hereof, the Company agrees to reimburse the Representatives and the other Underwriters (or such Underwriters as have terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves), severally, upon demand for all out-of-pocket expenses (including but not limited to fees and disbursements of counsel, printing expenses, travel expenses, postage, facsimile and telephone charges) that shall have been reasonably incurred by the Representatives and the Underwriters in connection with the proposed purchase and the offering and sale of the Notes.
     Section 7. Effectiveness of this Agreement. This Agreement shall not become effective until the execution of this Agreement by the parties hereto.
     Section 8. Indemnification.
     (a) Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which such Underwriter or such director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected

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with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based (i) upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (ii) upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and to reimburse each Underwriter and each such director, officer, employee, agent and controlling person for any and all expenses (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by Banc of America Securities LLC) as such expenses are reasonably incurred by such Underwriter or such director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto). The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 8(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.
     (b) Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Company or any such director, officer or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of such Underwriter), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based (i) upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (ii) upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and to reimburse the Company, or any such director, officer or

16


 

controlling person for any legal and other expense reasonably incurred by the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) are the statements set forth in the fifth paragraph concerning the terms of the offering by the Underwriters, the third sentence of the eighth paragraph regarding market making by the Underwriters, the ninth and tenth paragraphs concerning short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover short positions created by the Underwriters, in each case, under the caption “Underwriting” in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 8(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities that each Underwriter may otherwise have.
     (c) Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party for contribution or otherwise than under the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 8 or to the extent it is not prejudiced as a proximate result of such failure. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, such indemnified party shall have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action and to participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party, unless: (i) the employment of such counsel has been specifically authorized in writing by the indemnifying party; (ii) the indemnifying party has failed promptly to assume the defense and employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party; or (iii) the named parties to any such action (including any impleaded parties) include both such indemnified party and the indemnifying party or any affiliate of the indemnifying party, and such indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that either (x) there may be one or more legal defenses available to it which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party or such affiliate of the indemnifying party or (y) a conflict may exist between such indemnified party and the indemnifying party or such affiliate of the indemnifying party (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any one such action or separate but substantially similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys (in addition to a single firm of local counsel) for all such indemnified parties, which firm shall be designated in writing by the Representatives and that all such reasonable fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred). Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 8 for any legal or other

17


 

expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof unless the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the next preceding sentence, in which case the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party.
     (d) Settlements. The indemnifying party under this Section 8 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 8(c) hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
     Section 9. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 8 is for any reason held to be unavailable to or otherwise insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by such indemnified party, as incurred, as a result of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Notes pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Notes pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Notes pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the front cover page of the Prospectus bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Notes as set forth on such cover. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information

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supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
     The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 8(c), any reasonable legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim.
     The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 9.
     Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Notes underwritten by it and distributed to the public. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 9 are several, and not joint, in proportion to their respective underwriting commitments as set forth opposite their names in Schedule A. For purposes of this Section 9, each director, officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company with the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.
     Section 10. Default of One or More of the Several Underwriters. If, on the Closing Date, any one or more of the several Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Notes that it or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate principal amount of Notes, which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase does not exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated, severally, in the proportion to the aggregate principal amounts of such Notes set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A bears to the aggregate principal amount of such Notes set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as may be specified by the Representatives with the consent of the non-defaulting Underwriters, to purchase such Notes which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date. If, on the Closing Date, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase such Notes and the aggregate principal amount of such Notes with respect to which such default occurs exceeds 10% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Notes are not made within 48 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Sections 4, 6, 8, 9 and 17 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination. In any such case, either the

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Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days in order that the required changes, if any, to the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any other documents or arrangements may be effected.
     As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” shall be deemed to include any person substituted for a defaulting Underwriter under this Section 10. Any action taken under this Section 10 shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
     Section 11. Termination of this Agreement. Prior to the Closing Date, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice given to the Company if at any time (i) trading or quotation in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or limited by the Commission, The New York Stock Exchange or the Pacific Exchange, Inc., or trading in securities generally on either the Nasdaq Stock Market, The New York Stock Exchange or the Pacific Exchange, Inc. shall have been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices shall have been generally established on any of such stock exchanges by the Commission or the NASD; (ii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any of federal or New York authorities; (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity involving the United States, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in United States’ or international political, financial or economic conditions, as in the judgment of the Representatives is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to market the Notes in the manner and on the terms described in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities; (iv) in the judgment of the Representatives there shall have occurred any Material Adverse Change; or (v) there shall have occurred a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services. Any termination pursuant to this Section 11 shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Sections 4 and 6 hereof, and provided further that Sections 4, 6, 8, 9 and 17 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.
     Section 12. No Fiduciary Duty. The Company acknowledges and agrees that: (i) the purchase and sale of the Notes pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Notes and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, and the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (ii) in connection with each transaction contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the financial advisor, agent or fiduciary of the Company or its affiliates, stockholders, creditors or employees or any other party; (iii) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory, agency or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement; (iv) the several Underwriters and their

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respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the several Underwriters have no obligation to disclose any of such interests by virtue of any advisory, agency or fiduciary relationship; and (v) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.
     This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the several Underwriters with respect to the subject matter hereof. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the several Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty.
     Section 13. Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, of its officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement (i) will remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any (A) investigation, or statement as to the results thereof, made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the officers or employees of any Underwriter, or any person controlling the Underwriter, the Company, the officers or employees of the Company, or any person controlling the Company, as the case may be or (B) acceptance of the Notes and payment for them hereunder and (ii) will survive delivery of and payment for the Notes sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.
     Section 14. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or telecopied and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:
     If to the Representatives:
Banc of America Securities LLC
40 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
Facsimile: 646 ###-###-####
Attention: High Grade Transaction Management/Legal
and
Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC
301 South College Street
Charlotte, NC 28288
Facsimile: 704 ###-###-####
Attention: Legal

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with a copy to:
Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
Facsimile: 312 ###-###-####
Attention: Edward S. Best
     If to the Company:
McKesson Corporation
One Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
Facsimile: 415 ###-###-####
Attention: General Counsel
with a copy to:
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
300 South Grand Avenue, Suite 3400
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Facsimile: 213 ###-###-####
Attention: Gregg A. Noel
     Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.
     Section 15. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto, including any substitute Underwriters pursuant to Section 10 hereof, and to the benefit of the directors, officers, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Sections 8 and 9, and in each case their respective successors, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. The term “successors” shall not include any purchaser of the Notes as such from any of the Underwriters merely by reason of such purchase.
     Section 16. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other Section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
     Section 17. Governing Law Provisions. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE INTERNAL LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK APPLICABLE TO AGREEMENTS MADE AND TO BE PERFORMED IN THAT STATE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION SECTION 5-1401 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW.

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     Section 18. General Provisions. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. The Section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.
     Each of the parties hereto acknowledges that it is a sophisticated business person who was adequately represented by counsel during negotiations regarding the provisions hereof, including, without limitation, the indemnification provisions of Section 8 and the contribution provisions of Section 9, and is fully informed regarding said provisions. Each of the parties hereto further acknowledges that the provisions of Sections 8 and 9 hereto fairly allocate the risks in light of the ability of the parties to investigate the Company, its affairs and its business in order to assure that adequate disclosure has been made in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (and any amendments and supplements thereto), as required by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.

23


 

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

MCKESSON CORPORATION
 
 
  By:   /s/ Nicholas A. Loiacono    
    Name:   Nicholas A. Loiacono   
    Title:   Vice President and Treasurer   

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     The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by the Representatives as of the date first above written.
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
WACHOVIA CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC
Acting as Representatives of the
several Underwriters named in
the attached Schedule A.
         
BY: BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
 
 
By:   /s/ Peter J. Carbone      
  Name:   Peter J. Carbone     
  Title:   Vice President     
 
BY: WACHOVIA CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC
 
 
By:   /s/ Kevin A. Smith      
  Name:   Kevin A. Smith     
  Title:   Managing Director     
 
         

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SCHEDULE A
                 
    Aggregate   Aggregate
    Principal   Principal
    Amount of 2013   Amount of 2017
    Notes to be   Notes to be
Underwriters   Purchased   Purchased
Banc of America Securities LLC
  $ 150,000,000     $ 150,000,000  
Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC
    150,000,000       150,000,000  
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
    50,000,000       50,000,000  
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
    50,000,000       50,000,000  
KeyBanc Capital Markets, a division of McDonald Investments Inc.
    20,000,000       20,000,000  
Lazard Capital Markets LLC
    20,000,000       20,000,000  
Rabo Securities USA, Inc.
    20,000,000       20,000,000  
Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.
    20,000,000       20,000,000  
SunTrust Capital Markets, Inc.
    20,000,000       20,000,000  
Total
  $ 500,000,000     $ 500,000,000  

Sch. A-1


 

SCHEDULE B
Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses
Final Term Sheet dated February 28, 2007

EX. B-1