Purchase Agreement, dated March 12, 2013, by and between the Company and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as representative to the initial purchasers named therein

 

 

 

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

As Representative of the

several Initial Purchasers listed

in Schedule 1 hereto

c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10179

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc., a Michigan corporation (the "Company"), proposes to issue and sell to the several initial purchasers listed in Schedule 1 hereto (the "Initial Purchasers"), for whom you are acting as representative (the "Representative"), $85,000,000 principal amount of its 5.00% Cash Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 (the "Underwritten Securities") and, at the option of the Initial Purchasers, up to an additional $15,000,000 principal amount of its 5.00% Cash Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 (the "Option Securities") if and to the extent that the Initial Purchasers shall have determined to exercise the option to purchase such 5.00% Cash Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 granted to the Initial Purchasers in Section 2 hereof. The Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities are herein referred to as the "Securities." The Securities will be convertible into cash in lieu of common stock of the Company, par value $0.01 per share (the "Common Stock"). The Securities will be issued pursuant to an Indenture to be dated as of March 18, 2013 (the "Indenture") between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon, N.A., as trustee (the "Trustee").

 

In connection with the offering of Underwritten Securities, the Company is entering into convertible note hedge transactions and warrant transactions with one or more Initial Purchasers or their affiliates or other financial institutions (the "Call Spread Counterparties") pursuant to convertible note hedge confirmations (the "Base Bond Hedge Confirmations") and warrant confirmations (the "Base Warrant Confirmations" and, together with the Base Bond Hedge Confirmations, the "Base Call Spread Confirmations"), each dated the date hereof, and in connection with the exercise by the Initial Purchasers of their option to purchase any Option Securities, the Company and the Call Spread Counterparties may enter into an amendment to the terms of the Base Bond Hedge Confirmations (the "Bond Hedge Amendments") to increase the size of the convertible hedge transactions evidenced by the Base Bond Hedge Confirmations and enter into additional warrant transactions pursuant to additional warrant confirmations (the "Additional Warrant Confirmations" and, together with the Bond Hedge Amendments, the "Additional Call Spread Confirmations"), each dated the date on which the Initial Purchasers exercise their option to purchase such Option Securities. We refer to the Base Call Spread Confirmations and the Additional Call Spread Confirmations collectively herein as the "Call Spread Confirmations."

 

 

The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the several Initial Purchasers concerning the purchase and sale of the Securities, as follows:

 

1.         The Securities will be sold to the Initial Purchasers without being registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), in reliance upon an exemption therefrom. The Company has prepared a preliminary offering memorandum dated March 11, 2013 (the "Preliminary Offering Memorandum") and will prepare an offering memorandum dated the date hereof (the "Offering Memorandum") setting forth information concerning the Company and the Securities. Copies of the Preliminary Offering Memorandum have been, and copies of the Offering Memorandum will be, delivered by the Company to the Initial Purchasers pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. The Company hereby confirms that it has authorized the use of the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, the other Time of Sale Information (as defined below) and the Offering Memorandum in connection with the offering and resale of the Securities by the Initial Purchasers in the manner contemplated by this Agreement. References herein to the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum shall be deemed to refer to and include any document incorporated by reference therein.

 

At or prior to the time when sales of the Securities were first made (the "Time of Sale"), the Company had prepared the following information (collectively, the "Time of Sale Information"): the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, as supplemented and amended by the written communications listed on Annex B hereto.

 

2.         Purchase and Resale of the Securities by the Initial Purchasers. (a) The Company agrees to issue and sell the Underwritten Securities to the several Initial Purchasers as provided in this Agreement, and each Initial Purchaser, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective principal amount of Underwritten Securities set forth opposite such Initial Purchaser's name in Schedule 1 hereto at a price equal to 97.0% of the principal amount thereof (the "Purchase Price") plus accrued interest, if any, from March 18, 2013 to the Closing Date (as defined below).

 

In addition, the Company agrees to issue and sell the Option Securities to the several Initial Purchasers as provided in this Agreement, and the Initial Purchasers, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, shall have the option to purchase, severally and not jointly, from the Company the Option Securities at the Purchase Price plus accrued interest, if any, from the Closing Date to the date of payment and delivery.

 

 

If any Option Securities are to be purchased, the amount of Option Securities to be purchased by each Initial Purchaser shall be the amount of Option Securities which bears the same ratio to the aggregate amount of Option Securities being purchased as the amount of Underwritten Securities set forth opposite the name of such Initial Purchaser in Schedule 1 hereto (or such amount increased as set forth in Section 10 hereof) bears to the aggregate amount of Underwritten Securities being purchased from the Company by the several Initial Purchasers, subject, however, to such adjustments to eliminate Securities in denominations other than $1,000 as the Representative in its sole discretion shall make.

 

The Initial Purchasers may exercise the option to purchase the Option Securities at any time in whole, or from time to time in part, on or before the thirtieth day following the date of this Agreement, by written notice from the Representative to the Company. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate amount of Option Securities as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Option Securities are to be delivered and paid for which may be the same date and time as the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) but shall not be earlier than the Closing Date nor later than the tenth full business day (as hereinafter defined) after the date of such notice (unless such time and date are postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10 hereof). Any such notice shall be given at least two business days prior to the date and time of delivery specified therein.

 

(b)       The Company understands that the Initial Purchasers intend to offer the Securities for resale on the terms set forth in the Time of Sale Information. Each Initial Purchaser, severally and not jointly, represents, warrants and agrees that:

 

(i)           it is a qualified institutional buyer within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act (a "QIB") and an accredited investor within the meaning of Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act;

 

(ii)          it has not solicited offers for, or offered or sold, and will not solicit offers for, or offer or sell, the Securities by means of any form of general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D under the Securities Act ("Regulation D") or in any manner involving a public offering within the meaning of Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act; and

 

(iii)         it has not solicited offers for, or offered or sold, and will not solicit offers for, or offer or sell, the Securities as part of their initial offering except to persons whom it reasonably believes to be QIBs in transactions pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act ("Rule 144A") and in connection with each such sale, it has taken or will take reasonable steps to ensure that the purchaser of the Securities is aware that such sale is being made in reliance on Rule 144A.

 

(c)       Each Initial Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that the Company and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered to the Initial Purchasers pursuant to Sections 6(f) and 6(g), counsel for the Company and counsel for the Initial Purchasers, respectively, may rely upon the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Initial Purchasers, and compliance by the Initial Purchasers with their agreements, contained in paragraph (b) above (including Annex D hereto), and each Initial Purchaser hereby consents to such reliance.

 

 

(d)       The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Initial Purchasers may offer and sell Securities to or through any affiliate of an Initial Purchaser and that any such affiliate may offer and sell Securities purchased by it to or through any Initial Purchaser.

 

(e)        Payment for the Securities shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the account specified by the Company to the Representative, in the case of the Underwritten Securities, at the offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017 at 10:30 A.M. New York City time on March 18, 2013, or at such other time or place on the same or such other date, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as the Representative and the Company may agree upon in writing or, in the case of the Option Securities, on the date and at the time and place specified by the Representative in the written notice of the Initial Purchasers' election to purchase such Option Securities. The time and date of such payment for the Underwritten Securities is referred to herein as the "Closing Date" and the time and date for such payment for the Option Securities, if other than the Closing Date, is herein referred to as the "Additional Closing Date."

 

Payment for the Securities to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall be made against delivery to the nominee of DTC, for the respective accounts of the several Initial Purchasers of the Securities to be purchased on such date of one or more global notes representing the Securities (collectively, the "Global Note"), with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the sale of such Securities duly paid by the Company. The Global Note will be made available for inspection by the Representative at the office of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP set forth above not later than 1:00 P.M., New York City time, on the business day prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.

 

(f)        The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Initial Purchasers 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 Representative nor any other Initial Purchaser 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 its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Initial Purchasers shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review by the Initial Purchasers of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Initial Purchasers and shall not be on behalf of the Company.

 

3.         Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Initial Purchaser that:

 

 

(a)       Preliminary Offering Memorandum. The Preliminary Offering Memorandum, as of its date, did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company in writing by such Initial Purchaser through the Representative expressly for use in any Preliminary Offering Memorandum, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Initial Purchaser consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.

 

(b)       Time of Sale Information. The Time of Sale Information, at the Time of Sale, did not, and at the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company in writing by such Initial Purchaser through the Representative expressly for use in such Time of Sale Information, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Initial Purchaser consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof. No statement of material fact included in the Offering Memorandum has been omitted from the Time of Sale Information and no statement of material fact included in the Time of Sale Information has been omitted from the Offering Memorandum.

 

(c)       Additional Written Communications. The Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Initial Purchasers in their capacity as such) has not made, used, prepared, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any "written communication" (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities (each such communication by the Company or its agents and representatives (other than a communication referred to in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) below) an "Issuer Written Communication") other than (i) the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, (ii) the Offering Memorandum, (iii) the documents listed on Annex B hereto, including a term sheet substantially in the form of Annex C hereto, which constitute part of the Time of Sale Information, and (iv) each electronic road show and any other written communications approved in writing in advance by the Representative. Each such Issuer Written Communication, when taken together with the Time of Sale Information, did not, and at the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in each such Issuer Written Communication in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company in writing by such Initial Purchaser through the Representative expressly for use in such Issuer Written Communication, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Initial Purchaser consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof. Each such Issuer Written Communication, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representative as described in Section 4(e), did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Time of Sale Information or the Offering Memorandum, including any document incorporated by reference therein.

 

 

(d)       Offering Memorandum. As of the date of the Offering Memorandum and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Offering Memorandum does not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company in writing by such Initial Purchaser through the Representative expressly for use in the Offering Memorandum, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Initial Purchaser consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.

 

(e)       Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated by reference in the Offering Memorandum or the Time of Sale Information, when filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") conformed or will conform, as the case may be, in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the "Exchange Act") and such documents 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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

(f)        Financial Statements. The financial statements and the related notes thereto of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their cash flows for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby; the other financial information included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly the information shown thereby.

 

(g)       No Material Adverse Change. Since the date of the most recent financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, except as contemplated by the Offering Memorandum, (i) there has not been any material change in the capital stock, long-term debt, notes payable or current portion of long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any class of capital stock, or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders' equity, results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except in each case as otherwise disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum.

 

 

(h)       Organization and Good Standing. The Company and each of its significant subsidiaries have been duly organized and are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have all power and authority necessary to own or hold their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders' equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or on the performance by the Company of its obligations under the Transaction Documents (as defined below) (a "Material Adverse Effect"). The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Schedule 2 to this Agreement.

 

(i)        Capitalization. The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum under the heading "Capitalization"; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights; except as described in or expressly contemplated by the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-­emptive rights), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance of any capital stock of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (except, in the case of any foreign subsidiary, for directors' qualifying shares and except as otherwise described in Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum) and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim of any third party.

 

(j)        Stock Options. With respect to the stock options (the "Stock Options") granted during the past five (5) years pursuant to the stock-based compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries (the "Company Stock Plans"), (i) each Stock Option intended to qualify as an "incentive stock option" under Section 422 of the Code so qualifies, (ii) each grant of a Stock Option was duly authorized no later than the date on which the grant of such Stock Option was by its terms to be effective (the "Grant Date") by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and the award agreement governing such grant (if any) was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto, (iii) each such grant was made in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plans, the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, including the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (the "Exchange") and any other exchange on which Company securities are traded, (iv) the per share exercise price of each Stock Option was equal to the fair market value of a share of Common Stock on the applicable Grant Date and (v) each such grant was properly accounted for in accordance with GAAP in the financial statements (including the related notes) of the Company and disclosed in the Company's filings with the Commission in accordance with the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no policy or practice of the Company of granting, Stock Options prior to, or otherwise coordinate the grant of Stock Options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its subsidiaries or their results of operations or prospects.

 

(k)       Due Authorization. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, the Indenture, the Securities and the Call Spread Confirmations (collectively, the "Transaction Documents") and to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of each of the Transaction Documents and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated thereby or by the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum has been duly and validly taken.

 

(l)        The Indenture. The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and, when duly executed and delivered in accordance with its terms by each of the parties thereto, will constitute a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally or by equitable principles relating to enforceability (collectively, the "Enforceability Exceptions"); and on the Closing Date, the Indenture will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the "Trust Indenture Act"), and the rules and regulations of the Commission applicable to an indenture that is qualified thereunder.

 

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

 

(n)      The Securities. The Securities to be issued and sold by the Company hereunder have been duly authorized by the Company and, when duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered as provided in the Indenture and paid for as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued and outstanding and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to the Enforceability Exceptions, and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.

 

 

(o)       [Reserved].

 

(p)       The Credit Agreement. Amendment No. 1 to the Credit Agreement, dated as of August 29, 2012 (the "Credit Agreement Amendment") by and among the Company and the lenders party thereto has been duly authorized by the Company and, when duly executed delivered in accordance with its terms by the parties thereto, will constitute a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to the Enforceability Exceptions.

 

(q)       Descriptions of the Transaction Documents. Each Transaction Document conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum.

 

(r)        No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(s)       No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents or the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, except any such breach, violation, default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect on the Company or as would not materially adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (iii) result in the violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority.

 

 

(t)        No Consents Required. No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents or the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, except for such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and resale of the Securities by the Initial Purchasers.

 

(u)       Legal Proceedings. Except as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, suits or proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; no such investigations, actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or, to the best knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others.

 

(v)       Independent Accountants. Ernst & Young LLP, who has certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.

 

(w)      Title to Real and Personal Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects and imperfections of title except those that (i) do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries or (ii) could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(x)       Title to Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses; and the conduct of their respective businesses will not conflict in any respect with any such rights of others, and the Company and its subsidiaries have not received any notice of any claim of infringement of or conflict with any such rights of others, except, in each case, that would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect on the Company.

 

(y)       No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in a registration statement to be filed with the Commission and that is not so described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum.

 

 

(z)        Investment Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, will not be required to register as an "investment company" or an entity "controlled" by an "investment company" within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the "Investment Company Act").

 

(aa)     Taxes. The Company and its subsidiaries have paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes and filed all tax returns required to be paid or filed through the date hereof; and except as otherwise disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, there is no tax deficiency that has been, or could reasonably be expected to be, asserted against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets, except for any such deficiency that would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect on the Company.

 

(bb)     Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, except where the failure to possess or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such license, certificate, permit or authorization or has any reason to believe that any such license, certificate, permit or authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course.

 

(cc)     No Labor Disputes. No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the best knowledge of the Company, is contemplated or threatened and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of its or its subsidiaries' principal suppliers, contractors or customers, except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(dd)     Compliance With ERISA. (i) Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"), for which the Company or any member of its "Controlled Group" (defined as any organization which is a member of a controlled group of corporations within the meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code")) would have any liability (each, a "Plan") has been maintained in all material respects in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code; (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) for each Plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no "accumulated funding deficiency" as defined in Section 412 of the Code, whether or not waived, has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; (iv) the fair market value of the assets of each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (v) no "reportable event" (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA) has occurred, to the Company's knowledge, or is reasonably expected to occur; and (vi) neither the Company nor any member of the Controlled Group has incurred, nor, to the Company's knowledge, reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the PBGC, in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a "multiemployer plan", within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA).

 

 

(ee)     Disclosure Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain an effective system of "disclosure controls and procedures" (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that is designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission's rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company's management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company and its subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.

 

(ff)      Accounting Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems of "internal control over financial reporting" (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, 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, including, but not limited to internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (v) the interactive data in extensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum is accurate. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, there are no material weaknesses in the Company's internal controls. The Company's auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company's internal controls over financial reporting.

 

 

(gg)     Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries have insurance other than our reinsurance arrangements made in the ordinary course of business as to which no representation is made hereunder covering their respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses, including business interruption insurance, which insurance is in amounts and insures against such losses and risks as are adequate to protect the Company and its subsidiaries and their respective businesses, except with respects to such losses and risks which would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect on the Company; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) received written notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (ii) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.

 

(hh)    No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the best knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (iv) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment.

 

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

 

(jj)       Compliance with OFAC. None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury ("OFAC"); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Securities hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

 

(kk)     Compliance with Insurance Statutes and Regulations. Each subsidiary of the Company that is engaged in the business of insurance (each an "Insurance Subsidiary," and collectively the "Insurance Subsidiaries") is duly organized and licensed as an insurance company in the jurisdiction in which it is chartered or organized and is duly licensed or authorized as an insurer in each other jurisdiction where it is required to be so licensed or authorized to conduct its business as described in the Offering Memorandum, except as would not be reasonably expected to result in, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect; the Company and each Insurance Subsidiary has made all required filings under applicable insurance company statutes and has filed all notices, reports, documents or other information required to be filed thereunder; the Company and each Insurance Subsidiary has all other necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, consents, licenses, certificates, permits, registrations and qualifications, of and from all insurance regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective existing businesses as described in the Offering Memorandum; none of the Company or any Insurance Subsidiary has received any notification from any insurance regulatory authority to the effect that any additional authorization, approval, order, consent, license, certificate, permit, registration or qualification from any insurance regulatory authority is needed to be obtained by any of the Company or any Insurance Subsidiary; and except as set forth in the Offering Memorandum, no insurance regulatory authority having jurisdiction over any Insurance Subsidiary has issued any order or decree impairing, restricting or prohibiting (A) the payment of dividends by any Insurance Subsidiary to its parent, or (B) the continuation of the business of the Company or any of the Insurance Subsidiaries in all material respects as presently conducted, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

 

(ll)        No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. Except as set forth in the Offering Memorandum, no subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary's capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary's properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.

 

(mm)    No Broker's Fees. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any Initial Purchaser for a brokerage commission, finder's fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities.

 

(nn)     Rule 144A Eligibility. On the Closing Date, the Securities will not be of the same class as securities listed on a national securities exchange registered under Section 6 of the Exchange Act or quoted in an automated inter-dealer quotation system; and each of the Time of Sale Information, as of the Time of Sale, and the Offering Memorandum, as of its date, contains or will contain all the information that, if requested by a prospective purchaser of the Securities, would be required to be provided to such prospective purchaser pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act.

 

(oo)     No Integration. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates (as defined in Rule 501(b) of Regulation D) has, directly or through any agent, sold, offered for sale, solicited offers to buy or otherwise negotiated in respect of, any security (as defined in the Securities Act), that is or will be integrated with the sale of the Securities in a manner that would require registration of the Securities under the Securities Act.

 

(pp)     No General Solicitation or Directed Selling Efforts. None of the Company or any of its affiliates or any other person acting on its or their behalf (other than the Initial Purchasers, as to which no representation is made) has solicited offers for, or offered or sold, the Securities by means of any form of general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D or in any manner involving a public offering within the meaning of Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

(qq)     Securities Law Exemptions. Assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Initial Purchasers contained in Section 2(b) (including Annex D hereto) and their compliance with their agreements set forth therein, it is not necessary, in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities to the Initial Purchasers and the offer, resale and delivery of the Securities by the Initial Purchasers in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, to register the Securities under the Securities Act or to qualify the Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 as amended (the "Trust Indenture Act").

 

(rr)       No Stabilization. The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities.

 

(ss)      Business with Cuba. The Company has complied with all provisions of Section 517.075, Florida Statutes (Chapter 92-198, Laws of Florida) relating to doing business with the Government of Cuba or with any person or affiliate located in Cuba.

 

(tt)       Margin Rules. Neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Securities nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.

 

(uu)    Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

 

(vv)    Statistical and Market Data. Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.

 

(ww)   Insurance Contracts in Full Force. Except as disclosed in the Offering Memorandum or as otherwise would not have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect on the Company, (A) all reinsurance and retrocessional treaties, contracts, agreements and arrangements to which the Company or any of its Insurance Subsidiaries is a party are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any of its Insurance Subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default in the performance, observance or fulfillment of, any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained therein, other than with respect to compliance with insurance retention requirements contained in such treaties, contracts, agreements and arrangements, and (B) neither the Company nor any of its Insurance Subsidiaries has received any notice from any of the other parties to such treaties, contracts, agreements or arrangements that such other party intends not to perform thereunder and, to the knowledge of the Company and its Insurance Subsidiaries, none of the other parties to such treaties, contracts, agreements or arrangements will be unable to perform thereunder.

 

 

(xx)      Change in Insurance Law. To the knowledge of the Company, no change in any insurance laws or regulations is pending that could reasonably be expected to be adopted and, if adopted, could reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate with all such changes, a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in, or contemplated in, the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum (exclusive of any supplement thereto).

 

(yy)     Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company's directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act"), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

 

(zz)      No Ratings. There are no securities or preferred stock of or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by a "nationally recognized statistical rating organization," as such term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Section 3(c)(62) of the Exchange Act.

 

(aaa)   Extensible Business Reporting Language. The interactive data in eXtensbile Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission's rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

 

4.         Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with each Initial Purchaser that:

 

(a)       Delivery of Copies. The Company will deliver to the Initial Purchasers as many copies of the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, any other Time of Sale Information, any Issuer Written Communication and the Offering Memorandum (including all amendments and supplements thereto) as the Representative may reasonably request.

 

(b)       Offering Memorandum, Amendments or Supplements. Before finalizing the Offering Memorandum or making or distributing any amendment or supplement to any of the Time of Sale Information or the Offering Memorandum or filing with the Commission any document that will be incorporated by reference therein, the Company will furnish to the Representative and counsel for the Initial Purchasers a copy of the proposed Offering Memorandum or such amendment or supplement or document to be incorporated by reference therein for review, and will not distribute any such proposed Offering Memorandum, amendment or supplement or file any such document with the Commission to which the Representative reasonably objects.

 

(c)       Additional Written Communications. Before making, preparing, using, authorizing, approving or referring to any Issuer Written Communication, the Company will furnish to the Representative and counsel for the Initial Purchasers a copy of such written communication for review and will not make, prepare, use, authorize, approve or refer to any such written communication to which the Representative reasonably objects.

 

(d)       Notice to the Representative. The Company will advise the Representative promptly, and confirm such advice in writing, (i) of the issuance by any governmental or regulatory authority of any order preventing or suspending the use of any of the Time of Sale Information, any Issuer Written Communication or the Offering Memorandum or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose; (ii) of the occurrence of any event at any time prior to the completion of the initial offering of the Securities as a result of which any of the Time of Sale Information, any Issuer Written Communication or the Offering Memorandum as then amended or supplemented would 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 existing when such Time of Sale Information, Issuer Written Communication or the Offering Memorandum is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading; and (iii) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order preventing or suspending the use of any of the Time of Sale Information, any Issuer Written Communication or the Offering Memorandum or suspending any such qualification of the Securities and, if any such order is issued, will obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.

 

(e)       Ongoing Compliance of the Offering Memorandum and Time of Sale Information. (1) If at any time prior to the completion of the initial offering of the Securities (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Offering Memorandum as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Offering Memorandum is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Offering Memorandum to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Initial Purchasers thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (b) above, furnish to the Initial Purchasers such amendments or supplements to the Offering Memorandum (or any document to be filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference therein) as may be necessary so that the statements in the Offering Memorandum as so amended or supplemented (or including such document to be incorporated by reference therein) will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Offering Memorandum is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Offering Memorandum will comply with law and (2) if at any time prior to the Closing Date (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which any of the Time of Sale Information as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement any of the Time of Sale Information to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Initial Purchasers thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (b) above, furnish to the Initial Purchasers such amendments or supplements to any of the Time of Sale Information (or any document to be filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference therein) as may be necessary so that the statements in any of the Time of Sale Information as so amended or supplemented will not, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, be misleading.

 

(f)        Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will qualify the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative shall reasonably request and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the offering and resale of the Securities; provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.

 

(g)       Clear Market. For a period of 90 days after the date of the offering of the Securities, the Company will not (i) 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, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing, or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the Representative, other than the Securities to be sold hereunder, entry into the Base Warrant Confirmations and any Additional Warrant Confirmations, any shares of Common Stock of the Company issued upon settlement or termination of the warrant transactions evidenced thereby and any shares of Common Stock of the Company issued upon the exercise of options granted under existing employee stock option plans. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the 90-day restricted period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs; or (2) prior to the expiration of the 90-day restricted period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 90-day period, the restrictions imposed by this Agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, except that such extension will not apply if, (x) within three business days prior to the 15th calendar day before the last day of the 90-day restricted period, the Company delivers a certificate, signed by the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certifying on behalf of the Company that the shares of Common Stock are "actively traded securities" (as defined in Regulation M), (y) the Company meets the applicable requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 139 under the Securities Act in the manner contemplated by NASD Conduct Rule 2711(f)(4) and (z) the provisions of NASD Conduct Rule 2711(f)(4) are not applicable to any research reports relating to the Company published or distributed by any of the Initial Purchasers during the 15 days before or after the last day of the 90-day restricted period (before giving effect to such extension).

 

 

(h)       Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum under the heading "Use of Proceeds."

 

(i)        No Stabilization. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities and will not take any action prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act in connection with the distribution of the Securities contemplated hereby.

 

(j)        Supplying Information. While the Securities remain outstanding and are "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act, the Company will, during any period in which the Company is not subject to and in compliance with Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, furnish to holders of the Securities, prospective purchasers of the Securities designated by such holders and securities analysts, in each case upon request, the information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act.

 

(k)       DTC. The Company will assist the Initial Purchasers in arranging for the Securities to be eligible for clearance and settlement through DTC.

 

(l)        No Resales by the Company. The Company will not, and will not permit any of its affiliates (as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act) to, resell any of the Securities that have been acquired by any of them, unless registered under the Securities Act or resold pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirement of the Securities Act in a transaction that results in such security no longer being a "restricted security" (as such term is defined under Rule 144(a)(3) of the Securities Act).

 

(m)      No Integration. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates (as defined in Rule 501(b) of Regulation D) will, directly or through any agent, sell, offer for sale, solicit offers to buy or otherwise negotiate in respect of, any security (as defined in the Securities Act), that is or will be integrated with the sale of the Securities in a manner that would require registration of the Securities under the Securities Act.

 

(n)      No General Solicitation or Directed Selling Efforts. None of the Company or any of its affiliates or any other person acting on its or their behalf (other than the Initial Purchasers, as to which no covenant is given) will solicit offers for, or offer or sell, the Securities by means of any form of general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D or in any manner involving a public offering within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.

 

 

5.          Certain Agreements of the Initial Purchasers. Each Initial Purchaser hereby represents and agrees that it has not and will not use, authorize use of, refer to, or participate in the planning for use of, any written communication that constitutes an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities other than (i) the Preliminary Offering Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum, (ii) a written communication that contains no "issuer information" (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act) that was not included (including through incorporation by reference) in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum or the Offering Memorandum, (iii) any written communication listed on Annex B or prepared pursuant to Section 4(c) above (including any electronic road show), (iv) any written communication prepared by such Initial Purchaser and approved by the Company in advance in writing or (v) any written communication relating to or that contains the terms of the Securities and/or other information that was included (including through incorporation by reference) in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum or the Offering Memorandum.

 

6.          Conditions of Initial Purchasers' Obligations. The obligation of each Initial Purchaser to purchase the Underwritten Securities on the Closing Date or the Option Securities on the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, as provided herein is subject to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:

 

(a)        Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be; and the statements of the Company and its officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.

 

(b)        No Downgrade. Subsequent to the earlier of (A) the Time of Sale and (B) the execution and delivery of this Agreement, (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded any securities or preferred stock of or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any "nationally recognized statistical rating organization," as such term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Section 3(c)(62) of the Exchange Act and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, or has changed its outlook with respect to, its rating of any securities or preferred stock of or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading).

 

(c)        No Material Adverse Change. No event or condition of a type described in Section 3(g) hereof shall have occurred or shall exist, which event or condition is not described in the Time of Sale Information (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the Offering Memorandum (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the effect of which in the judgment of the Representative makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum.

 

 

(d)       Officer's Certificate. The Representative shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate of the chief financial officer or chief accounting officer of the Company and one additional senior executive officer of the Company who is satisfactory to the Representative (i) confirming that such officers have carefully reviewed the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum and, to the best knowledge of such officers, the representations set forth in Sections 3(a) and 3(b) hereof are true and correct, (ii) confirming that the other representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct and that the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such Closing Date and (iii) to the effect set forth in paragraphs (b) and (c) above.

 

(e)       Comfort Letters. On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, Ernst & Young LLP shall have furnished to the Representative, at the request of the Company, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Initial Purchasers, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants' "comfort letters" to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum; provided, that the letter delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall use a "cut-off" date no more than three business days prior to such Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.

 

(f)        Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Company. The General Counsel of the Company and Sidley Austin LLP, counsel for the Company, as applicable, shall have furnished to the Representative, at the request of the Company, their written opinion and 10b-5 statement, dated the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Initial Purchasers, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative, to the effect set forth in Annex A(i) and (ii) hereto, respectively.

 

(g)       Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Initial Purchasers. The Representative shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion and 10b-5 statement of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Initial Purchasers, with respect to such matters as the Representative may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

 

(h)       No Legal Impediment to Issuance. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities.

 

(i)        Good Standing. The Representative shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, satisfactory evidence of the good standing of the Company and its significant subsidiaries in their respective jurisdictions of organization and their good standing as foreign entities in such other jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably request, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.

 

 

(j)        DTC. The Securities shall have been approved for clearance and settlement through DTC.

 

(k)       Lock-up Agreements. The "lock-up" agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between you and certain shareholders, officers and directors of the Company relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Common Stock or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be full force and effect on the Closing Date or Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.

 

(l)        Additional Documents. On or prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative such further certificates and documents as the Representative may reasonably request including the fully executed Credit Agreement Amendment.

 

All opinions, letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Initial Purchasers.

 

7.         Indemnification and Contribution.

 

(a)       Indemnification of the Initial Purchasers. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Initial Purchaser, its affiliates, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Initial Purchaser within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, any of the other Time of Sale Information, any Issuer Written Communication, any road show as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a "road show") or the Offering Memorandum (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company in writing by such Initial Purchaser through the Representative expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Initial Purchaser consists of the information described as such in subsection (b) below.

 

 

(b)       Indemnification of the Company. Each Initial Purchaser agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to such Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company in writing by such Initial Purchaser through the Representative expressly for use in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, any of the other Time of Sale Information (including any of the other Time of Sale Information that has subsequently been amended), any Issuer Written Communication, any road show or the Offering Memorandum (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Initial Purchaser consists of the following information in the Offering Memorandum furnished on behalf of each Initial Purchaser: the fourth sentence of the eighth paragraph and the twelfth paragraph under the caption "Plan of Distribution".

 

(c)       Notice and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to either paragraph (a) or (b) above, such person (the "Indemnified Person") shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the "Indemnifying Person") in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under paragraph (a) or (b) above except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under paragraph (a) or (b) above. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person (who shall not, without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) to represent the Indemnified Person in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interest between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such fees and expenses shall be paid or reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm for any Initial Purchaser, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control persons of such Initial Purchaser shall be designated in writing by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and any such separate firm for the Company, its directors, its officers and any control persons of the Company shall be designated in writing by the Company. The Indemnifying Person 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 Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Person shall have requested that an Indemnifying Person reimburse the Indemnified Person for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by this paragraph, the Indemnifying Person 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 the Indemnifying Person of such request and (ii) the Indemnifying Person shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Person in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.

 

 

(d)       Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Initial Purchasers, on the other, from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Initial Purchasers, on the other, in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Initial Purchasers, on the other, shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds (before deducting expenses) received by the Company from the sale of the Securities and the total discounts and commissions received by the Initial Purchasers in connection therewith, as provided in this Agreement, bear to the aggregate offering price of the Securities. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Initial Purchasers, on the other, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Initial Purchasers and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

 

 

(e)       Limitation on Liability. The Company and the Initial Purchasers agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Initial Purchasers were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (d) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Person in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, in no event shall an Initial Purchaser be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total discounts and commissions received by such Initial Purchaser with respect to the offering of the Securities exceeds the amount of any damages that such Initial Purchaser has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Initial Purchasers' obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to their respective purchase obligations hereunder and not joint.

 

(f)       Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in this Section 7 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.

 

8.         Effectiveness of Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.

 

9.         Termination. This Agreement may be terminated in the absolute discretion of the Representative, by notice to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date or, in the case of the Option Securities, prior to the Additional Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on or by any of the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade; (ii) trading of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities; or (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis, either within or outside the United States, that, in the judgment of the Representative, is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum.

 

10.       Defaulting Initial Purchaser. (a) If, on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, any Initial Purchaser defaults on its obligation to purchase the Securities that it has agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, the non-defaulting Initial Purchasers may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Securities by other persons satisfactory to the Company on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Initial Purchaser, the non-defaulting Initial Purchasers do not arrange for the purchase of such Securities, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of 36 hours within which to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Initial Purchasers to purchase such Securities on such terms. If other persons become obligated or agree to purchase the Securities of a defaulting Initial Purchaser, either the non-defaulting Initial Purchasers or the Company may postpone the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, for up to five full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Initial Purchasers may be necessary in the Time of Sale Information, the Offering Memorandum or in any other document or arrangement, and the Company agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Time of Sale Information or the Offering Memorandum that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term "Initial Purchaser" includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, any person not listed in Schedule 1 hereto that, pursuant to this Section 10, purchases Securities that a defaulting Initial Purchaser agreed but failed to purchase.

 

 

(b)       If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Initial Purchaser or Initial Purchasers by the non-defaulting Initial Purchasers and the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Securities that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of Securities to be purchased on such date, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Initial Purchaser to purchase the number of Securities that such Initial Purchaser agreed to purchase hereunder on such date plus such Initial Purchaser's pro rata share (based on the number of Securities that such Initial Purchaser agreed to purchase on such date) of the Securities of such defaulting Initial Purchaser or Initial Purchasers for which such arrangements have not been made.

 

(c)       If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Initial Purchaser or Initial Purchasers by the non-defaulting Initial Purchasers and the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Securities that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate amount of Securities to be purchased on such date, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement or, with respect to any Additional Closing Date, the obligation of the Initial Purchasers to purchase Securities on the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Initial Purchasers. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without liability on the part of the Company, except that the Company will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Section 11 hereof and except that the provisions of Section 7 hereof shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.

 

(d)       Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Initial Purchaser of any liability it may have to the Company or any non-defaulting Initial Purchaser for damages caused by its default.

 

11.       Payment of Expenses. (a) Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, (i) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Securities and any taxes payable in that connection; (ii) the costs incident to the preparation and printing of the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, any other Time of Sale Information, any Issuer Written Communication and the Offering Memorandum (including any amendments and supplements thereto) and the distribution thereof; (iii) the costs of reproducing and distributing each of the Transaction Documents; (iv) the fees and expenses of the Company's counsel and independent accountants; (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration or qualification and determination of eligibility for investment of the Securities under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may designate and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including the related fees and expenses of counsel for the Initial Purchasers); (vi) any fees charged by rating agencies for rating the Securities; (vii) the fees and expenses of the Trustee and any paying agent (including related fees and expenses of any counsel to such parties); and (viii) all expenses incurred by the Company in connection with any "road show" presentation to potential investors.

 

 

(b)       If (i) this Agreement is terminated pursuant to clause (ii) of Section 9, (ii) the Company fails to tender the Securities for delivery to the Initial Purchasers in violation of its obligations hereunder or (iii) the Initial Purchasers decline to purchase the Securities because any condition precedent to the obligations of the Initial Purchasers set forth in Section 6 is not satisfied, the Company agrees to reimburse the Initial Purchasers for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the fees and expenses of their counsel) reasonably incurred by the Initial Purchasers in connection with this Agreement and the offering contemplated hereby.

 

12.       Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and any controlling persons referred to in Section 7 hereof. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein. No purchaser of Securities from any Initial Purchaser shall be deemed to be a successor merely by reason of such purchase.

 

13.       Survival. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, representations, warranties and agreements of the Company and the Initial Purchasers contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the Company or the Initial Purchasers pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Securities and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company or the Initial Purchasers.

 

14.       Certain Defined Terms. For purposes of this Agreement, (a) except where otherwise expressly provided, the term "affiliate" has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; (b) the term "business day" means any day other than a day on which banks are permitted or required to be closed in New York City; (c) the term "subsidiary" has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; and (d) the term "significant subsidiary" has the meaning set forth in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act.

 

 

15.       Miscellaneous. (a) Authority of the Representative. Any action by the Initial Purchasers hereunder may be taken by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC on behalf of the Initial Purchasers, and any such action taken by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC shall be binding upon the Initial Purchasers.

 

(b)       Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Initial Purchasers shall be given to the Representative c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179 (fax: (212) 622-8358); Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk. Notices to the Company shall be given to it at Meadowbrook Insurance Group Inc., 26255 American Drive, Southfield, Michigan 48034 (fax: (248) 358-1614); Attention: Michael G. Costello.

 

(c)       Governing Law. This Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of any law other than the law of the State of New York.

 

(d)      Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication), each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

(e)       Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties hereto.

 

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

 

(g)       Xtract Research LLC. The Company hereby agrees that the Initial Purchasers may provide copies of the Preliminary Offering Memorandum and the Final Offering Memorandum relating to the offering of the Securities and any other agreements or documents relating thereto, including, without limitation, any registration rights agreement or trust indentures, to Xtract Research LLC ("Xtract") following the completion of the offering for inclusion in an online research service sponsored by Xtract, access to which is restricted to "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act.

 

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below.

 

 

 

Accepted: March 12, 2013

 

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

 

For itself and on behalf of the

several Initial Purchasers listed

in Schedule 1 hereto.

 

 

 

 

 

Meadowbrook, Inc.

Star Insurance Company

Crest Financial Corporation

ProCentury Corporation

Meadowbrook Capital Trust I

Meadowbrook Intermediaries, Inc.

Savers Property and Casualty Insurance Company

American Highway Carriers Association

ProCentury Risk Partners Insurance Co.

Meadowbrook Capital Trust II

Meadowbrook of Nevada, Inc.

Ameritrust Insurance Corporation

Liberty Premium Finance, Inc.

Meadowbrook Risk Management, Limited (Bermuda)

MarketPlus Insurance Agency, Inc.

American Indemnity Insurance Company, Ltd.

Commercial Carriers Insurance Agency, Inc.

ProCentury Insurance Company

Florida Preferred Administrators, Inc.

Meadowbrook of Florida, Inc.

Meadowbrook Insurance Agency, Inc.

Williamsburg National Insurance Company

Interline Insurance Services, Inc.

Century Surety Company

Meadowbrook Insurance, Inc.

Preferred Insurance Agency, Inc.

Preferred Comp Insurance Agency of New Hampshire, Inc.

TPA Insurance Agency, Inc.

TPA Insurance Agency of New Hampshire, Inc.

Medical Professional Liability Risk Purchasing Group, Inc.

 

 

 

 

(-)        The Company and each of its significant subsidiaries have been duly organized and are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have all power and authority necessary to own or hold their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged, except where the failure to be so qualified or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(-)        The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum under the heading "Capitalization"; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (except, in the case of any foreign subsidiary, for directors' qualifying shares and except as otherwise described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum).

 

(-)        The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver each of the Transaction Documents and to perform its obligations thereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated thereby or by the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum has been duly and validly taken.

 

(-)        The Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

(-)        The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

(-)        The Securities have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

(-)        The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents, the compliance by the Company with the terms thereof, the issuance and sale of the Securities being delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents or the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum will not result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

 

 

(-)        To the best knowledge of such counsel, except as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, suits or proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be the subject which, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and to the best knowledge of such counsel, no such investigations, actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others.

 

(-)        The descriptions in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum of statutes, legal, governmental and regulatory proceedings and contracts and other documents are accurate in all material respects; the statements in the Time of Sale Information and Offering Memorandum under the heading "Description of Capital Stock", incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum from Item 3 of Part I of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, to the extent that they constitute summaries of the terms of stock, matters of law or regulation or legal conclusions, fairly summarize the matters described therein in all material respects.

 

(-)        The documents incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum or any further amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), when they were filed with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; and such counsel has no reason to believe that any of such documents, when such documents were so filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statement therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such documents were so filed, not misleading.

 

 

 

 

(-)        The Indenture, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Company and the Trustee, constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally or by equitable principles relating to enforceability; and the Indenture conforms in all material respects with the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission applicable to an indenture that is qualified thereunder.

 

(-)        Each Transaction Document conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum.

 

(-)        The Securities, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Company, when duly authenticated as provided in the Indenture and paid for as provided in the Purchase Agreement, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally or by equitable principles relating to enforceability, and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.

 

(-)        The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents, the compliance by the Company with the terms thereof, the issuance and sale of the Securities being delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents or the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument set forth in Schedule I to such opinion or (ii) result in the violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority except, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii) above, for such conflict, breach, violation or default that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect or materially adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.

 

(-)        No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents, the compliance by the Company with the terms thereof, the issuance and sale of the Securities being delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents or the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, except for such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and resale of the Securities by the Initial Purchasers.

 

 

(-)        The statements in the Time of Sale Information and Offering Memorandum under the headings "Certain Federal Income Tax Considerations", "Plan of Distribution", to the extent that they constitute summaries of the terms of stock, matters of law or regulation or legal conclusions, fairly and accurately summarize the matters described therein in all material respects.

 

(-)        The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, will not be required to register as an "investment company" or an entity "controlled" by an "investment company" within the meaning of the Investment Company Act.

 

(-)        Assuming the accuracy of the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company and the Initial Purchasers contained in this Agreement, it is not necessary, in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities to the Initial Purchasers and the offer, resale and delivery of the Securities by the Initial Purchasers in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum, to register the Securities under the Securities Act or to qualify the Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

 

Such counsel shall also state that they have participated in conferences with representatives of the Company and with representatives of its independent accountants and counsel at which conferences the contents of the Time of Sale Information and the Offering Memorandum and any amendment and supplement thereto and related matters were discussed and, although such counsel assume no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the Time of Sale Information, the Offering Memorandum and any amendment or supplement thereto (except as expressly provided above), nothing has come to the attention of such counsel to cause such counsel to believe that the Time of Sale Information, at the Time of Sale (which such counsel may assume to be the date of the Purchase Agreement) contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading or that the Offering Memorandum or any amendment or supplement thereto as of its date and the Closing Date contains any untrue statement of a material fact 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 (other than the financial statements and other financial information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no belief).

 

In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials that are furnished to the Initial Purchasers.

 

The opinion of Sidley Austin LLP described above shall be rendered to the Initial Purchasers at the request of the Company and shall so state therein.

 

 

Term sheet containing the terms of the Securities, substantially in the form of Annex C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issuer:	Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc. ("Meadowbrook")
Ticker / Exchange:	MIG / The New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE")
Title of Securities:	5.00% Cash Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 (the "Notes")
Aggregate Principal
Amount of Notes Offered:	$85,000,000
Offering Price:	The Notes will be issued at a price of 100% of their principal amount,
	plus accrued interest, if any, from March 18, 2013.
Initial Purchasers' Option to Purchase
Additional Notes:	$15,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes
Interest Rate:	The Notes will bear interest at a rate equal to 5.00% per annum from
	March 18, 2013.
Interest Payment Dates:	March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning on September
	15, 2013
Maturity Date:	March 15, 2020, unless earlier repurchased or converted
NYSE Last Reported Sale Price of
Meadowbrook Common Stock on March
12, 2013:	$6.68 per share
Conversion Premium:	Approximately 37.50% above the NYSE Last Reported Sale Price of
	Meadowbrook Common Stock on March 12, 2013
Initial Conversion Price:	Approximately $9.18 per share of Meadowbrook common stock
Initial Conversion Rate:	108.8732 shares of Meadowbrook common stock per $1,000 principal
	amount of Notes
Settlement Upon Conversion:	Conversions of Notes will be settled solely in cash.
Trade Date:	March 13, 2013
Settlement Date:	March 18, 2013
Sole Book-Running Manager:	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

 

 

Co-Manager:	FBR Capital Markets & Co.
	RBS Securities Inc.
CUSIP Number:	58319PAB4
ISIN:	US58319PAB40
Cash Convertible Note Hedge and	In connection with the pricing of the Notes, Meadowbrook entered
Warrant Transactions:	into cash convertible note hedge transactions with one or more initial
	purchasers of the Notes or their affiliates or other financial institutions
	(the "option counterparties"). Meadowbrook also entered into warrant
	transactions with the option counterparties. The cash convertible note
	hedge transactions are expected to reduce Meadowbrook's exposure
	to potential cash payments in excess of the principal amount of
	converted Notes that Meadowbrook may be required to make upon
	conversion of the Notes. The warrant transactions will separately have
	a dilutive effect to the extent that the market value per share of
	Meadowbrook's common stock exceeds the applicable strike price of
	the warrants. If the initial purchasers of the Notes exercise their option
	to purchase additional Notes, Meadowbrook may sell additional
	warrants and use a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the
	additional Notes, together with the proceeds from the sale of the
	additional warrants, to increase the size of the cash convertible note
	hedge transactions. See "Description of cash convertible note hedge
	and warrant transactions" in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum.
Use of Proceeds:	Meadowbrook estimates that the proceeds from the Notes offering
	will be approximately $82.45 million (or $97 million if the initial
	purchasers of the Notes exercise their option to purchase additional
	Notes in full), after deducting the initial purchasers' fees but before
	deducting other estimated expenses. Meadowbrook intends to use
	approximately $8.4 million of the net proceeds from the Notes
	offering to pay the cost of the cash convertible note hedge
	transactions (after such cost is partially offset by the proceeds to
	Meadowbrook from the warrant transactions). Meadowbrook intends
	to use substantially all of the remainder of the net proceeds from the
	Notes offering to make capital contributions to its insurance company
	subsidiaries in order to support such subsidiaries' operations and
	financial strength, with the balance of any proceeds to be used to
	repay Meadowbrook's outstanding indebtedness under its term loan
	facility, which matures on August 30, 2016 and had an effective
	interest rate of 2.46% as of December 31, 2012. If the initial
	purchasers of the Notes exercise their option to purchase additional
	Notes, Meadowbrook may sell additional warrants and use a portion
	of the proceeds from the sale of the additional Notes, together with
	the proceeds from the sale of the additional warrants, to increase the
	size of the cash convertible note hedge transactions. See "Use of
	proceeds" in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum.
Increase in Conversion Rate upon	The table below sets forth the amount, if any, by which the
Conversion upon a Make-Whole	conversion rate per $1,000 principal amount of Notes will be
Fundamental Change:	increased upon conversion of such Notes into cash in connection with
	a "make-whole fundamental change" as described in the Preliminary
	Offering Memorandum for each stock price and effective date set
	forth below.

 

 

 

The exact stock prices and effective dates may not be set forth in the table above, in which case:

 

if the

stock price is greater than $35.00 per share (subject to adjustment in the same manner as the conversion rate as set forth under "Description of notes—Conversion rights—Conversion rate adjustments" in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum), the conversion rate will not be increased; and

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event will the conversion rate per $1,000 principal amount of Notes exceed 149.7005 shares of common stock, subject to adjustment in the same manner as the conversion rate as set forth under "Description of notes—Conversion rights—Conversion rate adjustments" in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum.

 

 

This communication is intended for the sole use of the person to whom it is provided by the sender.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

As Representative of

the several Initial Purchasers listed in

Schedule 1 to the Purchase

Agreement referred to below

c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10179

 

Re:

Meadowbrook Insurance Group Inc. — Rule 144A Offering

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

The undersigned understands that you, as Representative of the several Initial Purchasers, propose to enter into a Purchase Agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") with Meadowbrook Insurance Group Inc., a Michigan corporation (the "Company"), providing for the purchase and resale (the "Placement") by us, the several Initial Purchasers named in Schedule 1 to the Purchase Agreement (the "Initial Purchasers"), of $ [•] principal amount of [•] % Cash Convertible Senior Notes due 2020, of the Company (the "Securities"). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Purchase Agreement.

 

In consideration of the Initial Purchasers' agreement to purchase and make the Placement of the Securities, and for other good and valuable consideration receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC on behalf of the Initial Purchasers, the undersigned will not, during the period ending 90 days after the date of the offering memorandum relating to the Placement (the "Offering Memorandum"), (1) 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 shares of Common Stock, $ [•] per share par value, of the Company (the "Common Stock") or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock (including without limitation, Common Stock or such other securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant), or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge or disposition, (2) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock or such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (3) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the 90-day restricted period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs; or (2) prior to the expiration of the 90-day restricted period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 90-day period, the restrictions imposed by this Letter Agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, except that such extension will not apply if, (i) within three business days prior to the 15th calendar day before the last day of the 90-day restricted period, the Company delivers a certificate, signed by the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certifying on behalf of the Company that (i) the Shares are "actively traded securities" (as defined in Regulation M), (ii) the Company meets the applicable requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 139 under the Securities Act in the manner contemplated by NASD Conduct Rule 2711(f)(4), and (iii) the provisions of NASD Conduct Rule 2711(f)(4) are not applicable to any research reports relating to the Company published or distributed by any of the Initial Purchasers during the 15 days before or after the last day of the 90-day restricted period (before giving effect to such extension); provided, further, that notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may transfer shares of the Common Stock without the prior written consent of the Representative, provided that the undersigned does not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report regarding such transfers (a) pursuant to a will or the laws of intestacy; (b) as a bona fide gift or gifts; (c) to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned (for purposes of this Letter Agreement, "immediate family" shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin); or (d) to a member of the undersigned's immediate family; provided, further, that notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may, also without the prior written consent of the Representative, establish a contract, instruction or plan (a "10b5- 1 Plan") meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-(1)(c)(1) under the Exchange Act, provided that any such action would to require any public flings or reporting by the undersigned, including any filing under Section 13 or Section 16 of the Exchange Act and no such public reports are voluntarily filed by the undersigned.

 

 

In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company, and any duly appointed transfer agent for the registration or transfer of the securities described herein, are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Letter Agreement.

 

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Letter Agreement. All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred and any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the successors, assigns, heirs or personal representatives of the undersigned.

 

 

The undersigned understands that, if the Purchase Agreement does not become effective, or if the Purchase Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Common Stock to be sold thereunder, the undersigned shall be released form all obligations under this Letter Agreement. The undersigned understands that the Initial Purchasers are entering into the Purchase Agreement and proceeding with the Placement in reliance upon this Letter Agreement.

 

This Letter Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof.