Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. 4.70% Senior Notes due 2022 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Underwriting Agreements
EX-1.1 2 a12-22541_5ex1d1.htm EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

 

Execution Copy

 

Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd.

 

4.70% Senior Notes due 2022

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

October 2, 2012

 

CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC

Eleven Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10010

 

BARCLAYS CAPITAL INC.

745 Seventh Avenue

New York, New York 10019

 

As Representatives of the Several Underwriters Set Forth Herein

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

1.  Introductory.  Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd., an exempted Bermuda limited liability company (“Company”), agrees with the several Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Barclays Capital Inc. are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), to issue and sell $300,000,000 principal amount of its 4.70% Senior Notes due 2022 (the “Securities”), to be issued under an indenture, dated as of July 15, 2003, between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, as Trustee (the “Trustee”) (the “Original Indenture”), and supplemented by a second supplemental indenture, to be dated as of October 5, 2012 (the “Second Supplemental Indenture,” and together with the Original Indenture, the “Indenture”).

 

2.  Representations and Warranties of the Company.  The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the several Underwriters that:

 

(a)  Filing and Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Certain Defined Terms.  The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-182016), including a related prospectus or prospectuses, covering the registration of the Securities under the Act, which has become effective.  “Registration Statement” at any particular time means such registration statement in the form then filed with the Commission, including any amendment thereto, any document incorporated by reference therein and all 430B Information and all 430C Information with respect to such registration statement, that in any case has not been superseded or modified.  “Registration Statement” without reference to a time means the Registration Statement as of the Effective Time (as defined below).  For purposes of this definition, 430B Information shall be considered to be included in the Registration Statement as of the time specified in Rule 430B.

 

For purposes of this Agreement:

 



 

430B Information” means information included in a prospectus then deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B(e) or retroactively deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B(f).

 

430C Information” means information included in a prospectus then deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430C.

 

Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

Applicable Time” means 3:45 p.m. (New York City time) on the date of this Agreement.

 

Closing Date” has the meaning defined in Section 3 hereof.

 

Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Effective Time” of the Registration Statement relating to the Securities means the time of the first contract of sale for the Securities.

 

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

Final Prospectus” means the Statutory Prospectus that discloses the public offering price, other 430B Information and other final terms of the Securities and otherwise satisfies Section 10(a) of the Act.

 

General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being so specified in Schedule B to this Agreement.

 

Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, relating to the Securities in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).

 

Limited Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not a General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.

 

Rules and Regulations” means the rules and regulations of the Commission.

 

Securities Laws” means, collectively, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”), the Act, the Exchange Act, the Trust Indenture Act, the Rules and Regulations, the auditing principles, rules, standards and practices applicable to auditors of “issuers” (as defined in Sarbanes-Oxley) promulgated or approved by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“Exchange Rules”).

 

Statutory Prospectus” with reference to any particular time means the prospectus relating to the Securities that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including all 430B Information and all 430C Information with respect to the Registration Statement.  For purposes of the foregoing definition, 430B Information shall be considered to be included in the Statutory Prospectus only as of the actual time that form of prospectus (including a prospectus supplement) is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and not retroactively.

 

Trust Indenture Act” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

 

Unless otherwise specified, a reference to a “rule” is to the indicated rule under the Act.

 

(b)  Compliance with Securities Act Requirements.  (i) (A) At the time the Registration Statement initially became effective, (B) at the time of each amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), (C) at the Effective Time relating to the

 

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Securities and (D) on the Closing Date, the Registration Statement complied and will comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act, the Trust Indenture Act and the Rules and Regulations and did not and will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and (ii) (A) on its date, (B) at the time of filing the Final Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) and (C) on the Closing Date, the Final Prospectus will comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act, the Trust Indenture Act and the Rules and Regulations, and will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any such document based upon written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described as such in Section 8(b) hereof (the “Underwriters’ Disclosure Information”).

 

(c)  Automatic Shelf Registration Statement.  (i)  Well-Known Seasoned Issuer Status.  (A)  At the time of initial filing of the Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), and (C) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c)) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption set forth in Rule 163, the Company was a “well known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405, including not having been an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405.

 

(ii)          Effectiveness of Automatic Shelf Registration Statement.  The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement,” as defined in Rule 405, that initially became effective within three years of the Applicable Time.  If immediately prior to the Renewal Deadline (as hereinafter defined), any of the Securities remain unsold by the Underwriters, the Company will prior to the Renewal Deadline file, if it has not already done so and is eligible to do so, a new automatic shelf registration statement relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Representatives.  If the Company is no longer eligible to file an automatic shelf registration statement, the Company will prior to the Renewal Deadline, if it has not already done so, file a new shelf registration statement relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Representatives, and will use its reasonable best efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 180 days after the Renewal Deadline (as defined below).  The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement relating to the Securities.  References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new automatic shelf registration statement or such new shelf registration statement, as the case may be.

 

Renewal Deadline” means the third anniversary of the initial effective time of the Registration Statement.

 

(iii)       Eligibility to Use Automatic Shelf Registration Form.  The Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) objecting to use of the automatic shelf registration statement form.  If at any time when Securities remain unsold by the Underwriters the Company receives from the Commission a notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) or otherwise ceases to be eligible to use the automatic shelf registration statement form, the Company will (i) promptly notify the Representatives in writing, (ii) promptly file a new registration statement or post-effective amendment on the proper form relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Representatives, (iii) use its reasonable best efforts to cause such registration statement or post-effective amendment to be declared effective as soon as

 

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practicable, and (iv) promptly notify the Representatives of such effectiveness.  The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the registration statement that was the subject of the Rule 401(g)(2) notice or for which the Company has otherwise become ineligible.  References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new registration statement or post-effective amendment, as the case may be.

 

(iv)      Filing Fees.  The Company has paid or shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r).

 

(d)         Ineligible Issuer Status.  (i)  At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2)) of the Securities and (ii) at the Applicable Time, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405, including (x) the Company or any other subsidiary in the preceding three years not having been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or having been made the subject of a judicial or administrative decree or order as described in Rule 405 and (y) the Company in the preceding three years not having been the subject of a bankruptcy petition or insolvency or similar proceeding, not having had a registration statement be the subject of a proceeding under Section 8 of the Act and not being the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Act in connection with the offering of the Securities, all as described in Rule 405.

 

(e)          General Disclosure Package.  As of the Applicable Time, neither (i) the General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time and the preliminary prospectus supplement, dated October 2, 2012, including the base prospectus, dated June 8, 2012 (which is the most recent Statutory Prospectus distributed to investors generally), and the other information, if any, stated in Schedule B to this Agreement to be included in the General Disclosure Package, all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (ii) any individual Limited Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Statutory Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is the Underwriters’ Disclosure Information.

 

(f)           Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses.  Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representatives as described in the next sentence, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information then contained in the Registration Statement.  If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information then contained in the Registration Statement or as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, if republished immediately following such event or development, would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would 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, (i) the Company has promptly notified or will promptly notify the Representatives and (ii) the Company has promptly amended or will promptly amend or supplement such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

 

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(g)          Financial Statements.  PricewaterhouseCoopers, whose report is incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and Final Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries within the meaning of the Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations. The financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries (including the related notes and supporting schedules) incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company at the dates and for the periods indicated and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods indicated (except for the adoption of new accounting standards which do not require the restatement of historical financial information) and conform in all material respects with the Rules and Regulations.

 

(h)         Good standing of the Company.  The Company has been duly organized or formed and is validly existing in good standing (including as an exempted company) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization or formation, with full power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified to do business as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the character of the business conducted by it or the location of the properties owned, leased or operated by it make such qualification necessary, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have or reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations or business of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”).

 

(i)             Subsidiaries.  Montpelier Reinsurance Ltd. (“Montpelier Re” or the “Designated Subsidiary”) has been duly organized or formed and is validly existing in good standing (including as an exempted company) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization or formation, with full power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus; and the Designated Subsidiary is duly qualified to do business as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the character of the business conducted by it or the location of the properties owned, leased or operated by it make such qualification necessary, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  Except for Montpelier Investments Holdings Ltd., Blue Capital Management Ltd., Blue Water Master Fund Ltd., Blue Water Feeder Fund Ltd., Blue Capital Insurance Managers Ltd., Blue Water Re Ltd., Montpelier Holdings Limited, Montpelier Underwriting Services Limited, Montpelier Capital Limited, Montpelier Underwriting Agencies Limited, Montpelier Marketing Services Limited, Montpelier U.S. Holdings Ltd., Montpelier Underwriting Inc., Montpelier Technical Resources Ltd., Blue Capital Advisors ltd., and Montpelier Europa AG, which are not “significant subsidiaries” of the Company as that term is defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X of the Rules and Regulations, the Designated Subsidiary is the only subsidiary of the Company.

 

(j)            Capitalization of the Company. The capitalization of the Company as of June 30, 2012 conforms in all material respects to the description thereof in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.

 

(k)         No Material Adverse Change in Business.  Except as described in or contemplated by the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus (i) there has not been any event or

 

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development that has had or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect and (ii) there has not been any material change in the long-term debt of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries taken as a whole.

 

(l)             Absence of Defaults and Conflicts Resulting from Transaction.  None of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement by the Company, (ii) the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or (iii) compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement, (A) will result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, the memorandum of association, amended and restated bye-laws or other governing documents of the Company or the Designated Subsidiary, (B) will result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any agreement, indenture or other instrument to which the Company or the Designated Subsidiary is a party or by which any of them is bound, or to which any of their properties is subject, (C) will result in a violation of any law, rule, administrative regulation or decree of any court, or any governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company, the Designated Subsidiary or any of their respective properties, or (D) will result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, claim or encumbrance upon any property or asset of the Company, or the Designated Subsidiary, except (other than with respect to clause (A)), as would not have or reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.  Except for permits, consents, approvals and similar authorizations required by the securities or “Blue Sky” or insurance securities laws of certain jurisdictions in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities, the filing of the Final Prospectus under the Bermuda Companies Act 1981 (the “Companies Act”) in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities and permits, consents, approvals and authorizations which have been obtained, no permit, consent, approval, authorization or order of any court, governmental agency or body or financial institution is required in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

(m)     Absence of Existing Defaults and Conflicts.  None of the Company or the Designated Subsidiary (i) is in violation of its memorandum of association or amended and restated bye-laws or articles of association or other governing documents, (ii) is in default and no event has occurred which, 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 agreement, indenture or other instrument to which it is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its properties is subject, except for any such defaults that would not have or reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, or (iii) is in violation of any insurance law or insurance regulation to which it or its property is subject, except for any such violations that would not have or reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(n)         Authorization, Execution and Delivery of Agreement.  This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

(o)         Authorization, Execution and Delivery of Indenture and Securities.  The Indenture has been duly authorized and has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act; the Securities have been duly authorized and, when the Securities are delivered and paid for pursuant to this Agreement on the Closing Date, the Indenture will have been duly executed and delivered, such Securities will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered, will conform to the description of such Securities contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, and the Indenture and such Securities will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except, in each case, as (i) the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and (ii) rights of acceleration and the availability of equitable remedies may be limited by equitable principles of general applicability.

 

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(p)  Solvency.  On the date hereof and on the Closing Date, each of the Company and Montpelier Re is and will be solvent and able to pay its liabilities as they become due.

 

(q)  Registration Rights.  Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale of the Securities as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights, other than those that have been duly waived or satisfied, for or relating to the registration of any securities of the Company.

 

(r)            Descriptions of Contracts.  There are no contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Final Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement, as the case may be, that have not been described in the Final Prospectus or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement, as the case may be.

 

(s)           No Proceedings.  There is no litigation or governmental proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened to which the Company or the Designated Subsidiary is a party or to which any property of the Company or the Designated Subsidiary is subject that would have, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, or which is required to be disclosed in the Final Prospectus or the Registration Statement and is not so disclosed.

 

(t)            Possession of Licenses and Permits.  Each of the Company and the Designated Subsidiary has (i) all licenses, certificates, permits, authorizations, approvals, franchises and other rights from, and has filed all reports, documents and other information required to be filed pursuant to the applicable laws of Bermuda and other relevant jurisdictions as is necessary to engage in the business currently conducted by it in the manner described in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus (each, an “Authorization”), except where the failure, individually or in the aggregate, to file such report, document or information would not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) fulfilled and performed all obligations necessary to maintain each Authorization, except where the failure to fulfill or perform such obligation, individually or in the aggregate, would not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and (iii) no knowledge of any threatened action, suit, proceeding or investigation that would reasonably be expected to result in the revocation, termination or suspension of any Authorization.  All such Authorizations are valid and in full force and effect and the Company and the Designated Subsidiay are in compliance in all material respects with the terms and conditions of all such Authorizations and with the rules and regulations of the regulatory authorities having jurisdiction with respect thereto, except where the failure to comply, individually or in the aggregate, would not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not received any order or decree from any insurance regulatory agency or body impairing, restricting or prohibiting the payment of dividends by the Designated Subsidiary to its parent.

 

(u)         Internal Controls.  The Company and the Designated Subsidiary each maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.  The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15 and Rule 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Rules and Regulations, and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its

 

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principal executive officer or officers and principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure. The preliminary prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations.

 

(v)  Investment Company Act.  The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).

 

(w)  Excise Taxes.  None of the Underwriters or any subsequent purchasers of the Securities (other than purchasers resident in Bermuda for Bermuda exchange control purposes) is subject to any stamp duty, excise or similar tax imposed in Bermuda in connection with the offering, sale or purchase of the Securities.

 

(x)  Withholding Taxes.  There are no currency exchange control laws or withholding taxes of Bermuda that would be applicable to any payments of principal, premium or interest on the Securities by the Company.

 

(y)         Compliance with FCPA. None of the Company, the Designated Subsidiary or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA and the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

 

(z)   Anti-Money Laundering Compliance. The operations of the Company and the Designated Subsidiary 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 entity (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any governmental agency involving the Company or the Designated Subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

(aa) OFAC Compliance.  None of the Company, the Designated Subsidiary or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or the Designated Subsidiary is currently the subject of any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the sale of the Securities, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any of its subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other person, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

 

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(bb)  Accurate Disclosure.  The statements in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus under the headings “Material Tax Considerations” insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings and present the information required to be shown.

 

3.  Purchase, Sale and Delivery of Securities.  On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Company agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of 99.032% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued interest from the Closing Date, the respective principal amounts of Securities set forth opposite the names of the Underwriters in Schedule A hereto.

 

The Company will deliver the Securities to or as instructed by the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters in a form reasonably acceptable to the Representatives against payment of the purchase price by the Underwriters in Federal (same day) funds by wire transfer to an account at a bank acceptable to the Representatives drawn to the order of the Company at the office of Sidley Austin LLP, 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, at 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on October 5, 2012, or at such other time not later than seven full business days thereafter as the Representatives and the Company determine, such time being herein referred to as the “Closing Date.” For purposes of Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act, the Closing Date (if later than the otherwise applicable settlement date) shall be the settlement date for payment of funds and delivery of securities for all the Securities sold pursuant to the offering. The Securities so to be delivered or evidence of their issuance will be made available for checking at the above office of Sidley Austin LLP at least 24 hours prior to the Closing Date.

 

4.  Offering by Underwriters.  It is understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Final Prospectus.

 

5.  Certain Agreements of the Company. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:

 

(a)         Filing of Prospectuses.  The Company has filed or will file each Statutory Prospectus (including the Final Prospectus) pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 424(b)(2) (or, if applicable, 424(b)(5)) not later than the second business day following the earlier of the date it is first used and the execution and delivery of this Agreement.  The Company has complied and will comply with Rule 433.

 

(b)         Filing of Amendments; Response to Commission Requests.  The Company will promptly advise the Representatives in writing of any proposal to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or any Statutory Prospectus at any time and will offer the Representatives a reasonable opportunity to comment on any such amendment or supplement; and the Company will also advise the Representatives promptly in writing of (i) the filing of any such amendment or supplement, (ii) any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment to the Registration Statement, for any supplement to any Statutory Prospectus or for any additional information, (iii) the institution by the Commission of any stop order proceedings in respect of the Registration Statement or the threatening of any proceeding for that purpose, and (iv) the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities in any jurisdiction or the institution or threat of any proceedings for such purpose.  The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the suspension of any such qualification and, if issued, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.

 

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(c)          Continued Compliance with Securities Laws.  If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is (or but for the exemption in Rule 172 would be) required to be delivered under the Act by any Underwriter or dealer, any event occurs as a result of which the Final Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Final Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives in writing of such event and will promptly prepare and file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and the dealers and any other dealers upon request of the Representatives, an amendment or supplement which will correct such statement or omission or an amendment which will effect such compliance.  Neither the Representative’s consent to, nor the Underwriters’ delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the conditions set forth in Section 7 hereof.

 

(d)         Rule 158.  As soon as practicable, but not later than 16 months, after the date of this Agreement, the Company will make generally available to its securityholders an earnings statement covering a period of at least 12 months beginning after the date of this Agreement and satisfying the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158.

 

(e)          Furnishing of Prospectuses.  The Company will furnish to the Representatives copies of the Registration Statement, including all exhibits, any Statutory Prospectus, the Final Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to such documents, in each case as soon as available and in such quantities as the Representatives reasonably request.  The Company will pay the expenses of printing and distributing to the Underwriters all such documents.

 

(f)           Blue Sky Qualifications.  The Company will arrange for the qualification of the Securities for sale and the determination of their eligibility for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives designate and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to material taxation or service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Securities, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.

 

(g)          Reporting Requirements.  For so long as the Securities remain outstanding, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and, upon request, to each of the other Underwriters, as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, a copy of its annual report to stockholders for such year; and the Company will furnish to the Representatives (i) as soon as available, a copy of each report and any definitive proxy statement of the Company filed with the Commission under the Exchange Act or mailed to stockholders, and (ii) from time to time, such other information concerning the Company as the Representatives may reasonably request.  However, so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of either Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act and is timely filing reports with the Commission on its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”), it is not required to furnish such reports or statements to the Underwriters.

 

(h)         Payment of Expenses.  Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the Securities under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in

 

10



 

connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, the preliminary prospectus, the General Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the Securities by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., (v) the cost of printing certificates representing the Securities, (vi) the costs and charges of the Trustee and any other trustee, paying agent, transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (vii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants (the remainder to be for the account of the Underwriters) and (viii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section.  It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 8 entitled “Indemnity and Contribution” and Section 10 entitled “Survival of Certain Representations and Obligations,” the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of its counsel, transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Securities by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.

 

(i)             Use of Proceeds.  The Company will use the net proceeds received in connection with this offering in the manner described in the “Use of Proceeds” section of the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus and, except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus, the Company does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.

 

(j)            Absence of Manipulation.  The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.

 

(k)         Restriction on Sale of Securities.  The Company will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to United States dollar-denominated debt securities issued or guaranteed by the Company and having a maturity of more than one year from the date of issue, or publicly disclose the intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing, without the prior written consent of the Representatives for a period beginning on the date hereof and ending on the Closing Date.

 

(l)   Filing of Final Prospectus under the Companies Act.  The Company shall file the Final Prospectus under the Companies Act in the manner and within any applicable time periods, required by the Companies Act.

 

11



 

6.   Free Writing Prospectuses.  (a) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Company and the Representatives is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.”  The Company represents that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required, legending and record keeping.

 

(b)  Term Sheets.  The Company will prepare a final term sheet relating to the Securities, containing only information that describes the final terms of the Securities and otherwise in a form consented to by the Representatives, and will file such final term sheet within the period required by Rule 433(d)(5)(ii).  Any such final term sheet is an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus for purposes of this Agreement.  The Company also consents to the use by any Underwriter of a free writing prospectus that contains only (i)(x) information describing the preliminary terms of the Securities or their offering or (y) information that describes the final terms of the Securities or their offering and that is included in the final term sheet of the Company contemplated in the first sentence of this subsection or (ii) other information that is not “issuer information,” as defined in Rule 433, it being understood that any such free writing prospectus referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above shall not be an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus for purposes of this Agreement.

 

7.   Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Securities on the Closing Date will be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company herein (as though made on such Closing Date), to the accuracy of the statements of Company officers made pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions precedent:

 

(a)  Accountants’ Comfort Letter.  The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date, letters dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from PricewaterhouseCoopers, independent registered public accounting firm, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus; provided that the letters delivered on the Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than the date hereof.

 

(b)  Filing of Prospectus.  The Final Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with the Rules and Regulations and Section 5(a) hereof. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Underwriter, shall be contemplated by the Commission.

 

(c)  No Material Adverse Change.  Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date, there shall not have occurred (i) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or results of operations of the Company and its combined subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the

 

12



 

General Disclosure Package that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impractical to market the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus; (ii) any suspension or material limitation of trading on, or by, as the case may be, the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Global Market, (iii) any suspension of trading of any securities of the Company on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iv) a material disruption in the securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States shall have occurred; (v) any moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by the Federal or New York State or Bermuda authorities; or (vi) any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (vi), makes it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.

 

(d)  Opinion of Counsel for Company.  The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter from Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters and their counsel.

 

(e)  Opinion of Special Bermuda Counsel for Company.  The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter from Appleby (Bermuda) Limited, special Bermuda counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters and their counsel.

 

(f)  Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.  The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion from Sidley Austin LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date.

 

(g)  Officer’s Certificate.  The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company and a principal financial or accounting officer of the Company in which such officers shall state that, to the best of his/her knowledge after reasonable investigation:  (i) the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date, (ii) the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date, and (iii) subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date there has been no material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or results of operations of the Company and its combined subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.

 

(h)  No Rating Downgrade.  Since the execution of this Agreement, there shall not have been any decrease in or withdrawal of the rating of any securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act) or any notice given of any intended or potential decrease in or withdrawal of any such rating or of a possible change in any such rating that does not indicate the direction of the possible change.

 

The Company will furnish the Representatives with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and documents as the Representatives reasonably request.  The Representatives may in their sole discretion waive on behalf of the Underwriters compliance with any conditions to the obligations of the Underwriters hereunder.

 

13



 

8.   Indemnification and Contribution.  (a)  Indemnification of Underwriters.  The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its partners, members, directors, officers, employees, agents, affiliates and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (each, an “Indemnified Party”), against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Act, the Exchange Act, other Federal or state statutory law or regulation or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any part of the Registration Statement at any time, any Statutory Prospectus as of any time, the General Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Indemnified Party for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending against any loss, claim, damage, liability, action, litigation, investigation or proceeding whatsoever (whether or not such Indemnified Party is a party thereto), whether threatened or commenced, and in connection with the enforcement of this provision with respect to any of the above as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement in or omission or alleged omission from any of such documents in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriters’ Disclosure Information.

 

(b)  Indemnification of Company.  Each Underwriter will severally and not jointly indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors and each of its officers who signs a Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (each, an “Underwriter Indemnified Party”), against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which such Underwriter Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Act, the Exchange Act, other Federal or state statutory law or regulation or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any part of the Registration Statement at any time, any Statutory Prospectus as of any time, the General Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or the alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, and will reimburse any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending against any such loss, claim, damage, liability, action, litigation, investigation or proceeding whatsoever (whether or not such Underwriter Indemnified Party is a party thereto), whether threatened or commenced, based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission as such expenses are incurred, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the fourth paragraph, the second sentence of the tenth paragraph, the first sentence of the eleventh paragraph and the fourteenth paragraph under the heading “Underwriting” in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus.

 

(c)  Actions against Parties; Notification.  Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under subsection (a) or (b) above, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure to notify the indemnifying

 

14



 

party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under subsection (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 party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under subsection (a) or (b) above.  In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.  No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened action in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party unless such settlement (i) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on any claims that are the subject matter of such action and (ii) does not include a statement as to, or an admission of, fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of an indemnified party.

 

(d)  Contribution.  If the indemnification provided for in this Section is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in subsection (a) or (b) above (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which 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 Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters. The relative fault 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 the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim which is the subject of this subsection (d). Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter 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 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.  The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8(d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one

 

15



 

entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 8(d).

 

9.   Default of Underwriters.  If any Underwriter or Underwriters default in their obligations to purchase Securities hereunder and the aggregate principal amount of Securities that such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase does not exceed 10% of the total principal amount of Securities, the Representatives may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Securities by other persons, including any of the Underwriters, but if no such arrangements are made by the Closing Date the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated severally, in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder, to purchase the Securities that such defaulting Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase. If any Underwriter or Underwriters so default and the aggregate principal amount of Securities with respect to which such default or defaults occur exceeds 10% of the total principal amount of Securities and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Securities by other persons are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement will terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except as provided in Section 10. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section.  Nothing herein will relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

 

10.  Survival of Certain Representations and Obligations.  The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation, or statement as to the results thereof, made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or any of their respective representatives, officers or directors or any controlling person, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. If the purchase of the Securities by the Underwriters is not consummated for any reason other than solely because of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 9 hereof, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel) reasonably incurred by them in connection with the offering of the Securities, and the respective obligations of the Company and the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8 hereof shall remain in effect.

 

11.  Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and, if sent to the Underwriters, will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to the Representatives at Eleven Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010-3629, Attention:  LCD-IBD and Barclays Capital Inc., 745 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Syndicate Registration, with a copy to Sidley Austin LLP, 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019 Attention: Jonathan L. Freedman, Esq., or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to it at 94 Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke, Bermuda HM 08, Attention: General Counsel, with a copy to Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, 825 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Craig F. Arcella; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 8 will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to such Underwriter.

 

12.  Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 8, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.

 

13.  Representation of Underwriters.  The Representatives will act for the several Underwriters in connection with this financing, and any action under this Agreement taken by the Representatives will be binding upon all the Underwriters.

 

16



 

14.  Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.

 

15.  Absence of Fiduciary Relationship.  The Company acknowledges and agrees that:

 

(a)                                 No Other Relationship.  The Representatives have been retained solely to act as underwriters in connection with the sale of Securities and that no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company and the Representatives has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Final Prospectus, irrespective of whether the Representatives have advised or are advising the Company on other matters;

 

(b)                                 Arms’ Length Negotiations.  The price of the Securities set forth in this Agreement was established by the Company following discussions and arms-length negotiations with the Representatives and the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

 

(c)                                  Absence of Obligation to Disclose.  The Company has been advised that the Representatives and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the Representatives have no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and

 

(d)                                 Waiver.  The Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Representatives for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that the Representatives shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including stockholders, employees or creditors of the Company.

 

16.  Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

 

The Company hereby submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal and state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.  The Company irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection to the laying of venue of any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in Federal and state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York and irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit or proceeding in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.  The Company irrevocably appoints CT Corporation System, with offices at 111 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10011, as its authorized agent in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York upon which process may be served in any such suit or proceeding, and agrees that service of process upon such agent, and written notice of said service to the Company by the person serving the same to the address provided in Section 11, shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any such suit or proceeding.  The Company further agrees to take any and all action as may be necessary to maintain such designation and appointment of such agent in full force and effect for a period of seven years from the date of this Agreement.

 

17



 

The obligation of the Company pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any sum due to any Underwriter shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first business day, following receipt by such Underwriter of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency, on which (and only to the extent that) such Underwriter may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency; if the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, the Company agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter against such loss.  If the United States dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, such Underwriter agrees to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder.

 

18



 

If the foregoing is in accordance with the Representative’s understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company one of the counterparts hereof, whereupon it will become a binding agreement between the Company and the several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

MONTPELIER RE HOLDINGS LTD.

 

 

 

 

 

By

/s/ Michael S. Paquette

 

 

Name:

Michael S. Paquette

 

 

Title:

Executive Vice President and

 

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Sharon Harrison

 

 

 

 

Name:

Sharon Harrison

 

 

 

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BARCLAYS CAPITAL INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Travis Barnes

 

 

 

 

Name:

Travis Barnes

 

 

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acting on behalf of themselves and as the Representatives of the several Underwriters.

 

 

 

 

 

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SCHEDULE A

 

Underwriter

 

Principal
Amount of
Securities

 

 

 

 

 

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

 

$

195,000,000

 

Barclays Capital Inc.

 

$

105,000,000

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

$

300,000,000

 

 



 

SCHEDULE B

 

1.              General Use Free Writing Prospectuses (included in the General Disclosure Package)

 

“General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” includes each of the following documents:

 

1.  Final term sheet, dated October 2, 2012, a copy of which is attached hereto.

 

2.              Other Information Included in the General Disclosure Package

 

The following information is also included in the General Disclosure Package:

 

None