Party City Holdco Inc. Common Stock, $0.01 par value Underwriting Agreement
Exhibit 1.1
Party City Holdco Inc.
Common Stock, $0.01 par value
Underwriting Agreement
[ ], 2015
Goldman, Sachs & Co.,
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
As representatives of the several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto,
c/o Goldman, Sachs & Co.
200 West Street,
New York, New York 10282
c/o Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
One Bryant Park
New York, NY 10036
c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Eleven Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Party City Holdco Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the Underwriters) for whom Goldman, Sachs & Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the Representatives) an aggregate of [ ]
shares of common stock, $0.01 par value (Stock) of the Company and at the election of the Underwriters, up to [ ] additional shares of Stock. The [ ] shares of Stock to be sold by the Company are herein called the Firm Shares and the [ ] additional shares of Stock to be sold by the Company are herein called the Optional Shares. The Firm Shares and the Optional Shares that the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof being collectively called the Shares.
1. (A) The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:
(a) A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-193466) (the Initial Registration Statement) in respect of the Shares has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission); the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding exhibits thereto, to you for each of the other Underwriters, have been declared effective by the Commission in such form; other than a registration statement, if any, increasing the size of the offering (a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), which became effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Initial Registration Statement has heretofore been filed with the Commission; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act is hereinafter called a Preliminary Prospectus; the various parts of the Initial Registration Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the form of final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof and deemed by virtue of Rule 430A under the Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective, each as amended at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes effective, are hereinafter collectively called the Registration Statement; the Preliminary Prospectus relating to the Shares that was included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(c) hereof) is hereinafter called the Pricing Prospectus; the final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, is hereinafter called the Prospectus; and any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433 under the Act relating to the Shares is hereinafter called an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus);
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(b) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and the Pricing Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described as such in Section 9(c) hereof;
(c) For the purposes of this Agreement, the Applicable Time is [00:00] [a][p].m. (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement. The Pricing Prospectus, as supplemented by the information listed on Schedule II hereto, taken together (collectively, the Pricing Disclosure Package), as of the Applicable Time, did 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 the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule II(a) hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, did 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 the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in the Pricing Disclosure Package or an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described as such in Section 9(c) hereof;
(d) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements
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or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described as such in Section 9(c) hereof;
(e) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Prospectus 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 dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than as a result of the grant or exercise of stock options or award shares of restricted stock pursuant to employee benefit plans existing on the date of this Agreement and described in the Pricing Prospectus or Prospectus) or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, business prospects, stockholders equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (a Material Adverse Effect), and 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, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus;
(f) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and valid title in fee simple to all real property and good and valid title to all personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Pricing Prospectus or such as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have, or reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(g) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated or formed, as
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applicable, and is validly existing as a corporation or a limited liability company, as applicable, in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, as applicable, with power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation or limited liability company, as applicable, for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction, except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect;
(h) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable, and conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus; and all of the issued shares of capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable, of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and (except for directors qualifying shares and except as otherwise set forth in the Pricing Prospectus) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims (other than liens arising under the Companys existing secured indebtedness described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus); and, except as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, the stockholders of the Company have no preemptive or similar rights;
(i) The Firm Shares to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and will conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;
(j) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the compliance by the Company with this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, (i) 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, (ii) nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the certificate of incorporation or by-laws or similar organization documents of the Company or (iii) any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, except in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for conflicts, breaches, violations or defaults that would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a
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Material Adverse Effect or affect the validity of the Shares; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and compliance herewith, the issuance and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration under the Act of the Shares, the approval by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (the FINRA) of the underwriting terms and arrangements, the approval for listing on the New York Stock Exchange (the Exchange) and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters;
(k) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its certificate of incorporation or by-laws or similar organizational documents or (ii) in default in the performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound, except in the case of (ii) above, to the extent that any such default would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(l) The statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus under the caption Description of Capital Stock, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Stock, under the caption Material United States Federal Tax Consequences to Non-United States Stockholders, under the caption Underwriting (other than notices to prospective investors outside of the United States described under such caption), and under the caption Shares Eligible for Future Sale, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects;
(m) Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect on the current or future financial position, stockholders equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries; and, to the best of the Companys knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others;
(n) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof, will not be an investment company, as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act);
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(o) The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby; this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;
(p) At the time of filing the Initial Registration Statement the Company was not and is not an ineligible issuer, as defined under Rule 405 under the Act;
(q) Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent public accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;
(r) The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act)) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by the Companys principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Companys internal control over financial reporting is effective for purposes of Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act and the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting;
(s) Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Prospectus, there has been no change in the Companys internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Companys internal control over financial reporting;
(t) The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Companys principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective;
(u) Since October 17, 2013, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Companys 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;
(v) There are no contracts, arrangements or documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits thereto which have not been so described and filed as required;
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(w) The Company and its subsidiaries own or otherwise have the right to use all (i) patents, patent applications, and inventions (whether or not patentable), (ii) copyrights, copyright applications and other works of authorship, (iii) confidential and proprietary information (including know-how, trade secrets and other similar information, systems or procedures), (iv) trademarks, service marks, trade names, and registrations and applications therefore, and (v) all other intellectual property rights (collectively, Intellectual Property) necessary to carry on the businesses now operated by them. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice, or is otherwise aware, of any infringement, misappropriation, dilution or other violation by the Company or its subsidiaries of the rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property owned by the Company or its subsidiaries invalid, unenforceable or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein, except, in each case, where any of the foregoing, individually or in the aggregate, would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, no third party has infringed, diluted, misappropriated or otherwise violated the Intellectual Property rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;
(x) Except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, with respect to each employee benefit plan (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)) for which the Company has any liability (whether absolute or contingent) (each, a Plan), (i) no failure to satisfy the minimum funding standards of Sections 302 and 303 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time (the Code)), or other event of the kind described in Section 4043(c) of ERISA (other than events with respect to which the 30-day notice requirement under Section 4043 of ERISA has been waived) has occurred; (ii) to the extent required by applicable law to be funded, the fair market value of the assets under each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (iii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred, excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption and (iv) each Plan is in material compliance with applicable law, including, without limitation, ERISA and the Code. Neither the Company nor any trade or business, whether or not incorporated, that, together with the Company, would be deemed to be a single employer within the meaning of Section 4001(b) of ERISA or Section 414 of the Code has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any liability with respect to any Plan (A) under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the ordinary course and without default) or (B) material
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liability in respect of any post-employment health, medical or life insurance benefits for former, current or future employees of the Company or any subsidiary, except as required to avoid excise tax under Section 4980B of the Code. No Plan is a multiemployer pension plan (as defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA). Each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination or opinion letter from the Internal Revenue Service upon which it can rely and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which could reasonably be expected to cause the loss of such qualification. To the knowledge of the Company, there is no pending audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any other governmental agency or any foreign regulatory agency with respect to any Plan that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in Material Adverse Effect to the Company or its subsidiaries;
(y) [Reserved];
(z) All United States federal income tax returns of the Company and its subsidiaries required by law to be filed have been filed and all taxes shown as due on such returns, or that otherwise have been assessed, have been paid, except assessments against which appeals have been or will be promptly taken and as to which adequate reserves have been provided. The statute of limitations on the assessment of United States federal income taxes of the Company and its subsidiaries has expired for all taxable years through and including the taxable year ending December 31, 2008. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all other tax returns that are required to have been filed by them pursuant to applicable foreign, state, local or other law except insofar as the failure to file such returns would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, and have paid all other taxes due and payable by the Company and its subsidiaries, except for such taxes, if any, as are being contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been established by the Company. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company in respect of any tax liability for any taxable years the remain for which the statute of limitations on assessment has not yet expired are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional tax for any open years, except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect;
(aa) The Company and its subsidiaries possess all permits, licenses, consents, approvals, certificates and other authorizations (collectively, Governmental Licenses) 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 each of the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses other than as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse
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Effect; all such Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect other than as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings related to revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses or has any reason to believe that any such Governmental Licenses will not be renewed in the ordinary course;
(bb) There are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered for sale pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered for sale or sold by the Company under the Act pursuant to this Agreement, except for those rights which have been waived in writing prior to the date hereof;
(cc) The Company and its subsidiaries carry or are entitled to the benefits of insurance, with financially sound and reputable insurers, in such amounts and covering such risks as is generally maintained by companies of established repute engaged in the same or similar business of the same or similar size and/or otherwise similarly situated, and all such insurance is in full force and effect. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any subsidiary will not be able (A) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (B) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been denied any insurance coverage that it has sought or for which it has applied;
(dd) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect: (i) the Company and its subsidiaries and their respective operations and facilities are in compliance with applicable Environmental Laws, which compliance includes, without limitation, having obtained and being in compliance with any permits, licenses or other governmental authorizations or approvals, and having made all filings and provided all financial assurances and notices, required for the ownership and operation of the business as presently conducted, properties and facilities of the Company or its subsidiaries under applicable Environmental Laws, and compliance with the terms and conditions thereof; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written communication, whether from a governmental authority, citizens group, employee or other person, that alleges that the Company or any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any Environmental Law; (iii) there is no claim, action or cause of action filed with a court or governmental authority based on or pursuant to any Environmental Law pending or, to the Companys knowledge, threatened, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries, no investigation with respect to which the Company has received written notice, and no written notice by any person or entity alleging actual or potential liability on the part of the Company or any of its subsidiaries based on or pursuant to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its
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subsidiaries; (iv) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any public investigation, response or other corrective action pursuant to any Environmental Law at any site or facility, nor is any of them subject or a party to any order, judgment or decree issued by a governmental authority, which imposes any obligation or liability under any Environmental Law; (v) to the Companys knowledge, no lien, charge, encumbrance or restriction has been recorded pursuant to any Environmental Law with respect to any assets, facility or property owned, operated or leased by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and (vi) to the Companys knowledge there are no past or present actions, activities, circumstances, conditions or occurrences, including, without limitation, the Release or threatened Release of any Material of Environmental Concern, that could reasonably be expected to result in a violation of or liability under any Environmental Law on the part of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
For purposes of this Agreement, Environment means ambient air, indoor air, surface water, groundwater, drinking water, soil, surface and subsurface strata, and natural resources such as wetlands, flora and fauna. Environmental Laws means, to the extent applicable to the Company, all federal, state, local and foreign laws or regulations, ordinances, codes, orders, decrees, judgments and injunctions issued, promulgated or entered thereunder, relating to pollution or protection of the Environment or human health, including without limitation, those relating to (i) the Release or threatened Release of Materials of Environmental Concern; and (ii) the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, generation, treatment, storage, transport, handling or recycling of Materials of Environmental Concern. Materials of Environmental Concern means any substance, material, pollutant, contaminant, chemical, waste, compound, or constituent, in any form, including without limitation, petroleum and petroleum products, subject to regulation or which can give rise to liability under any Environmental Law. Release means any release, spill, emission, discharge, deposit, disposal, leaking, pumping, pouring, dumping, emptying, injection or leaching into the Environment, or into, from or through any building, structure or facility.
In the ordinary course of its business, the Company conducts a periodic review of the effect of Environmental Laws on the business, operations and properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, in the course of which it identifies and evaluates associated costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties). On the basis of such review and the amount of its established reserves, the Company has reasonably concluded that such associated costs and liabilities would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect;
(ee) None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person
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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;
(ff) 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;
(gg) None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries 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 currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (OFAC), nor are the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions. The Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the sale of the Shares, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any of its subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other person, (i) to fund any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of Sanctions, or is in Burma/Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan or in any other country or territory, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of Sanctions, or (ii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions;
(hh) Any statistical and market-related data included in the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, after reasonable inquiry, to be reliable and accurate and, to the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources;
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(ii) Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has taken nor will any such party take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares;
(jj) The Company and its subsidiaries are in material compliance with applicable requirements of the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) rules governing franchising and applicable provisions of federal, state, local and other U.S. laws or regulations governing the business of a franchise or that are applicable to their business as presently conducted, except in each case as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect;
(kk) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any agent thereof acting on their behalf has taken, and none of them will take, any action that might cause this Agreement or the issuance, sale and delivery of the Share to violate Regulation T, Regulation U or Regulation X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;
(ll) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (i) there is (A) no unfair labor practice complaint pending or, to the Companys knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its subsidiaries before the National Labor Relations Board, and no grievance or arbitration proceeding arising out of or under collective bargaining agreements pending, or to the Companys knowledge, threatened, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) no strike, labor dispute, slowdown or stoppage pending or, to the Companys knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (C) no union representation question existing with respect to the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and, to the Companys knowledge, no union organizing activities taking place and (ii) there has been no violation of any federal, state or local law relating to discrimination in hiring, promotion or pay of employees or of any applicable wage or hour laws; and
(mm) No material relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any controlled affiliate of the Company, on the one hand, and any director, officer, member, stockholder, customer or supplier of the Company or any controlled affiliate of the Company, on the other hand, which is required by GAAP to be disclosed in the Companys financial statements which is not so disclosed in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company or any controlled affiliate of the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any controlled affiliate of the Company or any of their respective family members.
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2. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (a) the Company agrees to sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price per share of $[ ], the number of Firm Shares (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying the aggregate number of Shares to be sold by the Company by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased by such Underwriter as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased by all of the Underwriters from the Company and (b) in the event and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase Optional Shares as provided below, the Company agrees to sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per share set forth in clause (a) of this Section 2, that portion of the number of Optional Shares as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of Optional Shares by a fraction, the numerator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares that all of the Underwriters are entitled to purchase hereunder.
The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at their election up to [ ] Optional Shares, at the purchase price per share set forth in the paragraph above, for the sole purpose of covering sales of shares in excess of the number of Firm Shares, provided that the purchase price per Optional Share shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on the Optional Shares. Any such election to purchase Optional Shares may be exercised only by written notice from the Representatives to the Company, given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement, setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares to be purchased and the date on which such Optional Shares are to be delivered, as determined by you but in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) or, unless the Representatives and the Company otherwise agree in writing, later than ten business days after the date of such notice.
3. Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Firm Shares, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Shares for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company hereby confirms its engagement of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated as, and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated hereby confirms its agreement with the Company to render services as a qualified
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independent underwriter within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121 with respect to the offering and sale of the Shares. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated in its capacity as a qualified independent underwriter and not otherwise, is referred to herein as the QIU.
4. (a) The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request upon at least forty-eight hours prior notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to the Representatives, through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (DTC), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the accounts specified by each of the Company and the Custodian to the Representatives at least forty-eight hours in advance. The Company will cause the certificates representing the Shares to be made available for checking and packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined below) with respect thereto at the office of DTC or its designated custodian (the Designated Office). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on [ ], 2015 or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York time, on the date specified by the Representatives in the written notice given by the Representatives of the Underwriters election to purchase such Optional Shares, or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date for delivery of the Firm Shares is herein called the First Time of Delivery, such time and date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the First Time of Delivery, is herein called the Second Time of Delivery, and each such time and date for delivery is herein called a Time of Delivery.
(b) The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 8 hereof, including the cross receipt for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8(n) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Latham & Watkins LLP, 885 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022-4834 (the Closing Location), and the Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at [ ] [a][p].m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next preceding such Time of Delivery, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto. For the purposes of this Section 4, New York Business Day shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York City are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
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5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:
(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commissions close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Act; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the last Time of Delivery which shall be reasonably disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to file promptly all material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Shares, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order;
(b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or to subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction in which it was not otherwise subject to taxation;
(c) Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such
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Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, to notify you and upon your request to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) in connection with sales of any of the Shares at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;
(d) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable (which may be satisfied by filing such information with the Commission), but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);
(e) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the date 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the Lock-Up Period), not to (i) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise transfer, lend or dispose of, except as provided hereunder, directly or indirectly, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to, any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Shares, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase shares of Stock or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock or any such substantially similar securities, 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 Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise (other than (A) the Shares to be sold hereunder, (B) the filing of any registration statement on Form S-8 relating to securities granted or to be granted pursuant to a stock incentive plan or stock purchase plan of the Company described in the Pricing Prospectus, (C) the issuance of stock options or other equity awards, or the issuance of shares of Stock upon exercise of such stock options or equity awards, pursuant to a stock incentive plan or stock purchase plan of the Company described in the Pricing Prospectus, (D) the issuance of shares of Stock upon the conversion or exchange
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of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of the date of this Agreement and (E) the issuance by the Company of securities in connection with any acquisitions or strategic investments by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, so long as any such issuances under clauses (C), (D) and (E) are conditioned upon the execution by the recipients of an agreement consistent and similar in scope and duration with the form of lock-up agreement attached hereto as Annex II in connection with the sale of Shares hereunder and with respect to issuances under clause (E) hereof, shall not exceed 5% of the total number of shares of Stock outstanding on the date hereof (after giving effect to the sale of the Shares)), without the prior written consent of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated; provided, however, that if (1) during the last 17 days of the initial Lock-Up Period, the Company releases earnings results or announces material news or a material event or (2) prior to the expiration of the initial Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 15-day period following the last day of the initial Lock-Up Period, then in each case the Lock-Up Period will be automatically extended until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of release of the earnings results or the announcement of the material news or material event, as applicable, unless Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated waive, in writing, such extension; the Company will provide Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and each stockholder subject to the Lock-Up Period pursuant to the lockup letters described in Section 8(l) with prior notice of any such announcement that gives rise to an extension of the Lock-up Period;
(f) To furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries certified by independent public accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending after the effective date of the Registration Statement), to make available to its stockholders consolidated summary financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for such quarter in reasonable detail; provided, however, that the Company may satisfy the requirements of this subsection by making any such reports, communications or information generally available on its website or by electronically filing such information with the Commission;
(g) During a period of five years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, as you may from time to time reasonably request, to furnish to you copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders, and to deliver to you (i) copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed; and (ii) such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of
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the Company (such financial statements to be on a consolidated basis to the extent the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries are consolidated in reports furnished to its stockholders generally or to the Commission); provided that any report, communication or financial statement furnished or filed with the Commission that is publicly available on the Commissions EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been furnished to you at the time furnished or filed with the Commission;
(h) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption Use of Proceeds;
(i) To use its best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange (the Exchange);
(j) To file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K as may be required by Rule 463 under the Act;
(k) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 3a(c) of the Commissions Informal and Other Procedures (16 CFR 202 3a); and
(l) Upon request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Companys trademarks, servicemarks and corporate logo for use on the website, if any, operated by such Underwriter for the purpose of facilitating the on-line offering of the Shares (the License); provided, however, that the License shall be used solely for the purpose described above, is granted without any fee and may not be assigned or transferred.
6. (a) The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; each Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a free writing prospectus; any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been consented to by the Company and the Representatives is listed on Schedule II(a) or Schedule II(b) hereto;
(b) The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and
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legending; and the Company represents that it has satisfied and agrees that it will satisfy the conditions under Rule 433 under the Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show;
(c) The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representatives and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described as such in Section 9(c) hereof.
7. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters: (a) that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Companys counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Shares under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing, reproduction and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing any Agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Blue Sky Memorandum, closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(b) hereof, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey (such fee and expenses not to exceed $20,000.00) (iv) all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the Exchange; and (v) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, any required review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Shares (such fee and expenses not to exceed $30,000.00); and (b) the Company will pay or cause to be paid (i) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (ii) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar; (iii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor
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presentations on any road show undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Shares, including without limitation, 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, and 50% of the cost of any aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with the road show; and (iv) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section and Sections 9 and 12 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including (i) the fees of their counsel; (ii) New York stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, if any, and the Company agrees to reimburse the Representatives for associated carrying costs if such tax payment is not rebated on the day of payment and for any portion of such tax payment not rebated; and (iii) the travel and lodging expenses of the representatives of the Underwriters and 50% of the cost of any aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with any road show undertaken in connection with the offering.
8. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of such Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company herein shall have performed all of its and their respective obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; all material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 433; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Act, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;
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(b) Latham & Watkins LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you such written opinion or opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;
(c) Ropes & Gray LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion (a draft of such opinion is attached as Annex III hereto) and negative assurance letter, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you;
(d) [Reserved];
(e) [Reserved];
(f) On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery, Ernst & Young LLP shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to you;
(g) As of the date hereof and at each Time of Delivery, the Chief Financial Officer of the Company shall have furnished to you a certificate with respect to certain financial information contained in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to you;
(h) (i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock (other than as a result of the grant or exercise of stock options or award shares of restricted stock pursuant to employee benefit plans existing on the date of this Agreement and described in the Pricing Prospectus of Prospectus) or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of the Representatives so material and adverse as to
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make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;
(i) On or after the Applicable Time (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Companys or any of its subsidiaries debt securities by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization, as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Companys or any of its subsidiaries debt securities;
(j) On or after the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the Exchange; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Companys securities on the Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in your judgment makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;
(k) The Shares to be sold at such Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed, subject to notice of issuance, on the Exchange;
(l) The Company shall have obtained and delivered to the Underwriters executed copies of an agreement from each of the parties listed on Annex I hereto, substantially to the effect set forth in Section 5(e) hereof in form and substance satisfactory to you;
(m) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 5(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement;
(n) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the Company of all of their respective obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set forth in subsections (a), (h) and (i) of this Section and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request; and
(o) FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness or reasonableness of the underwriting, or other arrangements of the transactions, contemplated hereby.
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9. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including any road show or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any issuer information filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, 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, expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described as such in Section 9(c) hereof.
(b) [Reserved].
(c) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the
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extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred. The Company acknowledges that the information set forth in the fifth paragraph of text concerning the terms of the offering by the Underwriters, in the tenth, eleventh and twelfth paragraphs of text concerning short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales by the Underwriters, in the first sentence of the fourteenth paragraph of text concerning electronic prospectuses and in the fifteenth paragraph of text concerning sales to discretionary accounts under the heading Underwriting in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Underwriters for inclusion in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus.
(d) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b) or (c) above or (g) below of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall 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 shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of
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the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(e) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 9 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b) or (c) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) 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 Shares. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (d) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), 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, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. 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 on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (e) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (e). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (e) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (e), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such
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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 (e) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint. The Company and the Underwriters agree that Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated will not receive any additional benefits hereunder for serving as the QIU in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares.
(f) The obligations of the Company under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act, each broker-dealer affiliate of any Underwriter and the selling agents of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company (including any person who, with his or her consent, is named in the Registration Statement as about to become a director of the Company) and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.
(g) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated in its capacity as QIU, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the QIU may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (i) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (iii) any act or omission to act or any alleged act or omission to act by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated as QIU in connection with any transaction contemplated by this Agreement or undertaken in preparing for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares, except as to this clause (iii) to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability results from the gross negligence or bad faith of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated in performing the services as QIU, and will reimburse the QIU for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the QIU in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.
10. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Shares on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such
27
default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to purchase such Shares on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the Company notifies you that they have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, you or the Company shall have the right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term Underwriter as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Shares.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement (or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Optional Shares) shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 7 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 9 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
11. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in
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this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.
12. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 10 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof; but, if for any other reason, any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by the Representatives, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares not so delivered, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter in respect of the Shares not so delivered except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof.
13. In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by you jointly or by Goldman, Sachs & Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC on behalf of you as the Representatives.
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the Representatives in care of Goldman, Sachs & Co., 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282-2198, Attention: Registration Department, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, One Bryant Park, New York, NY 10036, Attention: Syndicate Department, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Eleven Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010-3629, Attention: LCD-IBD, and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC 1585 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, (fax: (646)  ###-###-####), Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9(d) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by you upon request; provided, however, that notices under subsection 5(e) shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the Representatives at Goldman, Sachs & Co., 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282-2198, Attention: Control Room, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, One Bryant Park, New York, NY 10036, Attention: Syndicate
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Department (facsimile: (646)  ###-###-####), with a copy to ECM Legal (facsimile: (212)  ###-###-####), Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Eleven Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010-3629, Attention: LCD-IBD, and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC 1585 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, (fax: (646)  ###-###-####), Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
14. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters and the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 9 and 11 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.
15. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term business day shall mean any day when the Commissions office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.
16. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement is an arms-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
17. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
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18. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY MATTERS RELATED TO THIS TRANSACTION SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICT OF LAWS THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE APPLICATION OF ANY LAW OTHER THAN THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. The Company agrees that any suit or proceeding arising in respect of this Agreement or our engagement will be tried exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York or, if that court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, in any state court located in The City and County of New York and the Company agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of, and to venue in, such courts.
19. The Company and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
20. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto 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 instrument.
21. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company is authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, tax structure is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement among each of the Underwriters and the Company. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among the Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.
Signature Page Follows.
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Very truly yours, | ||
Party City Holdco Inc. | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
Accepted as of the date hereof: | ||
Goldman, Sachs & Co. | ||
By: |
| |
(Goldman, Sachs & Co.) | ||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
On behalf of each of the Underwriters named in Schedule I to this Agreement
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
| ||||
Underwriter | Total Number of Firm Shares to be Purchased | Number of Optional Shares to be Purchased if Maximum Option Exercised | ||
Goldman, Sachs & Co. | ||||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated | ||||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC | ||||
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | ||||
Barclays Capital Inc. | ||||
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. | ||||
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | ||||
William Blair & Company, L.L.C. | ||||
Stephens Inc. | ||||
Telsey Advisory Group LLC | ||||
|
| |||
Total | ||||
|
|
SCHEDULE II
(a) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses:
(b) Additional Documents Incorporated by Reference:
ANNEX I
Parties to Lock-Up Agreements
[All directors, officers, sponsors and all holders of equity]
ANNEX II
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
Annex III
Form of R&G Opinion