Amendment No. 4 and Waiver to the Credit Agreement

EX-10.14 3 h44059exv10w14.htm AMENDMENT NO. 4 AND WAIVER TO THE CREDIT AGREEMENT exv10w14

Exhibit 10.14

Execution Version

AMENDMENT NO. 4 AND WAIVER

This Amendment No. 4 and Waiver dated as of July 12, 2006 (the “Agreement”) is among Stone Energy Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Borrower”), the financial institutions party to the Credit Agreement described below as Banks (“Banks”), and Bank of America, N.A., as Agent for the Banks (“Agent”) and as Issuing Bank (“Issuing Bank”).

INTRODUCTION

A. The Borrower, the Banks, the Issuing Bank, and the Agent have entered into the Credit Agreement dated as of April 30, 2004, as amended by Amendment No. 1 dated as of December 14, 2004, Amendment No. 2 dated as of March 28, 2006, and Amendment No. 3 and Waiver dated as of June 16, 2006 (as so amended, the “Credit Agreement”).

B. Borrower has requested that the Banks (i) amend the Credit Agreement to increase the sublimit for Letters of Credit issued thereunder to $75,000,000 and (ii) waive any default under Section 2.6(a)(i)(A) of the Credit Agreement caused by the issuance of Issuing Bank’s Letter of Credit #3083069 on July 7, 2006 for the Borrower’s account, for the benefit of BP Exploration & Production, Inc., in the face amount of $34,000,000, and with an expiration date of June 5, 2007 (the “Acquisition L/C”).

THEREFORE, in fulfillment of the foregoing, Borrower, Agent, the Issuing Bank, and the Banks hereby agree as follows:

Section 1. Definitions; References. Unless otherwise defined in this Agreement, each term used in this Agreement which is defined in the Credit Agreement has the meaning assigned to such term in the Credit Agreement.

Section 2. Amendment. Effective as of the date specified in Section 6 of this Agreement, Section 2.6(a)(i)(A) of the Credit Agreement is amended to delete the reference therein to “$50,000,000” and replace it with a reference to “$75,000,000”.

Section 3. Waiver. Notwithstanding any provisions in the Credit Agreement and the other Credit Documents to the contrary, the Banks hereby waive any existing Default or Event of Default under Section 2.6(a)(i)(A) of the Credit Agreement caused by the issuance of the Acquisition L/C. This waiver is limited to the extent described herein and shall not be construed to be a waiver of any other default or condition under or action prohibited by the Credit Agreement. The Agent and the Banks reserve the right to exercise any rights and remedies available to them in connection with any future defaults or unmet conditions precedent under the Credit Agreement or any other provision of any Credit Document.

Section 4. Reaffirmation of Liens.

(a) The Borrower (i) is party to certain Security Documents securing and supporting the Borrower’s obligations under the Credit Documents, (ii) represents and warrants that it has no defenses to the enforcement of the Security Documents and that according to their terms the Security Documents will continue in full force and effect to secure the Borrower’s obligations under the Credit Documents, as the same may be amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified, and (iii) acknowledges, represents, and warrants that the liens and security interests created by the Security Documents are valid and subsisting and create an Acceptable Security Interest in the Collateral to secure the Borrower’s obligations under the Credit Documents, as the same may be amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified.

(b) The delivery of this Agreement does not indicate or establish a requirement that any Guaranty or Security Document requires the Borrower’s or any Guarantor’s approval of amendments to the Credit Agreement.

Section 5. Representations and Warranties. The Borrower represents and warrants to the Agent and the Banks that:

(a) the representations and warranties set forth in the Credit Agreement and in the other Credit Documents are true and correct in all material respects as of the date of this Agreement;

(b) (i) the execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement are within the corporate power and authority of the Borrower and have been duly authorized by appropriate proceedings and (ii) this Agreement constitutes a legal, valid, and binding obligation of the Borrower, enforceable against the Borrower in accordance with its terms, except as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, or similar laws affecting the rights of creditors generally and general principles of equity; and

(c) as of the effectiveness of this Agreement and after giving effect thereto, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.

Section 6. Effectiveness. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date hereof, and the Credit Agreement shall be amended as provided herein, upon the occurrence of all of the following: (a) the Majority Banks’ and the Borrower’s duly and validly executing originals of this Agreement and delivery thereof to the Agent, (b) the representations and warranties in this Agreement being true and correct in all material respects before and after giving effect to this Agreement, and (c) the Borrower shall have paid all costs, expenses, and fees which have been invoiced and are payable pursuant to Section 9.4 of the Credit Agreement or any other written agreement.

Section 7. Effect on Credit Documents. Except as amended herein, the Credit Agreement and the Credit Documents remain in full force and effect as originally executed, and nothing herein shall act as a waiver of any of the Agent’s or Banks’ rights under the Credit Documents, as amended. This Agreement is a Credit Document for the purposes of the provisions of the other Credit Documents. Without limiting the foregoing, any breach of representations, warranties, and covenants under this Agreement may be a Default or Event of Default under other Credit Documents.

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Section 8. Choice of Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas.

Section 9. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original.

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THIS WRITTEN AGREEMENT AND THE CREDIT DOCUMENTS, AS DEFINED IN THE CREDIT AGREEMENT, REPRESENT THE FINAL AGREEMENT AMONG THE PARTIES AND MAY NOT BE CONTRADICTED BY EVIDENCE OF PRIOR, CONTEMPORANEOUS, OR SUBSEQUENT ORAL AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES. THERE ARE NO UNWRITTEN ORAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE PARTIES.

EXECUTED as of the date first set forth above.


BORROWER: STONE ENERGY CORPORATION
By:	/s/ Kenneth H. Beer
Name:		Kenneth H. Beer
Title:		Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer



By:	/s/ J. Kent Pierret
Name:		J. Kent Pierret
Title:		Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer