TENNESSEE COMMERCE BANCORP, INC. (a Tennessee corporation) Shares of Common Stock (Par Value $0.50 Per Share) UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Underwriting Agreements
EX-1.1 2 a06-10094_1ex1d1.htm FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

Exhibit 1.1

TENNESSEE COMMERCE BANCORP, INC.

(a Tennessee corporation)

          Shares of Common Stock

(Par Value $0.50 Per Share)

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

          , 2006

 

FTN MIDWEST SECURITIES CORP.

As Representative of the Underwriters

listed in Schedule A hereto

845 Crossover Lane, Suite 150

Memphis, Tennessee 38117

 

RE:          Underwriting of $        Million Common Stock Offering

                of Tennessee Commerce Bancorp, Inc., Franklin, Tennessee

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Tennessee Commerce Bancorp, Inc., a Tennessee corporation (the “Company”) confirms its agreement with FTN Midwest Securities Corp. (“FTN”) and each of the other Underwriters listed in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as provided in Section 10 hereinafter), for whom FTN is acting as representative (the “Representative”), with respect to the sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters of the number of shares of Common Stock, $0.50 par value per share, of the Company (“Common Stock”) set forth in Schedules A and B hereto and with respect to the grant by the Company to the Underwriters of the option described in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of          additional shares of Common Stock to cover over-allotments, if any.  The aforesaid         shares of Common Stock (the “Firm Shares”) to be purchased by the Underwriters and all or any part of the                 shares of Common Stock subject to the option described in Section 2(b) hereof (the “Option Shares”) are hereinafter called, collectively, the “Shares.”

The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Shares as soon as the Underwriters deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.

The Company hereby confirms its engagement of Sterne, Agee and Leach, Inc. (“Sterne Agee”) as, and Sterne Agee hereby confirms its agreement with the Company to render services as, a “qualified independent underwriter,” within the meaning of Section (b)(15) of Conduct Rule 2720 of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the “NASD”) with respect to

 

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the offering and sale of the Shares. Sterne Agee, solely in its capacity as the qualified independent underwriter and not otherwise, is referred to herein as the “QIU.” Sterne Agee will not receive any  compensation for serving as the QIU. The price at which the Shares will be distributed to the public shall not be higher than that recommended by the QIU.

 

SECTION 1.  Representations and Warranties.

(a)           Representations and Warranties by the Company.  The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:

(i)            Registration.  A registration statement (Registration No. 333-133539) on Form S-1 with respect to the Shares, including a preliminary prospectus, and such amendments to such registration statement as may have been required to the date of this Agreement, has been carefully prepared by the Company pursuant to and in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “1933 Act Regulations”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and has been filed with the Commission under the 1933 Act.  Copies of such registration statement, including any amendments thereto, each related preliminary prospectus (meeting the requirements of Rule 430 or 430A of the 1933 Act Regulations) contained therein, and the exhibits, financial statements and schedules thereto have heretofore been delivered by the Company to you. If such registration statement has not become effective under the 1933 Act, a further amendment to such registration statement, including a form of final prospectus, necessary to permit such registration statement to become effective will be filed promptly by the Company with the Commission.  If such registration statement has been declared effective by the Commission under the 1933 Act, a final prospectus containing information permitted to be omitted at the time of effectiveness by Rule 430A of the 1933 Act Regulations will be filed promptly by the Company with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations.  The term “Registration Statement” as used herein means the registration statement as amended at the time it is declared effective by the Commission under the 1933 Act (the “Effective Date”), including financial statements and all exhibits and, if applicable, the information deemed to be included by Rule 430A of the 1933 Act Regulations.  If it is contemplated, at the time this Agreement is executed, that a post-effective amendment to such registration statement will be filed and must be declared effective by the Commission before the offering of Shares may commence, the term “Registration Statement” as used herein means the registration statement as amended by said post-effective amendment.  If an abbreviated registration statement is prepared and filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 462(b) under the 1933 Act (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), the term “Registration Statement” as used in this Agreement includes the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.   The term “Prospectus” as used herein means (i) the prospectus as first filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations, or (ii) if no such filing is required, the form of final prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the Effective Date.  The term “Preliminary Prospectus” as used herein shall mean a preliminary prospectus as contemplated by Rule 430 or 430A of the 1933 Act Regulations included at any time in the Registration Statement.  The term

 

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“Free Writing Prospectus” as used herein shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations.  The term “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” as used herein shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 433(h) of the 1933 Act Regulations.  The term “Disclosure Package” as used herein shall mean the Preliminary Prospectus as most recently amended or supplemented immediately prior to the Initial Time of Sale (as defined below), together with the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses identified in Schedule C hereto, if any, and any other Free Writing Prospectus that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree to treat as part of the Disclosure Package.  The Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the 1933 Act Regulations and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Shares have been and will be identical to the respective versions thereof transmitted to the Commission for filing via the Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”), except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T. For purposes of this Agreement, the words “amend,” “amendment,” “amended,” “supplement” or “supplemented” with respect to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus or the Disclosure Package shall mean amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus or the Disclosure Package, as the case may be.

(ii)           Disclosure.  Neither the Commission nor any state or other jurisdiction or other regulatory body has issued, and neither is, to the knowledge of the Company, threatening to issue, any stop order under the 1933 Act or other order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement (as amended or supplemented) or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or suspending the qualification or registration of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction nor instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened to institute proceedings for any such purpose.  Each Preliminary Prospectus at its date of issue and as of         [A/P]M Eastern time on the date hereof (the “Initial Time of Sale”), the Registration Statement at each Effective Date and the Initial Time of Sale, and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto or to the Registration Statement when they are filed with the Commission or become effective, as the case may be, contain or will contain, as the case may be, all statements which are required to be stated therein, and in all material respects conform or will conform, as the case may be, to the requirements of, the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.  Neither the Registration Statement nor any amendment thereto, as of the applicable Effective Date, contains or will contain, as the case may be, any untrue statement of a material fact or omits or will omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, not misleading.  Neither any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus nor any supplement thereto contains or will contain, as the case may be, any untrue statement of a material fact or omits or will omit to state any 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.  Neither the Disclosure Package nor any supplement thereto, at the Initial Time of Sale, contains or will contain, as the case may be, any untrue statement of a material fact or omits or will omit to state any 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.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company makes no

 

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representation or warranty as to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company relating to the Underwriters by or on behalf of the Representative expressly for use in the preparation thereof (as provided in Section 6 hereof).  There is no contract, agreement, understanding or arrangement, whether written or oral, or document required to be described in the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package or Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement which is not described or filed as required.

(iii)          Free Writing Prospectus.  The Company is eligible to use Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses in connection with the offering of the Shares pursuant to Rules 164 and 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations.  Any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the 1933 Act Regulations has been, or will be, timely filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the 1933 Act Regulations.  Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the 1933 Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act Regulations, including but not limited to legending and recordkeeping requirements.  Except for the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule C hereto, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without your prior consent, prepare, use or refer to any Free Writing Prospectus.  Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all times through the completion of the offering and sale of the Shares, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement.  The Company filed the Registration Statement with the Commission before using any Free Writing Prospectus; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus was preceded or accompanied by the most recent Preliminary Prospectus satisfying the requirements of Section 10 of the 1933 Act.  The Company has satisfied and will satisfy the conditions of Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations such that any electronic road show need not be filed with the Commission.

(iv)          Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.  Kraft CPAs PLLC (“Kraft”), the accounting firm that certified the financial statements and supporting schedules of the Company included in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and the rules and regulations of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) of the United States.  With respect to the Company, Kraft is not, and has not been, in violation of the auditor independence requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and the related rules and regulations of the Commission.  The Company has not engaged Kraft to provide any services to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, as listed in Schedule E, that are impermissible under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated under the 1934 Act (the “1934 Act Regulations”).  All services provided by Kraft to the Company and its subsidiaries have been approved by the Audit Committee of the

 

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Company’s board of directors or one of the members of the Audit Committee as required by the 1934 Act Regulations.

(v)           Financial Statements.  The financial statements filed with and as a part of the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of Regulation S-X under the 1933 Act and present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the balance sheet, statement of income and comprehensive income, statement of changes in shareholders’ equity and statement of cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved.  The supporting schedules, if any, included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein.  The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement.  No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.  Any operating or other statistical data included in the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package or Prospectus comply in all material respects with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and present fairly the information shown therein and are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.  All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the 1934 Act, the 1934 Act Regulations and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the 1933 Act, to the extent applicable.

(vi)          No Change.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Disclosure Package 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 in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Disclosure Package, there has not been any change in the capital stock 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, shareholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

(vii)         Good Standing of the Company.  The Company is a registered bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of

 

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the State of Tennessee and has the corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse affect on the general affairs, prospects, management, properties, financial position, shareholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”).

(viii)        Good Standing of Subsidiaries.  Each direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.  Tennessee Commerce Bank Statutory Trust I has been duly formed and is validly existing as a business trust under the Delaware Business Trust Act, 12 Del. Code Section 3801, et seq., and is in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.  All of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each such subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such subsidiary.  The only subsidiaries of the Company are the subsidiaries listed on Schedule E hereto.

(ix)           Subsidiary Operations.  Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries including Tennessee Commerce Bank, a Tennessee state chartered bank (the “Bank”), conduct their respective businesses in compliance in all material respects with all federal, state, local and foreign statutes, laws, rules, regulations, decisions, directives and orders applicable to them (including, without limitation, all regulations and orders of, or agreements with, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“FRB”), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, as applicable, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Community Reinvestment Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, all other applicable fair lending laws or other laws relating to discrimination and the Bank Secrecy Act and Title III of the USA Patriot Act).  Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries has received any communication from any governmental entity asserting that the Company or any subsidiary is not in compliance with any statute, law, rule, regulation, decision, directive or order.

 

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(x)            Capitalization.  The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus in the column entitled “Actual” under the caption “Capitalization” and all of the shares of issued and outstanding capital stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and were issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws.  None of the outstanding shares of capital stock was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.  All outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company and the Shares conform, and when issued will conform, to the description thereof in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.  Except as disclosed in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no outstanding subscriptions, rights, warrants, options, calls, convertible securities, commitments of sale or rights related to or entitling any person to purchase or otherwise to acquire any shares of, or any security convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, the capital stock of, or other ownership interest in, the Company and all of the Company’s options, warrants and other rights to purchase or exchange any securities for shares of the Company’s capital stock have been duly authorized and validly issued, conform to the description thereof contained in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and were issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws.  The outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company’s subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned by the Company free and clear of any mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, charge or adverse claim and are not the subject of any agreement or understanding with any person and were not issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights; and there are no outstanding subscriptions, rights, warrants, options, calls, convertible securities, commitments of sale or instruments related to or entitling any person to purchase or otherwise acquire any shares of, or any security convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, the capital stock of, or other ownership interest in any of the subsidiaries.  The Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriters and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and no holder of the Shares will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder.

(xi)           Authorization of Agreement.  This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, when duly executed by the Representative and the QIU, will constitute the valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited or otherwise affected by (A) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance or other similar statutes, rules, regulations or other laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights and remedies generally, and (B) the unavailability of, or limitation on the availability of, a particular right or remedy (whether in a proceeding in equity or at law) because of an equitable principle or a requirement as to commercial reasonableness, conscionability or good faith.

(xii)          Accuracy of Statements.  The statements set forth in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus describing the Shares and this Agreement, insofar

 

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as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair.

(xiii)         Absence of Defaults and Conflicts.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its charter or by-laws or in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary is subject (collectively, “Agreements and Instruments”) except for such defaults that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and in the Registration Statement (including the issuance and sale of the Shares and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments (except for such conflicts, breaches or defaults or liens, charges or encumbrances that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company or any subsidiary or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary or any of their assets, properties or operations.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over it or its property or assets or has failed to obtain any license, permit, certificate, franchise or other governmental authorization or permit necessary to the ownership of its property or to the conduct of its business except for such violations that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.  As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any subsidiary.

(xiv)        Absence of Labor Dispute.  No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its or any subsidiary’s principal suppliers, manufacturers, customers or contractors, which, in either case, may reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xv)         Absence of Proceedings.  There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or

 

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affecting the Company or any subsidiary, which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement (other than as disclosed therein), or which might reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which might reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the properties or assets of the Company or any subsidiary or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder; the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective property or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xvi)        Accuracy of Exhibits.  There are no contracts or documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits thereto which have not been so described and filed as required.

(xvii)       Possession of Intellectual Property.  The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on the business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xviii)      Absence of Further Requirements.  No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Shares hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or state securities laws.

(xix)         Possession of Licenses and Permits.  The Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate federal, state, local, banking or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force

 

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and effect would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xx)          Title to Property.  The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind except such as (a) are described in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or (b) do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, and under which the Company or any of its subsidiaries holds properties described in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any subsidiary has any notice or knowledge of any material claim of any sort that has been, or may be, asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any subsidiary under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.

(xxi)         Investment Company Act.  The Company is not, and upon the issuance and sale of the Shares as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not be, an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

(xxii)        Environmental Laws.  Except as described in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of

 

 

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noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances that might reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.

(xxiii)       Taxes.  The Company and each of the subsidiaries has (a) timely filed all foreign, United States federal, state and local tax returns, information returns, and similar reports that are required to be filed through the date hereof (taking into account valid extensions), and all tax returns are true, correct and complete, (b) paid in full all taxes required to be paid by it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, except for any such assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith or as would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, and (c) established on the most recent balance sheet reserves that are adequate for the payment of all taxes not yet due and payable.

(xxiv)       Regulatory Agreements.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to or subject to any order, decree, agreement, memorandum of understanding or similar agreement with, or a commitment letter, supervisory letter or similar submission to, any governmental entity charged with the supervision or regulation of depository institutions or engaged in the insurance of deposits (including the FDIC) or the supervision or regulation of it or any of its subsidiaries, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been advised by any such governmental entity that such governmental entity is contemplating issuing or requesting (or is considering the appropriateness of issuing or requesting) any such order, decree, agreement, memorandum or understanding, commitment letter, supervisory letter or similar submission.

(xxv)        Statistical and Market Data.  The statistical and market related data contained in each of the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and Registration Statement are based on or derived from sources which the Company believes are reliable and accurate.

(xxvi)       Relationship.  No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, shareholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act or by the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder to be described in each of the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and/or the Registration Statement that is not so described.

(xxvii)      Insurance.  The Company and its subsidiaries maintain insurance of the types and in the amounts generally deemed adequate for its business, including, but not limited to, business insurance, directors’ and officers’ insurance, insurance covering real and personal property owned or leased by the Company and its subsidiaries against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and all other risks customarily insured against, all of which insurance is in full force and effect.  Neither the Company nor any of its

 

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subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for, and the Company has no reason to believe that it and its subsidiaries will not be able to renew their existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

(xxviii)     Ineligible Issuer.  At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement at which the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(a)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) and as of the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” as such term is defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations, without taking account of any determination by the Commission that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an “ineligible issuer.”

(xxix)       Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.  The Company and its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization and (D) the recorded accounting for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.  Except as discussed with the Company’s auditors and audit committee and as disclosed in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, if required, (i) there are no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data and (ii) there is, and there has been, no fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

(xxx)        Unlawful Payments.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (A) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (B) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (C) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (D) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment.

(xxxi)       Deposit Insurance.  The deposit accounts of the Bank are insured by the FDIC to the legal maximum, the Bank has paid all premiums and assessments required by the FDIC and the regulations thereunder and no proceeding for the termination or revocation of such insurance is pending or threatened.  The Bank is a member in good standing of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati.

 

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(xxxii)      No Registration Rights.  No holder of any security of the Company has any right to require registration of shares of Common Stock or any other security of the Company because of the filing of the Registration Statement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and no person has the right to require registration under the 1933 Act of any shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company.  No person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to permit such person to underwrite the sale of any of the Shares.  Except for this Agreement, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company or any of its subsidiaries and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company, its subsidiaries or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the issuance, purchase and sale of the Shares.

(xxxiii)       No Other Distributions.  The Company has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of (i) the Closing Time (as defined below) or any relevant Date of Delivery (as defined below), if any, and (ii) completion of the distribution of the Shares, will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares other than the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

(xxxiv)       No Solicitation or Manipulation.  The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Company’s Common Stock, and the Company is not aware of any such action taken or to be taken by affiliates of the Company.

(xxxv)      Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  There is not currently and has not in the past been a failure on the part of the Company or any of its respective directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”) and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Sections 302, 402 and 906, and the statements contained in any certification pursuant to such act and related rules and regulations are complete and correct.

(xxxvi)     Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.  The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting as are currently required by the 1934 Act Regulations (as such terms are defined in Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the 1934 Act); the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (i) are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including the principal executive and principal financial officer of the Company, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and that such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the 1934 Act Regulations; (ii) have been evaluated for effectiveness; and (iii) are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established.

 

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(xxxvii)       Forward-Looking Statements.  No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the 1933 Act and Section 21E of the 1934 Act) contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

(xxxviii)        Lock-up Agreements.  Each of the Company’s executive officers and directors and 5% or greater shareholders and certain other shareholders, in each case as listed on Schedule E hereto, has executed and delivered lock-up agreements as contemplated by Section 5(i) hereof.

(xxxix)      ERISA.  The Company and each of the subsidiaries or their “ERISA Affiliates” (as defined below) are in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”); no “reportable event” (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect to any “employee benefit plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company or any of the subsidiaries or ERISA Affiliates would have any liability; the Company and each of the subsidiaries or their ERISA Affiliates have not incurred and do not expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan” or (ii) Sections 412, 4971, 4975 or 4980B of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively the “Code”); and each “employee benefit plan” for which the Company and each of its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing as occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.  “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to the Company or a subsidiary, any member of any group of organizations described in Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code or Section 400(b) of ERISA of which the Company or such subsidiary is a member.

(xl)   Pending Law Changes.  To the best knowledge of the Company, no change in any laws or regulations is pending which could reasonably be expected to be adopted and if adopted, could reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate with all such changes, a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

(xli)    NASD Affiliations.  Except as previously disclosed to the Representative and described in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, to the knowledge of the Company, no officer, director or 5% or greater shareholder of the Company has a direct or indirect affiliation or association with any member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (“NASD”).

(xlii)   Common Stock.  The Common Stock of the Company (including the Shares) is registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the 1934 Act and the Shares have been approved for inclusion on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “TNCC”, subject to official notice of issuance of the Shares being sold by the Company, and upon

 

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consummation of the offering contemplated hereby the Company will be in compliance with the designation and maintenance criteria applicable to Nasdaq National Market issuers.

(xliii)     Corporate Records.  The minute books of each of the Company and its subsidiaries have been made available to the Underwriters and contain a complete summary of all meetings and other actions of the directors and shareholders of each such entity in all material respects, and reflect all transactions referred to in such minutes accurately in all material respects.

(xliv)     Certain Statements.  The statements set forth in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Description of Capital Stock”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Shares and the laws applicable to the Company, and under the caption “Underwriting”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair.

(b)           Officer’s Certificates.  Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered to the Representative or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.

SECTION 2.  Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

(a)           Firm Shares.  On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters and the Underwriters agree to purchase from the Company, at the price per share set forth in Schedule D, that number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of the Underwriters.

(b)           Option Shares.  In addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the Underwriters to purchase up to an additional ___________ shares of Common Stock, as set forth in Schedule B, at the price per share set forth in Schedule D, less 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 Option Shares.  The option hereby granted will expire 30 days after the date hereof and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time only for the purpose of covering over-allotments which may be made in connection with the offering and distribution of the Firm Shares upon notice by the Representative to the Company setting forth the number of Option Shares as to which the Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment and delivery for such Option Shares.  Any such time and date of delivery (a “Date of Delivery”) shall be determined by the Representative, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Time, as hereinafter defined.  If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Shares, the Underwriters will purchase the total number of Option Shares then being purchased.

 

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(c)           Payment.  Payment of the purchase price for the Firm Shares shall be made by wire transfer to an account designated by the Company, and delivery of certificates for, the Firm Shares shall be made at the offices of Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, 315 Deaderick Street, Suite 2700, Nashville, Tennessee 37238, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company, at 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the third (fourth, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M. (Eastern time) on any given day) business day after the date hereof or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called the  “Closing Time”).

In addition, in the event that any or all of the Option Shares are purchased by the Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, such Option Shares shall be made at the above-mentioned offices, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company, on each Date of Delivery as specified in the notice from the Representative to the Company.

Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company against delivery to the Underwriters of certificates for the Shares to be purchased by it.

(d)           Denominations; Registration.  Certificates for the Firm Shares and the Option Shares, if any, shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representative may request in writing at least one full business day before the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be.  The certificates for the Firm Shares and the Option Shares, if any, will be made available for examination and packaging by the Underwriters in The City of New York (or in such other place as the Representative and the Company may mutually agree upon) not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the business day prior to the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be.

(e)           Relationship of the Underwriters to the Company.  The Company acknowledges and agrees that each Underwriter has acted, and is acting, solely in the capacity of an arm’s-length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect to the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company or any other person.  Additionally, the Underwriters have not advised, and are not advising, the Company or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby.  The Company shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Underwriters shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto.  Any reviews by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions have been and will be performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and have not been and shall not be on behalf of the Company or any other person.  It is understood that the offering price was arrived at through the recommendations of the QIU and through arm’s-length negotiations between the Underwriters and the Company and that such price was not set or otherwise determined as a result of expert advice rendered to the Company by the Underwriters.  The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting as an

 

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independent contractor, and any duties of the Underwriters arising out of this Agreement and the transactions completed hereby shall be contractual in nature and expressly set forth herein.  Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company acknowledges that the Underwriters may have financial interests in the success of the offering contemplated hereby that are not limited to the difference between the price to the public and the purchase price paid to the Company by the Underwriters for the Shares and the Underwriters have no obligation to disclose, or account to the Company any of such additional financial interests.  The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of fiduciary duty.

SECTION 3.  Covenants of the Company.  The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

(a)           Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests.  The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430A and will notify the Representative immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall become effective, or any supplement to the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or for additional information, and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission or any state or other jurisdiction or regulatory body of any stop order under the 1933 Act or other order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any portion of the Disclosure Package or Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Shares. The Company will promptly effect the filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424(b) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)) and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus.  The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.

(b)           Filing of Amendments.  The Company will give the Representative notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b)) or any amendment, supplement or revision to either any Preliminary Prospectus, the Disclosure Package or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, will furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters shall object.

 

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(c)           Delivery of Registration Statements.  The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Underwriters, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits).  The Company will deliver to the Underwriters as soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement as many copies of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as the Representative may reasonably request for the purposes contemplated by the 1933 Act.  The copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto and the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(d)           Continued Compliance with Securities Laws.  During the period when a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice contemplated by Rule 173(a) of the 1933 Act Regulations) relating to any of the Shares is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act by any Underwriter or dealer, the Company will comply, at its own expense, with all requirements imposed by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, as now and hereafter amended, and by the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealing in the Shares during such period in accordance with the provisions hereof and as contemplated by the Prospectus.

(e)           Subsequent Occurrences.  If, during the period when a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice contemplated by Rule 173(a) of the 1933 Act Regulations) relating to any of the Shares is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act by any Underwriter or dealer, (i) any event relating to or affecting the Company or of which the Company shall be advised in writing by the Representative shall occur as a result of which, in the opinion of the Company or the Representative, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (ii) any event shall occur as a result of which any Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, or (iii) it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus to comply with the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act or the 1934 Act Regulations, the Company will forthwith at its expense prepare and file with the Commission, and furnish to the Underwriters a reasonable number of copies of, such amendment or supplement or other filing that will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance.

(f)            Continued Compliance with Blue Sky Laws.  During the period when a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice contemplated by Rule 173(a) of the 1933 Act Rules and Regulations) relating to any of the Shares is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act by any Underwriter or dealer, the Company will furnish such proper information as may be lawfully required and otherwise cooperate in qualifying the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably designate and will file and make in each year such statements or reports as are or may be reasonably required by the laws of such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or shall be required to qualify

 

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as a dealer in securities or to file a general consent to service of process under the laws of any jurisdiction.

(g)           Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.  The Company will obtain the Representative’s consent before taking, or failing to take, any action that would cause the Company to make an offer of the Shares that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, other than the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, listed on Schedule C hereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the request of the Representative, the Company shall prepare a final term sheet, containing solely a description of the Shares, in a form approved by the Representative and file such pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the 1933 Act Regulations within the time required by such Rule.

(h)           No Action Triggering Requirement to File a Free Writing Prospectus.  The Company will not take any action that would result in any Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the 1933 Act Regulations a Free Writing Prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriters that the Underwriters otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.

(i)            Updating of the Disclosure Package.  If the Disclosure Package is being used to solicit offers to buy the Shares at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Disclosure Package in writing in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Disclosure Package to comply with applicable law, the Company shall forthwith prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Disclosure Package so that statements in the Disclosure Package as so amended or supplemented will not, in light of the circumstances when delivered to a prospective purchaser, be misleading or so that the Disclosure Package, as amended or supplemented, will comply with law.

(j)            Rule 158.  The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.

(k)           Use of Net Proceeds.  The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares in the manner specified in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”

(l)            Listing.  The Company will use its best efforts to obtain, effect and maintain the quotation of the Shares on The Nasdaq National Market and will file with The Nasdaq National Market all documents and notices required by The Nasdaq National Market of companies that have securities that are traded in the over-the-counter market and quotations for which are reported by The Nasdaq National Market.

(m)          Restrictions on Sale of Securities.  During a period of 180 days from the date of the Prospectus (the “Restricted Period”), the Company will not, without the prior written consent

 

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of the Representative, directly or indirectly, (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of any share of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or file any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap, hedge or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such swap, hedge or transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.  The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A) the Shares to be sold hereunder, (B) any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon the exercise of an option or warrant outstanding on the date hereof and referred to in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (C) any shares of Common Stock issued or options to purchase Common Stock granted pursuant to existing employee benefit plans of the Company referred to in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, or (D) any transfer, sale or other disposition with the prior written consent of the Representative.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that either (i) during the period that begins on the date that is 15 calendar days plus three (3) business days before the last day of the Restricted Period and ends on the last day of the Restricted Period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or (ii) prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Restricted Period, the restrictions set forth herein will continue to apply until the expiration of the date that is 15 calendar days plus three (3) business days after the date on which the earnings release is issued or the material news or event related to the Company occurs.

(n)           Furnishing of Additional Information.  The Company will furnish to its security holders annual reports containing financial statements audited by independent registered public accountants and quarterly reports containing financial statements and financial information which may be unaudited.  The Company will, for a period of three years from the Closing Time, deliver to the Underwriters at their principal executive offices a reasonable number of copies of annual reports, quarterly reports, current reports and copies of all other documents, reports and information furnished by the Company to its shareholders or filed with any securities exchange or market pursuant to the requirements of such exchange or market or with the Commission pursuant to the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act.  The Company will deliver to the Underwriters similar reports with respect to any significant subsidiaries, as that term is defined in the 1933 Act Regulations, which are not consolidated in the Company’s financial statements.  Any report, document or other information required to be furnished under this paragraph shall be furnished as soon as practicable after such report, document or information becomes available.

(o)           Continued Compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  During the time when a prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, the Company shall at all times comply, in all material respects, and shall cause the Company’s directors and officers, in their capacities as such to comply with all applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, including the related rules and regulations promulgated thereunder by the Commission and The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., in effect from time to time.

 

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(p)                                 Subsequent Interim Financial Statements.  Prior to the Closing Time (and, if applicable, any Date of Delivery), the Company will furnish to the Underwriters, as soon as they have been prepared, copies of any unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries for any periods subsequent to the periods covered by the financial statements appearing in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(q)                                 Future Public Release of Information.  Prior to the Closing Time (and, if applicable, any Date of Delivery), the Company will not issue any press releases or other communications directly or indirectly and will hold no press conferences with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, the financial condition, results of operations, business, properties, assets or liabilities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or the offering of the Shares, without the prior written consent of the Representative, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(r)                                    Maintenance of Books and Records.  The Company and its subsidiaries will maintain and keep accurate books and records reflecting their assets and maintain internal accounting controls which provide reasonable assurance that (1) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (2) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, (3) access to the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (4) the recorded accounts of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries are compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

(s)                                  Blue Sky Qualifications.  The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Representative may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year from the later of the Effective Date of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.  In each jurisdiction in which the Shares have been so qualified, the Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification in effect for a period of not less than one year from the Effective Date of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.  The Company will also supply the Underwriters with such information as is necessary for the determination of the legality of the Shares for investment under the laws of such jurisdiction as the Underwriters may request.

(t)                                    Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.  If the Company elects to rely on Rule 462(b) under the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company shall both file a 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) and pay the applicable fees in accordance with Rule 111 of the 1933 Act Regulations by the earlier of (i) 9:00 p.m., Memphis  time, on the

 

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date of this Agreement, and (ii) the time that confirmations are given or sent, as specified by Rule 462(b)(2).

(u)                                 Future Registration Statements.  During a period of 180 days from the Effective Date, the Company shall not, without the consent of the Representative, file a registration statement under the 1933 Act except for any registration statement registering shares under any employee benefit plan.

SECTION 4.  Payment of Expenses.

(a)                                  Expenses.  The Company will pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of their obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement, such documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Shares, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Shares to the Underwriters, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Shares under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(s) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Disclosure Package, including any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and each Preliminary Prospectus, and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (viii) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Shares and (ix) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the review by the NASD of the terms of the sale of the Shares and (x) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the initial listing and subsequent inclusion of the Company’s Common Stock and the Shares in the Nasdaq National Market.

(b)                                 Termination of Agreement.  If this Agreement is terminated by the Underwriters in accordance with the provisions of Section 5, Section 9(a) or Section 11 hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of its out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

SECTION 5.  Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations.  The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Time (and, if applicable, any Date of Delivery) of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 hereof or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

(a)                                  Effectiveness of Registration Statement.  The Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, has become effective as of the date hereof and at the

 

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Closing Time no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters.  A prospectus containing the Rule 430A Information shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)) (or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and declared effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430A).

(b)                                 Opinion of Counsel for Company.  At the Closing Time, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of the Closing Time, of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters substantially to the effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request.

(c)                                  Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.  At Closing Time, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, special counsel for the Underwriters.

(d)                                 Officers’ Certificate.  At the Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Representative shall have received a certificate of the chief executive officer of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that (i) they have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented and nothing has come to their attention that would lead them to believe that any of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto as of their respective effective or issue dates, contained, and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented at the Closing Time, contains any untrue statement of a material fact, or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (ii) since the Effective Date there has occurred no event required to be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus which has not been so set forth and; (iii) there has been no Issuer Free Writing Prospectus required to be filed under Rule 433(d) of the 1933 Act Rules and Regulations that has not been so filed, (iv) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time; (v) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time; and (vi) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or are contemplated by the Commission.

(e)                                  Accountant’s Comfort Letter.  At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representative shall have received from each of Crowe Chizek and Company, LLC (“Crowe”) and Kraft a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative

 

23



 

confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations and the rules and regulations of the PCAOB and containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to the Representative with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(f)                                    Bring-down Comfort Letter.  At the Closing Time, the Representative shall have received from each of Crowe and Kraft a letter, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to the Closing Time.

(g)                                 Approval of Listing.  At the Closing Time, the Shares shall have been approved for inclusion in and listing on The Nasdaq National Market, subject only to official notice of issuance.

(h)                                 No Objection.  The NASD shall have confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

(i)                                     Lock-up Agreements.  Prior to the distribution of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Representative shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto signed by the persons listed on Schedule F hereto.

(j)                                     Delivery of Prospectus.  The Company shall have complied with the provisions hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses in electronic and printed form on the New York business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement; provided further that the Company shall use all reasonable efforts to ensure that printed copies of any prospectus are available as soon as practicable following the date hereof.

(k)                                  No Termination Event.  On or after the date hereof there shall not have occurred any of the events, circumstances or occurrences set forth in Section 9(a).

(l)                                     QIU Certificate. On the date hereof, the Representative shall have received from the QIU, as qualified independent underwriter, a letter dated the date hereof addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative.

(m)                               Conditions to Purchase of Option Shares.  In the event that the Underwriters exercises their option provided in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any portion of the Option Shares, the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein and the statements in any certificates furnished by the Company and any subsidiary of the Company hereunder shall be true and correct as of each Date of Delivery and, at the relevant Date of Delivery, the Representative shall have received:

 

(i)                                     Officers’ Certificate.  A certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of the chief executive officer of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting

 

24



 

officer of the Company confirming that the certificate delivered at the Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(d) hereof remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery.

(ii)                                  Opinion of Counsel for Company.  The favorable opinion of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Shares to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(b) hereof.

(iii)                               Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.  The favorable opinion of Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Shares to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof.

(iv)                              Bring-down Comfort Letter.  A letter from each of Crowe and Kraft, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and dated such Date of Delivery, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 5(f) hereof, except that the “specified date” in the letter furnished pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more than five days prior to such Date of Delivery.

(v)                                 No Termination Event.  There shall not have occurred prior to the Date of Delivery any of the events, circumstances or occurrences set forth in Section 9(a).

(n)                                 Additional Documents.  At the Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Shares as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters.

 

(o)                                 Termination of Agreement.  If any condition specified in this Section 5 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement, or, in the case of any condition to the purchase of the Option Shares on a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the relevant Option Shares, may be terminated by the Representative by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

 

SECTION 6.  Indemnification.

(a)                                  Indemnification of Underwriters.  The Company and its subsidiaries agree, jointly and severally, to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters and each person, if any, who

 

25



 

controls the Underwriters within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act to the extent and in the manner set forth in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) below:

(i)                                     against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information, if applicable, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any Preliminary Prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

(ii)                                  against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and

(iii)                               against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representative), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by, or on behalf of, any Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information, if applicable, or any Preliminary Prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto); provided further that the parties acknowledge and agree that the only information that the Representative has furnished to the Company specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) are the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Underwriting” and the information contained under the captions “Underwriting — Stabilization” and “Underwriting — Passive Market Making.”

(b)                                 Indemnification of Company and Directors and Officers.  Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company

 

26



 

within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information, if applicable, or any Preliminary Prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or such Preliminary Prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), provided that the parties acknowledge and agree that the only written information that the Representative has furnished to the Company specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) are the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the Prospectus  in the section entitled “Underwriting” and the information contained under the captions “Underwriting — Stabilization” and “Underwriting — Passive Market Making.”

(c)                                  Actions against Parties; Notification.  Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement.  In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(a) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Representative, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company.  An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party.  In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances.  No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding 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.

(d)                                 Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse.  If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such

 

27



 

settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

(e)                                  Indemnification of the QIU. Without limitation and in addition to its obligation under the other subsections of this Section 6, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the QIU, its directors, officers, employees and agents and each person, if any, who controls the QIU within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act from and against any loss, claim, damage, liabilities or expense, as incurred, arising out of or based upon the QIU’s acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” (within the meaning of Section (b)(15) of NASD Conduct Rule 2720) in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified person for any legal or other expense reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense results from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the QIU.

 

SECTION 7.  Contribution.  If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus.

The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

 

28



 

The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7.  The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, 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 Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any 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 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.

SECTION 8.  Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery.  All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, QIU or controlling person, or by or on behalf of the Company, and shall survive delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters.

SECTION 9.  Termination of Agreement.

(a)                                  Termination; General.  The Representative may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Time or Date of Delivery (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, including without limitation as a result of terrorist activities, in each case the effect of which is

 

29



 

such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representative, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Shares or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Shares, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the Nasdaq National Market, or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq National Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, the NASD or any other governmental authority, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York or Tennessee authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States has occurred.

(b)                                 Liabilities.  If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 10.   Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at Closing Time or a Date of Delivery to purchase the Shares which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Shares”), the Representative shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Shares in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representative shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:

 

(a)                                  if the number of Defaulted Shares does not exceed 10% of the number of Shares to be purchased on such date, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or

 

(b)                                 if the number of Defaulted Shares exceeds 10% of the number of Shares to be purchased on such date, this Agreement or, with respect to any Date of Delivery which occurs after the Closing Time, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Option Shares to be purchased and sold on such Date of Delivery shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.

 

No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.

 

In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement or, in the case of a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, which does not result in a termination of the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and the Company to sell the relevant Option Shares, as the case may be, either (i) the Representative or (ii) the Company shall have the right to postpone Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used in this

 

30



Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.

 

SECTION 11.   Default by the Company.  If the Company shall fail at the Closing Time or at the Date of Delivery to sell the number of Shares that it is obligated to sell hereunder, then this Agreement shall terminate without any liability on the part of any nondefaulting party; provided, however, that the provisions of Sections 1, 4, 6, 7 and 8 shall remain in full force and effect.  No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve the Company from liability, if any, in respect of such default.

SECTION 12.   Notices.  All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication.  Notices to the Representative shall be directed to FTN at FTN Midwest Securities Corp., 845 Crossover Lane, Suite 150, Memphis, Tennessee, 38117, attention of General Counsel; notices to the QIU shall be directed to Sterne Agee at Sterne, Agee and Leach, Inc., 800 Shades Creek Parkway, Suite 700, Birmingham, Alabama 35209, attention of General Counsel; notices to the Company shall be directed to it at Tennessee Commerce Bancorp, Inc., 381 Mallory Station Road, Suite 207, Franklin, Tennessee 37067, attention President.

 

SECTION 13.   Parties.  This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the QIU and the Company and their respective successors.  Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters, the QIU and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained.  This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters, the QIU and the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation.  No purchaser of Shares from the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

SECTION 14.   GOVERNING LAW AND TIME.  THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE.  EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

SECTION 15.   General Provisions.  This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof.  This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.  This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

 

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[Signatures on Next Page]

 

 

 

 

 

32



 

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

TENNESSEE COMMERCE BANCORP, INC.

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,

  as of the date first above written:

 

 

FTN MIDWEST SECURITIES CORP.

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

STERNE, AGEE AND LEACH, INC.

 

 

By:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

33



 

 

SCHEDULE A

Name of Underwriter

 

Number of Initial
Shares

 

 

 

 FTN Midwest Securities Corp

 

 

 

 

 

 Sterne, Agee and Leach, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A-1



 

SCHEDULE B

 

 

Number of Firm
Shares to be Sold

 

Maximum Number of
Option Shares to Be Sold

 

 

 

 

 

Tennessee Commerce Bancorp, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sterne, Agee and Leach, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

B-1



 

SCHEDULE C

 

Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses

 

None.

 

 

 

 

C-1



 

SCHEDULE D

 

TENNESSEE COMMERCE BANCORP, INC.
             shares of Common Stock
(Par Value $0.50 Per Share)

 

1.             The public offering price per share for the Shares, determined as provided in said Section 2, shall be $              .

2.             The purchase price per share for the Shares to be paid by the Underwriters shall be $          , being an amount equal to the public offering price set forth above less $          per share; provided that the purchase price per share for any Option Shares purchased upon the exercise of the over-allotment option described in Section 2(b) 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 Option Shares.

 

D-1



 

 

SCHEDULE E

 

List of subsidiaries

 

Tennessee Commerce Bank

Tennessee Commerce Statutory Trust I

 

 

 

 

 

E-1



 

SCHEDULE F

 

List of persons and entities
subject to lock-up agreements

 

Dorris (Eli) Bennett

H. Lamar Cox

Paul W. Dierksen

George W. Fort

Dennis L. Grimaud

Arthur F. Helf

Winston C. Hickman

Fowler H. Low

William W. McInnes

Thomas R. Miller

Darrel Reifschneider

Michael R. Sapp

Regg E. Swanson

Paul A. Thomas, M.D.

Barun Mukherji (Estate of)

 

The Parties Agree to Exclude:

Joseph Gregory

 

 

F-1



Exhibit A

 

 

FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY’S COUNSEL
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 5(b)

(i)            The Company is a registered bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, and has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Tennessee.  The activities of each of the Company’s direct and indirect subsidiaries are permissible for subsidiaries of a bank holding company.

(ii)           The Company has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement.

(iii)          The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(iv)          The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus in the column entitled “Actual” under the caption “Capitalization” (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement or pursuant to reservations, agreements or employee benefit plans referred to in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of convertible securities or options referred to in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus); the shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and were issued in compliance with all applicable federal and state securities laws; and none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.

(v)           The Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth in the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and no holder of the Shares is or will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder.

(vi)          The issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company is not subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.

(vii)         Each direct and indirect subsidiary of the Company listed on Schedule A hereto has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has corporate power and authority to own, lease and

 

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operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and, to the best of our knowledge, is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such subsidiary.

(viii)        The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, when duly executed by the Underwriters, will constitute the valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited or otherwise affected by (A) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance or other similar statutes, rules, regulations or other laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights and remedies generally, and (B) the unavailability of, or limitation on the availability of, a particular right or remedy (whether in a proceeding in equity or at law) because of an equitable principle or a requirement as to commercial reasonableness, conscionability or good faith.

(ix)           The Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, has been declared effective under the 1933 Act; any required filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) has been made in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); and, to the best of our knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or threatened by the Commission.

(x)            The Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and the Rule 430A Information, as applicable, the Prospectus, or supplement to the Registration Statement and Prospectus, as of their respective effective or issue dates (other than the financial statements and supporting schedules included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we need express no opinion) complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.

(xi)           The Shares are duly authorized for trading, subject to official notice of issuance, on the Nasdaq National Market.  The form of certificate used to evidence the Common Stock complies in all material respects with all applicable statutory requirements, with any applicable requirements of the charter and by-laws of the Company and the requirements of The Nasdaq National Market.

(xii)          To the best of our knowledge, there is not pending or threatened any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party, or to which the property of the Company or any subsidiary is subject, before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, which might reasonably be expected to

 

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result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which might reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Underwriting Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder.

(xiii)         The information in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under “Risk Factors,” “Price Range of Our Common Stock and Dividend Information,” “Description of Capital Stock,” “Business,” “Supervision and Regulation,” “Management” and “Underwriting” and in the Registration Statement under Items 14 and 15, in each instance to the extent that it constitutes summaries of documents referred to therein, matters of law, summaries of legal matters, the Company’s charter and by-laws or legal proceedings, or legal conclusions, have been reviewed by us and are accurate and complete and fairly present the information disclosed therein.

(xiv)        To the best of our knowledge, there are no statutes or regulations that are required to be described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus that are not described as required.

(xv)         All descriptions in the Registration Statement of contracts and other documents to which the Company or its subsidiaries are a party are accurate in all material respects; to the best of our knowledge, there are no franchises, contracts, indentures, mortgages, loan agreements, notes, leases or other instruments required to be described or referred to in the Registration Statement or to be filed as exhibits thereto other than those described or referred to therein or filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits thereto, and the descriptions thereof or references thereto are accurate and complete.

(xvi)        Neither the Company nor any subsidiary is in violation of its charter or by-laws and no default by the Company or any subsidiary exists in the due performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument that is described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.

(xvii)       No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign (other than under the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, which have been obtained, or as may be required under the securities or blue sky laws of the various states, as to which we need express no opinion) is necessary or required in connection with the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Underwriting Agreement or for the offering, issuance, sale or delivery of the Shares.

(xviii)      The execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Underwriting Agreement and in the Registration Statement (including the issuance and sale of the Shares and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Use Of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as

 

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defined in Section 1(a)(xiii) of the Underwriting Agreement) under or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or any other agreement or instrument, known to us, to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary is subject (except for such conflicts, breaches or defaults or liens, charges or encumbrances that would not have a Material Adverse Effect), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company or any subsidiary, or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree, known to us, of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary or any of their respective properties, assets or operations.

(xix)         The Company is not an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company,” as such terms are defined in the 1940 Act.

(xx)          To such counsel’s knowledge, without independent investigation, neither the Company nor its subsidiaries is a party to or subject to any order, decree, agreement, memorandum of understanding or similar arrangement with, or a commitment letter, supervisory letter or similar submission to, any governmental entity charged with the supervision or regulation of depository institutions or engaged in the insurance of deposits (including the FDIC) or the supervision or regulation of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and neither the Company nor its subsidiaries has been advised by any such governmental entity that such governmental entity is contemplating issuing or requesting (or is considering the appropriateness of issuing or requesting) any such order, decree, agreement, memorandum of understanding, commitment letter, supervisory letter or similar submission.

(xxi)         With respect to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002:

(A)          The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for senior financial officers meeting the requirements of 17 CFR Part 228.406 and an audit committee charter meeting the requirements of Rule 4350(d)(1)(C) of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules;

(B)           The Company’s Board of Directors has determined that a majority of its members and all of the members of its compensation and audit committees are independent under applicable Nasdaq Marketplace Rules, and based solely on our review of written representations furnished by such directors, to our knowledge no independent director of the Company has any relationship prohibited under Rule 4200(a)(15)(A) through (G) of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules and no audit committee member has any relationship prohibited under Rule 4350(d)(2)(a)(1) of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules;

(C)           The Board of Directors has adopted a policy regarding the nominations process pursuant to Rule 4350(b)(4)(B) of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules that provides for the nomination of directors in accordance with such rules; and

 

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(D)          The certifications pursuant to Sections 302 and 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 contained in the Company’s periodic reports filed with the Commission since August 14, 2002 complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of such Act and the Commission’s regulations promulgated thereunder; provided, however, that we do not give any opinion as to the accuracy of the content of such certifications.

(xii)          The Company and its subsidiaries conduct their respective businesses in compliance in all material respects with all federal, state, local and foreign statutes, laws, rules, regulations, decisions, directives and orders applicable to them (including, without limitation, all regulations and orders of, or agreements with, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“FRB”), the FDIC, the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, as applicable, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Community Reinvestment Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, all other applicable fair lending laws or other laws relating to discrimination and the Banks Secrecy Act and Title III of the USA Patriot Act), and neither the Company nor its subsidiaries have received any communication from any governmental entity asserting that the Company or any of its subsidiaries is not in compliance with any statute, law, rule, regulation, decision, directive or order.

Nothing has come to our attention that would lead us to believe that the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, including the Rule 430A Information (if applicable), (except for financial statements and schedules and other financial data included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we need make no statement), at the time such Registration Statement or any such amendment became effective and at the Initial Time of Sale, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or that the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (except for financial statements and schedules and other financial data included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we need make no statement), at the time the Prospectus was issued, at the time any such amended or supplemented prospectus was issued or at the Closing Time, included or includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  Furthermore, we have no reason to believe that the documents specified in the Disclosure Package, as of the Initial Time of Sale contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

In rendering such opinions, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact (but not as to legal conclusions), to the extent they deem proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials.  Such opinion shall not state that it is to be governed or qualified by, or that it is otherwise subject to, any treatise, written policy or other document relating to legal opinions, including, without limitation, the Legal Opinion Accord of the ABA Section of Business Law (1991).

 

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Exhibit B

 

 

 

__________, 2006

 

FTN MIDWEST SECURITIES CORP.

845 Crossover Lane, Suite 150

Memphis, Tennessee 38117

 

Re:          Proposed Public Offering by Tennessee Commerce Bancorp, Inc.

 

Dear Sirs:

 

The undersigned, a shareholder and an executive officer and/or director of Tennessee Commerce Bancorp, Inc., a Tennessee corporation (the “Company”), understands that FTN Midwest Securities Corp. (“FTN”) proposes to enter into a Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with the Company providing for the public offering of shares (the “Securities”) of the Company’s common stock, $0.50 par value per share (the “Common Stock”).  In recognition of the benefit that such an offering will confer upon the undersigned as a shareholder and an executive officer and/or director of the Company, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned agrees with FTN that, during a period of 180 days from the date of the Purchase Agreement, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of FTN, directly or indirectly, (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares of the Company’s Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition, or file any registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise.  In the event that either (i) during the period that begins on the date that is 15 calendar days plus three (3) business days before the last day of the 180-day restricted period and ends on the last day of the 180-day restricted period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or (ii) prior to the expiration of the 180-day restricted period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 180-day restricted period, the restrictions set forth herein will continue to apply until the expiration of the date that is 15 calendar days plus three (3) business days after the date on which the earnings release is issued or the material news or event related to the Company occurs.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may transfer the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock (i) as a bona fide gift or gifts, provided that the donee or donees agree to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, (ii) to any trust or family limited partnership

 

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for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned, provided that the trustee of the trust or general partner of the family limited partnership, as the case may be, agrees to be bound by the restrictions set forth herein, and provided further that any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (iii) pledged in a bona fide transaction outstanding as of the date hereof to a lender to the undersigned, as disclosed in writing to the Underwriters (iv) pursuant to the exercise by the undersigned of stock options that have been granted by the Company prior to, and are outstanding as of, the date of the Purchase Agreement, where the Common Stock received upon any such exercise is held by the undersigned, individually or as fiduciary, in accordance with the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement, or (v) with the prior written consent of FTN.  For purposes of this Lock-Up Agreement, “immediate family” shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin.  The undersigned now has and, except as contemplated by clauses (i) through (v) above, for the duration of the Lock-Up Agreement will have good and marketable title to the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, and claims whatsoever, except with respect to any liens, encumbrances and claims that were in existence on the date hereof.  The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s common stock, except in compliance with this Lock-Up Agreement.  In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company and its transfer agent are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Lock-Up Agreement.

The undersigned represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Lock-Up Agreement.  The undersigned agrees that the provisions of this Lock-Up Agreement shall be binding also upon the successors, assigns, heirs and personal representatives of the undersigned.

The undersigned understands that, if the Purchase Agreement does not become effective, or if the Purchase Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Common Stock to be sold thereunder, the undersigned shall be released from all obligations under this Lock-up Agreement.

This Lock-up Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee.

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

Signature:

 

 

 

 

Print Name:

 

 

 

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