VIRGINIA COMMERCE BANCORP, INC. as Issuer INDENTURE Dated as of September 24, 2008 WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY as Trustee JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES DUE 2038

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Indenture Agreements
EX-4.1 2 a08-24286_1ex4d1.htm EX-4.1

Exhibit 4.1

 

VIRGINIA COMMERCE BANCORP, INC.

 

as Issuer

 

INDENTURE

 

Dated as of September 24, 2008

 

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY

 

as Trustee

 

JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES DUE 2038

 



 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS

 

Section 1.01

Definitions

1

 

 

 

ARTICLE II DEBENTURES

 

Section 2.01

Authentication and Dating

7

Section 2.02

Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication

8

Section 2.03

Form and Denomination of Debentures

8

Section 2.04

Execution of Debentures

8

Section 2.05

Exchange and Registration of Transfer of Debentures

9

Section 2.06

Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Debentures

9

Section 2.07

Temporary Debentures

10

Section 2.08

Payment of Interest

10

Section 2.09

Cancellation of Debentures Paid, etc

11

Section 2.10

Intentionally Left Blank

11

Section 2.11

Extension of Interest Payment Period

11

Section 2.12

CUSIP Numbers

12

Section 2.13

Global Debentures

12

 

 

 

ARTICLE III PARTICULAR COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY

 

Section 3.01

Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest; Agreed Treatment of the Debentures

14

Section 3.02

Offices for Notices and Payments, etc.

15

Section 3.03

Appointments to Fill Vacancies in Trustee’s Office

15

Section 3.04

Provision as to Paying Agent

15

Section 3.05

Certificate to Trustee

16

Section 3.06

Additional Amounts

16

Section 3.07

Compliance with Consolidation Provisions

16

Section 3.08

Limitation on Dividends

16

Section 3.09

Covenants as to the Trust

17

Section 3.10

Additional Junior Indebtedness

17

Section 3.11

Subsidiary; Insured Depositary Institution

17

 

 

 

ARTICLE IV LISTS

 

Section 4.01

Securityholders’ Lists

17

Section 4.02

Preservation and Disclosure of Lists

18

Section 4.03

Reports by Trustee

19

Section 4.04

Reports by Company

19

 

 

 

ARTICLE V REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS

 

Section 5.01

Events of Default

19

Section 5.02

Payment of Debentures on Default; Suit Therefor

21

Section 5.03

Application of Moneys Collected by Trustee

22

Section 5.04

Proceedings by Securityholders

22

Section 5.05

Proceedings by Trustee

22

Section 5.06

Remedies Cumulative and Continuing

23

Section 5.07

Direction of Proceedings and Waiver of Defaults by Majority of Securityholders

23

Section 5.08

Notice of Defaults

23

Section 5.09

Undertaking to Pay Costs

24

 

 

 

ARTICLE VI CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE

 

Section 6.01

Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee

24

Section 6.02

Reliance on Documents, Opinions, etc.

25

Section 6.03

No Responsibility for Recitals, etc.

26

 

i



 

Section 6.04

Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agents, Transfer Agents or Registrar May Own Debentures

26

Section 6.05

Moneys to be Held in Trust

26

Section 6.06

Compensation and Expenses of Trustee

26

Section 6.07

Officers’ Certificate as Evidence

27

Section 6.08

Eligibility of Trustee

27

Section 6.09

Resignation or Removal of Trustee

27

Section 6.10

Acceptance by Successor Trustee

28

Section 6.11

Succession by Merger, etc.

29

Section 6.12

Authenticating Agents

29

Section 6.13

Intentionally Left Blank

30

 

 

 

ARTICLE VII CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS

 

Section 7.01

Action by Securityholders

30

Section 7.02

Proof of Execution by Securityholders

30

Section 7.03

Who Are Deemed Absolute Owners

30

Section 7.04

Debentures Owned by Company Deemed Not Outstanding

31

Section 7.05

Revocation of Consents; Future Holders Bound

31

 

 

 

ARTICLE VIII SECURITYHOLDERS’ MEETINGS

 

Section 8.01

Purposes of Meetings

31

Section 8.02

Call of Meetings by Trustee

31

Section 8.03

Call of Meetings by Company or Securityholders

32

Section 8.04

Qualifications for Voting

32

Section 8.05

Regulations

32

Section 8.06

Voting

32

Section 8.07

Quorum; Actions

33

 

 

 

ARTICLE IX SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES

 

Section 9.01

Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Securityholders

33

Section 9.02

Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders

34

Section 9.03

Effect of Supplemental Indentures

35

Section 9.04

Notation on Debentures

35

Section 9.05

Evidence of Compliance of Supplemental Indenture to be Furnished to Trustee

35

 

 

 

ARTICLE X REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES

 

Section 10.01

Optional Redemption

36

Section 10.02

Special Event Redemption

36

Section 10.03

Notice of Redemption; Selection of Debentures

36

Section 10.04

Payment of Debentures Called for Redemption

37

 

 

 

ARTICLE XI CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, CONVEYANCE AND LEASE

 

Section 11.01

Company May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms

37

Section 11.02

Successor Entity to be Substituted

38

Section 11.03

Opinion of Counsel to be Given to Trustee

38

 

 

 

ARTICLE XII SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE

 

Section 12.01

Discharge of Indenture

38

Section 12.02

Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust by Trustee

39

Section 12.03

Paying Agent to Repay Moneys Held

39

Section 12.04

Return of Unclaimed Moneys

39

 

 

 

ARTICLE XIII IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

 

Section 13.01

Indenture and Debentures Solely Corporate Obligations

39

 

ii



 

ARTICLE XIV MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

 

Section 14.01

Successors

40

Section 14.02

Official Acts by Successor Entity

40

Section 14.03

Surrender of Company Powers

40

Section 14.04

Addresses for Notices, etc.

40

Section 14.05

Governing Law

41

Section 14.06

Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent

41

Section 14.07

Business Day Convention

41

Section 14.08

Table of Contents, Headings, etc.

41

Section 14.09

Execution in Counterparts

41

Section 14.10

Separability

41

Section 14.11

Assignment

42

Section 14.12

Acknowledgment of Rights

42

Section 14.13

Applicability of the Trust Indenture Act

42

 

 

 

ARTICLE XV SUBORDINATION OF DEBENTURES

 

Section 15.01

Agreement to Subordinate

42

Section 15.02

Default on Senior Indebtedness

43

Section 15.03

Liquidation; Dissolution; Bankruptcy

43

Section 15.04

Subrogation

44

Section 15.05

Trustee to Effectuate Subordination

45

Section 15.06

Notice by the Company

45

Section 15.07

Rights of the Trustee; Holders of Senior Indebtedness

45

Section 15.08

Subordination May Not Be Impaired

46

 

 

 

ANNEX A

Form of Debenture

 

 

iii



 

THIS INDENTURE, dated as of September 24, 2008, between Virginia Commerce Bancorp, Inc., a Virginia corporation (the “Company”), and Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation, as trustee (the “Trustee”).

 

WITNESSETH:

 

WHEREAS, for its lawful corporate purposes, the Company has duly authorized the issuance of its Junior Subordinated Debentures due 2038 (the “Debentures”) under this Indenture and to provide, among other things, for the execution and authentication, delivery and administration thereof, the Company has duly authorized the execution of this Indenture.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, and the purchase of the Debentures by the holders thereof, the Company covenants and agrees with the Trustee for the equal and proportionate benefit of the respective holders from time to time of the Debentures as follows:

 

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

 

Section 1.01 Definitions.

 

The terms defined in this Section 1.01 (except as herein otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires) for all purposes of this Indenture and of any indenture supplemental hereto shall have the respective meanings specified in this Section 1.01. All accounting terms used herein and not expressly defined shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and the term “generally accepted accounting principles” means such accounting principles as are generally accepted in the United States at the time of any computation. The words “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.

 

“Acceleration Event of Default” means an Event of Default under Section 5.01(a), (d), (e), (f), (g) or (h), whatever the reason for such Acceleration Event of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body.

 

“Additional Amounts” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.06.

 

“Additional Interest” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.11.

 

“Administrative Action” has the meaning specified within the definition of “Tax Event” in this Section 1.01.

 

“Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, “control,” when used with respect to any specified Person, means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled” have meanings correlative to the foregoing.

 

“Applicable Depositary Procedures” means, with respect to any transfer or transaction involving Debenture represented by a Global Debenture, the rules and procedures of the Depositary for such Debenture represented by a Global Debenture, in each case to the extent applicable to such transaction and as in effect from time to time.

 

“Authenticating Agent” means any agent or agents of the Trustee which at the time shall be appointed and acting pursuant to Section 6.12.

 

“Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11 of the United States Code, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.

 

1



 

“Board of Directors” means the board of directors or the executive committee or any other duly authorized designated officers of the Company.

 

“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification and delivered to the Trustee.

 

 “Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which banking institutions in Wilmington, Delaware, The City of New York or Arlington, Virginia are permitted or required by law or executive order to close.

 

“Capital Treatment Event” means the receipt by the Company and the Trust of an Opinion of Counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of (a) any amendment to, or change (including any announced prospective change) in, the laws, rules or regulations of the United States or any political subdivision thereof or therein, or any rules, guidelines or policies of an applicable regulatory authority for the Company or (b) any official or administrative pronouncement or action or decision interpreting or applying such laws, rules or regulations, which amendment or change is effective or which pronouncement, action or decision is announced on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Company will not, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, be entitled to treat an amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Preferred Securities as “Tier 1 Capital” (or the then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve (or any successor regulatory authority with jurisdiction over bank holding companies), or any capital adequacy guidelines as then in effect and applicable to the Company; provided, however, that the inability of the Company to treat all or any portion of the aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Preferred Securities as “Tier 1 Capital” shall not constitute the basis for a Capital Treatment Event if such inability results from the Company having preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries and any other class of security or interest which the Federal Reserve (or any successor regulatory authority with jurisdiction over bank holding companies) may now or hereafter accord “Tier 1 Capital” treatment that, in the aggregate, exceeds the amount which may now or hereafter qualify for treatment as “Tier 1 Capital” under applicable capital adequacy guidelines the Federal Reserve (or any successor regulatory authority with jurisdiction over bank holding companies); provided, further, that the distribution of the Debentures in connection with the liquidation of the Trust by the Company shall not in and of itself constitute a Capital Treatment Event unless such liquidation shall have occurred in connection with a Tax Event or an Investment Company Event. For the avoidance of doubt, the inability of the Company to treat all or any portion of the aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Preferred Securities as “Tier 1 Capital” as a result of the changes effected by the final rule adopted by the Federal Reserve on March 1, 2005 shall not constitute the basis for a Capital Treatment Event.

 

“Certificate” means a certificate signed by any one of the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer or the principal accounting officer of the Company.

 

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

“Common Securities” means undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust which are designated as “Common Securities” and rank pari passu with Preferred Securities issued by the Trust; provided, however, that if an Event of Default (as defined in the Declaration) has occurred and is continuing, the rights of holders of such Common Securities to payment in respect of distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights of holders of such Preferred Securities.

 

“Company” means Virginia Commerce Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and, subject to the provisions of Article XI, shall include its successors and assigns.

 

“Debenture” or “Debentures” has the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture.

 

“Debenture Register” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05.

 

“Declaration” means the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust, dated as of the date hereof, as amended or supplemented from time to time.

 

2



 

“Default” means any event, act or condition that with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default.

 

“Defaulted Interest” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.08.

 

“Depositary” means an organization registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act that is designated as Depositary by the Company. DTC will be the initial Depositary.

 

“Depositary Participant” means a broker, dealer, bank, other financial institution or other Person for whom from time to time the Depositary effects book-entry transfers and pledges of securities deposited with or on behalf of the Depositary.

 

“DTC” means The Depository Trust Company, a New York corporation.

 

“Event of Default” means any event specified in Section 5.01, which has continued for the period of time, if any, and after the giving of the notice, if any, therein designated.

 

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

 

“Extension Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.11.

 

“Federal Reserve” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

 

“Global Debenture” means a global certificate that evidences all or part of the Debentures the ownership and transfers of which shall be reflected and made, as applicable, through book entries by the Depositary and the Depositary Participants.

 

“Indenture” means this Indenture as originally executed or, if amended or supplemented as herein provided, as so amended or supplemented, or both.

 

“Insured Depository Institution” has the same meaning as given to that term in Section 3(c)(2) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act or any successor statute or rule.

 

“Interest Payment Date” means the thirtieth (30th) day of March, June, September and December of each year, commencing on December 30, 2008, subject to Section 14.07.

 

“Interest Rate” means a per annum rate of interest equal to 10.20%.

 

“Investment Company Event” means the receipt by the Company and the Trust of an Opinion of Counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of a change in law or regulation (including any announced prospective change) or written change in interpretation or application of law or regulation by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory authority, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Trust is or, within 90 days of the date of such opinion will be, considered an “investment company” that is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which change or prospective change becomes effective, as the case may be, on or after the date of the original issuance of the Debentures.

 

“Junior Indebtedness” means without duplication and other than the Debentures, any indebtedness, liabilities or obligations of the Company, or any subsidiary of the Company, under debt securities (or guarantees in respect of debt securities) whether current or future (i) initially issued to any trust, or a trustee of a trust, partnership or other entity affiliated with the Company that is, directly or indirectly, a finance subsidiary (as such term is defined in Rule 3a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940) or other financing vehicle of the Company or any predecessor or Subsidiary of the Company in connection with the issuance by that entity of preferred securities or other securities that are eligible to qualify for Tier 1 capital treatment (or its then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, as then in effect and applicable to the Company (or, if the Company is not a bank holding company, such guidelines applied to the Company as if the Company were subject to such guidelines); provided, however, that the inability of the Company to treat all or any portion of the Junior Indebtedness as Tier 1 capital shall not disqualify it as Junior Indebtedness if such inability results from the Company having cumulative preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, or any other class of

 

3



 

security or interest which the Federal Reserve now or may hereafter accord Tier 1 capital treatment (including the Debentures) in excess of the amount which may qualify for treatment as Tier 1 capital under applicable capital adequacy guidelines; or (ii) with respect to which in the instrument creating or evidencing the same or pursuant to which the same is outstanding, it is provided that (a) such obligations are pari passu, junior or otherwise not superior in right of payment to the Debentures and (b) such obligations are subject to the obligor’s right to defer payments of interest for a consecutive period no less than five years.

 

“Liquidation Amount” means the liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Trust Security.

 

“Major Bank Subsidiary” means any Insured Depository Institution subsidiary of the Company which, together with any subsidiaries of such Insured Depository Institution subsidiary, has total assets that exceed 50 percent (or such lesser or greater amount set forth in the then current interpretation by the Federal Reserve of “major bank subsidiary” as such term is used in the Adopting Release accompanying the Final Rule on Risk-Based Capital Standards: Trust Preferred Securities and the Definition of Capital, adopted on March 1, 2005, by the Federal Reserve) of the total assets of the Company and its subsidiaries consolidated as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal quarter of the Company.  For purposes of this definition, an Insured Depository Institution will be deemed to be a subsidiary of the Company if the Company has “control” over the Insured Depository Institution as defined in 12 U.S.C. 1841(a)(2) or any successor statute or rule.

 

“Maturity Date” means September 30, 2038, subject to Section 14.07.

 

“Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board, the Vice Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer, President or any Vice President, and by the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Comptroller, an Assistant Comptroller, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, and delivered to the Trustee. Each such certificate shall include the statements provided for in Section 14.06 if and to the extent required by the provisions of such Section.

 

“Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion in writing signed by legal counsel, who may be counsel to the Company or may be other counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee. Each such opinion shall include the statements provided for in Section 14.06 if and to the extent required by the provisions of such Section.

 

“Outstanding,” when used with reference to Debentures, subject to the provisions of Section 7.04, means, as of any particular time, all Debentures authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent under this Indenture, except:

 

(a) Debentures theretofore canceled by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation;

 

(b) Debentures, or portions thereof, for the payment or redemption of which moneys in the necessary amount shall have been deposited in trust with the Trustee or with any Paying Agent (other than the Company) or shall have been set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent); provided, that, if such Debentures, or portions thereof, are to be redeemed prior to maturity thereof, notice of such redemption shall have been given as provided in Articles X and XIV or provision satisfactory to the Trustee shall have been made for giving such notice; and

 

(c) Debentures paid pursuant to Section 2.06 or in lieu of or in substitution for which other Debentures shall have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to the terms of Section 2.06 unless proof satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee is presented that any such Debentures are held by bona fide holders in due course.

 

“Optional Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.01.

 

“Optional Redemption Price” means an amount in cash equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed plus unpaid interest accrued on such Debentures to the related Optional Redemption Date.

 

“Paying Agent” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.04(e).

 

4



 

“Person” means a legal person, including any individual, corporation, estate, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated association, or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity of whatever nature.

 

“Predecessor Security” of any particular Debenture means every previous Debenture evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Debenture; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Debenture authenticated and delivered under Section 2.06 in lieu of a lost, destroyed or stolen Debenture shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the lost, destroyed or stolen Debenture.

 

“Preferred Securities” means undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust which rank pari passu with Common Securities issued by the Trust; provided, however, that if an Event of Default (as defined in the Declaration) has occurred and is continuing, the rights of holders of such Common Securities to payment in respect of distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights of holders of such Preferred Securities.

 

“Preferred Securities Guarantee” means the guarantee agreement that the Company will enter into with Wilmington Trust Company or other Persons that operates directly or indirectly for the benefit of holders of Preferred Securities of the Trust.

 

“Principal Office of the Trustee” means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be principally administered, which at all times shall be located within the United States and at the time of the execution of this Indenture shall be Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19890-0001, Attention: Corporate Capital Markets.

 

“Property Trustee” has the meaning set forth in the Declaration.

 

“Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Trustee, any officer of the Trustee with direct responsibility for the administration of the Indenture, and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.

 

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

 

“Securityholder,” “holder of Debentures” or other similar terms, means any Person in whose name at the time a particular Debenture is registered on the Debenture Register.

 

“Senior Indebtedness” means, with respect to the Company, (i) the principal, premium, if any, and interest in respect of (A) indebtedness of the Company for all borrowed and purchased money and (B) indebtedness evidenced by securities, debentures, notes, bonds or other similar instruments issued by the Company; (ii) all capital lease obligations of the Company; (iii) all obligations of the Company issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property, all conditional sale obligations of the Company and all obligations of the Company under any title retention agreement; (iv) all obligations of the Company for the reimbursement of any letter of credit, any banker’s acceptance, any security purchase facility, any repurchase agreement or similar arrangement, any interest rate swap, any other hedging arrangement, any obligation under options or any similar credit or other transaction; (v) all obligations of the Company associated with derivative products such as interest and foreign exchange rate contracts, commodity contracts, and similar arrangements; (vi) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (v) above of other Persons for the payment of which the Company is responsible or liable as obligor, guarantor or otherwise including, without limitation, similar obligations arising from off-balance sheet guarantees and direct credit substitutes; and (vii) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (vi) above of other Persons secured by any lien on any property or asset of the Company (whether or not such obligation is assumed by the Company), whether incurred on or prior to the date of this Indenture or thereafter incurred.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Senior Indebtedness” shall not include (1) any Junior Indebtedness, (2) Debentures issued pursuant to this Indenture and guarantees in respect of such Debentures, (3) trade accounts payable of the Company arising in the ordinary course of business (such trade accounts payable being pari passu in right of payment to the Debentures), or (4) obligations with respect to which (a) in the instrument creating or evidencing the same or pursuant to which the same is outstanding, it is provided that such obligations are pari passu, junior or otherwise not

 

5



 

superior in right of payment to the Debentures and (b) the Company, prior to the issuance thereof, has notified (and, if then required under the applicable guidelines of the regulating entity, has received approval from) the Federal Reserve.  Senior Indebtedness shall continue to be Senior Indebtedness and be entitled to the subordination provisions irrespective of any amendment, modification or waiver of any term of such Senior Indebtedness.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Senior Indebtedness shall not include: (i) the obligations of the Company under the Guarantee (ii) the Company’s Fixed/Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Debt Securities due 2036 issued to VCBI Capital Trust III pursuant to an Indenture dated as of December 20, 2005 by and between the Company and Wilmington Trust Company; (iii) the related guarantee of the Company with respect to the securities of VCBI Capital Trust III, issued pursuant to that certain Guarantee Agreement, dated as of December 20, 2005 by and between the Guarantor and Wilmington Trust Company; (iv) the Company’s Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Notes due 2032 issued to VCBI Capital Trust II pursuant to an Indenture dated as of December 19, 2002 by and between the Company and The Bank of New York,; and (v) the related guarantee of the Company with respect to the securities of VCBI Capital Trust II, issued pursuant to that certain Guarantee Agreement, dated as of December 19, 2002 by and between the Company and The Bank of New York.

 

“Special Event” means any of a Tax Event, an Investment Company Event or a Capital Treatment Event.

 

“Special Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.02.

 

“Special Redemption Price” means, with respect to the redemption of any Debenture following a Special Event, an amount in cash equal to 105% of the principal amount of the Debentures if the Redemption Date occurs prior to September 30, 2009, and thereafter equal to the percentage of the principal amount of the Debentures that is specified below for the Redemption Date, plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest through the date of redemption.

 

Special Redemption During the
12 Month Period Beginning September 30,

 

Percentage of Principal Amount

 

2009

 

104

%

2010

 

103

%

2011

 

102

%

2012

 

101

%

2013 and thereafter

 

100

%

 

“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, (i) any corporation, at least a majority of the outstanding voting stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person or one or more of its Subsidiaries or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries, (ii) any general partnership, joint venture or similar entity, at least a majority of the outstanding partnership or similar interests of which shall at the time be owned by such Person or one or more of its Subsidiaries or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries, and (iii) any limited partnership of which such Person or any of its Subsidiaries is a general partner. For the purposes of this definition, “voting stock” means shares, interests, participations or other equivalents in the equity interest (however designated) in such Person having ordinary voting power for the election of a majority of the directors (or the equivalent) of such Person, other than shares, interests, participations or other equivalents having such power only by reason of the occurrence of a contingency.

 

“Tax Event” means the receipt by the Company and the Trust of an Opinion of Counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of any amendment to or change (including any announced prospective change) in the laws or any regulations thereunder of the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, or as a result of any official administrative pronouncement (including any private letter ruling, technical advice memorandum, field service advice, regulatory procedure, notice or announcement (including any notice or announcement of intent to adopt such procedures or regulations) (an “Administrative Action”)) or judicial decision interpreting or applying such laws or regulations, regardless of whether such Administrative Action or judicial decision is issued to or in connection with a proceeding involving the Company or the Trust and whether or not subject to review or appeal, which amendment, clarification, change, Administrative Action or decision is enacted, promulgated or announced, in each case on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is

 

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more than an insubstantial risk that: (i) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to United States federal income tax with respect to income received or accrued on the Debentures; (ii) interest payable by the Company on the Debentures is not, or within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will not be, deductible by the Company, in whole or in part, for United States federal income tax purposes; or (iii) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to or otherwise required to pay, or required to withhold from distributions to holders of Trust Securities, more than a de minimis amount of other taxes (including withholding taxes), duties, assessments or other governmental charges.

 

“Trust” means VCBI Capital Trust IV, the Delaware statutory trust, or any other similar trust created for the purpose of issuing Preferred Securities in connection with the issuance of Debentures under this Indenture, of which the Company is the sponsor.

 

“Trust Indenture Act” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 as in force at the date as of which this Indenture was executed; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, “Trust Indenture Act” means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 as so amended.

 

“Trust Securities” means Common Securities and Preferred Securities of the Trust.

 

“Trustee” means the Person identified as “Trustee” in the first paragraph hereof, and, subject to the provisions of Article VI hereof, shall also include its successors and assigns as Trustee hereunder.

 

“United States” means the United States of America and the District of Columbia.

 

“U.S. Person” has the meaning given to United States Person as set forth in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.

 

ARTICLE II

DEBENTURES

 

Section 2.01 Authentication and Dating.

 

Upon the execution and delivery of this Indenture, or from time to time thereafter, Debentures in an aggregate principal amount not in excess of $25,775,000 be executed and delivered by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, and the Trustee shall thereupon authenticate and make available for delivery said Debentures to or upon the written order of the Company, signed by its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vice Chairman, President or Chief Financial Officer or one of its Vice Presidents, without any further action by the Company hereunder. In authenticating such Debentures, and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Debentures, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 6.01) shall be fully protected in relying upon:

 

(a)                                  a copy of any Board Resolution or Board Resolutions relating thereto and, if applicable, an appropriate record of any action taken pursuant to such resolution, in each case certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary or other officers with appropriate delegated authority of the Company as the case may be

 

(b)                                 an Opinion of Counsel prepared in accordance with Section 14.6 which shall also state:

 

(1)                                  that such Debentures, when authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and issued by the Company in each case in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, subject to or limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, conservatorship, receivership, moratorium and other statutory or decisional laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights or the reorganization of financial institutions (including, without limitation, preference and fraudulent conveyance or transfer laws), heretofore or hereafter enacted or in effect, affecting the rights of creditors generally; and

 

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(2)                                  that all laws and requirements in respect of the execution and delivery by the Company of the Debentures have been complied with and that authentication and delivery of the Debentures by the Trustee will not violate the terms of this Indenture.

 

The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver any Debentures under this Section if the Trustee, being advised by counsel, determines that such action may not lawfully be taken or if a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in good faith shall determine that such action would expose the Trustee to personal liability to existing Securityholders.

 

The definitive Debentures shall be typed, printed, lithographed or engraved on steel engraved borders or may be produced in any other manner, all as determined by the officers executing such Debentures, as evidenced by their execution of such Debentures.

 

Section 2.02 Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication.

 

The Trustee’s certificate of authentication on all Debentures shall be in substantially the following form:

 

This certificate represents Debentures referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

 

 

 

Wilmington Trust Company,

 

 

not in its individual capacity

 

 

but solely as trustee

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Authorized Officer

 

Section 2.03 Form and Denomination of Debentures.

 

The Debentures shall be substantially in the form of Annex A hereto. The Debentures shall be in registered form without coupons and in minimum denominations of $1,000 and any multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof. The Debentures shall be numbered, lettered, or otherwise distinguished in such manner or in accordance with such plans as the officers executing the same may determine with the approval of the Trustee as evidenced by the execution and authentication thereof.

 

Section 2.04 Execution of Debentures.

 

The Debentures shall be signed in the name and on behalf of the Company by the manual or facsimile signature of its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vice Chairman, President or Chief Financial Officer or one of its Executive Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents or Vice Presidents, under its corporate seal (if legally required) which may be affixed thereto or printed, engraved or otherwise reproduced thereon, by facsimile or otherwise, and which need not be attested. Only such Debentures as shall bear thereon a certificate of authentication substantially in the form herein before recited, executed by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent by the manual or facsimile signature of an authorized officer, shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose. Such certificate by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent upon any Debenture executed by the Company shall be conclusive evidence that the Debenture so authenticated has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and that the holder is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.

 

In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Debentures shall cease to be such officer before the Debentures so signed shall have been authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent, or disposed of by the Company, such Debentures nevertheless may be authenticated and delivered or disposed of as though the Person who signed such Debentures had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Debenture may be signed on behalf of the Company by such Persons as, at the actual date of the execution of such Debenture, shall be the proper officers of the Company, although at the date of the execution of this Indenture any such person was not such an officer.

 

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Every Debenture shall be dated the date of its authentication.

 

Section 2.05 Exchange and Registration of Transfer of Debentures.

 

The Company shall cause to be kept, at the office or agency maintained for the purpose of registration of transfer and for exchange as provided in Section 3.02, a register (the “Debenture Register”) for the Debentures issued hereunder in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration and transfer of all Debentures as provided in this Article II. Such register shall be in written form or in any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable time.

 

Debentures to be exchanged may be surrendered at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency to be maintained by the Company for such purpose as provided in Section 3.02, and the Company shall execute, the Company or the Trustee shall register and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in exchange therefor, the Debenture or Debentures which the Securityholder making the exchange shall be entitled to receive. Upon due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose as provided in Section 3.02, the Company shall execute, the Company or the Trustee shall register and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in the name of the transferee or transferees, a new Debenture for a like aggregate principal amount. Registration or registration of transfer of any Debenture by the Trustee or by any agent of the Company appointed pursuant to Section 3.02, and delivery of such Debenture, shall be deemed to complete the registration or registration of transfer of such Debenture.

 

All Debentures presented for registration of transfer or for exchange or payment shall (if so required by the Company or the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent) be duly endorsed by, or be accompanied by, a written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and either the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent duly executed by, the Securityholder or such Securityholder’s attorney duly authorized in writing.

 

No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Debentures, but the Company or the Trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith other than exchanges pursuant to Section 2.07, Section 9.04 or Section 10.04 not involving any transfer.

 

The Company or the Trustee shall not be required to exchange or register a transfer of any Debenture for a period of 15 days immediately preceding the date of selection of Debentures for redemption.

 

Section 2.06 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Debentures.

 

In case any Debenture shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company shall execute, and upon its written request the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, a new Debenture bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, in exchange and substitution for the mutilated Debenture, or in lieu of and in substitution for the Debenture so destroyed, lost or stolen. In every case the applicant for a substituted Debenture shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless, and, in every case of destruction, loss or theft, the applicant shall also furnish to the Company and the Trustee evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of such Debenture and of the ownership thereof.

 

The Trustee may authenticate any such substituted Debenture and deliver the same upon the written request or authorization of any officer of the Company. Upon the issuance of any substituted Debenture, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses connected therewith. In case any Debenture which has matured or is about to mature or has been called for redemption in full shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company may, instead of issuing a substitute Debenture, pay or authorize the payment of the same (without surrender thereof except in the case of a mutilated Debenture) if the applicant for such payment shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless and, in case of

 

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destruction, loss or theft, evidence satisfactory to the Company and to the Trustee of the destruction, loss or theft of such Debenture and of the ownership thereof.

 

Every substituted Debenture issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 2.06 by virtue of the fact that any such Debenture is destroyed, lost or stolen shall constitute an additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Debenture shall be found at any time, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Debentures duly issued hereunder. All Debentures shall be held and owned upon the express condition that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the foregoing provisions are exclusive with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Debentures and shall preclude any and all other rights or remedies notwithstanding any law or statute existing or hereafter enacted to the contrary with respect to the replacement or payment of negotiable instruments or other securities without their surrender.

 

Section 2.07 Temporary Debentures.

 

Pending the preparation of definitive Debentures, the Company may execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery temporary Debentures that are typed, printed, lithographed, typewritten, mimeographed or otherwise produced in any authorized denomination, substantially in the form of the definitive Debentures but with such omissions, insertions and variations as may be appropriate for temporary Debentures, all as may be determined by the Company. Every such temporary Debenture shall be executed by the Company and be authenticated by the Trustee upon the same conditions and in substantially the same manner, and with the same effect, as the definitive Debentures. Without unreasonable delay, the Company will execute and deliver to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent definitive Debentures and thereupon any or all temporary Debentures may be surrendered in exchange therefor, at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency maintained by the Company for such purpose as provided in Section 3.02, and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in exchange for such temporary Debentures a like aggregate principal amount of such definitive Debentures. Such exchange shall be made by the Company at its own expense and without any charge therefor except that in case of any such exchange involving a registration of transfer the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto. Until so exchanged, the temporary Debentures shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Debentures authenticated and delivered hereunder.

 

Section 2.08 Payment of Interest.

 

Each Debenture will bear interest at the Interest Rate on the principal thereof, on any overdue principal and (to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law) on Additional Interest and on any overdue installment of interest (including Defaulted Interest), payable (subject to the provisions of Article XV) on each Interest Payment Date and on the Maturity Date, any Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as the case may be. Interest and any Additional Interest on any Debenture that is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for by the Company, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Debenture (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment, except that interest and any Additional Interest payable on the Maturity Date, any Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as the case may be, other than any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person to whom principal is paid. In case (i) the Maturity Date of any Debenture or (ii) any Debenture or portion thereof is called for redemption and the related Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as the case may be, is subsequent to the regular record date with respect to any Interest Payment Date and prior to such Interest Payment Date, interest on such Debenture will be paid upon presentation and surrender of such Debenture.

 

Any interest on any Debenture, including Additional Interest, that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for by the Company, on any Interest Payment Date (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the holder on the relevant regular record date by virtue of having been such holder, and such Defaulted Interest shall be paid by the Company to the Persons in whose names such Debentures (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner: the Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each such Debenture and the date of the proposed payment,

 

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and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as provided in this paragraph. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall not be more than fifteen nor less than ten days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than ten days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such special record date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor to be mailed, first class postage prepaid, to each Securityholder at his or her address as it appears in the Debenture Register, not less than ten days prior to such special record date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names such Debentures (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered on such special record date and thereafter the Company shall have no further payment obligation in respect of the Defaulted Interest.

 

Payments of interest on the Debentures shall include interest accrued to but excluding the applicable Interest Payment Date. For purposes of clarification, for the initial Interest Payment Date, interest shall accrue from (and including) the original issuance date of the Debentures to (but excluding) the initial Interest Payment Date (December 30, 2008), and for each subsequent Interest Payment Date, interest shall accrue from (and including) the immediately succeeding Interest Payment Date to (but excluding) such subsequent Interest Payment Date.

 

The amount of interest payable for any interest period shall be computed and paid on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months. Any interest scheduled to become payable on an Interest Payment Date occurring during an Extension Period shall not be Defaulted Interest and shall be payable on such other date as may be specified in the terms of such Debentures.

 

The term “regular record date”, as used in this Section, shall mean the fifteenth day prior to the applicable Interest Payment Date, whether or not such day is a Business Day.

 

Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Debenture delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Debenture shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, that were carried by such other Debenture.

 

Section 2.09 Cancellation of Debentures Paid, etc.

 

All Debentures surrendered for the purpose of payment, redemption, exchange or registration of transfer, shall, if surrendered to the Company or any Paying Agent, be surrendered to the Trustee and promptly canceled by it, or, if surrendered to the Trustee or any Authenticating Agent, shall be promptly canceled by it, and no Debentures shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Indenture. All Debentures canceled by any Authenticating Agent shall be delivered to the Trustee. The Trustee shall destroy all canceled Debentures unless the Company otherwise directs the Trustee in writing, in which case the Trustee shall dispose of such Debentures as directed by the Company. If the Company shall acquire any of the Debentures, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Debentures unless and until the same are surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation.

 

Section 2.10 Intentionally Left Blank.

 

Section 2.11 Extension of Interest Payment Period.

 

So long as no Acceleration Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Company shall have the right, from time to time and without causing an Event of Default, to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each such extended interest payment period, together with all previous and further consecutive extensions thereof, is referred to herein as an “Extension Period”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than an Interest Payment Date or extend beyond the Maturity Date, any Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as the case may be. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest (such accrued interest and interest thereon referred to herein as “Additional Interest”) will accrue at an

 

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annual rate equal to the Interest Rate, compounded quarterly from the date such Additional Interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by applicable law. No interest or Additional Interest (except any Additional Amounts that may be due and payable) shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof. At the end of any Extension Period, the Company shall pay all Additional Interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures; provided, however, that during any Extension Period, the Company shall be subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 3.08. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Company may further extend such Extension Period, provided, that no Extension Period (including all previous and further consecutive extensions that are part of such Extension Period) shall exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Company may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. The Company must give the Trustee notice of its election to begin or extend an Extension Period no later than the close of business on the fifteenth Business Day prior to the applicable Interest Payment Date. The Trustee shall give notice of the Company’s election to begin or extend an Extension Period to the Securityholders, promptly after receipt of notice from the Company of its election to begin or extend an Extension Period.

 

Section 2.12 CUSIP Numbers.

 

The Company in issuing the Debentures may use a “CUSIP” number (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use a “CUSIP” number in notices of redemption as a convenience to Securityholders; provided, that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such number either as printed on the Debentures or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Debentures, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the CUSIP number.

 

Section2.13 Global Debentures.

 

(a) Upon the election of an owner of beneficial interests in outstanding Debentures, the Debentures owned by such beneficial owner shall be issued in the form of one or more Global Debentures. Each Global Debenture issued under this Indenture shall be registered in the name of the Depositary designated by the Company for such Global Debenture or a nominee of such Depositary and delivered to such Depositary or a nominee thereof or custodian therefor, and each such Global Debenture shall constitute a single Debenture for all purposes of this Indenture.

 

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, no Global Debenture may be exchanged in whole or in part for Debentures registered, and no transfer of a Global Debenture in whole or in part may be registered, in the name of any Person other than the Depositary for such Global Debenture or a nominee thereof unless (i) such Depositary advises the Trustee and the Company in writing that such Depositary is no longer willing or able to properly discharge its responsibilities as Depositary with respect to such Global Debenture, and no qualified successor is appointed by the Company within ninety (90) days of receipt by the Company of such notice, (ii) such Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and no successor is appointed by the Company within ninety (90) days after obtaining knowledge of such event or (iii) an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing. Upon obtaining knowledge of the occurrence of any event specified in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above, the Trustee shall notify the Depositary and instruct the Depositary to notify all owners of beneficial interests in such Global Debenture of the occurrence of such event and of the availability of Debentures to such beneficial owners requesting the same. Upon the issuance of such Debentures and the registration in the Debenture Register of such Debentures in the names of the holders thereof, the Trustee shall recognize such holders as holders of Debentures for all purposes of this Indenture and the Debentures.

 

(c) If any Global Debenture is to be exchanged for other Debentures or canceled in part, or if another Debenture is to be exchanged in whole or in part for a beneficial interest in any Global Debenture, then either (i) such Global Debenture shall be so surrendered for exchange or cancellation as provided herein or (ii) the principal amount thereof shall be reduced or increased, subject to Section 2.03, by an amount equal to the portion thereof to be so exchanged or canceled, or equal to the principal amount of such Debenture to be so exchanged for a beneficial interest therein, as the case may be, by means of an appropriate adjustment made on the records of the Debenture

 

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registrar, whereupon the Trustee, in accordance with the Applicable Depositary Procedures, shall instruct the Depositary or its authorized representative to make a corresponding adjustment to its records. Upon any such surrender or adjustment of a Global Debenture by the Depositary, accompanied by registration instructions, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver Debentures issuable in exchange for such Global Debenture (or any portion thereof) in accordance with the instructions of the Depositary. The Trustee may conclusively rely on, and shall be fully protected in relying on, such instructions.

 

(d) Every Debenture authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for or in lieu of, a Global Debenture or any portion thereof shall be authenticated and delivered in the form of, and shall be, a Global Debenture, unless such Debenture is registered in the name of a Person other than the Depositary for such Global Debenture or a nominee thereof.

 

(e) Debentures distributed to holders of Preferred Securities upon the dissolution of the Trust shall be distributed in the form of one or more fully registered certificates registered in the names of the holders of Preferred Securities. Debentures distributed to holders of Preferred Securities upon the dissolution of the Trust shall not be issued in the form of a Global Debenture or any other form intended to facilitate book-entry trading in beneficial interests in such Debentures.

 

(f) The Depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of a Global Debenture, shall be the holder of such Global Debenture for all purposes under this Indenture and the Debentures, and owners of beneficial interests in a Global Debenture shall hold such interests pursuant to the Applicable Depositary Procedures. Accordingly, any such owner’s beneficial interest in a Global Debenture shall be shown only on, and the transfer of such interest shall be effected only through, records maintained by the Depositary or its nominee or its Depositary Participants. The Debentures registrar and the Trustee shall be entitled to deal with the Depositary for all purposes of this Indenture relating to a Global Debenture as the sole holder of the Debenture and shall have no obligation to any beneficial owner of a Global Debenture. Neither the Trustee nor the Debentures registrar shall have any liability in respect of any transfers affected by the Depositary or its Depositary Participants.

 

(g) The rights of owners of beneficial interests in a Global Debenture shall be exercised only through the Depositary and shall be limited to those established by law and agreements between such owners and the Depositary and/or its Depositary Participants.

 

(h) No owner of any beneficial interest in any Global Debenture shall have any rights under this Indenture with respect to such Global Debenture, and the Depositary may be treated by the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee as the owner and holder of such Global Debenture for all purposes under the Indenture. None of the Company, the Trustee nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in a Global Debenture or maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by the Depositary or impair, as between the Depositary and such beneficial owners, the operation of customary practices governing the exercise of the rights of the Depositary or its nominee as holder of any Debenture.

 

(i) Global Debentures shall bear the following legend on the face thereof:

 

THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL DEBENTURE WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY (“DTC”) OR A NOMINEE OF DTC. THIS SECURITY IS EXCHANGEABLE FOR SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A PERSON OTHER THAN DTC OR ITS NOMINEE ONLY IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE, AND NO TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY (OTHER THAN A TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY AS A WHOLE BY DTC TO A NOMINEE OF DTC OR BY A NOMINEE OF DTC TO DTC OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF DTC) MAY BE REGISTERED EXCEPT IN LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES.

 

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UNLESS THIS SECURITY IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE, OR PAYMENT, AND ANY SECURITY ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

 

ARTICLE III

PARTICULAR COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY

 

Section 3.01 Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest; Agreed Treatment of the Debentures.

 

(a) The Company covenants and agrees that it will duly and punctually pay or cause to be paid all payments due in respect of the Debentures at the place, at the respective times and in the manner provided in this Indenture and the Debentures. Payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest (including Additional Interest) on the Debentures due on the Maturity Date, any Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as the case may be, will be made by the Company in immediately available funds against presentation and surrender of such Debentures. At the option of the Company, each installment of interest on the Debentures due on an Interest Payment Date other than the Maturity Date, any Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as the case may be, may be paid (i) by mailing checks for such interest payable to the order of the holders of Debentures entitled thereto as they appear on the Debenture Register or (ii) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to any account with a banking institution located in the United States designated by such holders to the Paying Agent no later than the related record date. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Indenture or any Debenture, if the Trust or the trustee of the Trust is the holder of any Debenture, then all payments in respect of such Debenture shall be made by the Company in immediately available funds when due at such place and to such account as may be designated by the Institutional Trustee.

 

(b) The Company will treat the Debentures as indebtedness, and the amounts payable in respect of such Debentures (including any Additional Amounts) as interest, for all U.S. federal income tax purposes. All payments in respect of such Debentures will be made free and clear of U.S. withholding tax, provided, that (i) any beneficial owner thereof that is a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code (A) has provided an Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 (or any substitute or successor form) in the manner required establishing its status as a “United States person” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and (B) the Internal Revenue Service has neither notified the Issuer that the taxpayer identification number furnished by such beneficial owner is incorrect nor notified the Issuer that there is underreporting by such beneficial owner, and (ii) any beneficial owner thereof that is not a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code has provided an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 BEN, Internal Revenue Service Form W-8ECI, or Internal Revenue Service Form W-8EXP, as applicable (or any substitute or successor form) in the manner required establishing its non-U.S. status for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

(c) As of the date of this Indenture, the Company represents that it has no intention to exercise its right under Section 2.11 to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by commencing an Extension Period.

 

(d) As of the date of this Indenture, the Company represents that the likelihood that it would exercise its right under Section 2.11 to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by commencing an Extension Period at any time during which the Debentures are outstanding is remote because of the restrictions that would be imposed on the Company’s ability to declare or pay dividends or distributions on, or to redeem, purchase or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of its outstanding equity and on the Company’s ability to make any payments of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on, or repurchase or redeem, any of its debentures that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures.

 

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Section 3.02 Offices for Notices and Payments, etc.

 

So long as any of the Debentures remain outstanding, the Company will maintain in Wilmington, Delaware or in Arlington, Virginia, an office or agency where the Debentures may be presented for payment, an office or agency where the Debentures may be presented for registration of transfer and for exchange as provided in this Indenture and an office or agency where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Debentures or of this Indenture may be served. The Company will give to the Trustee written notice of the location of any such office or agency and of any change of location thereof. Until otherwise designated from time to time by the Company in a notice to the Trustee, or specified as contemplated by Section 2.05, such office or agency for all of the above purposes shall be the Principal Office of the Trustee. In case the Company shall fail to maintain any such office or agency in Wilmington, Delaware or in Arlington, Virginia, or shall fail to give such notice of the location or of any change in the location thereof, presentations and demands may be made and notices may be served at the Principal Office of the Trustee.

 

In addition to any such office or agency, the Company may from time to time designate one or more offices or agencies outside Wilmington, Delaware or Arlington, Virginia where the Debentures may be presented for registration of transfer and for exchange in the manner provided in this Indenture, and the Company may from time to time rescind such designation, as the Company may deem desirable or expedient; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain any such office or agency in Wilmington, Delaware or in Arlington, Virginia for the purposes above mentioned. The Company will give to the Trustee prompt written notice of any such designation or rescission thereof.

 

Section 3.03 Appointments to Fill Vacancies in Trustee’s Office.

 

The Company, whenever necessary to avoid or fill a vacancy in the office of Trustee, will appoint, in the manner provided in Section 6.09, a Trustee, so that there shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder.

 

Section 3.04 Provision as to Paying Agent.

 

(a) If the Company shall appoint a Paying Agent other than the Trustee, it will cause such Paying Agent to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provision of this Section 3.04,

 

(i) that it will hold all sums held by it as such agent for the payment of all payments due on the Debentures (whether such sums have been paid to it by the Company or by any other obligor on the Debentures) in trust for the benefit of the holders of the Debentures;

 

(ii) that it will give the Trustee prompt written notice of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor on the Debentures) to make any payment on the Debentures when the same shall be due and payable; and

 

(iii) that it will, at any time during the continuance of any Event of Default, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such Paying Agent.

 

(b) If the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent, it will, on or before each due date of the payments due on the Debentures, set aside, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the holders of the Debentures a sum sufficient to make such payments so becoming due and will notify the Trustee in writing of any failure to take such action and of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor under the Debentures) to make any payment on the Debentures when the same shall become due and payable.

 

Whenever the Company shall have one or more Paying Agents for the Debentures, it will, on or prior to each due date of the payments on the Debentures, deposit with a Paying Agent a sum sufficient to pay all payments so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee) the Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing of its action or failure to act.

 

(c) Anything in this Section 3.04 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company may, at any time, for the purpose of obtaining a satisfaction and discharge with respect to the Debentures, or for any other reason, pay, or

 

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direct any Paying Agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or any such Paying Agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same terms and conditions herein contained.

 

(d) Anything in this Section 3.04 to the contrary notwithstanding, the agreement to hold sums in trust as provided in this Section 3.04 is subject to Sections 12.03 and 12.04.

 

(e) The Company hereby initially appoints the Trustee to act as paying agent for the Debentures (the “Paying Agent”).

 

Section 3.05 Certificate to Trustee.

 

The Company will deliver to the Trustee on or before 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, so long as Debentures are outstanding hereunder, a Certificate substantially in the form of Annex B attached hereto, stating that in the course of the performance by the signers of their duties as officers of the Company they would normally have knowledge of any default by the Company in the performance of any covenants of the Company contained herein, stating whether or not they have knowledge of any such default and, if so, specifying each such default of which the signers have knowledge and the nature thereof.

 

Section 3.06 Additional Amounts.

 

If and for so long as the Trust is the holder of all Debentures and is subject to or otherwise required to pay (or is required to withhold from distributions to holders of Trust Securities) any additional taxes (including withholding taxes), duties, assessments or other governmental charges as a result of a Tax Event, the Company will pay such additional amounts (the “Additional Amounts”) on the Debentures as shall be required so that the net amounts received and retained by the holders of Trust Securities, after payment of all taxes (including withholding taxes), duties, assessments or other governmental charges, will be equal to the amounts that such holders would have received and retained had no such taxes (including withholding taxes), duties, assessments or other governmental charges been imposed.

 

Whenever in this Indenture or the Debentures there is a reference in any context to the payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the Debentures, such mention shall be deemed to include mention of payments of the Additional Amounts provided for in this Section to the extent that, in such context, Additional Amounts are, were or would be payable in respect thereof pursuant to the provisions of this Section and express mention of the payment of Additional Amounts (if applicable) in any provisions hereof shall not be construed as excluding Additional Amounts in those provisions hereof where such express mention is not made, provided, however, that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Indenture or any Debenture, the deferral of the payment of interest during an Extension Period pursuant to Section 2.11 shall not defer the payment of any Additional Amounts that may be due and payable.

 

Section 3.07 Compliance with Consolidation Provisions.

 

The Company will not, while any of the Debentures remain outstanding, consolidate with, or merge into, any other Person, or merge into itself, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its property or capital stock to any other Person unless the provisions of Article XI hereof are complied with.

 

Section 3.08 Limitation on Dividends.

 

If (i) there shall have occurred and be continuing a Default or an Event of Default, (ii) the Company shall be in default with respect to its payment of any obligations under the Preferred Securities Guarantee or (iii) the Company shall have given notice of its election to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period as provided herein and such period, or any extension thereof, shall have commenced and be continuing, then the Company may not and shall not permit any Subsidiary to (i) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company’s or such Subsidiary’s capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Company or payments of dividends from direct or indirect Subsidiaries of the Company to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (ii) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of

 

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the Company or any Subsidiary that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (i) or (ii) above, (a) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, Default or Event of Default, (b) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Company’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a Subsidiary of the Company) for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Company’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock, (c) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (d) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (e) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (f) a dividend or distribution on, a redemption, purchase or acquisition of, or a liquidation payment with respect to equity securities of an Insured Depository Institution subsidiary, or (g) payments under the Preferred Securities Guarantee).

 

Section 3.09 Covenants as to the Trust.

 

For so long as such Trust Securities remain outstanding, the Company shall maintain 100% ownership of the Common Securities; provided, however, that any permitted successor of the Company under this Indenture may succeed to the Company’s ownership of such Common Securities. The Company, as owner of the Common Securities, shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Trust (a) to remain a statutory trust, except in connection with a distribution of Debentures to the holders of Trust Securities in liquidation of the Trust, the redemption of all of the Trust Securities or mergers, consolidations or amalgamations, each as permitted by the Declaration; (b) to otherwise continue to be classified as a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes; and (c) to cause each holder of Trust Securities to be treated as owning an undivided beneficial interest in the Debentures.

 

Section 3.10 Additional Junior Indebtedness. The Company shall not, and it shall not cause or permit any Subsidiary of the Company to, incur, issue or be obligated on any additional Junior Indebtedness, either directly or indirectly, by way of guarantee, suretyship or otherwise, other than additional Junior Indebtedness (i) that, by its terms, is expressly stated to be either junior and subordinate or pari passu in all respects to the Debentures, and (ii) of which the Company has notified (and, if then required under the applicable guidelines of the regulating entity, has received approval from) the Federal Reserve, if the Company is a bank or financial holding company, or the OTS, if the Company is a savings and loan holding company.

 

Section 3.11 Subsidiary; Insured Depository Institution.                                       So long as any of the Debentures remain outstanding, at least one operating Subsidiary of the Company shall be an Insured Depository Institution.

 

ARTICLE IV

LISTS

 

Section 4.01 Securityholders’ Lists.

 

The Company covenants and agrees that it will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee:

 

(a) on each regular record date for an Interest Payment Date, a list, in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the Securityholders of the Debentures as of such record date; and

 

(b) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time

 

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such list is furnished; except that no such lists need be furnished under this Section 4.01 so long as the Trustee is in possession thereof by reason of its acting as Debenture registrar.

 

Section 4.02 Preservation and Disclosure of Lists.

 

(a) The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably practicable, all information as to the names and addresses of the holders of Debentures (1) contained in the most recent list furnished to it as provided in Section 4.01 or (2) received by it in the capacity of Debentures registrar (if so acting) hereunder. The Trustee may destroy any list furnished to it as provided in Section 4.01 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.

 

(b) In case three or more holders of Debentures (hereinafter referred to as “applicants”) apply in writing to the Trustee and furnish to the Trustee reasonable proof that each such applicant has owned a Debenture for a period of at least six months preceding the date of such application, and such application states that the applicants desire to communicate with other holders of Debentures with respect to their rights under this Indenture or under such Debentures and is accompanied by a copy of the form of proxy or other communication which such applicants propose to transmit, then the Trustee shall within five Business Days after the receipt of such application, at its election, either:

 

(i) afford such applicants access to the information preserved at the time by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 4.02, or

 

(ii) inform such applicants as to the approximate number of holders of Debentures whose names and addresses appear in the information preserved at the time by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 4.02, and as to the approximate cost of mailing to such Securityholders the form of proxy or other communication, if any, specified in such application.

 

If the Trustee shall elect not to afford such applicants access to such information, the Trustee shall, upon the written request of such applicants, mail to each Securityholder of Debentures whose name and address appear in the information preserved at the time by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 4.02 a copy of the form of proxy or other communication which is specified in such request with reasonable promptness after a tender to the Trustee of the material to be mailed and of payment, or provision for the payment, of the reasonable expenses of mailing, unless within five days after such tender, the Trustee shall mail to such applicants and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, if permitted or required by applicable law, together with a copy of the material to be mailed, a written statement to the effect that, in the opinion of the Trustee, such mailing would be contrary to the best interests of the holders of all Debentures, as the case may be, or would be in violation of applicable law. Such written statement shall specify the basis of such opinion. If said Commission, as permitted or required by applicable law, after opportunity for a hearing upon the objections specified in the written statement so filed, shall enter an order refusing to sustain any of such objections or if, after the entry of an order sustaining one or more of such objections, said Commission shall find, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that all the objections so sustained have been met and shall enter an order so declaring, the Trustee shall mail copies of such material to all such Securityholders with reasonable promptness after the entry of such order and the renewal of such tender; otherwise the Trustee shall be relieved of any obligation or duty to such applicants respecting their application.

 

(c) Each and every holder of Debentures, by receiving and holding the same, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that none of the Company, the Trustee or any Paying Agent shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any such information as to the names and addresses of the holders of Debentures in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section 4.02, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under said subsection (b).

 

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Section 4.03 Reports by Trustee.

 

(a) The Trustee shall transmit to Holders such reports concerning the Trustee and its actions under this Indenture as may be required pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act (applied as if this Indenture were subject to the Trust Indenture Act), including, without limitation, Section 313(b) thereof, at the times and in the manner provided pursuant thereto. The Trustee shall comply with Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act in transmitting such reports.

 

(b) Reports so required to be transmitted at stated intervals of not more than 12 months shall be transmitted no later than thirty days after June 30 in each calendar year, commencing with the first June 30 after the first issuance of Securities under this Indenture.

 

(c) A copy of each such report shall, at the time of such transmission to Holders, be filed by the Trustee with each securities exchange upon which any Securities are listed, with the Company, and to the extent required, with the Commission. The Company will notify the Trustee when any Securities are listed on any securities exchange.

 

Section 4.04 Reports by Company.

 

The Company shall file with the Trustee and the Commission, and transmit to Holders, copies of such information, documents and other reports, and such summaries thereof, as may be required pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act (applied as if this Indenture were subject to the Trust Indenture Act) at the times and in the manner provided in the Trust Indenture Act; provided that any such information, documents or reports required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act shall be filed with the Trustee within 15 days after the same are filed with the Commission.

 

ARTICLE V

REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS

 

Section 5.01 Events of Default.

 

“Event of Default,” wherever used herein, means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such Event of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):

 

(a)           the Company defaults in the payment of any interest upon any Debenture, including any Additional Interest in respect thereof, following the nonpayment of any such interest for twenty or more consecutive quarterly interest payment periods, and the continuation of such default for a period of thirty days following the end of the Extension Period; or

 

(b)           the Company defaults in the payment of all or any part of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any Debentures as and when the same shall become due and payable either at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration of acceleration or otherwise; or

 

(c)           the Company defaults in the performance of, or breaches, any of its covenants or agreements in this Indenture or in the terms of the Debentures established as contemplated in this Indenture (other than a covenant or agreement a default in whose performance or whose breach is elsewhere in this Section specifically dealt with), and continuance of such default or breach for a period of 30 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debentures, a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or

 

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(d)           a court of competent jurisdiction shall enter a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of the Company or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or

 

(e)           the Company shall commence a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, shall consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or shall consent to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of the Company or of any substantial part of its property, or shall make any general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall fail generally to pay its debts as they become due; or

 

(f)            a court or administrative or governmental agency or body shall enter a decree or order for the appointment of a receiver of a Major Bank Subsidiary or all or substantially all of its property in any liquidation, insolvency or similar proceeding with respect to such Major Bank Subsidiary or all or substantially all of its property; or

 

(g)           a Major Bank Subsidiary shall consent to the appointment of a receiver for it or all or substantially all of its property in any liquidation, insolvency or similar proceeding with respect to it or all or substantially all of its property; or

 

(h)           the Trust shall have voluntarily or involuntarily liquidated, dissolved, wound-up its business or otherwise terminated its existence except in connection with (i) the distribution of the Debentures to holders of such Trust Securities in liquidation of their interests in the Trust, (ii) the redemption of all of the outstanding Trust Securities or (iii) certain mergers, consolidations or amalgamations, each as permitted by the Declaration.

 

If an Acceleration Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Debentures, then, and in each and every such case, unless the principal of the Debentures shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Securityholders), may declare the entire principal of the Debentures and the interest accrued thereon, if any, to be due and payable immediately, and upon any such declaration the same shall become immediately due and payable.  If an Event of Default under Section 5.1(b) or (c) occurs and is continuing with respect to the Debentures, then, and in each and every such case, unless the principal of the Debentures shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Securityholders), may proceed to remedy the default or breach thereunder by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee or such holders shall deem most effectual to remedy the defaulted covenant or enforce the provisions of this Indenture so breached, either by suit in equity or by action at law, for damages or otherwise.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Indenture, if at any time during the period in which this Indenture remains in force and effect, the Company ceases or elects to cease to be subject to the supervision and regulation of both of the Federal Reserve or Office of Thrift Supervision (or successor agencies), then any event described in Sections 5.1(b) or (c) shall be deemed to be an Acceleration Event of Default resulting in an acceleration of payment of the Debentures.

 

The foregoing provisions, however, are subject to the condition that if, at any time after the principal of the Debentures shall have been so declared due and payable, and before any judgment or decree for the payment of the moneys due shall have been obtained or entered as hereinafter provided, (i) the Company shall pay or shall deposit with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest upon all the Debentures and the principal of and premium, if any, on the Debentures which shall have become due otherwise than by acceleration (with interest upon such principal and premium, if any, and Additional Interest) and such amount as shall be sufficient to cover reasonable compensation to the Trustee and each predecessor Trustee, their respective agents, attorneys and counsel, and all other amounts due to the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.06, if any, and (ii) all Events of Default under this Indenture, other than the non-payment of the principal of or premium, if any, on Debentures which shall have become due by acceleration, shall have been cured, waived or otherwise remedied as provided herein — then and in every such case the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding,

 

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by written notice to the Company and to the Trustee, may waive all defaults and rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences, but no such waiver or rescission and annulment shall extend to or shall affect any subsequent default or shall impair any right consequent thereon.

 

In case the Trustee shall have proceeded to enforce any right under this Indenture and such proceedings shall have been discontinued or abandoned because of such rescission or annulment or for any other reason or shall have been determined adversely to the Trustee, then and in every such case the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall be restored respectively to their several positions and rights hereunder, and all rights, remedies and powers of the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall continue as though no such proceeding had been taken.

 

Section 5.02 Payment of Debentures on Default; Suit Therefor.

 

The Company covenants that upon the occurrence of an Event of Default pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) and upon demand of the Trustee, the Company will pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the holders of the Debentures, the whole amount that then shall have become due and payable on all Debentures, including Additional Interest accrued on the Debentures; and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including a reasonable compensation to the Trustee, its agents, attorneys and counsel, and any other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.06. In case the Company shall fail forthwith to pay such amounts upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, shall be entitled and empowered to institute any actions or proceedings at law or in equity for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute any such action or proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce any such judgment or final decree against the Company or any other obligor on such Debentures and collect in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor on such Debentures wherever situated the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable.

 

In case there shall be pending proceedings for the bankruptcy or for the reorganization of the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures under Bankruptcy Law, or in case a receiver or trustee shall have been appointed for the property of the Company or such other obligor, or in the case of any other similar judicial proceedings relative to the Company or other obligor upon the Debentures, or to the creditors or property of the Company or such other obligor, the Trustee, irrespective of whether the principal of the Debentures shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by acceleration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5.02, shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceedings or otherwise, to file and prove a claim or claims for the whole amount of principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Debentures and, in case of any judicial proceedings, to file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for reasonable compensation to the Trustee and each predecessor Trustee, and their respective agents, attorneys and counsel, and for reimbursement of all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.06) and of the Securityholders allowed in such judicial proceedings relative to the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures, or to the creditors or property of the Company or such other obligor, unless prohibited by applicable law and regulations, to vote on behalf of the holders of the Debentures in any election of a trustee or a standby trustee in arrangement, reorganization, liquidation or other bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings or Person performing similar functions in comparable proceedings, and to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims, and to distribute the same after the deduction of its charges and expenses; and any receiver, assignee or trustee in bankruptcy or reorganization is hereby authorized by each of the Securityholders to make such payments to the Trustee, and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Securityholders, to pay to the Trustee such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover reasonable compensation to the Trustee, each predecessor Trustee and their respective agents, attorneys and counsel, and all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.06.

 

Nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Securityholder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Debentures or the rights of any holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Securityholder in any such proceeding.

 

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All rights of action and of asserting claims under this Indenture, or under any of the Debentures, may be enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Debentures, or the production thereof at any trial or other proceeding relative thereto, and any such suit or proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall be for the ratable benefit of the holders of the Debentures.

 

In any proceedings brought by the Trustee (and also any proceedings involving the interpretation of any provision of this Indenture to which the Trustee shall be a party), the Trustee shall be held to represent all the holders of the Debentures, and it shall not be necessary to make any holders of the Debentures parties to any such proceedings.

 

Section 5.03 Application of Moneys Collected by Trustee.

 

Any moneys collected by the Trustee shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee for the distribution of such moneys, upon presentation of the several Debentures in respect of which moneys have been collected, and stamping thereon the payment, if only partially paid, and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:

 

First: To the payment of costs and expenses incurred by, and reasonable fees of, the Trustee, its agents, attorneys and counsel, and of all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.06;

 

Second: To the payment of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company if and to the extent required by Article XV;

 

Third: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon Debentures, in respect of which or for the benefit of which money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due upon such Debentures (including Additional Interest); and

 

Fourth: The balance, if any, to the Company.

 

Section 5.04 Proceedings by Securityholders.

 

No holder of any Debenture shall have any right to institute any suit, action or proceeding for any remedy hereunder, unless such holder previously shall have given to the Trustee written notice of an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures and unless the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding shall have given the Trustee a written request to institute such action, suit or proceeding and shall have offered to the Trustee such reasonable indemnity as it may require against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred thereby, and the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity shall have failed to institute any such action, suit or proceeding; provided, that no holder of Debentures shall have any right to prejudice the rights of any other holder of Debentures, obtain priority or preference over any other such holder or enforce any right under this Indenture except in the manner herein provided and for the equal, ratable and common benefit of all holders of Debentures.

 

Notwithstanding any other provisions in this Indenture, the right of any holder of any Debenture to receive payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on such Debenture when due, or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such holder. For the protection and enforcement of the provisions of this Section, each and every Securityholder and the Trustee shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or in equity.

 

Section 5.05 Proceedings by Trustee.

 

In case of an Event of Default, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce the rights vested in it by this Indenture by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any of such rights, either by suit in equity or by action at law or by proceeding in bankruptcy or otherwise, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Indenture, or to enforce any other legal or equitable right vested in the Trustee by this Indenture or by law.

 

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Section 5.06 Remedies Cumulative and Continuing.

 

Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.06, all powers and remedies given by this Article V to the Trustee or to the Securityholders shall, to the extent permitted by law, be deemed cumulative and not exclusive of any other powers and remedies available to the Trustee or the holders of the Debentures, by judicial proceedings or otherwise, to enforce the performance or observance of the covenants and agreements contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to the Debentures, and no delay or omission of the Trustee or of any holder of any of the Debentures to exercise any right, remedy or power accruing upon any Event of Default occurring and continuing as aforesaid shall impair any such right, remedy or power, or shall be construed to be a waiver of any such default or an acquiescence therein; and, subject to the provisions of Section 5.04, every power and remedy given by this Article V or by law to the Trustee or to the Securityholders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as shall be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Securityholders.

 

Section 5.07 Direction of Proceedings and Waiver of Defaults by Majority of Securityholders.

 

The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures affected at the time outstanding and, if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of the Trust, the holders of a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding Preferred Securities of the Trust shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to such Debentures; provided, however, that if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of the Trust, such time, method and place or such exercise, as the case may be, may not be so directed until the holders of a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding Preferred Securities of the Trust shall have directed such time, method and place or such exercise, as the case may be; provided, further, that (subject to the provisions of Section 6.01) the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee shall determine that the action so directed would be unjustly prejudicial to the holders not taking part in such direction or if the Trustee being advised by counsel determines that the action or proceeding so directed may not lawfully be taken or if a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall determine that the action or proceedings so directed would involve the Trustee in personal liability. Prior to any declaration of acceleration of the maturity of the Debentures, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding may on behalf of the holders of all of the Debentures waive (or modify any previously granted waiver of) any past Default or Event of Default and its consequences, except a default (a) in the payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any of the Debentures, (b) in respect of covenants or provisions hereof which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each Debenture affected, or (c) in respect of the covenants contained in Section 3.09; provided, however, that if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of the Trust, such waiver or modification to such waiver shall not be effective until the holders of a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding Preferred Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver or modification to such waiver; provided, further, that if the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debenture is required, such waiver or modification to such waiver shall not be effective until each holder of the outstanding Preferred Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver or modification to such waiver. Upon any such waiver or modification to such waiver, the Default or Event of Default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of this Indenture and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver or modification to such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. Whenever any Default or Event of Default hereunder shall have been waived as permitted by this Section, said Default or Event of Default shall for all purposes of the Debentures and this Indenture be deemed to have been cured and to be not continuing.

 

Section 5.08 Notice of Defaults.

 

The Trustee shall, within 90 days after a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have actual knowledge or received written notice of the occurrence of a default with respect to the Debentures, mail to all Securityholders, as the names and addresses of such holders appear upon the Debenture Register, notice of all defaults with respect to the Debentures known to the Trustee, unless such defaults shall have been cured before the giving of such notice (the term “default” for the purpose of this Section is hereby defined to be any event specified in subparagraphs (a) through (h) of Section 5.01, not including periods of grace, if any, provided for therein); provided, that, except in the case of default in the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any of the Debentures, the

 

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Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Securityholders.

 

Section 5.09 Undertaking to Pay Costs.

 

All parties to this Indenture agree, and each holder of any Debenture by such holder’s acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Securityholder, or group of Securityholders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the outstanding Debentures (or, if such Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of the Trust, more than 10% in liquidation amount of the outstanding Preferred Securities),to any suit instituted by any Securityholder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Debenture against the Company on or after the same shall have become due and payable or to any suit instituted in accordance with Section 14.12.

 

ARTICLE VI

CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE

 

Section 6.01 Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee.

 

With respect to the holders of Debentures issued hereunder, the Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default and after the curing or waiving of all Events of Default which may have occurred, undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture. In case an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures has occurred (which has not been cured or waived), the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

 

No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct or bad faith, except that:

 

(a) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default and after the curing or waiving of all Events of Default which may have occurred:

 

(i) the duties and obligations of the Trustee with respect to the Debentures shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be liable except for the performance of such duties and obligations with respect to the Debentures as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and

 

(ii) in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Trustee, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but, in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform on their face to the requirements of this Indenture;

 

(b) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or Officers of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;

 

(c) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith, in accordance with the direction of the Securityholders pursuant to Section 5.07, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture; and

 

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(d) the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of any Default or Event of Default with respect to the Debentures unless either (1) a Responsible Officer shall have actual knowledge of such Default or Event of Default or (2) written notice of such Default or Event of Default shall have been given to the Trustee by the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures or by any holder of the Debentures, except that the Trustee shall be deemed to have knowledge of any Event of Default pursuant to Sections 5.01(a) or 5.01(b) hereof (other than an Event of Default resulting from the default in the payment of Additional Amounts if the Trustee does not have actual knowledge or written notice that such payment is due and payable).

 

None of the provisions contained in this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers.

 

Section 6.02 Reliance on Documents, Opinions, etc.

 

Except as otherwise provided in Section 6.01:

 

(a) the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, note, debenture or other paper or document believed by it in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;

 

(b) any request, direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed); and any Board Resolution may be evidenced to the Trustee by a copy thereof certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company;

 

(c) the Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and any advice or Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with such advice or Opinion of Counsel;

 

(d) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request, order or direction of any of the Securityholders, pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, unless such Securityholders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities which may be incurred therein or thereby;

 

(e) the Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture; nothing contained herein shall, however, relieve the Trustee of the obligation, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures (which has not been cured or waived) to exercise with respect to the Debentures such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and to use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs;

 

(f) the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, debenture, coupon or other paper or document, unless requested in writing to do so by the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debentures affected thereby; provided, however, that if the payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the security afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require reasonable indemnity against such expense or liability as a condition to so proceeding; and

 

(g) the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents (including any Authenticating Agent) or attorneys, and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent or attorney appointed by it with due care.

 

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Section 6.03 No Responsibility for Recitals, etc.

 

The recitals contained herein and in the Debentures (except in the certificate of authentication of the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent) shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee and the Authenticating Agent assume no responsibility for the correctness of the same. The Trustee and the Authenticating Agent make no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Debentures. The Trustee and the Authenticating Agent shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of any Debentures or the proceeds of any Debentures authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture.

 

Section 6.04 Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agents, Transfer Agents or Registrar May Own Debentures.

 

The Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any Paying Agent, any transfer agent or any Debenture registrar, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Debentures with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agent, transfer agent or Debenture registrar.

 

Section 6.05 Moneys to be Held in Trust.

 

Subject to the provisions of Section 12.04, all moneys received by the Trustee or any Paying Agent shall, until used or applied as herein provided, be held in trust for the purpose for which they were received, but need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee and any Paying Agent shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed in writing with the Company. So long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, all interest allowed on any such moneys, if any, shall be paid from time to time to the Company upon the written order of the Company, signed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the President, the Chief Operating Officer, a Vice President, the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer of the Company.

 

Section 6.06 Compensation and Expenses of Trustee.

 

The Company covenants and agrees to pay to the Trustee from time to time, and the Trustee shall be entitled to, such compensation as shall be agreed to in writing between the Company and the Trustee (which shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust), and the Company will pay or reimburse the Trustee upon its written request for all documented reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any of the provisions of this Indenture (including the reasonable compensation and the reasonable expenses and disbursements of its counsel and of all Persons not regularly in its employ) except any such expense, disbursement or advance that arises from its negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. The Company also covenants to indemnify each of the Trustee (including in its individual capacity) and any predecessor Trustee (and its officers, agents, directors and employees) for, and to hold it harmless against, any and all loss, damage, claim, liability or expense including taxes (other than taxes based on the income of the Trustee), except to the extent such loss, damage, claim, liability or expense results from the negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of such indemnitee, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this trust, including the costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in the premises. The obligations of the Company under this Section to compensate and indemnify the Trustee and to pay or reimburse the Trustee for documented expenses, disbursements and advances shall constitute additional indebtedness hereunder. Such additional indebtedness shall be secured by a lien prior to that of the Debentures upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the benefit of the holders of particular Debentures.

 

Without prejudice to any other rights available to the Trustee under applicable law, when the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with an Event of Default specified in clause (d) (e) or (f) of Section 5.01, the expenses (including the reasonable charges and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any applicable federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law.

 

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The provisions of this Section shall survive the resignation or removal of the Trustee and the defeasance or other termination of this Indenture.

 

Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture or any Debenture to the contrary, the Trustee shall have no obligation whatsoever to advance funds to pay any principal of or interest on or other amounts with respect to the Debentures or otherwise advance funds to or on behalf of the Company.

 

Section 6.07 Officers’ Certificate as Evidence.

 

Except as otherwise provided in Sections 6.01 and 6.02, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it necessary or desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking or omitting any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith on the part of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officers’ Certificate delivered to the Trustee, and such certificate, in the absence of negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith on the part of the Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.

 

Section 6.08 Eligibility of Trustee.

 

The Trustee hereunder shall at all times be a U.S. Person that is a banking corporation or national association organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof or of the District of Columbia and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least fifty million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000) and subject to supervision or examination by federal, state, or District of Columbia authority, and otherwise eligible under to the Trust Indenture Act to act as trustee hereunder. If such banking corporation or national association publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section the combined capital and surplus of such corporation or national association shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent records of condition so published.

 

The Company may not, nor may any Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company, serve as Trustee, notwithstanding that such corporation or national association shall be otherwise eligible and qualified under this Article.

 

In case at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in Section 6.09.

 

Section 6.09 Resignation or Removal of Trustee.

 

(a) The Trustee, or any trustee or trustees hereafter appointed, may at any time resign by giving written notice of such resignation to the Company and by mailing notice thereof, at the Company’s expense, to the holders of the Debentures at their addresses as they shall appear on the Debenture Register. Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor trustee or trustees by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of its Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the resigning Trustee and one copy to the successor Trustee. If no successor Trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 30 days after the mailing of such notice of resignation to the affected Securityholders, the resigning Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee, or any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Debenture or Debentures for at least six months may, subject to the provisions of Section 5.09, on behalf of himself or herself and all others similarly situated, petition any such court for the appointment of a successor Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, appoint a successor Trustee.

 

(b) In case at any time any of the following shall occur:

 

(i) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 6.08 after written request therefor by the Company or by any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Debenture or Debentures for at least six months;

 

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(ii) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of Section 6.08 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any such Securityholder; or

 

(iii) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged bankrupt or insolvent, or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed, or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,

 

then, in any such case, the Company may remove the Trustee and appoint a successor Trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the Trustee so removed and one copy to the successor Trustee, or, subject to the provisions of Section 5.09, if no successor Trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 30 days of the occurrence of any of (i), (ii) or (iii) above, any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Debenture or Debentures for at least six months may, on behalf of himself or herself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, remove the Trustee and appoint a successor Trustee.

 

(c) Upon prior written notice to the Company and the Trustee, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding may at any time remove the Trustee and nominate a successor Trustee, which shall be deemed appointed as successor Trustee unless within ten Business Days after such nomination the Company objects thereto, in which case or in the case of a failure by such holders to nominate a successor Trustee, the Trustee so removed or any Securityholder, upon the terms and conditions and otherwise as in subsection (a) of this Section, may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for an appointment of a successor.

 

(d) Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to any of the provisions of this Section shall become effective upon acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee as provided in Section 6.10.

 

Section 6.10 Acceptance by Successor Trustee.

 

Any successor Trustee appointed as provided in Section 6.09 shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to its predecessor Trustee an indenture supplemental hereto which shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all of the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee shall be vested in the successor Trustee, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations with respect to the Debentures of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as Trustee herein; but, nevertheless, on the written request of the Company or of the successor Trustee, the Trustee ceasing to act shall, upon payment of the amounts then due it pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.06, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights and powers of the Trustee so ceasing to act and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder. Upon request of any such successor Trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments in writing for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor Trustee all such rights and powers. Any Trustee ceasing to act shall, nevertheless, retain a lien upon all property or funds held or collected by such Trustee to secure any amounts then due it pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.06.

 

No successor Trustee shall accept appointment as provided in this Section unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Trustee shall be eligible and qualified under the provisions of Section 6.08.

 

In no event shall a retiring Trustee be liable for the acts or omissions of any successor Trustee hereunder.

 

Upon acceptance of appointment by a successor Trustee as provided in this Section, the Company shall mail notice of the succession of such Trustee hereunder to the holders of Debentures at their addresses as they shall appear on the Debenture Register. If the Company fails to mail such notice within ten Business Days after the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee, the successor Trustee shall cause such notice to be mailed at the expense of the Company.

 

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Section 6.11 Succession by Merger, etc.

 

Any corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto, provided, that such corporation shall be otherwise eligible and qualified under this Article.

 

In case at the time such successor to the Trustee shall succeed to the trusts created by this Indenture any of the Debentures shall have been authenticated but not delivered, any such successor to the Trustee may adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor Trustee, and deliver such Debentures so authenticated; and in case at that time any of the Debentures shall not have been authenticated, any successor to the Trustee may authenticate such Debentures either in the name of any predecessor hereunder or in the name of the successor Trustee; and in all such cases such certificates shall have the full force which it is anywhere in the Debentures or in this Indenture provided that the certificate of the Trustee shall have; provided, however, that the right to adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor Trustee or authenticate Debentures in the name of any predecessor Trustee shall apply only to its successor or successors by merger, conversion or consolidation.

 

Section 6.12 Authenticating Agents.

 

There may be one or more Authenticating Agents appointed by the Trustee upon the request of the Company with power to act on its behalf and subject to its direction in the authentication and delivery of Debentures issued upon exchange or registration of transfer thereof as fully to all intents and purposes as though any such Authenticating Agent had been expressly authorized to authenticate and deliver Debentures; provided, however, that the Trustee shall have no liability to the Company for any acts or omissions of the Authenticating Agent with respect to the authentication and delivery of Debentures. Any such Authenticating Agent shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or of any state thereof or of the District of Columbia authorized under such laws to act as Authenticating Agent, having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000 and being subject to supervision or examination by federal, state or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually pursuant to law or the requirements of such authority, then for the purposes of this Section the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. If at any time an Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect herein specified in this Section.

 

Any corporation into which any Authenticating Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, consolidation or conversion to which any Authenticating Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of any Authenticating Agent, shall be the successor of such Authenticating Agent hereunder, if such successor corporation is otherwise eligible under this Section without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of the parties hereto or such Authenticating Agent.

 

Any Authenticating Agent may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time terminate the agency of any Authenticating Agent with respect to the Debentures by giving written notice of termination to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time any Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible under this Section, the Trustee may, and upon the request of the Company shall, promptly appoint a successor Authenticating Agent eligible under this Section, shall give written notice of such appointment to the Company and shall mail notice of such appointment to all holders of Debentures as the names and addresses of such holders appear on the Debenture Register. Any successor Authenticating Agent, upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder, shall become vested with all rights, powers, duties and responsibilities of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as Authenticating Agent herein.

 

The Company agrees to pay to any Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation for its services. Any Authenticating Agent shall have no responsibility or liability for any action taken by it as such in accordance with the directions of the Trustee.

 

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Section 6.13           [Intentionally Left Blank]

 

ARTICLE VII

CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS

 

Section 7.01 Action by Securityholders.

 

Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures or aggregate liquidation amount of the Preferred Securities may take any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action), the fact that at the time of taking any such action the holders of such specified percentage have joined therein may be evidenced (a) by any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by such Securityholders or holders of Preferred Securities, as the case may be, in person or by agent or proxy appointed in writing, or (b) by the record of such holders of Debentures voting in favor thereof at any meeting of such Securityholders duly called and held in accordance with the provisions of Article VIII or of such holders of Preferred Securities duly called and held in accordance with the provisions of the Declaration, or (c) by a combination of such instrument or instruments and any such record of such a meeting of such Securityholders or holders of Preferred Securities, as the case may be, or (d) by any other method the Trustee deems satisfactory.

 

If the Company shall solicit from the Securityholders any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same, the Company may, at its option, as evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate, fix in advance a record date for such Debentures for the determination of Securityholders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same may be given before or after the record date, but only the Securityholders of record at the close of business on the record date shall be deemed to be Securityholders for the purposes of determining whether Securityholders of the requisite proportion of outstanding Debentures have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same, and for that purpose the outstanding Debentures shall be computed as of the record date; provided, however, that no such authorization, agreement or consent by such Securityholders on the record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than six months after the record date.

 

Section 7.02 Proof of Execution by Securityholders.

 

Subject to the provisions of Sections 6.01, 6.02 and 8.05, proof of the execution of any instrument by a Securityholder or such Securityholder’s agent or proxy shall be sufficient if made in accordance with such reasonable rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Trustee or in such manner as shall be satisfactory to the Trustee. The ownership of Debentures shall be proved by the Debenture Register or by a certificate of the Debenture registrar. The Trustee may require such additional proof of any matter referred to in this Section as it shall deem necessary.

 

The record of any Securityholders’ meeting shall be proved in the manner provided in Section 8.06.

 

Section 7.03 Who Are Deemed Absolute Owners.

 

Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture, the Company, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any Paying Agent, any transfer agent and any Debenture registrar may deem the Person in whose name such Debenture shall be registered upon the Debenture Register to be, and may treat such Person as, the absolute owner of such Debenture (whether or not such Debenture shall be overdue) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on such Debenture and for all other purposes; and none of the Company, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any Paying Agent, any transfer agent or any Debenture registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. All such payments so made to any holder for the time being or upon such holder’s order shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sum or sums so paid, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for moneys payable upon any such Debenture.

 

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Section 7.04 Debentures Owned by Company Deemed Not Outstanding.

 

In determining whether the holders of the requisite aggregate principal amount of Debentures have concurred in any direction, consent or waiver under this Indenture, Debentures which are owned by the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company (other than the Trust) or any other obligor on the Debentures shall be disregarded and deemed not to be outstanding for the purpose of any such determination, provided, that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such direction, consent or waiver, only Debentures which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded, provided further that the foregoing shall not apply at any time when the all of the outstanding Debentures are owned by the Company and/or one or more Affiliates of the Company (other than the Trust). Debentures so owned which have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as outstanding for the purposes of this Section if the pledgee shall establish to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right to vote such Debentures and that the pledgee is not the Company or any such other obligor or Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any such other obligor. In the case of a dispute as to such right, any decision by the Trustee taken upon the advice of counsel shall be full protection to the Trustee.

 

Section 7.05 Revocation of Consents; Future Holders Bound.

 

At any time prior to (but not after) the evidencing to the Trustee, as provided in Section 7.01, of the taking of any action by the holders of the percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures specified in this Indenture in connection with such action, any holder (in cases where no record date has been set pursuant to Section 7.01) or any holder as of an applicable record date (in cases where a record date has been set pursuant to Section 7.01) of a Debenture (or any Debenture issued in whole or in part in exchange or substitution therefor) the serial number of which is shown by the evidence to be included in the Debentures the holders of which have consented to such action may, by filing written notice with the Trustee at the Principal Office of the Trustee and upon proof of holding as provided in Section 7.02, revoke such action so far as concerns such Debenture (or so far as concerns the principal amount represented by any exchanged or substituted Debenture). Except as aforesaid any such action taken by the holder of any Debenture shall be conclusive and binding upon such holder and upon all future holders and owners of such Debenture, and of any Debenture issued in exchange or substitution therefor or on registration of transfer thereof, irrespective of whether or not any notation in regard thereto is made upon such Debenture or any Debenture issued in exchange or substitution therefor.

 

ARTICLE VIII

SECURITYHOLDERS’ MEETINGS

 

Section 8.01 Purposes of Meetings.

 

A meeting of Securityholders may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to the provisions of this Article VIII for any of the following purposes:

 

(a) to give any notice to the Company or to the Trustee, or to give any directions to the Trustee, or to consent to the waiving of any default hereunder and its consequences, or to take any other action authorized to be taken by Securityholders pursuant to any of the provisions of Article V;

 

(b) to remove the Trustee and nominate a successor trustee pursuant to the provisions of Article VI;

 

(c) to consent to the execution of an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto pursuant to the provisions of Section 9.02; or

 

(d) to take any other action authorized to be taken by or on behalf of the holders of any specified aggregate principal amount of such Debentures under any other provision of this Indenture or under applicable law.

 

Section 8.02 Call of Meetings by Trustee.

 

The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Securityholders to take any action specified in Section 8.01, to be held at such time and at such place in The City of New York, the Borough of Manhattan, or Wilmington,

 

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Delaware, as the Trustee shall determine. Notice of every meeting of the Securityholders, setting forth the time and the place of such meeting and in general terms the action proposed to be taken at such meeting, shall be mailed to holders of Debentures affected at their addresses as they shall appear on the Debentures Register. Such notice shall be mailed not less than 20 nor more than 180 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.

 

Section 8.03 Call of Meetings by Company or Securityholders.

 

In case at any time the Company pursuant to a Board Resolution, or the holders of at least 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures, as the case may be, then outstanding, shall have requested the Trustee to call a meeting of Securityholders, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have mailed the notice of such meeting within 20 days after receipt of such request, then the Company or such Securityholders may determine the time and the place in Wilmington, Delaware or Arlington, Virginia for such meeting and may call such meeting to take any action authorized in Section 8.01, by mailing notice thereof as provided in Section 8.02.

 

Section 8.04 Qualifications for Voting.

 

To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Securityholders, a Person shall be (a) a holder of one or more Debentures or (b) a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy by a holder of one or more Debentures. The only Persons who shall be entitled to be present or to speak at any meeting of Securityholders shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel and any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and its counsel.

 

Section 8.05 Regulations.

 

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Securityholders, in regard to proof of the holding of Debentures and of the appointment of proxies, and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall deem appropriate.

 

The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing, appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company or by Securityholders as provided in Section 8.03, in which case the Company or the Securityholders calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chairman. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by majority vote at the meeting.

 

Subject to the provisions of Section 7.04, at any meeting each holder of Debentures with respect to which such meeting is being held or proxy therefor shall be entitled to one vote for each $1,000.00 principal amount of Debentures held or represented by such holder; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Debenture challenged as not outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not outstanding. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote other than by virtue of Debentures held by such chairman or instruments in writing as aforesaid duly designating such chairman as the Person to vote on behalf of other Securityholders. Any meeting of Securityholders duly called pursuant to the provisions of Section 8.02 or 8.03 may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of those present, whether or not constituting a quorum, and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.

 

Section 8.06 Voting.

 

The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of holders of Debentures with respect to which such meeting is being held shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of such holders or of their representatives by proxy and the serial number or numbers of the Debentures held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint two inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in triplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record in duplicate of the proceedings of each meeting

 

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of Securityholders shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more Persons having knowledge of the facts setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was mailed as provided in Section 8.02. The record shall show the serial numbers of the Debentures voting in favor of or against any resolution. The record shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one of the duplicates shall be delivered to the Company and the other to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting.

 

Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.

 

Section 8.07 Quorum; Actions.

 

The Persons entitled to vote a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of Securityholders; provided, however, that if any action is to be taken at such meeting with respect to a consent, waiver, request, demand, notice, authorization, direction or other action which may be given by the holders of not less than a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding, the Persons holding or representing such specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding will constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum within 30 minutes of the time appointed for any such meeting, the meeting shall, if convened at the request of Securityholders, be dissolved. In any other case, the meeting may be adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the permanent chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such meeting. In the absence of a quorum at any such adjourned meeting, such adjourned meeting may be further adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the permanent chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such adjourned meeting. Notice of the reconvening of any adjourned meeting shall be given as provided in Section 8.02, except that such notice need be given only once not less than five days prior to the date on which the meeting is scheduled to be reconvened. Notice of the reconvening of an adjourned meeting shall state expressly the percentage, as provided above, of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding which shall constitute a quorum.

 

Except as limited by the proviso in the first paragraph of Section 9.02, any resolution presented to a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present as aforesaid may be adopted by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding; provided, however, that, except as limited by the proviso in the first paragraph of Section 9.02, any resolution with respect to any consent, waiver, request, demand, notice, authorization, direction or other action that this Indenture expressly provides may be given by the holders of not less than a specified percentage in outstanding principal amount of the Debentures may be adopted at a meeting or an adjourned meeting duly reconvened and at which a quorum is present as aforesaid only by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than such specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding.

 

Any resolution passed or decision taken at any meeting of holders of Debentures duly held in accordance with this Section shall be binding on all the Securityholders, whether or not present or represented at the meeting.

 

ARTICLE IX

SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES

 

Section 9.01 Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Securityholders.

 

The Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto, without the consent of the Securityholders, for one or more of the following purposes:

 

(a) to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company, or successive successions, and the assumption by the successor Person of the covenants, agreements and obligations of the Company, pursuant to Article XI hereof, including to expressly state herein that any debt securities (or guarantees in respect thereof) issued by such successor entity on, prior to or following the date of such succession, to any trust, or a trustee of a trust, partnership or other entity affiliated with the successor corporation that is, directly or indirectly, a finance subsidiary (as that term is defined in Section 3a-5 of the Investment Company Act of 1940) or other financing vehicle of the

 

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successor entity or any subsidiary thereof, in connection with the issuance by that entity of preferred securities or other securities that are eligible to qualify as Tier 1 capital (or its then equivalent) for the successor entity under the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, or that would so qualify but for limitations on the amount of such securities includable in Tier 1 capital under such guidelines, shall rank pari passu with the Debentures;

 

(b) to add to the covenants of the Company such further covenants, restrictions or conditions for the protection of the holders of Debentures as the Board of Directors shall consider to be for the protection of the holders of such Debentures, and to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and continuance, of a default in any of such additional covenants, restrictions or conditions a Default or an Event of Default permitting the enforcement of all or any of the several remedies provided in this Indenture as herein set forth; provided, however, that in respect of any such additional covenant, restriction or condition such supplemental indenture may provide for a particular period of grace after default (which period may be shorter or longer than that allowed in the case of other defaults) or may provide for an immediate enforcement upon such default or may limit the remedies available to the Trustee upon such default;

 

(c) to cure any ambiguity or to correct or supplement any provision contained herein or in any supplemental indenture which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision contained herein or in any supplemental indenture, or to make such other provisions in regard to matters or questions arising under this Indenture, provided, that any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Debentures then outstanding;

 

(d) to add to, delete from, or revise the terms of Debentures, including, without limitation, any terms relating to the issuance, exchange, registration or transfer of Debentures, including to provide for transfer procedures and restrictions substantially similar to those applicable to the Preferred Securities, as required by Section 2.05, provided, that any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Debentures then outstanding (it being understood, for purposes of this proviso, that transfer restrictions on Debentures substantially similar to those applicable to Preferred Securities shall not be deemed to adversely affect the holders of the Debentures);

 

(e) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Debentures and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, pursuant to the requirements of Section 6.10;

 

(f) to make any change (other than as elsewhere provided in this Section) that does not adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder in any material respect;

 

(g) [Intentionally Left Blank]; or

 

(h) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the Debentures, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of this Indenture or the Debentures, or to add to the rights of the holders of Debentures.

 

The Trustee is hereby authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any such supplemental indenture, to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations which may be therein contained and to accept the conveyance, transfer and assignment of any property thereunder, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to, but may in its discretion, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.

 

Any supplemental indenture authorized by the provisions of this Section may be executed by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of the holders of any of the Debentures at the time outstanding, notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 9.02.

 

Section 9.02 Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders.

 

With the consent (evidenced as provided in Section 7.01) of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding affected by such supplemental indenture, the Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or

 

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indentures supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the holders of the Debentures; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall, without the consent of the holders of each Debenture then outstanding and affected thereby, (i) change the Maturity Date of any Debenture, or reduce the principal amount thereof or any premium thereon, or reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any amount payable on redemption thereof, or increase the aggregate principal amount of Debentures then outstanding, or change any of the redemption provisions, or make the principal thereof or any interest or premium thereon payable in any coin or currency other than that provided in the Debentures, or impair or affect the right of any Securityholder to institute suit for payment thereof, or (ii) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Debentures the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture; and provided, further, that if the Debentures are held by the Trust or the trustee of the Trust, such supplemental indenture shall not be effective until the holders of a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding Preferred Securities shall have consented to such supplemental indenture; provided, further, that if the consent of the Securityholder of each outstanding Debenture is required, such supplemental indenture shall not be effective until each holder of the outstanding Preferred Securities shall have consented to such supplemental indenture.

 

Upon the request of the Company accompanied by a Board Resolution authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence of the consent of Securityholders (and holders of Preferred Securities, if required) as aforesaid, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such supplemental indenture unless such supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion, but shall not be obligated to, enter into such supplemental indenture.

 

Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Section, the Trustee shall transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, a notice, prepared by the Company, setting forth in general terms the substance of such supplemental indenture, to the Securityholders as their names and addresses appear upon the Debenture Register. Any failure of the Trustee to mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture.

 

It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Securityholders under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such consent shall approve the substance thereof.

 

Section 9.03 Effect of Supplemental Indentures.

 

Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article IX, this Indenture shall be and be deemed to be modified and amended in accordance therewith and the respective rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities under this Indenture of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of Debentures shall thereafter be determined, exercised and enforced hereunder subject in all respects to such modifications and amendments and all the terms and conditions of any such supplemental indenture shall be and be deemed to be part of the terms and conditions of this Indenture for any and all purposes.

 

Section 9.04 Notation on Debentures.

 

Debentures authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article IX may bear a notation as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company or the Trustee shall so determine, new Debentures so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Board of Directors of the Company, to any modification of this Indenture contained in any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company, authenticated by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent and delivered in exchange for the Debentures then outstanding.

 

Section 9.05 Evidence of Compliance of Supplemental Indenture to be Furnished to Trustee.

 

The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections 6.01 and 6.02, shall, in addition to the documents required by Section 14.06, receive an Officers’ Certificate as conclusive evidence that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant hereto complies with the requirements of this Article IX. The Trustee shall also receive an

 

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Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article IX is authorized or permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Article IX and that it is proper for the Trustee under the provisions of this Article IX to join in the execution thereof.

 

ARTICLE X

REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES

 

Section 10.01 Optional Redemption.

 

(a) The Company shall have the right, subject to the receipt by the Company of the prior approval from the Federal Reserve, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the Federal Reserve, to redeem the Debentures, in whole or (provided that all accrued and unpaid interest has been paid on all Debentures) from time to time in part, on any Interest Payment Date on or after September 30, 2013 (each, an “Optional Redemption Date”), at the Optional Redemption Price.

 

(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 10.3, the Company shall have the right to redeem Debentures at any time and from time to time in a principal amount equal to the Liquidation Amount of any Preferred Securities purchased and beneficially owned by the Company, plus an additional principal amount of Debentures equal to the Liquidation Amount of that number of Common Securities that bears the same proportion to the total number of Common Securities then outstanding as the number of Preferred Securities to be redeemed bears to the total number of Preferred Securities then outstanding.  Such Debentures shall be redeemed pursuant to this Section 10.01(b) only in exchange for and upon surrender by the Company to the Property Trustee of the Preferred Securities and a proportionate amount of Common Securities, whereupon the Property Trustee shall cancel the Preferred Securities and Common Securities so surrendered and a Like Amount of Debentures shall be extinguished by the Trustee and shall no longer be deemed Outstanding.

 

Section 10.02 Special Event Redemption.

 

If a Special Event shall occur and be continuing, the Company shall have the right, subject to the receipt by the Company of prior approval from the Federal Reserve, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the Federal Reserve, to redeem the Debentures, in whole but not in part, at any time within 90 days following the occurrence of such Special Event (the “Special Redemption Date”), at the Special Redemption Price.

 

Section 10.03 Notice of Redemption; Selection of Debentures.

 

In case the Company shall desire to exercise the right to redeem all, or, as the case may be, any part of the Debentures, it shall fix a date for redemption and shall mail, or cause the Trustee to mail (at the expense of the Company), a notice of such redemption at least 30 and not more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for redemption to the holders of Debentures so to be redeemed as a whole or in part at their last addresses as the same appear on the Debenture Register. Such mailing shall be by first class mail. The notice if mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the holder receives such notice. In any case, failure to give such notice by mail or any defect in the notice to the holder of any Debenture designated for redemption as a whole or in part shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Debenture.

 

Each such notice of redemption shall specify the CUSIP number, if any, of the Debentures to be redeemed, the date fixed for redemption, the price (or manner of calculation of the price) at which Debentures are to be redeemed, the place or places of payment, that payment will be made upon presentation and surrender of such Debentures, that interest accrued to the date fixed for redemption will be paid as specified in said notice, and that on and after said date interest thereon or on the portions thereof to be redeemed will cease to accrue. If less than all the Debentures are to be redeemed, the notice of redemption shall specify the numbers of the Debentures to be redeemed. In case the Debentures are to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed and shall state that on and after the date fixed for redemption, upon surrender of such Debenture, a new Debenture or Debentures in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued.

 

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Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date specified in the notice of redemption given as provided in this Section, the Company will deposit with the Trustee or with one or more Paying Agents an amount of money sufficient to redeem on such date all the Debentures so called for redemption at the applicable price therefor, together with unpaid interest accrued to such date.

 

The Company will give the Trustee notice not less than 45 nor more than 75 days prior to the Optional Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, and as to the aggregate principal amount of Debentures to be redeemed, and the Trustee shall select, in such manner as in its sole discretion it shall deem appropriate and fair, the Debentures or portions thereof (in integral multiples of $1,000) to be redeemed.

 

Section 10.04 Payment of Debentures Called for Redemption.

 

If notice of redemption has been given as provided in Section 10.03, the Debentures or portions of Debentures with respect to which such notice has been given shall become due and payable on the Optional Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date (as the case may be) and at the place or places stated in such notice at the Optional Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable, together with unpaid interest accrued thereon to said Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date (as the case may be), and on and after said Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date (as the case may be) (unless the Company shall default in the payment of such Debentures at the at the Optional Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable,) interest on the Debentures or portions of Debentures so called for redemption shall cease to accrue. On presentation and surrender of such Debentures at a place of payment specified in said notice, such Debentures or the specified portions thereof shall be paid and redeemed by the Company at the at the Optional Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable; provided, however, that interest payable on any Interest Payment Date on or prior to said Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date will be paid to the holders on the relevant regular record date.

 

Upon presentation of any Debenture redeemed in part only, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery to the holder thereof, at the expense of the Company, a new Debenture or Debentures of authorized denominations in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the Debenture so presented.

 

ARTICLE XI

CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, CONVEYANCE AND LEASE

 

Section 11.01 Company May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms.

 

Nothing contained in this Indenture or in the Debentures shall prevent any consolidation or merger of the Company with or into any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company) or successive consolidations or mergers in which the Company or its successor or successors shall be a party or parties, or shall prevent any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of the property of the Company or its successor or successors as an entirety, or substantially as an entirety, to any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company, or its successor or successors) authorized to acquire and operate the same; provided, however, that the Company hereby covenants and agrees that, upon any such consolidation, merger (where the Company is not the surviving corporation), sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on all of the Debentures in accordance with their terms, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual performance and observance of all the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be kept or performed by the Company, shall be expressly assumed by supplemental indenture satisfactory in form to the Trustee executed and delivered to the Trustee by the entity formed by such consolidation, or into which the Company shall have been merged, or by the entity which shall have acquired such property, and further provided that immediately upon such transaction and succession, there shall not occur or be continuing any Event of Default, or any event which with giving of notice or lapse of time or both would be an Event of Default.

 

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Section 11.02 Successor Entity to be Substituted.

 

(a)                                  In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition contemplated in Section 11.01 and upon the assumption by the successor corporation, by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and reasonably satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the due and punctual payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on all of the Debentures and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed or observed by the Company, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for the Company, with the same effect as if it had been named herein as the Company, and thereupon the predecessor entity shall be relieved of any further liability or obligation hereunder or upon the Debentures. Such successor entity thereupon may cause to be signed, and may issue either in its own name or in the name of the Company, any or all of the Debentures issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent; and, upon the order of such successor entity instead of the Company and subject to all the terms, conditions and limitations in this Indenture prescribed, the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and deliver any Debentures which previously shall have been signed and delivered by the officers of the Company to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent for authentication, and any Debentures which such successor corporation thereafter shall cause to be signed and delivered to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent for that purpose. All the Debentures so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Debentures theretofore or thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Debentures had been issued at the date of the execution hereof.

 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, upon the effectiveness of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition and of the assumption by the successor entity, by supplemental indenture, in accordance with Section 11.01, of the due and punctual payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on all of the Debentures and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed or observed by the Company, then this Indenture and the obligations of the Company (and any successor) hereunder, shall rank pari passu in all respects with any debt securities (or guarantees in respect thereof) issued by such successor corporation on, prior to or following the date of such succession, to any trust, or a trustee of a trust, partnership or other entity affiliated with the successor corporation that is, directly or indirectly, a finance subsidiary (as that term is defined in Section 3a-5 of the Investment Company Act of 1940) or other financing vehicle of the successor entity or any subsidiary thereof, in connection with the issuance by that entity of preferred securities or other securities that are eligible to qualify as Tier 1 capital (or its then equivalent) for the successor entity under the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, or that would so qualify but for limitations on the amount of such securities includable in Tier 1 capital under such guidelines.

 

Section 11.03 Opinion of Counsel to be Given to Trustee.

 

The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections 6.01 and 6.02, shall receive, in addition to the Opinion of Counsel required by Section 9.05, an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, and any assumption, permitted or required by the terms of this Article XI complies with the provisions of this Article XI.

 

ARTICLE XII

SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE

 

Section 12.01 Discharge of Indenture.

 

When (a) the Company shall deliver to the Trustee for cancellation all Debentures theretofore authenticated (other than any Debentures which shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.06) and not theretofore canceled, or (b) all the Debentures not theretofore canceled or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation shall have become due and payable, or are by their terms to become due and payable within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the

 

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Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption, and the Company shall deposit with the Trustee, in trust, funds, which shall be immediately due and payable, sufficient to pay at maturity or upon redemption all of the Debentures (other than any Debentures which shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.06) not theretofore canceled or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal and premium, if any, and interest due or to become due to the Maturity Date, any Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as the case may be, but excluding, however, the amount of any moneys for the payment of principal of and premium, if any, or interest on the Debentures (1) theretofore repaid to the Company in accordance with the provisions of Section 12.04, or (2) paid to any state or to the District of Columbia pursuant to its unclaimed property or similar laws, and if in the case of either clause (a) or (b) above the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company, then this Indenture shall cease to be of further effect except for the provisions of Sections 2.05, 2.06, 2.08, 3.01, 3.02, 3.04, 6.06, 6.09 and 12.04 hereof, which shall survive until such Debentures shall mature or are redeemed, as the case may be, and are paid in full. Thereafter, Sections 6.06 and 12.04 shall survive, and the Trustee, on demand of the Company accompanied by an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture have been complied with, and at the cost and expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction of and discharging this Indenture, the Company, however, hereby agreeing to reimburse the Trustee for any costs or expenses thereafter reasonably and properly incurred by the Trustee in connection with this Indenture or the Debentures.

 

Section 12.02 Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust by Trustee.

 

Subject to the provisions of Section 12.04, all moneys deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 12.01 shall be held in trust and applied by it to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company if acting as its own Paying Agent), to the holders of the particular Debentures for the payment of which such moneys have been deposited with the Trustee, of all sums due and to become due thereon for principal, premium, if any, and interest.

 

Section 12.03 Paying Agent to Repay Moneys Held.

 

Upon the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, all moneys then held by any Paying Agent of the Debentures (other than the Trustee) shall, upon demand of the Company, be repaid to the Company or paid to the Trustee, and thereupon such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys.

 

Section 12.04 Return of Unclaimed Moneys.

 

Any moneys deposited with or paid to the Trustee or any Paying Agent for payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest on Debentures and not applied but remaining unclaimed by the holders of Debentures for two years after the date upon which the principal of and premium, if any, or interest on such Debentures, as the case may be, shall have become due and payable, shall be repaid to the Company by the Trustee or such Paying Agent on written demand; and the holder of any of the Debentures shall thereafter look only to the Company for any payment which such holder may be entitled to collect and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such moneys shall thereupon cease.

 

ARTICLE XIII

IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS,

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

 

Section 13.01 Indenture and Debentures Solely Corporate Obligations.

 

No recourse for the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Debenture, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in this Indenture or in any supplemental indenture, or in any such Debenture, or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator, stockholder, officer, director, employee or agent, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor entity of the Company, either directly or through the Company or any successor entity of the Company, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it

 

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being expressly understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Debentures.

 

ARTICLE XIV

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

 

Section 14.01 Successors.

 

All the covenants, stipulations, promises and agreements of the Company contained in this Indenture shall bind its successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.

 

Section 14.02 Official Acts by Successor Entity.

 

Any act or proceeding by any provision of this Indenture authorized or required to be done or performed by any board, committee or officer of the Company shall and may be done and performed with like force and effect by the like board, committee, officer or other authorized Person of any entity that shall at the time be the lawful successor of the Company.

 

Section 14.03 Surrender of Company Powers.

 

The Company, by instrument in writing executed by authority of 2/3 (two thirds) of its Board of Directors and delivered to the Trustee, may surrender any of the powers reserved to the Company and thereupon such power so surrendered shall terminate both as to the Company and as to any permitted successor.

 

Section 14.04 Addresses for Notices, etc.

 

Any notice or demand which by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given or served by the Trustee or by the Securityholders on the Company may be given or served in writing by being deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box addressed (until another address is filed by the Company with the Trustee for such purpose)

 

to the Company at:

 

 

 

 

 

14201 Sullyfield Circle

 

 

Suite 500

 

 

Chantilly, Virginia 20151

 

 

Attention: William K. Beauchesne

 

 

Telecopy: (703) 633-6157

 

 

Telephone: (703) 633-6120

 

 

 

 

 

with a copy to:

 

 

 

 

 

Noel M. Gruber, Esquire

 

 

4701 Sangamore Road

 

 

Suite P-15

 

 

Bethesda, Maryland 20816

 

 

Telecopy: (301) 229-2443

 

 

Telephone: (301) 229-3400

 

 

 

Any notice, direction, request or demand by any Securityholder or the Company to or upon the Trustee shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or made in writing at the office of Wilmington Trust Company at:

 

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Wilmington Trust Company

 

 

Rodney Square North

 

 

1100 North Market Street

 

 

Wilmington, Delaware ###-###-####

 

 

Attention: Corporate Capital Markets

 

 

Telecopy: (302) 636-4140

 

 

Telephone: (302) 651-1000

 

 

 

Section 14.05 Governing Law.

 

This Indenture and the Debentures shall each be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict of laws principles of said state.

 

Section 14.06 Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent.

 

Upon any application or request by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any provision of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee such certificates and opinions as may be requested by the Trustee or required under the Trust Indenture Act (applied as if this Indenture were subject to the Trust Indenture Act). Each such certificate or opinion shall be given in the form of an Officers’ Certificate, if to be given by an officer of the Company, or an Opinion of Counsel, if to be given by Counsel, and shall comply with the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act and any other requirements set forth in this Indenture.

 

Each certificate or opinion provided for in this Indenture and delivered to the Trustee with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (except certificates delivered pursuant to Section 3.05) shall include (a) a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition and the definitions relating thereto; (b) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based; (c) a statement that, in the opinion of such person, he or she has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him or her to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and (d) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.

 

Section 14.07 Business Day Convention.

 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if any Interest Payment Date, including but not limited to the Maturity Date, any Optional Redemption Date or any Special Redemption Date, falls on a day that is not a Business Day, then any interest payable will be paid on, and such Interest Payment Date will be moved to, the next succeeding Business Day, and no additional interest will accrue in respect of such payment made on such next succeeding Business Day.

 

Section 14.08 Table of Contents, Headings, etc.

 

The table of contents and the titles and headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof, and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.

 

Section 14.09 Execution in Counterparts.

 

This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.

 

Section 14.10 Separability.

 

In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Indenture or in the Debentures shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Indenture or of such Debentures, but this Indenture and such Debentures shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein or therein.

 

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Section 14.11 Assignment.

 

Subject to Article XI, the Company will have the right at all times to assign any of its rights or obligations under this Indenture and the Debentures to a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company; provided, however, that, in the event of any such assignment, the Company will remain liable for all such obligations. Subject to the foregoing, this Indenture is binding upon and inures to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns. This Indenture may not otherwise be assigned by the parties thereto.

 

Section 14.12 Acknowledgment of Rights.

 

The Company acknowledges that, with respect to any Debentures held by the Trust or a trustee of the Trust, if such trustee of the Trust fails to enforce its rights under this Indenture as the holder of Debentures held as the assets of the Trust after the holders of a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding Preferred Securities of the Trust have so directed in writing such trustee, a holder of record of such Preferred Securities may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, institute legal proceedings directly against the Company to enforce such trustee’s rights under this Indenture without first instituting any legal proceedings against such trustee or any other Person. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and such event is attributable to the failure of the Company to pay interest or premium, if any, on or principal of the Debentures on the date such interest, premium, if any, or principal is otherwise due and payable (or, in the case of redemption, on the related Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date (as the case may be)), the Company acknowledges that a holder of outstanding Preferred Securities of the Trust may directly institute a proceeding against the Company for enforcement of payment to such holder directly of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the Debentures having an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Preferred Securities of such holder on or after the respective due date (or Optional Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date (as the case may be)) specified in the Debentures.

 

Section 14.13                          Applicability of the Trust Indenture Act.

 

This Indenture is not being qualified under and is not governed by the Trust Indenture Act; provided, however, certain provisions of the Trust Indenture Act are being referred to or incorporated herein by reference solely to the extent specifically provided herein, and no other provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, or duties or obligations thereunder, are intended to be part of this Indenture.

 

ARTICLE XV

SUBORDINATION OF DEBENTURES

 

Section 15.01 Agreement to Subordinate.

 

The Company covenants and agrees, and each holder of Debentures issued hereunder by such holder’s acceptance thereof likewise covenants and agrees, that all Debentures shall be issued subject to the provisions of this Article XV; and each holder of a Debenture, whether upon original issue or upon transfer or assignment thereof, accepts and agrees to be bound by such provisions.

 

The payment by the Company of the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on all Debentures shall, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, be subordinated and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company, whether outstanding at the date of this Indenture or thereafter incurred; provided, however, that the Debentures shall rank pari passu in all material respects, including in right of payment, with any indebtedness, liabilities or obligations of the Company, or any Subsidiary of the Company, under debt securities under any indenture outstanding as of the date hereof (or guarantees in respect of debt securities) issued to any trust, or a trustee of a trust, partnership or other entity affiliated with the Company that is, directly or indirectly, a finance subsidiary (as such term is defined in Rule 3a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940) or other financing vehicle of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in connection with the issuance by that entity of preferred securities or other securities that are eligible to qualify for Tier 1 capital treatment (or its then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, as then in effect and applicable to the Company, without reference to any limitation on the ability to treat such securities as Tier 1 capital as a result of having cumulative preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, or any

 

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other class of security or interest which the Federal Reserve now or may hereafter accord Tier 1 capital treatment in excess of the amount which may qualify for treatment as Tier 1 capital under applicable capital adequacy guidelines, including but not limited to the debt securities and related guaranties identified in the last sentence of the definition of Senior Indebtedness.

 

The payment by the Company of the payments due on all Debentures issued hereunder shall, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, be subordinated and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company, whether outstanding at the date of this Indenture or thereafter incurred.

 

No provision of this Article XV shall prevent the occurrence of any default or Event of Default hereunder.

 

Section 15.02 Default on Senior Indebtedness.

 

In the event and during the continuation of any default by the Company in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any other amount due on any Senior Indebtedness of the Company following any applicable grace period, or in the event that the maturity of any Senior Indebtedness of the Company has been accelerated because of a default, and such acceleration has not been rescinded or canceled and such Senior Indebtedness has not been paid in full, then, in either case, no payment shall be made by the Company with respect to any payments due on the Debentures.

 

In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment shall be received by the Trustee or any Securityholder when such payment is prohibited by the preceding paragraph of this Section, such payment shall, subject to Section 15.06, be held in trust for the benefit of, and shall be paid over or delivered to, the holders of Senior Indebtedness or their respective representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any of such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, but only to the extent that the holders of the Senior Indebtedness (or their representative or representatives or trustee) notify the Trustee in writing within 90 days of such payment of the amounts then due and owing on the Senior Indebtedness and only the amounts specified in such notice to the Trustee shall be paid to the holders of Senior Indebtedness.

 

Section 15.03 Liquidation; Dissolution; Bankruptcy.

 

Upon any payment by the Company or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to creditors upon any dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other proceedings, all amounts due upon all Senior Indebtedness of the Company shall first be paid in full, or payment thereof provided for in money in accordance with its terms, before any payment is made by the Company on the Debentures; and upon any such dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization, any payment by the Company, or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to which the Securityholders or the Trustee would be entitled to receive from the Company, except for the provisions of this Article XV, shall be paid by the Company, or by any receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidating trustee, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, or by the Securityholders or by the Trustee under this Indenture if received by them or it, directly to the holders of Senior Indebtedness of the Company (pro rata to such holders on the basis of the respective amounts of Senior Indebtedness held by such holders, as calculated by the Company) or their representative or representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any instruments evidencing such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, to the extent necessary to pay such Senior Indebtedness in full, in money or money’s worth, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, before any payment or distribution is made to the Securityholders or to the Trustee.

 

In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, prohibited by the foregoing shall be received by the Trustee or any Securityholder before all Senior Indebtedness of the Company is paid in full, or provision is made for such payment in money in accordance with its terms, such payment or distribution shall be held in trust for the benefit of, and shall be paid over or delivered to, the holders of such Senior Indebtedness or their representative or representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any instruments evidencing such

 

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Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, as calculated by the Company, for application to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company remaining unpaid to the extent necessary to pay such Senior Indebtedness in full in money in accordance with its terms, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the benefit of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness.

 

For purposes of this Article XV, the words “cash, property or securities” shall not be deemed to include shares of stock of the Company as reorganized or readjusted, or securities of the Company or any other corporation provided for by a plan of reorganization or readjustment, the payment of which is subordinated at least to the extent provided in this Article XV with respect to the Debentures to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company, that may at the time be outstanding, provided, that (a) such Senior Indebtedness is assumed by the new corporation, if any, resulting from any such reorganization or readjustment, and (b) the rights of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness are not, without the consent of such holders, altered by such reorganization or readjustment. The consolidation of the Company with, or the merger of the Company into, another corporation or the liquidation or dissolution of the Company following the conveyance, transfer or other disposition of its property as an entirety, or substantially as an entirety, to another corporation upon the terms and conditions provided for in Article XI of this Indenture shall not be deemed a dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization for the purposes of this Section if such other corporation shall, as a part of such consolidation, merger, conveyance or transfer, comply with the conditions stated in Article XI of this Indenture. Nothing in Section 15.02 or in this Section shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.06 of this Indenture.

 

Section 15.04 Subrogation.

 

Subject to the payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company, the Securityholders shall be subrogated to the rights of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions of cash, property or securities of the Company applicable to such Senior Indebtedness until all payments due on the Debentures shall be paid in full; and, for the purposes of such subrogation, no payments or distributions to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness of any cash, property or securities to which the Securityholders or the Trustee would be entitled except for the provisions of this Article XV, and no payment over pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV to or for the benefit of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness by Securityholders or the Trustee, shall, as between the Company, its creditors other than holders of Senior Indebtedness of the Company, and the holders of the Debentures be deemed to be a payment or distribution by the Company to or on account of such Senior Indebtedness. It is understood that the provisions of this Article XV are, and are intended, solely for the purposes of defining the relative rights of the holders of the Debentures, on the one hand, and the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, on the other hand.

 

Nothing contained in this Article XV or elsewhere in this Indenture or in the Debentures is intended to or shall impair, as between the Company, its creditors other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness of the Company, and the holders of the Debentures, the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay to the holders of the Debentures all payments on the Debentures as and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with their terms, or is intended to or shall affect the relative rights of the holders of the Debentures and creditors of the Company other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness of the Company, nor shall anything herein or therein prevent the Trustee or the holder of any Debenture from exercising all remedies otherwise permitted by applicable law upon default under this Indenture, subject to the rights, if any, under this Article XV of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness in respect of cash, property or securities of the Company received upon the exercise of any such remedy.

 

Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article XV, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, and the Securityholders shall be entitled to conclusively rely upon any order or decree made by any court of competent jurisdiction in which such dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization proceedings are pending, or a certificate of the receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidation trustee, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, delivered to the Trustee or to the Securityholders, for the purposes of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such distribution, the holders of Senior Indebtedness and other indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article XV.

 

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Section 15.05 Trustee to Effectuate Subordination.

 

Each Securityholder, by such Securityholder’s acceptance thereof, authorizes and directs the Trustee on such Securityholder’s behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination provided in this Article XV and appoints the Trustee such Securityholder’s attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes.

 

Section 15.06 Notice by the Company.

 

The Company shall give prompt written notice to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Principal Office of the Trustee of any fact known to the Company that would prohibit the making of any payment of moneys to or by the Trustee in respect of the Debt Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article XV or any other provision of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of the existence of any facts that would prohibit the making of any payment of moneys to or by the Trustee in respect of the Debentures pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV unless and until a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Principal Office of the Trustee shall have received written notice thereof from the Company or a holder or holders of Senior Indebtedness or from any trustee therefor; and before the receipt of any such written notice, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, shall be entitled in all respects to assume that no such facts exist; provided, however, that if the Trustee shall not have received the notice provided for in this Section at least two Business Days prior to the date upon which by the terms hereof any money may become payable for any purpose (including, without limitation, the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Debenture), then, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall have full power and authority to receive such money and to apply the same to the purposes for which they were received, and shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary that may be received by it within two Business Days prior to such date.

 

The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, shall be entitled to conclusively rely on the delivery to it of a written notice by a Person representing himself or herself to be a holder of Senior Indebtedness of the Company (or a trustee or representative on behalf of such holder) to establish that such notice has been given by a holder of such Senior Indebtedness or a trustee or representative on behalf of any such holder or holders. In the event that the Trustee determines in good faith that further evidence is required with respect to the right of any Person as a holder of such Senior Indebtedness to participate in any payment or distribution pursuant to this Article XV, the Trustee may request such Person to furnish evidence to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee as to the amount of such Senior Indebtedness held by such Person, the extent to which such Person is entitled to participate in such payment or distribution and any other facts pertinent to the rights of such Person under this Article XV, and, if such evidence is not furnished, the Trustee may defer any payment to such Person pending judicial determination as to the right of such Person to receive such payment.

 

Section 15.07 Rights of the Trustee; Holders of Senior Indebtedness.

 

The Trustee, in its individual capacity, shall be entitled to all the rights set forth in this Article XV in respect of any Senior Indebtedness at any time held by it, to the same extent as any other holder of Senior Indebtedness, and nothing in this Indenture shall deprive the Trustee of any of its rights as such holder.

 

With respect to the holders of Senior Indebtedness of the Company, the Trustee undertakes to perform or to observe only such of its covenants and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Article XV, and no implied covenants or obligations with respect to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. The Trustee shall not owe or be deemed to owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness and, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be liable to any holder of such Senior Indebtedness if it shall pay over or deliver to Securityholders, the Company or any other Person money or assets to which any holder of such Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled by virtue of this Article XV or otherwise.

 

Nothing in this Article XV shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.06.

 

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Section 15.08 Subordination May Not Be Impaired.

 

No right of any present or future holder of any Senior Indebtedness of the Company to enforce subordination as herein provided shall at any time in any way be prejudiced or impaired by any act or failure to act on the part of the Company, or by any act or failure to act, in good faith, by any such holder, or by any noncompliance by the Company, with the terms, provisions and covenants of this Indenture, regardless of any knowledge thereof that any such holder may have or otherwise be charged with.

 

Without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing paragraph, the holders of Senior Indebtedness of the Company may, at any time and from time to time, without the consent of or notice to the Trustee or the Securityholders, without incurring responsibility to the Securityholders and without impairing or releasing the subordination provided in this Article XV or the obligations hereunder of the holders of the Debentures to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, do any one or more of the following: (a) change the manner, place or terms of payment or extend the time of payment of, or renew or alter, such Senior Indebtedness, or otherwise amend or supplement in any manner such Senior Indebtedness or any instrument evidencing the same or any agreement under which such Senior Indebtedness is outstanding; (b) sell, exchange, release or otherwise deal with any property pledged, mortgaged or otherwise securing such Senior Indebtedness; (c) release any Person liable in any manner for the collection of such Senior Indebtedness; and (d) exercise or refrain from exercising any rights against the Company or any other Person.

 

[Signatures appear on the following page]

 

46



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized, as of the day and year first above written.

 

 

 

VIRGINIA COMMERCE BANCORP, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name: Peter A. Converse

 

Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY

 

AS TRUSTEE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 

Title:

 

47



 

 

 

Annex A

 

 

 

NO:

$

 

 

 

 

CUSIP NO:

 

 

 

FIXED RATE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURE

VIRGINIA COMMERCE BANCORP, INC.

 

THIS SECURITY IS NOT A SAVINGS ACCOUNT OR DEPOSIT AND IT IS NOT INSURED BY THE UNITED STATES OR ANY AGENCY OR FUND OF THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION.

 

[THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING.  ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.]

 

THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER SUCH SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE COMPANY, (B) PURSUANT TO RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT (“RULE 144A”), TO A PERSON THE HOLDER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A “QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER” AS DEFINED IN RULE 144A THAT PURCHASES FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER TO WHOM NOTICE IS GIVEN THAT THE TRANSFER IS BEING MADE IN RELIANCE ON RULE 144A, (C) PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT TO AN “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (a) (1), (2), (3) OR (7) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THE SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN “ACCREDITED INVESTOR,” FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (D) PURSUANT TO ANOTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE COMPANY’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER PURSUANT TO CLAUSES (C) OR (D) TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION

 



 

AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO IT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INDENTURE, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE COMPANY. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.

 

THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT WILL NOT ENGAGE IN HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTIONS ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT.

 

[THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE THEREOF. THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR A SECURITY REGISTERED, AND NO TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IN WHOLE OR IN PART MAY BE REGISTERED, IN THE NAME OF ANY PERSON OTHER THAN SUCH DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE THEREOF, EXCEPT IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE.

 

UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), TO THE ISSUER OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OR TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.]

 

A-2



 

Fixed Rate Junior Subordinated Debenture

 

of

 

VIRGINIA COMMERCE BANCORP, INC.

 

Virginia Commerce Bancorp, Inc., a Virginia corporation (the “Company” which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for value received promises to pay to                                            or registered assigns, the principal sum of                                      dollars ($                    ) on September 30, 2038, and to pay interest on said principal sum from                 , 2008, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date (as defined below) to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, quarterly (subject to deferral as set forth herein) in arrears on the thirtieth (30th) day of March, June, September and December of each year or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each such date, an “Interest Payment Date”), commencing on the Interest Payment Date in December 2008, at an annual rate equal to 10.20% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and until the principal hereof is paid or duly provided for or made available for payment, and on any overdue principal and (without duplication and to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law) on any overdue installment of interest (including Additional Interest) at the Interest Rate, compounded quarterly, from the dates such amounts are due until they are paid or made available for payment.  The amount of interest payable will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.  The interest installment so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Debenture (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment, which shall be fifteen days prior to the day on which the relevant Interest Payment Date occurs.  Any such interest installment not so punctually paid or duly provided for shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such regular record date and may be paid to the Person in whose name this Debenture (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on a special record date.

 

The principal of and interest on this Debenture shall be payable at the office or agency of the Trustee (or other paying agent appointed by the Company) maintained for that purpose in any coin or currency of the United States of America that at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts; provided, however, that payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the registered holder at such address as shall appear in the Debenture Register if a request for a wire transfer by such holder has not been received by the Company or by wire transfer to an account appropriately designated by the Holder hereof.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, so long as the holder of this Debenture is the Institutional Trustee, the payment of the principal of and interest on this Debenture will be made in immediately available funds at such place and to such account as may be designated by the Trustee.

 

So long as no Acceleration Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Company shall have the right, from time to time, and without causing an Event of Default, to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures at any time and from time to time during the term of the Debentures, for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each such extended interest payment period, an “Extension Period”), during which Extension Period no interest (including Additional Interest) shall be due and payable (except any Additional Amounts that may be due and payable). No Extension Period may end on a date other than an Interest Payment Date.  During an Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Interest Rate, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”).  At the end of any such Extension Period the Company shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional

 

A-3



 

Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date; provided further, however, that during any such Extension Period, the Company shall not and shall not permit any Subsidiary to engage in any of the activities or transactions described on the reverse side hereof and Section 3.8 of the Indenture. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Company may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date.  Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Company may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements.  No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest.  The Company must give the Trustee notice of its election to begin or extend an Extension Period by the close of business at least 15 Business Days prior to the Interest Payment Date with respect to which interest on the Debentures would have been payable except for the election to begin or extend such Extension Period.

 

The indebtedness evidenced by this Debenture is, to the extent provided in the Indenture, subordinate and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, and this Debenture is issued subject to the provisions of the Indenture with respect thereto.  Each holder of this Debenture, by accepting the same, (a) agrees to and shall be bound by such provisions, (b) authorizes and directs the Trustee on his or her behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to acknowledge or effectuate the subordination so provided and (c) appoints the Trustee his or her attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes.  Each holder hereof, by his or her acceptance hereof, hereby waives all notice of the acceptance of the subordination provisions contained herein and in the Indenture by each holder of Senior Indebtedness, whether now outstanding or hereafter incurred, and waives reliance by each such holder upon said provisions.

 

This Debenture shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture hereinafter referred to, be valid or become obligatory for any purpose until the certificate of authentication hereon shall have been signed by or on behalf of the Trustee.

 

The provisions of this Debenture are continued on the reverse side hereof and such provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.

 

A-4



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has duly executed this certificate.

 

 

VIRGINIA COMMERCE BANCORP, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 

A-5



 

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

 

This certificate represents Debentures referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

 

 

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, not in its
individual capacity but solely as Trustee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Authorized Officer

 

A-6



 

REVERSE OF DEBENTURE

 

This Debenture is one of the fixed rate junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures of the Company, all issued or to be issued under and pursuant to the Indenture dated as of                 , 2008 (the “Indenture”), duly executed and delivered between the Company and the Trustee, to which Indenture reference is hereby made for a description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of the Debentures.  The Debentures are limited in aggregate principal amount as specified in the Indenture.

 

Upon the occurrence and continuation of a Special Event prior to the Interest Payment Date in September 2013, the Company shall have the right to redeem the Debentures in whole, but not in part, at any time, within 90 days following the occurrence of such Special Event, at the Special Redemption Price.

 

In addition, the Company shall have the right to redeem the Debentures, in whole or in part, but in all cases in a principal amount with integral multiples of $1,000.00, on any Interest Payment Date on or after the Interest Payment Date in September 2013, at the Optional Redemption Price.

 

Prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the Optional Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, the Company will deposit with the Trustee or with one or more paying agents an amount of money sufficient to redeem on the Optional Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable, all the Debentures so called for redemption at the appropriate Optional Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price.

 

The Company will give the Trustee notice not less than 45 nor more than 75 days, respectively, prior to the Optional Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, as to the aggregate principal amount of Debentures to be redeemed and the Trustee shall select, in such manner as in its sole discretion it shall deem appropriate and fair, the Debentures or portions thereof (in integral multiples of $1,000.00) to be redeemed.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, any redemption of Debentures by the Company shall be subject to the receipt of any and all required regulatory approvals.

 

In case an Acceleration Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, upon demand of the Trustee, the principal of all of the Debentures shall become due and payable in the manner, with the effect and subject to the conditions provided in the Indenture.

 

The Indenture contains provisions permitting the Company and the Trustee, with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding, to execute supplemental indentures for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the holders of the Debentures; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall without the consent of the holders of each Debenture then outstanding and affected thereby (i) change the fixed maturity of any Debenture, or reduce the principal amount thereof or any premium thereon, or reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any amount payable on redemption thereof or make the principal thereof or any interest or premium thereon payable in any coin or currency other than that provided in the Debentures, or impair or affect the right of any Securityholder to institute suit for payment thereof or impair the right of repayment, if any, at the option of the holder, or (ii) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Debentures the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture.

 

The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding on behalf of the holders of all of the Debentures to waive (or modify any previously granted waiver of) any past default or Event of Default, and its consequences, except a default (a) in the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Debentures, (b) in respect of covenants or provisions hereof or of the Indenture which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each Debenture affected, or (c) in respect of the covenants contained in Section 3.09 of the Indenture; provided, however, that if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of such trust, such waiver or modification to such waiver shall not be effective until the holders of a majority in liquidation amount of Preferred Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver or modification to such waiver, provided, further, that if the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debenture is required, such waiver shall not be effective until each holder of the Preferred Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver.  Upon any such waiver, the default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of the Indenture and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.  Whenever any default or Event of Default hereunder shall have been waived as permitted by the Indenture, said default or Event of Default shall for all purposes of the Debentures and the Indenture be deemed to have been cured and to be not continuing.

 

No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Debenture or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, including Additional Interest, on this Debenture at the time and place and at the rate and in the money herein prescribed.

 

The Company has agreed that if Debentures are initially issued to the Trust or a trustee of such Trust in connection with the issuance of Preferred Securities by the Trust (regardless of whether Debentures continue to be held by such Trust) and (i) there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default, (ii) the Company shall be in default with respect to its payment of any obligations under the Preferred Securities Guarantee, or (iii) the Company shall have given notice of its election to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period as provided herein and such Extension Period, or any extension thereof, shall be continuing, then the Company shall not and shall not allow any Subsidiary of the Company to, (x) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company’s capital stock or its Subsidiary’s capital stock (other than payments of dividends or

 

A-7



 

distributions to the Company or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (y) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Company or any Subsidiary that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (x) and (y) above, (1) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, Default or Event of Default, (2) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Company’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a Subsidiary of the Company) for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Company’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock, (3) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (4) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (5) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (6) a dividend or distribution on, a redemption, purchase or acquisition of, or a liquidation payment with respect to equity securities of an Insured Depository Institution subsidiary, or (7) payments under the Preferred Securities Guarantee)

 

The Debentures are issuable only in registered, certificated form without coupons and in minimum denominations of $1,000.00 and any multiple of $1,000.00 in excess thereof.  As provided in the Indenture and subject to the transfer restrictions and limitations as may be contained herein and therein from time to time, this Debenture is transferable by the holder hereof on the Debenture Register of the Company.  Upon due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose as provided in Section 3.02 of the Indenture, the Company shall execute, the Company or the Trustee shall register and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in the name of the transferee or transferees a new Debenture for a like aggregate principal amount.  All Debentures presented for registration of transfer or for exchange or payment shall (if so required by the Company or the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent) be duly endorsed by, or be accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to, the Company and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent duly executed by the holder or his attorney duly authorized in writing.  No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Debentures, but the Company or the Trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith.

 

Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture, the Company, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any paying agent, any transfer agent and any Debenture registrar may deem the Person in whose name such Debenture shall be registered upon the Debenture Register to be, and may treat him as, the absolute owner of such Debenture (whether or not such Debenture shall be overdue) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such Debenture and for all other purposes; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent nor any paying agent nor any transfer agent nor any Debenture registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.  All such payments so made to any holder for the time being or upon his order shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sum or sums so paid, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for moneys payable upon any such Debenture.

 

No recourse for the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Debenture, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in the Indenture or in any supplemental indenture, or in any such Debenture, or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator, stockholder, employee, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor Person of the Company, either directly or through the Company or any successor Person of the Company, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise, it being expressly understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of the Indenture and the issue of the Debentures.

 

Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Debenture shall have the meanings assigned in the Indenture dated as of the date of original issuance of this Debenture between the Trustee and the Company.

 

THE INDENTURE AND THE DEBENTURES SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PRINCIPLES THEREOF.

 

A-8



 

Annex B

 

FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF OFFICER OF THE COMPANY

 

Pursuant to Section 3.05 of the Indenture, dated as of                     , 2008 (as amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Indenture”), between Virginia Commerce Bancorp, Inc., as issuer (the “Company”), and Wilmington Trust Company, as trustee, the undersigned certifies that he/she is a [principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer] of the Company and in the course of the performance by the undersigned of his/her duties as an officer of the Company, the undersigned would normally have knowledge of any default by the Company in the performance of any covenants contained in the Indenture, and the undersigned hereby further certifies that he/she has no knowledge of any default for the fiscal year ending on                     , 20       [, except as follows: specify each such default and the nature thereof].

 

Capitalized terms used herein, and not otherwise defined herein, have the respective meanings assigned thereto in the Indenture.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Certificate as of                         , 20        .

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

 

Title: