EX-10.1 3 creditagreementaugust312022.htm EX-10.1
EXECUTION COPY

CREDIT AGREEMENT
dated as of
August 31, 2022
among
HEARTLAND EXPRESS, INC.,
as Holdings
HEARTLAND EXPRESS, INC. OF IOWA,
as Borrower
The other Loan Parties Party Hereto,
The Lenders Party Hereto
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,
as Syndication Agent
and
WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Administrative Agent
___________________________
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. and WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC,
as Joint Bookrunners and Joint Lead Arrangers

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

ARTICLE I Definitions | 1
SECTION 1.01. Defined Terms. | 1
SECTION 1.02. Classification of Loans and Borrowings. | 32
SECTION 1.03. Terms Generally.. | 32
SECTION 1.04. Accounting Terms; GAAP. | 33
SECTION 1.05. Pro Forma Adjustments.. | 33
SECTION 1.06. Status of Obligations. | 34
SECTION 1.07. Interest Rates. | 34
SECTION 1.08. Letter of Credit Amounts. | 35
SECTION 1.09. Divisions.. | 35
ARTICLE II The Credits | 35
SECTION 2.01. Commitments. | 35
SECTION 2.02. Loans and Borrowings. | 35
SECTION 2.03. Requests for Borrowings. | 36
SECTION 2.04. [Intentionally Omitted]. | 37
SECTION 2.05. Swingline Loans. | 37
SECTION 2.06. Letters of Credit. | 38
SECTION 2.07. Funding of Borrowings. | 43
SECTION 2.08. Interest Elections. | 44
SECTION 2.09. Termination and Reduction of Commitments; Increase in Revolving Commitments; Incremental Term Loans. | 45
SECTION 2.10. Repayment and Amortization of Loans; Evidence of Debt. | 47
SECTION 2.11. Prepayment of Loans. | 49

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SECTION 2.12. Fees. | 49
SECTION 2.13. Interest. | 50
SECTION 2.14. Alternate Rate of Interest. | 51
SECTION 2.15. Increased Costs. | 53
SECTION 2.16. Break Funding Payments. | 55
SECTION 2.17. Taxes. | 55
SECTION 2.18. Payments Generally; Allocation of Proceeds; Sharing of Set-offs. | 58
SECTION 2.19. Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders. | 60
SECTION 2.20. Defaulting Lenders. | 61
SECTION 2.21. Returned Payments. | 63
SECTION 2.22. Banking Services and Swap Agreements.. | 64
ARTICLE III Representations and Warranties | 64
SECTION 3.01. Organization; Powers.. | 64
SECTION 3.02. Authorization; Enforceability. | 64
SECTION 3.03. Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts. | 64
SECTION 3.04. Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change. | 65
SECTION 3.05. Properties. | 65
SECTION 3.06. Litigation and Environmental Matters | 65
SECTION 3.07. Compliance with Laws and Agreements; No Default. | 65
SECTION 3.08. Investment Company Status. | 65
SECTION 3.09. Taxes.. | 66
SECTION 3.10. ERISA.. | 66
SECTION 3.11. Disclosure. | 66
SECTION 3.12. Material Agreements. | 66

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SECTION 3.13. Solvency. | 66
SECTION 3.14. Insurance. | 67
SECTION 3.15. Capitalization and Subsidiaries. | 67
SECTION 3.16. [Intentionally Omitted]. | 67
SECTION 3.17. Employment Matters. | 67
SECTION 3.18. Margin Regulations.. | 67
SECTION 3.19. Use of Proceeds.. | 67
SECTION 3.20. No Burdensome Restrictions. . | 67
SECTION 3.21. Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions.. | 67
SECTION 3.22. Affected Financial Institutions | 68
SECTION 3.23. Plan Assets; Prohibited Transactions | 68
ARTICLE IV Conditions | 68
SECTION 4.01. Effective Date. | 68
SECTION 4.02. Each Credit Event. | 70
ARTICLE V Affirmative Covenants | 71
SECTION 5.01. Financial Statements and Other Information. | 71
SECTION 5.02. Notices of Material Events. | 73
SECTION 5.03. Existence; Conduct of Business. | 73
SECTION 5.04. Payment of Obligations. | 74
SECTION 5.05. Maintenance of Properties. . | 74
SECTION 5.06. Books and Records; Inspection Rights.. | 74
SECTION 5.07. Compliance with Laws and Material Contractual Obligations. | 74
SECTION 5.08. Use of Proceeds. | 74
SECTION 5.09. Accuracy of Information. . | 75

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SECTION 5.10. Insurance. | 75
SECTION 5.11. Subsidiary Guarantors; Further Assurances.. | 75
SECTION 5.12. Post-Closing Requirements. | 76
ARTICLE VI Negative Covenants | 76
SECTION 6.01. Indebtedness. | 76
SECTION 6.02. Liens. | 78
SECTION 6.03. Fundamental Changes. | 79
SECTION 6.04. Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions. | 81
SECTION 6.05. Asset Sales. | 81
SECTION 6.06. Sale and Leaseback Transactions. | 82
SECTION 6.07. Swap Agreements. | 82
SECTION 6.08. Restricted Payments; Certain Payments of Indebtedness. | 83
SECTION 6.09. Transactions with Affiliates. | 84
SECTION 6.10. Restrictive Agreements. | 84
SECTION 6.11. Amendment of Material Documents.. | 84
SECTION 6.12. Financial Covenants. | 84
ARTICLE VII Events of Default | 85
ARTICLE VIII The Administrative Agent and Chase | 87
SECTION 8.01. Authorization and Action. | 87
SECTION 8.02. Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Etc. | 90
SECTION 8.03. Posting of Communications. | 91
SECTION 8.04. The Administrative Agent Individually.. | 92
SECTION 8.05. Successor Administrative Agent. | 93

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SECTION 8.06. Acknowledgments of Lenders and Issuing Banks. | 93
SECTION 8.07. Erroneous Payments. | 95
SECTION 8.08. [Reserved]. | 96
SECTION 8.09. Certain ERISA Matters. | 96
ARTICLE IX Miscellaneous | 98
SECTION 9.01. Notices. | 98
SECTION 9.02. Waivers; Amendments. | 99
SECTION 9.03. Expenses; Limitation of Liability; Indemnity; Etc. | 101
SECTION 9.04. Successors and Assigns. | 103
SECTION 9.05. Survival. | 107
SECTION 9.06. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution. | 107
SECTION 9.07. Severability. | 108
SECTION 9.08. Right of Setoff. | 108
SECTION 9.09. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process. | 109
SECTION 9.10. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. | 110
SECTION 9.11. Headings. . | 110
SECTION 9.12. Confidentiality. | 110
SECTION 9.13. Several Obligations; Nonreliance; Violation of Law. | 111
SECTION 9.14. USA PATRIOT Act. | 111
SECTION 9.15. Disclosure. | 111
SECTION 9.16. [Reserved]. | 111
SECTION 9.17. Interest Rate Limitation. | 111
SECTION 9.18. No Fiduciary Duty, etc. | 112
SECTION 9.19. [Reserved]. | 112

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SECTION 9.20. Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions. | 112
SECTION 9.21. Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs. | 113
ARTICLE X Loan Guaranty | 114
SECTION 10.01. Guaranty. | 114
SECTION 10.02. Guaranty of Payment. . | 114
SECTION 10.03. No Discharge or Diminishment of Loan Guaranty. | 114
SECTION 10.04. Defenses Waived. | 115
SECTION 10.05. Rights of Subrogation. | 115
SECTION 10.06. Reinstatement; Stay of Acceleration. | 115
SECTION 10.07. Information. | 115
SECTION 10.08. Release of Loan Guarantors. | 115
SECTION 10.09. Taxes. | 116
SECTION 10.10. Maximum Liability.. | 116
SECTION 10.11. Contribution. | 116
SECTION 10.12. Liability Cumulative. | 117
SECTION 10.13. Keepwell. | 117

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SCHEDULES:
Commitment Schedule
Existing Letters of Credit Schedule
Schedule 3.14 – Insurance
Schedule 3.15 – Capitalization and Subsidiaries
Schedule 5.12 – Post-Closing Requirements
Schedule 6.01 – Existing Indebtedness
Schedule 6.02 – Existing Liens
Schedule 6.04 – Existing Investments
Schedule 6.10 – Existing Restrictions
EXHIBITS:
Exhibit A – Assignment and Assumption
Exhibit B – Opinion of Counsel for the Loan Parties
Exhibit C-1 – Borrowing Request
Exhibit C-2 – Interest Election Request
Exhibit D-1 – U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (For Foreign Lenders That Are Not Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Exhibit D-2 – U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (For Foreign Participants That Are Not Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Exhibit D-3 – U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (For Foreign Participants That Are Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Exhibit D-4 – U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (For Foreign Lenders That Are Partnerships For U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes)
Exhibit E – Compliance Certificate
Exhibit F – Joinder Agreement
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CREDIT AGREEMENT dated as of August 31, 2022 (as it may be amended, restated, supplemented or modified from time to time, this “Agreement”), among HEARTLAND EXPRESS, INC., as Holdings, HEARTLAND EXPRESS, INC. OF IOWA, as Borrower, the other Loan Parties party hereto, the Lenders party hereto, JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as Syndication Agent, and WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Administrative Agent.
The parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
Definitions
SECTION 1.01.Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:
“ABR”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, is bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Alternate Base Rate.
“Acquisition” means any transaction, or any series of related transactions, consummated on or after the Effective Date, by which any Loan Party or Subsidiary (a) acquires any going business or all or substantially all of the assets of any Person, whether through purchase of assets, merger or otherwise or (b) directly or indirectly acquires (in one transaction or as the most recent transaction in a series of transactions) at least a majority (in number of votes) of the Equity Interests of a Person which has ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other similar management personnel of a Person (other than Equity Interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) or a majority of the outstanding Equity Interests of a Person.
“Adjusted Covenant Period” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.12(a).
“Adjusted Term SOFR” means, for purposes of any calculation, the rate per annum equal to (a) Term SOFR for such calculation plus (b) the Term SOFR Adjustment; provided that if Adjusted Term SOFR as so determined shall ever be less than the Floor, then Adjusted Term SOFR shall be deemed to be the Floor.
“Administrative Agent” means Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (or any of its designated branch offices or affiliates), in its capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders hereunder.
“Administrative Questionnaire” means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form supplied by the Administrative Agent.
“Affected Financial Institution” means (a) any EEA Financial Institution or (b) any UK Financial Institution.
“Affiliate” means, with respect to a specified Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the specified Person.
“Agent-Related Person” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.03(d).
“Aggregate Credit Exposure” means, at any time, the aggregate Credit Exposure of all the Lenders at such time.
“Aggregate Revolving Exposure” means, at any time, the aggregate Revolving Exposure of all the Lenders at such time.

“Alternate Base Rate” means, at any time, the highest of (a) the Prime Rate, (b) the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.50% and (c) Adjusted Term SOFR for a one-month tenor in effect on such day plus 1.0%; each change in the Alternate Base Rate shall take effect simultaneously with the corresponding change or changes in the Prime Rate, the Federal Funds Rate or Adjusted Term SOFR, as applicable (provided that clause (c) shall not be applicable during any period in which Adjusted Term SOFR is unavailable or unascertainable). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Alternate Base Rate be less than 1.00%.
“Ancillary Document” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.06(b).
“Anti-Corruption Laws” means all laws, rules, and regulations of any jurisdiction applicable to Holdings, the Borrower or any of its Affiliates from time to time concerning or relating to bribery or corruption.
“Applicable EBITDA” means, at any time, Consolidated EBITDA for Holdings and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP for the most recent Test Period.
“Applicable Parties” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.03(c).
“Applicable Percentage” means, at any time, (a) with respect to any Revolving Lender, a percentage equal to a fraction the numerator of which is such Lender’s Revolving Commitment at such time and the denominator of which is the aggregate Revolving Commitments at such time (provided that, if the Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, the Applicable Percentages shall be determined based upon such Lender’s share of the Aggregate Revolving Exposure at such time); provided that, in accordance with Section 2.20, so long as any Lender shall be a Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lender’s Revolving Commitment shall be disregarded in the calculations under clause (a) above, and (b) with respect to any Term Lender, a percentage equal to a fraction the numerator of which is the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Term Loans of such Lender at such time and the denominator of which is the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Term Loans of all Term Lenders at such time; provided that, in accordance with Section 2.20, so long as any Lender shall be a Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lender’s Term Loans shall be disregarded in the calculations under clause (b) above.
“Applicable Rate” means, for any day, with respect to any ABR Loan or SOFR Loan, or with respect to the commitment fees payable hereunder, as the case may be, the applicable rate per annum set forth below under the caption “ABR Spread”, “SOFR Spread” or “Commitment Fee Rate”, as the case may be, based upon the Net Leverage Ratio of Holdings as of the most recent determination date, provided that, until the delivery to the Administrative Agent of the Financial Statements pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) for the fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2022, the “Applicable Rate” shall be the applicable rates per annum set forth below in Category 3:
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Net Leverage Ratio | ABR Spread | SOFR Spread | Commitment Fee Rate
Category 1 < 0.50 to 1.00 | 0.250% | 1.250% | 0.125%
Category 2 ≥ 0.50 to 1.00 but < 1.00 to 1.00 | 0.375% | 1.375% | 0.150%
Category 3 ≥ 1.00 to 1.00 but < 1.50 to 1.00 | 0.625% | 1.625% | 0.175%
Category 4 ≥ 1.50 to 1.00 but < 2.00 to 1.00 | 0.750% | 1.750% | 0.200%
Category 5 ≥ 2.00 to 1.00 | 0.875% | 1.875% | 0.250%

For purposes of the foregoing, (a) the Applicable Rate shall be determined as of the end of each fiscal quarter of Holdings, based upon the Financial Statements delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) for such fiscal quarter and (b) each change in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in the Net Leverage Ratio shall be effective during the period commencing on and including the date of delivery to the Administrative Agent of such Financial Statements indicating such change and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date of the next such change, provided that at the option of the Administrative Agent or at the request of the Required Lenders, if Holdings or the Borrower fails to deliver the annual or quarterly Financial Statements required to be delivered by it pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b), the Net Leverage Ratio shall be deemed to be in Category 5 during the period from the expiration of the time for delivery thereof until such consolidated financial statements are delivered.
If at any time the Administrative Agent determines that the Financial Statements upon which the Applicable Rate was determined were incorrect (whether based on a restatement, fraud or otherwise), or any ratio or compliance information in a Compliance Certificate or other certification was incorrectly calculated, relied on incorrect information or was otherwise not accurate, true or correct, the Borrower shall be required to retroactively pay any additional amount that the Borrower would have been required to pay if such Financial Statements, Compliance Certificate or other information had been accurate and/or computed correctly at the time they were delivered.
“Approved Electronic Platform” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.03(a).
“Approved Fund” has the meaning assigned to the term in Section 9.04(b).
“Arranger” means each of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC in its respective capacity as joint bookrunner and joint lead arranger for the credit facilities evidenced by this Agreement.
“Assignment and Assumption” means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 9.04), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in the form of Exhibit A or any other form (including electronic records generated by the use of an electronic platform) approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Availability Period” means the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the earlier of the Revolving Credit Maturity Date and the date of termination of the Revolving Commitments.
“Available Tenor” means, as of any date of determination and with respect to the then-current Benchmark, as applicable, (a) if such Benchmark is a term rate, any tenor for such Benchmark (or component thereof) that is or may be used for determining the length of an interest period pursuant to this Agreement or (b) otherwise, any payment period for interest calculated with reference to such Benchmark
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(or component thereof) that is or may be used for determining any frequency of making payments of interest calculated with reference to such Benchmark, in each case, as of such date and not including, for the avoidance of doubt, any tenor for such Benchmark that is then-removed from the definition of “Interest Period” pursuant to Section 2.14.
“Bail-In Action” means the exercise of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority in respect of any liability of an Affected Financial Institution.
“Bail-In Legislation” means (a) with respect to any EEA Member Country implementing Article 55 of Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union, the implementing law, regulation, rule or requirement for such EEA Member Country from time to time which is described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, Part I of the United Kingdom Banking Act 2009 (as amended from time to time) and any other law, regulation or rule applicable in the United Kingdom relating to the resolution of unsound or failing banks, investment firms or other financial institutions or their affiliates (other than through liquidation, administration or other insolvency proceedings).
“Balance Sheet Cash” means the cash on the balance sheet of the Borrower and Holdings in an aggregate amount not less than the amount required to consummate the Closing Date Acquisition pursuant to the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement after taking into consideration the use of proceeds hereunder.
“Banking Services” means each and any of the following bank services provided to any Loan Party or any Subsidiary by any Lender or any of its Affiliates: (a) credit cards for commercial customers (including, without limitation, “commercial credit cards” and purchasing cards), (b) stored value cards, (c) merchant processing services, and (d) treasury management services (including, without limitation, controlled disbursement, automated clearinghouse transactions, return items, any direct debit scheme or arrangement, overdrafts and interstate depository network services and cash pooling services).
“Banking Services Obligations” means any and all obligations of the Loan Parties or its Subsidiaries, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor) in connection with Banking Services.
“Bankruptcy Code” means Title 11 of the United States Code entitled “Bankruptcy,” as now and hereafter in effect, or any successor thereto, as hereafter amended.
“Bankruptcy Event” means, with respect to any Person, when such Person becomes the subject of a voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, or has had a receiver, conservator, trustee, administrator, custodian, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with the reorganization or liquidation of its business, appointed for it, or, in the good faith determination of the Administrative Agent, has taken any action in furtherance of, or indicating its consent to, approval of, or acquiescence in, any such proceeding or appointment or has had any order for relief in such proceeding entered in respect thereof, provided that a Bankruptcy Event shall not result solely by virtue of any ownership interest, or the acquisition of any ownership interest, in such Person by a Governmental Authority or instrumentality thereof, unless such ownership interest results in or provides such Person with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the U.S. or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permits such Person (or such Governmental Authority or instrumentality) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made by such Person.
“Benchmark” means, initially, the Term SOFR Reference Rate; provided that if a Benchmark Transition Event has occurred with respect to the Term SOFR Reference Rate or the then-current Benchmark, then “Benchmark” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement to the extent that such Benchmark Replacement has replaced such prior benchmark rate pursuant to Section 2.14.
“Benchmark Replacement” means, with respect to any Benchmark Transition Event, the sum of: (a) the alternate benchmark rate that has been selected by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower
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giving due consideration to (i) any selection or recommendation of a replacement benchmark rate or the mechanism for determining such a rate by the Relevant Governmental Body or (ii) any evolving or then-prevailing market convention for determining a benchmark rate as a replacement to the then-current Benchmark for Dollar-denominated syndicated credit facilities and (b) the related Benchmark Replacement Adjustment; provided that, if such Benchmark Replacement as so determined would be less than the Floor, such Benchmark Replacement will be deemed to be the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
“Benchmark Replacement Adjustment” means, with respect to any replacement of the then-current Benchmark with an Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement for any applicable Available Tenor, the spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) that has been selected by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower giving due consideration to (a) any selection or recommendation of a spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for the replacement of such Benchmark with the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement by the Relevant Governmental Body or (b) any evolving or then-prevailing market convention for determining a spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for the replacement of such Benchmark with the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement for Dollar-denominated syndicated credit facilities.
“Benchmark Replacement Date” means the earliest to occur of the following events with respect to the then-current Benchmark:
(a)in the case of clause (a) or (b) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event,” the later of (i) the date of the public statement or publication of information referenced therein and (ii) the date on which the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) permanently or indefinitely ceases to provide all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof); or
(b)in the case of clause (c) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event,” the first date on which such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) has been determined and announced by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) to be non-representative; provided that such non-representativeness will be determined by reference to the most recent statement or publication referenced in such clause (c) and even if any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) continues to be provided on such date.
For the avoidance of doubt, the “Benchmark Replacement Date” will be deemed to have occurred in the case of clause (a) or (b) with respect to any Benchmark upon the occurrence of the applicable event or events set forth therein with respect to all then-current Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof).
“Benchmark Transition Event” means the occurrence of one or more of the following events with respect to the then-current Benchmark:
(a)a public statement or publication of information by or on behalf of the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) announcing that such administrator has ceased or will cease to provide all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof), permanently or indefinitely; provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof);
(b)a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof), the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, an insolvency official with jurisdiction over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component), a resolution authority with jurisdiction over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component) or a court or an entity with similar insolvency or resolution authority over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component), which states that the administrator of such Benchmark (or such component) has ceased or will cease to provide
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all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) permanently or indefinitely; provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof); or
(c)a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof)announcing that all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) are not, or as of a specified future date will not be, representative.
For the avoidance of doubt, a “Benchmark Transition Event” will be deemed to have occurred with respect to any Benchmark if a public statement or publication of information set forth above has occurred with respect to each then-current Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof).
“Benchmark Transition Start Date” means, in the case of a Benchmark Transition Event, the earlier of (a) the applicable Benchmark Replacement Date and (b) if such Benchmark Transition Event is a public statement or publication of information of a prospective event, the 90th day prior to the expected date of such event as of such public statement or publication of information (or if the expected date of such prospective event is fewer than 90 days after such statement or publication, the date of such statement or publication).
“Benchmark Unavailability Period” means the period (if any) (x) beginning at the time that a Benchmark Replacement Date has occurred if, at such time, no Benchmark Replacement has replaced the then-current Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in accordance with Section 2.14 and (y) ending at the time that a Benchmark Replacement has replaced the then-current Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in accordance with Section 2.14.
“Beneficial Ownership Certification” means a certification regarding beneficial ownership or control as required by the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.
“Beneficial Ownership Regulation” means 31 C.F.R. § 1010.230.
“Benefit Plan” means any of (a) an “employee benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA) that is subject to Title I of ERISA, (b) a “plan” as defined in and subject to Section 4975 of the Code to which Section 4975 of the Code applies, and (c) any Person whose assets include (for purposes of the Plan Asset Regulations or otherwise for purposes of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) the assets of any such “employee benefit plan” or “plan”.
“BHC Act Affiliate” of a party means an “affiliate” (as such term is defined under, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 1841(k)) of such party.
“Borrower” means Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa, an Iowa corporation.
“Borrowing” means (a) Revolving Loans of the same Type, made, converted or continued on the same date and, in the case of SOFR Loans, as to which a single Interest Period is in effect, (b) Term Loans of the same Type, made, converted or continued on the same date and, in the case of SOFR Loans, as to which a single Interest Period is in effect, or (c) a Swingline Loan.
“Borrowing Request” means a request by the Borrower for a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.03, which shall be substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C-1 or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Burdensome Restrictions” means any consensual encumbrance or restriction of the type described in clause (a) or (b) of Section 6.10.
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“Business Day” means any day that (a) is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is closed and (b) is not a day on which commercial banks in Charlotte, North Carolina are closed.
“Capital Lease Obligations” of any Person means the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as capital lease obligations or finance lease obligations on a balance sheet of such Person under GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be the capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with GAAP.
“Captive Insurance Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary of Holdings established for the purpose of, and to be engaged solely in the business of, insuring the businesses or facilities owned or operated by Holdings or any of its Subsidiaries or joint ventures or to insure related or unrelated businesses.
“Change in Control” means the occurrence of any of the following: (a) the acquisition of ownership, directly or indirectly, beneficially or of record, by any Person or group (within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules of the SEC thereunder as in effect on the date hereof), other than the Permitted Holders, of Equity Interests representing more than 35% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of Holdings; (b) occupation at any time of a majority of the seats (other than vacant seats) on the board of directors of Holdings by Persons who were not (i) directors of Holdings on the date of this Agreement nominated or appointed by the board of directors of Holdings or (ii) appointed by directors so nominated or appointed; (c) the acquisition of direct or indirect Control of Holdings by any Person or group other than Permitted Holders; or (d) Holdings ceases to own and Control 100% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of the Borrower.
“Change in Law” means the occurrence after the date of this Agreement of any of the following: (a) the adoption of or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation, implementation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority or (c) compliance by any Lender or any Issuing Bank (or, for purposes of Section 2.15(b), by any lending office of such Lender or by such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s holding company, if any) with any request, rules, guideline, requirement or directive (whether or not having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority made or issued after the date of this Agreement; provided that, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (x) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith or in the implementation thereof, and (y) all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements and directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the U.S. or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law”, regardless of the date enacted, adopted, issued or implemented.
“Charges” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.17.
“Chase” means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a national banking association, in its individual capacity, and its successors.
“Class”, when used in reference to (a) any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are Revolving Loans, Term Loans or Swingline Loans, (b) any Commitment, refers to whether such Commitment is a Revolving Commitment or a Term Loan Commitment and (c) any Lender, refers to whether such Lender is a Revolving Lender or a Term Lender.
“Closing Date Acquisition” means the Acquisition by the Borrower of all of the Equity Interests of the Closing Date Target on the Effective Date pursuant to the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement.
“Closing Date Acquisition Agreement” means the Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of August 21, 2022, among Heartland Express, Inc., the Borrower, TFI International Inc. and TForce TL Holdings USA, Inc., together with all exhibits, schedules, disclosure letters and attachments and supplements
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thereto, in each case, as amended or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with this Agreement.
“Closing Date Acquisition Agreement Representations” means such of the representations made by or with respect to the Closing Date Target and its subsidiaries in the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement as are material to the interests of the Lenders, but only to the extent that the Borrower or any of its Affiliates has the right (determined without regard to any notice requirement) to decline to close under the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement or to terminate its (or their) obligations under the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement or to decline to consummate the Closing Date Acquisition, in each case, as a result of a breach of such representations in the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement.
“Closing Date Acquisition Documents” means the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement and all other agreements, documents, instruments and certificates evidencing, or entered into or delivered in connection with, the Closing Date Acquisition, in each case, as amended or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with this Agreement.
“Closing Date Material Adverse Change” means “Material Adverse Effect” as defined in the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement.
“Closing Date Smith Indebtedness” means credit facility evidenced by the Credit Agreement, dated as of June 26, 2020, by and among Smith Transport, Inc., Citizens Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and the lenders party thereto, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time prior to the date hereof.
“Closing Date Target” means Transportation Resources, Inc., a Missouri corporation, collectively with certain of its subsidiaries and all assets relating thereto.
“Closing Date Transaction Expenses” means the fees, premiums, expenses and other transaction costs incurred by Holdings or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the Closing Date Acquisition and the other Transactions to occur on the Effective Date, including, without limitation, to fund any original issue discount and upfront fees required to be funded on the Effective Date.
“Co-Documentation Agent” means each of KeyBank National Association, BMO Harris Bank N.A., PNC Bank, National Association, Truist Bank and U.S. Bank National Association, in its capacity as co-documentation agent for the credit facility evidenced by this Agreement.
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.
“Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the sum of such Lender’s Revolving Commitment and Term Loan Commitment.
“Commitment Schedule” means the Schedule attached hereto identified as such.
“Committed LC Amount” means, as of the Effective Date, (i) $10,000,000, in the case of Chase, (ii) $10,000,000, in the case of Wells Fargo, and (iii) in the case of any other Issuing Bank, such amount as shall be designated to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower in writing by such Issuing Bank; provided that any Issuing Bank shall be permitted at any time to increase or reduce its Committed LC Amount upon providing five (5) days’ prior written notice thereof to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower. For the avoidance of doubt, the Committed LC Amount of any Issuing Bank shall be a portion of, and not in addition to, the Issuing Bank Sublimit of such Issuing Bank.
“Committed Letter of Credit” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.06(a).
“Commodity Exchange Act” means the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.), as amended from time to time, and any successor statute.
“Communications” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 8.03(c).
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“Compliance Certificate” means a certificate of a Financial Officer of Holdings in substantially the form of Exhibit E.
“Conforming Changes” means, with respect to either the use or administration of Term SOFR or the use, administration, adoption or implementation of any Benchmark Replacement, any technical, administrative or operational changes (including changes to the definition of “Alternate Base Rate,” the definition of “Business Day,” the definition of “U.S. Government Securities Business Day,” the definition of “Interest Period” or any similar or analogous definition (or the addition of a concept of “interest period”), timing and frequency of determining rates and making payments of interest, timing of borrowing requests or prepayment, conversion or continuation notices, the applicability and length of lookback periods, the applicability of Section 2.16 and other technical, administrative or operational matters) that the Administrative Agent decides may be appropriate to reflect the adoption and implementation of any such rate or to permit the use and administration thereof by the Administrative Agent in a manner substantially consistent with market practice (or, if the Administrative Agent decides that adoption of any portion of such market practice is not administratively feasible or if the Administrative Agent determines that no market practice for the administration of any such rate exists, in such other manner of administration as the Administrative Agent decides is reasonably necessary in connection with the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents).
“Connection Income Taxes” means Other Connection Taxes that are imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated) or that are franchise Taxes or branch profits Taxes.
“Consolidated EBITDA” means, for any period, Consolidated Net Income for such period plus (a) without duplication and to the extent deducted in determining Consolidated Net Income for such period, the sum of (i) Consolidated Interest Expense for such period, (ii) income tax expense for such period net of tax refunds, (iii) all amounts attributable to depreciation and amortization expense for such period (including amortization of goodwill, other intangibles, financing fees and related expenses), (iv) any non-cash impairment charges, (v) non-cash expenses resulting from the grant of stock and stock options and other compensation to management personnel of Holdings and its Subsidiaries pursuant to any written incentive plan or agreement, (vi) any expenses or charges related to any equity offering, any actual or proposed incurrence, redemption, repayment, prepayment, refinancing or amendment, in each case after the Effective Date, of any Indebtedness permitted under this Agreement, or any Acquisition, Disposition or investment (in each case after the Effective Date) permitted by this Agreement; provided that the aggregate of all amounts added back to Consolidated EBITDA pursuant to this clause (a)(vi) in respect of any such transaction or event that is not consummated shall not exceed $10,000,000 in the aggregate during any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters of Holdings, (vii) losses or expenses in respect of any Swap Agreement (including any losses attributable to non-cash mark-to-market adjustments on Swap Agreements) permitted under this Agreement, (viii) one-time restructuring costs incurred in connection with any Permitted Acquisition consummated after the Effective Date in an aggregate amount not to exceed $10,000,000 for any such Permitted Acquisition, (ix) any unusual or non-recurring non-cash charges for such period (but excluding any non-cash charge in respect of an item that was included in Consolidated Net Income in a prior period), (x) any non-recurring fees, cash charges and other cash expenses (including severance costs) made or incurred during such period in connection with (A) the Closing Date Acquisition (including any such Closing Date Transaction Expenses) to the extent paid or otherwise accounted for within 30 days of the Effective Date in an aggregate amount not to exceed $15,000,000, or (B) any amendments, waivers or other modifications in respect of the Loan Documents and (xi) the amount of “run rate” cost savings, operating expense reductions, and expenses and synergies related to the Closing Date Acquisition, any Permitted Acquisitions, any restructurings, business optimizations, cost savings initiatives and other initiatives occurring after the Effective Date (without duplication of any amounts added back pursuant to clause (a)(x) above or Section 1.05 in connection with any such transaction) and projected by Holdings in good faith to be realized as a result of specified actions taken or committed to be taken within twelve (12) months after such transaction or initiative is consummated (which “run rate” cost savings, operating expense reductions and expenses and synergies shall be calculated on a pro forma basis as though such “run rate” cost savings, restructuring charges and expenses, operating expense reductions and expenses and synergies had been realized on the first day of the period for which Consolidated EBITDA is being determined), net of the amount of actual benefits realized during such period from such actions; provided that (A) such “run rate” cost savings, restructuring charges and expenses, operating expense reductions and expenses and synergies are
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reasonably expected and factually supportable (in the good faith determination of Holdings) and (B) the aggregate of all amounts added-back to Consolidated EBITDA pursuant to this clause (a)(xi) during any period shall not exceed an amount equal to 10% of Consolidated EBITDA for such period (calculated before giving effect to such add-backs), minus (b) without duplication and to the extent included in Consolidated Net Income, the sum of (i) any unusual or non-recurring non-cash gains and any non-cash items of income for such period, (ii) any unusual or non-recurring cash gains on any sale or other Disposition of assets not in the ordinary course of business of the Loan Parties, (iii) any income or gains in respect of any Swap Agreement (including any gains attributable to non-cash mark-to-market adjustments on Swap Agreements) permitted under this Agreement, and (iv) all cash payments made during such period on account of non-cash charges that were accruals or reserves added to Consolidated Net Income pursuant to clause (a)(ix) above in a prior period, all calculated for Holdings and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
“Consolidated Interest Expense” means, for any period, total interest expense (including that attributable to Capital Lease Obligations) of Holdings and its Subsidiaries for such period with respect to all outstanding Indebtedness of Holdings and its Subsidiaries (including all commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances and net costs under Swap Agreements in respect of interest rates, to the extent such net costs are allocable to such period in accordance with GAAP), calculated for Holdings and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for such period in accordance with GAAP.
“Consolidated Net Income” means, for any period, the consolidated net income (or loss) determined for Holdings and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP; provided that there shall be excluded the income (or deficit) of any Person (other than a Subsidiary) in which Holdings or any Subsidiary has an ownership interest, except to the extent that any such income is actually received by Holdings or such Subsidiary in the form of dividends or similar distributions.
“Consolidated Total Assets” means, at any date, total assets of Holdings and its Subsidiaries calculated in accordance with GAAP on a consolidated basis as of such date.
“Consolidated Total Indebtedness” means, at any date, the aggregate principal amount of total Indebtedness of Holdings and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, determined for Holdings and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis at such date, in accordance with GAAP.
“Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.
“Covered Entity” means any of the following:
(i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);
(ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or
(iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).
“Covered Party” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.21.
“Credit Exposure” means, as to any Lender at any time, the sum of (a) such Lender’s Revolving Exposure at such time plus (b) an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of its Term Loans outstanding at such time.
“Credit Party” means the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks, the Swingline Lenders or any other Lender.
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“Default” means any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“Defaulting Lender” means any Lender that (a) has failed, within two Business Days of the date required to be funded or paid, to (i) fund any portion of its Loans, (ii) fund any portion of its participations in Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans or (iii) pay over to any Credit Party any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder, unless, in the case of clause (i) above, such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and Chase in writing that such failure is the result of such Lender’s good faith determination that a condition precedent to funding (specifically identified and including the particular default, if any) has not been satisfied, (b) has notified the Borrower or any Credit Party in writing, or has made a public statement to the effect, that it does not intend or expect to comply with any of its funding obligations under this Agreement (unless such writing or public statement indicates that such position is based on such Lender’s good faith determination that a condition precedent (specifically identified and including the particular default, if any) to funding a Loan under this Agreement cannot be satisfied), (c) has failed, within three (3) Business Days after request by a Credit Party, acting in good faith, to provide a certification in writing from an authorized officer of such Lender that it will comply with its obligations (and is financially able to meet such obligations as of the date of certification) to fund prospective Loans and participations in then outstanding Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans under this Agreement, provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon such Credit Party’s receipt of such certification in form and substance satisfactory to it and the Administrative Agent, or (d) has become the subject of (i) a Bankruptcy Event or (ii) a Bail-In Action; provided that a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any equity interest in that Lender or any direct or indirect parent company thereof by a Governmental Authority so long as such ownership interest does not result in or provide such Lender with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permit such Lender (or such Governmental Authority) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made with such Lender.
“Discretionary Letter of Credit” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.06(a).
“Disposition” or “Dispose” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (in one transaction or in a series of transactions and whether effected pursuant to a division or otherwise) of any property by any Person (including any Sale and Leaseback Transaction and any issuance of Equity Interests by a Subsidiary of such Person), including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith.
“Dollars”, “dollars” or “$” refers to lawful money of the U.S.
“Domestic Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary organized under the laws of a jurisdiction located in the United States of America.
“ECP” means an “eligible contract participant” as defined in Section 1(a)(18) of the Commodity Exchange Act or any regulations promulgated thereunder and the applicable rules issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and/or the SEC.
“EEA Financial Institution” means (a) any credit institution or investment firm established in any EEA Member Country which is subject to the supervision of an EEA Resolution Authority, (b) any entity established in an EEA Member Country which is a parent of an institution described in clause (a) of this definition, or (c) any financial institution established in an EEA Member Country which is a subsidiary of an institution described in clauses (a) or (b) of this definition and is subject to consolidated supervision with its parent.
“EEA Member Country” means any of the member states of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
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“EEA Resolution Authority” means any public administrative authority or any Person entrusted with public administrative authority of any EEA Member Country (including any delegee) having responsibility for the resolution of any EEA Financial Institution.
“Effective Date” means the date on which the conditions specified in Section 4.01 are satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02).
“Electronic Signature” means an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to, or associated with, a contract or other record and adopted by a Person with the intent to sign, authenticate or accept such contract or record.
“Electronic System” means any electronic system, including e-mail, e-fax, web portal access for the Borrower and any other Internet or extranet-based site, whether such electronic system is owned, operated or hosted by the Administrative Agent or any Issuing Bank and any of its respective Related Parties or any other Person, providing for access to data protected by passcodes or other security system.
“Environmental Laws” means all laws, rules, regulations, codes, ordinances, orders, decrees, judgments, injunctions, notices or binding agreements issued, promulgated or entered into by any Governmental Authority, relating in any way to (i) the environment, (ii) preservation or reclamation of natural resources, (iii) the management, Release or threatened Release of any Hazardous Material or (iv) health and safety matters.
“Environmental Liability” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of Holdings or any Subsidiary directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) any violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) any exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the Release or threatened Release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.
“Equity Interests” means shares of capital stock, partnership interests, membership interests in a limited liability company, beneficial interests in a trust or other equity ownership interests in a Person, and any warrants, options or other rights entitling the holder thereof to purchase or acquire any of the foregoing, but excluding any debt securities convertible into any of the foregoing.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with Holdings, is treated as a single employer under Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code or Section 4001(14) of ERISA or, solely for purposes of Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the Code, is treated as a single employer under Section 414 of the Code.
“ERISA Event” means (a) any “reportable event”, as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder, with respect to a Plan (other than an event for which the 30 day notice period is waived); (b) the failure to satisfy the “minimum funding standard” (as defined in Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA), whether or not waived; (c) the filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Plan; (d) the incurrence by Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan; (e) the receipt by Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating to an intention to terminate any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan; (f) the incurrence by Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate of any liability with respect to the withdrawal or partial withdrawal of Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate from any Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or (g) the receipt by Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, or the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan from Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, concerning the imposition upon Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate of Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent or in critical status, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
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“Erroneous Payment” has the meaning assigned thereto in Section 8.07(a).
“Erroneous Payment Deficiency Assignment” has the meaning assigned thereto in Section 8.07(d).
“Erroneous Payment Impacted Class” has the meaning assigned thereto in Section 8.07(d).
“Erroneous Payment Return Deficiency” has the meaning assigned thereto in Section 8.07(d).
“EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule” means the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor Person), as in effect from time to time.
“Event of Default” has the meaning assigned to such term in Article VII.
“Excluded Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Loan Guarantor, any Swap Obligation if, and to the extent that, all or a portion of the Guarantee of such Loan Guarantor of, or the grant by such Loan Guarantor of a security interest to secure, such Swap Obligation (or any Guarantee thereof) is or becomes illegal under the Commodity Exchange Act or any rule, regulation or order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (or the application or official interpretation of any thereof) by virtue of such Loan Guarantor’s failure for any reason to constitute an ECP at the time the Guarantee of such Loan Guarantor or the grant of such security interest becomes or would become effective with respect to such Swap Obligation. If a Swap Obligation arises under a master agreement governing more than one swap, such exclusion shall apply only to the portion of such Swap Obligation that is attributable to swaps for which such Guarantee or security interest is or becomes illegal.
“Excluded Taxes” means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to a Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient: (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes, and branch profits Taxes, in each case, (i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its applicable lending office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes, (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan, Letter of Credit or Commitment pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan, Letter of Credit or Commitment (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower under Section 2.19(b)) or (ii) such Lender changes its lending office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 2.17, amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender acquired the applicable interest in a Loan, Letter of Credit or Commitment or to such Lender immediately before it changed its lending office, (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipient’s failure to comply with Section 2.17(f) and (d) any withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA.
“Existing Letters of Credit” means the letters of credit listed on the Existing Letters of Credit Schedule attached hereto and deemed to be issued pursuant to this Agreement as of the Effective Date.
“Existing Letters of Credit Schedule” means the Schedule attached hereto identified as such.
“FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof and any agreement entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code and any fiscal or regulatory legislation, rules or practices adopted pursuant to any intergovernmental agreement, treaty or convention among Governmental Authorities and implementing such Sections of the Code.
“Federal Funds Rate” means, for any day, the rate per annum equal to the weighted average of the rates on overnight federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the Business Day next succeeding such day, provided that if such rate is not so published for any day which is a Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be the average of the quotation for such day on such transactions received by the Administrative
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Agent from three federal funds brokers of recognized standing selected by the Administrative Agent. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Federal Funds Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.
“Federal Reserve Board” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States of America.
“Financial Officer” means the chief financial officer, principal accounting officer, treasurer or controller of Holdings or the Borrower, as the case may be.
“Financial Statements” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.01.
“Floor” means a rate of interest equal to 0%.
“Foreign Lender” means (a) if the Borrower is a U.S. Person, a Lender that is not a U.S. Person, and (b) if the Borrower is not a U.S. Person, a Lender that is resident or organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is resident for tax purposes.
“Foreign Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary which is not a Domestic Subsidiary.
“Funding Account” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.01(i).
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
“Governmental Authority” means the government of the U.S., any other nation or any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government.
“Guarantee” of or by any Person (the “guarantor”) means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of the guarantor guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of the guarantor, direct or indirect, (a) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation or to purchase (or to advance or supply funds for the purchase of) any security for the payment thereof, (b) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the owner of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment thereof, (c) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation or (d) as an account party in respect of any letter of credit or letter of guaranty issued to support such Indebtedness or obligation; provided that the term Guarantee shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business. The amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof.
“Guaranteed Obligations” means (i) with respect to the Borrower, the Specified Ancillary Obligations and (ii) with respect to Holdings or any Subsidiary Guarantor, the Obligations, and, in each case, all costs and expenses including, without limitation, all court costs and reasonable attorneys’ and paralegals’ fees (including allocated costs of in-house counsel and paralegals) and expenses paid or incurred by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders in endeavoring to collect all or any part of the Obligations from, or in prosecuting any action against, the Borrower, any Loan Guarantor or any other guarantor of all or any part of the Obligations; provided that, in each case, the definition of “Guaranteed Obligations” shall not create any guarantee by any Loan Guarantor of (or grant of security interest by any Loan Guarantor to support, as applicable) any Excluded Swap Obligations of such Loan Guarantor for purposes of determining any obligations of any Loan Guarantor.
“Hazardous Materials” means: (a) any substance, material, or waste that is included within the definitions of “hazardous substances,” “hazardous materials,” “hazardous waste,” “toxic substances,”
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“toxic materials,” “toxic waste,” or words of similar import in any Environmental Law; (b) those substances listed as hazardous substances by the United States Department of Transportation (or any successor agency) (49 C.F.R. 172.101 and amendments thereto) or by the Environmental Protection Agency (or any successor agency) (40 C.F.R. Part 302 and amendments thereto); and (c) any substance, material, or waste that is petroleum, petroleum-related, or a petroleum by-product, asbestos or asbestos-containing material, polychlorinated biphenyls, flammable, explosive, radioactive, freon gas, radon, or a pesticide, herbicide, or any other agricultural chemical.
“Holders of Guaranteed Obligations” means (a) the Lenders, (b) the Administrative Agent, (c) each Issuing Bank, (d) each provider of Banking Services, to the extent the Banking Services Obligations in respect thereof constitute Guaranteed Obligations, (e) each counterparty to any Swap Agreement, to the extent the obligations thereunder constitute Guaranteed Obligations, (f) the beneficiaries of each indemnification obligation undertaken by any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (g) the successors and assigns of each of the foregoing.
“Holdings” means Heartland Express, Inc., a Nevada corporation.
“Hostile Acquisition” means (a) the acquisition of the Equity Interests of a Person through a tender offer or similar solicitation of the owners of such Equity Interests which has not been approved (prior to such acquisition) by the board of directors (or any other applicable governing body) of such Person or by similar action if such Person is not a corporation and (b) any such acquisition as to which such approval has been withdrawn.
“Incremental Facility Amendment” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.09.
“Incremental Term Loan” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.09.
“Indebtedness” of any Person means, without duplication, (a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) all obligations of such Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid (excluding accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (d) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property acquired by such Person (other than customary reservations or retentions of title under agreements with suppliers in the ordinary course of business), (e) all obligations of such Person in respect of the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business and employee deferred compensation accrued in the ordinary course of business), (f) all Indebtedness of others secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any Lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the Indebtedness secured thereby has been assumed, (g) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (h) all Capital Lease Obligations of such Person, (i) all obligations of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit, demand guarantees and similar independent undertakings, in each case, to the extent of any drawn and unreimbursed amounts in respect thereof, (j) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person in respect of bankers’ acceptances, (k) obligations under any earn-out (which for all purposes of this Agreement shall be valued in accordance with GAAP), (l) any other Off-Balance Sheet Liability and (m) obligations, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor), under (i) any and all Swap Agreements, and (ii) any and all cancellations, buy backs, reversals, terminations or assignments of any Swap Agreement transaction. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any other entity (including any partnership in which such Person is a general partner) to the extent such Person is liable therefor as a result of such Person’s ownership interest in or other relationship with such entity, except to the extent the terms of such Indebtedness provide that such Person is not liable therefor.
“Indemnified Taxes” means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in the foregoing clause (a), Other Taxes.
“Indemnitee” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.03(c).
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“Ineligible Institution” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(b).
“Information” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.12.
“Information Memorandum” means the Confidential Information Memorandum dated July 2022 relating to the Borrower and the Transactions.
“Interest Coverage Ratio” means, for any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters of Holdings, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBITDA for such period to (b) cash Consolidated Interest Expense for such period.
“Interest Election Request” means a request by the Borrower to convert or continue a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.08, which shall be substantially in the form attached as Exhibit C-2 hereto or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Interest Payment Date” means (a) with respect to any ABR Loan (other than a Swingline Loan), the first day of each calendar quarter and the applicable Maturity Date, (b) with respect to any SOFR Loan, the last day of the Interest Period applicable to the Borrowing of which such Loan is a part and, in the case of a SOFR Borrowing with an Interest Period of more than three months’ duration, each day prior to the last day of such Interest Period that occurs at intervals of three months’ duration after the first day of such Interest Period and the applicable Maturity Date, and (c) with respect to any Swingline Loan, the day that such Loan is required to be repaid and the Revolving Credit Maturity Date.
“Interest Period” means, as to any SOFR Loan, the period commencing on the date such SOFR Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a SOFR Loan and ending on the date one (1), three (3) or six (6) months thereafter, in each case as selected by the Borrower in its Borrowing Request or Interest Election Request and subject to availability; provided that:
(a)the Interest Period shall commence on the date of advance of or conversion to any SOFR Loan and, in the case of immediately successive Interest Periods, each successive Interest Period shall commence on the date on which the immediately preceding Interest Period expires;
(b)if any Interest Period would otherwise expire on a day that is not a Business Day, such Interest Period shall expire on the next succeeding Business Day; provided that if any Interest Period would otherwise expire on a day that is not a Business Day but is a day of the month after which no further Business Day occurs in such month, such Interest Period shall expire on the immediately preceding Business Day;
(c)any Interest Period that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the relevant calendar month at the end of such Interest Period;
(d)no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Revolving Credit Maturity Date or the Term Loan Maturity Date, as applicable; and
(e)no tenor that has been removed from this definition pursuant to Section 2.14 shall be available for specification in any Borrowing Request or Interest Election Request.
“IRS” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.
“Issuing Bank” means, individually and collectively, each of Chase and Wells Fargo, in its respective capacity as the issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder, and any other Revolving Lender from time to time designated by the Borrower as an Issuing Bank, with the consent of such Revolving Lender and the Administrative Agent, and their respective successors in such capacity as provided in Section 2.06(i). Any Issuing Bank may, in its discretion, arrange for one or more Letters of Credit to be issued by its Affiliates, in which case the term “Issuing Bank” shall include any such Affiliate with
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respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Affiliate (it being agreed that such Issuing Bank shall, or shall cause such Affiliate to, comply with the requirements of Section 2.06 with respect to such Letters of Credit). At any time there is more than one Issuing Bank, all singular references to the Issuing Bank shall mean any Issuing Bank, either Issuing Bank, each Issuing Bank, the Issuing Bank that has issued the applicable Letter of Credit, or both (or all) Issuing Banks, as the context may require.
“Issuing Bank Sublimit” means, as of the Effective Date, (i) $25,000,000, in the case of Chase, (ii) $25,000,000, in the case of Wells Fargo, and (iii) in the case of any other Issuing Bank, such amount as shall be designated to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower in writing by such Issuing Bank; provided that any Issuing Bank shall be permitted at any time to increase or reduce its Issuing Bank Sublimit upon providing five (5) days’ prior written notice thereof to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower.
“Joinder Agreement” means a Joinder Agreement in substantially the form of Exhibit F.
“LC Collateral Account” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.06(j).
“LC Disbursement” means any payment made by an Issuing Bank pursuant to a Letter of Credit.
“LC Exposure” means at any time, the sum of (a) the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit at such time plus (b) the aggregate amount of all LC Disbursements that have not yet been reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time. The LC Exposure of any Revolving Lender at any time shall be its Applicable Percentage of the aggregate LC Exposure at such time.
“Lender” means, as of any date of determination, a Person listed on the Commitment Schedule (or, if the Commitments have terminated or expired, a Person holding Credit Exposure) and any other Person that shall have become a Lender hereunder pursuant to Section 2.09 or an Assignment and Assumption or other documentation contemplated hereby, other than any such Person that ceases to be a Lender hereunder pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption or other documentation contemplated hereby. Unless the context otherwise requires, the term “Lenders” includes the Swingline Lenders and the Issuing Banks.
“Lender-Related Person” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.03(b).
“Letter of Credit Agreement” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 2.06(b).
“Letters of Credit” means the letters of credit issued pursuant to this Agreement and shall include the Existing Letters of Credit, and the term “Letter of Credit” means any one of them or each of them singularly, as the context may require.
“Liabilities” means any losses, claims (including intraparty claims), demands, damages or liabilities of any kind.
“Lien” means, with respect to any asset, (a) any mortgage, deed of trust, lien, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, charge or security interest in, on or of such asset, (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention agreement (or any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing) relating to such asset and (c) in the case of securities, any purchase option, call or similar right of a third party with respect to such securities.
“Loan Documents” means, collectively, this Agreement, each promissory note issued pursuant to this Agreement, each Letter of Credit Agreement, each Compliance Certificate, the Loan Guaranty and each other agreement, fee letter, instrument, document and certificate executed and delivered to, or in favor of, the Administrative Agent or any Lender and including each other pledge, power of attorney, consent, assignment, contract, notice, letter of credit agreement, letter of credit applications and any agreements between the Borrower and an Issuing Bank regarding such Issuing Bank’s Issuing Bank
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Sublimit or Committed LC Amount or the respective rights and obligations between the Borrower and such Issuing Bank in connection with the issuance of Letters of Credit, and each other written matter whether heretofore, now or hereafter executed by or on behalf of any Loan Party, or any employee of any Loan Party, and delivered to the Administrative Agent, Chase or any Lender in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. Any reference in this Agreement or any other Loan Document to a Loan Document shall include all appendices, exhibits or schedules thereto, and all amendments, restatements, supplements or other modifications thereto, and shall refer to this Agreement or such Loan Document as the same may be in effect at any and all times such reference becomes operative.
“Loan Guarantor” means each Loan Party.
“Loan Guaranty” means Article X of this Agreement.
“Loan Parties” means, collectively, Holdings, the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors and their successors and assigns, and the term “Loan Party” shall mean any one of them or all of them individually, as the context may require.
“Loans” means the loans and advances made by the Lenders to the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement, including Swingline Loans.
“Margin Stock” means margin stock within the meaning of Regulations T, U and X, as applicable.
“Material Acquisition” means any Permitted Acquisition in respect of which the aggregate purchase consideration paid or payable for such Permitted Acquisition is equal to or greater than $100,000,000.
“Material Adverse Effect” means a material adverse effect on (a) the business, assets, operations, prospects or condition, financial or otherwise, of Holdings and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (b) the ability of any Loan Party to perform any of its Obligations, or (c) the rights of or benefits available to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks or the Lenders under any of the Loan Documents.
“Material Domestic Subsidiary” means each Domestic Subsidiary (i) which, as of the end of the most recent fiscal quarter of Holdings, for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters then ended, for which financial statements have been delivered (or are required to be delivered) pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) (or, if prior to the date of the delivery of the first financial statements to be delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b), the most recent financial statements referred to in Section 3.04(a)), contributed greater than five percent (5%) of Consolidated EBITDA for such period or (ii) which contributed greater than five percent (5%) of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of such most recent fiscal quarter; provided that, if at any time the aggregate amount of Consolidated EBITDA or Consolidated Total Assets attributable to all Domestic Subsidiaries that are not Material Domestic Subsidiaries exceeds ten percent (10%) of Consolidated EBITDA for any such period or ten percent (10%) of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of any such fiscal quarter, Holdings (or, in the event Holdings has failed to do so within ten (10) days, the Administrative Agent) shall designate sufficient Domestic Subsidiaries as “Material Domestic Subsidiaries” to eliminate such excess, and such designated Subsidiaries shall for all purposes of this Agreement constitute Material Domestic Subsidiaries.
“Material Indebtedness” means Indebtedness (other than the Loans and Letters of Credit), or obligations in respect of one or more Swap Agreements, of any one or more of Holdings and its Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount exceeding the greater of $35,000,000 and 10% of Applicable EBITDA. For purposes of determining Material Indebtedness, the “principal amount” of the obligations of Holdings or any Subsidiary in respect of any Swap Agreement at any time shall be the maximum aggregate amount (giving effect to any netting agreements) that Holdings or such Subsidiary would be required to pay if such Swap Agreement were terminated at such time.
“Maturity Date” means the Revolving Credit Maturity Date or the Term Loan Maturity Date, as applicable.
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“Maximum Rate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.17.
“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
“Multiemployer Plan” means a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.
“Net Leverage Ratio” means, on any date, the ratio of (a) the difference of (i) Consolidated Total Indebtedness on such date, minus (ii) Unrestricted Cash in an aggregate amount not to exceed $50,000,000 to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters of Holdings ended on or most recently prior to such date.
“Non-Consenting Lender” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.02(d).
“Obligated Party” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.02.
“Obligations” means (a) all unpaid principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on the Loans, all LC Exposure, all accrued and unpaid fees and all expenses, reimbursements, indemnities and other obligations and indebtedness (including interest and fees accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), obligations and liabilities of any of the Loan Parties to any of the Lenders, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks or any Indemnitee, individually or collectively, existing on the Effective Date or arising thereafter, direct or indirect, joint or several, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, secured or unsecured, arising by contract, operation of law or otherwise, arising or incurred under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents or in respect of any of the Loans made or reimbursement or other obligations incurred or any of the Letters of Credit or other instruments at any time evidencing any thereof, and (b) all Banking Services Obligations and Swap Agreement Obligations owing to one or more Lenders or their respective Affiliates; provided that the definition of “Obligations” shall not create any guarantee by any Loan Guarantor of (or grant of security interest by any Loan Guarantor to support, as applicable) any Excluded Swap Obligations of such Loan Guarantor for purposes of determining any obligations of any Loan Guarantor.
“OFAC” means the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury.
“Off-Balance Sheet Liability” of a Person means (a) any repurchase obligation or liability of such Person with respect to accounts or notes receivable sold by such Person, (b) any indebtedness, liability or obligation under any so-called “synthetic lease” transaction entered into by such Person, or (c) any indebtedness, liability or obligation arising with respect to any other transaction which is the functional equivalent of or takes the place of borrowing but which does not constitute a liability on the balance sheet of such Person (other than operating leases).
“Original Indebtedness” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.01(f).
“Other Connection Taxes” means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient and the jurisdiction imposing such Taxes (other than a connection arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to, or enforced, any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan, Letter of Credit, or any Loan Document).
“Other Taxes” means all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 2.19).
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“Paid in Full” or “Payment in Full” means, (i) the indefeasible payment in full in cash of all outstanding Loans and LC Disbursements, together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon, (ii) the termination, expiration, or cancellation and return of all outstanding Letters of Credit (or alternatively, with respect to each such Letter of Credit, the furnishing to the Administrative Agent of a cash deposit, or at the discretion of the Administrative Agent a back up standby letter of credit satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Banks, in an amount equal to 105% of the LC Exposure as of the date of such payment), (iii) the indefeasible payment in full in cash of the accrued and unpaid fees, (iv) the indefeasible payment in full in cash of all reimbursable expenses and other Obligations (other than Unliquidated Obligations for which no claim has been made and other obligations expressly stated to survive such payment and termination of this Agreement), together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon, (v) the termination of all Commitments, and (vi) the termination of the Swap Agreement Obligations and the Banking Services Obligations or entering into other arrangements satisfactory to the Holders of Guaranteed Obligations counterparties thereto.
“Parent” means, with respect to any Lender, any Person as to which such Lender is, directly or indirectly, a subsidiary.
“Participant” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c).
“Participant Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c).
“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in ERISA and any successor entity performing similar functions.
“Permitted Acquisition” means any Acquisition by any Loan Party in a transaction that satisfies each of the following requirements:
(a)such Acquisition is not a Hostile Acquisition;
(b)the business acquired in connection with such Acquisition is (i) located in the U.S. or Canada, (ii) organized under applicable U.S. or Canadian state and provincial laws, and (iii) not engaged, directly or indirectly, in any line of business other than the businesses in which the Loan Parties are engaged on the Effective Date and any business activities that are substantially similar, related, or incidental thereto;
(c)both before and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a pro forma basis) to such Acquisition and any Indebtedness incurred or assumed in connection therewith, (i) each of the representations and warranties in the Loan Documents is true and correct (except any such representation or warranty which relates to a specified prior date, which representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such prior date), (ii) no Default or Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom and (iii) Holdings is in pro forma compliance with the financial covenants set forth Section 6.12 (including giving effect to any Adjusted Covenant Period elected by Holdings in connection therewith);
(d)as soon as available, but not less than five (5) days prior to such Acquisition, the Borrower has provided the Administrative Agent (i) notice of such Acquisition and (ii) a copy of all business and financial information reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent including pro forma financial statements and statements of cash flow;
(e)if such Acquisition is an acquisition of Equity Interests, such Acquisition will not result in any violation of Regulation U;
(f)if such Acquisition involves a merger or a consolidation involving any Loan Party, such Loan Party shall be the surviving entity (provided that any such merger or consolidation involving the Borrower shall result in the Borrower as the surviving entity);
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(g)no Loan Party shall, as a result of or in connection with any such Acquisition, assume or incur any direct or contingent liabilities (whether relating to environmental, tax, litigation, or other matters) that could have a Material Adverse Effect;
(h)in connection with an Acquisition of the Equity Interests of any Person, all Liens on any property of such Person shall be terminated unless the Administrative Agent and the Lenders in their sole discretion consent otherwise, and in connection with an Acquisition of the assets of any Person, all Liens on such assets shall be terminated, except, in each case, for Liens that would be permitted under Section 6.02;
(i)all actions required to be taken with respect to any newly acquired or formed Subsidiary of a Loan Party required under Section 5.11 shall have been taken within the time periods required thereby; and
(j)the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent the final executed documentation relating to such Acquisition promptly following the consummation thereof.
“Permitted Encumbrances” means:
(a) Liens imposed by law for Taxes that are not yet due or are being contested in compliance with Section 5.04;
(b) carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s and other like Liens imposed by law, arising in the ordinary course of business and securing obligations that are not overdue by more than thirty (30) days or are being contested in compliance with Section 5.04;
(c) pledges and deposits made in the ordinary course of business in compliance with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security laws or regulations;
(d) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, leases, statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature, in each case in the ordinary course of business;
(e) judgment Liens in respect of judgments that do not constitute an Event of Default under clause (k) of Article VII; and
(f) easements, zoning restrictions, rights-of-way and similar encumbrances on real property imposed by law or arising in the ordinary course of business that do not secure any monetary obligations and do not materially detract from the value of the affected property or interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of Holdings or any Subsidiary;
provided that the term “Permitted Encumbrances” shall not include any Lien securing Indebtedness, except with respect to clause (e) above.
“Permitted Holders” means all or any of (a) Ann Gerdin, Michael Gerdin, and their respective family members (including spouses, parents, grandparents, lineal descendants, siblings and lineal descendants of siblings, including by adoption), (b) any Person whose ownership of Holdings’ Equity Interests is deemed to be beneficially owned and Controlled by the individuals in clause (a) under applicable U.S. securities laws, (c) any trust established for the benefit of any of the individuals in clause (a), and (d) any Affiliate of any of the foregoing to the extent such Affiliate is owned and Controlled by any Person described in any of clauses (a), (b) or (c) above.
“Permitted Investments” means:
(a) direct obligations of, or obligations the principal of and interest on which are unconditionally guaranteed by, the U.S. (or by any agency thereof to the extent such obligations are
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backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S.), in each case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition thereof;
(b) investments in commercial paper maturing within 270 days from the date of acquisition thereof and having, at such date of acquisition, the highest credit rating obtainable from S&P or from Moody’s;
(c) investments in certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits maturing within 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof issued or guaranteed by or placed with, and money market deposit accounts issued or offered by, any domestic office of any commercial bank organized under the laws of the U.S. or any state thereof which has a combined capital and surplus and undivided profits of not less than $500,000,000;
(d) fully collateralized repurchase agreements with a term of not more than 30 days for securities described in clause (a) above and entered into with a financial institution satisfying the criteria described in clause (c) above; and
(e) money market funds that (i) comply with the criteria set forth in Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, (ii) are rated AAA by S&P and Aaa by Moody’s and (iii) have portfolio assets of at least $5,000,000,000.
“Permitted Supplier Financing” means the sale by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of accounts receivable owing to it by one or more account debtors which would otherwise pay on terms longer than general market practices pursuant to a receivables purchase agreement or other customary documentation between such Loan Party and/or such Subsidiary and a counterparty financial institution (any such agreement or other documentation, a “Receivables Purchase Agreement”), whereby such Loan Party or such Subsidiary, as applicable, promptly receives cash proceeds from the counterparty financial institution in an amount equal to the face value of the sold accounts receivable net of a commercially reasonable and customary discount rate set forth in the applicable Receivables Purchase Agreement; provided that:
(i) any such sale is a true sale with any recourse to any Loan Party or any Subsidiary limited to breach of representation, warranty or covenant by the Borrower or such other Subsidiary, as applicable, with respect to the sold accounts receivable;
(ii) such Receivables Purchase Agreement is on customary terms for such arrangement;
(iii) no Event of Default exists at the time of, or would result from, the sale of such accounts receivable; and
(iv) the aggregate outstanding face amount of all accounts receivable of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries subject to any Permitted Supplier Financing shall not exceed $50,000,000 at any time (for purposes of this clause (iv), the word “outstanding” shall mean sold within the previous thirty days pursuant to such Permitted Supplier Financing).
“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.
“Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an “employer” as defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA.
“Plan Asset Regulations” means 29 CFR § 2510.3-101 et seq., as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA, as amended from time to time.
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“Prime Rate” means, at any time, the rate of interest per annum publicly announced from time to time by the Administrative Agent as its prime rate. Each change in the Prime Rate shall be effective as of the opening of business on the day such change in such prime rate occurs. The parties hereto acknowledge that the rate announced publicly by the Administrative Agent as its prime rate is an index or base rate and shall not necessarily be its lowest or best rate charged to its customers or other banks.
“Proceeding” means any claim, litigation, investigation, action, suit, arbitration or administrative, judicial or regulatory action or proceeding in any jurisdiction.
“Projections” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.01(e).
“PTE” means a prohibited transaction class exemption issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, as any such exemption may be amended from time to time.
“QFC” has the meaning assigned to the term “qualified financial contract” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 5390(c)(8)(D).
“QFC Credit Support” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.21.
“Qualified ECP Guarantor” means, in respect of any Swap Obligation, each Loan Party that has total assets exceeding $10,000,000 at the time the relevant Loan Guaranty or grant of the relevant security interest becomes or would become effective with respect to such Swap Obligation or such other person as constitutes an “eligible contract participant” under the Commodity Exchange Act or any regulations promulgated thereunder and can cause another person to qualify as an “eligible contract participant” at such time by entering into a keepwell under Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
“Recipient” means, as applicable, (a) the Administrative Agent, (b) any Lender, (c) Chase and (d) any Issuing Bank, or any combination thereof (as the context requires).
“Refinance Indebtedness” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.01(f).
“Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(b).
“Regulation D” means Regulation D of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation T” means Regulation T of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation U” means Regulation U of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation X” means Regulation X of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Related Parties” means, with respect to any specified Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the respective directors, officers, partners, members, trustees, employees, agents, administrators, managers, representatives and advisors of such Person and such Person’s Affiliates.
“Release” means any releasing, spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, migrating, disposing, or dumping of any substance into the environment.
“Relevant Governmental Body” means the Federal Reserve Board or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Federal Reserve Board or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or any successor thereto.
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“Required Lenders” means, subject to Section 2.20: (a) at any time prior to the earlier of the Loans becoming due and payable pursuant to Article VII or the Commitments terminating or expiring, Lenders having Credit Exposures and Unfunded Revolving Commitments representing more than 50% of the sum of the Aggregate Credit Exposure and aggregate Unfunded Revolving Commitments at such time, provided that, solely for purposes of declaring the Loans to be due and payable pursuant to Article VII, the Unfunded Revolving Commitment of each Lender shall be deemed to be zero in determining the Required Lenders; and (b) for all purposes after the Loans become due and payable pursuant to Article VII or the Commitments expire or terminate, Lenders having Credit Exposures representing more than 50% of the sum of the Aggregate Credit Exposure at such time; provided that, in the case of clauses (a) and (b) above, the Revolving Exposure of any Lender that is a Swingline Lender shall be deemed to exclude any amount of its Swingline Exposure in excess of its Applicable Percentage of all outstanding Swingline Loans, adjusted to give effect to any reallocation under Section 2.20 of the Swingline Exposures of Defaulting Lenders in effect at such time, and the Unfunded Revolving Commitment of such Lender shall be determined on the basis of its Revolving Exposure excluding such excess amount.
“Requirement of Law” means, with respect to any Person, (a) the charter, articles or certificate of organization or incorporation and bylaws or operating, management or partnership agreement, or other organizational or governing documents of such Person and (b) any statute, law (including common law), treaty, rule, regulation, code, ordinance, order, decree, writ, judgment, injunction or determination of any arbitrator or court or other Governmental Authority (including Environmental Laws), in each case applicable to or binding upon such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any of its property is subject.
“Resolution Authority” means an EEA Resolution Authority or, with respect to any UK Financial Institution, a UK Resolution Authority.
“Responsible Officer” means the president, Financial Officer or other executive officer of Holdings or the Borrower, as the case may be.
“Restricted Payment” means, as the case may be, any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any Equity Interests in Holdings or any Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such Equity Interests in Holdings or any Subsidiary or any option, warrant or other right to acquire any such Equity Interests in Holdings or any Subsidiary.
“Revolving Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the amount set forth on the Commitment Schedule opposite such Lender’s name as a “Revolving Commitment”, or in the Assignment and Assumption or other documentation or record (as such term is defined in Section 9-102(a)(70) of the New York UCC) as provided in Section 9.04(b)(ii)(C), pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed its Revolving Commitment pursuant to the terms hereof, as applicable, as such Revolving Commitment may be reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to (a) Section 2.09 and (b) assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to Section 9.04; provided that at no time shall the Revolving Exposure of any Lender exceed its Revolving Commitment. The initial aggregate amount of the Lenders’ Revolving Commitments is $100,000,000.
“Revolving Credit Maturity Date” means August 31, 2027 (if the same is a Business Day, or if not then the immediately next succeeding Business Day), or any earlier date on which the Revolving Commitments are reduced to zero or otherwise terminated pursuant to the terms hereof.
“Revolving Exposure” means, with respect to any Lender, at any time, the sum of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of such Lender’s Revolving Loans and its LC Exposure and its Swingline Exposure at such time.
“Revolving Lender” means, as of any date of determination, a Lender with a Revolving Commitment or, if the Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, a Lender with Revolving Exposure.
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“Revolving Loan” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.01(a).
“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Rating Services, a Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC business.
“Sale and Leaseback Transaction” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.06.
“Sanctioned Country” means, at any time, a country, region or territory which is itself the subject or target of any Sanctions (at the time of this Agreement, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
“Sanctioned Person” means, at any time, (a) any Person listed in any Sanctions-related list of designated Persons maintained by OFAC, the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, any European Union member state, Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom or other relevant sanctions authority, (b) any Person operating, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country, (c) any Person owned or controlled by any such Person or Persons described in the foregoing clauses (a) or (b), or (d) any Person otherwise the subject of any Sanctions.
“Sanctions” means all economic or financial sanctions or trade embargoes imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by (a) the U.S. government, including those administered by OFAC or the U.S. Department of State, or (b) the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, any European Union member state or Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom or other relevant sanctions authority.
“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission of the U.S.
“SOFR” means a rate equal to the secured overnight financing rate as administered by the SOFR Administrator.
“SOFR Administrator” means the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (or a successor administrator of the secured overnight financing rate).
“SOFR Borrowing” means any Borrowing consistent of SOFR Loans.
“SOFR Loan” means any Loan bearing interest at a rate based on Adjusted Term SOFR as provided hereunder.
“Specified Ancillary Obligations” means all obligations and liabilities (including interest and fees accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding) of any of the Subsidiaries (other than the Borrower), existing on the Effective Date or arising thereafter, direct or indirect, joint or several, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, secured or unsecured, arising by contract, operation of law or otherwise, to the Lenders or any of their Affiliates in respect of any Swap Agreement Obligations or any Banking Services Obligations.
“Specified Representations” means the representations and warranties in respect of the Loan Parties made pursuant to Sections 3.01, 3.02, 3.03(b) (solely as it relates to the organizational documents of the Loan Parties), 3.08, 3.13, 3.18, 3.19 and 3.21.
“Statement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.18(f).
“Subordinated Indebtedness” of a Person means any Indebtedness of such Person, the payment of which is subordinated to payment of the Obligations to the written satisfaction of the Administrative Agent.
“subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person (the “parent”) at any date, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity the accounts of which would be
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consolidated with those of the parent in the parent’s consolidated financial statements if such financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP as of such date, as well as any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity (a) of which securities or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests are, as of such date, owned, Controlled or held, or (b) that is, as of such date, otherwise Controlled, by the parent and/or one or more subsidiaries of the parent.
“Subsidiary” means any direct or indirect subsidiary of (a) Holdings or (b) if otherwise expressly stated, any other Loan Party, as applicable.
“Subsidiary Guarantor” means Holdings’ Wholly-Owned Material Domestic Subsidiaries party hereto as Subsidiary Guarantors as of the Effective Date and any other Wholly-Owned Material Domestic Subsidiary that becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to a Joinder Agreement; provided, that Captive Insurance Subsidiaries shall not constitute Subsidiary Guarantors hereunder.
“Supported QFC” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.21.
“Swap Agreement” means any agreement with respect to any swap, forward, spot, future, credit default or derivative transaction or option or similar agreement involving, or settled by reference to, one or more rates, currencies, commodities, equity or debt instruments or securities, or economic, financial or pricing indices or measures of economic, financial or pricing risk or value or any similar transaction or any combination of these transactions; provided that no phantom stock or similar plan providing for payments only on account of services provided by current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants of Holdings or the Subsidiaries shall be a Swap Agreement.
“Swap Agreement Obligations” means any and all obligations of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor), under (a) any Swap Agreement permitted hereunder with a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, and (b) any cancellations, buy backs, reversals, terminations or assignments of any Swap Agreement transaction permitted hereunder with a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender.
“Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Loan Guarantor, any obligation to pay or perform under any agreement, contract or transaction that constitutes a “swap” within the meaning of section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act or any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Swingline Exposure” means, at any time, the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans outstanding at such time. The Swingline Exposure of any Lender at any time shall be the sum of (a) its Applicable Percentage of the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans outstanding at such time (excluding, in the case of any Lender that is a Swingline Lender, Swingline Loans made by such Lender in its capacity as a Swingline Lender that are outstanding at such time to the extent that the other Lenders shall not have funded their participations in such Swingline Loans), adjusted to give effect to any reallocation under Section 2.20 of the Swingline Exposure of Defaulting Lenders in effect at such time, and (b) in the case of any Lender that is a Swingline Lender, the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans made by such Lender as a Swingline Lender outstanding at such time, less the amount of participations funded by the other Lenders in such Swingline Loans.
“Swingline Lender” means each of Chase (or any of its designated branch offices or affiliates) or Wells Fargo, each in its capacity as a lender of Swingline Loans hereunder. Any consent required of the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Banks shall be deemed to be required of the Swingline Lenders and any consent given by Wells Fargo in its capacity as Administrative Agent or Chase or Wells Fargo as an Issuing Bank shall be deemed given by Wells Fargo and/or Chase in its capacity as Swingline Lender as well.
“Swingline Loan” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.05.
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“Syndication Agent” means Chase in its capacity as syndication agent for the credit facility evidenced by this Agreement.
“Taxes” means any and all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), value added taxes, or any other goods and services, use or sales taxes, assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
“Term Lender” means a Lender having a Term Loan Commitment or holding an outstanding Term Loan.
“Term Loan” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.01(b).
“Term Loan Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment, if any, of such Lender to make Term Loans, expressed as an amount representing the maximum principal amount of the Term Loans to be made by such Lender, as such commitment may be reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to assignments by or to such Lenders pursuant to Section 9.04. The initial amount of each Lender’s Term Loan Commitment is set forth on the Commitment Schedule or in the most recent Assignment and Assumption or other documentation or record (as such term is defined in Section 9-102(a)(70) of the UCC) as provided in Section 9.04, executed by such Term Lender, as applicable. The aggregate amount of the Lenders’ Term Loan Commitments on the Effective Date is $450,000,000. After advancing the Term Loan, each reference to a Term Lender’s Term Loan Commitment shall refer to that Term Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the Term Loans.
“Term Loan Maturity Date” means August 31, 2027.
“Term SOFR” means,
(a)for any calculation with respect to a SOFR Loan, the Term SOFR Reference Rate for a tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period on the day (such day, the “Periodic Term SOFR Determination Day”) that is two (2) U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to the first day of such Interest Period, as such rate is published by the Term SOFR Administrator; provided, however, that if as of 5:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on any Periodic Term SOFR Determination Day the Term SOFR Reference Rate for the applicable tenor has not been published by the Term SOFR Administrator and a Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Reference Rate has not occurred, then Term SOFR will be the Term SOFR Reference Rate for such tenor as published by the Term SOFR Administrator on the first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day for which such Term SOFR Reference Rate for such tenor was published by the Term SOFR Administrator so long as such first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day is not more than three (3) U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to such Periodic Term SOFR Determination Day, and
(b)for any calculation with respect to an ABR Loan on any day, the Term SOFR Reference Rate for a tenor of one month on the day (such day, the “ABR Term SOFR Determination Day”) that is two (2) U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to such day, as such rate is published by the Term SOFR Administrator; provided, however, that if as of 5:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on any ABR Term SOFR Determination Day the Term SOFR Reference Rate for the applicable tenor has not been published by the Term SOFR Administrator and a Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Reference Rate has not occurred, then Term SOFR will be the Term SOFR Reference Rate for such tenor as published by the Term SOFR Administrator on the first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day for which such Term SOFR Reference Rate for such tenor was published by the Term SOFR Administrator so long as such first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day is not more than three (3) U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to such ABR SOFR Determination Day.
“Term SOFR Adjustment” means a percentage equal to 0.10% per annum.
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“Term SOFR Administrator” means CME Group Benchmark Administration Limited (CBA) (or a successor administrator of the Term SOFR Reference Rate selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion).
“Term SOFR Reference Rate” means the forward-looking term rate based on SOFR.
“Test Period” means, at any time, the most recent period of four consecutive fiscal quarters of Holdings ended on or most recently prior to such time for which financial statements have been delivered (or are required to be delivered) to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) (or, if prior to the date of the delivery of the first financial statements to be delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b), the most recent financial statements referred to in Section 3.04(a)).
“Transactions” means (a) the consummation of the Closing Date Acquisition, (b) the repayment on the Effective Date of the Closing Date Smith Indebtedness and other Indebtedness of Holdings and its Subsidiaries, (c) the payment of the Closing Date Transaction Expenses and (d) the execution, delivery and performance by the Loan Parties of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, the borrowing of Loans and other credit extensions, the use of the proceeds thereof and the issuance of Letters of Credit hereunder.
“Type”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether the rate of interest on such Loan, or on the Loans comprising such Borrowing, is determined by reference to the Adjusted Term SOFR or the Alternate Base Rate.
“UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in the State of New York or in any other state, the laws of which are required to be applied in connection with the issue of perfection of security interests.
“UK Financial Institutions” means any BRRD Undertaking (as such term is defined under the PRA Rulebook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Prudential Regulation Authority) or any person falling within IFPRU 11.6 of the FCA Handbook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which includes certain credit institutions and investment firms, and certain affiliates of such credit institutions or investment firms.
“UK Resolution Authority” means the Bank of England or any other public administrative authority having responsibility for the resolution of any UK Financial Institution.
“Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement excluding the related Benchmark Replacement Adjustment.
“Unfunded Revolving Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender at any time, the Revolving Commitment of such Lender at such time, less its Revolving Exposure at such time.
“Unliquidated Obligations” means, at any time, any Obligations (or portion thereof) that are contingent in nature or unliquidated at such time, including any Obligation that is: (i) an obligation to reimburse a bank for drawings not yet made under a letter of credit issued by it; (ii) any other obligation (including any guarantee) that is contingent in nature at such time; or (iii) an obligation to provide collateral to secure any of the foregoing types of obligations.
“Unrestricted Cash” means, as of any date of determination, an amount equal to the aggregate amount of unrestricted cash and Permitted Investments of Holdings and its Subsidiaries that is (a) on deposit with one or more financial institutions in the U.S. and (b) not encumbered by or subject to any other Lien, setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right in favor of any Person (other than banker’s Liens relating to the establishment of depository relations in the ordinary course and not given in connection with the issuance of Indebtedness and inchoate Liens arising by operation of law).
“U.S.” means the United States of America.
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“U.S. Government Securities Business Day” means any day except for (a) a Saturday, (b) a Sunday or (c) a day on which the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends that the fixed income departments of its members be closed for the entire day for purposes of trading in United States government securities.
“U.S. Person” means a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 9.21.
“U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.17(f)(ii)(B)(3).
“USA PATRIOT Act” means the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.
“Wells Fargo” means Wells Fargo Bank, National Association.
“Wholly-Owned” means, with respect to any Person, a subsidiary of such Person, 100% of the outstanding Equity Interests or other ownership interests of which (other than (x) directors’ qualifying shares or other ownership interests and (y) a nominal number of shares or other ownership interests issued to foreign nationals to the extent required by applicable laws) shall at the time be owned by such Person or by one or more Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries of such Person.
“Withdrawal Liability” means liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.
“Write-Down and Conversion Powers” means (a) with respect to any EEA Resolution Authority, the write-down and conversion powers of such EEA Resolution Authority from time to time under the Bail-In Legislation for the applicable EEA Member Country, which write-down and conversion powers are described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule, and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, any powers of the applicable Resolution Authority under the Bail-In Legislation to cancel, reduce, modify or change the form of a liability of any UK Financial Institution or any contract or instrument under which that liability arises, to convert all or part of that liability into shares, securities or obligations of that person or any other person, to provide that any such contract or instrument is to have effect as if a right had been exercised under it or to suspend any obligation in respect of that liability or any of the powers under that Bail-In Legislation that are related to or ancillary to any of those powers.
SECTION 1.02.Classification of Loans and Borrowings. For purposes of this Agreement, Loans may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a “Revolving Loan”) or by Type (e.g., a “SOFR Loan”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a “SOFR Revolving Loan”). Borrowings also may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a “Revolving Borrowing”) or by Type (e.g., a “SOFR Borrowing”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a “SOFR Revolving Borrowing”).
SECTION 1.03.Terms Generally. The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include”, “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation”. The word “law” shall be construed as referring to all statutes, rules, regulations, codes and other laws (including official rulings and interpretations thereunder having the force of law or with which affected Persons customarily comply) and all judgments, orders and decrees of all Governmental Authorities. The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall”. Unless the context requires otherwise (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, restatements, supplements or modifications set forth herein), (b) any definition of or reference to any statute, rule or regulation shall be construed as referring thereto as from time to time amended,
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supplemented or otherwise modified (including by succession of comparable successor laws), (c) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns (subject to any restrictions on assignments set forth herein) and, in the case of any Governmental Authority, any other Governmental Authority that shall have succeeded to any or all functions thereof, (d) the words “herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder”, and words of similar import, shall be construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular provision hereof, (e) all references herein to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, this Agreement, (f) any reference in any definition to the phrase “at any time” or “for any period” shall refer to the same time or period for all calculations or determinations within such definition, and (g) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.
SECTION 1.04.Accounting Terms; GAAP.
(a)Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature shall be construed in accordance with GAAP, as in effect from time to time; provided that, if after the date hereof there occurs any change in GAAP or in the application thereof on the operation of any provision hereof and Holdings notifies the Administrative Agent and Chase that Holdings requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of such change in GAAP or in the application thereof (or if the Administrative Agent notifies Holdings that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof, then such provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such change shall have become effective until such notice shall have been withdrawn or such provision amended in accordance herewith. Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature used herein shall be construed, and all computations of amounts and ratios referred to herein shall be made (i) without giving effect to any election under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 825 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any Indebtedness or other liabilities of Holdings or any Subsidiary at “fair value”, as defined therein and (ii) without giving effect to any treatment of Indebtedness under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 470-20 or 2015-03 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any such Indebtedness in a reduced or bifurcated manner as described therein, and such Indebtedness shall at all times be valued at the full stated principal amount thereof.
(b)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 1.04(a) or in the definition of “Capital Lease Obligations,” any change in accounting for leases pursuant to GAAP resulting from the adoption of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“FAS 842”), to the extent such adoption would require treating any lease (or similar arrangement conveying the right to use) as a capital lease where such lease (or similar arrangement) would not have been required to be so treated under GAAP as in effect on December 31, 2015, such lease shall not be considered a capital lease, and all calculations and deliverables under this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be made or delivered, as applicable, in accordance therewith.
SECTION 1.05.Pro Forma Adjustments. To the extent Holdings or any Subsidiary (a) makes any acquisition permitted pursuant to Section 6.04 or Disposition of assets outside the ordinary course of business permitted by Section 6.05 during the period of four fiscal quarters of Holdings most recently ended or (b) consummates any transaction that requires any pro forma calculation as a condition thereto or in connection therewith under the terms of this Agreement, then, in each case, (i) the Net Leverage Ratio and Interest Coverage Ratio shall be calculated after giving pro forma effect thereto (including pro forma adjustments arising out of events which are directly attributable to the acquisition or the Disposition of assets, are factually supportable and are expected to have a continuing impact, in each case as determined on a basis consistent with Article 11 of Regulation S-X of the Securities Act of 1933, as in effect immediately prior to January 1, 2021, as interpreted by the SEC, and as certified by a Financial Officer of Holdings), as if such acquisition, such Disposition or such other transaction (and any related incurrence, repayment or assumption of Indebtedness) had occurred in the first day of such four-quarter period, (ii) unless otherwise expressly required hereunder, such pro forma calculation shall be determined
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by reference to the financial statements for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ended on or most recently prior to such calculation for which financial statements have been delivered (or are required to be delivered) to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b) (or, if prior to the date of the delivery of the first financial statements to be delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or (b), the most recent financial statements referred to in Section 3.04(a)) and (iii) any such calculation made by reference to, or requiring pro forma compliance with, any of the financial covenants shall be made by reference to the applicable financial covenant levels required under Section 6.12 (without giving effect to any Adjusted Covenant Period (other than in the case of determining satisfaction of the conditions to a Permitted Acquisition)) for the quarter during which such acquisition, Disposition or other transaction was consummated (or, if there is no financial covenant required to be tested during such fiscal quarter, the financial covenant level for the first testing period scheduled to occur after the date of such calculation). In addition to the foregoing, and notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, to the extent any Indebtedness is incurred or assumed in connection with any transaction permitted hereunder, any pro forma determination of the Net Leverage Ratio or compliance with the financial covenants required to be made under this Agreement in connection with such transaction shall be made without including the proceeds of such incurred or assumed Indebtedness as Unrestricted Cash.
SECTION 1.06.Status of Obligations. In the event that Holdings, the Borrower or any other Loan Party shall at any time issue or have outstanding any Subordinated Indebtedness, such Loan Party shall take or cause such other Loan Party to take all such actions as shall be necessary to cause the Obligations to constitute senior indebtedness (however denominated) in respect of such Subordinated Indebtedness and to enable the Administrative Agent and the Lenders to have and exercise any payment blockage or other remedies available or potentially available to holders of senior indebtedness under the terms of such Subordinated Indebtedness. Without limiting the foregoing, the Obligations are hereby designated as “senior indebtedness” and as “designated senior indebtedness” and words of similar import under and in respect of any indenture or other agreement or instrument under which such Subordinated Indebtedness is outstanding and are further given all such other designations as shall be required under the terms of any such Subordinated Indebtedness in order that the Lenders may have and exercise any payment blockage or other remedies available or potentially available to holders of senior indebtedness under the terms of such Subordinated Indebtedness.
SECTION 1.07.Interest Rates. The Administrative Agent does not warrant or accept any responsibility for, and shall not have any liability with respect to, (a) the continuation of, administration of, submission of, calculation of or any other matter related to the Term SOFR Reference Rate, Adjusted Term SOFR or Term SOFR, or any component definition thereof or rates referred to in the definition thereof, or with respect to any alternative, successor or replacement rate thereto (including any Benchmark Replacement), including whether the composition or characteristics of any such alternative, successor or replacement rate (including any Benchmark Replacement), as it may or may not be adjusted pursuant to Section 2.14, will be similar to, or produce the same value or economic equivalence of, or have the same volume or liquidity as, the Term SOFR Reference Rate, Adjusted Term SOFR, Term SOFR or any other Benchmark prior to its discontinuance or unavailability, or (b) the effect, implementation or composition of any Conforming Changes. The Administrative Agent and its Affiliates or other related entities may engage in transactions that affect the calculation of the Term SOFR Reference Rate, Adjusted Term SOFR, Term SOFR, any alternative, successor or replacement rate (including any Benchmark Replacement) or any relevant adjustments thereto and such transactions may be adverse to the Borrower. The Administrative Agent may select information sources or services in its reasonable discretion to ascertain the Term SOFR Reference Rate, Adjusted Term SOFR or Term SOFR, or any other Benchmark, any component definition thereof or rates referred to in the definition thereof, in each case pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, and shall have no liability to the Borrower, any Lender or any other person or entity for damages of any kind, including direct or indirect, special, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, costs, losses or expenses (whether in tort, contract or otherwise and whether at law or in equity), for any error or calculation of any such rate (or component thereof) provided by any such information source or service.
SECTION 1.08.Letter of Credit Amounts. Unless otherwise specified herein, the amount of a Letter of Credit at any time shall be deemed to be the stated amount of such Letter of Credit available to be drawn at such time; provided that with respect to any Letter of Credit that, by its terms, provides for one or more automatic increases in the available amount thereof, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall
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be deemed to be the maximum amount of such Letter of Credit after giving effect to all such increases, whether or not such maximum amount is available to be drawn at such time. For all purposes of this Agreement, if on any date of determination a Letter of Credit has expired by its terms but any amount may still be drawn thereunder by reason of the operation of Article 29(a) of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, International Chamber of Commerce Publication No. 600 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the applicable time) or Rule 3.13 or Rule 3.14 of the International Standby Practices, International Chamber of Commerce Publication No. 590 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the applicable time) or similar terms in the governing rules or laws or of the Letter of Credit itself, or if compliant documents have been presented but not yet honored, such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be “outstanding” and “undrawn” in the amount so remaining available to be paid, and the obligations of the Borrower and each Lender shall remain in full force and effect until the Issuing Banks and the Lenders shall have no further obligations to make any payments or disbursements under any circumstances with respect to any Letter of Credit.
SECTION 1.09.Divisions. For all purposes under the Loan Documents, in connection with any division or plan of division under Delaware law (or any comparable event under a different jurisdiction’s laws): (a) if any asset, right, obligation or liability of any Person becomes the asset, right, obligation or liability of a different Person, then it shall be deemed to have been transferred from the original Person to the subsequent Person, and (b) if any new Person comes into existence, such new Person shall be deemed to have been organized and acquired on the first date of its existence by the holders of its Equity Interests at such time.
ARTICLE II
The Credits
SECTION 1.010.Commitments.
(a)Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Revolving Lender severally (and not jointly) agrees to make Revolving Loans in dollars to the Borrower from time to time during the Availability Period in an aggregate principal amount that will not result (after giving effect to any application of proceeds of such Borrowing pursuant to Section 2.10(a)) in (i) such Lender’s Revolving Exposure exceeding such Lender’s Revolving Commitment or (ii) the Aggregate Revolving Exposure exceeding the aggregate Revolving Commitments. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Revolving Loans.
(b)Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Term Lender severally (and not jointly) agrees to make a Term Loan in dollars to the Borrower, on the Effective Date, in a principal amount not to exceed such Lender’s Term Loan Commitment, by making immediately available funds available to the Administrative Agent’s designated account not later than the time specified by the Administrative Agent. Amounts prepaid or repaid in respect of Term Loans may not be reborrowed.
SECTION 1.011.Loans and Borrowings.
(c)Each Loan (other than a Swingline Loan) shall be made as part of a Borrowing consisting of Loans of the same Class and Type made by the applicable Lenders ratably in accordance with their respective Commitments of the applicable Class. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan required to be made by it shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligations hereunder; provided that the Commitments of the Lenders are several and no Lender shall be responsible for any other Lender’s failure to make Loans as required. Any Swingline Loan shall be made in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.05. The Term Loans shall amortize as set forth in Section 2.10.
(d)Subject to Section 2.14, each Revolving Borrowing and each Term Loan Borrowing shall be comprised entirely of ABR Loans or SOFR Loans as the Borrower may request in accordance herewith. Each Swingline Loan shall be an ABR Loan. Each Lender at its option may make any Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan (and in the case of an Affiliate, the provisions of Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 shall apply to such Affiliate to the same
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extent as to such Lender); provided that any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(e)At the commencement of each Interest Period for any SOFR Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000 and not less than $2,000,000. At the time that each ABR Borrowing is made, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $500,000 and not less than $1,000,000; provided that an ABR Revolving Borrowing may be in an aggregate amount that is equal to the entire unused balance of the total Revolving Commitments or that is required to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.06(e). Each Swingline Loan shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of $100,000 and not less than $100,000. Borrowings of more than one Type and Class may be outstanding at the same time; provided that there shall not at any time be more than a total of ten (10) SOFR Borrowings outstanding.
(f)Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to request, or to elect to convert or continue, any Borrowing if the Interest Period requested with respect thereto would end after the Maturity Date applicable to such Class of Borrowings.
(g)To the extent the Borrower directs the Administrative Agent or the Lenders to remit the proceeds of any Loans hereunder to a Person other than the Borrower, in each such case, the Borrower hereby acknowledges and agrees that (i) all Loans constitute direct obligations of the Borrower, (ii) all Loans are made for the account of the Borrower and (iii) the deposit of the proceeds of the Loans as so provided directly benefits the Borrower.
SECTION 1.012.Requests for Borrowings. To request a Borrowing, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request by submitting a Borrowing Request signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower or through any Electronic System, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent, (a) in the case of a SOFR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, three U.S. Government Securities Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing or (b) in the case of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date of the proposed Borrowing; provided that any such notice of an ABR Revolving Borrowing to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.06(e) may be given not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date of the proposed Borrowing. Each such Borrowing Request shall be irrevocable. Each such Borrowing Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.01:
(i)the Class of the Borrowing and the aggregate principal amount of the requested Borrowing;
(ii)the date of such Borrowing, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii)whether such Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing or a SOFR Borrowing;
(iv)in the case of a SOFR Borrowing, the initial Interest Period to be applicable thereto, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”; and
(v)the location and number of the Borrower’s account to which funds are to be disbursed, which shall comply with the requirements of Section 2.07, and a breakdown of the separate wires comprising such Borrowing.
If no election as to the Type of Borrowing is specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be an ABR Borrowing. If no Interest Period is specified with respect to any requested SOFR Borrowing, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration. Promptly following receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of the amount of such Lender’s Loan to be made as part of the requested Borrowing.
SECTION 1.013.[Intentionally Omitted].
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SECTION 1.014.Swingline Loans.
(a)Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, from time to time during the Availability Period, any Swingline Lender may agree, but shall have no obligation, to make Swingline Loans in dollars to the Borrower, in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding that will not result in (i) the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Swingline Loans exceeding $20,000,000, (ii) any Swingline Lender’s Revolving Exposure exceeding its Revolving Commitment, (iii) the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Swingline Loans made by any Swingline Lender exceeding $10,000,000 (unless otherwise agreed to by such Swingline Lender and the Borrower with notice to the Administrative Agent) or (iv) the Aggregate Revolving Exposure exceeding the aggregate Revolving Commitments; provided that the Swingline Lenders shall not be required to make a Swingline Loan to refinance an outstanding Swingline Loan. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Swingline Loans. To request a Swingline Loan, the Borrower shall submit a written notice to the Administrative Agent of such request by fax or through any Electronic System, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent, not later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, on the day of a proposed Swingline Loan. Each such notice shall be in a form approved by the Administrative Agent, shall be irrevocable and shall specify the requested date (which shall be a Business Day) and amount of the requested Swingline Loan. The Administrative Agent will promptly advise the applicable Swingline Lender of any such notice received from the Borrower. Each Swingline Lender shall make each Swingline Loan available to the Borrower, to the extent such Swingline Lender elects to make such Swingline Loan, by means of a credit to the Funding Account(s) (or, in the case of a Swingline Loan made to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.06(e), by remittance to the Issuing Banks, and in the case of repayment of another Loan or fees or expenses as provided by Section 2.18(c), by remittance to the Administrative Agent to be distributed to the applicable Lenders) by 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on the requested date of such Swingline Loan.
(b)A Swingline Lender may by written notice given to the Administrative Agent require the Revolving Lenders to acquire participations on such Business Day in all or a portion of the Swingline Loans outstanding. Such notice shall specify the aggregate amount of Swingline Loans in which the Revolving Lenders will participate. Promptly upon receipt of such notice, the Administrative Agent will give notice thereof to each Revolving Lender, specifying in such notice such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such Swingline Loan or Loans. Each Revolving Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees, promptly upon receipt of such notice from the Administrative Agent (and in any event, if such notice is received by 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on a Business Day no later than 1:00 p.m., New York City time on such Business Day and if received after 11:00 a.m., New York City time, “on a Business Day” shall mean no later than 1:00 p.m., New York City time on the immediately succeeding Business Day), to pay to the Administrative Agent in dollars, for the account of the applicable Swingline Lender, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such Swingline Loan or Loans. Each Revolving Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire participations in Swingline Loans pursuant to this paragraph is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including the occurrence and continuance of a Default or reduction or termination of the Revolving Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. Each Revolving Lender shall comply with its obligation under this paragraph by wire transfer in dollars of immediately available funds, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.07 with respect to Revolving Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.07 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Revolving Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the applicable Swingline Lender the amounts so received by it from the Revolving Lenders. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower of any participations in any Swingline Loan acquired pursuant to this paragraph, and thereafter payments in respect of such Swingline Loan shall be made to the Administrative Agent and not to such Swingline Lender. Any amounts received by a Swingline Lender from the Borrower (or other party on behalf of the Borrower) in respect of a Swingline Loan after receipt by such Swingline Lender of the proceeds of a sale of participations therein shall be promptly remitted to the Administrative Agent; any such amounts received by the Administrative Agent shall be promptly remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Revolving Lenders that shall have made their payments pursuant to this paragraph and to such Swingline Lender, as their interests may appear; provided that any such payment so remitted shall be repaid to such Swingline Lender or to the Administrative Agent, as applicable, if and to the extent such payment is required to be
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refunded to the Borrower for any reason. The purchase of participations in a Swingline Loan pursuant to this paragraph shall not relieve the Borrower of any default in the payment thereof.
(c)A Swingline Lender may be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the replaced Swingline Lender and the successor Swingline Lender. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Revolving Lenders of any such replacement of a Swingline Lender. At the time any such replacement shall become effective, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid interest accrued for the account of the replaced Swingline Lender pursuant to Section 2.13(a). From and after the effective date of any such replacement, (x) the successor Swingline Lender shall have all the rights and obligations of the replaced Swingline Lender under this Agreement with respect to Swingline Loans made thereafter and (y) references herein to the term “Swingline Lender” shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous Swingline Lender, or to such successor and all previous Swingline Lenders, as the context shall require. After the replacement of a Swingline Lender hereunder, the replaced Swingline Lender shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of a Swingline Lender under this Agreement with respect to Swingline Loans made by it prior to its replacement, but shall not be required to make additional Swingline Loans.
(d)Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Swingline Lender, the applicable Swingline Lender may resign as Swingline Lender at any time upon thirty days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Revolving Lenders, in which case, such Swingline Lender shall be replaced in accordance with Section 2.05(c) above.
SECTION 1.015.Letters of Credit.
(c)General. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may request any Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit denominated in dollars as the applicant thereof for the support of its or any other Subsidiary’s obligations, in a form reasonably acceptable to the applicable Issuing Bank, at any time and from time to time during the Availability Period. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Issuing Bank, (x) agrees to issue Letters of Credit in an amount up to the Committed LC Amount of such Issuing Bank (any such Letters of Credit issued pursuant to this clause (x), “Committed Letters of Credit”), and (y) may, in its sole discretion, issue Letters of Credit in addition to Committed Letters of Credit in an amount which, together with the outstanding face amount of all Committed Letters of Credit issuing by such Issuing Bank, shall not exceed such Issuing Bank’s Issuing Bank Sublimit (any such Letters of Credit issued on a discretionary basis pursuant to this clause (y), “Discretionary Letters of Credit”).
(d)Notice of Issuance, Amendment, Extension; Certain Conditions. To request the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or the amendment or extension of an outstanding Letter of Credit), the Borrower shall hand deliver or fax (or transmit through any Electronic System, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by such Issuing Bank) to the applicable Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent (reasonably in advance of the requested date of issuance, amendment or extension, but in any event no less than two Business Days) a notice requesting the issuance of a Letter of Credit, or identifying the Letter of Credit to be amended or extended, and specifying the date of issuance, amendment or extension (which shall be a Business Day), the date on which such Letter of Credit is to expire (which shall comply with paragraph (c) of this Section), the amount of such Letter of Credit, the name and address of the beneficiary thereof, and such other information as shall be necessary to prepare, amend or extend such Letter of Credit. In addition, as a condition to any such Letter of Credit issuance, the Borrower shall have entered into a continuing agreement (or other letter of credit agreement) for the issuance of letters of credit and/or shall submit a letter of credit application, in each case, as required by such Issuing Bank and using such Issuing Bank’s standard form (each, a “Letter of Credit Agreement”). In the event of any conflict between the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the terms and conditions of any Letter of Credit Agreement, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall control. A Letter of Credit shall (in the case of any Committed Letter of Credit) or may (in the case of any Discretionary Letter of Credit) be issued, amended or extended only if (and upon issuance, amendment or extension of each Letter of Credit the Borrower shall be deemed to represent and warrant that), in each case, after giving effect to such issuance, amendment or extension (i) the aggregate LC Exposure shall not exceed $50,000,000, (ii) no Lender’s Revolving Exposure shall exceed its Revolving Commitment, (iii) the aggregate LC Exposure attributable to all outstanding Letters of Credit issued by any Issuing Bank shall not exceed the Issuing
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Bank Sublimit of such Issuing Bank and (iv) the Aggregate Revolving Exposure shall not exceed the aggregate Revolving Commitments. Without limiting the foregoing and without affecting the limitations contained herein, it is understood and agreed that the Borrower may from time to time request that an Issuing Bank issue Letters of Credit in excess of its individual Issuing Bank Sublimit or Committed LC Amount in effect at the time of such request, and each Issuing Bank agrees to consider any such request in good faith. Any Letter of Credit so issued by an Issuing Bank in excess of its individual Issuing Bank Sublimit or Committed LC Amount, as applicable, then in effect shall nonetheless constitute a Letter of Credit for all purposes of this Agreement, and shall not affect the Issuing Bank Sublimit or Committed LC Amount of any other Issuing Bank, in each case, subject to the limitations set forth in clauses (i) through (iv) of this Section 2.06(b).
An Issuing Bank shall not be under any obligation to issue any Letter of Credit if:
(i)any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain such Issuing Bank from issuing such Letter of Credit, or request that such Issuing Bank refrain from issuing such Letter of Credit, or any Requirement of Law relating to such Issuing Bank or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over such Issuing Bank shall prohibit, the issuance of letters of credit generally or such Letter of Credit in particular, or any such order, judgment, decree, requirement of Law, request or directive shall impose upon such Issuing Bank with respect to such Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital or liquidity requirement (for which such Issuing Bank is not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Effective Date, or shall impose upon such Issuing Bank any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense that was not applicable on the Effective Date and that such Issuing Bank in good faith deems material to it; or
(ii)the issuance of such Letter of Credit would violate one or more policies of such Issuing Bank applicable to letters of credit generally.
(h)Expiration Date. Each Letter of Credit shall expire (or be subject to termination or non-extension by notice from the applicable Issuing Bank to the beneficiary thereof) at or prior to the close of business on the earlier of (i) the date one year after the date of the issuance of such Letter of Credit (or, in the case of any extension of the expiration thereof, including, without limitation, any automatic extension provision, one year after such extension) and (ii) the date that is five Business Days prior to the Revolving Credit Maturity Date; provided that any Letter of Credit with a one-year tenor may provide for the extension thereof for additional one-year periods (which shall in no event extend beyond the date referred to in clause (ii) above).
(i)Participations. By the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or an amendment to a Letter of Credit increasing the amount or extending the term thereof) and without any further action on the part of any Issuing Bank or the Revolving Lenders, each Issuing Bank hereby grants to each Revolving Lender, and each Revolving Lender hereby acquires from such Issuing Bank, a participation in such Letter of Credit equal to such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the aggregate amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit. In consideration and in furtherance of the foregoing, each Revolving Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the applicable Issuing Bank, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of each LC Disbursement made by such Issuing Bank and not reimbursed by the Borrower on the date due as provided in paragraph (e) of this Section, or of any reimbursement payment required to be refunded to the Borrower for any reason, including after the Revolving Credit Maturity Date. Each Revolving Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire participations pursuant to this paragraph in respect of Letters of Credit is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including any amendment or extension of any Letter of Credit or the occurrence and continuance of a Default or reduction or termination of the Revolving Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. On the Effective Date, the Existing Letters of Credit shall automatically, and without any action on the part of any Person, be deemed to be Letters of Credit issued hereunder and subject to Section 2.12 hereunder. In connection therewith, each Lender shall automatically, and without any action on the part of any Person, be deemed to have acquired from the applicable Issuing Bank a participation in each such Letter of Credit in accordance with this Section 2.06(d).
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(j)Reimbursement. If any Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement in respect of a Letter of Credit, the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement by paying to the Administrative Agent an amount equal to such LC Disbursement not later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, on (i) the Business Day that the Borrower receives notice of such LC Disbursement, if such notice is received prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the day of receipt, or (ii) the Business Day immediately following the day that the Borrower receives such notice, if such notice is received after 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the day of receipt; provided that, if such LC Disbursement is greater than or equal to $1,000,000, the Borrower may, subject to the conditions to borrowing set forth herein, request in accordance with Section 2.03 or 2.05 that such payment be financed with an ABR Revolving Borrowing or Swingline Loan in an equivalent amount of such LC Disbursement and, to the extent so financed, the Borrower’s obligation to make such payment shall be discharged and replaced by the resulting ABR Revolving Borrowing or Swingline Loan. If the Borrower fails to make such payment when due, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Revolving Lender of the applicable LC Disbursement, the payment then due from the Borrower in respect thereof, and such Lender’s Applicable Percentage thereof. Promptly following receipt of such notice, each Revolving Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent its Applicable Percentage of the payment then due from the Borrower, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.07 with respect to Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.07 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Revolving Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to such Issuing Bank the amounts so received by it from the Revolving Lenders. Promptly following receipt by the Administrative Agent of any payment from the Borrower pursuant to this paragraph, the Administrative Agent shall distribute such payment to such Issuing Bank or, to the extent that Revolving Lenders have made payments pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Banks, then to such Lenders and the Issuing Banks, as their interests may appear. Any payment made by a Revolving Lender pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse such Issuing Bank for any LC Disbursement (other than the funding of ABR Revolving Loans or a Swingline Loan as contemplated above) shall not constitute a Loan and shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse such LC Disbursement.
(k)Obligations Absolute. The Borrower’s obligation to reimburse LC Disbursements as provided in paragraph (e) of this Section shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be performed strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under any and all circumstances whatsoever and irrespective of (i) any lack of validity or enforceability of any Letter of Credit, any Letter of Credit Agreement or this Agreement, or any term or provision therein or herein, (ii) any draft or other document presented under a Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent or invalid in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect, (iii) any payment by any Issuing Bank under a Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or other document that does not comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit, or (iv) any other event or circumstance whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, that might, but for the provisions of this Section, constitute a legal or equitable discharge of, or provide a right of setoff against, the Borrower’s obligations hereunder. None of the Administrative Agent, the Revolving Lenders or the Issuing Banks, or any of their respective Related Parties, shall have any liability or responsibility by reason of or in connection with the issuance or transfer of any Letter of Credit, or any payment or failure to make any payment thereunder (irrespective of any of the circumstances referred to in the preceding sentence), or any error, omission, interruption, loss or delay in transmission or delivery of any draft, document, notice or other communication under or relating to any Letter of Credit (including any document required to make a drawing thereunder), any error in interpretation of technical terms, any error in translation or any consequence arising from causes beyond the control of the Issuing Bank; provided that the foregoing shall not be construed to excuse any Issuing Bank from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages (as opposed to special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages, claims in respect of which are hereby waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable law) suffered by the Borrower that are caused by the Issuing Bank’s failure to exercise care when determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof. The parties hereto expressly agree that, in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of any Issuing Bank (as finally determined by a nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction), such Issuing Bank shall be deemed to have exercised care in each such determination. In furtherance of the foregoing and without limiting the generality thereof, the parties agree that, with respect to documents presented which appear on their face to be in substantial compliance with the terms of a Letter of Credit, any Issuing Bank may, in its sole discretion, either accept and make payment upon such documents without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of
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any notice or information to the contrary, or refuse to accept and make payment upon such documents if such documents are not in strict compliance with the terms of such Letter of Credit.
(l)Disbursement Procedures. The applicable Issuing Bank for any Letter of Credit shall, within the time allowed by applicable law or the specific terms of such Letter of Credit following its receipt thereof, examine all documents purporting to represent a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit. The applicable Issuing Bank shall promptly after such examination notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrower by telephone (confirmed by fax or through Electronic Systems) of such demand for payment and whether such Issuing Bank has made or will make an LC Disbursement thereunder; provided that such notice need not be given prior to payment by such Issuing Bank and any failure to give or delay in giving such notice shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse such Issuing Bank and the Revolving Lenders with respect to any such LC Disbursement.
(m)Interim Interest. If any Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement, then, unless the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement in full on the date such LC Disbursement is made, the unpaid amount thereof shall bear interest, for each day from and including the date such LC Disbursement is made to but excluding the date that the Borrower reimburses such LC Disbursement, at the rate per annum then applicable to ABR Revolving Loans and such interest shall be due and payable on the date when such reimbursement is due; provided that, if the Borrower fails to reimburse such LC Disbursement when due pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section, then Section 2.13(d) shall apply. Interest accrued pursuant to this paragraph shall be for the account of the applicable Issuing Bank, except that interest accrued on and after the date of payment by any Revolving Lender pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section to reimburse such Issuing Bank shall be for the account of such Lender to the extent of such payment.
(n)Replacement and Resignation of an Issuing Bank.
(iii)An Issuing Bank may be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the replaced Issuing Bank and the successor Issuing Bank. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Revolving Lenders of any such replacement of such Issuing Bank. At the time any such replacement shall become effective, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid fees accrued for the account of the replaced Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 2.12(b). From and after the effective date of any such replacement, (x) the successor Issuing Bank shall have all the rights and obligations of the replaced Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit to be issued thereafter and (y) references herein to the term “Issuing Bank” shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous Issuing Bank, or to such successor and all previous Issuing Banks, as the context shall require. After the replacement of an Issuing Bank hereunder, the replaced Issuing Bank shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit then outstanding and issued by it prior to such replacement, but shall not be required to issue additional Letters of Credit or extend or otherwise amend any existing Letter of Credit.
(iv)Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Issuing Bank, an Issuing Bank may resign as an Issuing Bank at any time upon thirty days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Revolving Lenders, in which case, such resigning Issuing Bank shall be replaced in accordance with Section 2.06(i)(i) above.
(e)Cash Collateralization. If any Event of Default shall occur and be continuing, on the Business Day that the Borrower receives notice from the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders (or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated, Revolving Lenders with LC Exposure representing greater than 50% of the aggregate LC Exposure) demanding the deposit of cash collateral pursuant to this paragraph, the Borrower shall deposit in an account with the Administrative Agent, in the name of the Administrative Agent and for the benefit of the Revolving Lenders (the “LC Collateral Account”), an amount in cash in dollars equal to 105% of the amount of the LC Exposure as of such date plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon; provided that the obligation to deposit such cash collateral shall become effective immediately, and such deposit shall become immediately due and payable, without demand or other notice of any kind, upon the occurrence of any Event of Default with respect to the Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of Article VII. The Borrower also shall deposit cash collateral in accordance with this paragraph as and to the extent required by Section 2.11(b) or 2.20. Each such deposit
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shall be held by the Administrative Agent as collateral for the payment and performance of the Obligations. In addition, and without limiting the foregoing or paragraph (c) of this Section, if any LC Exposure remains outstanding after the expiration date specified in said paragraph (c), the Borrower shall immediately deposit into the LC Collateral Account an amount in cash equal to 105% of such LC Exposure as of such date plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon. The Administrative Agent shall have exclusive dominion and control, including the exclusive right of withdrawal, over the LC Collateral Account and the Borrower hereby grants the Administrative Agent a security interest in the LC Collateral Account and all moneys or other assets on deposit therein or credited thereto. Other than any interest earned on the investment of such deposits, which investments shall be made at the option and sole discretion of the Administrative Agent and at the Borrower’s risk and expense, such deposits shall not bear interest. Interest or profits, if any, on such investments shall accumulate in such account. Moneys in such account shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to reimburse the applicable Issuing Bank for LC Disbursements for which it has not been reimbursed, together with related fees, costs, and customary processing charges, and, to the extent not so applied, shall be held for the satisfaction of the reimbursement obligations of the Borrower for the LC Exposure at such time or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated (but subject to the consent of Revolving Lenders with LC Exposure representing greater than 50% of the aggregate LC Exposure), be applied to satisfy other Obligations. If the Borrower is required to provide an amount of cash collateral hereunder as a result of the occurrence of an Event of Default, such amount (to the extent not applied as aforesaid) shall be returned to the Borrower within three (3) Business Days after all such Events of Default have been cured or waived as confirmed in writing by the Administrative Agent.
(f)Issuing Bank Reports to the Administrative Agent. Unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent, each Issuing Bank other than Wells Fargo shall, in addition to its notification obligations set forth elsewhere in this Section, report in writing to Administrative Agent (i) periodic activity (for such period or recurrent periods as shall be requested by the Administrative Agent) in respect of Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank, including all issuances, extensions and amendments, all expirations and cancelations and all disbursements and reimbursements, (ii) reasonably prior to the time that such Issuing Bank issues, amends or extends any Letter of Credit, the date of such issuance, amendment or extension, and the stated amount of the Letters of Credit issued, amended or extended by it and outstanding after giving effect to such issuance, amendment or extension (and whether the amounts thereof shall have changed), (iii) on each Business Day on which such Issuing Bank makes any LC Disbursement, the date and amount of such LC Disbursement, (iv) on any Business Day on which the Borrower fails to reimburse an LC Disbursement required to be reimbursed to such Issuing Bank on such day, the date of such failure and the amount of such LC Disbursement, and (v) on any other Business Day, such other information as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request as to the Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank.
(g)Letters of Credit Issued for Account of Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding that a Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder supports any obligations of, or is for the account of, a Subsidiary, or states that a Subsidiary is the “account party,” “applicant,” “customer,” “instructing party,” or the like of or for such Letter of Credit, and without derogating from any rights of the applicable Issuing Bank (whether arising by contract, at law, in equity or otherwise) against such Subsidiary in respect of such Letter of Credit, the Borrower (i) shall reimburse, indemnify and compensate the applicable Issuing Bank hereunder for such Letter of Credit (including to reimburse any and all drawings thereunder) as if such Letter of Credit had been issued solely for the account of the Borrower and (ii) irrevocably waives any and all defenses that might otherwise be available to it as a guarantor or surety of any or all of the obligations of such Subsidiary in respect of such Letter of Credit. The Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of such Letters of Credit for Subsidiaries of Holdings inures to the benefit of the Borrower, and that the Borrower’s business directly or indirectly derives substantial benefits from the businesses of such Subsidiaries.
SECTION 1.016.Funding of Borrowings.
(a)Each Lender shall make each Loan to be made by such Lender hereunder on the proposed date thereof solely by wire transfer of immediately available funds by 1:00 p.m., New York City time, to the account of the Administrative Agent most recently designated by it for such purpose by notice to the Lenders in an amount equal to such Lender’s Applicable Percentage; provided that (i) Term Loans shall
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be made as provided in Section 2.01(b) and (ii) Swingline Loans shall be made as provided in Section 2.05. The Administrative Agent will make such Loans available to the Borrower by promptly crediting the funds so received in the aforesaid account of the Administrative Agent to the Funding Account(s); provided that ABR Revolving Loans made to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.06(e) shall be remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Issuing Banks.
(b)Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Section and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower each severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (i) in the case of such Lender, the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation or (ii) in the case of the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to ABR Loans. If such Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such amount shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing; provided, that any interest received from the Borrower by the Administrative Agent during the period beginning when Administrative Agent funded the Borrowing until such Lender pays such amount shall be solely for the account of the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 1.017.Interest Elections.
(h)Each Borrowing initially shall be of the Type specified in the applicable Borrowing Request and, in the case of a SOFR Borrowing, shall have an initial Interest Period as specified in such Borrowing Request. Thereafter, the Borrower may elect to convert such Borrowing to a different Type or to continue such Borrowing and, in the case of a SOFR Borrowing, may elect Interest Periods therefor, all as provided in this Section. The Borrower may elect different options with respect to different portions of the affected Borrowing, in which case each such portion shall be allocated ratably among the Lenders holding the Loans comprising such Borrowing, and the Loans comprising each such portion shall be considered a separate Borrowing. This Section shall not apply to Swingline Borrowings, which may not be converted or continued.
(i)To make an election pursuant to this Section, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such election either in writing (delivered by hand or fax) by delivering an Interest Election Request signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower or through any Electronic System, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent, by the time that a Borrowing Request would be required under Section 2.03 if the Borrower were requesting a Borrowing of the Type resulting from such election to be made on the effective date of such election. Each such Interest Election Request shall be irrevocable. Notwithstanding any contrary provision herein, this Section shall not be construed to permit the Borrower to (i) elect an Interest Period for SOFR Loans that does not comply with Section 2.02(d) or (ii) convert any Borrowing to a Borrowing of a Type not available under the Class of Commitments pursuant to which such Borrowing was made.
(j)Each Interest Election Request (including requests submitted through any Electronic System) shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i)the Borrowing to which such Interest Election Request applies and, if different options are being elected with respect to different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in which case the information to be specified pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) below shall be specified for each resulting Borrowing);
(ii)the effective date of the election made pursuant to such Interest Election Request, which shall be a Business Day;
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(iii)whether the resulting Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing or a SOFR Borrowing; and
(iv)if the resulting Borrowing is a SOFR Borrowing, the Interest Period to be applicable thereto after giving effect to such election, which Interest Period shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”.
If any such Interest Election Request requests a SOFR Borrowing but does not specify an Interest Period, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration.
(o)Promptly following receipt of an Interest Election Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the applicable Class of the details thereof and of such Lender’s portion of each resulting Borrowing.
(p)If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely Interest Election Request with respect to a SOFR Borrowing prior to the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto, then, unless such Borrowing is repaid as provided herein, at the end of such Interest Period such Borrowing shall be deemed to have an Interest Period that is one month. Notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent, at the request of the Required Lenders, so notifies the Borrower, then, so long as an Event of Default is continuing (i) no outstanding Borrowing may be converted to or continued as a SOFR Borrowing and (ii) unless repaid, each SOFR Borrowing shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing at the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto.
SECTION 1.018.Termination and Reduction of Commitments; Increase in Revolving Commitments; Incremental Term Loans.
(k)Unless previously terminated, (i) the Term Loan Commitments shall terminate at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Effective Date and (ii) all the Revolving Commitments shall terminate on the Revolving Credit Maturity Date.
(l)The Borrower may at any time terminate the Revolving Commitments upon the Payment in Full of the Obligations.
(m)The Borrower may at any time and from time to time reduce the Revolving Commitments; provided that (i) each reduction of the Revolving Commitments shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000 and not less than $1,000,000 and (ii) the Borrower shall not terminate or reduce the Revolving Commitments if, after giving effect to any concurrent prepayment of the Revolving Loans in accordance with Section 2.11, (x) the Aggregate Revolving Exposure would exceed the aggregate Revolving Commitments or (y) the Revolving Exposure of any Lender would exceed the Revolving Commitment of such Lender.
(n)The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of any election to terminate or reduce the Revolving Commitments under paragraph (b) or (c) of this Section at least five (5) Business Days prior to the effective date of such termination or reduction, specifying such election and the effective date thereof. Promptly following receipt of any notice, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each notice delivered by the Borrower pursuant to this Section shall be irrevocable; provided that a notice of termination of the Revolving Commitments delivered by the Borrower may state that such notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities or other transactions specified therein, in which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied. Any termination or reduction of the Revolving Commitments shall be permanent. Each reduction of the Revolving Commitments shall be made ratably among the Lenders in accordance with their respective Revolving Commitments.
(o)The Borrower shall have the right to increase the Revolving Commitments or enter into one or more tranches of term loans (each an “Incremental Term Loan”), in each case by obtaining additional Revolving Commitments or participations in such Incremental Term Loans, either from one or more of the Lenders or another lending institution (other than any Ineligible Institution), provided that
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(i) any such request for an increase or tranche of Incremental Term Loans shall be in a minimum amount of $10,000,000, (ii) after giving effect thereto, the sum of the total of the additional Revolving Commitments and Incremental Term Loans does not exceed $275,000,000, (iii) the Administrative Agent, Chase and, only in the case of any increase in the Revolving Commitments, the Swingline Lenders and the Issuing Banks, have approved the identity of any such new Lender, such approvals not to be unreasonably withheld, (iv) any such new Lender assumes all of the rights and obligations of a “Lender” hereunder, and (v) the procedures described in Section 2.09(f) have been satisfied. Nothing contained in this Section 2.09 shall constitute, or otherwise be deemed to be, a commitment on the part of any Lender to increase its Revolving Commitment or participate in any tranche of Incremental Term Loans hereunder at any time.
(p)As a condition precedent to such an increase of the Revolving Commitments or tranche of Incremental Term Loans, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent and Chase (i) a certificate of each Loan Party signed by an authorized officer of such Loan Party (A) certifying and attaching the resolutions adopted by such Loan Party approving or consenting to such increase or tranche, and (B) in the case of the Borrower, certifying that, before and after giving effect to such increase or tranche, (1) the representations and warranties contained in Article III and the other Loan Documents are true and correct, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they are true and correct as of such earlier date, (2) no Default or Event of Default exists and (3) Holdings is in compliance (on a pro forma basis) with the covenants contained in Section 6.12 (which calculations shall assume that such increase of the Revolving Commitments is fully drawn or such tranche of Incremental Term Loans is fully funded, as the case may be) and (ii) legal opinions and documents consistent with those delivered on the Effective Date, to the extent requested by the Administrative Agent or Chase.
(q)On the effective date of any such increase or tranche of Incremental Term Loans, (i) any Lender increasing (or, in the case of any newly added Lender, extending) its Revolving Commitment shall make available to the Administrative Agent such amounts in immediately available funds as the Administrative Agent shall determine, for the benefit of the other Lenders, as being required in order to cause, after giving effect to such increase or addition and the use of such amounts to make payments to such other Lenders, each Lender’s portion of the outstanding Revolving Loans of all the Lenders to equal its revised Applicable Percentage of such outstanding Revolving Loans, and the Administrative Agent shall make such other adjustments among the Lenders with respect to the Revolving Loans then outstanding and amounts of principal, interest, commitment fees and other amounts paid or payable with respect thereto as shall be necessary, in the opinion of the Administrative Agent, in order to effect such reallocation and (ii) except in the case of any Incremental Term Loans, the Borrower shall be deemed to have repaid and reborrowed all outstanding Revolving Loans as of the date of any increase (or addition) in the Revolving Commitments (with such reborrowing to consist of the Types of Revolving Loans, with related Interest Periods if applicable, specified by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent). The deemed payments made pursuant to clause (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence shall be accompanied by payment of all accrued interest on the amount prepaid and, to the extent applicable, shall be subject to indemnification by the Borrower pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.16. The Incremental Term Loans (x) shall rank pari passu in right of payment with the Revolving Loans and the initial Term Loans, (y) shall not mature earlier than the latest Maturity Date in effect at such time (but may have amortization prior to such date so long as the weighted average life to maturity of any Incremental Term Loans shall be no shorter than the remaining weighted average life to maturity of the initial Term Loans outstanding at such time) and (z) shall be treated substantially the same as (and in any event no more favorably than) the Revolving Loans and the initial Term Loans; provided that (A) the terms and conditions applicable to any tranche of Incremental Term Loans maturing after the latest Maturity Date in effect at such time may provide for material additional or different financial or other covenants or prepayment requirements applicable only during periods after such Maturity Date and (B) the Incremental Term Loans may be priced differently than the Revolving Loans and the initial Term Loans.
(r)Subject to the foregoing conditions, any Incremental Term Loans or increase in the Revolving Commitments may be made hereunder pursuant to an amendment or restatement (an “Incremental Facility Amendment”) of this Agreement and, as appropriate, the other Loan Documents, executed by the Borrower, each Lender participating in such tranche, Chase and the Administrative
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Agent. The Incremental Facility Amendment may, without the consent of any other Lenders, effect such amendments to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as may be necessary or appropriate, in the reasonable opinion of the Administrative Agent or Chase, to effect the provisions of this Section 2.09 and reflect the applicable Incremental Term Loans and increase in the Revolving Commitments. Within a reasonable time after the effective date of any increase or addition, the Administrative Agent shall, and is hereby authorized and directed to, revise the Commitment Schedule to reflect such increase or addition and shall distribute such revised Commitment Schedule to each of the Lenders and the Borrower, whereupon such revised Commitment Schedule shall replace the old Commitment Schedule and become part of this Agreement.
(s)In connection with any increase of the Revolving Commitments or Incremental Term Loans pursuant to this Section 2.09, any new lending institution becoming a party hereto shall (i) execute such documents and agreements as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request and (ii) provide to the Administrative Agent, its name, address, tax identification number and/or such other information as shall be necessary for the Administrative Agent to comply with “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including without limitation, the USA PATRIOT Act.
SECTION 1.10.Repayment and Amortization of Loans; Evidence of Debt.
(a)The Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay in dollars (i) to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Revolving Loan on the Revolving Credit Maturity Date, and (ii) to each Swingline Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Swingline Loan on the earlier of the Revolving Credit Maturity Date and the fifth Business Day after such Swingline Loan is made; provided that on each date that a Revolving Loan is made, the Borrower shall repay all Swingline Loans then outstanding and the proceeds of any such Revolving Loan shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to repay any Swingline Loans outstanding.
(b)The Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay in dollars to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Term Lender on each date set forth below the aggregate principal amount set forth opposite such date (as adjusted from time to time pursuant to 2.18(b)):

Date | Amount
September 30, 2023 | $5,625,000
December 31, 2023 | $5,625,000
March 31, 2024 | $5,625,000
June 30, 2024 | $5,625,000
September 30, 2024 | $5,625,000
December 31, 2024 | $5,625,000
March 31, 2025 | $5,625,000
June 30, 2025 | $5,625,000
September 30, 2025 | $11,250,000
December 31, 2025 | $11,250,000
March 31, 2026 | $11,250,000
June 30, 2026 | $11,250,000
September 30, 2026 | $11,250,000
December 31, 2026 | $11,250,000
March 31, 2027 | $11,250,000
June 30, 2027 | $11,250,000
Term Loan Maturity Date | The entire unpaid principal amount of all Term Loans

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; provided that, if any date set forth above is not a Business Day, then payment shall be due and payable on the Business Day immediately preceding such date. To the extent not previously paid, all unpaid Term Loans shall be paid in full in cash in dollars by the Borrower on the Term Loan Maturity Date.
(c)Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice an account or accounts evidencing the Indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such Lender, including the amounts of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time to time hereunder.
(d)Prior to any repayment of any Term Loan Borrowings under this Section, the Borrower shall select the Borrowing or Borrowings of the Term Loans to be repaid and shall notify the Administrative Agent by fax or through any Electronic System of such selection not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, three (3) Business Days before the scheduled date of such repayment. Each repayment of a Term Loan Borrowing shall be applied ratably to the Loans included in the repaid Term Loan Borrowing. Repayments of Term Loan Borrowings shall be accompanied by accrued interest on the amounts repaid.
(e)The Administrative Agent shall maintain accounts in which it shall record (i) the amount of each Loan made hereunder, the Class and Type thereof and the Interest Period applicable thereto, if any, (ii) the amount of any principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender hereunder and (iii) the amount of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder for the account of the Lenders and each Lender’s share thereof.
(f)The entries made in the accounts maintained pursuant to paragraph (c) or (e) of this Section shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts of the obligations recorded therein; provided that the failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such accounts or any error therein shall not in any manner affect the Obligations.
(g)Any Lender may request that Loans made by it be evidenced by a promissory note. In such event, the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a promissory note payable to such Lender (or, if requested by such Lender, to such Lender and its registered assigns) and in a form approved by the Administrative Agent. Thereafter, the Loans evidenced by such promissory note and interest thereon shall at all times (including after assignment pursuant to Section 9.04) be represented by one or more promissory notes in such form.
SECTION 1.1.Prepayment of Loans.
(h)The Borrower shall have the right at any time and from time to time to prepay any Borrowing in whole or in part, subject to prior notice in accordance with paragraph (c) of this Section and, if applicable, payment of any break funding expenses under Section 2.16.
(i)In the event and on such occasion that the Aggregate Revolving Exposure exceeds the aggregate Revolving Commitments, the Borrower shall prepay the Revolving Loans, LC Exposure and/or Swingline Loans (or, if no such Borrowings are outstanding, deposit cash collateral in the LC Collateral Account in an aggregate amount equal to such excess, in accordance with Section 2.06(j)) in an aggregate principal amount sufficient to cause the aggregate principal amount of all Revolving Exposures to be less than or equal to the aggregate Revolving Commitments.
(j)The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent (and, in the case of prepayment of a Swingline Loan, the applicable Swingline Lender) by fax or through any Electronic System, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent, of any prepayment under this Section: (i) in the case of prepayment of a SOFR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, three (3) U.S. Government Securities Business Days before the date of prepayment, (ii) in the case of prepayment of an ABR Revolving Borrowing (other than a Swingline Loan), not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date of prepayment or (iii) in the case of prepayment of a Swingline Loan, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date of prepayment. Each such notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the prepayment date and the principal amount of each Borrowing or portion thereof to be prepaid; provided that if a notice of prepayment is given in connection with a
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conditional notice of termination of the Revolving Commitments as contemplated by Section 2.09, then such notice of prepayment may be revoked if such notice of termination is revoked in accordance with Section 2.09. Promptly following receipt of any such notice, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each partial prepayment of any Borrowing shall be in an amount that would be permitted in the case of an advance of a Borrowing of the same Type as provided in Section 2.02, except as necessary to apply fully the required amount of a mandatory prepayment. Each prepayment of a Borrowing shall be applied ratably to the Loans included in the prepaid Borrowing. Prepayments shall be accompanied by (i) accrued interest to the extent required by Section 2.13 and (ii) break funding payments pursuant to Section 2.16.
SECTION 1.1.Fees.
(k)The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent a commitment fee for the account of each Revolving Lender, which shall accrue at the Applicable Rate on the daily amount of the undrawn portion of the Revolving Commitment of such Lender during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the date on which the Lenders’ Revolving Commitments terminate; it being understood that the LC Exposure of a Lender shall be included and the Swingline Exposure of a Lender shall be excluded in the drawn portion of the Revolving Commitment of such Lender for purposes of calculating the commitment fee; provided that, if such Lender continues to have any Revolving Exposure after its Revolving Commitment terminates, then such commitment fee shall continue to accrue on the daily amount of such Lender’s Revolving Exposure from and including the date on which its Revolving Commitment terminates to but excluding the date on which such Lender ceases to have any Revolving Exposure. Commitment fees accrued through and including the last day of March, June, September and December of each year shall be payable in arrears on the fifteenth (15th) day following such last day and on the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate, commencing on the first such date to occur after the date hereof; provided that any commitment fees accruing after the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate shall be payable on demand. All commitment fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day and last day of each period but excluding the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate).
(l)The Borrower agrees to pay (i) to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Lender a participation fee with respect to its participations in each outstanding Letter of Credit, which shall accrue on the daily maximum stated amount then available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit at the same Applicable Rate used to determine the interest rate applicable to SOFR Revolving Loans, during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date on which such Lender’s Revolving Commitment terminates and the date on which such Lender ceases to have any LC Exposure, and (ii) to each Issuing Bank for its own account a fronting fee, which shall accrue at a rate per annum equal to 0.125% (or such other rate or rates per annum separately agreed upon between the Borrower and such Issuing Bank) on the daily maximum stated amount then available to be drawn under each outstanding Letter of Credit, during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date of termination of the Revolving Commitments and the date on which there ceases to be any LC Exposure, as well as the Issuing Bank’s standard fees and commissions with respect to the issuance, amendment, cancellation, negotiation, transfer, presentment or extension of any Letter of Credit and other processing fees, and other standard costs and charges, of such Issuing Bank relating to Letters of Credit as from time to time in effect. Participation fees and fronting fees accrued through and including the last day of each March, June, September and December of each year shall be payable on the fifteenth (15th) day following such last day, commencing on the first such date to occur after the Effective Date; provided that all such fees shall be payable on the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate and any such fees accruing after the date on which the Revolving Commitments terminate shall be payable on demand. Any other fees payable to an Issuing Bank pursuant to this paragraph shall be payable within ten (10) days after demand. All participation fees and fronting fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day).
(m)The Borrower agrees to pay to (i) the Administrative Agent, for its own account, fees payable in the amounts and at the times separately agreed upon between the Borrower and the
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Administrative Agent and (ii) Chase, for its own account, fees payable in the amounts and at the times separately agreed upon between the Borrower and Chase.
(n)All fees payable hereunder shall be paid in dollars on the dates due, in immediately available funds, to the Administrative Agent (or to any Issuing Bank or Chase, in the case of fees payable to it) for distribution, in the case of commitment fees and participation fees, to the Lenders entitled thereto. Fees paid shall not be refundable under any circumstances.
SECTION 1.2.Interest.
(o)The Loans comprising each ABR Borrowing (including each Swingline Loan) shall bear interest at the Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate.
(p)The Loans comprising each SOFR Borrowing shall bear interest at the Adjusted Term SOFR for the Interest Period in effect for such Borrowing plus the Applicable Rate.
(q)[reserved].
(r)Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) except as provided in the following clause (d)(ii), during the occurrence and continuance of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may, at their option, by notice to the Borrower (which notice may be revoked at the option of the Required Lenders notwithstanding any provision of Section 9.02 requiring the consent of “each Lender directly affected thereby” for reductions in interest rates), declare that, or (ii) automatically, without any notice or other action from any party hereto, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to Holdings or the Borrower described in Section 7.01(h) or (i), then, in each case, (A) all Loans shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to 2% plus the rate otherwise applicable to such Loans as provided in the preceding paragraphs of this Section and (B) in the case of any other amount outstanding hereunder, such amount shall accrue interest at a rate per annum equal to 2% plus the rate applicable to ABR Loans as provided in Section 2.13(a).
(s)Accrued interest on each Loan shall be payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date for such Loan and, in the case of Revolving Loans, upon termination of the Revolving Commitments; provided that (i) interest accrued pursuant to paragraph (d) of this Section shall be payable on demand, (ii) in the event of any repayment or prepayment of any Loan (other than a prepayment of an ABR Revolving Loan prior to the end of the Availability Period), accrued interest on the principal amount repaid or prepaid shall be payable on the date of such repayment or prepayment and (iii) in the event of any conversion of any SOFR Loan prior to the end of the current Interest Period therefor, accrued interest on such Loan shall be payable on the effective date of such conversion.
(t)All interest hereunder shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days, except that interest computed by reference to the Alternate Base Rate only at times when the Alternate Base Rate is based on the Prime Rate shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days (or 366 days in a leap year), and in each case shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day). All interest hereunder on any Loan shall be computed on a daily basis based upon the outstanding principal amount of such Loan as of the applicable date of determination. Any determination of the applicable Alternate Base Rate, Adjusted Term SOFR or Term SOFR shall be determined by the Administrative Agent, and such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
SECTION 1.1.Alternate Rate of Interest.
(u)Subject to Section 2.14(b), if:
(i)the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a SOFR Borrowing that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the Adjusted Term SOFR for such Interest Period; or
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(ii)the Administrative Agent is advised by the Required Lenders that prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a SOFR Borrowing, the Adjusted Term SOFR for the applicable Interest Period will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders (or Lender) of making or maintaining their Loans (or Loan) included in such Borrowing for such Interest Period;
then the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Borrower and the Lenders through any Electronic System as provided in Section 9.01 as promptly as practicable thereafter and, until (x) the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist with respect to the relevant Benchmark and (y) the Borrower delivers a new Interest Election Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.08 or a new Borrowing Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.03, any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Borrowing to, or continuation of any Borrowing as, a SOFR Borrowing and any Borrowing Request that requests a SOFR Borrowing shall instead be deemed to be an Interest Election Request or a Borrowing Request, as applicable, for an ABR Borrowing. Furthermore, if any SOFR Loan is outstanding on the date of the Borrower’s receipt of the notice from the Administrative Agent referred to in this Section 2.14(a) with respect to the Adjusted Term SOFR applicable to such SOFR Loan, then until (x) the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist with respect to the relevant Benchmark and (y) the Borrower delivers a new Interest Election Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.08 or a new Borrowing Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.03, any SOFR Loan shall on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan, be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute, an ABR Loan.
(v)Benchmark Replacement Setting.
(i)Benchmark Replacement.
(A)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, upon the occurrence of a Benchmark Transition Event, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower may amend this Agreement to replace the then-current Benchmark with a Benchmark Replacement. Any such amendment with respect to a Benchmark Transition Event will become effective at 5:00 p.m. on the fifth (5 th) Business Day after the Administrative Agent has posted such proposed amendment to all affected Lenders and the Borrower so long as the Administrative Agent has not received, by such time, written notice of objection to such amendment from Lenders comprising the Required Lenders. No replacement of a Benchmark with a Benchmark Replacement pursuant to this Section 2.14(b)(i)(A) will occur prior to the applicable Benchmark Transition Start Date.
(B)No Swap Agreement shall be deemed to be a “Loan Document” for purposes of this Section 2.14(b).
(iii)Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes. In connection with the use, administration, adoption or implementation of a Benchmark Replacement, the Administrative Agent will have the right to make Conforming Changes from time to time and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, any amendments implementing such Conforming Changes will become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
(iv)Notices; Standards for Decisions and Determinations. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of (A) the implementation of any Benchmark Replacement and (B) the effectiveness of any Conforming Changes in connection with the use, administration, adoption or implementation of a Benchmark Replacement. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Borrower of the removal or reinstatement of any tenor of a Benchmark pursuant to Section 2.14(b)(iv). Any determination, decision or election that may be made by the Administrative Agent or, if applicable, any Lender (or group of Lenders) pursuant to this Section 2.14(b), including any determination with respect to a tenor, rate or adjustment or of the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event, circumstance or date and any decision to take or
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refrain from taking any action or any selection, will be conclusive and binding absent manifest error and may be made in its or their sole discretion and without consent from any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, except, in each case, as expressly required pursuant to this Section 2.14(b).
(v)Unavailability of Tenor of Benchmark. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, at any time (including in connection with the implementation of a Benchmark Replacement), (A) if the then-current Benchmark is a term rate (including the Term SOFR Reference Rate) and either (1) any tenor for such Benchmark is not displayed on a screen or other information service that publishes such rate from time to time as selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion or (2) the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark has provided a public statement or publication of information announcing that any tenor for such Benchmark is not or will not be representative, then the Administrative Agent may modify the definition of “Interest Period” (or any similar or analogous definition) for any Benchmark settings at or after such time to remove such unavailable or non-representative tenor and (B) if a tenor that was removed pursuant to clause (A) above either (1) is subsequently displayed on a screen or information service for a Benchmark (including a Benchmark Replacement) or (2) is not, or is no longer, subject to an announcement that it is not or will not be representative for a Benchmark (including a Benchmark Replacement), then the Administrative Agent may modify the definition of “Interest Period” (or any similar or analogous definition) for all Benchmark settings at or after such time to reinstate such previously removed tenor.
(vi)Benchmark Unavailability Period. Upon the Borrower’s receipt of notice of the commencement of a Benchmark Unavailability Period, (A) the Borrower may revoke any pending request for a borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of SOFR Loans to be made, converted or continued during any Benchmark Unavailability Period and, failing that, the Borrower will be deemed to have converted any such request into a request for a borrowing of or conversion to ABR Loans and (B) any outstanding affected SOFR Loans will be deemed to have been converted to ABR Loans at the end of the applicable Interest Period. During any Benchmark Unavailability Period or at any time that a tenor for the then-current Benchmark is not an Available Tenor, the component of the Alternate Base Rate based upon the then-current Benchmark or such tenor for such Benchmark, as applicable, will not be used in any determination of the Alternate Base Rate.
(c) If any Lender determines that any Requirement of Law described in clause (b) of such definition has made it unlawful, or if any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for any Lender or its applicable lending office to make, maintain, fund or continue any Term Benchmark Borrowing, RFR Borrowing or any Borrowing based on the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, or any Governmental Authority has imposed material restrictions on the authority of such Lender to purchase or sell, or to take deposits of, any dollars in the applicable interbank offering market, then, on notice thereof by such Lender to the Borrower through the Administrative Agent, any obligations of such Lender to make, maintain, fund or continue Term Benchmark Loans, RFR Loans or Loans based on the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, or to continue or convert any Borrowings to Term Benchmark Borrowings or RFR Borrowings, as the case may be, will be suspended until such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower will, upon demand from such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), either prepay or convert all Term Benchmark Borrowings or RFR Borrowings of such Lender to ABR Borrowings, either on the last day of the Interest Period therefor (in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing) or immediately (in the case of an RFR Borrowing), if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Borrowings to such day, or immediately, if the Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Loans. Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrower will also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted.
SECTION 1.11.Increased Costs.
(w)If any Change in Law shall:
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(vii)impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, liquidity or similar requirement (including any compulsory loan requirement, insurance charge or other assessment) against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended by, any Lender or the Issuing Bank; or
(viii)impose on any Lender or any Issuing Bank or the applicable interbank market any other condition, cost or expense (other than Taxes) affecting this Agreement or Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation therein; or
(ix)subject any Recipient to any Taxes (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes, (B) Taxes described in clauses (b) through (d) of the definition of Excluded Taxes and (C) Connection Income Taxes) on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto;
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender, such Issuing Bank or such other Recipient of making, continuing, converting into or maintaining any Loan (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan) or to increase the cost to such Lender, such Issuing Bank or such other Recipient of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender, such Issuing Bank or such other Recipient hereunder (whether of principal, interest or otherwise), then the Borrower will pay to such Lender, such Issuing Bank or such other Recipient, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender, such Issuing Bank or such other Recipient, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(x)If any Lender or any Issuing Bank determines that any Change in Law regarding capital or liquidity requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement, the Commitments of or the Loans made by, or participations in Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank, to a level below that which such Lender or such Issuing Bank or such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy and liquidity), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such Issuing Bank or such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(y)A certificate of a Lender or an Issuing Bank setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or such Issuing Bank or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within ten (10) days after receipt thereof.
(z)Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or any Issuing Bank to demand compensation pursuant to this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s right to demand such compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender or an Issuing Bank pursuant to this Section for any increased costs or reductions incurred more than 270 days prior to the date that such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s intention to claim compensation therefor; provided further that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the 270-day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.
SECTION 1.2.Break Funding Payments.
(aa)In the event of (i) the payment of any principal of any SOFR Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default or as a result of any optional or mandatory prepayment of Loans), (ii) the conversion of any SOFR Loan other than on the
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last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, (iii) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any SOFR Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless of whether such notice may be revoked under Section 2.09(d) and is revoked in accordance therewith), or (iv) the assignment of any SOFR Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.19 or 9.02(d), then, in any such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense attributable to such event.
(ab)A certificate of any Lender setting forth any amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section 2.16 shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within ten (10) days after receipt thereof.
SECTION 1.3.Taxes.
(ac)Withholding of Taxes; Gross-Up; Payments Free of Taxes. Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document (including, without limitation, the Obligations and Guaranteed Obligations of each Loan Party) shall be made without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except as required by applicable law. If any applicable law (as determined in the good faith discretion of an applicable withholding agent) requires the deduction or withholding of any Tax from any such payment by a withholding agent, then the applicable withholding agent shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding and shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law and, if such Tax is an Indemnified Tax, then the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after such deduction or withholding has been made (including such deductions and withholdings applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 2.17), the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deduction or withholding been made.
(ad)Payment of Other Taxes by Loan Parties. The Loan Parties shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for, Other Taxes.
(ae)Evidence of Payment. As soon as practicable after any payment of Taxes by any Loan Party to a Governmental Authority pursuant to this Section 2.17, such Loan Party shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment, or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(af)Indemnification by the Loan Parties. The Loan Parties shall jointly and severally indemnify each Recipient, within ten (10) days after demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section) payable or paid by such Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to such Recipient and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Loan Party by a Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(ag)Indemnification by the Lenders. Each Lender shall severally indemnify the Administrative Agent, within ten (10) days after demand therefor, for (i) any Indemnified Taxes attributable to such Lender (but only to the extent that any Loan Party has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Loan Parties to do so), (ii) any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 9.04(c) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and (iii) any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender, in each case, that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby
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authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under any Loan Document or otherwise payable by the Administrative Agent to such Lender from any other source against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this paragraph (e).
(ah)Status of Lenders.
(i)Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 2.17(f)(ii)(A), (ii)(B) and (ii)(D) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.
(ii)Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that the Borrower is a U.S. Person,
(A)any Lender that is a U.S. Person shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), an executed copy of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;
(B)any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:
(1)in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the U.S. is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;
(2)in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming that its extension of credit will generate U.S. effectively connected income, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8ECI;
(3)in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (x) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D-1 to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, a “10 percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, or a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code (a “U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate”) and (y) an executed copy of IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable; or
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(4)to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D-2 or Exhibit D-3, IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D-4 on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner;
(C)any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed copies of any other form prescribed by applicable law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding Tax, duly completed, together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and
(D)if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this clause (D), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.
(g) Treatment of Certain Refunds. If any party determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified pursuant to this Section 2.17 (including by the payment of additional amounts pursuant to this Section 2.17), it shall pay to the indemnifying party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made under this Section 2.17 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) of such indemnified party and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund). Such indemnifying party, upon the request of such indemnified party, shall repay to such indemnified party the amount paid over pursuant to this paragraph (g) (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) in the event that such indemnified party is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this paragraph (g), in no event will the indemnified party be required to pay any amount to an indemnifying party pursuant to this paragraph (g) the payment of which would place the indemnified party in a less favorable net after-Tax position than the indemnified party would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts giving rise to such refund had never been paid. This paragraph (g) shall not be construed to require any indemnified party to make available its Tax returns (or any other information relating to its Taxes that it deems confidential) to the indemnifying party or any other Person.
(h) Survival. Each party’s obligations under this Section 2.17 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender,
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the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all obligations under any Loan Document (including the Payment in Full of the Obligations).
(i) Defined Terms. For purposes of this Section 2.17, the term “applicable law” includes FATCA.
SECTION 1.3.Payments Generally; Allocation of Proceeds; Sharing of Set-offs.
(ai)Each Loan Party shall make each payment or prepayment required to be made by it hereunder (whether of principal, interest, fees or reimbursement of LC Disbursements, or of amounts payable under Sections 2.15, 2.16 or 2.17, or otherwise) prior to 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date when due or the date fixed for any prepayment hereunder, in immediately available funds, without setoff, recoupment or counterclaim. Any amounts received after such time on any date may, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, be deemed to have been received on the next succeeding Business Day for purposes of calculating interest thereon. All such payments shall be made to the Administrative Agent at its offices at 1525 West W.T. Harris Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28262, except payments to be made directly to the Issuing Banks or Swingline Lenders as expressly provided herein and except that payments pursuant to Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 shall be made directly to the Persons entitled thereto. The Administrative Agent shall distribute any such payments received by it for the account of any other Person to the appropriate recipient promptly following receipt thereof. Unless otherwise provided for herein, if any payment hereunder shall be due on a day that is not a Business Day, the date for payment shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day, and, in the case of any payment accruing interest, interest thereon shall be payable for the period of such extension. All payments hereunder shall be made in dollars.
(aj)All payments received by the Administrative Agent (i) not constituting either (A) a specific payment of principal, interest, fees or other sum payable under the Loan Documents (which shall be applied as specified by the Borrower) or (B) a mandatory prepayment (which shall be applied in accordance with Section 2.11) or (ii) after an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent so elects or the Required Lenders so direct, in each case, shall be applied first, to pay any fees, indemnities, or expense reimbursements including amounts then due to the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lenders and the Issuing Banks from the Borrower (other than in connection with Banking Services Obligations or Swap Agreement Obligations), second, to pay any fees, indemnities, or expense reimbursements then due to the Lenders from the Loan Parties (other than in connection with Banking Services Obligations or Swap Agreement Obligations), third, to pay interest then due and payable on the Loans ratably, fourth, to prepay principal on the Loans and unreimbursed LC Disbursements, to pay an amount to the Administrative Agent equal to one hundred five percent (105%) of the aggregate LC Exposure, to be held as cash collateral for such Obligations, and to pay any amounts owing in respect of Swap Agreement Obligations and Banking Services Obligations up to and including the amount most recently provided to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.22, ratably (with amounts allocated to the Term Loans applied to reduce the subsequent scheduled repayments of the Term Loans to be made pursuant to Section 2.10 in inverse order of maturity) and fifth, to the payment of any other Obligation due to the Administrative Agent or any Lender from the Borrower or any other Loan Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, amounts received from any Loan Party shall not be applied to any Excluded Swap Obligation of such Loan Party. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, unless so directed by the Borrower, or unless a Default is in existence, neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall apply any payment which it receives to any SOFR Loan of any Class, except (i) on the expiration date of the Interest Period applicable thereto, or (ii) in the event, and only to the extent, that there are no outstanding ABR Loans of such Class and, in any such event, the Borrower shall pay the break funding payment required in accordance with Section 2.16. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall have the continuing and exclusive right to apply and reverse and reapply any and all such proceeds and payments to any portion of the Obligations.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Obligations arising under Banking Services Obligations or Swap Agreement Obligations shall be excluded from the application described above and paid in clause fifth if the Administrative Agent has not received written notice thereof, together with such supporting documentation as the Administrative Agent may have reasonably requested from the applicable provider of such Banking Services or Swap Agreements.
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(ak)At the election of the Administrative Agent, all payments of principal, interest, LC Disbursements, fees, premiums, reimbursable expenses (including, without limitation, all reimbursement for fees, costs and expenses pursuant to Section 9.03), and other sums payable under the Loan Documents, may be paid from the proceeds of Borrowings made hereunder, whether made following a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.03 or 2.05 or a deemed request as provided in this Section or may be deducted from any deposit account of the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent. The Borrower hereby irrevocably authorizes (i) the Administrative Agent to make a Revolving Borrowing for the purpose of paying each payment of principal, interest and fees as it becomes due hereunder or any other amount due under the Loan Documents and agrees that all such amounts charged shall constitute Revolving Loans (including Swingline Loans), and that all such Borrowings shall be deemed to have been requested pursuant to Sections 2.03 or 2.05, as applicable, and (ii) the Administrative Agent to charge any deposit account of the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent for each payment of principal, interest and fees as it becomes due hereunder or any other amount due under the Loan Documents.
(al)If, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, any Lender shall, by exercising any right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements or Swingline Loans resulting in such Lender receiving payment of a greater proportion of the aggregate amount of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans and accrued interest thereon than the proportion received by any other similarly situated Lender, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans of other Lenders to the extent necessary so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by all such Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans; provided that (i) if any such participations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest, and (ii) the provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed to apply to any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment or sale of a participation in any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements or Swingline Loans to any assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any other Subsidiary or any Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this paragraph shall apply). The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the Borrower rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.
(am)Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received, prior to any date on which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the account of the relevant Lenders or the relevant Issuing Bank pursuant to the terms hereof or any other Loan Document (including any date that is fixed for prepayment by notice from the Borrower to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.11(c)), notice from the Borrower that the Borrower will not make such payment or prepayment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the relevant Lenders or the relevant Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount due. In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the relevant Lenders or the relevant Issuing Bank, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender or Issuing Bank with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
(an)The Administrative Agent may from time to time provide the Borrower with account statements or invoices with respect to any of the Obligations (the “Statements”). The Administrative Agent is under no duty or obligation to provide Statements, which, if provided, will be solely for the Borrower’s convenience. Statements may contain estimates of the amounts owed during the relevant billing period, whether of principal, interest, fees or other Obligations. If the Borrower pays the full
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amount indicated on a Statement on or before the due date indicated on such Statement, the Borrower shall not be in default of payment with respect to the billing period indicated on such Statement; provided, that acceptance by the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Lenders, of any payment that is less than the total amount actually due at that time (including but not limited to any past due amounts) shall not constitute a waiver of the Administrative Agent’s or the Lenders’ right to receive payment in full at another time.
SECTION 1.4.Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.
(ao)If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.17, then such Lender shall use reasonable efforts to designate a different lending office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or Affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.17, as the case may be, in the future and (ii) would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment.
(ap)If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.17, or if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in Section 9.04), all its interests, rights (other than its existing rights to payments pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.17) and obligations under this Agreement and other Loan Documents to an assignee (other than any Ineligible Institution) that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment); provided that (i) the Borrower shall have received the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent (and in circumstances where its consent would be required under Section 9.04, the Issuing Banks and the Swingline Lenders), which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld, (ii) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder, from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts) and (iii) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 2.15 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 2.17, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments. A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment and delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply. Each party hereto agrees that (x) an assignment required pursuant to this paragraph may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the assignee (or, to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and such parties are participants), and (y) the Lender required to make such assignment need not be a party thereto in order for such assignment to be effective and shall be deemed to have consented to and be bound by the terms thereof; provided that, following the effectiveness of any such assignment, the other parties to such assignment agree to execute and deliver such documents necessary to evidence such assignment as reasonably requested by the applicable Lender, provided that any such documents shall be without recourse to or warranty by the parties thereto.
SECTION 1.12.Defaulting Lenders. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the following provisions shall apply for so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender:
(aq)fees shall cease to accrue on the unfunded portion of the Revolving Commitment of such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.12(a);
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(ar)any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Section 2.18(b) or otherwise) or received by the Administrative Agent from a Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 9.08 shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first, to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second, to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Issuing Banks or Swingline Lenders hereunder; third, to cash collateralize the LC Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender in accordance with this Section; fourth, as the Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of any Loan in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent; fifth, if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to be held in a deposit account and released pro rata in order to (x) satisfy such Defaulting Lender’s potential future funding obligations with respect to Loans under this Agreement and (y) cash collateralize the future LC Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender with respect to future Letters of Credit issued under this Agreement, in accordance with this Section; sixth, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, the Issuing Banks or Swingline Lenders as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender, the Issuing Banks or Swingline Lenders against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement or under any other Loan Document; seventh, so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Borrower as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by the Borrower against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender's breach of its obligations under this Agreement or under any other Loan Document; and eighth, to such Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (x) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or LC Disbursements in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share, and (y) such Loans were made or the related Letters of Credit were issued at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 were satisfied or waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of, and LC Disbursements owed to, all non-Defaulting Lenders of the applicable Class or Classes on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of, or LC Disbursements owed to, such Defaulting Lender until such time as all Loans and funded and unfunded participations in the Borrower’s obligations corresponding to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure and Swingline Loans are held by the Lenders of the applicable Class or Classes pro rata in accordance with the applicable Commitments without giving effect to clause (d) below. Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post cash collateral pursuant to this Section shall be deemed paid to and redirected by such Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto;
(as)such Defaulting Lender shall not have the right to vote on any issue on which voting is required (other than to the extent expressly provided in Section 9.02(b)) and the Revolving Commitment and Revolving Exposure and, if applicable, Term Loan Commitment and Term Loans of such Defaulting Lender shall not be included in determining whether the Required Lenders have taken or may take any action hereunder or under any other Loan Document; provided that, except as otherwise provided in Section 9.02, this clause (c) shall not apply to the vote of a Defaulting Lender in the case of an amendment, waiver or other modification requiring the consent of such Lender or each Lender directly affected thereby;
(at)if any Swingline Exposure or LC Exposure exists at the time such Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender then:
(i)all or any part of the Swingline Exposure and LC Exposure of such Defaulting Lender (other than, in the case of a Defaulting Lender that is a Swingline Lender, the portion of such Swingline Exposure referred to in clause (b) of the definition of such term) shall be reallocated among the non-Defaulting Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages but only to the extent that such reallocation does not, as to any non-Defaulting Lender, cause such non-Defaulting Lender’s Revolving Exposure to exceed its Revolving Commitment;
(ii)if the reallocation described in clause (i) above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Borrower shall within one (1) Business Day following notice by the Administrative Agent
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(x) first, prepay such Swingline Exposure and (y) second, cash collateralize, for the benefit of the Issuing Banks, the Borrower’s obligations corresponding to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure (after giving effect to any partial reallocation pursuant to clause (i) above) in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.06(j) for so long as such LC Exposure is outstanding;
(iii)if the Borrower cash collateralizes any portion of such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure pursuant to clause (ii) above, the Borrower shall not be required to pay any fees to such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.12(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure during the period such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure is cash collateralized;
(iv)if the LC Exposure of the non-Defaulting Lenders is reallocated pursuant to clause (i) above, then the fees payable to the Lenders pursuant to Sections 2.12(a) and 2.12(b) shall be adjusted in accordance with such non-Defaulting Lenders’ Applicable Percentages; and
(v)if all or any portion of such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure is neither reallocated nor cash collateralized pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) above, then, without prejudice to any rights or remedies of the Issuing Banks or any other Lender hereunder, all letter of credit fees payable under Section 2.12(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure shall be payable to the Issuing Banks until and to the extent that such LC Exposure is reallocated and/or cash collateralized; and
(au)so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender, any Swingline Lender shall not be required to fund any Swingline Loan and any Issuing Bank shall not be required to issue, amend, renew, extend or increase any Letter of Credit, unless it is satisfied that the related exposure and such Defaulting Lender’s then outstanding LC Exposure will be 100% covered by the Revolving Commitments of the non-Defaulting Lenders and/or cash collateral will be provided by the Borrower in accordance with Section 2.20(d), and Swingline Exposure related to any such newly made Swingline Loan or LC Exposure related to any newly issued or increased Letter of Credit shall be allocated among non-Defaulting Lenders in a manner consistent with Section 2.20(d)(i) (and such Defaulting Lender shall not participate therein).
If (i) a Bankruptcy Event or a Bail-In Action with respect to the Parent of any Lender shall occur following the date hereof and for so long as such event shall continue or (ii) any Swingline Lender or any Issuing Bank has a good faith belief that any Lender has defaulted in fulfilling its obligations under one or more other agreements in which such Lender commits to extend credit, such Swingline Lender shall not be required to fund any Swingline Loan and such Issuing Bank shall not be required to issue, amend or increase any Letter of Credit, unless such Swingline Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, shall have entered into arrangements with the Borrower or such Lender, satisfactory to such Swingline Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, to defease any risk to it in respect of such Lender hereunder.
In the event that each of the Administrative Agent, Chase, the Borrower, the Swingline Lenders and the Issuing Banks agrees that a Defaulting Lender has adequately remedied all matters that caused such Lender to be a Defaulting Lender, then the Swingline Exposure and LC Exposure of the Lenders shall be readjusted to reflect the inclusion of such Lender’s Revolving Commitment and on the date of such readjustment such Lender shall purchase at par such of the Loans of the other Lenders (other than Swingline Loans) as the Administrative Agent shall determine may be necessary in order for such Lender to hold such Loans in accordance with its Applicable Percentage.
SECTION 1.4.Returned Payments. If, after receipt of any payment which is applied to the payment of all or any part of the Obligations (including a payment effected through exercise of a right of setoff), the Administrative Agent or any Lender is for any reason compelled to surrender such payment or proceeds to any Person because such payment or application of proceeds is invalidated, declared fraudulent, set aside, determined to be void or voidable as a preference, impermissible setoff, or a diversion of trust funds, or for any other reason (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Administrative Agent or such Lender in its discretion), then the Obligations or part thereof intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued and this Agreement shall continue in full force as if such payment or proceeds had not been received by the Administrative Agent or such Lender. The provisions of this Section 2.21 shall be and remain effective notwithstanding any contrary action which may have been
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taken by the Administrative Agent or any Lender in reliance upon such payment or application of proceeds. The provisions of this Section 2.21 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 1.5.Banking Services and Swap Agreements. Each Lender or Affiliate thereof providing Banking Services for, or having Swap Agreements with, any Loan Party or any Subsidiary shall deliver to the Administrative Agent, promptly after entering into such Banking Services or Swap Agreements, written notice setting forth the aggregate amount of all Banking Services Obligations and Swap Agreement Obligations of such Loan Party or Subsidiary to such Lender or Affiliate (whether matured or unmatured, absolute or contingent). In furtherance of that requirement, each such Lender or Affiliate thereof shall furnish the Administrative Agent, from time to time after a significant change therein or upon a request therefor, a summary of the amounts due or to become due in respect of such Banking Services Obligations and Swap Agreement Obligations. The most recent information provided to the Administrative Agent shall be used in determining which tier of the waterfall, contained in Section 2.18(b), such Banking Services Obligations and/or Swap Agreement Obligations will be placed. For the avoidance of doubt, so long as Wells Fargo or Chase or its respective Affiliate is the Administrative Agent or Syndication Agent, neither Wells Fargo, Chase, nor any of their respective Affiliates, as applicable, providing Banking Services for, or having Swap Agreements with, any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party shall be required to provide any notice described in this Section 2.22 in respect of such Banking Services or Swap Agreements.
ARTICLE III
Representations and Warranties
Each Loan Party represents and warrants to the Lenders that (and where applicable, agrees):
SECTION 1.01.Organization; Powers. Each Loan Party is duly organized or formed, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as now conducted and is qualified to do business in, and is in good standing in, every jurisdiction where such qualification is required.
SECTION 1.02.Authorization; Enforceability. The Transactions are within each Loan Party’s corporate or other organizational powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational actions and, if required, actions by equity holders. Each Loan Document to which each Loan Party is a party has been duly executed and delivered by such Loan Party and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.
SECTION 1.03.Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts. The Transactions will not violate any Requirement of Law described in clause (a) of such definition applicable to any Loan Party. Except as could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Transactions (a) do not require any consent or approval of, registration or filing with, or any other action by, any Governmental Authority, except such as have been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, (b) will not violate any Requirement of Law described in clause (b) of such definition applicable to any Loan Party, (c) will not violate or result in a default under any indenture, agreement or other instrument binding upon any Loan Party or the assets of any Loan Party, or give rise to a right thereunder to require any payment to be made by any Loan Party, and (d) will not result in the creation or imposition of, or other requirement to create, any Lien on any asset of any Loan Party, except Liens created pursuant to the Loan Documents.
SECTION 1.04.Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change.
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(a)Holdings has heretofore furnished to the Lenders its consolidated balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders equity and cash flows (i) as of and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, reported on by Grant Thornton LLP, independent public accountants, and (ii) as of and for the fiscal quarter and the portion of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, certified by its Financial Officer. Such financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position and results of operations and cash flows of Holdings and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of such dates and for such periods in accordance with GAAP, subject to normal year end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes in the case of the statements referred to in clause (ii) above.
(b)No event, change or condition has occurred that has had, or could reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, since December 31, 2021.
SECTION 1.01.Properties.
(c)Each of Holdings, the Borrower and each other Loan Party has good title to, or valid leasehold interests in, all its real and personal property material to its business, except for minor defects in title that do not interfere with its ability to conduct its business as currently conducted or to utilize such properties for their intended purposes.
(d)Each Loan Party owns, or is licensed to use, all trademarks, tradenames, copyrights, patents and other material intellectual property necessary to its business, and the use thereof by each Loan Party does not infringe in any material respect upon the rights of any other Person.
SECTION 1.05.Litigation and Environmental Matters.
(e)There are no actions, suits or proceedings by or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority pending against or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, threatened against or affecting any Loan Party or any Subsidiary (i) as to which there is a reasonable possibility of an adverse determination and that, if adversely determined, could reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect or (ii) that involve any Loan Document or the Transactions.
(f)Except with respect to any such matters that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, no Loan Party or any Subsidiary (i) has received notice of any claim with respect to any Environmental Liability or knows of any basis for any Environmental Liability, (ii) has failed to comply with any Environmental Law or to obtain, maintain or comply with any permit, license or other approval required under any Environmental Law, (iii) has become subject to any Environmental Liability, or (iv) knows of any basis for any Environmental Liability.
SECTION 1.02.Compliance with Laws and Agreements; No Default. Except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, each Loan Party and each Subsidiary is in compliance with (i) all Requirements of Law applicable to it or its property and (ii) all indentures, agreements and other instruments binding upon it or its property. No Default has occurred and is continuing.
SECTION 1.03.Investment Company Status. No Loan Party or any Subsidiary is an “investment company” as defined in, or subject to regulation under, the Investment Company Act of 1940.
SECTION 1.04.Taxes. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary has timely filed or caused to be filed all material Tax returns and reports required to have been filed and has paid or caused to be paid all material Taxes required to have been paid by it, except Taxes that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which such Loan Party or such Subsidiary, as applicable, has set aside on its books adequate reserves.
SECTION 1.10.ERISA. No ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur that, when taken together with all other such ERISA Events for which liability is reasonably expected to occur, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The present value of all accumulated benefit obligations under each Plan (based on the assumptions used for purposes of Statement of
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Financial Accounting Standards No. 87) did not, as of the date of the most recent financial statements reflecting such amounts, exceed the fair market value of the assets of such Plan, and the present value of all accumulated benefit obligations of all underfunded Plans (based on the assumptions used for purposes of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 87 or subsequent recodification thereof, as applicable) did not, as of the date of the most recent financial statements reflecting such amounts, exceed the fair market value of the assets of all such underfunded Plans.
SECTION 1.11.Disclosure.
(g)There is no fact known to any Responsible Officer of the Borrower on the Effective Date that has not been disclosed to the Lenders that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Information Memorandum nor any material reports, financial statements, certificates or other material information furnished by or on behalf of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished), taken together as a whole, contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, pro forma financial information, information of a general economic or industry specific nature, estimated financial information, or other projected, estimated or forward-looking information, the Loan Parties represent only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time delivered and, if such information was delivered prior to the Effective Date, as of the Effective Date (it being understood by the Lenders that projections are not to be viewed as facts and that actual results during the period or periods covered by such projections may vary from such projections).
(h)As of the Effective Date, to the best knowledge of Holdings, the information included in the Beneficial Ownership Certification provided on or prior to the Effective Date to any Lender in connection with this Agreement is true and correct in all respects.
SECTION 1.6.[Reserved].
SECTION 1.7.Solvency.
(i)Immediately after the consummation of the Transactions to occur on the Effective Date, and immediately after the making of each Loan and each issuance of a Letter of Credit hereunder, (i) the fair value of the assets of the Loan Parties, at a fair valuation, will exceed their debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, in each case on a consolidated basis; (ii) the present fair saleable value of the property of the Loan Parties will be greater than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of their debts and other liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and other liabilities become absolute and matured, in each case on a consolidated basis; (iii) each Loan Party will be able to pay its debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and liabilities become absolute and matured; and (iv) no Loan Party will have unreasonably small capital with which to conduct the business in which it is engaged as such business is now conducted and is proposed to be conducted after the Effective Date.
(j)No Loan Party intends to, nor will permit any Subsidiary to, and no Loan Party believes that it or any Subsidiary will, incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature, taking into account the timing of and amounts of cash to be received by it or any such Subsidiary and the timing of the amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its Indebtedness or the Indebtedness of any such Subsidiary.
SECTION 1.12.Insurance. Schedule 3.14 sets forth a description of all insurance maintained by or on behalf of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries as of the Effective Date. As of the Effective Date, all premiums in respect of such insurance have been paid. The Loan Parties believe that the insurance maintained by or on behalf of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries is adequate and is customary for companies of similar size and financial position engaged in the same or similar businesses operating in the same or similar locations.
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SECTION 1.13.Capitalization and Subsidiaries. As of the Effective Date, Schedule 3.15 sets forth (a) a correct and complete list of the name and relationship to Holdings of each its Subsidiaries, (b) a true and complete listing of each class of the Borrower’s authorized Equity Interests, of which all of such issued Equity Interests are validly issued, outstanding, fully paid and non-assessable, and owned beneficially and of record by the Persons identified on Schedule 3.15, (c) the type of entity of Holdings, the Borrower and each other Subsidiary, and (d) whether such Subsidiary is a Loan Party or Material Domestic Subsidiary. All of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests owned by any Loan Party have been (to the extent such concepts are relevant with respect to such ownership interests) duly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable.
SECTION 1.14.[Intentionally Omitted].
SECTION 1.15.Employment Matters. As of the Effective Date, there are no strikes, lockouts or slowdowns against any Loan Party pending or, to the knowledge of any Loan Party, threatened.
SECTION 1.16.Margin Regulations. No Loan Party is engaged and will not engage, principally or as one of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock, or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock, and no part of the proceeds of any Borrowing or Letter of Credit hereunder will be used to buy or carry any Margin Stock in violation of Regulation T, Regulation U, or Regulation X. Following the application of the proceeds of each Borrowing or drawing under each Letter of Credit, not more than 25% of the value of the assets (either of any Loan Party only or of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis) will be Margin Stock. Neither the making of any Loan hereunder nor the use of proceeds thereof will violate the provisions of Regulation U or X of the Federal Reserve Board.
SECTION 1.17.Use of Proceeds. The proceeds of the Loans have been used and will be used, whether directly or indirectly as set forth in Section 5.08.
SECTION 1.18.No Burdensome Restrictions. No Loan Party is subject to any Burdensome Restrictions except Burdensome Restrictions permitted under Section 6.10.
SECTION 1.19.Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions. Except as otherwise permitted under Section 5.12, each Loan Party has implemented and maintains in effect policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance by such Loan Party, its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions. Each Loan Party, its Subsidiaries and their respective officers and directors, and, to the knowledge of such Loan Party, its employees and agents, are in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions in all material respects and are not knowingly engaged in any activity that could reasonably be expected to result in any Loan Party being designated as a Sanctioned Person. None of (a) any Loan Party, any Subsidiary or any of their respective directors, officers or employees, or (b) to the knowledge of any such Loan Party or Subsidiary, any agent of such Loan Party or any Subsidiary that will act in any capacity in connection with or benefit from the credit facility established hereby, is a Sanctioned Person. No Borrowing or Letter of Credit, use of proceeds, Transaction or other transaction contemplated by this Agreement or the other Loan Documents will violate Anti-Corruption Laws or applicable Sanctions.
SECTION 1.20.Affected Financial Institutions. No Loan Party is an Affected Financial Institution.
SECTION 1.21.Plan Assets; Prohibited Transactions. None of the Loan Parties or any of their Subsidiaries is an entity deemed to hold “plan assets” (within the meaning of the Plan Asset Regulations), and neither the execution, delivery nor performance of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement, including the making of any Loan and the issuance of any Letter of Credit hereunder, will give rise to a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.
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ARTICLE IV
Conditions
SECTION 1.06.Effective Date. The obligations of the Lenders to make Loans and of the Issuing Banks to issue Letters of Credit hereunder shall not become effective until the date on which each of the following conditions is satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02) (it being understood and agreed that any reference to the Loan Parties in this Section 4.01 includes any Person that will become a Loan Party immediately following the consummation of the Closing Date Acquisition):
(a)Credit Agreement and Loan Documents. The Administrative Agent and Chase (or its counsel) shall have received (i) from each party hereto, a counterpart of this Agreement signed on behalf of such party (which, subject to Section 9.06(b), may include any Electronic Signatures transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page) and (ii) duly executed copies of the Loan Documents and such other legal opinions, certificates, documents, instruments and agreements as the Arrangers shall reasonably request in connection with the Transactions and the other Loan Documents, including any promissory notes requested by a Lender pursuant to Section 2.10 payable to the order of each such requesting Lender and a written opinion of the Loan Parties’ counsel, addressed to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders in substantially the form of Exhibit B, all in form and substance satisfactory to the Arrangers.
(b)Corporate Certificates; Certified Certificate of Incorporation; Good Standing Certificates. The Administrative Agent and Chase shall have received (i) a certificate of each Loan Party, dated the Effective Date and executed by its Secretary or Assistant Secretary, which shall (A) certify the resolutions of its Board of Directors, members or other governing body authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents to which it is a party, (B) identify by name and title and bear the signatures of the officers of such Loan Party authorized to sign the Loan Documents to which it is a party and, in the case of the Borrower or Holdings, its Financial Officers, and (C) contain appropriate attachments, including the charter, articles or certificate of organization or incorporation of each Loan Party certified by the relevant authority of the jurisdiction of organization of such Loan Party and a true and correct copy of its bylaws or operating, management or partnership agreement, or other organizational or governing documents, and (ii) a long form good standing certificate for each Loan Party from its jurisdiction of organization.
(c)Closing Certificate. The Administrative Agent and Chase shall have received a certificate, signed by a Financial Officer of Holdings, dated as of the Effective Date (i) stating that no Default has occurred and is continuing as of such date, (ii) certifying as to the satisfaction of the conditions precedent set forth in Sections 4.01(e)(ii), (iii) and (iv), and (iii) certifying as to any other factual matters as may be reasonably requested by the Arrangers.
(d)Fees. The Lenders, the Arrangers and the Administrative Agent shall have received all fees required to be paid, and all expenses required to be reimbursed for which invoices have been presented (including the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel), on or before the Effective Date. All such amounts will be paid with proceeds of Loans made on the Effective Date and will be reflected in the funding instructions given by the Borrower to the Arrangers on or before the Effective Date.
(e)Closing Date Acquisition.
(i)the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement shall be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Arranger (it being understood that the version of the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement dated as of August 5, 2022 is acceptable);
(ii)the Closing Date Acquisition shall be consummated in all material respects in accordance with the terms of the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement substantially concurrently with effectiveness of this Agreement and the initial funding of the applicable Loans hereunder, without giving effect to any amendments, consents, waivers or other modifications thereto that are materially adverse to
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the Lenders or the Arranger without the prior written consent of the Arranger (it being understood that (A) any change in the cash consideration payable or the price set forth in the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement on the date of execution and delivery thereof by the parties thereto (other than (w) any price decrease of 10% or less ), (x) any decrease that results in a pro rata reduction in the Term Loan Facility, (y) any increase in the consideration for the Closing Date Acquisition funded with proceeds of an increase in the Balance Sheet Cash and (z) any increase in the form of deferred payments so long as satisfaction of such deferred payments would be permitted under the Loan Documents), (B) any material change to the structure of the Closing Date Acquisition and (C) any change in the definition of “Material Adverse Change” or the lender protective provisions set forth in the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement as in effect on the date of execution and delivery thereof by the parties thereto, in each case, will be deemed to be materially adverse to the interests of the Lenders and will require the prior written consent of the Arranger);
(iii)since December 31, 2021, there shall not have been a Closing Date Material Adverse Change;
(iv)(A) the Specified Representations shall be true and correct in all material respects (or in all respects in the case of any representation or warranty qualified by materiality or material adverse effect) and (B) the Closing Date Acquisition Agreement Representations shall be true and correct to the extent required by the definition thereof, in each case, as of the Effective Date and after giving pro forma effect to the Transactions to occur on the Effective Date (except to the extent any such representation expressly relates to an earlier date, in which case such representation shall be true and correct to such extent as of such earlier date); and
(v)there shall be no injunction, temporary restraining order, or other legal action in effect which would prohibit the closing of the Closing Date Acquisition or the closing of this Agreement and funding of the initial Loans hereunder.
(f)Repayment of Certain Indebtedness. The Administrative Agent and Chase shall have received satisfactory pay-off and release letters for (i) the Closing Date Smith Indebtedness and (ii) the credit facility evidenced by the Credit Agreement, dated as of November 11, 2013, by and among the Borrower, Holdings, the other subsidiaries of Holdings party thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as amended, in each case, which confirm that all Liens securing such Indebtedness and all Guarantees in respect thereof will be terminated and released concurrently with such payment, other than with respect to any Existing Letters of Credit.
(g)Funding Account. The Administrative Agent shall have received a notice (which notice shall be in the form of a Borrowing Request or such other form or method as approved by the Administrative Agent) setting forth the deposit account of the Borrower (as may be updated from time to time by written notice from the Borrower to the Administrative Agent, the “Funding Account”) to which the Administrative Agent is authorized by the Borrower to transfer the proceeds of any Borrowings requested or authorized pursuant to this Agreement and which, in the case of a Borrowing Request, shall be delivered in accordance with Section 2.03, together with a customary funding indemnification letter to the extent any such Loan will be a SOFR Loan.
(h)Solvency. The Administrative Agent and Chase shall have received a solvency certificate signed by a Financial Officer dated the Effective Date in the form and substance of Annex I to Exhibit C of that certain Commitment Letter dated July 28, 2022, by and among Wells Fargo, Chase, and certain of the Loan Parties.
(i)USA PATRIOT Act, Etc. At least five (5) days prior to the Effective Date, (i) the Administrative Agent and Lenders shall have received (x) all documentation and other information regarding the Loan Parties requested in connection with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the USA PATRIOT Act, to the extent requested in writing of the Borrower at least ten (10) days prior to the Effective Date and (y) a properly completed and signed IRS Form W-8 or W-9, as applicable, for each Loan Party and (ii) to the extent the Borrower qualifies as a “legal entity customer” under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation, any Lender that has requested, in a written notice to the Borrower at least ten (10) days prior to the Effective Date, a
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Beneficial Ownership Certification in relation to the Borrower shall have received such Beneficial Ownership Certification (provided that, upon the execution and delivery by such Lender of its signature page to this Agreement, the condition set forth in this clause (ii) shall be deemed to be satisfied).
Without limiting the generality of the provisions of Section 9.02, for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 4.01 on the Effective Date, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Effective Date specifying its objection thereto. The Arrangers shall notify the Loan Parties, the Lenders and the Issuing Banks of the Effective Date, and such notice shall be conclusive and binding.
SECTION 1.01.Each Credit Event. The obligation of each Lender to make a Loan on the occasion of any Borrowing, and of each Issuing Bank to issue, amend or extend any Letter of Credit, is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
(j)The representations and warranties of the Loan Parties set forth in the Loan Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects, except for any representation or warranty that is qualified by materiality or reference to Material Adverse Effect, which such representation or warranty shall be true and correct in all respects, as though made on and as of the date of such Borrowing or the date of issuance, amendment or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable, (it being understood and agreed that any representation or warranty which by its terms is made as of a specified date shall be required to be true and correct in all material respects only as of such specified date and any such representation or warranty that is qualified by materiality or reference to Material Adverse Effect shall be true and correct in all respects as of such earlier date).
(k)At the time of and immediately after giving effect to such Borrowing or the issuance, amendment or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing.
Each Borrowing and each issuance, amendment or extension of a Letter of Credit shall be deemed to constitute a representation and warranty by the Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section.
ARTICLE V
Affirmative Covenants
Until all of the Obligations shall have been Paid in Full, each Loan Party executing this Agreement covenants and agrees, jointly and severally with all of the other Loan Parties, with the Lenders that:
SECTION 1.01.Financial Statements and Other Information. Holdings will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:
(a)within ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year of Holdings (or, if earlier, by the date that the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Holdings for such fiscal year would be required to be filed under the rules and regulations of the SEC, giving effect to any automatic extension available thereunder for the filing of such form) (commencing with the fiscal year ending 2022), its audited consolidated balance sheet and related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows as of the end of and for such year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all reported on by independent public accountants of recognized national standing (without a “going concern” or like qualification, commentary or exception, and without any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit) to the effect that such consolidated financial statements present fairly in all
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material respects the financial condition and results of operations of Holdings and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied;
(b)within forty-five (45) days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of Holdings or, if earlier, by the date that the Quarterly Report on Form 10 Q of Holdings for such fiscal quarter would be required to be filed under the rules and regulations of the SEC, giving effect to any automatic extension available thereunder for the filing of such form) (commencing with the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2022), its consolidated balance sheet and related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows as of the end of and for such fiscal quarter and the then elapsed portion of such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding period or periods of (or, in the case of the balance sheet, as of the end of) the previous fiscal year, all certified by a Financial Officer of Holdings as presenting fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of Holdings and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes;
(c)concurrently with any delivery of financial statements under clause (a) or (b) above (commencing with the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2022) (collectively or individually, as the context requires, the “Financial Statements”), a Compliance Certificate (i) certifying, in the case of the Financial Statements delivered under clause (a) or (b) above, as presenting fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of Holdings and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes, (ii) certifying as to whether a Default has occurred and, if a Default has occurred, specifying the details thereof and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto, (iii) setting forth reasonably detailed calculations demonstrating compliance with Section 6.12 and (iv) stating whether any change in GAAP or in the application thereof has occurred since the date of the audited financial statements referred to in Section 3.04 and, if any such change has occurred, specifying the effect of such change on the Financial Statements accompanying such certificate;
(d)[reserved];
(e)as soon as available, but in any event no earlier than the end of, and no later than thirty (30) days after the end of, each fiscal year of Holdings, a copy of the plan and forecast (including a projected consolidated balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement) of Holdings for each quarter of the upcoming fiscal year (the “Projections”) in form reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
(f)promptly following any request therefor, (x) such other information regarding the operations, changes in ownership of Equity Interests, business affairs and financial condition of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of this Agreement, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) may reasonably request and (y) information and documentation reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent or any Lender for purposes of compliance with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the USA PATRIOT Act and the Beneficial Ownership Regulation;
(g)promptly after any request therefor by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, copies of (i) any documents described in Section 101(k)(1) of ERISA that Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate may request with respect to any Multiemployer Plan and (ii) any notices described in Section 101(l)(1) of ERISA that Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate may request with respect to any Multiemployer Plan; provided that if Holdings or any ERISA Affiliate has not requested such documents or notices from the administrator or sponsor of the applicable Multiemployer Plan, Holdings or the applicable ERISA Affiliate shall promptly make a request for such documents and notices from such administrator or sponsor and shall provide copies of such documents and notices promptly after receipt thereof; and
(h)promptly after the same become publicly available, copies of all periodic and other reports, proxy statements and other materials filed by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary with the SEC, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any or all of the functions of the SEC, or with any national securities exchange, or distributed by Holdings to its shareholders generally, as the case may be.
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Documents required to be delivered pursuant to clauses (a), (b) or (h) of this Section 5.01 (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which such materials are publicly available as posted on the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) or (ii) on which such documents are posted on Holdings’ behalf on an Internet or intranet website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party website or whether made available by the Administrative Agent); provided that (A) upon written request by the Administrative Agent (or any Lender through the Administrative Agent) to Holdings, Holdings shall deliver paper copies of such documents to the Administrative Agent or such Lender until a written request to cease delivering paper copies is given by the Administrative Agent or such Lender and (B) Holdings shall notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender (by facsimile or through Electronic System) of the posting of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent through Electronic System electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents. The Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to request the delivery of or to maintain paper copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by Holdings with any such request by a Lender for delivery, and each Lender shall be solely responsible for timely accessing posted documents or requesting delivery of paper copies of such document to it and maintaining its copies of such documents.
SECTION 1.02.Notices of Material Events. Holdings will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender prompt (but in any event within any time period that may be specified below) written notice of the following:
(a)the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default;
(b)(x) except as could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, receipt of any notice of any investigation by a Governmental Authority or any Proceeding commenced or threatened against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary that (i) seeks damages or injunctive relief, (ii) is asserted or instituted against any Plan, its fiduciaries or its assets, (iii) alleges the violation of, or seeks to impose remedies under, any Environmental Law or related Requirement of Law, or seeks to impose Environmental Liability, (iv) asserts liability on the part of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary in respect of any tax, fee, assessment, or other governmental charge, or (v) involves any product recall, or (y) receipt of any notice of any investigation by a Governmental Authority or Proceeding commenced or threatened against any Loan Party or Subsidiary that alleges criminal misconduct by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary;
(c)any material change in accounting or financial reporting practices by Holdings or any Subsidiary;
(d)the occurrence of any ERISA Event that, alone or together with any other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in liability of Holdings and its Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
(e)any other development that results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, a Material Adverse Effect; and
(f)any change in the information provided in the Beneficial Ownership Certification delivered to such Lender that would result in a change to the list of beneficial owners identified in such certification.
Each notice delivered under this Section (i) shall be in writing, (ii) shall contain a heading or a reference line that reads “Notice under Section 5.02 of Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa Credit Agreement dated August 31, 2022” and (iii) shall be accompanied by a statement of a Financial Officer or other executive officer of Holdings setting forth the details of the event or development requiring such notice and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto.
SECTION 1.03.Existence; Conduct of Business. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve, renew and keep in full force and
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effect its legal existence and the rights, qualifications, licenses, permits, privileges, franchises, governmental authorizations, intellectual property rights, licenses and permits material to the conduct of its business, and maintain all requisite authority to conduct its business in each jurisdiction in which its business is conducted; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any merger, consolidation, liquidation or dissolution permitted under Section 6.03.
SECTION 1.04.Payment of Obligations. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, pay or discharge all Material Indebtedness and all other material liabilities and obligations, including Taxes, before the same shall become delinquent or in default, except where (a) the validity or amount thereof is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (b) such Loan Party or Subsidiary has set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto in accordance with GAAP and (c) the failure to make payment pending such contest could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; provided, however, that each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, remit withholding taxes and other payroll taxes to appropriate Governmental Authorities as and when claimed to be due, notwithstanding the foregoing exceptions.
SECTION 1.05.Maintenance of Properties. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to (a) keep and maintain all property material to the conduct of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and (b) maintain, with financially sound and reputable insurance companies, insurance in such amounts and against such risks as are customarily maintained by companies of similar size and financial condition engaged in the same or similar businesses operating in the same or similar locations.
SECTION 1.06.Books and Records; Inspection Rights. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, (a) keep proper books of record and account in which full, true and correct entries are made of all dealings and transactions in relation to its business and activities and (b) permit any representatives designated by the Administrative Agent or any Lender (including employees of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any consultants, accountants, lawyers, agents and appraisers retained by the Administrative Agent), upon reasonable prior notice, to visit and inspect its properties, conduct at the Loan Party’s premises field examinations of the Loan Party’s assets, liabilities, books and records, including examining and making extracts from its books and records, and to discuss its affairs, finances and condition with its officers and independent accountants (and hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent and each Lender to contact its independent accountants directly) and to provide contact information for each bank where each Loan Party has a depository and/or securities account and each such Loan Party hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent and each Lender to contact the bank(s) in order to request bank statements and/or balances, all at such reasonable times and as often as reasonably requested. The Loan Parties acknowledge that the Administrative Agent, after exercising its rights of inspection, may prepare and distribute to the Lenders certain reports pertaining to the Loan Parties’ assets for internal use by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders.
SECTION 1.07.Compliance with Laws. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, comply with all laws, rules, regulations and orders of any Governmental Authority applicable to it or its property, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Subject to Section 5.12, the Loan Parties will maintain in effect and enforce policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by the Loan Parties, their Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions.
SECTION 1.08.Use of Proceeds.
(i)The proceeds of the Loans funded on the Effective Date will be used to finance the Transactions to occur on the Effective Date, with any remaining proceeds being used for working capital needs and for general corporate purposes of Holdings and its Subsidiaries; provided that (i) the aggregate principal amount of Revolving Loans funded on the Effective Date shall not exceed $25,000,000, (ii) no Swingline Loans shall be made hereunder on the Effective Date and (iii) no Letters of Credit (other than Existing Letters of Credit) shall be issued hereunder on the Effective Date. Following the Effective Date, the proceeds of the Loans and the Letters of Credit will be used only to finance the working capital needs and general corporate purposes of Holdings and its Subsidiaries (including, without limitation, Permitted
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Acquisitions). No part of the proceeds of any Loan and no Letter of Credit will be used, whether directly or indirectly, for any purpose that entails a violation of any of the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board, including Regulations T, U and X.
(j)The Borrower will not request any Borrowing or Letter of Credit, and the Borrower shall not use, and shall procure that Holdings and its Subsidiaries and its or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents shall not use, the proceeds of any Borrowing or Letter of Credit (i) in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any Person in violation of any Anti-Corruption Laws, (ii) for the purpose of funding, financing or facilitating any activities, business or transaction of or with any Sanctioned Person, or in any Sanctioned Country, except to the extent permitted for a Person required to comply with Sanctions, or (iii) in any manner that would result in the violation of any Sanctions applicable to any party hereto.
SECTION 1.09.Accuracy of Information. The Loan Parties will ensure that any information, including financial statements or other documents, furnished to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder contains no material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and the furnishing of such information shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by Holdings or the Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in this Section 5.09; provided that, with respect to the Projections, the Loan Parties will cause the Projections to be prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.
SECTION 1.10.Insurance. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each Subsidiary to, maintain with financially sound and reputable carriers insurance in such amounts (with no greater risk retention) and against such risks (including loss or damage by fire and loss in transit; theft, burglary, pilferage, larceny, embezzlement, and other criminal activities; business interruption; and general liability) and such other hazards, as is customarily maintained by companies of established repute of similar size and financial position engaged in the same or similar businesses operating in the same or similar locations. Holdings will furnish to the Lenders, upon request of the Administrative Agent, but no less frequently than annually, information in reasonable detail as to the insurance so maintained.
SECTION 1.11.Subsidiary Guarantors; Further Assurances.
(a)As promptly as possible but in any event within forty-five (45) days (or such later date as may be agreed upon by the Administrative Agent) after any Person becomes a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of Holdings or any Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of Holdings qualifies independently as, or is designated by Holdings or the Administrative Agent as, a Material Domestic Subsidiary pursuant to the definition of “Material Domestic Subsidiary”, Holdings shall (i) provide the Administrative Agent with written notice thereof setting forth information in reasonable detail describing the material assets of such Person and (ii) cause each such Wholly-Owned Subsidiary which also qualifies as a Material Domestic Subsidiary (other than any Captive Insurance Subsidiary) to execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent a Joinder Agreement pursuant to which such Subsidiary agrees to be bound by the terms and provisions thereof, which shall be accompanied by appropriate organizational resolutions, other organizational documentation and legal opinions in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel. In connection therewith, the Administrative Agent shall have received all documentation and other information regarding such newly formed or acquired Subsidiaries as may be required to comply with the applicable “know your customer” rules and regulations, including the USA PATRIOT Act. Each such Person delivering a Joinder Agreement shall automatically become a Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder and thereupon shall have all of the rights, benefits, duties, and obligations in such capacity under the Loan Documents.
(b)Without limiting the foregoing, each Loan Party will execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, to the Administrative Agent such documents, agreements and instruments, and will take or cause to be taken such further actions, which may be required by any Requirement of Law or which the Administrative Agent may, from time to time, reasonably request to carry out the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, all in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and all at the expense of the Loan Parties.
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SECTION 1.22.Post-Closing Requirements. Not later than the dates set forth in Schedule 5.12 (or such later dates as the Administrative Agent shall agree in its sole discretion) or as otherwise required thereunder, the Loan Parties shall take the actions set forth on Schedule 5.12.
ARTICLE VI
Negative Covenants
Until all of the Obligations shall have been Paid in Full, each Loan Party executing this Agreement covenants and agrees, jointly and severally with all of the other Loan Parties, with the Lenders that:
SECTION 1.07.Indebtedness. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:
(a)the Obligations;
(b)Indebtedness existing on the date hereof and set forth in Schedule 6.01 and any Refinance Indebtedness in respect thereof;
(c)Indebtedness of a Loan Party to any Subsidiary and of any Subsidiary to a Loan Party or any other Subsidiary, provided that (i) Indebtedness of any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party to the Borrower or any other Loan Party may only be incurred in reliance on Section 6.04(h) and (ii) Indebtedness of any Loan Party to any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall be subordinated to the Obligations on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;
(d)Guarantees by any Loan Party of Indebtedness of any Subsidiary and by any Subsidiary of Indebtedness of any Loan Party or any other Subsidiary, provided that (i) the Indebtedness so Guaranteed is permitted by this Section 6.01, (ii) Guarantees by the Borrower or any other Loan Party of Indebtedness of any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may only be incurred in reliance on Section 6.04(h) and (iii) Guarantees permitted under this clause (d) shall be subordinated to the Obligations on the same terms as the Indebtedness so Guaranteed is subordinated to the Obligations;
(e)Indebtedness of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary secured by equipment, real property, fixtures or other fixed assets (including proceeds thereof), and extensions, renewals and replacements of any such Indebtedness in accordance with clause (f) below; provided that the aggregate outstanding principal amount of Indebtedness permitted by this clause (e), together with any outstanding Refinance Indebtedness in respect thereof permitted by clause (f) below, shall not exceed an amount equal to 30% of Applicable EBITDA;
(f)Indebtedness which represents extensions, renewals, refinancing or replacements (such Indebtedness being so extended, renewed, refinanced or replaced being referred to herein as the “Refinance Indebtedness”) of any of the Indebtedness described in clauses (b), (e), (i) and (j) hereof (such Indebtedness being referred to herein as the “Original Indebtedness”); provided that (i) such Refinance Indebtedness does not increase the principal amount of the Original Indebtedness (except with respect to Refinance Indebtedness secured solely by equipment or real estate, which may have a principal amount up to the fair market value of the equipment or real estate securing such Refinance Indebtedness), (ii) any Liens securing such Refinance Indebtedness are not extended to any additional property of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary (other than customary cross-collateralization with respect to all assets financed by a single Person or their Affiliates), (iii) no Loan Party or any Subsidiary that is not originally obligated as a borrower with respect to repayment of such Original Indebtedness is required to become obligated as a borrower with respect to such Refinance Indebtedness, (iv) such Refinance Indebtedness does not result in a shortening of the average weighted maturity of such Original Indebtedness, and (v) if such Original Indebtedness was subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations or any of the other Obligations, then the terms and conditions of such Refinance Indebtedness must include subordination terms and conditions that are at least as favorable to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders as those that were applicable to such Original Indebtedness;
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(g)Indebtedness owed to any Person providing workers’ compensation, health, disability or other employee benefits or property, casualty or liability insurance, pursuant to reimbursement or indemnification obligations to such Person, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(h)Indebtedness under performance bonds, surety bonds, release, appeal and similar bonds, statutory obligations or with respect to workers’ compensation claims, payment obligations in connection with health or other types of social security benefits, unemployment or other insurance or self-insurance obligations, reclamation, statutory obligations and bankers acceptances, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business, and reimbursement obligations in respect of any of the foregoing;
(i)Indebtedness of any Person that becomes a Subsidiary after the date hereof pursuant to any Permitted Acquisition; provided that such Indebtedness exists at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary and is not created in contemplation of or in connection with such Person becoming a Subsidiary;
(j)unsecured Indebtedness consisting of earn-out obligations, deferred payments and similar obligations in respect of Permitted Acquisitions;
(k)Indebtedness arising from the honoring by a bank or other financial institution of a check, draft or other similar instrument drawn against insufficient funds or netting services arising from treasury, depository and cash management services or in connection with any automated clearing-house transfer of funds, in each case, in the ordinary course of business and not incurred in connection with borrowed money;
(l)unsecured Indebtedness consisting of indemnification, adjustment of purchase price or similar obligations, in each case, incurred or assumed in connection with the Disposition of any business or assets of a Subsidiary permitted hereunder (other than Guarantees of Indebtedness incurred or assumed by any Person acquiring all or any portion of such business, assets or Subsidiary for the purpose of financing such acquisition);
(m)Indebtedness consisting of the financing of insurance premiums in the ordinary course of business in an amount not to exceed the actual amount of such insurance premiums;
(n)unsecured Indebtedness incurred in the ordinary course of business in the nature of open accounts extended by suppliers on normal trade terms in connection with purchases of goods and services which are not overdue for a period of more than ninety (90) days or, if overdue for more than ninety (90) days, as to which a good faith dispute exists and adequate reserves in conformity with GAAP have been established on the books of the Loan Parties or their Subsidiaries;
(o)unsecured Indebtedness representing deferred purchase price of property or services, including earn-out obligations, escrow arrangements or other arrangements representing deferred payments incurred in connection with any Acquisition;
(p)judgments not giving rise to an Event of Default;
(q)Indebtedness permitted by Section 6.04 (other than Section 6.04(c));
(r)unsecured Indebtedness incurred in respect of credit cards, credit card processing services, debit cards, stored value cards, purchase cards (including so called “procurement cards” or “P-cards”), or cash management services, in each case, incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(s)solely to the extent constituting or otherwise deemed to be Indebtedness, the obligations of the Borrower or any other Subsidiary under any Permitted Supplier Financing;
(t)other unsecured Indebtedness so long as at the time of and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a pro forma basis) to the incurrence, issuance or assumption of such Indebtedness the Net Leverage Ratio does not exceed 2.25 to 1.00; and
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(u)other unsecured Indebtedness in an aggregate outstanding principal amount not exceeding at any time the greater of $105,000,000 and 30% of Applicable EBITDA.
SECTION 1.05.Liens. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Lien on any property or asset now owned or hereafter acquired by it, or assign or sell any income or revenues or rights in respect of any thereof, except:
(v)Liens created pursuant to any Loan Document;
(w)Permitted Encumbrances;
(x)any Lien on any property or asset of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary existing on the date hereof and set forth in Schedule 6.02; provided that (i) such Lien shall not apply to any other property or asset of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary (other than customary cross-collateralization with respect to all assets financed by a single Person or their Affiliates) and (ii) such Lien shall secure only those obligations which it secures on the date hereof and extensions, renewals and replacements thereof constituting Refinance Indebtedness (other than customary cross-collateralization with respect to all assets financed by a single Person or their Affiliates);
(y)Liens on equipment, real property, fixtures or other fixed assets (including proceeds thereof); provided that (i) such Liens secure Indebtedness permitted by Section 6.01(e), (ii) if such Liens and the Indebtedness secured thereby are incurred prior to or within 90 days after the acquisition of such assets, the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed the cost of acquiring such assets and (iii) such Liens shall not apply to any other property or assets of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary (other than customary cross-collateralization with respect to all assets financed by a single Person or their Affiliates);
(z)any Lien existing on any property or asset prior to the acquisition thereof by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary or existing on any property or asset of any Person that becomes a Loan Party after the date hereof prior to the time such Person becomes a Loan Party; provided that (i) such Lien is not created in contemplation of or in connection with such acquisition or such Person becoming a Loan Party, as the case may be, (ii) such Lien shall not apply to any other property or assets of any Loan Party or Subsidiary (other than customary cross-collateralization with respect to all assets financed by a single Person or their Affiliates) and (iii) such Lien shall secure only those obligations which it secures on the date of such acquisition or the date such Person becomes a Loan Party, as the case may be (other than customary cross-collateralization with respect to all assets financed by a single Person or their Affiliates), and extensions, renewals and replacements thereof that do not increase the outstanding principal amount thereof;
(aa)Liens of a collecting bank arising in the ordinary course of business under Section 4-210 of the UCC in effect in the relevant jurisdiction covering only the items being collected upon;
(ab)Liens arising out of Sale and Leaseback Transactions permitted by Section 6.06;
(ac)Liens granted by a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party in favor of the Borrower or another Loan Party in respect of Indebtedness owed by such Subsidiary;
(ad)Liens arising from the filing of precautionary UCC financing statements relating solely to personal property leased pursuant to operating leases entered into in the ordinary course of business;
(ae)any interest or title of a licensor, sublicensor, lessor or sublessor with respect to any assets under any license or lease agreement (other than any exclusive license of intellectual property) entered into in the ordinary course of business which do not (i) interfere in any material respect with the business of Holdings or its Subsidiaries or materially detract from the value of the relevant assets of Holdings or its Subsidiaries or (ii) secure any Indebtedness;
(af)Liens incidental to the conduct of its business or the ownership of its assets, in each case, incurred in the ordinary course of business and which were not incurred in connection with the borrowing
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of money, and which do not in the aggregate materially detract from the value of its assets or materially impair the use thereof in the operation of its business;
(ag)non-exclusive licenses of patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights granted in the ordinary course of business and not interfering in any material respect with the ordinary conduct of the business of Holdings and its Subsidiaries;
(ah)Liens on insurance policies and the proceeds thereof securing the financing of the premiums with respect thereto permitted hereunder;
(ai)Liens arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar arrangements for sale of goods entered into in the ordinary course of business and permitted hereunder;
(aj)Liens in favor of customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payment of customs duties in connection with the importation of goods in the ordinary course of business;
(ak)Liens (if any) arising in connection with any Permitted Supplier Financing and, in each case, financing statements filed under the UCC evidencing sales of accounts receivable made pursuant thereto; and
(al)licenses or sublicenses (other than any exclusive license or sublicense of intellectual property) granted to others in the ordinary course of business.
SECTION 1.08.Fundamental Changes.
(am)No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, merge into or consolidate with any other Person, or permit any other Person to merge into or consolidate with it, or otherwise Dispose of all or substantially all of its assets, or all or substantially all of the Equity Interests of any of its Subsidiaries (in each case, whether now owned or hereafter acquired), or liquidate or dissolve, except that, if at the time thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (i) any Subsidiary of Holdings may merge into the Borrower in a transaction in which the Borrower is the surviving entity and such merger would not result in a Change in Control, (ii) any Loan Party (other than the Borrower or Holdings) may merge into any other Loan Party in a transaction in which the surviving entity is a Loan Party, (iii) any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may liquidate or dissolve if the Borrower determines in good faith that such liquidation or dissolution is in the best interests of the Borrower and is not materially disadvantageous to the Lenders (as reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent), and (iv) any Loan Party or Subsidiary may merge with another Person in connection with the consummation of a Permitted Acquisition so long as either (x) with respect to a merger involving a Loan Party, such Loan Party is the surviving entity (provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such merger involving the Borrower shall result in the Borrower as the surviving entity and would not result in a Change in Control) or (y) with respect to a merger involving a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party, the surviving entity constitutes a Subsidiary and joins this Agreement to the extent and in such time as required by Section 5.11(a); provided that any such merger or consolidation involving a Person that is not a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary immediately prior to such merger or consolidation shall not be permitted unless also permitted by Section 6.04.
(an)No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, engage in any business other than businesses of the type conducted by Holdings and its Subsidiaries on the date hereof and businesses reasonably related thereto or reasonable extensions thereof.
(ao)No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to change its fiscal year or any fiscal quarter from the basis in effect on the Effective Date.
(ap)No Loan Party will change the accounting basis upon which its financial statements are prepared except in accordance with GAAP.
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(e) Holdings will not conduct, transact or otherwise engage in any business or operations other than the following (and activities incidental thereto): (i) its ownership of the Equity Interests of the Borrower or any other Loan Party; (ii) the maintenance of its legal existence (including (A) the ability to incur fees, costs and expenses relating to such maintenance and (B) the activities required or customarily associated with a publicly traded holding company, including without limitation and to the extent not prohibited hereunder, receiving and paying dividends, filing tax returns, compensating employees and directors, issuing and repurchasing its common stock, complying with the obligations of the SEC and the NASDAQ stock exchange or other relevant exchange, guaranteeing obligations not prohibited hereunder, and other activities incidental to its status as the parent company of a consolidated group); (iii) the performance of its obligations with respect to the Loan Documents and any agreement contemplated in connection with a transaction otherwise permitted under this Section 6.03(e); (iv) any transaction that Holdings is expressly permitted to enter into or consummate under this Article VI and any transaction between Holdings and the Borrower or any other Subsidiary expressly permitted under this Article VI; (v) incurring fees, costs and expenses relating to overhead and general operating including professional fees for legal, tax and accounting issues and paying taxes; (vi) making investments in the Borrower permitted hereunder; (vii) participating in tax, accounting and other administrative matters as a member of the consolidated, combined, unitary or similar group that included Holdings and the Borrower; (viii) holding any cash, Permitted Investments or other property received in connection with Restricted Payments received from, and Investments in Holdings made by, its Subsidiaries, contributions to its capital or in exchange for the issuance of Equity Interests permitted hereunder; (ix) providing customary indemnification and contribution to directors, officers, employees, members of management, and consultants in the ordinary course of business; (x) activities incidental to the consummation of the Transactions; and (xi) activities incidental to the businesses or activities described in clauses (i) to (x) of this Section 6.03(e).
SECTION 1.02.Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, form any subsidiary after the Effective Date, or purchase, hold or acquire (including pursuant to any merger or consolidation with any Person that was not a Loan Party and a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary prior to such merger or consolidation) any Equity Interests, evidences of indebtedness or other securities (including any option, warrant or other right to acquire any of the foregoing) of, make or permit to exist any loans or advances to, Guarantee any obligations of, or make or permit to exist any investment or any other interest in, any other Person, or purchase or otherwise acquire (in one transaction or a series of transactions) any Person or any assets of any other Person constituting a business unit (whether through purchase of assets, merger or otherwise), except:
(aq)Permitted Investments;
(ar)investments in existence on the date hereof and described in Schedule 6.04;
(as)Guarantees constituting Indebtedness permitted by Section 6.01 (other than Section 6.01(q));
(at)investments in the form of Swap Agreements permitted by Section 6.07;
(au)investments constituting deposits described in clauses (c) and (d) of the definition of the term “Permitted Encumbrances”;
(av)Permitted Acquisitions;
(aw)the Closing Date Acquisition; and
(ax)other investments (other than Acquisitions), loans, advances or Guarantees so long as at the time of making such investment, loan, advance or Guarantee and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a pro forma basis) thereto, (i) no Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom and (ii) Holdings is in compliance with the financial covenants contained in Section 6.12.
SECTION 1.09.Asset Sales. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, Dispose of any asset, including any Equity Interest owned by it, nor will Holdings permit the Borrower to issue any
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additional Equity Interest in the Borrower (other than to Holdings in compliance with Section 6.04), nor will Holdings permit any other Subsidiary to issue any additional Equity Interest in such Subsidiary (other than to Holdings, the Borrower or another Subsidiary in compliance with Section 6.04), except:
(ay)Dispositions of (i) inventory in the ordinary course of business and (ii) used, obsolete, worn out or surplus equipment or property in the ordinary course of business;
(az)Dispositions of assets to the Borrower or any other Subsidiary; provided that (i) any such Dispositions involving a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall be made in compliance with Section 6.09 and (ii) the aggregate fair market value of all assets Disposed by Loan Parties to Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties during the term of this Agreement shall not exceed the greater of $70,000,000 and 20% of Applicable EBITDA;
(ba)(i) Dispositions of accounts (excluding Dispositions in a factoring arrangement) in connection with the compromise, settlement or collection thereof and (ii) Dispositions of accounts receivable pursuant to a Permitted Supplier Financing;
(bb)Dispositions of cash, not otherwise prohibited hereunder;
(bc)to the extent constituting a Disposition, the granting or incurrence of Liens permitted by Section 6.02, Permitted Investments and other investments, loans, or advances permitted by Section 6.04, and the making of Restricted Payments permitted by Section 6.08;
(bd)Dispositions resulting from any casualty or other damage to, or any taking under power of eminent domain or by condemnation or similar proceeding of, any property or asset of Holdings or any Subsidiary;
(be)transactions permitted by Section 6.03(a);
(bf)Dispositions of contracts (including any licenses, sublicenses, leases, or subleases) due to the termination thereof not giving rise to an Event of Default;
(bg)Dispositions of property to the extent that (A) such property is exchanged for credit against the purchase price of similar replacement property that is promptly purchased or (B) the proceeds of such asset sale are promptly applied to the purchase price of such replacement property (which replacement property is actually promptly purchased); and
(bh)other Dispositions of assets (including any Sale and Leaseback Transaction, but excluding any Disposition of Equity Interests in a Subsidiary unless all Equity Interests in such Subsidiary are sold (it being understood and agreed that the Equity Interests in the Borrower may not be Disposed by Holdings)) that are not permitted by any other clause of this Section; provided that (i) the aggregate fair market value of all assets Disposed of in reliance upon this paragraph (j) during any fiscal year of Holdings shall not exceed an amount equal to 15% of Consolidated Total Assets (based on Consolidated Total Assets as of the last day of the most recent fiscal year of Holdings for which audited financial statements have been delivered (or are required to be delivered) to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 5.01(a) (or, if prior to the date of the delivery of the first audited financial statements to be delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a), the financial statements referred to in Section 3.04(a)(i))), (ii) any Sale and Leaseback Transaction shall be made in compliance with Section 6.06 and (iii) all Dispositions permitted under this Section 6.05(j) shall be made for fair value and for consideration consisting of at least 75% cash and Permitted Investments.
SECTION 1.06.Sale and Leaseback Transactions. Subject to Section 6.05(j), no Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any arrangement, directly or indirectly, whereby it shall sell or transfer any property, real or personal, used or useful in its business, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, and thereafter rent or lease such property or other property that it intends to use for substantially the same purpose or purposes as the property sold or transferred (a “Sale and Leaseback Transaction”), except for any such sale of any fixed or capital assets by the Borrower or any other Subsidiary that is made for cash consideration in an amount not less than the fair value of such fixed or capital asset.
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SECTION 1.07.Swap Agreements. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any Swap Agreement, except (a) Swap Agreements entered into to hedge or mitigate risks to which Holdings or any Subsidiary has actual exposure (other than those in respect of Equity Interests of Holdings or any Subsidiary), and (b) Swap Agreements entered into in order to effectively cap, collar or exchange interest rates (from floating to fixed rates, from one floating rate to another floating rate or otherwise) with respect to any interest-bearing liability or investment of Holdings or any Subsidiary.
SECTION 1.08.Restricted Payments; Certain Payments of Indebtedness.
(bi)No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, declare or make, or agree to declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, except:
(i)Holdings and the Borrower may declare and pay dividends with respect to its common stock payable solely in additional shares of its common stock, and, with respect to its preferred stock, payable solely in additional shares of such preferred stock or in shares of its common stock;
(ii)Subsidiaries (including the Borrower) may declare and pay dividends ratably with respect to their Equity Interests;
(iii)Holdings may make Restricted Payments, not exceeding $5,000,000 during any fiscal year, pursuant to and in accordance with stock option plans or other benefit plans for management or employees of Holdings and its Subsidiaries;
(iv)Holdings and the Borrower may declare and pay regularly scheduled dividends with respect to its common stock in an aggregate amount not to exceed $10,000,000 during any fiscal year of Holdings;
(v)Holdings and the Borrower may make other Restricted Payments so long as at the time of making such Restricted Payment and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a pro forma basis) thereto (x) no Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom and (y) the Net Leverage Ratio is not greater than 2.50 to 1.00; and
(vi)Holdings and the Borrower may make other Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount for all such Restricted Payments made in reliance on this clause (a)(vi) during the term of this Agreement not to exceed 25% of Applicable EBITDA, so long as at the time of making such Restricted Payment and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a pro forma basis) thereto no Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom.
(bj)No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, make or agree to pay or make, directly or indirectly, any payment or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) of or in respect of principal of or interest on any Subordinated Indebtedness, or any payment or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any Subordinated Indebtedness, except:
(i)payment of regularly scheduled interest and principal payments as and when due in respect of any Subordinated Indebtedness permitted under Section 6.01, other than payments prohibited by the subordination provisions thereof;
(ii)refinancings of Subordinated Indebtedness to the extent permitted by Section 6.01;
(iii)other payments of Subordinated Indebtedness so long as at the time of making such payment and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a pro forma basis) thereto
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(x) no Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom and (y) the Net Leverage Ratio is not greater than 2.50 to 1.00; and
(iv)other payments of Subordinated Indebtedness in an aggregate amount for all such payments made in reliance on this clause (b)(iv) during the term of this Agreement not to exceed 25% of Applicable EBITDA, so long as at the time of making such payment and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a pro forma basis) thereto no Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom.
SECTION 1.01.Transactions with Affiliates. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, sell, lease or otherwise transfer any property or assets to, or purchase, lease or otherwise acquire any property or assets from, or otherwise engage in any other transactions with, any of its Affiliates, except (a) transactions that (i) are in the ordinary course of business and (ii) are at prices and on terms and conditions not materially less favorable to such Loan Party or such Subsidiary than could be obtained on an arm’s-length basis from unrelated third parties, (b) transactions between or among the Loan Parties not involving any other Affiliate, (c) any investment in Subsidiaries permitted by Section 6.04, (d) any Indebtedness permitted under Section 6.01(c) or 6.01(d), (e) any Restricted Payment permitted by Section 6.08, (f) loans or advances to employees permitted under Section 6.04, (g) the payment of reasonable fees to directors of Holdings or any Subsidiary who are not employees of Holdings or any Subsidiary, and compensation and employee benefit arrangements paid to, and indemnities provided for the benefit of, directors, officers or employees of Holdings, the Borrower or its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business, and (h) any issuances of securities or other payments, awards or grants in cash, securities or otherwise pursuant to, or the funding of, employment agreements, stock options and stock ownership plans approved by the Borrower’s board of directors.
SECTION 1.10.Restrictive Agreements. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly enter into, incur or permit to exist any agreement or other arrangement that prohibits, restricts or imposes any condition upon (a) the ability of such Loan Party or any Subsidiary to create, incur or permit to exist any Lien upon any of its property or assets, or (b) the ability of any Subsidiary to pay dividends or other distributions with respect to any Equity Interests or to make or repay loans or advances to Holdings or any other Subsidiary or to Guarantee Indebtedness of Holdings, the Borrower or any other Subsidiary; provided that (i) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions imposed by any applicable law or by any Loan Document, (ii) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions existing on the date hereof identified on Schedule 6.10 (but shall apply to any extension or renewal of, or any amendment or modification expanding the scope of, any such restriction or condition), (iii) the foregoing shall not apply to customary restrictions and conditions contained in agreements relating to the sale of assets or a Subsidiary (other than the Borrower) pending such sale, provided such restrictions and conditions apply only to such assets or the Subsidiary that is to be sold and such sale is permitted hereunder, (iv) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions or conditions imposed by any agreement relating to secured Indebtedness permitted by this Agreement if such restrictions or conditions apply only to the property or assets securing such Indebtedness and (v) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to customary provisions in leases and other contracts restricting the assignment thereof.
SECTION 1.11.Amendment of Material Documents. No Loan Party will, nor will it permit any Subsidiary to, amend, modify or waive any of its rights under (a) any agreement relating to any Subordinated Indebtedness, (b) any Closing Date Acquisition Document or (c) its charter, articles or certificate of organization or incorporation and bylaws or operating, management or partnership agreement, or other organizational or governing documents, in each case, to the extent any such amendment, modification or waiver would be materially adverse to the Lenders (as reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent).
SECTION 1.12.Financial Covenants.
(a)Net Leverage Ratio. Holdings will not permit the Net Leverage Ratio, on the last day of any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2022, to be greater than 2.75 to 1.00; provided, that Holdings may, not more than two (2) times during the term of this Agreement, so long as no Event of Default shall be continuing at such time and upon written notice by Holdings to the Administrative Agent,
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elect to increase the maximum Net Leverage Ratio permitted under this Section 6.12(a) to 3.00 to 1.00 for a period of up to four consecutive fiscal quarters of Holdings in connection with a Material Acquisition occurring during the first of such four fiscal quarters (any such period of four consecutive fiscal quarters elected by Holdings being referred to as an “Adjusted Covenant Period”); provided, further that (x) no Adjusted Covenant Period shall be available during the two (2) consecutive fiscal quarters occurring immediately after any Adjusted Covenant Period shall have concluded and (y) for the avoidance of doubt, immediately after any Adjusted Covenant Period referred to above, the Net Leverage Ratio shall revert to the levels required in this Section 6.12(a) had the Adjusted Covenant Period not occurred.
(b)Interest Coverage Ratio. Holdings will not permit the Interest Coverage Ratio, for any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ending on the last day of any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2022, to be less than 3.00 to 1.00.
ARTICLE VII
Events of Default
If any of the following events (“Events of Default”) shall occur:
(c)the Borrower shall fail to pay any principal of any Loan or any reimbursement obligation in respect of any LC Disbursement when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at the due date thereof or at a date fixed for prepayment thereof or otherwise;
(d)the Borrower shall fail to pay any interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount (other than an amount referred to in clause (a) of this Article) payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document, when and as the same shall become due and payable, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of three (3) Business Days;
(e)any representation or warranty made or deemed made by or on behalf of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary in, or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder, or in any report, certificate, financial statement or other document furnished pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder, shall prove to have been materially incorrect when made or deemed made;
(f)any Loan Party shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in Section 5.02(a), 5.03 (with respect to a Loan Party’s existence), 5.08, 5.12, or in Article VI or in Article X;
(g)any Loan Party shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in this Agreement (other than those specified in clause (a), (b) or (d) of this Article) or any other Loan Document, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of (i) five (5) days after the earlier of any Loan Party’s knowledge of such breach or notice thereof from the Administrative Agent (which notice will be given at the request of any Lender) if such breach relates to terms or provisions of Section 5.01, 5.02 (other than Section 5.02(a)), 5.03 (other than with respect to a Loan Party’s existence) through 5.07, 5.10 or 5.11 of this Agreement or (ii) fifteen (15) days after the earlier of any Loan Party’s knowledge of such breach or notice thereof from the Administrative Agent (which notice will be given at the request of any Lender) if such breach relates to terms or provisions of any other Section of this Agreement or any other Loan Document;
(h)any Loan Party or any Subsidiary shall fail to make any payment (whether of principal or interest and regardless of amount) in respect of any Material Indebtedness, when and as the same shall become due and payable;
(i)any event or condition occurs that results in any Material Indebtedness becoming due prior to its scheduled maturity or that enables or permits (with or without the giving of notice, the lapse of time or both) the holder or holders of any Material Indebtedness or any trustee or agent on its or their
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behalf to cause any Material Indebtedness to become due, or to require the prepayment, repurchase, redemption or defeasance thereof, prior to its scheduled maturity; provided that this clause (g) shall not apply to secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the property or assets securing such Indebtedness to the extent such sale or transfer is permitted by the terms of Section 6.05;
(j)an involuntary proceeding shall be commenced or an involuntary petition shall be filed seeking (i) liquidation, reorganization or other relief in respect of a Loan Party or Subsidiary or its debts, or of a substantial part of its assets, under any federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect or (ii) the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for any Loan Party or any Subsidiary or for a substantial part of its assets, and, in any such case, such proceeding or petition shall continue undismissed for sixty (60) days or an order or decree approving or ordering any of the foregoing shall be entered;
(k)any Loan Party or any Subsidiary shall (i) voluntarily commence any proceeding or file any petition seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief under any federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, (ii) consent to the institution of, or fail to contest in a timely and appropriate manner, any proceeding or petition described in clause (h) of this Article, (iii) apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for such Loan Party or Subsidiary of any Loan Party or for a substantial part of its assets, (iv) file an answer admitting the material allegations of a petition filed against it in any such proceeding, (v) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or (vi) take any action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing;
(l)any Loan Party or any Subsidiary shall become unable, admit in writing its inability, or publicly declare its intention not to, or fail generally, to pay its debts as they become due;
(m)one or more judgments for the payment of money in an aggregate amount in excess of the greater of $35,000,000 and 10% of Applicable EBITDA (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance as to which the insurer has been notified of the claim and does not dispute coverage) shall be rendered against any Loan Party, any Subsidiary or any combination thereof and the same shall remain undischarged for a period of thirty (30) consecutive days during which execution shall not be effectively stayed, or any action shall be legally taken by a judgment creditor to attach or levy upon any assets of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary to enforce any such judgment or any Loan Party or any Subsidiary shall fail within thirty (30) days to discharge one or more non-monetary judgments or orders which, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, which judgments or orders, in any such case, are not stayed on appeal or otherwise being appropriately contested in good faith by proper proceedings diligently pursued;
(n)an ERISA Event shall have occurred that, in the opinion of the Required Lenders, when taken together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
(o)a Change in Control shall occur;
(p)[reserved];
(q)the Loan Guaranty shall fail to remain in full force or effect (other than pursuant to the terms hereof or thereof) or any action shall be taken to discontinue or to assert the invalidity or unenforceability of the Loan Guaranty or any Loan Guarantor shall fail to comply with any of the terms or provisions of the Loan Guaranty, or any Loan Guarantor shall deny that it has any further liability under the Loan Guaranty, or shall give notice to such effect, including, but not limited to notice of termination delivered pursuant to Section 10.08; or
(r)any material provision of any Loan Document for any reason ceases to be valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms (or any Loan Party shall challenge the enforceability of any Loan Document or shall assert in writing, or engage in any action or inaction that evidences its assertion,
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that any provision of any of the Loan Documents has ceased to be or otherwise is not valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms);
then, and in every such event (other than an event with respect to Holdings or the Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of this Article), and at any time thereafter during the continuance of such event, the Administrative Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, by notice to the Borrower, take any or all of the following actions, at the same or different times: (i) terminate the Revolving Commitments, whereupon the Revolving Commitments shall terminate immediately, (ii) declare the Loans then outstanding to be due and payable in whole (or in part, but ratably as among the Loans at the time outstanding, in which case any principal not so declared to be due and payable may thereafter be declared to be due and payable), whereupon the principal of the Loans so declared to be due and payable, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other Obligations (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any break funding payment) accrued hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, shall become due and payable immediately, in each case without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Loan Parties, (iii) require cash collateral for the LC Exposure in accordance with Section 2.06(j) hereof and (iv) exercise all other rights and remedies of the Holders of Guaranteed Obligations under the Loan Documents and applicable law; and in the case of any event with respect to Holdings or the Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of this Article, the Revolving Commitments shall automatically terminate and the principal of the Loans then outstanding and cash collateral for the LC Exposure, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other Obligations (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any break funding payment) accrued hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, shall automatically become due and payable, and the obligation of the Borrower to cash collateralize the LC Exposure as provided in clause (iii) above shall automatically become effective, in each case without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Loan Parties. Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, increase the rate of interest applicable to the Loans and other Obligations as set forth in this Agreement and exercise any rights and remedies provided to the Administrative Agent and Chase under the Loan Documents or at law or equity, including all remedies provided under the UCC.
ARTICLE VIII
The Administrative Agent and Chase
SECTION 1.02.Authorization and Action.
(a)Each Lender, on behalf of itself and any of its Affiliates that are Holders of Guaranteed Obligations and each Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably appoints the entity named as Administrative Agent in the heading of this Agreement and its successors and assigns to serve as the administrative agent and collateral agent under the Loan Documents and each Lender and each Issuing Bank authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as are delegated to the Administrative Agent under such agreements and to exercise such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. Each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably appoints Chase as its agent and authorizes Chase to take such actions as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as are delegated to Chase under such agreements and to exercise such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. Without limiting the foregoing, each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to execute and deliver, and to perform its obligations under, each of the Loan Documents to which the Administrative Agent is a party, and to exercise all rights, powers and remedies that the Administrative Agent may have under such Loan Documents. Without limiting the foregoing, each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby authorizes Chase to execute and deliver, and to perform its obligations under, each of the Loan Documents to which Chase is a party, and to exercise all rights, powers and remedies that Chase may have under such Loan Documents.
(b)As to any matters not expressly provided for herein and in the other Loan Documents (including enforcement or collection), the Administrative Agent or Chase shall not be required to exercise any discretion or take any action, but shall be required to act or to refrain from acting (and shall be fully
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protected in so acting or refraining from acting) upon the written instructions of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, pursuant to the terms in the Loan Documents), and, unless and until revoked in writing, such instructions shall be binding upon each Lender and each Issuing Bank; provided, however, that neither the Administrative Agent nor Chase shall be required to take any action that (i) the Administrative Agent or Chase in good faith believes exposes it to liability unless the Administrative Agent or Chase receives an indemnification and is exculpated in a manner satisfactory to it from the Lenders and the Issuing Banks with respect to such action or (ii) is contrary to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or applicable law, including any action that may be in violation of the automatic stay under any requirement of law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of debtors or that may effect a forfeiture, modification or termination of property of a Defaulting Lender in violation of any requirement of law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of debtors; provided, further, that the Administrative Agent or Chase may seek clarification or direction from the Required Lenders prior to the exercise of any such instructed action and may refrain from acting until such clarification or direction has been provided. Except as expressly set forth in the Loan Documents, neither the Administrative Agent nor Chase shall have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower, any other Loan Party, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as Administrative Agent, Chase or any of their respective Affiliates in any capacity. Nothing in this Agreement shall require the Administrative Agent or Chase to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
(c)In performing its functions and duties hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, each of the Administrative Agent and Chase is acting solely on behalf of the Lenders and the Issuing Banks (except in limited circumstances expressly provided for herein relating to the maintenance of the Register), and its duties are entirely mechanical and administrative in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing:
(i)Neither the Administrative Agent nor Chase assumes and shall not be deemed to have assumed any obligation or duty or any other relationship as the agent, fiduciary or trustee of or for any Lender, Holder of Guaranteed Obligations or Issuing Bank, other than as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, regardless of whether a Default or an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing (and it is understood and agreed that the use of the term “agent” (or any similar term) herein or in any other Loan Document with reference to the Administrative Agent or Chase is not intended to connote any fiduciary duty or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable law, and that such term is used as a matter of market custom and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between contracting parties); additionally, each Lender agrees that it will not assert any claim against the Administrative Agent or Chase based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by the Administrative Agent or Chase in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby; and
(ii)nothing in this Agreement or any Loan Document shall require the Administrative Agent or Chase to account to any Lender for any sum or the profit element of any sum received by the Administrative Agent or Chase for its own account.
(g)The Administrative Agent and Chase may perform any of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent or Chase, as applicable. Each of the Administrative Agent and Chase and any such respective sub-agent may perform any of their respective duties and exercise their respective rights and powers through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent, Chase and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities pursuant to this Agreement. Neither the Administrative Agent nor Chase shall be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agent except to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and nonappealable judgment that the Administrative Agent or Chase, as applicable, acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agent.
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(h)None of the Syndication Agent, any Co-Documentation Agent or any Arranger shall have obligations or duties whatsoever in such capacity under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and shall incur no liability hereunder or thereunder in such capacity, but all such persons shall have the benefit of the indemnities provided for hereunder.
(i)In case of the pendency of any proceeding with respect to any Loan Party under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan or any reimbursement obligation in respect of any LC Disbursement shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent or Chase shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered (but not obligated) by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:
(iii)to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans, LC Disbursements and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders, the Issuing Banks, Chase and the Administrative Agent (including any claim under Sections 2.12, 2.13, 2.15, 2.17 and 9.03) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and
(iv)to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender, each Holder of Guaranteed Obligations and each Issuing Bank to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders, the Holders of Guaranteed Obligations or the Issuing Banks, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due to it, in its capacity as the Administrative Agent, under the Loan Documents (including under Section 9.03). Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender or Issuing Bank any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or Issuing Bank or to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender or Issuing Bank in any such proceeding.
(d)The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, Chase the Lenders and the Issuing Banks, and, except solely to the extent of the Borrower’s rights to consent pursuant to and subject to the conditions set forth in this Article, none of Holdings or any Subsidiary, or any of their respective Affiliates, shall have any rights as a third party beneficiary under any such provisions. Each Holder of Guaranteed Obligations, whether or not a party hereto, will be deemed, by its acceptance of the benefits of the Guarantees of the Obligations provided under the Loan Documents, to have agreed to the provisions of this Article.
SECTION 1.03.Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Etc.
(a)Neither the Administrative Agent, Chase nor any of their respective Related Parties shall be (i) liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by such party, the Administrative Agent, Chase or any of their respective Related Parties under or in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents (x) with the consent of or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent or Chase shall believe in good faith to be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in the Loan Documents) or (y) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct (such absence to be presumed unless otherwise determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment) or (ii) responsible in any manner to any of the Lenders for any recitals, statements, representations or warranties made by any Loan Party or any officer thereof contained in this Agreement or any other Loan Document or in any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for in, or received by the Administrative Agent under or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Loan Document or for the value, validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other Loan Document (including, for the avoidance of doubt, in connection with the Administrative Agent’s or
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Chase’s reliance on any Electronic Signature transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page) or for any failure of any Loan Party to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder.
(b)Neither the Administrative Agent nor Chase shall be deemed to have knowledge of any (x) notice of any of the events or circumstances set forth or described in Section 5.02 unless and until written notice thereof stating that it is a “notice under Section 5.02” in respect of this Agreement and identifying the specific clause under said Section is given to the Administrative Agent and Chase by the Borrower, or (y) notice of any Default or Event of Default unless and until written notice thereof (stating that it is a “notice of Default” or a “notice of an Event of Default”) is given to the Administrative Agent and Chase by the Borrower, a Lender or an Issuing Bank. Further, neither the Administrative Agent nor Chase shall be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with any Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered thereunder or in connection therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth in any Loan Document or the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default, (iv) the sufficiency, validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of any Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere in any Loan Document, other than to confirm receipt of items (which on their face purport to be such items) expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent or Chase or satisfaction of any condition that expressly refers to the matters described therein being acceptable or satisfactory to the Administrative Agent or Chase. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, neither the Administrative Agent nor Chase shall be liable for, or be responsible for any Liability, cost or expense suffered by the Borrower, any other Loan Party, any Subsidiary, any Lender or any Issuing Bank as a result of, any determination of any Credit Exposure, any of the component amounts thereof or any portion thereof attributable to each Lender or any Issuing Bank.
(c)Without limiting the foregoing, the Administrative Agent or Chase, as applicable (i) may treat the payee of any promissory note as its holder until such promissory note has been assigned in accordance with Section 9.04, (ii) may rely on the Register to the extent set forth in Section 9.04(b), (iii) may consult with legal counsel (including counsel to the Borrower), independent public accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken in good faith by it in accordance with the advice of such counsel, accountants or experts, (iv) makes no warranty or representation to any Lender or Issuing Bank and shall not be responsible to any Lender or Issuing Bank for any statements, warranties or representations made by or on behalf of any Loan Party in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (v) in determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, or the issuance of a Letter of Credit, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender or an Issuing Bank, may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender or Issuing Bank unless the Administrative Agent and Chase shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender or Issuing Bank sufficiently in advance of the making of such Loan or the issuance of such Letter of Credit and (vi) shall be entitled to rely on, and shall incur no liability under or in respect of this Agreement or any other Loan Document by acting upon, any notice, consent, certificate or other instrument or writing (which writing may be a fax, any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) or any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to be genuine and signed or sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper party or parties (whether or not such Person in fact meets the requirements set forth in the Loan Documents for being the maker thereof).
SECTION 1.04.Posting of Communications.
(e)The Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, make any Communications available to the Lenders and the Issuing Banks by posting the Communications on IntraLinks™, DebtDomain, SyndTrak, ClearPar or any other electronic system chosen by the Administrative Agent to be its electronic transmission system (the “Approved Electronic Platform”).
(f)Although the Approved Electronic Platform and its primary web portal are secured with generally-applicable security procedures and policies implemented or modified by the Administrative
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Agent from time to time (including, as of the Effective Date, a user ID/password authorization system) and the Approved Electronic Platform is secured through a per-deal authorization method whereby each user may access the Approved Electronic Platform only on a deal-by-deal basis, each of the Lenders, each of the Issuing Banks and the Borrower acknowledges and agrees that the distribution of material through an electronic medium is not necessarily secure, that the Administrative Agent is not responsible for approving or vetting the representatives or contacts of any Lender that are added to the Approved Electronic Platform, and that there may be confidentiality and other risks associated with such distribution. Each of the Lenders, each of the Issuing Banks and the Borrower hereby approves distribution of the Communications through the Approved Electronic Platform and understands and assumes the risks of such distribution.
(g)THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND THE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. THE APPLICABLE PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS, OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND THE COMMUNICATIONS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY THE APPLICABLE PARTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY ARRANGER, ANY CO-DOCUMENTATION AGENT, THE SYNDICATION AGENT OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE RELATED PARTIES (COLLECTIVELY, “APPLICABLE PARTIES”) HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO ANY LOAN PARTY, ANY LENDER, ANY ISSUING BANK OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT OR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSSES OR EXPENSES (WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF ANY LOAN PARTY’S OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT’S TRANSMISSION OF COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH THE INTERNET OR THROUGH AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM, OTHER THAN DIRECT ACTUAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE GROSS NEGLIGENCE, BAD FAITH OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT OF THE RELEVANT APPLICABLE PARTY (AS DETERMINED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION BY A FINAL AND NON-APPEALABLE JUDGMENT); PROVIDED THAT NOTHING HEREUNDER SHALL LIMIT THE INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATIONS OF THE LOAN PARTIES SET FORTH IN SECTION 9.03.
“Communications” means, collectively, any notice, demand, communication, information, document or other material provided by or on behalf of any Loan Party pursuant to any Loan Document or the transactions contemplated therein which is distributed by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Bank by means of electronic communications pursuant to this Section, including through an Approved Electronic Platform.
(h)Each Lender and each Issuing Bank agrees that notice to it (as provided in the next sentence) specifying that Communications have been posted to the Approved Electronic Platform shall constitute effective delivery of the Communications to such Lender for purposes of the Loan Documents. Each Lender and Issuing Bank agrees (i) to notify the Administrative Agent in writing (which could be in the form of electronic communication) from time to time of such Lender’s or Issuing Bank’s (as applicable) email address to which the foregoing notice may be sent by electronic transmission and (ii) that the foregoing notice may be sent to such email address.
(i)Each of the Lenders, each of the Issuing Banks and the Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but (except as may be required by applicable law) shall not be obligated to, store the Communications on the Approved Electronic Platform in accordance with the Administrative Agent’s generally applicable document retention procedures and policies.
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(j)Nothing herein shall prejudice the right of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Bank to give any notice or other communication pursuant to any Loan Document in any other manner specified in such Loan Document.
SECTION 1.05.The Administrative Agent Individually. With respect to its Commitment, Loans (including Swingline Loans) and Letters of Credit, the Person serving as the Administrative Agent and Chase shall have and may exercise the same rights and powers hereunder and is subject to the same obligations and liabilities as and to the extent set forth herein for any other Lender or Issuing Bank, as the case may be. The terms “Issuing Banks”, “Lenders”, “Required Lenders” and any similar terms shall, unless the context clearly otherwise indicates, include each of the Administrative Agent and Chase in its individual capacity as a Lender, Issuing Bank or as one of the Required Lenders, as applicable. The Person serving as the Administrative Agent, Chase and their respective Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, own securities of, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust or other business with, any Loan Party, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing as if such Person was not acting as the Administrative Agent and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders or the Issuing Banks.
SECTION 1.06.Successor Administrative Agent.
(j)The Administrative Agent may resign at any time by giving 30 days’ prior written notice thereof to the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower, whether or not a successor Administrative Agent has been appointed. Upon any such resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right to appoint a successor Administrative Agent. If no successor Administrative Agent shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders, and shall have accepted such appointment, within thirty (30) days after the retiring Administrative Agent’s giving of notice of resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders and the Issuing Banks, appoint a successor Administrative Agent, which shall be a bank with an office in New York, New York or an Affiliate of any such bank. In either case, such appointment shall be subject to the prior written approval of the Borrower (which approval may not be unreasonably withheld and shall not be required while an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing). Upon the acceptance of any appointment as Administrative Agent by a successor Administrative Agent, such successor Administrative Agent shall succeed to, and become vested with, all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent. Upon the acceptance of appointment as Administrative Agent by a successor Administrative Agent, the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. Prior to any retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder as Administrative Agent, the retiring Administrative Agent shall take such action as may be reasonably necessary to assign to the successor Administrative Agent its rights as Administrative Agent under the Loan Documents.
(k)Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this Section, in the event no successor Administrative Agent shall have been so appointed and shall have accepted such appointment within thirty (30) days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its intent to resign, the retiring Administrative Agent may give notice of the effectiveness of its resignation to the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower, whereupon, on the date of effectiveness of such resignation stated in such notice, (i) the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and (ii) the Required Lenders shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent; provided that (A) all payments required to be made hereunder or under any other Loan Document to the Administrative Agent for the account of any Person other than the Administrative Agent shall be made directly to such Person and (B) all notices and other communications required or contemplated to be given or made to the Administrative Agent shall directly be given or made to each Lender and each Issuing Bank. Following the effectiveness of the Administrative Agent’s resignation from its capacity as such, the provisions of this Article, Section 2.17(d) and Section 9.03, as well as any exculpatory, reimbursement and indemnification provisions set forth in any other Loan Document, shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent and in respect of the matters referred to in the proviso under clause (a) above.
SECTION 1.07.Acknowledgments of Lenders and Issuing Banks.
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(k)Each Lender represents and warrants that (i) the Loan Documents set forth the terms of a commercial lending facility, (ii) it is engaged in making, acquiring or holding commercial loans and in providing other facilities set forth herein as may be applicable to such Lender or Issuing Bank, in each case, in the ordinary course of business, and not for the purpose of purchasing, acquiring or holding any other type of financial instrument (and each Lender agrees not to assert a claim in contravention of the foregoing), (iii) it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, any Arranger, the Syndication Agent, any Co-Documentation Agent or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties of any of the foregoing, and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement as a Lender, and to make, acquire or hold Loans hereunder and (iv) it is sophisticated with respect to decisions to make, acquire and/or hold commercial loans and to provide other facilities set forth herein, as may be applicable to such Lender, and either it, or the Person exercising discretion in making its decision to make, acquire and/or hold such commercial loans or to provide such other facilities, is experienced in making, acquiring or holding such commercial loans or providing such other facilities. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, any Arranger, the Syndication Agent, any Co-Documentation Agent or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties of any of the foregoing, and based on such documents and information (which may contain material, non-public information within the meaning of the United States securities laws concerning the Borrower and its Affiliates) as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
(l)Each Lender, by delivering its signature page to this Agreement on the Effective Date, or delivering its signature page to an Assignment and Assumption or any other Loan Document pursuant to which it shall become a Lender hereunder, shall be deemed to have acknowledged receipt of, and consented to and approved, each Loan Document and each other document required to be delivered to, or be approved by or satisfactory to, the Administrative Agent or the Lenders on the Effective Date or the effective date of any such Assignment and Assumption or any other Loan Document pursuant to which it shall have become a Lender hereunder.
(m)Each Lender hereby agrees that (i) it has requested a copy of each report prepared by or on behalf of the Administrative Agent; (ii) the Administrative Agent (A) makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the completeness or accuracy of any report or any of the information contained therein or any inaccuracy or omission contained in or relating to a report and (B) shall not be liable for any information contained in any report; (iii) the reports are not comprehensive audits or examinations, and that any Person performing any field examination will inspect only specific information regarding the Loan Parties and will rely significantly upon the Loan Parties’ books and records, as well as on representations of the Loan Parties’ personnel and that the Administrative Agent undertakes no obligation to update, correct or supplement the reports; (iv) it will keep all reports confidential and strictly for its internal use, not share the report with any Loan Party or any other Person except as otherwise permitted pursuant to this Agreement; and (v) without limiting the generality of any other indemnification provision contained in this Agreement, (A) it will hold the Administrative Agent and any such other Person preparing a report harmless from any action the indemnifying Lender may take or conclusion the indemnifying Lender may reach or draw from any report in connection with any extension of credit that the indemnifying Lender has made or may make to the Borrower, or the indemnifying Lender’s participation in, or the indemnifying Lender’s purchase of, a Loan or Loans; and (B) it will pay and protect, and indemnify, defend, and hold the Administrative Agent and any such other Person preparing a report harmless from and against, the claims, actions, proceedings, damages, costs, expenses, and other amounts (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Administrative Agent or any such other Person as the direct or indirect result of any third parties who might obtain all or part of any report through the indemnifying Lender.
SECTION 1.08.Erroneous Payments.
(a)Each Lender, each Issuing Bank and any other party hereto hereby severally agrees that if (i) the Administrative Agent notifies (which such notice shall be conclusive absent manifest error) such Lender or Issuing Bank or any other Person that has received funds from the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates, either for its own account or on behalf of a Lender or Issuing Bank (each such recipient, a
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“Payment Recipient”) that the Administrative Agent has determined in its sole discretion that any funds received by such Payment Recipient were erroneously transmitted to, or otherwise erroneously or mistakenly received by, such Payment Recipient (whether or not known to such Payment Recipient) or (ii) any Payment Recipient receives any payment from the Administrative Agent (or any of its Affiliates) (x) that is in a different amount than, or on a different date from, that specified in a notice of payment, prepayment or repayment sent by the Administrative Agent (or any of its Affiliates) with respect to such payment, prepayment or repayment, as applicable, (y) that was not preceded or accompanied by a notice of payment, prepayment or repayment sent by the Administrative Agent (or any of its Affiliates) with respect to such payment, prepayment or repayment, as applicable, or (z) that such Payment Recipient otherwise becomes aware was transmitted or received in error or by mistake (in whole or in part) then, in each case, an error in payment shall be presumed to have been made (any such amounts specified in clauses (i) or (ii) of this Section 8.07(a), whether received as a payment, prepayment or repayment of principal, interest, fees, distribution or otherwise; individually and collectively, an “Erroneous Payment”), then, in each case, such Payment Recipient is deemed to have knowledge of such error at the time of its receipt of such Erroneous Payment; provided that nothing in this Section shall require the Administrative Agent to provide any of the notices specified in clauses (i) or (ii) above. Each Payment Recipient agrees that it shall not assert any right or claim to any Erroneous Payment, and hereby waives any claim, counterclaim, defense or right of set-off or recoupment with respect to any demand, claim or counterclaim by the Administrative Agent for the return of any Erroneous Payments, including without limitation waiver of any defense based on “discharge for value” or any similar doctrine.
(b)Without limiting the immediately preceding clause (a), each Payment Recipient agrees that, in the case of clause (a)(ii) above, it shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent in writing of such occurrence.
(c)In the case of either clause (a)(i) or (a)(ii) above, such Erroneous Payment shall at all times remain the property of the Administrative Agent and shall be segregated by the Payment Recipient and held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, and upon demand from the Administrative Agent such Payment Recipient shall (or, shall cause any Person who received any portion of an Erroneous Payment on its behalf to), promptly, but in all events no later than one Business Day thereafter, return to the Administrative Agent the amount of any such Erroneous Payment (or portion thereof) as to which such a demand was made in same day funds and in the currency so received, together with interest thereon in respect of each day from and including the date such Erroneous Payment (or portion thereof) was received by such Payment Recipient to the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent at the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation from time to time in effect.
(d)In the event that an Erroneous Payment (or portion thereof) is not recovered by the Administrative Agent for any reason, after demand therefor by the Administrative Agent in accordance with immediately preceding clause (c), from any Lender that is a Payment Recipient or an Affiliate of a Payment Recipient (such unrecovered amount as to such Lender, an “Erroneous Payment Return Deficiency”), then at the sole discretion of the Administrative Agent and upon the Administrative Agent’s written notice to such Lender (i) such Lender shall be deemed to have made a cashless assignment of the full face amount of the portion of its Loans (but not its Commitments) of the relevant Class with respect to which such Erroneous Payment was made (the “Erroneous Payment Impacted Class”) to the Administrative Agent or, at the option of the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent’s applicable lending affiliate in an amount that is equal to the Erroneous Payment Return Deficiency (or such lesser amount as the Administrative Agent may specify) (such assignment of the Loans (but not Commitments) of the Erroneous Payment Impacted Class, the “Erroneous Payment Deficiency Assignment”) plus any accrued and unpaid interest on such assigned amount, without further consent or approval of any party hereto and without any payment by the Administrative Agent or its applicable lending affiliate as the assignee of such Erroneous Payment Deficiency Assignment. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that (1) any assignment contemplated in this clause (d) shall be made without any requirement for any payment or other consideration paid by the applicable assignee or received by the assignor, (2) the provisions of this clause (d) shall govern in the event of any conflict with the terms and conditions of Section 9.04 and (3) the Administrative Agent may reflect such assignments in the Register without further consent or action by any other Person.
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(e)Each party hereto hereby agrees that (x) in the event an Erroneous Payment (or portion thereof) is not recovered from any Payment Recipient that has received such Erroneous Payment (or portion thereof) for any reason, the Administrative Agent (1) shall be subrogated to all the rights of such Payment Recipient with respect to such amount and (2) is authorized to set off, net and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Payment Recipient under any Loan Document, or otherwise payable or distributable by the Administrative Agent to such Payment Recipient from any source, against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this Section 8.07 or under the indemnification provisions of this Agreement, (y) the receipt of an Erroneous Payment by a Payment Recipient shall not for the purpose of this Agreement be treated as a payment, prepayment, repayment, discharge or other satisfaction of any Obligations owed by the Borrower or any other Loan Party, except, in each case, to the extent such Erroneous Payment is, and solely with respect to the amount of such Erroneous Payment that is, comprised of funds received by the Administrative Agent from the Borrower or any other Loan Party for the purpose of making a payment on the Obligations and (z) to the extent that an Erroneous Payment was in any way or at any time credited as payment or satisfaction of any of the Obligations, the Obligations or any part thereof that were so credited, and all rights of the Payment Recipient, as the case may be, shall be reinstated and continue in full force and effect as if such payment or satisfaction had never been received.
(f)Each party’s obligations under this Section 8.07 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any transfer of right or obligations by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Commitments or the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all Obligations (or any portion thereof) under any Loan Document.
(g)Nothing in this Section 8.07 will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of the Administrative Agent hereunder arising from any Payment Recipient’s receipt of an Erroneous Payment.
SECTION 1.09.[Reserved].
SECTION 1.010.Certain ERISA Matters.
(n)Each Lender (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent and the Arranger and their respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or any other Loan Party, that at least one of the following is and will be true:
(i)such Lender is not using “plan assets” (within the meaning of the Plan Asset Regulations) of one or more Benefit Plans in connection with the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments or this Agreement,
(ii)the transaction exemption set forth in one or more PTEs, such as PTE 84-14 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by independent qualified professional asset managers), PTE 95-60 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company general accounts), PTE 90-1 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts), PTE 91-38 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds) or PTE 96-23 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by in-house asset managers), is applicable with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement,
(iii)(A) such Lender is an investment fund managed by a “Qualified Professional Asset Manager” (within the meaning of Part VI of PTE 84-14), (B) such Qualified Professional Asset Manager made the investment decision on behalf of such Lender to enter into, participate in, administer and perform the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement, (C) the entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement satisfies the requirements of sub-sections (b) through (g) of Part I of PTE 84-14 and (D) to the best knowledge of such Lender, the requirements of subsection (a) of Part I of PTE 84-14 are satisfied with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement, or
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(iv)such other representation, warranty and covenant as may be agreed in writing between the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, and such Lender.
(l)In addition, unless either (1) sub-clause (i) in the immediately preceding clause (a) is true with respect to a Lender or (2) a Lender has provided another representation, warranty and covenant as provided in sub-clause (iv) in the immediately preceding clause (a), such Lender further (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent and the Arranger and their respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or any other Loan Party, that none of the Administrative Agent or the Arranger or any of their respective Affiliates is a fiduciary with respect to the assets of such Lender in connection with the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments or this Agreement (including in connection with the reservation or exercise of any rights by the Administrative Agent under this Agreement, any Loan Document or any documents related to hereto or thereto).
(m)The Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the Syndication Agent and each Co-Documentation Agent hereby informs the Lenders that each such Person is not undertaking to provide investment advice or to give advice in a fiduciary capacity, in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, and that such Person has a financial interest in the transactions contemplated hereby in that such Person or an Affiliate thereof (i) may receive interest or other payments with respect to the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments, this Agreement and any other Loan Documents, (ii) may recognize a gain if it extended the Loans, the Letters of Credit or the Commitments for an amount less than the amount being paid for an interest in the Loans, the Letters of Credit or the Commitments by such Lender or (iii) may receive fees or other payments in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, the Loan Documents or otherwise, including structuring fees, commitment fees, arrangement fees, facility fees, upfront fees, underwriting fees, ticking fees, agency fees, administrative agent or collateral agent fees, utilization fees, minimum usage fees, letter of credit fees, fronting fees, deal-away or alternate transaction fees, amendment fees, processing fees, term out premiums, banker’s acceptance fees, breakage or other early termination fees or fees similar to the foregoing.
ARTICLE IX
Miscellaneous
SECTION 1.01.Notices.
(a)Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by fax or Electronic Systems (and subject in each case to paragraph (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by fax or Electronic Systems, as follows:
(i)if to any Loan Party, to it in care of the Borrower at:
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa
901 Heartland Way
North Liberty, IA 52317
Attention: Chris Strain
Telephone No.: (319) 645-7060
Fax No: (319) 626-3619
E-Mail: cstrain@heartlandexpress.com
(ii)if to the Administrative Agent, Wells Fargo in its capacity as a Swingline Lender, or Wells Fargo in its capacity as an Issuing Bank, to Wells Fargo Bank, National Association. at:
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Wells Fargo Bank, National Association
MAC D1109-019
1525 West W.T. Harris Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28262
Attention of: Syndication Agency Services
Telephone No.: (704) 590-2706
Fax: (844) 879-5899
With a copy to:
Wells Fargo Bank, National Association
801 Walnut Street, 3rd Floor
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
MAC F0005-031
Attention of: Casey A. Cason
Telephone No.: (515) 245-8440
E-mail: casey.a.cason@wellsfargo.com
(iii)if to any other Lender or Issuing Bank, to it at its address or fax number set forth in its Administrative Questionnaire.
All such notices and other communications (i) sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail shall be deemed to have been given when received, (ii) sent by fax shall be deemed to have been given when sent, provided that if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day of the recipient, or (iii) delivered through any Electronic Systems or Approved Electronic Platforms, as applicable, to the extent provided in paragraph (b) below shall be effective as provided in such paragraph (b).
(b)Notices and other communications to any Loan Party or any Lender hereunder may be delivered or furnished by using Electronic Systems or Approved Electronic Platforms, as applicable, or pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices pursuant to Article II or to compliance and no Default certificates delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(c) unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and the applicable Lender. Each of the Administrative Agent and the Borrower (on behalf of the Loan Parties) may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by using Electronic Systems or Approved Electronic Platforms, as applicable, pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications. Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise proscribes, all such notices and other communications (i) sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement), provided that if not given during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient, and (ii) posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient, at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (i), of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor; provided that, for both clauses (i) and (ii) above, if such notice, e-mail or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next Business Day of the recipient.
(c)Any party hereto may change its address, facsimile number or e-mail address for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto.
SECTION 1.010.Waivers; Amendments.
(d)No failure or delay by the Administrative Agent, Chase, any Issuing Bank or any Lender in exercising any right or power hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or
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discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent, Chase, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders hereunder and under any other Loan Document are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of any Loan Document or consent to any departure by any Loan Party therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan or issuance of a Letter of Credit shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether the Administrative Agent, Chase, any Lender or any Issuing Bank may have had notice or knowledge of such Default at the time.
(e)Except as provided in Section 2.09 with respect to any Incremental Facility Amendment or modification of the Commitment Schedule, and subject to Section 2.14 and Section 9.02(d), neither this Agreement nor any other Loan Document nor any provision hereof or thereof may be waived, amended or modified except (i) in the case of this Agreement, pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Borrower and the Required Lenders or (ii) in the case of any other Loan Document, pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Administrative Agent and the Loan Party or Loan Parties that are parties thereto; provided that no such agreement shall (A) increase the Commitment of any Lender without the written consent of such Lender (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender), (B) reduce or forgive the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement or reduce the rate of interest thereon, or reduce or forgive any interest or fees payable hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender) directly affected thereby (except that any amendment or modification of the financial covenants in this Agreement (or defined terms used in the financial covenants in this Agreement) shall not constitute a reduction in the rate of interest or fees for purposes of this clause (B)), (C) postpone any scheduled date of payment of the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement, or any date for the payment of any interest, fees or other Obligations payable hereunder, or reduce the amount of, waive or excuse any such payment, or postpone the scheduled date of expiration of any Commitment, without the written consent of each Lender (including any such Lender that is a Defaulting Lender) directly affected thereby, (D) change Section 2.09(d) or Section 2.18(b) or (d) or any other provision hereof in a manner that would alter the ratable reduction of Commitments or the manner in which payments are shared, without the written consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender), (E) change any of the provisions of this Section or the definition of “Required Lenders” or any other provision of any Loan Document specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to waive, amend or modify any rights thereunder or make any determination or grant any consent thereunder, without the written consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender) (it being understood that, solely with the consent of the parties prescribed by Section 2.09 to be parties to an Incremental Facility Amendment, Incremental Term Loans and additional Revolving Commitments may be included in the determination of Required Lenders on substantially the same basis as the initial Commitments and Loans are included on the Effective Date), (F) release Holdings, the Borrower or release any Loan Guarantor from its obligation under its Loan Guaranty (except as otherwise permitted herein or in the other Loan Documents), without the written consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender), (G) subordinate the Guarantees of the Obligations or subordinate the right of payment of the Obligations without the written consent of each Lender, except, in each case, to the extent each Lender is offered the opportunity to provide its pro rata share of the priming Indebtedness on the same terms (other than bona fide backstop fees, any arrangement or restructuring fees and reimbursement of expenses), or (H) change Section 2.20, without the consent of each Lender (other than any Defaulting Lender); provided further that no such agreement shall amend, modify or otherwise affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent, Chase, the Swingline Lenders or the Issuing Banks hereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, Chase, the Swingline Lenders or the Issuing Banks, as the case may be (it being understood that any amendment to Section 2.20 shall require the consent of the Administrative Agent, Chase, the Swingline Lenders and the Issuing Banks); provided further that no such agreement shall amend or modify the provisions of Section 2.06 or any Letter of Credit Agreement or any letter of credit application and any bilateral agreement between the Borrower and an Issuing Bank regarding such Issuing Bank’s Issuing Bank Sublimit or Committed LC Amount or the respective rights and obligations between the Borrower and such Issuing Bank in connection with the issuance of Letters of Credit without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Banks, respectively. The Administrative Agent may also amend the Commitment Schedule to reflect assignments entered into pursuant to Section 9.04. Any amendment, waiver or other
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modification of this Agreement or any other Loan Document that by its terms affects the rights or duties under this Agreement of the Lenders of one or more Classes (but not the Lenders of any other Class), may be effected by an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Borrower and the requisite number or percentage in interest of each affected Class of Lenders that would be required to consent thereto under this Section if such Class of Lenders were the only Class of Lenders hereunder at the time.
(f)If, in connection with any proposed amendment, restatement, supplement, modification, waiver or consent requiring the consent of “each Lender” or “each Lender directly affected thereby,” the consent of the Required Lenders is obtained, but the consent of other necessary Lenders is not obtained (any such Lender whose consent is necessary but has not been obtained being referred to herein as a “Non-Consenting Lender”), then the Borrower may elect to replace a Non-Consenting Lender as a Lender party to this Agreement, provided that, concurrently with such replacement, (i) another bank or other entity (other than any Ineligible Institution) which is reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, Chase and, to the extent involving the assignment or transfer of any Revolving Commitment, the Swingline Lenders and the Issuing Banks shall agree, as of such date, to purchase for cash at par the Loans and other Obligations due to the Non-Consenting Lender pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption and to become a Lender for all purposes under this Agreement and to assume all obligations of the Non-Consenting Lender to be terminated as of such date and to comply with the requirements of clause (b) of Section 9.04, (ii) such replacement Lender agrees to the applicable proposed amendment, restatement, supplement, modification, waiver or consent and (iii) the Borrower shall pay to such Non-Consenting Lender in same day funds on the day of such replacement (1) all interest, fees and other amounts then accrued but unpaid to such Non-Consenting Lender by the Borrower hereunder to and including the date of termination, including without limitation payments due to such Non-Consenting Lender under Sections 2.15 and 2.17, and (2) an amount, if any, equal to the payment which would have been due to such Lender on the day of such replacement under Section 2.16 had the Loans of such Non-Consenting Lender been prepaid on such date rather than sold to the replacement Lender. Each party hereto agrees that (a) an assignment required pursuant to this paragraph may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the assignee (or, to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and such parties are participants), and (b) the Lender required to make such assignment need not be a party thereto in order for such assignment to be effective and shall be deemed to have consented to and be bound by the terms thereof; provided that, following the effectiveness of any such assignment, the other parties to such assignment agree to execute and deliver such documents necessary to evidence such assignment as reasonably requested by the applicable Lender, provided that any such documents shall be without recourse to or warranty by the parties thereto.
(g)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein the Administrative Agent may, with the consent of the Borrower only, amend, modify or supplement this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents to cure any ambiguity, omission, mistake, defect or inconsistency.
SECTION 1.09.Expenses; Limitation of Liability; Indemnity; Etc.
(h)Expenses. The Loan Parties, jointly and severally, shall pay all (i) reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent, in connection with the syndication and distribution (including, without limitation, via the internet or through an Electronic System or Approved Electronic Platform) of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation and administration of the Loan Documents and any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions of the Loan Documents (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), (ii) reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by any Issuing Bank in connection with the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or any demand for payment thereunder and (iii) documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender, in connection with the enforcement, collection or protection of its rights in connection with the Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section, or in connection with the Loans made or Letters of Credit issued hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans or Letters of
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Credit; provided that fees, charges and disbursements of counsel set forth in this clause (a) shall be limited to fees, charges and disbursements of (i) one counsel (selected by the Administrative Agent) to the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates, any Issuing Bank and the Lenders (taken together as a single group or client), (ii) if necessary, one local counsel required in any relevant local jurisdiction (which may include a single counsel acting in multiple jurisdictions) and applicable regulatory counsel, (iii) additional counsel retained with the Borrower’s consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) and (iv) if representation of the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates, any Issuing Bank and/or all Lenders in any such matter by a single counsel would be inappropriate based on the advice of legal counsel due to the existence of an actual or potential conflict of interest, where the party affected by such conflict informs the Borrower of such conflict and thereafter retains its own counsel, of another firm or counsel for such affected party and, if necessary, one firm of local counsel in any relevant local jurisdiction (which may include a single special counsel acting in multiple jurisdictions) for such affected party and one firm of special regulatory counsel for such affected party.
(i)Limitation of Liability. To the extent permitted by applicable law (i) neither the Borrower nor any other Loan Party shall assert, and the Borrower and each other Loan Party hereby waives, any claim against the Administrative Agent, the Arranger, the Syndication Agent, any Co-Documentation Agent, any Issuing Bank and any Lender, and any Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called a “Lender-Related Person”) for any Liabilities arising from the use by others of information or other materials (including, without limitation, any personal data) obtained through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems (including the Internet), except to the extent they are found by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to result from the willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence of such Lender-Related Person and (ii) no party hereto shall assert, and each such party hereby waives, any Liabilities against any other party hereto, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document, or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the Transactions, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds thereof; provided that, nothing in this Section 9.03(b) shall relieve the Borrower or any other Loan Party of any obligation it may have to indemnify an Indemnitee, as provided in Section 9.03(c), against any special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages asserted against such Indemnitee by a third party.
(j)Indemnity. The Loan Parties, jointly and severally, shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, the Arranger, the Syndication Agent, each Co-Documentation Agent, each Issuing Bank and each Lender, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all Liabilities and related expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee (limited to reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of one primary counsel for all Indemnitees, taken as a whole, and, if necessary, one firm of local counsel in each appropriate jurisdiction (which may include a single special counsel acting in multiple jurisdictions) for all Indemnitees, taken as a whole, and one firm of special regulatory counsel for all Indemnitees, taken as a whole (and, in the case of an actual or potential conflict of interest, where any Indemnitee affected by such conflict informs the Borrower of such conflict and thereafter retains its own counsel, of another firm of counsel for such affected Indemnitee and, if necessary, one firm of local counsel in each appropriate jurisdiction (which may include a single special counsel acting in multiple jurisdictions) for such affected Indemnitee and one firm of special regulatory counsel for such affected Indemnitee), incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of the Loan Documents or any agreement or instrument contemplated thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations thereunder or the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by an Issuing Bank to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (iii) any actual or alleged presence or Release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by a Loan Party or a Subsidiary, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to a Loan Party or a Subsidiary, (iv) the failure of a Loan Party to deliver to the Administrative Agent the required receipts or other required documentary evidence with respect to a payment made by such Loan Party for Taxes pursuant to Section 2.17, or (v) any actual or prospective Proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether or not such Proceeding is brought by any Loan Party or their respective equity holders, Affiliates, creditors or
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any other third Person and whether based on contract, tort or any other theory and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such Liabilities or related expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted primarily from (x) the gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee or (y) any disputes solely among Indemnitees (other than any claims against an Indemnitee in its capacity or in fulfilling its role as an Arranger, an Issuing Bank, a Swingline Lender, the Administrative Agent, or any other agent or any other similar role under this Agreement) and not arising out of any act or omission of the Borrower or any of its Affiliates. This Section 9.03(c) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses, claims or damages arising from any non-Tax claim.
(k)Lender Reimbursement. Each Lender severally agrees to pay any amount required to be paid by any Loan Party under paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 9.03 to the Administrative Agent and Chase and each Revolving Lender severally agrees to pay to each Swingline Lender and each Issuing Bank, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each, an “Agent-Related Person”) (to the extent not reimbursed by the Loan Parties and without limiting the obligation of any Loan Party to do so), ratably according to their respective Applicable Percentage in effect on the date on which such payment is sought under this Section (or, if such payment is sought after the date upon which the Commitments shall have terminated and the Loans shall have been paid in full, ratably in accordance with such Applicable Percentage immediately prior to such date), and agrees to indemnify and hold each Agent-Related Person harmless from and against any and all Liabilities and related expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any kind whatsoever that may at any time (whether before or after the payment of the Loans) be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against such Agent-Related Person in any way relating to or arising out of the Commitments, this Agreement, any of the other Loan Documents or any documents contemplated by or referred to herein or therein or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or any action taken or omitted by such Agent-Related Person under or in connection with any of the foregoing; provided that the unreimbursed expense or Liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against such Agent-Related Person in its capacity as such; provided, further, that no Lender shall be liable for the payment of any portion of such Liabilities, costs, expenses or disbursements that are found by a final and non-appealable decision of a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted primarily from such Agent-Related Person’s gross negligence or willful misconduct. The agreements in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement and Payment in Full of the Obligations.
(l)Payments. All amounts due under this Section 9.03 shall be payable promptly after written demand therefor.
SECTION 1.011.Successors and Assigns.
(m)The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of any Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), except that (i) no Loan Party may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by any Loan Party without such consent shall be null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer its rights or obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Section. Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of any Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), Participants (to the extent provided in paragraph (c) of this Section) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent, Chase, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(n)(i) Subject to the conditions set forth in paragraph (b)(ii) below, any Lender may assign to one or more Persons (other than an Ineligible Institution) all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitments, participations in Letters of Credit and the Loans at the time owing to it) with the prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) of:
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(A)the Borrower, provided that, (x) the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to an assignment of all or a portion of the Term Loans and Term Loan Commitments unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within five (5) Business Days after having received notice thereof and (y) the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to an assignment of all or a portion of the Revolving Loans and Revolving Commitments unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within ten (10) Business Days after having received notice thereof, and provided further that no consent of the Borrower shall be required for an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender, an Approved Fund or, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any other assignee;
(B)the Administrative Agent; provided that no consent of the Administrative Agent shall be required for an assignment of (x) a Revolving Commitment or Revolving Loan to an assignee that is a Lender (other than a Defaulting Lender) with a Revolving Commitment immediately prior to giving effect to such assignment and (y) all or any portion of a Term Loan or Term Loan Commitment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund;
(C)each Issuing Bank; provided that no consent of an Issuing Bank shall be required for an assignment of all or any portion of a Term Loan or Term Loan Commitment; and
(D)each Swingline Lender; provided that no consent of a Swingline Lender shall be required for an assignment of all or any portion of a Term Loan or Term Loan Commitment.
(i)Assignments shall be subject to the following additional conditions:
(A)except in the case of an assignment to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund or an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment or Loans of any Class, the amount of the Commitment or Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment (determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent) shall not be less than $5,000,000 (in the case of a Revolving Commitment or Revolving Loans) or $1,000,000 (in the case of a Term Loan Commitment or Term Loans) unless each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent otherwise consent, provided that no such consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing;
(B)each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement; provided that this clause shall not be construed to prohibit the assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations in respect of one Class of Commitments or Loans;
(C)the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent (x) an Assignment and Assumption or (y) to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and the parties to the Assignment and Assumption are participants, together with a processing and recordation fee of $3,500; and
(D)the assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire in which the assignee designates one or more credit contacts to whom all syndicate-level information (which may contain material non-public information about the Borrower, the other Loan Parties and their Related Parties or their respective securities) will be made available and who may receive such information in accordance with the assignee’s compliance procedures and applicable laws, including federal and state securities laws.
For the purposes of this Section 9.04(b), the terms “Approved Fund” and “Ineligible Institution” have the following meanings:
“Approved Fund” means any Person (other than a natural person) that is engaged in making, purchasing, holding or investing in bank loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business and that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.
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“Ineligible Institution” means a (a) natural person, (b) Defaulting Lender or its Parent, (c) company, investment vehicle or trust for, or owned and operated for the primary benefit of, a natural person or relative(s) thereof; provided that, with respect to clause (c), such company, investment vehicle or trust shall not constitute an Ineligible Institution if it (x) has not been established for the primary purpose of acquiring any Loans or Commitments, (y) is managed by a professional advisor, who is not such natural person or a relative thereof, having significant experience in the business of making or purchasing commercial loans, and (z) has assets greater than $25,000,000 and a significant part of its activities consist of making or purchasing commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business, or (d) a Loan Party or a Subsidiary or other Affiliate of a Loan Party.
(ii)Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to paragraph (b)(iv) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03). Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 9.04 shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with paragraph (c) of this Section.
(iii)The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at one of its offices a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amount (and stated interest) of the Loans and LC Disbursements owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, Chase, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower, any Issuing Bank and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(iv)Upon its receipt of (x) a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee or (y) to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and the parties to the Assignment and Assumption are participants, the assignee’s completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section and any written consent to such assignment required by paragraph (b) of this Section, the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register; provided that if either the assigning Lender or the assignee shall have failed to make any payment required to be made by it pursuant to Section 2.05, 2.06(d) or (e), 2.07(b), 2.18(d) or 9.03(d), the Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information therein in the Register unless and until such payment shall have been made in full, together with all accrued interest thereon. No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.
(o)Any Lender may, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, Chase, the Swingline Lenders or the Issuing Banks, sell participations to one or more banks or other entities (a “Participant”) other than an Ineligible Institution in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitments and the Loans owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged; (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations; and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, Chase, the Issuing Banks and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this
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Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, modification or waiver described in the first proviso to Section 9.02(b) that affects such Participant. The Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 (subject to the requirements and limitations therein, including the requirements under Sections 2.17(f) and (g) (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 2.17(f) shall be delivered to the participating Lender)) to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section; provided that such Participant (A) agrees to be subject to the provisions of Sections 2.18 and 2.19 as if it were an assignee under paragraph (b) of this Section; and (B) shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 2.15 or 2.17 with respect to any participation than its participating Lender would have been entitled to receive, except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation.
Each Lender that sells a participation agrees, at the Borrower’s request and expense, to use reasonable efforts to cooperate with the Borrower to effectuate the provisions of Section 2.19(b) with respect to any Participant. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 9.08 as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.18(d) as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under this Agreement or any other Loan Document (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any Commitments, Loans, Letters of Credit or its other obligations under any Loan Document) to any Person except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such Commitment, Loan, Letter of Credit or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) and Chase (in its capacity as Syndication Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.
(p)Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including without limitation any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank, and this Section shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
SECTION 1.01.Survival. All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Loan Parties in the Loan Documents and in the certificates or other instruments delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be considered to have been relied upon by the other parties hereto and shall survive the execution and delivery of the Loan Documents and the making of any Loans and issuance of any Letters of Credit, regardless of any investigation made by any such other party or on its behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent, Chase, any Issuing Bank or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default or incorrect representation or warranty at the time any credit is extended hereunder, and shall continue in full force and effect until Payment in Full of the Obligations. The provisions of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 and Article VIII shall survive and remain in full force and effect regardless of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of the Loans, the expiration or termination of the Letters of Credit and the Commitments or the termination of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any provision hereof or thereof.
SECTION 1.02.Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution.
(d)This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together
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shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement, the other Loan Documents and any separate letter agreements with respect to (i) fees payable to the Administrative Agent and Chase and (ii) increases or reductions of the Issuing Bank Sublimit or Committed LC Amount of an Issuing Bank constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Except as provided in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof which, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto, and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.
(e)Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of (x) this Agreement, (y) any other Loan Document and/or (z) any document, amendment, approval, consent, information, notice (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any notice delivered pursuant to Section 9.01), certificate, request, statement, disclosure or authorization related to this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or the transactions contemplated hereby and/or thereby (each an “Ancillary Document”) that is an Electronic Signature transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement, such other Loan Document or such Ancillary Document, as applicable. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” “delivery,” and words of like import in or relating to this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document shall be deemed to include Electronic Signatures, deliveries or the keeping of records in any electronic form (including deliveries by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page), each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be; provided that nothing herein shall require the Administrative Agent to accept Electronic Signatures in any form or format without its prior written consent and pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided, further, without limiting the foregoing, (i) to the extent the Administrative Agent has agreed to accept any Electronic Signature, the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders shall be entitled to rely on such Electronic Signature purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party without further verification thereof and without any obligation to review the appearance or form of any such Electronic Signature and (ii) upon the request of the Administrative Agent or any Lender, any Electronic Signature shall be promptly followed by a manually executed counterpart. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Borrower and each Loan Party hereby (A) agrees that, for all purposes, including without limitation, in connection with any workout, restructuring, enforcement of remedies, bankruptcy proceedings or litigation among the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Borrower and the Loan Parties, Electronic Signatures transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page and/or any electronic images of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as any paper original, (B) the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders may, at its option, create one or more copies of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document in the form of an imaged electronic record in any format, which shall be deemed created in the ordinary course of such Person’s business, and destroy the original paper document (and all such electronic records shall be considered an original for all purposes and shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as a paper record), (C) waives any argument, defense or right to contest the legal effect, validity or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document based solely on the lack of paper original copies of this Agreement, such other Loan Document and/or such Ancillary Document, respectively, including with respect to any signature pages thereto and (D) waives any claim against any Lender-Related Person for any Liabilities arising solely from the Administrative Agent’s and/or any Lender’s reliance on or use of Electronic Signatures and/or transmissions by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page, including any Liabilities arising as a result of the failure of the Borrower and/or any Loan Party to use any available security measures in connection with the execution, delivery or transmission of any Electronic Signature.
SECTION 1.03.Severability. Any provision of any Loan Document held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the
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remaining provisions thereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction.
SECTION 1.04.Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender, each Issuing Bank, and each of their respective Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final and in whatever currency denominated) at any time held, and other obligations at any time owing, by such Lender, such Issuing Bank or any such Affiliate, to or for the credit or the account of any Loan Party against any and all of the Obligations now or hereafter existing and owing to such Lender or such Issuing Bank or their respective Affiliates, irrespective of whether or not such Lender, such Issuing Bank or such Affiliate shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations of the Loan Parties may be contingent or unmatured or are owed to a branch office or Affiliate of such Lender or such Issuing Bank different from the branch office or Affiliate holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness; provided that, in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, (x) all amounts so set off shall be paid over immediately to the Administrative Agent for further application in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.20 and, pending such payment, shall be segregated by such Defaulting Lender from its other funds and deemed held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks, and the Lenders, and (y) the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to the Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the Obligations owing to such Defaulting Lender as to which it exercised such right of setoff. The applicable Lender, such Issuing Bank or such Affiliate shall notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent of such setoff or application; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff or application under this Section. The rights of each Lender, each Issuing Bank and their respective Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender, such Issuing Bank or their respective Affiliates may have.
SECTION 1.05.Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process.
(q)The Loan Documents (other than those containing a contrary express choice of law provision) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.
(r)Each of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that, notwithstanding the governing law provisions of any applicable Loan Document, any claims brought against the Administrative Agent by any Holder of Guaranteed Obligations relating to this Agreement, any other Loan Document or the consummation or administration of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.
(s)Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan (or if such court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan), and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to any Loan Documents, the transactions relating hereto or thereto, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may (and any such claims, cross-claims or third party claims brought against the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties may only) be heard and determined in such Federal (to the extent permitted by law) or New York State court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall (i) affect any right that the Administrative Agent, Chase, any Issuing Bank or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any Loan Party or its properties in the courts of any competent jurisdiction, (ii) waive any statutory, regulatory, common law, or other rule, doctrine, legal restriction, provision or the like providing for the treatment of bank branches, bank agencies, or other bank offices as if they were separate juridical entities for certain purposes, including UCC Sections 4-106, 4-A-105(1)(b), and
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5-116(b), UCP 600 Article 3 and ISP98 Rule 2.02, and URDG 758 Article 3(a), or (iii) affect which courts have or do not have personal jurisdiction over the issuing bank or beneficiary of any Letter of Credit or any advising bank, nominated bank or assignee of proceeds thereunder or proper venue with respect to any litigation arising out of or relating to such Letter of Credit with, or affecting the rights of, any Person not a party to this Agreement, whether or not such Letter of Credit contains its own jurisdiction submission clause.
(t)Each Loan Party hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document in any court referred to in paragraph (c) of this Section. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(u)Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.01. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 1.10.WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE OR OTHER AGENT (INCLUDING ANY ATTORNEY) OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
SECTION 1.11.Headings. Article and Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.
SECTION 1.12.Confidentiality. Each of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its Affiliates and to its and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents, including accountants, legal counsel and other advisors (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any Governmental Authority (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by any Requirement of Law or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party to this Agreement, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any suit, action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (x) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or (y) any actual or prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction relating to the Loan Parties and their obligations, (g) on a confidential basis to (1) any rating agency in connection with rating Holdings, the Borrower or its Subsidiaries or the credit facilities provided for herein or (2) the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar agency in connection with the issuance and monitoring of CUSIP numbers with respect to the credit facilities provided for herein, (h) with the consent of the Borrower, (i) to any Person providing a Guarantee of all or any portion of the Obligations, or (j) to the extent such Information (x) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (y) becomes available to the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender on a non-confidential basis from a source other than the Borrower. For the purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from the Borrower relating to the Borrower or its
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business, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender on a non-confidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower and other than information pertaining to this Agreement provided by arrangers to data service providers, including league table providers, that serve the lending industry; provided that, in the case of information received from the Borrower after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.
EACH LENDER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN SECTION 9.12 FURNISHED TO IT PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT MAY INCLUDE MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION CONCERNING THE BORROWER, THE OTHER LOAN PARTIES AND THEIR RELATED PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECURITIES, AND CONFIRMS THAT IT HAS DEVELOPED COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES REGARDING THE USE OF MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION AND THAT IT WILL HANDLE SUCH MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THOSE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW, INCLUDING FEDERAL AND STATE SECURITIES LAWS.
ALL INFORMATION, INCLUDING REQUESTS FOR WAIVERS AND AMENDMENTS, FURNISHED BY THE BORROWER OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT PURSUANT TO, OR IN THE COURSE OF ADMINISTERING, THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE SYNDICATE-LEVEL INFORMATION, WHICH MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE BORROWER, THE OTHER LOAN PARTIES AND THEIR RELATED PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECURITIES. ACCORDINGLY, EACH LENDER REPRESENTS TO THE BORROWER AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT THAT IT HAS IDENTIFIED IN ITS ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONNAIRE A CREDIT CONTACT WHO MAY RECEIVE INFORMATION THAT MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW, INCLUDING FEDERAL AND STATE SECURITIES LAWS.
SECTION 1.13.Several Obligations; Nonreliance; Violation of Law. The respective obligations of the Lenders hereunder are several and not joint and the failure of any Lender to make any Loan or perform any of its obligations hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender from any of its obligations hereunder. Each Lender hereby represents that it is not relying on or looking to any margin stock (as defined in Regulation U of the Federal Reserve Board) for the repayment of the Borrowings provided for herein. Anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, neither any Issuing Bank nor any Lender shall be obligated to extend credit to the Borrower in violation of any Requirement of Law.
SECTION 1.14.USA PATRIOT Act. Each Lender that is subject to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act hereby notifies each Loan Party that pursuant to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act, it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies such Loan Party, which information includes the name and address of such Loan Party and other information that will allow such Lender to identify such Loan Party in accordance with the USA PATRIOT Act.
SECTION 1.15.Disclosure. Each Loan Party, each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Administrative Agent and/or its Affiliates from time to time may hold investments in, make other loans to or have other relationships with, any of the Loan Parties and their respective Affiliates.
SECTION 1.16.[Reserved].
SECTION 1.17.Interest Rate Limitation. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if at any time the interest rate applicable to any Loan, together with all fees, charges and other amounts which are treated as interest on such Loan under applicable law (collectively the “Charges”), shall exceed the maximum lawful rate (the “Maximum Rate”) which may be contracted for, charged, taken, received or reserved by the Lender holding such Loan in accordance with applicable law, the rate of interest payable
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in respect of such Loan hereunder, together with all Charges payable in respect thereof, shall be limited to the Maximum Rate and, to the extent lawful, the interest and Charges that would have been payable in respect of such Loan but were not payable as a result of the operation of this Section shall be cumulated and the interest and Charges payable to such Lender in respect of other Loans or periods shall be increased (but not above the Maximum Rate therefor) until such cumulated amount, together with interest thereon at the Federal Funds Rate to the date of repayment, shall have been received by such Lender.
SECTION 1.18.No Fiduciary Duty, etc. (a) Each Loan Party acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that no Credit Party will have any obligations except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents and each Credit Party is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Loan Parties with respect to the Loan Documents and the transactions contemplated therein and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, any Loan Party or any other person. Each Loan Party agrees that it will not assert any claim against any Credit Party based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by such Credit Party in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents. Additionally, each Loan Party acknowledges and agrees that no Credit Party is advising the Loan Parties as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting, regulatory or any other matters in any jurisdiction. Each Loan Party shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents, and the Credit Parties shall have no responsibility or liability to any Loan Party with respect thereto.
(b) Each Loan Party further acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party, together with its Affiliates, is a full service securities or banking firm engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities as well as providing investment banking and other financial services. In the ordinary course of business, any Credit Party may provide investment banking and other financial services to, and/or acquire, hold or sell, for its own accounts and the accounts of customers, equity, debt and other securities and financial instruments (including bank loans and other obligations) of, any Loan Party or its Affiliates and other companies with which any Loan Party may have commercial or other relationships. With respect to any securities and/or financial instruments so held by any Credit Party or any of its customers, all rights in respect of such securities and financial instruments, including any voting rights, will be exercised by the holder of the rights, in its sole discretion.
(c) In addition, each Loan Party acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party and its affiliates may be providing debt financing, equity capital or other services (including financial advisory services) to other companies in respect of which a Loan Party or its Subsidiaries may have conflicting interests regarding the transactions described herein and otherwise. No Credit Party will use confidential information obtained from the Borrower by virtue of the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents or its other relationships with Holdings, the Borrower or its Subsidiaries in connection with the performance by such Credit Party of services for other companies, and no Credit Party will furnish any such information to other companies. Each Loan Party also acknowledges that no Credit Party has any obligation to use in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents, or to furnish to any Loan Party, confidential information obtained from other companies.
SECTION 1.19.[Reserved].
SECTION 1.20.Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any Loan Document or in any other agreement, arrangement or understanding among any such parties, each party hereto acknowledges that any liability of any Affected Financial Institution arising under any Loan Document may be subject to the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of the applicable Resolution Authority and agrees and consents to, and acknowledges and agrees to be bound by:
(a)the application of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority to any such liabilities arising hereunder which may be payable to it by any party hereto that is an Affected Financial Institution; and
(b)the effects of any Bail-In Action on any such liability, including, if applicable:
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(i)a reduction in full or in part or cancellation of any such liability;
(ii)a conversion of all, or a portion of, such liability into shares or other instruments of ownership in such Affected Financial Institution, its parent entity, or a bridge institution that may be issued to it or otherwise conferred on it, and that such shares or other instruments of ownership will be accepted by it in lieu of any rights with respect to any such liability under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; or
(iii)the variation of the terms of such liability in connection with the exercise of the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of the applicable Resolution Authority.
SECTION 1.1.Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs. To the extent that the Loan Documents provide support, through a guarantee or otherwise, for Swap Agreements or any other agreement or instrument that is a QFC (such support “QFC Credit Support” and each such QFC a “Supported QFC”), the parties acknowledge and agree as follows with respect to the resolution power of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (together with the regulations promulgated thereunder, the “U.S. Special Resolution Regimes”) in respect of such Supported QFC and QFC Credit Support (with the provisions below applicable notwithstanding that the Loan Documents and any Supported QFC may in fact be stated to be governed by the laws of the State of New York and/or of the United States or any other state of the United States):
In the event a Covered Entity that is party to a Supported QFC (each, a “Covered Party”) becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer of such Supported QFC and the benefit of such QFC Credit Support (and any interest and obligation in or under such Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support, and any rights in property securing such Supported QFC or such QFC Credit Support) from such Covered Party will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support (and any such interest, obligation and rights in property) were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. In the event a Covered Party or a BHC Act Affiliate of a Covered Party becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under the Loan Documents that might otherwise apply to such Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support that may be exercised against such Covered Party are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and the Loan Documents were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. Without limitation of the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that rights and remedies of the parties with respect to a Defaulting Lender shall in no event affect the rights of any Covered Party with respect to a Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support.
ARTICLE X
Loan Guaranty
SECTION 1.03.Guaranty. Each Loan Guarantor hereby agrees that it is jointly and severally liable for, and, as a primary obligor and not merely as surety, absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees to the Holders of Guaranteed Obligations, the prompt payment when due, whether at stated maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise, and at all times thereafter, of the Guaranteed Obligations of such Loan Guarantor. Each Loan Guarantor further agrees that the Guaranteed Obligations may be extended or renewed in whole or in part without notice to or further assent from it, and that it remains bound upon its guarantee notwithstanding any such extension or renewal. All terms of this Loan Guaranty apply to and may be enforced by or on behalf of any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of any Lender that extended any portion of the Guaranteed Obligations.
SECTION 1.04.Guaranty of Payment. This Loan Guaranty is a guaranty of payment and not of collection. Each Loan Guarantor waives any right to require the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender to sue the Borrower, any Loan Guarantor, any other guarantor of, or any other Person
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obligated for all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations (each, an “Obligated Party”), or otherwise to enforce its payment against any collateral securing all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations.
SECTION 1.05.No Discharge or Diminishment of Loan Guaranty.
(a)Except as otherwise provided for herein, the obligations of each Loan Guarantor hereunder are unconditional and absolute and not subject to any reduction, limitation, impairment or termination for any reason (other than the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations), including: (i) any claim of waiver, release, extension, renewal, settlement, surrender, alteration, or compromise of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, by operation of law or otherwise; (ii) any change in the existence, structure or ownership of the Borrower or any other Obligated Party liable for any of the Guaranteed Obligations; (iii) any insolvency, bankruptcy, reorganization or other similar proceeding affecting any Obligated Party, or their assets or any resulting release or discharge of any obligation of any Obligated Party; or (iv) the existence of any claim, setoff or other rights which any Loan Guarantor may have at any time against any Obligated Party, the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank, any Lender, or any other Person, whether in connection herewith or in any unrelated transactions.
(b)The obligations of each Loan Guarantor hereunder are not subject to any defense or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, or termination whatsoever by reason of the invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability of any of the Guaranteed Obligations or otherwise, or any provision of applicable law or regulation purporting to prohibit payment by any Obligated Party, of the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof.
(c)Further, the obligations of any Loan Guarantor hereunder are not discharged or impaired or otherwise affected by: (i) the failure of the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any remedy with respect to all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations; (ii) any waiver or modification of or supplement to any provision of any agreement relating to the Guaranteed Obligations; (iii) any release, non-perfection, or invalidity of any indirect or direct security for the obligations of the Borrower for all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations or any obligations of any other Obligated Party liable for any of the Guaranteed Obligations; (iv) any action or failure to act by the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender with respect to any collateral securing any part of the Guaranteed Obligations; or (v) any default, failure or delay, willful or otherwise, in the payment or performance of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, or any other circumstance, act, omission or delay that might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of such Loan Guarantor or that would otherwise operate as a discharge of any Loan Guarantor as a matter of law or equity (other than the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations).
SECTION 1.012.Defenses Waived. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each Loan Guarantor hereby waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of the Borrower or any Loan Guarantor or the unenforceability of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of the Borrower, any Loan Guarantor or any other Obligated Party, other than the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Loan Guarantor irrevocably waives acceptance hereof, presentment, demand, protest and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any notice not provided for herein, as well as any requirement that at any time any action be taken by any Person against any Obligated Party, or any other Person. Each Loan Guarantor confirms that it is not a surety under any state law and shall not raise any such law as a defense to its obligations hereunder. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each Loan Guarantor waives any defense arising out of any such election even though that election may operate, pursuant to applicable law, to impair or extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right or remedy of any Loan Guarantor against any Obligated Party or any security.
SECTION 1.013.Rights of Subrogation. No Loan Guarantor will assert any right, claim or cause of action, including, without limitation, a claim of subrogation, contribution or indemnification that it has against any Obligated Party, or any collateral, until the Loan Parties and the Loan Guarantors have fully performed all their obligations to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders.
SECTION 1.014.Reinstatement; Stay of Acceleration. If at any time any payment of any portion of the Guaranteed Obligations (including a payment effected through exercise of a right of setoff)
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is rescinded, or must otherwise be restored or returned upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower or otherwise (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by a Holder of Guaranteed Obligations in its discretion), each Loan Guarantor’s obligations under this Loan Guaranty with respect to that payment shall be reinstated at such time as though the payment had not been made and whether or not the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders are in possession of this Loan Guaranty. If acceleration of the time for payment of any of the Guaranteed Obligations is stayed upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower, all such amounts otherwise subject to acceleration under the terms of any agreement relating to the Guaranteed Obligations shall nonetheless be payable by the Loan Guarantors forthwith on demand by the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 1.015.Information. Each Loan Guarantor assumes all responsibility for being and keeping itself informed of the Borrower’s financial condition and assets, and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of the Guaranteed Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of the risks that each Loan Guarantor assumes and incurs under this Loan Guaranty, and agrees that none of the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender shall have any duty to advise any Loan Guarantor of information known to it regarding those circumstances or risks.
SECTION 1.016.Release of Loan Guarantors.
(d)A Subsidiary Guarantor shall automatically be released from its obligations under the Loan Guaranty upon the consummation of any transaction permitted by this Agreement as a result of which such Subsidiary Guarantor ceases to be a Subsidiary; provided that, if so required by this Agreement, the Required Lenders shall have consented to such transaction and the terms of such consent shall not have provided otherwise. In connection with any termination or release pursuant to this Section, the Administrative Agent shall (and is hereby irrevocably authorized by each Lender to) execute and deliver to any Loan Party, at such Loan Party’s expense, all documents that such Loan Party shall reasonably request to evidence such termination or release. Any execution and delivery of documents pursuant to this Section shall be without recourse to or warranty by the Administrative Agent.
(e)Further, the Administrative Agent may (and is hereby irrevocably authorized by each Lender to), upon the request of the Borrower, release any Subsidiary Guarantor from its obligations under the Loan Guaranty if such Subsidiary Guarantor is no longer (i) a Material Domestic Subsidiary and (ii) a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary; provided that no Subsidiary Guarantor shall be released in reliance on this clause (b)(ii) unless such Subsidiary either (x) becomes non-Wholly-Owned pursuant to a bona fide equity investment by a non-Affiliate third-party or (y) becomes a bona fide joint venture with a non-Affiliated third party as determined in good faith by the Borrower in consultation with the Administrative Agent); provided further that no such release under this clause (b) shall occur if such Subsidiary Guarantor continues (after giving effect to the consummation of such transaction or designation) to be a guarantor or provide any credit support in respect of any Material Indebtedness of Holdings or any Subsidiary.
(f)Upon Payment in Full of all Obligations, the Loan Guaranty and all obligations (other than those expressly stated to survive such termination) of each Loan Guarantor thereunder shall automatically terminate, all without delivery of any instrument or performance of any act by any Person.
SECTION 1.010.Taxes. Each payment of the Guaranteed Obligations will be made by each Loan Guarantor without withholding for any Taxes, unless such withholding is required by law. If any Loan Guarantor determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it is so required to withhold Taxes, then such Loan Guarantor may so withhold and shall timely pay the full amount of withheld Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law. If such Taxes are Indemnified Taxes, then the amount payable by such Loan Guarantor shall be increased as necessary so that, net of such withholding (including such withholding applicable to additional amounts payable under this Section), the Administrative Agent, Lender or Issuing Bank (as the case may be) receives the amount it would have received had no such withholding been made.
SECTION 1.10.Maximum Liability. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Loan Guaranty, the amount guaranteed by each Loan Guarantor hereunder shall be limited to the extent, if any, required so that its obligations hereunder shall not be subject to avoidance under Section 548 of the Bankruptcy
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Code or under any applicable state Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act, Uniform Voidable Transactions Act or similar statute or common law. In determining the limitations, if any, on the amount of any Loan Guarantor’s obligations hereunder pursuant to the preceding sentence, it is the intention of the parties hereto that any rights of subrogation, indemnification or contribution which such Loan Guarantor may have under this Loan Guaranty, any other agreement or applicable law shall be taken into account.
SECTION 1.11.Contribution.
(g)To the extent that any Loan Guarantor shall make a payment under this Loan Guaranty (a “Guarantor Payment”) which, taking into account all other Guarantor Payments then previously or concurrently made by any other Loan Guarantor, exceeds the amount which otherwise would have been paid by or attributable to such Loan Guarantor if each Loan Guarantor had paid the aggregate Guaranteed Obligations satisfied by such Guarantor Payment in the same proportion as such Loan Guarantor’s “Allocable Amount” (as defined below) (as determined immediately prior to such Guarantor Payment) bore to the aggregate Allocable Amounts of each of the Loan Guarantors as determined immediately prior to the making of such Guarantor Payment, then, following indefeasible payment in full in cash of the Guarantor Payment, the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations and the termination of this Agreement, such Loan Guarantor shall be entitled to receive contribution and indemnification payments from, and be reimbursed by, each other Loan Guarantor for the amount of such excess, pro rata based upon their respective Allocable Amounts in effect immediately prior to such Guarantor Payment.
(h)As of any date of determination, the “Allocable Amount” of any Loan Guarantor shall be equal to the excess of the fair saleable value of the property of such Loan Guarantor over the total liabilities of such Loan Guarantor (including the maximum amount reasonably expected to become due in respect of contingent liabilities, calculated, without duplication, assuming each other Loan Guarantor that is also liable for such contingent liability pays its ratable share thereof), giving effect to all payments made by other Loan Guarantors as of such date in a manner to maximize the amount of such contributions.
(i)This Section 10.11 is intended only to define the relative rights of the Loan Guarantors, and nothing set forth in this Section 10.11 is intended to or shall impair the obligations of the Loan Guarantors, jointly and severally, to pay any amounts as and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Loan Guaranty.
(j)The parties hereto acknowledge that the rights of contribution and indemnification hereunder shall constitute assets of the Loan Guarantor or Loan Guarantors to which such contribution and indemnification is owing.
(k)The rights of the indemnifying Loan Guarantors against other Loan Guarantors under this Section 10.11 shall be exercisable upon the Payment in Full of the Guaranteed Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 1.21.Liability Cumulative. The liability of each Loan Party as a Loan Guarantor under this Article X is in addition to and shall be cumulative with all liabilities of each Loan Party to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party or in respect of any obligations or liabilities of the other Loan Parties, without any limitation as to amount, unless the instrument or agreement evidencing or creating such other liability specifically provides to the contrary.
SECTION 1.22.Keepwell. Each Qualified ECP Guarantor hereby jointly and severally absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably undertakes to provide such funds or other support as may be needed from time to time by each other Loan Party to honor all of its obligations under this Guarantee in respect of a Swap Obligation (provided, however, that each Qualified ECP Guarantor shall only be liable under this Section 10.13 for the maximum amount of such liability that can be hereby incurred without rendering its obligations under this Section 10.13 or otherwise under this Loan Guaranty voidable under applicable law relating to fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer, and not for any greater amount). Except as otherwise provided herein, the obligations of each Qualified ECP Guarantor under this
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Section 10.13 shall remain in full force and effect until the termination of all Swap Obligations. Each Qualified ECP Guarantor intends that this Section 10.13 constitute, and this Section 10.13 shall be deemed to constitute, a “keepwell, support, or other agreement” for the benefit of each other Loan Party for all purposes of Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered by their respective authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.
HEARTLAND EXPRESS, INC.,
as Holdings
By: /s/ Christopher Strain
Name: Christopher Strain
Title: Chief Financial Officer
HEARTLAND EXPRESS, INC. OF IOWA,
as the Borrower
By: /s/ Christopher Strain
Name: Christopher Strain
Title: Treasurer
HEARTLAND EXPRESS MAINTENANCE SERVICES, INC.
HEARTLAND EXPRESS SERVICES, INC.
MIDWEST HOLDING GROUP, LLC
MILLIS TRANSFER, LLC
SMITH TRANSPORT, INC.
SMITH TRUCKING, INC.
FRANKLIN LOGISTICS, INC.
TRANSPORTATION RESOURCES, INC.
CONTRACT FREIGHTERS, INC.,
each as a Subsidiary Guarantor
By: /s/ Christopher Strain
Name: Christopher Strain
Title: Treasurer
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa

WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, individually as a Lender, and as Administrative Agent, a Swingline Lender and an Issuing Bank
By: /s/ Casey A. Cason
Name: Casey A. Cason
Title: Senior Vice President
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., individually as a Lender, and as Syndication Agent, a Swingline Lender and an Issuing Bank
By: /s/ Eric B. Bergeson
Name: Eric B. Bergeson
Title: Authorized Officer
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa

KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as a
Lender
By: /s/ Suzannah Valdivia
Name: Suzannah Valdivia
Title: Senior Vice President
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa

BMO HARRIS BANK N.A., as a Lender
By: /s/ Isabella Battista
Name: Isabella Battista
Title: Director
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa

PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as a
Lender
By: /s/ Donna Benson
Name: Donna Benson
Title: Assistant Vice President
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa

TRUIST BANK, as a Lender
By: /s/ Chris Hursey
Name: Chris Hursey
Title: Director
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as a
Lender
By: /s/ Eric M. Herm
Name: Eric M. Herm
Title: Assistant Vice President
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa

WEST BANK, as a Lender
By: /s/ Jason S. Ruppert
Name: Jason S. Ruppert
Title: Senior Vice President
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF OMAHA, as a
Lender
By: /s/ Aaron Martens
Name: Aaron Martens
Title: Senior Director
Signature Page to Credit Agreement
Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa