following the date of the pricing of the notes. Under Rule 15c6-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the notes before the second business day prior to the closing of this offering will be required, by virtue of the fact that the normal settlement date for that trade would occur prior to the closing date for the issuance of the notes, to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement, and should consult their own advisers with respect to these matters.
In connection with the offering, the representatives, on behalf of the underwriters, may purchase and sell notes in the open market. These transactions may include over-allotment, syndicate covering transactions and stabilizing transactions. Over-allotment involves syndicate sales of notes in excess of the principal amount of notes to be purchased from us by the underwriters in the offering, which creates a syndicate short position. Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the notes in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. Stabilizing transactions consist of certain bids or purchases of notes made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market prices of the notes while the offering is in progress.
The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the representatives, in covering syndicate short positions or making stabilizing purchases, repurchase notes originally sold by that syndicate member.
Any of these activities may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market prices of the notes. They may also cause the market prices of the notes to be higher than the prices that otherwise would exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
Neither we nor any of the underwriters makes any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that any of the transactions described above, if commenced, may have on the market price of the notes. In addition, neither we nor any of the underwriters makes any representation that any of these transactions will be engaged in or that the transactions, if commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.
We estimate that our total expenses for this offering, excluding the underwriting discount, will be approximately $1.9 million. We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
No Sales of Similar Securities
We have agreed that, without the prior written consent of the representatives, we will not, during the period beginning on and including the date of this prospectus supplement through and including the original issue date of the notes, offer, sell, contract to sell, grant any option for the sale of or otherwise dispose of any notes, any debt securities of Sempra which are substantially similar to the notes (“Similar Securities”) or any securities convertible into, exchangeable into or exercisable for any notes or Similar Securities, provided that this agreement shall not apply to the offer, issuance or sale of, or any contract to sell, (i) the notes to the underwriters pursuant to the underwriting agreement, (ii) commercial paper or other debt securities with scheduled maturities of less than one year or (iii) any Senior Indebtedness (as defined above under “Description of the Notes—Subordination”). For purposes of clarity, it is understood and agreed that the term Similar Securities, as used in this paragraph, excludes (i) commercial paper or other debt securities with scheduled maturities of less than one year or (ii) any Senior Indebtedness (as defined above under “Description of the Notes—Subordination”).
Other Relationships
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory,
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