If not yet accepted, a tender pursuant to the Exchange Offer may be withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date.
To be effective with respect to the tender of Outstanding Notes, a written notice of withdrawal must: (i) be received by the Exchange Agent at one of the addresses for the Exchange Agent set forth above before the Company notifies the Exchange Agent that it has accepted the tender of Outstanding Notes Pursuant to the Exchange Offer, (ii) specify the name of the person who tendered the Outstanding Notes to be withdrawn; (iii) identify the Outstanding Notes to be withdrawn (including the principal amount of such Outstanding Notes, or, if applicable, the certificate numbers shown on the particular certificates evidencing such Outstanding Notes and the principal amount of Outstanding Notes represented by such certificates); (iv) include a statement that such holder is withdrawing its election to have such Outstanding Notes exchanged; and (v) be signed by the holder in the same manner as the original signature on this Letter of Transmittal (including any required signature guarantee). The Exchange Agent will return the properly withdrawn Outstanding Notes promptly following receipt of a notice of withdrawal. If Outstanding Notes have been tendered pursuant to the procedure for book-entry transfer, any notice of withdrawal must specify the name and number of the account at the book-entry transfer facility to be credited with the withdrawn Outstanding Notes or otherwise comply with the book-entry transfer facility’s procedures. All questions as to the validity of notices of withdrawals, including time of receipt, will be determined by the Company, and such determination will be final and binding on all parties.
Any Outstanding Notes so withdrawn will be deemed not to have been validly tendered for exchange for purposes of the Exchange Offer. Any Outstanding Notes which have been tendered for exchange but which are not exchanged for any reason will be returned to the holder thereof without cost to such holder (or, in the case of Outstanding Notes tendered by book-entry transfer into the Exchange Agent’s account at the book-entry transfer facility pursuant to the book-entry transfer procedures described above, such Outstanding Notes will be credited to an account with such book-entry transfer facility specified by the holder) as soon as practicable after withdrawal, rejection of tender or termination of the Exchange Offer. Properly withdrawn Outstanding Notes may be retendered by following one of the procedures described under the caption ‘‘The Exchange Offer — Procedures for Tendering’’ in the Prospectus at any time prior to the Expiration Date.
If any of the Outstanding Notes tendered hereby are owned of record by two or more joint owners, all such owners must sign this Letter of Transmittal.
If a number of Outstanding Notes registered in different names are tendered, it will be necessary to complete, sign and submit as many separate copies of this Letter of Transmittal as there are different registrations of Outstanding Notes.
When this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder or holders (which term, for the purposes described herein, shall include the book-entry transfer facility whose name appears on a security listing as the owner of the Outstanding Notes) of Outstanding Notes listed and tendered hereby, no endorsements of certificates or separate written instruments of transfer or exchange are required.
If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder or holders of the Outstanding Notes listed, such Outstanding Notes must be endorsed or accompanied by separate written instruments of transfer or exchange in form satisfactory to the Company and duly executed by the registered holder, in either case signed exactly as the name or names of the registered holder or holders appear(s) on the Outstanding Notes.
If this Letter of Transmittal, any certificates or separate written instruments of transfer or exchange are signed by trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, such persons should so indicate when, signing, and, unless waived by the Company, proper evidence satisfactory to the Company of their authority so to act must be submitted.
Endorsements on certificates or signatures on separate written instruments of transfer or exchange required by this Instruction 3 must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.
Signatures on this Letter of Transmittal must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution, unless Outstanding Notes are tendered: (i) by a holder who has not completed the box entitled ‘‘Special Issuance Instructions’’ or ‘‘Special Delivery Instructions’’ on this Letter of Transmittal; or (ii) for the account of an Eligible Institution (as defined below). In the event that the signatures in this Letter of Transmittal or a notice of withdrawal, as the case may be, are required to be guaranteed, such guarantees must be by an eligible guarantor institution which is a member of a firm of a registered national securities exchange or of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., a commercial bank or trust company having an office or correspondent in the United States or another ‘‘eligible institution’’ within the meaning of Rule 17Ad-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (an ‘‘Eligible Institution’’). If Outstanding Notes are registered in the name of a person other than the signer of this Letter of Transmittal, the Outstanding Notes surrendered for exchange must be endorsed by, or be accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer or exchange, in satisfactory form as determined by the Company, in its sole discretion, duly executed by the registered holder with the signature thereon guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.
4. Special Issuance and Delivery Instructions. Tendering holders should indicate, as applicable, the name and address to which the Exchange Notes or certificates for Outstanding Notes not exchanged are to be issued or sent, if different from the name and address of the person signing this Letter of Transmittal. In the case of issuance in a different name, the tax identification number of the person named must also be indicated. Holders tendering Outstanding Notes by book-entry transfer may request that Outstanding Notes not exchanged be credited to such account maintained at the book-entry transfer facility as such holder may designate.
5. Transfer Taxes. The Company shall pay all transfer taxes, if any, applicable to the transfer and exchange of Outstanding Notes to it or its order pursuant to the Exchange Offer, except in the case of deliveries of certificates for Outstanding Notes for Exchange Notes that are to be registered or issued in the name of any person other than the holder of Outstanding Notes tendered thereby. If a transfer tax is imposed for any reason other than the transfer and exchange of Outstanding Notes to the Company or its order pursuant to the Exchange Offer, the amount of any such transfer taxes (whether imposed on the registered holder or any other person) will be payable by the tendering holder. If satisfactory evidence of payment of such taxes or exception therefrom is not submitted herewith the amount of such transfer taxes will be billed directly to such tendering holder.
6. Waiver of Conditions. The Company reserves the absolute right to waive, in whole or in part, any of the conditions to the Exchange Offer set forth in the Prospectus.
7. Mutilated, Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Securities. Any holder whose Outstanding Notes have been mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, should contact the Exchange Agent at the address indicated below for further instructions.
8. Requests for Assistance or Additional Copies. Questions relating to the procedure for tendering, as well as requests for additional copies of the Prospectus and this Letter of Transmittal, may be directed to the Exchange Agent at the address and telephone number set forth above. In addition, all questions relating to the Exchange Offer, as well as requests for assistance or additional copies of the Prospectus and this Letter of Transmittal, may be directed to the Exchange Agent at the address and telephone number indicated above.
If backup withholding applies, the Exchange Agent is required to withhold 28% of any payments to be made to the holder of Outstanding Notes. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the tax liability of persons subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If
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withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund may be obtained by filing a tax return with the Internal Revenue Service. The Exchange Agent cannot refund amounts withheld by reason of backup withholding.
9. Irregularities. All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility (including time of receipt), and acceptance of Letters of Transmittal or Outstanding Notes will be resolved by the Company, whose determination will be final and binding. The Company reserves the absolute right to reject any or all Letters of Transmittal or tenders that are not in proper form or the acceptance of which would, in the opinion of the Company’s counsel, be unlawful. The Company also reserves the right to waive any irregularities or conditions of tender as to the particular Outstanding Notes covered by any Letter of Transmittal or tendered pursuant to such Letter of Transmittal. Neither the Company, the Exchange Agent nor any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defects or irregularities in tenders or incur any liability for failure to give any such notification. The Company’s interpretation of the terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer shall be final and binding.
IMPORTANT: This Letter of Transmittal or a facsimile or copy thereof (together with certificates of Outstanding Notes or conformation of book-entry transfer and all other required documents) or a Notice of Guaranteed Delivery must be received by the Exchange Agent prior to the Expiration Date.
IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION
Under U.S. federal income tax law, a holder of Outstanding Notes whose Outstanding Notes are accepted for exchange may be subject to backup withholding unless the holder provides The Bank of New York, as Paying Agent (the ‘‘Paying Agent’’), through the Exchange Agent, with either (i) such holder’s correct taxpayer identification number (‘‘TIN’’) on Substitute Form W-9 attached hereto, certifying (A) that the TIN provided on Substitute Form W-9 is correct (or that such holder of Outstanding Notes is awaiting a TIN), (B) that the holder of Outstanding Notes is not subject to backup withholding because (x) such holder of Outstanding Notes is exempt from backup withholding, (y) such holder of Outstanding Notes has not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that he or she is subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends or (z) the Internal Revenue Service has notified the holder of Outstanding Notes that he or she is no longer subject to backup withholding and (C) that the holder of Outstanding Notes is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien); or (ii) an adequate basis for exemption from backup withholding. If such holder of Outstanding Notes is an individual, the TIN is such holder’s social security number. If the Paying Agent is not provided with the correct TIN, the holder of Outstanding Notes may also be subject to certain penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Service.
Certain holders of Outstanding Notes (including, among others, all corporations and certain foreign individuals) are not subject to these backup withholding and reporting requirements. However, exempt holders of Outstanding Notes should indicate their exempt status on Substitute Form W-9. For example, a corporation should complete the Substitute Form W-9, providing its TIN and indicating that it is exempt from backup withholding. In order for a foreign individual to qualify as an exempt recipient, the holder must submit a Form W-8BEN, signed under penalties of perjury, attesting to that individual’s exempt status. A Form W-8BEN can be obtained from the Paying Agent. See the enclosed ‘‘Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9’’ for more instructions.
If backup withholding applies, the Paying Agent is required to withhold 28% of any payments made to the holder of Outstanding Notes or other payee. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the tax liability of persons subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund may be obtained from the Internal Revenue Service, provided the required information is furnished.
The box in Part 3 of the Substitute Form W-9 may be checked if the surrendering holder of Outstanding Notes has not been issued a TIN and has applied for a TIN or intends to apply for a TIN in the near future. If the box in Part 3 is checked, the holder of Outstanding Notes or other payee must also complete the Certificate of Awaiting Taxpayer Identification Number below in order to avoid backup withholding. Notwithstanding that the box in Part 3 is checked and the Certificate of Awaiting Taxpayer Identification Number is completed, the Paying Agent will withhold 28% of all payments made prior to the time a properly certified TIN is provided to the Paying Agent.
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The holder of Outstanding Notes is required to give the Paying Agent the TIN (e.g., social security number or employer identification number) of the record owner of the Outstanding Notes. If the Outstanding Notes are in more than one name or are not in the name of the actual owner, consult the enclosed ‘‘Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9’’ for additional guidance on which number to report.
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PAYER’S NAME: THE BANK OF NEW YORK |
SUBSTITUTE Form W-9 Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Payer’s Request for Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) | | Part 1 — PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR TIN IN THE BOX AT RIGHT AND CERTIFY BY SIGNING AND DATING BELOW. | | __________________________ Name __________________________ Social Security Number OR __________________________ Employer Identification Number |
| | Part 3 — □ Awaiting TIN | | |
Part 2 — Certification — Under the penalties of perjury, I certify that: | | |
(1) | | The number shown on this form is my correct Taxpayer Identification Number (or I am waiting for a number to be issued to me), and | | |
(2) | | I am not subject to backup withholding because (a) I am exempt from backup withholding, or (b) I have not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (the ‘‘IRS’’) that I am subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer subject to backup withholding, and | | |
(3) | | I am a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). | | |
Certificate Instructions — You must cross out item (2) above if you have been notified by the IRS that you are currently subject to backup withholding because of under-reporting interest or dividends on your tax return. However, if after being notified by the IRS that you were subject to backup withholding you received another notification from the IRS that you are no longer subject to backup withholding, do not cross out such item (2). | | |
The Internal Revenue Service does not require your consent to any provision of this document other than the certifications required to avoid backup withholding. | | |
Sign Here → | | Signature__________________________________ Date______________, 2005 |
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NOTE: | FAILURE TO COMPLETE AND RETURN THIS FORM MAY RESULT IN BACKUP WITHHOLDING OF 28% OF ANY PAYMENTS MADE TO YOU PURSUANT TO THE EXCHANGE OFFER. PLEASE REVIEW THE ENCLOSED GUIDELINES FOR CERTIFICATION OF TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9 FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. |
YOU MUST COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CERTIFICATE IF YOU
CHECKED THE BOX IN PART 3 OF THE SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9.
CERTIFICATE OF AWAITING TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
I certify under penalties of perjury that a taxpayer identification number has not been issued to me, and either (1) I have mailed or delivered an application to receive a taxpayer identification number to the appropriate Internal Revenue Service Center or Social Security Administration Office, or (2) I intend to mail or deliver an application in the near future. I understand that if I do not provide a taxpayer identification number by the time of payment, 28% of all reportable payments made to me will be withheld.
Signature ____________________________________________ Date __________________________, 2005
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