Exhibit 4.1
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CREDIT AGREEMENT
by and among
HUDSON HIGHLAND GROUP, INC.
and
EACH OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES THAT ARE SIGNATORIES HERETO FROM TIME TO TIME
as Borrowers,
THE LENDERS THAT ARE SIGNATORIES HERETO
as the Lenders,
and
WELLS FARGO FOOTHILL, INC.
as the Arranger and Administrative Agent
Dated as of July 31, 2007
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CREDIT AGREEMENT
THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT(this “Agreement”), is entered into as of July 31, 2007 by and among the lenders identified on the signature pages hereof (such lenders, together with their respective successors and permitted assigns, are referred to hereinafter each individually as a “Lender” and collectively as the “Lenders”),WELLS FARGO FOOTHILL, INC., a California corporation, as the arranger and administrative agent for the Lenders (in such capacity, together with its successors and permitted assigns in such capacity, “Agent”),HUDSON HIGHLAND GROUP, INC., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), and each of Parent’s Subsidiaries identified on the signature pages hereof from time to time and as may be joined as a party hereto (such Subsidiaries, together with Parent, are referred to hereinafter each individually as a “Borrower”, and individually and collectively, jointly and severally, as the “Borrowers”).
The parties agree as follows:
1. | DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION. |
1.1Definitions. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement shall have the meanings specified therefor onSchedule 1.1.
1.2Accounting Terms.All accounting terms not specifically defined herein shall be construed in accordance with GAAP. When used herein, the term “financial statements” shall include the notes and schedules thereto. Whenever the term “Borrowers” or the term “Parent” is used in respect of a financial covenant or a related definition, it shall be understood to mean Parent and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
1.3Code.Any terms used in this Agreement that are defined in the Code shall be construed and defined as set forth in the Code unless otherwise defined herein;provided,however, that to the extent that the Code is used to define any term herein and such term is defined differently in different Articles of the Code, the definition of such term contained in Article 9 of the Code shall govern.
1.4Construction.Unless the context of this Agreement or any other Loan Document clearly requires otherwise, references to the plural include the singular, references to the singular include the plural, the terms “includes” and “including” are not limiting, and the term “or” has, except where otherwise indicated, the inclusive meaning represented by the phrase “and/or.” The words “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby,” “hereunder,” and similar terms in this Agreement or any other Loan Document refer to this Agreement or such other Loan Document, as the case may be, as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement or such other Loan Document, as the case may be. Section, subsection, clause, schedule, and exhibit references herein are to this Agreement unless otherwise specified. Any reference in this Agreement or in any other Loan Document to any agreement, instrument, or document shall include all alterations, amendments, changes, extensions, modifications, renewals, replacements, substitutions, joinders, and supplements, thereto and thereof, as applicable (subject to any restrictions on such alterations, amendments, changes, extensions, modifications, renewals, replacements, substitutions, joinders, and supplements set forth herein). Any reference herein or in any other Loan Document to the satisfaction or repayment in full of the Obligations shall mean the repayment in full in cash (or other satisfaction permitted by the Agent and Lenders in accordance with the terms hereof, or, in the case of Letters of Credit or Bank Products, the cash collateralization or support by a standby letter of credit in accordance with the terms hereof) of all Obligations other than unasserted contingent indemnification Obligations and other than any Bank Product Obligations that, at such time, are allowed by the applicable Bank Product Provider to remain outstanding and that are not required by the provisions of this Agreement to be repaid or so collateralized. Any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns. Any requirement of a writing contained herein or in any other Loan Document shall be satisfied by the transmission of a Record and any Record so transmitted shall constitute a representation and warranty as to the accuracy and completeness of the information contained therein.
1.5Schedules and Exhibits.All of the schedules and exhibits attached to this Agreement shall be deemed incorporated herein by reference.
2. | LOAN AND TERMS OF PAYMENT. |
2.1Revolver Advances.
(a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and during the term of this Agreement, each Lender agrees (severally, not jointly or jointly and severally) to make advances (“Advances”) to Borrowers in an amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of an amount equalto the lesser of(i) the Maximum Revolver Amountlessthe Letter of Credit Usage at such time, and (ii) the Borrowing Base at such timelessthe Letter of Credit Usage at such time.
(b) Anything to the contrary in thisSection 2.1 notwithstanding, Agent shall have the right to establish reserves against the Borrowing Base in such amounts, and with respect to such matters, as Agent in its Permitted Discretion shall deem necessary or appropriate, including reserves with respect to (i) sums that Borrowers or their Subsidiaries are required to pay under any Section of this Agreement or any other Loan Document (such as taxes, assessments, insurance premiums, or, in the case of leased assets, rents or other amounts payable under such leases) and have failed to pay, and (ii) amounts owing by Borrowers or their Subsidiaries to any Person to the extent secured by a Lien on, or trust over, any of the Collateral (other than a Permitted Lien), which Lien or trust, in the Permitted Discretion of Agent likely would have a priority superior to the Agent’s Liens (such as Liens or trusts in favor of landlords, warehousemen, carriers, mechanics, materialmen, laborers, or suppliers, or Liens or trusts forad valorem, excise, sales, or other taxes where given priority under applicable law) in and to such item of the Collateral. Agent shall endeavor to provide Administrative Borrower with prompt written notice of the establishment of any reserves, but the delivery of such notice shall not be a condition to the effectiveness of the establishment of such reserves.
(c) Amounts borrowed pursuant to thisSection 2.1 may be repaid and, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, reborrowed at any time during the term of this Agreement. The outstanding principal amount of the Advances, together with unpaid interest accrued thereon, shall be due and payable on the Maturity Date or, if earlier, on the date on which they are declared due and payable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
(d) Anything to the contrary in thisSection 2.1 or elsewhere in this Agreement notwithstanding, and subject toSection 2.16 andSection 2.17 of this Agreement, Revolver Usage by or for the direct benefit or use of (a) HH UK may not exceed the Maximum UK Amount, and (b) HH Australia may not exceed the Maximum Australia Amount.
2.2Increase in Commitment.
(a) Borrowers may, at any time, but no more than 3 times during the term hereof, deliver a written request to Agent to increase the Commitment. Any such written request shall specify the amount of the increase in the Commitment that Borrowers are requesting,provided, that, (i) in no event shall the aggregate amount of any such
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increase in the Commitment cause the Commitment to exceed $125,000,000, (ii) such request shall be for an increase of not less than the lesser of (x) $10,000,000 and (y) the remaining amount which Borrower may request pursuant to thisSection 2.2, (iii) any such request shall be irrevocable, and (iv) in no event shall more than one such written request be delivered to Agent in any calendar quarter.
(b) Upon the receipt by Agent of any such written request, Agent shall notify each of the Lenders of such request and each Lender shall have the option (but not the obligation) to increase the amount of its Commitment by an amount up to its Pro Rata Share of the amount of the increase in the Commitment requested by Borrowers as set forth in the notice from Agent to such Lender. Each Lender shall notify Agent within 15 days after the receipt of such notice from Agent whether it is willing to so increase its Commitment, and if so, the amount of such increase;provided, that, (i) the minimum increase in the Commitment of each such Lender providing the additional Commitment shall equal or exceed $5,000,000, and (ii) no Lender shall be obligated to provide such increase in its Commitment and the determination to increase the Commitment of a Lender shall be within the sole and absolute discretion of such Lender. If the aggregate amount of the increases in the Commitments received from the Lenders does not equal or exceed the amount of the increase in the Commitment requested by Borrowers, Agent may seek additional increases from Lenders or Commitments from such Eligible Transferees as it may determine. In the event Lenders (or Lenders and any such Eligible Transferee, as the case may be) have committed in writing to provide increases in their Commitments or new Commitments in an aggregate amount in excess of the increase in the Commitment requested by Borrowers or permitted hereunder, Agent shall then have the right to allocate such Commitments, first to Lenders and then to Eligible Transferees, in such amounts and manner as Agent may determine.
(c) The Commitment shall be increased by the amount of the increase in Commitments from Lenders or new Commitments from Eligible Transferees, in each case selected in accordance withSection 2.2(b) above, for which Agent has received Assignment and Acceptances on the date requested by Borrowers for the increase or such other date as Agent and Borrowers may agree (but subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth below), only if the aggregate amount of the increase in Commitments and new Commitments, as the case may be, are in an amount sufficient to satisfy the amount of the increase in the Commitment requested by Borrowers in accordance with the terms hereof, effective on the date that Agent notifies Administrative Borrower that each of the following conditions have been satisfied (such date being the “Commitment Increase Effective Date”), which notice shall be given promptly after the date on which Agent becomes aware that each such condition has been satisfied:
(i) No Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing;
(ii) Agent shall have received from each Lender or Eligible Transferee that is providing an additional Commitment as part of the increase in the Commitment, an Assignment and Acceptance duly executed by such Lender or Eligible Transferee and Borrowers;
(iii) the conditions precedent to the making of Advances set forth inSection 3.2 shall be satisfied as of the Commitment Increase Effective Date, both before and after giving effect to such increase;
(iv) Agent shall have received an opinion of counsel to Borrowers in form and substance and from counsel reasonably satisfactory to Agent and Lenders addressing such matters as Agent may reasonably request (including an opinion as to no defaults or violations under other material Indebtedness for borrowed money);
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(v) such increase in the Commitment on the Commitment Increase Effective Date shall not violate any term or provisions of any applicable law, regulation or order or decree of any court or other Governmental Authority and shall not be enjoined, temporarily, preliminarily or permanently;
(vi) there shall have been paid to each Lender and Eligible Transferee, in each case, providing an additional Commitment in connection with such increase in the Commitment all fees set forth in the Fee Letter and all expenses due and payable to such Person on or before the Commitment Increase Effective Date; and
(vii) there shall have been paid to Agent, for the account of Agent and Lenders (in accordance with any agreement among them) all fees and expenses (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) due and payable pursuant to any of the Loan Documents on or before the Commitment Increase Effective Date to the extent relating to such increase.
(d) As of each Commitment Increase Effective Date, each reference to the term Commitment herein, and in any of the other Loan Documents shall be deemed amended to mean the amount of the Commitment specified in the most recent written notice from Agent to Borrowers of the increase in the Commitment, which written notice shall be provided by Agent to Administrative Borrower on the applicable Commitment Increase Effective Date.
2.3Borrowing Procedures and Settlements.
(a)Procedure for Borrowing.Each Borrowing shall be made by an irrevocable written request by an Authorized Person delivered to Agent. Unless Swing Lender is not obligated to make a Swing Loan pursuant toSection 2.3(b) below, such notice must be received by Agent no later than 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on the Business Day that is the requested Funding Date specifying (i) the amount of such Borrowing, and (ii) the requested Funding Date, which shall be a Business Day;provided,however, that if Swing Lender is not obligated to make a Swing Loan as to a requested Borrowing, such notice must be received by Agent no later than 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on the Business Day prior to the date that is the requested Funding Date. At Agent’s election, in lieu of delivering the above-described written request, any Authorized Person may give Agent telephonic notice of such request by the required time. In such circumstances, Borrowers agree that any such telephonic notice will be confirmed in writing within 24 hours of the giving of such telephonic notice, but the failure to provide such written confirmation shall not affect the validity of the request.
(b)Making of Swing Loans. In the case of a request for an Advance and so long as either (i) the aggregate amount of Swing Loans made since the last Settlement Date, minus the amount of Collections or payments applied to Swing Loans since the last Settlement Date, plus the amount of the requested Advance does not exceed $15,000,000, or (ii) Swing Lender, in its sole discretion, shall agree to make a Swing Loan notwithstanding the foregoing limitation, Swing Lender shall make an Advance in the amount of such Borrowing (any such Advance made solely by Swing Lender pursuant to thisSection 2.3(b) being referred to as a “Swing Loan” and such Advances being referred to collectively as “Swing Loans”) available to Borrowers on the Funding Date applicable thereto by transferring immediately available funds to Borrowers’ Designated Account. Each Swing Loan shall be deemed to be an Advance hereunder and shall be subject to all the terms and conditions applicable to other Advances, except that all payments on any
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Swing Loan shall be payable to Swing Lender solely for its own account. Subject to the provisions ofSection 2.3(d)(ii), Swing Lender shall not make and shall not be obligated to make any Swing Loan if Swing Lender has actual knowledge that (i) one or more of the applicable conditions precedent set forth inSection 3 will not be satisfied on the requested Funding Date for the applicable Borrowing, or (ii) the requested Borrowing would exceed the Availability on such Funding Date. Swing Lender shall not otherwise be required to determine whether the applicable conditions precedent set forth inSection 3 have been satisfied on the Funding Date applicable thereto prior to making any Swing Loan. The Swing Loans shall be secured by the Agent’s Liens, constitute Obligations hereunder, and bear interest at the rate applicable from time to time to Advances that are Base Rate Loans.
(c)Making of Advances.
(i) In the case of an Advance that is not a Swing Loan, then promptly after receipt of a request for a Borrowing pursuant toSection 2.3(a), Agent shall notify the Lenders, not later than 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on the Business Day immediately preceding the Funding Date applicable thereto, by telecopy, telephone, or other similar form of transmission, of the requested Borrowing. Each Lender shall make the amount of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the requested Borrowing available to Agent in immediately available funds, to Agent’s Account, not later than 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on the Funding Date applicable thereto. After Agent’s receipt of the proceeds of such Advances, Agent shall make the proceeds thereof available to Administrative Borrower on the applicable Funding Date by transferring immediately available funds equal to such proceeds received by Agent to Administrative Borrower’s Designated Account;provided,however, that, subject to the provisions ofSection 2.3(d)(ii), Agent shall not request any Lender to make, and no Lender shall have the obligation to make, any Advance if Agent shall have actual knowledge that (1) one or more of the applicable conditions precedent set forth inSection 3 will not be satisfied on the requested Funding Date for the applicable Borrowing unless such condition has been waived, or (2) the requested Borrowing would exceed the Availability on such Funding Date.
(ii) Unless Agent receives notice from a Lender prior to 12:00 p.m. (New York time) on a Funding Date, that such Lender will not make available as and when required hereunder to Agent for the account of Borrowers the amount of that Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Borrowing, Agent may assume that each Lender has made or will make such amount available to Agent in immediately available funds on the Funding Date and Agent shall, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to Borrowers on such date a corresponding amount. If and to the extent any Lender shall not have made its full amount available to Agent in immediately available funds and Agent in such circumstances has made available to Borrowers such amount, that Lender shall on the Business Day following such Funding Date make such amount available to Agent, together with interest at the Defaulting Lender Rate for each day during such period. A notice submitted by Agent to any Lender with respect to amounts owing under this subsection shall be conclusive, absent manifest error. If such amount is so made available, such payment to Agent shall constitute such Lender’s Advance on the Funding Date for all purposes of this Agreement. If such amount is not made available to Agent on the Business Day following the Funding Date, Agent will notify Administrative Borrower of such failure to fund and, upon demand by Agent, Borrowers shall pay such amount to Agent for Agent’s account, together with interest thereon for each day elapsed since the date of such Borrowing, at a rate per annum equal to the interest rate applicable at the time to the Advances composing such Borrowing. The failure of any Lender to make any Advance on any Funding Date shall not relieve any other Lender of any obligation hereunder to make an Advance on such Funding Date, but no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to make the Advance to be made by such other Lender on any Funding Date.
(iii) Agent shall not be obligated to transfer to a Defaulting Lender any payments made by Borrowers to Agent for the Defaulting Lender’s benefit, and, in the absence of such transfer to the Defaulting Lender, Agent shall transfer any such payments to each other non-Defaulting Lender member of the Lender Group ratably in accordance with their Commitments (but only to the extent that such Defaulting Lender’s Advance was funded by the other members of the Lender Group) or, if so directed by Administrative
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Borrower and if no Default or Event of Default had occurred and is continuing (and to the extent such Defaulting Lender’s Advance was not funded by the Lender Group), retain same to be re-advanced to Borrowers as if such Defaulting Lender had made Advances to Borrowers. Subject to the foregoing, Agent may hold and, in its Permitted Discretion, re-lend to Borrowers for the account of such Defaulting Lender the amount of all such payments received and retained by Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender. Solely for the purposes of voting or consenting to matters with respect to the Loan Documents, such Defaulting Lender shall be deemed not to be a “Lender” and such Lender’s Commitment shall be deemed to be zero. This Section shall remain effective with respect to such Lender until (x) the Obligations under this Agreement shall have been declared or shall have become immediately due and payable, (y) the non-Defaulting Lenders, Agent, and Administrative Borrower shall have waived such Defaulting Lender’s default in writing, or (z) the Defaulting Lender makes its Pro Rata Share of the applicable Advance and pays to Agent all amounts owing by Defaulting Lender in respect thereof. The operation of this Section shall not be construed to increase or otherwise affect the Commitment of any Lender, to relieve or excuse the performance by such Defaulting Lender or any other Lender of its duties and obligations hereunder, or to relieve or excuse the performance by Borrowers of their duties and obligations hereunder to Agent or to the Lenders other than such Defaulting Lender. Any such failure to fund by any Defaulting Lender shall constitute a material breach by such Defaulting Lender of this Agreement and shall entitle Administrative Borrower at its option, upon written notice to Agent, to arrange for a substitute Lender to assume the Commitment of such Defaulting Lender, such substitute Lender to be acceptable to Agent (such acceptance not to be unreasonably withheld). In connection with the arrangement of such a substitute Lender, the Defaulting Lender shall have no right to refuse to be replaced hereunder, and agrees to execute and deliver a completed Assignment and Acceptance in favor of the substitute Lender (and agrees that it shall be deemed to have executed and delivered such document if it fails to do so) subject only to being repaid its share of the outstanding Obligations (other than Bank Product Obligations, but including an assumption of its Pro Rata Share of the Risk Participation Liability) without any premium or penalty of any kind whatsoever;provided,however, that any such assumption of the Commitment of such Defaulting Lender shall not be deemed to constitute a waiver of any of the Lender Groups’ or Borrowers’ rights or remedies against any such Defaulting Lender arising out of or in relation to such failure to fund.
(d)Protective Advances and Optional Overadvances.
(i) Agent hereby is authorized by Borrowers and the Lenders, from time to time in Agent’s sole discretion, (A) after the occurrence and during the continuance of a Default or an Event of Default, or (B) at any time that any of the other applicable conditions precedent set forth inSection 3 are not satisfied, to make Advances to Borrowers on behalf of the Lenders that Agent, in its Permitted Discretion deems necessary or desirable (1) to preserve or protect the Collateral, or any portion thereof, (2) to enhance the likelihood of repayment of the Obligations (other than the Bank Product Obligations), or (3) to pay any other amount chargeable to Borrowers pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, including Lender Group Expenses and the costs, fees, and expenses described inSection 9 (any of the Advances described in thisSection 2.3(d)(i) shall be referred to as “Protective Advances”).
(ii) Any contrary provision of this Agreement notwithstanding, the Lenders hereby authorize Agent or Swing Lender, as applicable, and either Agent or Swing Lender, as applicable, may, but is not obligated to, knowingly and intentionally, continue to make Advances (including Swing Loans) to Borrowers notwithstanding that an Overadvance exists or thereby would be created, so long as (A) after giving effect to such Advances, the outstanding Revolver Usage does not exceed the Borrowing Base by more than $5,000,000, and (B) after giving effect to such Advances, the outstanding Revolver Usage (except for and excluding amounts charged to the Loan Account for interest, fees, or Lender Group Expenses) does not exceed the Maximum Revolver Amount. In the event Agent obtains actual knowledge that the Revolver Usage exceeds the amounts permitted by the immediately foregoing sentence, regardless of the amount of, or reason for, such excess, Agent shall notify the Lenders as soon as practicable (and prior to making any (or any additional) intentional Overadvances (except for and excluding amounts charged to the Loan Account for interest, fees, or Lender Group Expenses) unless Agent determines that prior notice would result in imminent
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harm to the Collateral or its value), and the Lenders thereupon shall, together with Agent, jointly determine the terms of arrangements that shall be implemented with Borrowers intended to reduce, within a reasonable time, the outstanding principal amount of the Advances to Borrowers to an amount permitted by the immediately preceding sentence. In such circumstances, if any Lender objects to the proposed terms of reduction or repayment of any Overadvance, the terms of reduction or repayment thereof shall be implemented according to the determination of the Required Lenders. Each Lender shall be obligated to settle with Agent as provided inSection 2.3(e) for the amount of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of any unintentional Overadvances by Agent reported to such Lender, any intentional Overadvances made as permitted under thisSection 2.3(d)(ii), and any Overadvances resulting from the charging to the Loan Account of interest, fees, or Lender Group Expenses.
(iii) Each Protective Advance and each Overadvance shall be deemed to be an Advance hereunder, except that no Protective Advance or Overadvance shall be eligible to be a LIBOR Rate Loan and, prior to Settlement therefor, all payments on the Protective Advances shall be payable to Agent solely for its own account. The Protective Advances and Overadvances shall be repayable on demand, secured by the Agent’s Liens, constitute Obligations hereunder, and bear interest at the rate applicable from time to time to Advances that are Base Rate Loans. The provisions of thisSection 2.3(d) are for the exclusive benefit of Agent, Swing Lender, and the Lenders and are not intended to benefit any Borrower in any way.
(iv) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, including, without limitation in thisSection 2.3 andSection 2.5, at no time shall the aggregate amount of Protective Advances and Overadvances, collectively, exceed the lesser of (i) $7,500,000 and (ii) an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the Borrowing Base as of the date(s) that such Overadvances or Protective Advances exist.
(e)Settlement.It is agreed that each Lender’s funded portion of the Advances is intended by the Lenders to equal, at all times, such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the outstanding Advances. Such agreement notwithstanding, Agent, Swing Lender, and the other Lenders agree (which agreement shall not be for the benefit of any Borrower) that in order to facilitate the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, settlement among the Lenders as to the Advances, the Swing Loans, and the Protective Advances shall take place on a periodic basis in accordance with the following provisions:
(i) Agent shall request settlement (“Settlement”) with the Lenders on a weekly basis, or on a more frequent basis if so determined by Agent (1) on behalf of Swing Lender, with respect to the outstanding Swing Loans, (2) for itself, with respect to the outstanding Protective Advances, and (3) with respect to Borrowers’ or their Subsidiaries’ Collections or payments received, as to each by notifying the Lenders by telecopy, telephone, or other similar form of transmission, of such requested Settlement, no later than 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on the Business Day immediately prior to the date of such requested Settlement (the date of such requested Settlement being the “Settlement Date”). Such notice of a Settlement Date shall include a summary statement of the amount of outstanding Advances, Swing Loans, and Protective Advances for the period since the prior Settlement Date. Subject to the terms and conditions contained herein (includingSection 2.3(c)(iii)): (y) if a Lender’s balance of the Advances (including Swing Loans and Protective Advances) exceeds such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Advances (including Swing Loans and Protective Advances) as of a Settlement Date, then Agent shall, by no later than 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on the Settlement Date, transfer in immediately available funds to a Deposit Account of such Lender (as such Lender may designate), an amount such that each such Lender shall, upon receipt of such amount, have as of the Settlement Date, its Pro Rata Share of the Advances (including Swing Loans and Protective Advances), and (z) if a Lender’s balance of the Advances (including Swing Loans and Protective Advances) is less than such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Advances (including Swing Loans and Protective Advances) as of a Settlement Date, such Lender shall no later than 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on the Settlement Date transfer in immediately available funds to the Agent’s Account, an amount such that each such Lender shall, upon transfer of such amount, have as of the Settlement Date, its Pro Rata Share of the Advances (including Swing Loans and Protective Advances). Such amounts made available to Agent under clause (z) of the immediately preceding sentence shall be applied against the amounts of the applicable Swing Loans or Protective Advances
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and, together with the portion of such Swing Loans or Protective Advances representing Swing Lender’s Pro Rata Share thereof, shall constitute Advances of such Lenders. If any such amount is not made available to Agent by any Lender on the Settlement Date applicable thereto to the extent required by the terms hereof, Agent shall be entitled to recover for its account such amount on demand from such Lender together with interest thereon at the Defaulting Lender Rate.
(ii) In determining whether a Lender’s balance of the Advances, Swing Loans, and Protective Advances is less than, equal to, or greater than such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Advances, Swing Loans, and Protective Advances as of a Settlement Date, Agent shall, as part of the relevant Settlement, apply to such balance the portion of payments actually received in good funds by Agent with respect to principal, interest, fees payable by Borrowers and allocable to the Lenders hereunder, and, if applicable, proceeds of Collateral. To the extent that a net amount is owed to any such Lender after such application, such net amount shall be distributed by Agent to that Lender as part of such next Settlement.
(iii) Between Settlement Dates, Agent, to the extent Protective Advances or Swing Loans are outstanding, may pay over to Agent or Swing Lender, as applicable, any Collections or payments received by Agent that in accordance with the terms of this Agreement would be applied to the reduction of the Advances, for application to the Protective Advances or Swing Loans. Between Settlement Dates, Agent, to the extent no Protective Advances or Swing Loans are outstanding, may pay over to Swing Lender any payments received by Agent that in accordance with the terms of this Agreement would be applied to the reduction of the Advances, for application to Swing Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Advances. If, as of any Settlement Date, Collections or payments of Borrowers or their Subsidiaries received since the then immediately preceding Settlement Date have been applied to Swing Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Advances other than to Swing Loans, as provided for in the previous sentence, Swing Lender shall pay to Agent for the accounts of the Lenders, and Agent shall pay to the Lenders, to be applied to the outstanding Advances of such Lenders, an amount such that each Lender shall, upon receipt of such amount, have, as of such Settlement Date, its Pro Rata Share of the Advances. During the period between Settlement Dates, Swing Lender with respect to Swing Loans, Agent with respect to Protective Advances, and each Lender (subject to the effect of agreements between Agent and individual Lenders) with respect to the Advances other than Swing Loans and Protective Advances, shall be entitled to interest at the applicable rate or rates payable under this Agreement on the daily amount of funds employed by Swing Lender, Agent, or the Lenders, as applicable.
(f)Notation.Agent shall record on its books the principal amount of the Advances owing to each Lender, including the Swing Loans owing to Swing Lender, and Protective Advances owing to Agent, and the interests therein of each Lender, from time to time and such records shall, absent manifest error, conclusively be presumed to be correct and accurate. In addition, each Lender is authorized, at such Lender’s option, to note the date and amount of each payment or prepayment of principal of such Lender’s Advances in its books and records, including computer records, such books and records constituting conclusive evidence, absent manifest error, of the accuracy of the information contained therein.
(g)Lenders’ Failure to Perform.All Advances (other than Swing Loans and Protective Advances) shall be made by the Lenders contemporaneously and in accordance with their Pro Rata Shares. It is understood that (i) no Lender shall be responsible for any failure by any other Lender to perform its obligation to make any Advance (or other extension of credit) hereunder, nor shall any Commitment of any Lender be increased or decreased as a result of any failure by any other Lender to perform its obligations hereunder, and (ii) no failure by any Lender to perform its obligations hereunder shall excuse any other Lender from its obligations hereunder.
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2.4Payments.
(a)Payments by Borrowers.
(i) Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all payments by Borrowers shall be made to Agent’s Account for the account of the Lender Group and shall be made in immediately available funds, no later than 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on the date specified herein. Any payment received by Agent later than 2:00 p.m. (New York time), shall be deemed to have been received on the following Business Day and any applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue until such following Business Day.
(ii) Unless Agent receives notice from Administrative Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the Lenders that Borrowers will not make such payment in full as and when required, Agent may assume that Borrowers have made (or will make) such payment in full to Agent on such date in immediately available funds and Agent may (but shall not be so required), in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to each Lender on such due date an amount equal to the amount then due such Lender. If and to the extent Borrowers do not make such payment in full to Agent on the date when due, each Lender severally shall repay to Agent on demand such amount distributed to such Lender, together with interest thereon at the Defaulting Lender Rate for each day from the date such amount is distributed to such Lender until the date repaid.
(b)Apportionment and Application.
(i) So long as no Application Event has occurred and is continuing and except as otherwise provided with respect to Defaulting Lenders, all principal and interest payments shall be apportioned ratably among the Lenders (according to the unpaid principal balance of the Obligations to which such payments relate held by each Lender) and all payments of fees and expenses (other than fees or expenses that are for Agent’s separate account) shall be apportioned ratably among the Lenders having a Pro Rata Share of the type of Commitment or Obligation to which a particular fee or expense relates. All payments to be made hereunder by Borrowers shall be remitted to Agent and (subject to Section 2.4(b)(iv) hereof) all such payments, and all proceeds of Collateral received by Agent, shall be applied, so long as no Application Event has occurred and is continuing, to reduce the balance of the Advances outstanding and, thereafter, to Borrowers (to be wired to the Designated Account) or such other Person entitled thereto under applicable law.
(ii) At any time that an Application Event has occurred and is continuing and except as otherwise provided with respect to Defaulting Lenders, all payments remitted to Agent by a Borrower or a Subsidiary of Borrower required hereunder and all proceeds of Collateral received by Agent shall be applied as follows:
(A)first, to pay any Lender Group Expenses (including cost or expense reimbursements) or indemnities then due to Agent under the Loan Documents, until paid in full,
(B)second, to pay any fees or premiums then due to Agent under the Loan Documents until paid in full,
(C)third, to pay interest due in respect of all Protective Advances until paid in full,
(D)fourth, to pay the principal of all Protective Advances until paid in full,
(E)fifth, ratably to pay any Lender Group Expenses (including cost or expense reimbursements) or indemnities then due to any of the Lenders under the Loan Documents, until paid in full,
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(F)sixth, ratably to pay any fees or premiums then due to any of the Lenders under the Loan Documents until paid in full,
(G)seventh, ratably to pay interest due in respect of the Advances (other than Protective Advances), and the Swing Loans until paid in full,
(H)eighth, ratably (i) to pay the principal of all Swing Loans until paid in full, (ii) to pay the principal of all Advances until paid in full, (iii) to Agent, to be held by Agent, for the ratable benefit of Issuing Lender and the Lenders, as cash collateral in an amount up to 105% of the Letter of Credit Usage at such time, and (iv) to Agent, to be held by Agent, for the benefit of the Bank Product Providers, as cash collateral in an amount up to the amount of the Bank Product Reserve established prior to the occurrence of, and not in contemplation of, the subject Application Event,
(I)ninth, to pay any other Obligations (including the provision of amounts to Agent, to be held by Agent, for the benefit of the Bank Product Providers, as cash collateral in an amount up to the amount determined by Agent in its Permitted Discretion as the amount necessary to secure Borrowers’ and their Subsidiaries’ obligations in respect of Bank Products), and
(J)tenth, to Borrowers (to be wired to the Designated Account) or such other Person entitled thereto under applicable law.
(iii) Agent promptly shall distribute to each Lender, pursuant to the applicable wire instructions received from each Lender in writing, such funds as it may be entitled to receive, subject to a Settlement delay as provided inSection 2.3(e).
(iv) In each instance, so long as no Application Event has occurred and is continuing,Section 2.4(b)(i) shall not apply to any payment made by Borrowers to Agent and specified by Borrowers to be for the payment of specific Obligations then due and payable (or prepayable) under any provision of this Agreement.
(v) For purposes ofSection 2.4(b)(ii), “paid in full” means payment of all amounts owing under the Loan Documents according to the terms thereof, including loan fees, service fees, professional fees, interest (and specifically including interest accrued after the commencement of any Insolvency Proceeding), default interest, interest on interest, and expense reimbursements, whether or not any of the foregoing would be or is allowed or disallowed in whole or in part in any Insolvency Proceeding.
(vi) To the extent to which the proceeds of any Collateral are realized under two or more Australian Securities, some of which contain provisions limiting the maximum amount recoverable under such Australian Security to a specified sum (a “Limited Australian Security”) and some of which contain no such limit (an “Unlimited Australian Security”), those proceeds will, to the maximum extent permitted by law, be deemed to have been recovered under, and be applied in accordance with the provisions of, the Unlimited Australian Security.
(vii) In the event of a direct conflict between the priority provisions of thisSection 2.4 and any other provision contained in any other Loan Document, it is the intention of the parties hereto that such provisions be read together and construed, to the fullest extent possible, to be in concert with each other. In the event of any actual, irreconcilable conflict that cannot be resolved as aforesaid, the terms and provisions of thisSection 2.4 shall control and govern.
2.5Overadvances.If, at any time or for any reason, the amount of Obligations (other than Bank Product Obligations) owed by Borrowers to the Lender Group pursuant toSection 2.1 orSection 2.12 is greater than any of the limitations set forth inSection 2.1 orSection 2.12, as applicable (an “Overadvance”),
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Borrowers immediately shall pay to Agent, in cash, the amount of such excess, which amount shall be used by Agent to reduce the Obligations in accordance with the priorities set forth inSection 2.4(b). Borrowers promise to pay the Obligations (including principal, interest, fees, costs, and expenses) in Dollars in full on the Maturity Date or, if earlier, on the date on which the Obligations are declared due and payable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, including, without limitation inSection 2.3 and thisSection 2.5, at no time shall the aggregate amount of Protective Advances and Overadvances, collectively, exceed the limitations set forth inSection 2.3(d)(iv).
2.6Interest Rates and Letter of Credit Fee: Rates, Payments, and Calculations.
(a)Interest Rates.Except as provided inSection 2.6(c), all Obligations (except for undrawn Letters of Credit and except for Bank Product Obligations) that have been charged to the Loan Account pursuant to the terms hereof shall bear interest on the Daily Balance thereof as follows:
(i) if the relevant Obligation is a LIBOR Rate Loan, at a per annum rate equal to the LIBOR Rate plus the LIBOR Rate Margin, and
(ii) otherwise, at a per annum rate equal to the Base Rate plus the Base Rate Margin.
(b)Letter of Credit Fee.Borrowers shall pay Agent (for the ratable benefit of the Lenders, subject to any agreements between Agent and individual Lenders), a Letter of Credit fee (in addition to the charges, commissions, fees, and costs set forth inSection 2.12(e)) which shall accrue at a rate equal to 1.5% per annum times the Daily Balance of the undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit.
(c)Default Rate.Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default, and at the election of the Required Lenders (written notice of which election promptly shall be given by Agent to Administrative Borrower),
(i) all Obligations (except for undrawn Letters of Credit and except for Bank Product Obligations) that have been charged to the Loan Account pursuant to the terms hereof shall bear interest on the Daily Balance thereof at a per annum rate equal to 2 percentage points above the per annum rate otherwise applicable hereunder, and
(ii) the Letter of Credit fee provided for inSection 2.6(b) shall be increased to 2 percentage points above the per annum rate otherwise applicable hereunder.
(d)Payment.Except as provided to the contrary inSection 2.11 orSection 2.13(a), interest, Letter of Credit fees, and all other fees payable hereunder shall be due and payable, in arrears, on the first day of each month at any time that Obligations or Commitments are outstanding. Borrowers hereby authorize Agent, from time to time, without prior notice to Borrowers, to charge all interest and fees (when due and payable), all Lender Group Expenses (as and when incurred), all charges, commissions, fees, and costs provided for inSection 2.12(e) (as and when accrued or incurred), all fees and costs provided for inSection 2.11 (as and when accrued or incurred), and all other payments as and when due and payable under any Loan Document including any amounts due and payable to the Bank Product Providers in respect of Bank Products up to the amount of the Bank Product Reserve) to Borrowers’ Loan Account, which amounts thereafter shall constitute Advances hereunder and shall accrue interest at the rate then applicable to Advances that are Base Rate Loans. Any interest not paid when due shall be compounded
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by being charged to the Loan Account and shall thereafter constitute Advances hereunder and shall accrue interest at the rate then applicable to Advances that are Base Rate Loans.
(e)Computation.All interest and fees chargeable under the Loan Documents shall be computed on the basis of a 360 day year for the actual number of days elapsed. In the event the Base Rate is changed from time to time hereafter, the rates of interest hereunder based upon the Base Rate automatically and immediately shall be increased or decreased by an amount equal to such change in the Base Rate.
(f)Intent to Limit Charges to Maximum Lawful Rate.In no event shall the interest rate or rates payable under this Agreement, plus any other amounts paid in connection herewith, exceed the highest rate permissible under any law that a court of competent jurisdiction shall, in a final determination, deem applicable. Borrowers and the Lender Group, in executing and delivering this Agreement, intend legally to agree upon the rate or rates of interest and manner of payment stated within it;provided,however, that, anything contained herein to the contrary notwithstanding, if said rate or rates of interest or manner of payment exceeds the maximum allowable under applicable law, then,ipso facto, as of the date of this Agreement, Borrowers are and shall be liable only for the payment of such maximum as allowed by law, and payment received from Borrowers in excess of such legal maximum, whenever received, shall be applied to reduce the principal balance of the Obligations to the extent of such excess.
2.7Cash Management.
(a) Borrowers shall and shall cause each of their Material Subsidiaries to (i) establish and maintain cash management services of a type and on terms satisfactory to Agent at one or more of the banks set forth onSchedule 2.7(a) (each a “Cash Management Bank”), and shall request in writing and otherwise take such reasonable steps to ensure that all of their and their Material Subsidiaries’ Account Debtors forward payment of the amounts owed by them directly to such Cash Management Bank, and (ii) deposit or cause to be deposited promptly, and in any event no later than the first Business Day after the date of receipt thereof, all of their Collections (including those sent directly by their Account Debtors to Borrowers or their Material Subsidiaries) into a bank account in Agent’s name (a “Cash Management Account”) at one of the Cash Management Banks.
(b) Each Cash Management Bank shall establish and maintain Cash Management Agreements with Agent and Borrowers, in form and substance reasonably acceptable to Agent. Each such Cash Management Agreement shall provide, among other things, that (i) all items of payment deposited in such Cash Management Account and proceeds thereof are held by such Cash Management Bank agent or bailee in possession for Agent, (ii) the Cash Management Bank has no rights of setoff or recoupment or any other claim against the applicable Cash Management Account, other than for payment of its service fees and other charges directly related to the administration of such Cash Management Account and for returned checks or other items of payment, and (iii) upon receipt of written notice from Agent, such Cash Management Bank immediately will forward by daily sweep all amounts in the applicable Cash Management Account to the Agent’s Account. Unless an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, Agent will not exercise its control over any Cash Management Account. If Agent has exercised its control over any Cash Management Account, Agent shall discontinue the exercise of its control over such Cash Management Account at such time as no Event of Default has existed for a period of sixty (60) consecutive days;provided, that, nothing herein shall affect Agent’s right to reinstate its control over any such Cash Management Account upon any subsequent occurrence, and during the continuation, of an Event of Default. So long as
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no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, Administrative Borrower may amendSchedule 2.7(a) to add or replace a Cash Management Bank or Cash Management Account;provided,however, that (i) such prospective Cash Management Bank shall be reasonably satisfactory to Agent, and (ii) prior to the time of the opening of such Cash Management Account, a Borrower (or its Material Subsidiary, as applicable) and such prospective Cash Management Bank shall have executed and delivered to Agent a Cash Management Agreement. Borrowers (or their Material Subsidiaries, as applicable) shall close any of their Cash Management Accounts (and establish replacement cash management accounts in accordance with the foregoing sentence) promptly and in any event within 30 days of notice from Agent that the creditworthiness of any Cash Management Bank is no longer acceptable in Agent’s reasonable judgment, or as promptly as practicable and in any event within 60 days of notice from Agent that the operating performance, funds transfer, or availability procedures or performance of the Cash Management Bank with respect to Cash Management Accounts or Agent’s liability under any Cash Management Agreement with such Cash Management Bank is no longer acceptable in Agent’s reasonable judgment.
(c) Each Cash Management Account shall be a cash collateral account subject to a Control Agreement.
2.8Crediting Payments.The receipt of any payment item by Agent (whether from transfers to Agent by the Cash Management Banks pursuant to the Cash Management Agreements or otherwise) shall not be considered a payment on account unless such payment item is a wire transfer of immediately available federal funds made to the Agent’s Account or unless and until such payment item is honored when presented for payment. Should any payment item not be honored when presented for payment, then Borrowers shall be deemed not to have made such payment and interest shall be calculated accordingly. Anything to the contrary contained herein notwithstanding, any payment item shall be deemed received by Agent only if it is received into the Agent’s Account on a Business Day on or before 2:00 p.m. (New York time). If any payment item is received into the Agent’s Account on a non-Business Day or after 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on a Business Day, it shall be deemed to have been received by Agent as of the opening of business on the immediately following Business Day.
2.9Designated Account.Agent is authorized to make the Advances, and Issuing Lender is authorized to issue the Letters of Credit, under this Agreement based upon telephonic or other instructions received from anyone reasonably believed by Agent in good faith to be an Authorized Person or, without instructions, if pursuant toSection 2.6(d). Administrative Borrower agrees to establish and maintain the Designated Account with the Designated Account Bank for the purpose of receiving the proceeds of the Advances requested by Borrowers and made by Agent or the Lenders hereunder. Unless otherwise agreed by Agent and Administrative Borrower, any Advance, Protective Advance, or Swing Loan requested by Borrowers and made by Agent or the Lenders hereunder shall be made to the Designated Account.
2.10Maintenance of Loan Account; Statements of Obligations.Agent shall maintain an account on its books in the name of Borrowers (the “Loan Account”) on which Borrowers will be charged with all Advances (including Protective Advances and Swing Loans) made by Agent, Swing Lender, or the Lenders to Borrowers or for Borrowers’ account, the Letters of Credit issued by Issuing Lender for Borrowers’ account, and with all other payment Obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents (except for Bank Product Obligations), including accrued interest, fees and expenses, and Lender Group Expenses. In accordance withSection 2.8, the Loan Account will be credited with all payments received by Agent from Borrowers or for Borrowers’ account, including all amounts received in the Agent’s Account from any Cash Management Bank. Agent shall render statements regarding the Loan Account to Administrative Borrower, including principal, interest, fees, and including an itemization of all charges and expenses constituting Lender Group Expenses owing, and such statements, absent manifest error, shall be conclusively presumed to be correct and accurate and constitute an account stated between Borrowers and the Lender Group unless, within
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30 days after receipt thereof by Administrative Borrower, Administrative Borrower shall deliver to Agent written objection thereto describing the error or errors contained in any such statements.
2.11Fees.Borrowers shall pay to Agent, as and when due and payable under the terms of the Fee Letter, the fees set forth in the Fee Letter.
2.12Letters of Credit.
(a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Issuing Lender agrees to issue letters of credit for the account of Borrowers (each, an “L/C”) or to purchase participations or execute indemnities or reimbursement obligations (each such undertaking, an “L/C Undertaking”) with respect to letters of credit issued by an Underlying Issuer (as of the Closing Date, the prospective Underlying Issuer is to be Wells Fargo) for the account of Borrowers. Each request for the issuance of a Letter of Credit, or the amendment, renewal, or extension of any outstanding Letter of Credit, shall be made in writing by an Authorized Person and delivered to the Issuing Lender and Agent via hand delivery, telefacsimile, or other electronic method of transmission reasonably in advance of the requested date of issuance, amendment, renewal, or extension. Each such request shall be in form and substance satisfactory to the Issuing Lender in its Permitted Discretion and shall specify (i) the amount of such Letter of Credit, (ii) the proposed date of issuance, amendment, renewal, or extension of such Letter of Credit, (iii) the expiration date of such Letter of Credit, (iv) the name and address of the beneficiary thereof (or the beneficiary of the Underlying Letter of Credit, as applicable), and (v) such other information (including, in the case of an amendment, renewal, or extension, identification of the outstanding Letter of Credit to be so amended, renewed, or extended) as shall be necessary to prepare, issue, amend, renew, or extend such Letter of Credit. If requested by the Issuing Lender, Borrowers also shall be an applicant under the application with respect to any Underlying Letter of Credit that is to be the subject of an L/C Undertaking. The Issuing Lender shall have no obligation to issue a Letter of Credit if any of the following would result after giving effect to the issuance of such requested Letter of Credit:
(i) the Letter of Credit Usage would exceed the Borrowing Baselessthe outstanding amount of Advances, or
(ii) the Letter of Credit Usage would exceed $25,000,000, or
(iii) the Letter of Credit Usage would exceed the Maximum Revolver Amountlessthe outstanding amount of Advancesless the Bank Product Reserve, andless the aggregate amount of reserves, if any, established by Agent underSection 2.1(b).
Borrowers and the Lender Group acknowledge and agree that certain Underlying Letters of Credit may be issued to support letters of credit that already are outstanding as of the Closing Date. Except as otherwise agreed to by the Lenders (as evidenced by the issuance thereof), each Letter of Credit (and corresponding Underlying Letter of Credit) shall have an expiry date no later than 30 days prior to the Maturity Date (unless cash collateralized or collateralized with a standby letter of credit, in each case satisfactory to Issuing Lender in the exercise of its Permitted Discretion) and all such Letters of Credit (and corresponding Underlying Letters of Credit) shall be in form and substance acceptable to the Issuing Lender (in the exercise of its Permitted Discretion), including the requirement that the amounts payable thereunder must be payable in Dollars. If Issuing Lender is obligated to advance funds under a Letter of Credit, Borrowers immediately shall reimburse such L/C Disbursement to Issuing Lender by paying to Agent an amount equal to such L/C Disbursement not later than 2:00 p.m., New York time, on the date that such L/C Disbursement is made, if Administrative Borrower shall have received written or telephonic notice of such L/C Disbursement prior to 1:00 p.m., New York time, on such date, or, if such notice has not been received by Administrative Borrower
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prior to such time on such date, then not later than 2:00 p.m., New York time, on the Business Day that Administrative Borrower receives such notice, if such notice is received prior to 1:00 p.m., New York time, on the date of receipt, and, in the absence of such reimbursement, the L/C Disbursement immediately and automatically shall be deemed to be an Advance hereunder and, initially, shall bear interest at the rate then applicable to Advances that are Base Rate Loans. To the extent an L/C Disbursement is deemed to be an Advance hereunder, Borrowers’ obligation to reimburse such L/C Disbursement shall be discharged and replaced by the resulting Advance. Promptly following receipt by Agent of any payment from Borrowers pursuant to this paragraph, Agent shall distribute such payment to the Issuing Lender or, to the extent that Lenders have made payments pursuant toSection 2.12(b) to reimburse the Issuing Lender, then to such Lenders and the Issuing Lender as their interests may appear.
(b) Promptly following receipt of a notice of L/C Disbursement pursuant toSection 2.12(a), each Lender agrees to fund its Pro Rata Share of any Advance deemed made pursuant to the foregoing subsection on the same terms and conditions as if Borrowers had requested such Advance and Agent shall promptly pay to Issuing Lender the amounts so received by it from the Lenders. By the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or an amendment to a Letter of Credit increasing the amount thereof) and without any further action on the part of the Issuing Lender or the Lenders, the Issuing Lender shall be deemed to have granted to each Lender, and each Lender shall be deemed to have purchased, a participation in each Letter of Credit, in an amount equal to its Pro Rata Share of the Risk Participation Liability of such Letter of Credit, and each such Lender agrees to pay to Agent, for the account of the Issuing Lender, such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of any payments made by the Issuing Lender under such Letter of Credit. In consideration and in furtherance of the foregoing, each Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees to pay to Agent, for the account of the Issuing Lender, such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of each L/C Disbursement made by the Issuing Lender and not reimbursed by Borrowers on the date due as provided inSection 2.12(a), or of any reimbursement payment required to be refunded to Borrowers for any reason. Each Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to deliver to Agent, for the account of the Issuing Lender, an amount equal to its respective Pro Rata Share of each L/C Disbursement made by the Issuing Lender pursuant to thisSection 2.12(b) shall be absolute and unconditional and such remittance shall be made notwithstanding the occurrence or continuation of an Event of Default or Default or the failure to satisfy any condition set forth inSection 3. If any such Lender fails to make available to Agent the amount of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of each L/C Disbursement made by the Issuing Lender in respect of such Letter of Credit as provided in this Section, such Lender shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender and Agent (for the account of the Issuing Lender) shall be entitled to recover such amount on demand from such Lender together with interest thereon at the Defaulting Lender Rate until paid in full.
(c) Each Borrower hereby agrees to indemnify, save, defend, and hold the Lender Group harmless from any loss, cost, expense, or liability, and reasonable attorneys fees incurred by the Lender Group arising out of or in connection with any Letter of Credit;provided,however, that no Borrower shall be obligated hereunder to indemnify for any loss, cost, expense, or liability to the extent that it is caused by the bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Issuing Lender or any other member of the Lender Group. Each Borrower agrees to be bound by the Underlying Issuer’s regulations and interpretations of any Underlying Letter of Credit or by Issuing Lender’s interpretations of any L/C issued by Issuing Lender to or for such Borrower’s account, even though this interpretation may be different from such Borrower’s own, and each Borrower understands and agrees that the Lender Group shall not be liable for any error, negligence, or mistake, whether of omission or commission, in following Borrowers’ instructions in good faith or those contained in the Letter of Credit or any modifications, amendments, or supplements thereto. Each Borrower understands that the L/C Undertakings may require Issuing Lender
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to indemnify the Underlying Issuer for certain costs or liabilities arising out of claims by Borrowers against such Underlying Issuer. Each Borrower hereby agrees to indemnify, save, defend, and hold the Lender Group harmless with respect to any loss, cost, expense (including reasonable attorneys fees), or liability incurred by the Lender Group under any L/C Undertaking as a result of the Lender Group’s indemnification of any Underlying Issuer;provided,however, that no Borrower shall be obligated hereunder to indemnify for any loss, cost, expense, or liability to the extent that it is caused by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Issuing Lender or any other member of the Lender Group. Each Borrower hereby acknowledges and agrees that neither the Lender Group nor the Issuing Lender shall be responsible for delays, errors, or omissions to the extent caused by the malfunction of equipment in connection with any Letter of Credit.
(d) Each Borrower hereby authorizes and directs any Underlying Issuer to deliver to the Issuing Lender all instruments, documents, and other writings and property received by such Underlying Issuer pursuant to such Underlying Letter of Credit and to accept and rely upon the Issuing Lender’s instructions with respect to all matters arising in connection with such Underlying Letter of Credit and the related application.
(e) Any and all issuance charges, commissions, fees, and costs incurred by the Issuing Lender relating to Underlying Letters of Credit shall be Lender Group Expenses for purposes of this Agreement and immediately shall be reimbursable by Borrowers to Agent for the account of the Issuing Lender; it being acknowledged and agreed by each Borrower that, as of the Closing Date, the issuance charge imposed by the prospective Underlying Issuer is .825% per annum times the undrawn amount of each Underlying Letter of Credit, that such issuance charge may be changed from time to time, and that the Underlying Issuer also imposes a schedule of charges for amendments, extensions, drawings, and renewals. Agent shall endeavor to provide Administrative Borrower with prompt written notice of any revision of such charges or schedule of charges, but the delivery of such notice shall not be a condition to the effectiveness of such revision.
(f) If by reason of (i) any change after the Closing Date in any applicable law, treaty, rule, or regulation or any change in the interpretation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority, or (ii) compliance by the Underlying Issuer or the Lender Group with any direction, request, or requirement (irrespective of whether having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority or monetary authority including, Regulation D of the Federal Reserve Board as from time to time in effect (and any successor thereto):
(i) any reserve, deposit, or similar requirement is or shall be imposed or modified in respect of any Letter of Credit issued hereunder, or
(ii) there shall be imposed on the Underlying Issuer or the Lender Group any other condition regarding any Underlying Letter of Credit or any Letter of Credit issued pursuant hereto;
and the result of the foregoing is to increase, directly or indirectly, the cost to the Lender Group of issuing, making, guaranteeing, or maintaining any Letter of Credit or to reduce the amount receivable in respect thereof by the Lender Group, then, and in any such case, Agent may, at any time within a reasonable period after the additional cost is incurred or the amount received is reduced, notify Administrative Borrower by delivery of the certificate referenced in the immediately following sentence, and Borrowers shall pay promptly after demand such amounts as Agent may specify to be necessary to compensate the Lender Group for such additional cost or reduced receipt, together with interest on such amount from the date of such demand until payment in full thereof at the rate then applicable to Base Rate Loans hereunder. The determination by Agent
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of any amount due pursuant to this Section, as set forth in a certificate setting forth the calculation thereof in reasonable detail, shall, in the absence of manifest or demonstrable error, be final and conclusive and binding on all of the parties hereto.
2.13LIBOR Option.
(a)Interest and Interest Payment Dates.In lieu of having interest charged at the rate based upon the Base Rate, Borrowers shall have the option (the “LIBOR Option”) to have interest on all or a portion of the Advances be charged (whether at the time when made (unless otherwise provided herein), upon conversion from a Base Rate Loan to a LIBOR Rate Loan, or upon continuation of a LIBOR Rate Loan as a LIBOR Rate Loan) at a rate of interest based upon the LIBOR Rate. Interest on LIBOR Rate Loans shall be payable on the earliest of (i) the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, (ii) the date on which all or any portion of the Obligations are accelerated pursuant to the terms hereof, or (iii) the date on which this Agreement is terminated pursuant to the terms hereof. On the last day of each applicable Interest Period, unless Administrative Borrower properly has exercised the LIBOR Option with respect thereto, the interest rate applicable to such LIBOR Rate Loan automatically shall convert to the rate of interest then applicable to Base Rate Loans of the same type hereunder. At any time that an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, Borrowers no longer shall have the option to request that Advances bear interest at a rate based upon the LIBOR Rate and Agent shall have the right to convert, at the end of the applicable Interest Period, the interest rate on all outstanding LIBOR Rate Loans to the rate then applicable to Base Rate Loans hereunder.
(b)LIBOR Election.
(i) Administrative Borrower may, at any time and from time to time, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, elect to exercise the LIBOR Option by notifying Agent prior to 2:00 p.m. (New York time) at least 3 Business Days prior to the commencement of the proposed Interest Period (the “LIBOR Deadline”). Notice of Administrative Borrower’s election of the LIBOR Option for a permitted portion of the Advances and an Interest Period pursuant to this Section shall be made by delivery to Agent of a LIBOR Notice received by Agent before the LIBOR Deadline, or by telephonic notice received by Agent before the LIBOR Deadline (to be confirmed by delivery to Agent of a LIBOR Notice received by Agent prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York time) on the same day). Promptly upon its receipt of each such LIBOR Notice, Agent shall provide a copy thereof to each of the affected Lenders.
(ii) Each LIBOR Notice shall be irrevocable and binding on Borrowers. In connection with each LIBOR Rate Loan, each Borrower shall indemnify, defend, and hold Agent and the Lenders harmless against any loss, cost, or expense incurred by Agent or any Lender as a result of (A) the payment of any principal of any LIBOR Rate Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default), (B) the conversion of any LIBOR Rate Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, or (C) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any LIBOR Rate Loan on the date specified in any LIBOR Notice delivered pursuant hereto (such losses, costs, or expenses, “Funding Losses”). Funding Losses shall, with respect to Agent or any Lender, be deemed to equal the amount determined by Agent or such Lender to be the excess, if any, of (1) the amount of interest that would have accrued on the principal amount of such LIBOR Rate Loan had such event not occurred, at the LIBOR Rate that would have been applicable thereto, for the period from the date of such event to the last day of the then current Interest Period therefor (or, in the case of a failure to borrow, convert, or continue, for the period that would have been the Interest Period therefor),minus (2) the amount of interest that would accrue on such principal amount for such period at the interest rate which Agent or such Lender would be offered were it to be offered, at the commencement of such period, Dollar deposits of a comparable amount and period in the London interbank market. A certificate of Agent or a Lender delivered to Administrative Borrower setting forth the calculation of any amount or amounts that Agent or such Lender is
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entitled to receive pursuant to thisSection 2.13 shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Agent or such Lender shall not be entitled to recover under this Section losses, costs or expenses incurred by Agent or such Lender as a result of the bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct of Agent or such Lender, as applicable.
(iii) Borrowers shall have not more than 7 LIBOR Rate Loans in effect at any given time. Borrowers only may exercise the LIBOR Option for LIBOR Rate Loans of at least $5,000,000 and integral multiples of $1,000,000 in excess thereof.
(c)Conversion.Borrowers may convert LIBOR Rate Loans to Base Rate Loans at any time;provided,however, that in the event that LIBOR Rate Loans are converted or prepaid on any date that is not the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, including as a result of any automatic prepayment through the required application by Agent of proceeds of Borrowers’ and their Subsidiaries’ Collections in accordance withSection 2.4(b) or for any other reason, including early termination of the term of this Agreement or acceleration of all or any portion of the Obligations pursuant to the terms hereof, each Borrower shall indemnify, defend, and hold Agent and the Lenders and their Participants harmless against any and all Funding Losses in accordance withSection 2.13 (b)(ii) above.
(d)Special Provisions Applicable to LIBOR Rate.
(i) The LIBOR Rate may be adjusted by Agent with respect to any Lender on a prospective basis to take into account any additional or increased costs to such Lender of maintaining or obtaining any eurodollar deposits or increased costs, in each case, due to changes in applicable law occurring subsequent to the commencement of the then applicable Interest Period, including changes in tax laws (except changes of general applicability in corporate income tax laws) and changes in the reserve requirements imposed by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (or any successor), excluding the Reserve Percentage, which additional or increased costs would increase the cost of funding or maintaining loans bearing interest at the LIBOR Rate. In any such event, the affected Lender shall give Administrative Borrower and Agent prompt written notice of such a determination and adjustment and Agent promptly shall transmit the notice to each other Lender and, upon its receipt of the notice from the affected Lender, Administrative Borrower may, by notice to such affected Lender (y) require such Lender to furnish to Administrative Borrower a statement setting forth the basis for adjusting such LIBOR Rate and the method for determining the amount of such adjustment, or (z) repay the LIBOR Rate Loans with respect to which such adjustment is made (together with any amounts due underSection 2.13(b)(ii)).
(ii) In the event that any change in market conditions or any law, regulation, treaty, or directive, or any change therein or in the interpretation of application thereof, shall at any time after the date hereof, in the reasonable opinion of any Lender, make it unlawful or impractical for such Lender to fund or maintain LIBOR Rate Loans or to continue such funding or maintaining, or to determine or charge interest rates at the LIBOR Rate, such Lender shall give written notice of such changed circumstances to Agent and Administrative Borrower and Agent promptly shall transmit the notice to each other Lender and (y) in the case of any LIBOR Rate Loans of such Lender that are outstanding, the date specified in such Lender’s notice shall be deemed to be the last day of the Interest Period of such LIBOR Rate Loans, and interest upon the LIBOR Rate Loans of such Lender thereafter shall accrue interest at the rate then applicable to Base Rate Loans, and (z) Borrowers shall not be entitled to elect the LIBOR Option until such Lender determines that it would no longer be unlawful or impractical to do so.
(e)No Requirement of Matched Funding.Anything to the contrary contained herein notwithstanding, neither Agent, nor any Lender, nor any of their Participants, is required actually to acquire eurodollar deposits to fund or otherwise match fund any Obligation as to which interest accrues at the LIBOR Rate. The provisions of this
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Section shall apply as if each Lender or its Participants had match funded any Obligation as to which interest is accruing at the LIBOR Rate by acquiring eurodollar deposits for each Interest Period in the amount of the LIBOR Rate Loans.
2.14Capital Requirements.If, after the date hereof, any Lender reasonably determines that (i) the adoption of or change in any law, rule, regulation or guideline regarding capital requirements for banks or bank holding companies, or any change in the interpretation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority charged with the administration thereof, or (ii) compliance by such Lender or its parent bank holding company with any guideline, request or directive of any such entity regarding capital adequacy (whether or not having the force of law), has the effect of reducing the return on such Lender’s or such holding company’s capital as a consequence of such Lender’s Commitments hereunder to a level below that which such Lender or such holding company could have achieved but for such adoption, change, or compliance (taking into consideration such Lender’s or such holding company’s then existing policies with respect to capital adequacy and assuming the full utilization of such entity’s capital) by any amount deemed by such Lender to be material, then such Lender may notify in writing Administrative Borrower and Agent thereof. Following receipt of such notice, Borrowers agree to pay such Lender on demand the amount of such reduction of return of capital as and when such reduction is determined, payable within 90 days after presentation by such Lender of a statement in the amount and setting forth in reasonable detail such Lender’s calculation thereof and the assumptions upon which such calculation was based (which statement shall be deemed true and correct absent manifest error). In determining such amount, such Lender may use any reasonable averaging and attribution methods.
2.15Joint and Several Liability of Borrowers.
(a) Each Borrower is accepting joint and several liability hereunder and under the other Loan Documents in consideration of the financial accommodations to be provided by the Lender Group under this Agreement, for the mutual benefit, directly and indirectly, of each Borrower and in consideration of the undertakings of the other Borrowers to accept joint and several liability for the Obligations.
(b) Each Borrower, jointly and severally, hereby irrevocably and unconditionally accepts, not merely as a surety but also as a co-debtor, joint and several liability with the other Borrowers, with respect to the payment and performance of all of the Obligations (including any Obligations arising under thisSection 2.15), it being the intention of the parties hereto that all the Obligations shall be the joint and several obligations of each Borrower without preferences or distinction among them.
(c) If and to the extent that any Borrower shall fail to make any payment with respect to any of the Obligations as and when due or to perform any of the Obligations in accordance with the terms thereof, then in each such event the other Borrowers will make such payment with respect to, or perform, such Obligation.
(d) The Obligations of each Borrower under the provisions of thisSection 2.15 constitute the absolute and unconditional, full recourse Obligations of each Borrower enforceable against each Borrower to the full extent of its properties and assets, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of this Agreement or any other circumstances whatsoever.
(e) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, each Borrower hereby waives notice of acceptance of its joint and several liability, notice of any Advances or Letters of Credit issued under or pursuant to this Agreement, notice of the occurrence of any Default, Event of Default, or of any demand for any payment under this Agreement, notice of any action at any time taken or omitted by Agent or Lenders under or in respect of any of the Obligations, any requirement of diligence or to mitigate damages
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and, generally, to the extent permitted by applicable law, all demands, notices and other formalities of every kind in connection with this Agreement (except as otherwise provided in this Agreement). Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, each Borrower hereby assents to, and waives notice of, any extension or postponement of the time for the payment of any of the Obligations, the acceptance of any payment of any of the Obligations, the acceptance of any partial payment thereon, any waiver, consent or other action or acquiescence by Agent or Lenders at any time or times in respect of any default by any Borrower in the performance or satisfaction of any term, covenant, condition or provision of this Agreement, any and all other indulgences whatsoever by Agent or Lenders in respect of any of the Obligations, and the taking, addition, substitution or release, in whole or in part, at any time or times, of any security for any of the Obligations or the addition, substitution or release, in whole or in part, of any Borrower. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Borrower assents to any other action or delay in acting or failure to act on the part of any Agent or Lender with respect to the failure by any Borrower to comply with any of its respective Obligations, including, without limitation, any failure strictly or diligently to assert any right or to pursue any remedy or to comply fully with applicable laws or regulations thereunder, which might, but for the provisions of thisSection 2.15 afford grounds for terminating, discharging or relieving any Borrower, in whole or in part, from any of its Obligations under thisSection 2.15, it being the intention of each Borrower that, so long as any of the Obligations hereunder remain unsatisfied, the Obligations of each Borrower under thisSection 2.15 shall not be discharged except by performance and then only to the extent of such performance. The Obligations of each Borrower under thisSection 2.15 shall not be diminished or rendered unenforceable by any winding up, reorganization, arrangement, liquidation, reconstruction or similar proceeding with respect to any Borrower or any Agent or Lender. The joint and several liability of the Borrowers hereunder shall continue in full force and effect notwithstanding any absorption, merger, amalgamation or any other change whatsoever in the name, constitution or place of formation of any of the Borrowers or any Agent or Lender.
(f) Each Borrower represents and warrants to Agent and Lenders that such Borrower is currently informed of the financial condition of Borrowers and of all other circumstances which a diligent inquiry would reveal and which bear upon the risk of nonpayment of the Obligations. Each Borrower further represents and warrants to Agent and Lenders that such Borrower has read and understands the terms and conditions of the Loan Documents. Each Borrower hereby covenants that such Borrower will continue to keep informed of Borrowers’ financial condition, the financial condition of other guarantors, if any, and of all other circumstances which bear upon the risk of nonpayment or nonperformance of the Obligations.
(g) The provisions of thisSection 2.15 are made for the benefit of Agent, Lenders and their respective successors and assigns, and may be enforced by it or them from time to time against any or all Borrowers as often as occasion therefor may arise and without requirement on the part of Agent, Lender, successor or assign first to marshal any of its or their claims or to exercise any of its or their rights against any Borrower or to exhaust any remedies available to it or them against any Borrower or to resort to any other source or means of obtaining payment of any of the Obligations hereunder or to elect any other remedy. The provisions of thisSection 2.15 shall remain in effect until all of the Obligations shall have been paid in full or otherwise fully satisfied. If at any time, any payment, or any part thereof, made in respect of any of the Obligations, is rescinded or must otherwise be restored or returned by Agent or any Lender upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of any Borrower, or otherwise, the provisions of thisSection 2.15 will forthwith be reinstated in effect, as though such payment had not been made.
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(h) Each Borrower hereby agrees that it will not enforce any of its rights of contribution or subrogation against any other Borrower with respect to any liability incurred by it hereunder or under any of the other Loan Documents, any payments made by it to Agent or Lenders with respect to any of the Obligations or any collateral security therefor until such time as all of the Obligations (other than those that by their terms survive termination) have been paid in full in cash or such Obligations are otherwise satisfied in a manner acceptable to Agent. Any claim which any Borrower may have against any other Borrower with respect to any payments to any Agent or Lender hereunder or under any other Loan Documents are hereby expressly made subordinate and junior in right of payment, without limitation as to any increases in the Obligations arising hereunder or thereunder, to the prior payment in full in cash of the Obligations or such Obligations are otherwise satisfied in a manner acceptable to Agent and, in the event of any insolvency, bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation, reorganization or other similar proceeding under the laws of any jurisdiction relating to any Borrower, its debts or its assets, whether voluntary or involuntary, all such Obligations shall be paid in full in cash before any payment or distribution of any character, whether in cash, securities or other property, shall be made to any other Borrower therefor.
(i) Each Borrower hereby agrees that, after the occurrence and during the continuance of any Default or Event of Default, the payment of any amounts due with respect to the indebtedness owing by any Borrower to any other Borrower is hereby subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of the Obligations or satisfied in a manner otherwise acceptable to Agent. Each Borrower hereby agrees that after the occurrence and during the continuance of any Default or Event of Default, such Borrower will not demand, sue for or otherwise attempt to collect any indebtedness of any other Borrower owing to such Borrower until the Obligations shall have been paid in full in cash or satisfied in a manner otherwise acceptable to Agent. If, notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, such Borrower shall collect, enforce or receive any amounts in respect of such indebtedness, such amounts shall be collected, enforced and received by such Borrower as trustee for Agent, and such Borrower shall deliver any such amounts to Agent for application to the Obligations in accordance withSection 2.4(b).
2.16Additional Borrowers. Any Subsidiary may, with the consent of Agent and Lenders, join this Agreement as a Borrower (an “Additional Borrower”) for all purposes hereunder (expressly including, without limitation, all purposes set forth in and subject to all terms and conditions ofSection 2.15), upon delivery to the Agent of (i) an appropriate amendment or instrument of joinder and (ii) such items described inSection 3.1 andSection 3.2 as are applicable to such Additional Borrower. Agent and Lenders may, in their sole and absolute discretion, establish maximum amounts for Revolver Usage by Additional Borrowers that are Foreign Borrowers as provided inSection 2.2. Nothing herein shall be deemed to commit Agent or Lenders to consent to the addition or joinder of any particular or individual Additional Borrower.
2.17Foreign Currencies. All Advances shall be made in Dollars. All Letters of Credit shall be denominated in Dollars, Euros, British Pounds, Australian Dollars and such other currencies as agreed to by Agent in its Permitted Discretion. Agent and Lenders shall permit the conversion by Borrower of any Advance made by or for or Letter of Credit issued for the direct benefit or use of a Foreign Borrower to a currency other than Dollars by means of a foreign exchange facility provided by an Affiliate of Agent,provided that (a) such currency is freely available for purchase or exchange in international currency markets, (b) the making of such Advance or issuance of such Letter of Credit does not otherwise violate any term or condition of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents, and (c) for purposes of determining Revolver Usage, all amounts of Advances and Letters of Credit to or for the direct benefit or use of Foreign Borrowers shall be calculated in Dollar equivalents as of the date such Advance is made.
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2.18Foreign Accounts. Agent may, in its discretion, discount the amount of any Accounts that are not payable in Dollars by an amount deemed appropriate in Agent’s Permitted Discretion to account for currency exchange risks and such other factors affecting perfection, enforceability, collection, credit risk, or political risk or other risks as Agent may determine, or create or apply such reserves in respect of Accounts not payable in Dollars as Agent deems appropriate in its Permitted Discretion.
2.19Reserved.
2.20Currency; Judgment. This is an international financial transaction in which the specification of a currency and payment in New York, New York is of the essence. Dollars shall be the currency of account in the case of all payments pursuant to or arising under this Agreement or under any other Loan Document, and all such payments shall be made to Agent’s Account in New York, New York in immediately available funds. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, the obligations of each Borrower to the Lender Group under this Agreement and under the other Loan Documents shall not be discharged by any amount paid in any other currency or in a place other than to Agent’s Account in New York, New York to the extent that the amount so paid after conversion under this Agreement and transfer to New York, New York does not yield the amount of Dollars in New York, New York due under this Agreement and under the other Loan Documents. If, for the purposes of obtaining judgment in any court, it is necessary to convert a sum due hereunder in Dollars into another currency (the “Other Currency”), to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, the rate of exchange used shall be that at which the Other Currency on the Business Day preceding that on which final judgment is given. The obligation of each Borrower in respect of any such sum due from it to the Lender Group hereunder shall, notwithstanding any judgment in such Other Currency, be discharged only to the extent that, on the Business Day immediately following the date on which Agent receives any sum adjudged to be so due in the Other Currency, Agent may, in accordance with normal banking procedures, purchase Dollars with the Other Currency. If the Dollars so purchased are less that the sum originally due to the Lender Group in Dollars, each Borrower agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Lender Group against such loss, and if the Dollars so purchased exceed the sum originally due to the Lender Group in Dollars, the Lender Group agrees to remit to Borrowers such excess.
3. | CONDITIONS; TERM OF AGREEMENT. |
3.1Conditions Precedent to the Initial Extension of Credit.The obligation of each Lender to make its initial extension of credit provided for hereunder, is subject to the fulfillment, to the satisfaction of Agent and each Lender of each of the conditions precedent set forth onSchedule 3.1 (the making of such initial extension of credit by a Lender being conclusively deemed to be its satisfaction or waiver of the conditions precedent).
3.2Conditions Precedent to all Extensions of Credit.The obligation of the Lender Group (or any member thereof) to make any Advances hereunder (or to extend any other credit hereunder) at any time shall be subject to the following conditions precedent:
(a) the representations and warranties of Borrower or its Subsidiaries contained in this Agreement or in the other Loan Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects (except that such materiality qualifier shall not be applicable to any representations and warranties that already are qualified or modified by materiality in the text thereof) on and as of the date of such extension of credit, as though made on and as of such date (except to the extent that such representations and warranties relate solely to an earlier date);
(b) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such extension of credit, nor shall either result from the making thereof; and
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(c) no injunction, writ, restraining order, or other order of any nature restricting or prohibiting, directly or indirectly, the extending of such credit shall have been issued and remain in force by any Governmental Authority against any Borrower, Agent, or any Lender.
3.3Term.This Agreement shall continue in full force and effect for a term ending on July 31, 2012 (the “Maturity Date”). The foregoing notwithstanding, the Lender Group, upon the election of the Required Lenders, shall have the right to terminate its obligations under this Agreement immediately and without notice upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default in accordance with Section 8.1.
3.4Effect of Termination.On the date of termination of this Agreement, all monetary Obligations (including contingent reimbursement obligations of Borrowers with respect to outstanding Letters of Credit and including all Bank Product Obligations) immediately shall become due and payable without notice or demand (including the requirement that Borrower provide (a) Letter of Credit Collateralization and (b) Bank Product Collateralization). No termination of this Agreement, however, shall relieve or discharge Borrowers or their Subsidiaries of their duties, Obligations, or covenants hereunder or under any other Loan Document and the Agent’s Liens in the Collateral shall remain in effect until, with respect to all of the foregoing, all monetary Obligations have been paid in full or are otherwise satisfied in a manner acceptable to Agent and the Lender Group’s obligations to provide additional credit hereunder have been terminated. When this Agreement has been terminated and all of the monetary Obligations have been paid in full or are otherwise satisfied in a manner acceptable to Agent and the Lender Group’s obligations to provide additional credit under the Loan Documents have been terminated irrevocably, Agent will, at Borrowers’ sole expense, execute and deliver any termination statements, lien releases, mortgage releases, re-assignments of trademarks, discharges of security interests, and other similar discharge or release documents (and, if applicable, in recordable form) as are reasonably necessary to release, as of record, the Agent’s Liens and all notices of security interests and liens previously filed by Agent with respect to the Obligations.
3.5Early Termination by Borrowers.Borrowers have the option, at any time upon at least 15 Business Days prior written notice from Administrative Borrower to Agent, to terminate this Agreement and terminate the Commitments hereunder by paying to Agent, in cash, the Obligations (including (a) providing Letter of Credit Collateralization with respect to the then existing Letter of Credit Usage, and (b) providing Bank Product Collateralization with respect to the then existing Bank Products), in full. If the Administrative Borrower has sent a notice of termination pursuant to the provisions of this Section, then the Commitments shall terminate and Borrowers shall be obligated to repay the Obligations (including (a) providing Letter of Credit Collateralization with respect to the then existing Letter of Credit Usage, and (b) providing Bank Product Collateralization with respect to the then existing Bank Products), in full, on the date set forth as the date of termination of this Agreement in such notice.
3.6Voluntary Reductions of Maximum Revolver Amount. Borrowers have the option, at any time upon at least 15 Business Days prior written notice from Administrative Borrower to Agent, to permanently reduce the Maximum Revolver Amount in minimum aggregate amounts of $5,000,000 and integral multiples of $1,000,000 in excess thereof;provided,however, that no such reduction shall be made which would cause the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Advancesplus the Letter of Credit Usage to exceed the lesser of (A) the Maximum Revolver Amount and (B) the Borrowing Base, unless, concurrently with such termination or reduction, the Advances are repaid to the extent necessary to eliminate such excess. Agent shall promptly notify each affected Lender of receipt by Agent of any notice from Administrative Borrower pursuant to thisSection 3.6. On the effective date of each such reduction of the Maximum Revolver Amount, Borrowers shall pay to Agent all fees in connection therewith as set forth in the fee letter.
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4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. |
In order to induce the Lender Group to enter into this Agreement, each Borrower makes the following representations and warranties to the Lender Group which shall be true, correct, and complete, in all material respects, as of the date hereof, and shall be true, correct, and complete, in all material respects, as of the Closing Date, and at and as of the date of the making of each Advance (or other extension of credit) made thereafter, as though made on and as of the date of such Advance (or other extension of credit) (except to the extent that such representations and warranties relate solely to an earlier date) and such representations and warranties shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement:
4.1No Encumbrances.Each Borrower has good and indefeasible title to, or a valid leasehold interest in, their personal property assets and good and marketable title to, or a valid leasehold interest in, their Real Property, in each case, free and clear of Liens except for Permitted Liens.
4.2Eligible Accounts.As to each Account that is identified by a Borrower as an Eligible Account in a borrowing base report submitted to Agent, such Account is (a) a bona fide existing payment obligation of the applicable Account Debtor created by the rendition of services to such Account Debtor in the ordinary course of such Borrower’s business, (b) owed to such Borrower without any known defenses, disputes, offsets, counterclaims, or rights of return or cancellation, and (c) not excluded as ineligible by virtue of one or more of the excluding criteria set forth in the definition of Eligible Accounts.
4.3Locations; Leases. Borrowers conduct their respective businesses and maintain or store their respective Books and Records at the locations set forth onSchedule 4.3. Except as otherwise indicated onSchedule 4.3, each such location is leased by a Borrower and each Borrower’s chief executive office and locations of Books and Records are subject to Collateral Access Agreements executed by the applicable lessor in favor of Agent granting Agent such access and other rights as it deems necessary and appropriate in its sole discretion in order to protect the interests of Agent and the Lenders in the Collateral. Each such lease is set forth onSchedule 4.3.
4.4Equipment.Each material item of Equipment of Borrowers is used or held for use in their business and is in good working order, ordinary wear and tear and damage by casualty excepted.
4.5Location of Equipment.The Equipment (other than vehicles or Equipment out for repair) of Borrowers is not stored with a bailee, warehouseman, or similar party and are located only at, or in-transit between, the locations identified onSchedule 4.5 (as such Schedule may be updated pursuant toSection 5.9).
4.6Reserved.
4.7Jurisdiction of Organization; Location of Chief Executive Office; Organizational Identification Number; Commercial Tort Claims.
(a) The name of (within the meaning of Section 9-503 of the Code) and jurisdiction of organization of each Borrower and each Guarantor is set forth onSchedule 4.7(a) (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time to reflect changes permitted to be made underSection 6.5).
(b) The chief executive office of each Borrower is located at the address indicated onSchedule 4.7(b) (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time to reflect changes permitted to be made underSection 5.9).
(c) Each Borrower’s tax identification numbers and organizational identification numbers, if any, are identified onSchedule 4.7(c) (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time to reflect changes permitted to be made underSection 6.5).
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(d) As of the Closing Date, Borrowers do not hold any commercial tort claims, except as set forth onSchedule 4.7(d).
4.8Due Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries.
(a) Each Borrower is duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and qualified to do business in any state where the failure to be so qualified reasonably could be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
(b) Set forth onSchedule 4.8(b) (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time to reflect changes permitted to be made underSection 5.16) is a complete and accurate description of the authorized capital Stock of each Borrower, by class, and, as of the Closing Date, a description of the number of shares of each such class that are issued and outstanding. Other than as described onSchedule 4.8(b), there are no subscriptions, options, warrants, or calls relating to any shares of each Borrower’s capital Stock, including any right of conversion or exchange under any outstanding security or other instrument. No Borrower is subject to any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to repurchase or otherwise acquire or retire any shares of its capital Stock or any security convertible into or exchangeable for any of its capital Stock.
(c) Set forth onSchedule 4.8(c) (as such Schedule may be updated from time to time to reflect changes permitted to be made underSection 5.16) is a complete and accurate list of each Borrower’s direct and indirect Material Subsidiaries, showing: (i) the jurisdiction of their organization, (ii) the number of shares of each class of common and preferred Stock authorized for each of such Material Subsidiaries, and (iii) the number and the percentage of the outstanding shares of each such class owned directly or indirectly by the applicable Borrower. All of the outstanding capital Stock of each such Material Subsidiary has been validly issued and is fully paid and non-assessable.
(d) Except as set forth onSchedule 4.8(c), there are no subscriptions, options, warrants, or calls relating to any shares of any Borrower’s Subsidiaries’ capital Stock, including any right of conversion or exchange under any outstanding security or other instrument. No Borrower or any of its respective Subsidiaries is subject to any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to repurchase or otherwise acquire or retire any shares of any Borrower’s Subsidiaries’ capital Stock or any security convertible into or exchangeable for any such capital Stock.
4.9Due Authorization; No Conflict.
(a) As to each Borrower, the execution, delivery, and performance by such Borrower of this Agreement and the Loan Documents to which it is a party have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of such Borrower.
(b) As to each Borrower, the execution, delivery, and performance by such Borrower of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which it is a party do not and will not (i) violate any provision of federal, national, state, provincial, or local law or regulation applicable to any Borrower, the Governing Documents of any Borrower, or any order, judgment, or decree of any court or other Governmental Authority binding on any Borrower, (ii) conflict with, result in a breach of, or constitute (with due notice or lapse of time or both) a default under any Material Contract of any Borrower, (iii) result in or require the creation or imposition of any Lien of any nature whatsoever upon any properties or assets of Borrower, other than Permitted Liens, or (iv) require any approval of any
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Borrower’s interestholders or any approval or consent of any Person under any Material Contract of any Borrower, other than consents or approvals that have been obtained and that are still in force and effect.
(c) Other than the filing of financing statements, fixture filings, NASDAQ disclosure statements, and copies of the Australian Securities with the Australian Securities & Investment Commission, the recordation of the Mortgages, and other filings or actions necessary to perfect Liens granted to Agent in the Collateral, the execution, delivery, and performance by each Borrower of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Borrower is a party do not and will not require any registration with, consent, or approval of, or notice to, or other action with or by, any Governmental Authority, other than consents or approvals that have been obtained and that are still in force and effect.
(d) As to each Borrower, this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Borrower is a party, and all other documents contemplated hereby and thereby, when executed and delivered by such Borrower will be the legally valid and binding obligations of such Borrower, enforceable against such Borrower in accordance with their respective terms, except as enforcement may be limited by equitable principles or by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, or similar laws relating to or limiting creditors’ rights generally.
(e) The Agent’s Liens are validly created, perfected (other than (i) in respect of motor vehicles and (ii) any Deposit Accounts and Securities Accounts not subject to a Control Agreement as permitted bySection 6.12, and subject only to the filing of financing statements, possession of any Collateral for which the Code requires possession to perfect a Lien and the recordation of the Mortgages), and first priority Liens, subject only to Permitted Liens.
(f) The execution, delivery, and performance by each Guarantor of the Loan Documents to which it is a party have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of such Guarantor.
(g) The execution, delivery, and performance by each Guarantor of the Loan Documents to which it is a party do not and will not (i) violate any provision of federal, national, state, provincial, or local law or regulation applicable to such Guarantor, the Governing Documents of such Guarantor, or any order, judgment, or decree of any court or other Governmental Authority binding on such Guarantor, (ii) conflict with, result in a breach of, or constitute (with due notice or lapse of time or both) a default under any Material Contract of such Guarantor, (iii) result in or require the creation or imposition of any Lien of any nature whatsoever upon any properties or assets of such Guarantor, other than Permitted Liens, or (iv) require any approval of such Guarantor’s interestholders or any approval or consent of any Person under any Material Contract of such Guarantor, other than consents or approvals that have been obtained and that are still in force and effect.
(h) Other than the filing of financing statements and the recordation of the Mortgages, and other filings or actions necessary to perfect Liens granted to Agent in the Collateral, the execution, delivery, and performance by each Guarantor of the Loan Documents to which such Guarantor is a party do not and will not require any registration with, consent, or approval of, or notice to, or other action with or by, any Governmental Authority, other than consents or approvals that have been obtained and that are still in force and effect.
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(i) The Loan Documents to which each Guarantor is a party, and all other documents contemplated hereby and thereby, when executed and delivered by such Guarantor will be the legally valid and binding obligations of such Guarantor, enforceable against such Guarantor in accordance with their respective terms, except as enforcement may be limited by equitable principles or by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, or similar laws relating to or limiting creditors’ rights generally.
4.10Litigation.Other than those matters disclosed onSchedule 4.10, there are no actions, suits, or proceedings pending or, to the best knowledge of each Borrower, threatened in writing against any Borrower that reasonably could be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
4.11No Material Adverse Change.All financial statements relating to Borrowers and Guarantors that have been delivered by Borrowers or Guarantors to the Lender Group have been prepared in accordance with GAAP (except, in the case of unaudited financial statements, for the lack of footnotes and being subject to year-end audit adjustments) and present fairly in all material respects, Borrowers’ (or Guarantors’, as applicable) financial condition as of the date thereof and results of operations for the period then ended. There has not been a Material Adverse Change with respect to Borrowers (or Guarantors, as applicable) since December 31, 2006.
4.12Fraudulent Transfer.
(a) Each Borrower is Solvent.
(b) No transfer of property is being made by any Borrower and no obligation is being incurred by any Borrower in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the other Loan Documents with the intent to hinder, delay, or defraud either present or future creditors of Borrowers.
4.13Employee Benefits.
(a) Except as set forth inSchedule 4.13(b-1), the Borrowers do not have any material liability under any Benefit Plan.Schedule 4.13(b-1) lists all Benefit Plans of the Borrowers.
(b) Each Benefit Plan, to the extent applicable, is in compliance with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the IRC, Australian Employee Benefit Laws and other federal, state, provincial or national law, the violation of which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. Each Benefit Plan which is intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the IRC has received a favorable determination letter from the IRS and to the best of each Borrower’s knowledge, nothing has occurred which would cause the loss off such qualification.
(c) There are no pending or, to the best of any Borrower’s knowledge, threatened written claims, actions or lawsuits, or action by any Governmental Authority with respect to any Benefit Plan which, if determined in a manner adverse to such Borrower, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. There has been no non-exempt prohibited transaction or violation of the fiduciary responsibility rules with respect to any Benefit Plan which could be reasonably expected to subject the Borrowers to any material liability.
(d) Each Borrower, for itself and its Subsidiaries, has furnished to Agent true, correct and complete copies of all the Benefit Plans subject to ERISA or Australian Employee Benefit Laws, as applicable, as amended as of the date hereof and such other documentation and information with respect to such Benefit Plans as Lenders may request from time to time.
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(e) Each Borrower, for itself and its Subsidiaries, to the extent applicable, has made all material required contributions to any Benefit Plan subject to Section 412 of the IRC, and no application for a funding waiver or an extension of any amortization period pursuant to Section 412 of the IRC has been made with respect to any Benefit Plan.
4.14Environmental Condition.Except as set forth onSchedule 4.14 and except as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, (a) to Borrowers’ knowledge, none of Borrowers’ properties or assets has ever been used by Borrowers or by previous owners or operators in the disposal of, or to produce, store, handle, treat, release, or transport, any Hazardous Materials, where such use, production, storage, handling, treatment, release or transport was in violation, in any material respect, of any applicable Environmental Law, (b) to Borrowers’ knowledge, none of Borrowers’ properties or assets has ever been designated or identified in any manner pursuant to any environmental protection statute as a Hazardous Materials disposal site, (c) no Borrower has received notice that a Lien arising under any Environmental Law has attached to any revenues or to any Real Property owned or operated by Borrowers, and (d) no Borrower has received a summons, citation, notice, or directive from the United States Environmental Protection Agency or any other federal or state governmental agency concerning any action or omission by any Borrower resulting in the releasing or disposing of Hazardous Materials into the environment.
4.15Intellectual Property.Each Borrower owns, or holds licenses in, all trademarks, trade names, copyrights, patents, patent rights, and licenses that are necessary to the conduct of its business as currently conducted, and attached hereto asSchedule 4.15 (as updated from time to time) is a true, correct, and complete listing of all material patents, patent applications, registered trademarks, trademark applications, registered copyrights, and copyright applications as to which each Borrower is the owner or is an exclusive licensee;provided,however, that Borrowers may amendSchedule 4.15 (a) to add additional property so long as such amendment occurs by written notice to Agent promptly, but in no event less than 2 Business Days, after the date on which a Borrower acquires any such property after the Closing Date and, (b) with Agent’s consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed, to remove property that is no longer necessary to the conduct of its business as currently conducted.
4.16Leases.Borrowers enjoy peaceful and undisturbed possession under all leases material to their business and to which they are parties or under which they are operating and all of such material leases are valid and subsisting and no material default by Borrowers exists under any of them.
4.17Deposit Accounts and Securities Accounts.Set forth onSchedule 4.17 is a listing of all of Borrowers’ Deposit Accounts and Securities Accounts, including, with respect to each bank or securities intermediary (a) the name and address of such Person, and (b) the account numbers of the Deposit Accounts or Securities Accounts maintained with such Person.
4.18Complete Disclosure.All certificates and written factual information (taken as a whole) furnished by or on behalf of Borrowers in writing to Agent or any Lender (including all information contained in the Schedules hereto or in the other Loan Documents) for purposes of or in connection with this Agreement, the other Loan Documents, or any transaction contemplated herein or therein is, and all other such certification and written factual information (taken as a whole) hereafter furnished by or on behalf of Borrowers in writing to Agent or any Lender will be true and accurate in all material respects on the date as of which such information is dated or certified and not incomplete by omitting to state any fact necessary to make such information (taken as a whole) not misleading in any material respect at such time in light of the circumstances under which such information was provided. On the Closing Date, the Closing Date Projections represent, and as of the date on which any other Projections are delivered to Agent, such additional Projections represent Borrowers’ good faith estimate of their future performance for the periods covered thereby based upon
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assumptions believed by Borrowers to be reasonable at the time of the delivery thereof to Agent (it being understood that such projections and forecasts are subject to uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of Borrowers and no assurances can be given that such projections or forecasts will be realized).
4.19Indebtedness.Set forth onSchedule 4.19 is a true and complete list of all Indebtedness of each Borrower outstanding immediately prior to the Closing Date that is to remain outstanding after the Closing Date and such Schedule accurately sets forth the aggregate principal amount of such Indebtedness.
4.20Reserved.
4.21Payments to Employees and Others. Each Borrower has paid or accrued as a liability on the Books of such Borrower, all material payments due from such Borrower to any employee, independent contractor, Person or Governmental Authority on account of workers’ compensation, wages, vacation pay, or other compensation and, as applicable, employee health and welfare insurance and other benefits.
4.22Reserved.
4.23Interrelated Entities. Parent is the direct and beneficial owner or indirect owner and holder of all of the issued and outstanding Stock of the other Borrowers and of all Guarantors. Parent and the other Borrowers and Guarantors make up a related organization of various entities constituting a single economic and business enterprise so that Borrowers and Guarantors share an identity of interests such that any benefit received by any one of them benefits the others. Certain of Borrowers and Guarantors render services to or for the benefit of other Borrowers and Guarantors, purchase or sell and supply goods to or from or for the benefit of the others, make loans, advances and provide other financial accommodations to or for the benefit of the other Borrowers and Guarantors (including, inter alia, the payment by Borrowers and Guarantors of creditors of the other Borrowers and Guarantors and guarantees by Borrowers and Guarantors of Indebtedness of the other Borrowers and Guarantors and provide administrative, marketing, payroll and management services to or for the benefit of the other Borrowers and Guarantors). Borrowers and Guarantors have centralized accounting and legal services and certain Borrowers and Guarantors share certain common officers and directors.
4.24Amendment of Schedules. Administrative Borrower may amend any one or more of the Schedules to this Agreement (subject to prior notice to Agent) and any representation, warranty, or covenant contained herein which refers to any such Schedule shall from and after the date of any such amendment refer to such Schedule as so amended and any Default or Event of Default that exists solely as a result of the failure to amend such Schedule shall from and after the date of any such amendment be waived automatically without further action by Agent or the Lenders;provided,however, that in no event shall the failure to make an immaterial amendment to any such Schedule constitute a Default or Event of Default.
5. | AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS. |
Each Borrower covenants and agrees that, until termination of all of the Commitments and payment in full of the Obligations or other satisfaction thereof in a manner acceptable to Agent, each Borrower shall and shall cause each of its Material Subsidiaries to do all of the following:
5.1Accounting System.Maintain a system of accounting that enables Borrowers to produce financial statements in accordance with GAAP and maintain records pertaining to the Collateral that contain information as from time to time reasonably may be requested by Agent. Borrowers also shall keep a reporting system that shows all additions, sales, claims, returns, and allowances with respect to their sales. Borrowers shall also maintain their billing systems/practices as approved by Agent prior to the Closing Date and shall only make material modifications thereto with notice to, and consent of, Agent.
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5.2Collateral Reporting.Provide Agent with each of the reports set forth onSchedule 5.2 at the times specified therein. In addition, each Borrower agrees to cooperate fully with Agent to facilitate and implement a system of electronic collateral reporting in order to provide electronic reporting of each of the items set forth above.
5.3Financial Statements, Reports, Certificates.Deliver to Agent each of the financial statements, reports, or other items set forth onSchedule 5.3 at the times specified therein, it being acknowledged that each Form 10K and Form 10Q publicly filed with the SEC shall be deemed to be delivered to Agent upon such public filing.
5.4Guarantor Reports.Cause each Guarantor to deliver its annual financial statements at the time when Parent provides its audited financial statements to Agent, but only to the extent such Guarantor’s financial statements are not consolidated with Parent’s financial statements, and copies of all federal income tax returns (or comparable national returns for Foreign Guarantors) as soon as the same are available and in any event no later than 30 days after the same are required to be filed by law.
5.5Inspection; Field Audits and Examinations. Permit Agent, each Lender at such Lender’s expense, and each of their duly authorized representatives or agents to visit any of its properties and inspect any of its assets or Books and Records, to examine and make copies of its Books and Records, and to discuss its affairs, finances, and accounts with, and to be advised as to the same by, its officers and employees at such reasonable times and intervals as Agent may designate and, so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, with reasonable prior notice to Administrative Borrower and during normal business hours. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, so long as no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and so long as the results of all audits are satisfactory to Agent in the exercise of its Permitted Discretion, Borrowers shall not be obligated to reimburse Agent for more than 1 audit during any calendar year, more than 1 appraisal of the Collateral (or any portion thereof) during any calendar year, or more than 1 business valuation during any calendar year.
5.6Maintenance of Properties.Maintain and preserve all of its properties which are necessary or useful in the proper conduct of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear, and casualty excepted (and except where the failure to do so could not be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change), and comply at all times with the provisions of all material leases to which it is a party as lessee, so as to prevent any loss or forfeiture thereof or thereunder (except where the failure to do so could not be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change).
5.7Taxes.Cause all assessments and taxes, whether real, personal, or otherwise, due or payable by, or imposed, levied, or assessed against Borrowers or any of their respective assets to be paid in full, before delinquency or before the expiration of any extension period, except to the extent that the validity of such assessment or tax shall be the subject of a Permitted Protest. Borrowers will make timely payment or deposit of all tax payments and withholding taxes required of them by applicable laws, including those laws concerning F.I.C.A., F.U.T.A., state disability, and local, state, and federal or provincial income taxes or other taxes as may be applicable to any Foreign Borrower, and will, upon request, furnish Agent with proof satisfactory to Agent indicating that the applicable Borrower has made such payments or deposits. Borrowers shall deliver satisfactory evidence of payment of applicable excise taxes in each jurisdiction in which any Borrower is required to pay any such excise tax.
5.8Insurance.
(a) At each Borrower’s expense, maintain insurance respecting their and their Material Subsidiaries’ assets wherever located, covering loss or damage by fire, theft, explosion, and all other hazards and risks as ordinarily are insured against by other Persons engaged in the same or similar businesses. Borrowers also shall maintain business interruption, public liability, and product liability insurance, as well as insurance against
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larceny, embezzlement, and criminal misappropriation. All such policies of insurance shall be in such amounts and with such insurance companies as are reasonably satisfactory to Agent. Borrowers shall deliver copies of all such policies to Agent with an endorsement naming Agent as the sole loss payee (under a satisfactory lender’s loss payable endorsement) or additional insured, as appropriate. Each policy of insurance or endorsement shall contain a clause requiring the insurer to give not less than 30 days prior written notice to Agent in the event of cancellation of the policy for any reason whatsoever.
(b) Administrative Borrower shall give Agent prompt notice of any material loss covered by such insurance. So long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, Borrowers shall have the exclusive right to adjust any losses payable under any such insurance policies which are less than $1,000,000. Following the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default, or in the case of any losses payable under such insurance exceeding $1,000,000, Agent shall have the exclusive right to adjust any losses payable under any such insurance policies, without any liability to Borrowers whatsoever in respect of such adjustments. Any monies received as payment for any loss under any insurance policy mentioned above (other than liability insurance policies) or as payment of any award or compensation for condemnation or taking by eminent domain, shall be paid over to Agent to be applied at the option of the Required Lenders either to the prepayment of the Obligations or shall be disbursed to Administrative Borrower under staged payment terms reasonably satisfactory to the Required Lenders for application to the cost of repairs, replacements, or restorations. Any such repairs, replacements, or restorations shall be effected with reasonable promptness and shall be of a value at least equal to the value of the items or property destroyed prior to such damage or destruction.
(c) Borrowers shall not take out separate insurance concurrent in form or contributing in the event of loss with that required to be maintained under this Section 5.8, unless Agent is included thereon as named insured with the loss payable to Agent under a lender’s loss payable endorsement or its equivalent. Administrative Borrower promptly shall notify Agent whenever such separate insurance is taken out, specifying the insurer thereunder and full particulars as to the policies evidencing the same, and copies of such policies promptly shall be provided to Agent.
5.9Location of Equipment.Keep the Equipment used in the maintenance or storage of Borrowers’ Books and Records only at the locations identified onSchedule 4.5;provided,however, that Administrative Borrower may amendSchedule 4.5 so long as such amendment occurs by written notice to Agent not less than 30 days prior to the date on which such Equipment is moved to such new location, so long as such new location is within the continental United States with respect to HH US and within the applicable home countries of Borrowers organized and operating outside the United States, and so long as, at the time of such written notification, the applicable Borrower provides any financing statements, fixture filings or other instruments or documents necessary to perfect and continue perfected the Agent’s Liens on such assets and also provides to Agent a Collateral Access Agreement except with respect to HH UK.
5.10Compliance with Laws.Comply with the requirements of all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and orders of any Governmental Authority, including, without limitation, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act, other than laws, rules, regulations, and orders the non-compliance with which, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
5.11Leases.Pay when due all rents and other amounts payable under any material leases to which any Borrower is a party or by which any Borrower’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ properties and assets are bound, unless such payments are the subject of a Permitted Protest, and except when the failure to do so could not be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
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5.12Existence.At all times preserve and keep in full force and effect each Borrower’s valid existence and good standing and any rights, franchises, permits, licenses, accreditations, authorizations, or other approvals material to their businesses, in each case except where the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
5.13Environmental. (a) Except as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, keep any property either owned or operated by any Borrower free of any Environmental Liens or post bonds or other financial assurances sufficient to satisfy the obligations or liability evidenced by such Environmental Liens, (b) except as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, comply, in all material respects, with Environmental Laws and provide to Agent documentation of such compliance which Agent reasonably requests, (c) promptly notify Agent of any release of a Hazardous Material in any reportable quantity from or onto property owned or operated by any Borrower and, except as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, take any Remedial Actions required to abate said release or otherwise to come into compliance with applicable Environmental Law, and (d) promptly, but in any event within 10 days of its receipt thereof, provide Agent with written notice of any of the following: (i) notice that an Environmental Lien has been filed against any of the real or personal property of any Borrower, (ii) commencement of any Environmental Action or notice that an Environmental Action will be filed against any Borrower, and (iii) notice of a violation, citation, or other administrative order which reasonably could be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
5.14Disclosure Updates.Promptly and in no event later than 5 Business Days after obtaining knowledge thereof, (a) notify Agent if any written information, exhibit, or report furnished to the Lender Group pursuant to any Loan Document contained, at the time it was furnished, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading in light of the circumstances in which made, and (b) correct any defect or error that may be discovered therein or in any Loan Document or in the execution, acknowledgment, filing, or recordation thereof. The foregoing to the contrary notwithstanding, any notification pursuant to the foregoing provision will not cure or remedy the effect of the prior untrue statement of a material fact or omission of any material fact nor shall any such notification have the effect of amending or modifying this Agreement or any of the Schedules hereto.
5.15Control Agreements. Take all reasonable steps in order for Agent to obtain control in accordance with Sections 8-106, 9-104, 9-105, 9-106, and 9-107 of the Code with respect to (subject to the proviso contained inSection 6.12) all of its Securities Accounts, Deposit Accounts, electronic chattel paper, investment property, and letter-of-credit rights.
5.16Formation of Material Subsidiaries.At the time that such Borrower or any Guarantor forms or acquires any direct or indirect Material Subsidiary after the Closing Date, and at the time that any direct or indirect Subsidiary of such Borrower or any Guarantor becomes a Material Subsidiary after the Closing Date, such Borrower or such Guarantor shall cause such new Material Subsidiary to provide to Agent (a) a joinder to the Guaranty and the Security Agreement, together with such other security documents (including Mortgages with respect to any Real Property owned by such new Material Subsidiary), as well as appropriate financing statements (and with respect to all property subject to a Mortgage, fixture filings), all in form and substance satisfactory to Agent (including being sufficient to grant Agent a first priority Lien (subject to Permitted Liens) in and to the assets of such newly formed or acquired Material Subsidiary), (b) a pledge agreement and appropriate certificates and powers or financing statements, hypothecating all of the direct or beneficial ownership interest in such new Material Subsidiary, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent, and (c) all other documentation, including one or more opinions of counsel reasonably satisfactory to Agent, which in its opinion is appropriate with respect to the execution and delivery of the applicable documentation referred to above (including policies of title insurance or other documentation with respect to all property subject to a Mortgage). Any document, agreement, or instrument executed or issued pursuant to thisSection 5.16 shall be a Loan Document.
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5.17Further Assurances. At any time upon the request of Agent, execute or deliver to Agent, and shall cause its Material Subsidiaries to execute or deliver to Agent, any and all financing statements, fixture filings, security agreements, pledges, assignments, endorsements of certificates of title, mortgages, deeds of trust, opinions of counsel, and all other similar documents (collectively, the “Additional Documents”) that Agent may request in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent, to create, perfect, and continue perfected or to better perfect the Agent’s Liens in all of the properties and assets of Borrowers and their Material Subsidiaries (whether now owned or hereafter arising or acquired, tangible or intangible, real or personal), to create and perfect Liens in favor of Agent in any Real Property acquired by Borrowers or their Material Subsidiaries after the Closing Date, and in order to fully consummate all of the transactions contemplated hereby and under the other Loan Documents. Borrowers hereby authorize Agent to file such executed Additional Documents in any appropriate filing office.
5.18Material Contracts. Upon request, provide Agent with copies of (a) each Material Contract entered into since the delivery of the previous Compliance Certificate, and (b) each amendment or modification of any Material Contract entered into since the delivery of the previous Compliance Certificate.
5.19Allowances. Cause allowances as between Borrowers and their Account Debtors, to be on the same basis and in accordance with the usual customary practices of the applicable Borrower, as they exist at the time of the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
6. | NEGATIVE COVENANTS. |
Each Borrower covenants and agrees that, until termination of all of the Commitments and payment in full of the Obligations or other satisfaction thereof in a manner satisfactory to Agent, Borrowers will not and will not permit any of their respective Material Subsidiaries to do any of the following:
6.1Indebtedness.Create, incur, assume, suffer to exist, or otherwise become or remain, directly or indirectly, liable with respect to any Indebtedness, except:
(a) Indebtedness evidenced by this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, together with Indebtedness owed to Underlying Issuers with respect to Underlying Letters of Credit,
(b) Indebtedness set forth onSchedule 4.19 and any Refinancing Indebtedness in respect of such Indebtedness,
(c) Permitted Purchase Money Indebtedness and any Refinancing Indebtedness in respect of such Indebtedness,
(d) endorsement of instruments or other payment items for deposit,
(e) Indebtedness comprising Permitted Investments,
(f) unsecured Indebtedness of Borrowers or Material Subsidiaries that is incurred in connection with a Permitted Acquisition solely for the purpose of financing such Permitted Acquisition so long as (i) no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom, (ii) such unsecured Indebtedness is not incurred for working capital purposes, (iii) such unsecured Indebtedness does not mature prior to the date that is 12 months after the Maturity Date, (iv) such Indebtedness is subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations on terms and conditions reasonably satisfactory to Agent, and (v) the only interest that accrues with respect to such Indebtedness is payable in kind,
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(g) Guaranties of (i) obligations of Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount not exceeding $10,000,000 outstanding at any one time, it being understood that the amount of any guaranty of an operating lease or obligation shall be deemed to be equal to the amount of the liability under such guaranty, and (ii) Indebtedness of a Borrower otherwise permitted hereunder, and
(h) Unsecured Indebtedness in the aggregate principal amount not exceeding $3,000,000 outstanding at any time.
6.2Liens.Create, incur, assume, or suffer to exist, directly or indirectly, any Lien on or with respect to any of its assets, of any kind, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or any income or profits therefrom, except for Permitted Liens.
6.3Restrictions on Fundamental Changes.
(a) Other than in order to consummate a Permitted Acquisition or as otherwise expressly permitted hereunder, enter into any merger, consolidation, reorganization, or recapitalization, or reclassify its Stock, or liquidate, wind up, or dissolve itself (or suffer any liquidation or dissolution), except, in each case, so long as (i) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would directly result, (ii) Agent has received not less than thirty (30) days advance written notice, and (iii) no Material Adverse Change would result:
(i) a Borrower may (x) merge or consolidate with a Borrower, a Guarantor or a Material Subsidiary, provided an existing Borrower or Guarantor is the surviving company, or (y) liquidate, wind up, or dissolve within a reasonable period of time after the conveyance of all of its assets to another Borrower,
(ii) a Guarantor may (x) merge or consolidate with a Borrower, provided an existing Borrower is the surviving company, (y) merge or consolidate with a Guarantor or a Material Subsidiary, provided an existing Guarantor is the surviving company, or (z) liquidate, wind up, or dissolve within a reasonable period of time after the conveyance of all of its assets to either a Borrower or another Guarantor,
(iii) a Material Subsidiary may (w) merge or consolidate with a Borrower, provided an existing Borrower is the surviving company, (x) merge or consolidate with a Guarantor, provided an existing Guarantor is the surviving company, (y) merge or consolidate with a Material Subsidiary, provided an existing Material Subsidiary is the surviving company, or (z) liquidate, wind up, or dissolve within a reasonable period of time after the conveyance of all of its assets to either a Borrower, a Guarantor or another Material Subsidiary,
(iv) an Excluded Subsidiary may (x) merge or consolidate with a Borrower or Guarantor provided such Borrower or Guarantor is the surviving company or (y) liquidate, wind up, or dissolve within a reasonable period of time after the conveyance of all of its assets to either a Borrower, a Guarantor or another Excluded Subsidiary.
(b) Convey, sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, or otherwise dispose of, in one transaction or a series of related transactions, all or any substantial part of its assets except as expressly permitted under this Agreement,
(c) Cause or suffer any Guarantor to enter into any merger or consolidation other than with a Borrower or another Guarantor except as otherwise permitted under this Agreement,
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(d) Cause or suffer any Guarantor to convey, sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, or otherwise dispose of, in one transaction or a series of related transactions, all or any substantial part of its assets other than to a Borrower or another Guarantor or as otherwise expressly permitted under this Agreement, and
(e) Suspend or go out of a substantial portion of its or their business.
6.4Disposal of Assets.Other than Permitted Dispositions, convey, sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into an agreement to convey, sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, or otherwise dispose of) any of the assets of Borrowers in an aggregate amount in excess of $15,000,000 in each fiscal year;provided, that (a) immediately following the consummation of each such conveyance, sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer or other disposition, Borrowers shall be in compliance on a pro forma basis with the financial covenants set forth inSection 6.16(a) and (b) immediately prior to and immediately following the consummation of each such conveyance, sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer or other disposition, (i) Liquidity shall be not less than $15,000,000 and (ii) no Overadvance shall exist.
6.5Change Name.Change any Borrower’s or Guarantor’s name, organizational or tax identification number, state of organization or organizational identity;provided,however, that a Borrower or Guarantor may change its name upon at least 30 days prior written notice by Administrative Borrower to Agent of such change and so long as, at the time of such written notification, such Borrower or Guarantor provides any financing statements necessary to perfect and continue perfected the Agent’s Liens.
6.6Nature of Business.Make any change in the principal nature of their business as described inSchedule 6.6 or acquire any properties or assets that are not reasonably similar or related to the conduct of such business activities or reasonable extensions thereof.
6.7Prepayments and Amendments. Except in connection with Refinancing Indebtedness permitted bySection 6.1,
(a) optionally prepay, redeem, defease, purchase, or otherwise acquire any Indebtedness of any Borrower, other than the Obligations in accordance with this Agreement,
(b) make any payment on account of Indebtedness that has been contractually subordinated in right of payment if such payment is not permitted at such time under the subordination terms and conditions, or
(c) directly or indirectly, amend, modify, alter, increase, or change any of the terms or conditions of (i) any agreement, instrument, document, indenture, or other writing evidencing or concerning intercompany Indebtedness or Indebtedness permitted underSection 6.1(b),(c) or(f), or (ii) any other Material Contract, except, in each case, to the extent that such amendment, modification, alteration, increase, or change could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
6.8Change of Control.Cause, permit, or suffer, directly or indirectly, any Change of Control.
6.9Inactive Subsidiaries. Permit any Inactive Subsidiary to conduct any business, obtain any assets or incur any liabilities and, if any Inactive Subsidiary is not liquidated, wound up or dissolved within 180 days after the Closing Date, or if any Inactive Subsidiary shall conduct any business, obtain any assets or incur any liabilities prior to such 180th day, then such Inactive Subsidiary shall become a guarantor of the Obligations hereunder and enter into agreements as required by Agent and deliver an opinion of counsel with respect to such agreements, satisfactory to Agent.
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6.10Distributions.Other than distributions or declaration and payment of dividends by a Borrower to another Borrower, by a Guarantor to a Borrower or another Guarantor, or by a Subsidiary to a Borrower, a Guarantor or another Subsidiary, make any distribution or declare or pay any dividends (in cash or other property, other than common Stock) on, or purchase, acquire, redeem, or retire any of any Borrower’s Stock, of any class, whether now or hereafter outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Borrowers may purchase, acquire, redeem, or retire Stock in an aggregate amount not more than $10,000,000 in each fiscal year; provided, that immediately prior to and upon giving effect to each such purchase, acquisition, redemption and retirement, (a) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and (b) Availability shall be not less than $15,000,000.
6.11Accounting Methods.Modify or change their fiscal year or their method of accounting (other than as may be required or permitted by GAAP) or enter into, modify, or terminate any agreement currently existing, or at any time hereafter entered into with any third party accounting firm or service bureau for the preparation or storage of Borrowers’ or Guarantors’ accounting records without said accounting firm or service bureau agreeing to provide Agent information regarding the Collateral or Borrowers’ or Guarantors’ financial condition. In addition, Parent agrees that no Material Subsidiary of Parent will have a fiscal year different from that of Parent.
6.12Investments.Except for Permitted Investments, directly or indirectly, make or acquire any Investment or incur any liabilities (including contingent obligations) for or in connection with any Investment;provided,however, that Borrowers shall not have Permitted Investments (other than in the Cash Management Accounts) in Deposit Accounts or Securities Accounts in an aggregate amount in excess of $1,000,000 at any one time unless the applicable Borrower and the applicable securities intermediary or bank have entered into Control Agreements governing such Permitted Investments in order to perfect (and further establish) the Agent’s Liens in such Permitted Investments. Subject to the foregoing proviso, Borrowers shall not and shall not permit their Material Subsidiaries to establish or maintain any Deposit Account or Securities Account unless Agent shall have received a Control Agreement in respect of such Deposit Account or Securities Account.
6.13Transactions with Affiliates.Except as otherwise expressly permitted in this Agreement, directly or indirectly enter into or permit to exist any transaction (other than the payment of management, consulting, monitoring or advisory fees) with any Affiliate of any Borrower except for:
(a) Permitted Investments;
(b) transactions between any Borrower, on the one hand, and any Guarantor, on the other hand, so long as such transactions (i) are upon fair and reasonable terms, and (ii) are fully disclosed to Agent if they involve one or more payments by any Borrower in excess of $1,000,000 for any single transaction or series of related transactions;
(c) transactions between Borrowers, on the one hand, and any Affiliate of Borrowers (other than a Guarantor), on the other hand, so long as such transactions (i) are upon fair and reasonable terms, (ii) are fully disclosed to Agent if they involve one or more payments by any Borrower in excess of $1,000,000 for any single transaction or series of related transactions, and (iii) are no less favorable to Borrowers than would be obtained in an arm’s length transaction with a non-Affiliate;
(d) the payment of reasonable fees, compensation, or employee benefit arrangements to, and any reasonable indemnity provided for the benefit of, outside directors of Parent in the ordinary course of business and consistent with industry practice;
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(e) any reasonable employment or severance agreement and any amendment thereto entered into by Borrowers in the ordinary course of business;
(f) the payment of reasonable directors’ fees and benefits and the payment of other reasonable management, consulting, monitoring and advisory fees;
(g) the provision of officers’ and directors’ indemnification and insurance in reasonable amounts in the ordinary course of business to the extent permitted by applicable law;
(h) the payment of reasonable employee salaries, bonuses and employee benefits in the ordinary course of business; and
(i) subject toSection 6.3, the reorganization of Subsidiaries other than Material Subsidiaries consummated solely for the purpose of reducing tax obligations of Borrowers and their Subsidiaries.
6.14Use of Proceeds.Use the proceeds of the Advances for any purpose other than (a) on the Closing Date, to pay transactional fees, costs, and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement, the other Loan Documents, and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including the repayment of any obligations under the Existing Financing Documents), and (b) thereafter, consistent with the terms and conditions hereof, for its lawful and permitted purposes.
6.15Change in Location of Chief Executive Office; Equipment with Bailees. In the case of any Borrower or Guarantor, relocate its chief executive office to a new location without Administrative Borrower providing 30 days prior written notification thereof to Agent and so long as, at the time of such written notification, the applicable Borrower provides any financing statements or fixture filings necessary to perfect and continue perfected the Agent’s Liens and (in the case of any Borrower other than HH UK or any Guarantor) also provides to Agent a Collateral Access Agreement with respect to such new location. The Equipment shall not at any time now or hereafter be stored with a bailee, warehouseman, or similar party without Agent’s prior written consent.
6.16Financial Covenants.
(a)Minimum EBITDA.Fail to achieve EBITDA, measured on a quarter-end basis, of at least $25,000,000 for the 12 month period ending on the last day of each fiscal quarter.
(b)Capital Expenditures.Make Capital Expenditures in each fiscal year in excess of $18,000,000.
7. | EVENTS OF DEFAULT. |
Any one or more of the following events shall constitute an event of default (each, an “Event of Default”) under this Agreement:
7.1 If Borrowers or Guarantors fail to pay when due and payable, or when declared due and payable, (a) all or any portion of the Obligations consisting of interest, fees, or charges due the Lender Group, reimbursement of Lender Group Expenses, or other amounts (other than any portion thereof constituting principal) constituting Obligations, and such failure continues for a period of 3 Business Days, or (b) all or any portion of the principal of the Obligations;
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7.2 If any Borrower or any Guarantor:
(a) fails to perform or observe any covenant or other agreement contained in any ofSections 2.7,5.2,5.3,5.4,5.5,5.8,5.12,5.14,5.16, and6.1 through6.16 of this Agreement or Section 6 of the Security Agreement;
(b) fails to perform or observe any covenant or other agreement contained in any ofSections 5.6,5.7,5.9,5.10,5.11, 5.15 or5.17 of this Agreement and such failure continues for a period of 10 days after the earlier of (i) the date on which such failure shall first become known to any officer of any Borrower or (ii) written notice thereof is given to Administrative Borrower by Agent; or
(c) fails to perform or observe any covenant or other agreement contained in this Agreement, or in any of the other Loan Documents, in each case, other than any such covenant or agreement that is the subject of another provision of thisSection 7 (in which event such other provision of thisSection 7 shall govern), and such failure continues for a period of 20 days after the earlier of (i) the date on which such failure shall first become known to any officer of any Borrower or (ii) written notice thereof is given to Administrative Borrower by Agent;
7.3 If any material portion of any Borrower’s or any of its Material Subsidiaries’ assets is attached, seized, subjected to a writ or distress warrant, or is levied upon, or comes into the possession of any third Person and the same is not discharged before the earlier of 30 days after the date it first arises or 5 days prior to the date on which such property or asset is subject to forfeiture by such Borrower or the applicable Material Subsidiary;
7.4 If an Insolvency Proceeding is commenced by any Borrower or any Material Subsidiary of a Borrower;
7.5 If an Insolvency Proceeding is commenced against any Borrower or any Material Subsidiary of a Borrower, and any of the following events occur: (a) the applicable Borrower or Material Subsidiary consents to the institution of such Insolvency Proceeding against it, (b) the petition commencing the Insolvency Proceeding is not timely controverted, (c) the petition commencing the Insolvency Proceeding is not dismissed within 60 calendar days of the date of the filing thereof (provided,however, that, during the pendency of such period, Agent (including any successor agent) and each other member of the Lender Group shall be relieved of their obligation to extend credit hereunder), (d) an interim trustee is appointed to take possession of all or any substantial portion of the properties or assets of, or to operate all or any substantial portion of the business of, any Borrower or any Material Subsidiary of a Borrower, or (e) an order for relief shall have been issued or entered therein;
7.6 If any Borrower or any Material Subsidiary of a Borrower is enjoined, restrained, or in any way prevented by court order from continuing to conduct all or any material part of its business affairs;
7.7 If a notice of Lien, levy, or assessment is filed of record with respect to any Borrower’s or any of its Material Subsidiaries’ assets by the United States, or any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof, or by any state, county, municipal, or governmental agency, or by and foreign government or governmental agency, or if any taxes or debts owing at any time hereafter to any one or more of such entities becomes a Lien, whether choate or otherwise, upon any Borrower’s or any of its Material Subsidiaries’ assets and the same is not paid on the payment date thereof;
7.8 If one or more judgments, orders, or awards involving an aggregate amount of $250,000, or more (except to the extent covered by insurance pursuant to which the insurer has not denied liability therefor in writing) shall be entered or filed against any Borrower or any Material Subsidiary of any Borrower or with respect to any of their respective assets, and the same is not paid, released, discharged, bonded against, or
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stayed pending appeal before the earlier of 30 days after the date it first arises or 5 days prior to the date on which such asset is subject to being forfeited by the applicable Borrower or the applicable Material Subsidiary;
7.9 If there is a default in one or more agreements to which any Borrower or any Material Subsidiary of a Borrower is a party with one or more third Persons evidencing Indebtedness of any Borrower or any Material Subsidiary of any Borrower involving an aggregate outstanding principal amount of $2,000,000 or more, and such default (i) occurs at the final maturity of the obligations thereunder, or (ii) results in a right by such third Person(s), irrespective of whether exercised, to accelerate the maturity of the applicable Borrower’s or Material Subsidiary’s obligations thereunder;
7.10 If any Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries makes any payment on account of Indebtedness that has been contractually subordinated in right of payment to the payment of the Obligations, except to the extent such payment is permitted by the terms of the subordination provisions applicable to such Indebtedness;
7.11 If any warranty, representation, statement, or Record made herein or in any other Loan Document or delivered to Agent or any Lender pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document proves to be untrue in any material respect (except that such materiality qualifier shall not be applicable to any representations and warranties that already are qualified or modified by materiality in the text thereof) as of the date of issuance or making or deemed making thereof;
7.12 If the obligation of any Guarantor under the Guaranty is limited or terminated by operation of law or by such Guarantor, except as otherwise permitted in accordance withSection 6.3;
7.13 If the Security Agreement or any other Loan Document that purports to create a Lien, shall, for any reason, fail or cease to create a valid and perfected and, except to the extent permitted by the terms hereof or thereof, first priority Lien on or security interest in the Collateral covered hereby or thereby, except as a result of a disposition of the applicable Collateral in a transaction permitted under this Agreement or failure by Agent to retain possession of any Collateral which requires possession in order to perfect Agent’s security interest therein; or
7.14 Any provision of any Loan Document shall at any time for any reason be declared to be null and void, or the validity or enforceability thereof shall be contested by any Borrower, or a proceeding shall be commenced by any Borrower, or by any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over any Borrower, seeking to establish the invalidity or unenforceability thereof, or any Borrower shall deny that it has any liability or obligation purported to be created under any Loan Document.
8. | THE LENDER GROUP’S RIGHTS AND REMEDIES. |
8.1Rights and Remedies.Upon the occurrence, and during the continuation, of an Event of Default, the Required Lenders (at their election but without notice of their election and without demand) may authorize and instruct Agent to do any one or more of the following on behalf of the Lender Group (and Agent, acting upon the instructions of the Required Lenders, shall do the same on behalf of the Lender Group), all of which are authorized by Borrowers:
(a) Declare all or any portion of the Obligations, whether evidenced by this Agreement, by any of the other Loan Documents, or otherwise, immediately due and payable;
(b) Cease advancing money or extending credit to or for the benefit of Borrowers under this Agreement or under any of the other Loan Documents;
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(c) Terminate this Agreement and any of the other Loan Documents as to any future liability or obligation of the Lender Group, but without affecting any of the Agent’s Liens in the Collateral and without affecting the Obligations;
(d) Settle or adjust disputes and claims directly with Account Debtors for amounts and upon terms which Agent considers advisable, and in such cases, Agent will credit the Loan Account with only the net amounts received by Agent in payment of such disputed Accounts after deducting all Lender Group Expenses incurred or expended in connection therewith;
(e) Exercise any rights given to Agent (i) under any Australian Security, including enforcing any such Australian Security, and (ii) under any Canadian Security Document, including enforcing any such Canadian Security Document;
(f) Without notice to or demand upon any Borrower or Guarantor, make such payments and do such acts as Agent considers necessary or reasonable to protect its security interests in the Collateral. Each Borrower agrees to assemble the Personal Property Collateral if Agent so requires, and to make the Personal Property Collateral available to Agent at a time and place that Agent may designate which is reasonably convenient to both parties. Each Borrower authorizes Agent to enter the premises where the Personal Property Collateral is located, to take and maintain possession of the Personal Property Collateral, or any part of it, and to pay, purchase, contest, or compromise any Lien that in Agent’s determination appears to conflict with the Agent’s Liens and to pay all expenses incurred in connection therewith and to charge Borrowers’ Loan Account therefor. With respect to any of Borrowers’ owned or leased premises, each Borrower hereby grants Agent a license to enter into possession of such premises and to occupy the same, without charge, in order to exercise any of the Lender Group’s rights or remedies provided herein, at law, in equity, or otherwise.
(g) Without notice to any Borrower (such notice being expressly waived), and without constituting a retention of any collateral in satisfaction of an obligation (within the meaning of the Code), set off and apply to the Obligations any and all (i) balances and deposits of any Borrower held by the Lender Group (including any amounts received in the Cash Management Accounts), or (ii) Indebtedness at any time owing to or for the credit or the account of any Borrower held by the Lender Group;
(h) Hold, as cash collateral, any and all balances and deposits of any Borrower held by the Lender Group, and any amounts received in the Cash Management Accounts, to secure the full and final repayment of all of the Obligations;
(i) Ship, reclaim, recover, store, finish, maintain, repair, prepare for sale, advertise for sale, and sell (in the manner provided for herein) the Personal Property Collateral. Each Borrower hereby grants to Agent a license or other right to use, without charge, such Borrower’s labels, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, trade names, trademarks, service marks, and advertising matter, or any property of a similar nature, as it pertains to the Personal Property Collateral, in completing production of, advertising for sale, and selling any Personal Property Collateral and such Borrower’s rights under all licenses and all franchise agreements shall inure to the Lender Group’s benefit;
(j) Sell (or, in the case of Personal Property Collateral subject to an Australian Security, appoint a receiver or attorney in accordance with such Australian Security to sell) the Personal Property Collateral at either a public or private sale, or both, by way of one or more contracts or transactions, for cash or on terms, in such manner and at
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such places (including Borrowers’ premises) as Agent (or, in the case of Personal Property Collateral subject to an Australian Security, the receiver or attorney appointed by the Agent) determines is commercially reasonable. It is not necessary that the Personal Property Collateral be present at any such sale;
(k) Agent shall give notice of the disposition of the Personal Property Collateral as follows:
(i) Agent shall give Administrative Borrower (for the benefit of the applicable Borrower) a notice in writing of the time and place of public sale, or, if the sale is a private sale or some other disposition other than a public sale is to be made of the Personal Property Collateral, the time on or after which the private sale or other disposition is to be made; and
(ii) The notice shall be personally delivered or mailed, postage prepaid, to Administrative Borrower as provided in Section 11, at least 10 days before the earliest time of disposition set forth in the notice; no notice needs to be given prior to the disposition of any portion of the Personal Property Collateral that is perishable or threatens to decline speedily in value or that is of a type customarily sold on a recognized market,
provided that, in the case of a disposition of Personal Property Collateral pursuant to an Australian Security, the disposition of that Personal Property Collateral and the giving of notices in relation to such disposition will be governed by the terms of the applicable Australian Security;
(l) Agent, on behalf of the Lender Group may credit bid and purchase at any public sale;
(m) Agent may seek the appointment of a receiver or keeper to take possession of all or any portion of the Collateral or to operate same and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, may seek the appointment of such a receiver without the requirement of prior notice or a hearing;
(n) The Lender Group shall have all other rights and remedies available at law or in equity or pursuant to any other Loan Document; and
(o) Any deficiency that exists after disposition of the Personal Property Collateral as provided above will be paid immediately by Borrowers. Any excess will be returned, without interest and subject to the rights of third Persons, by Agent to Administrative Borrower (for the benefit of the applicable Borrower).
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, nothing in thisSection 8.1 shall permit Agent, when exercising its rights to the property of HH Australia or an Australian Guarantor under this Agreement or an Australian Security, to act in a manner contrary to the laws of Australia.
The foregoing to the contrary notwithstanding, upon the occurrence of any Event of Default described inSection 7.4 orSection 7.5, in addition to the remedies set forth above, without any notice to Borrowers or any other Person or any act by the Lender Group, the Commitments shall automatically terminate and the Obligations then outstanding, together with all accrued and unpaid interest thereon and all fees and all other amounts due under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, shall automatically and immediately become due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest, or notice of any kind, all of which are expressly waived by Borrowers.
8.2Remedies Cumulative.The rights and remedies of the Lender Group under this Agreement, the other Loan Documents, and all other agreements in connection herewith and therewith shall be cumulative.
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The Lender Group shall have all other rights and remedies not inconsistent herewith as provided under the Code, by law, or in equity. No exercise by the Lender Group of one right or remedy shall be deemed an election, and no waiver by the Lender Group of any Event of Default shall be deemed a continuing waiver. No delay by the Lender Group shall constitute a waiver, election, or acquiescence by it.
9. | TAXES AND EXPENSES. |
If any Borrower fails to pay any monies (whether taxes, assessments, insurance premiums, or, in the case of leased properties or assets, rents or other amounts payable under such leases) due to third Persons, or fails to make any deposits or furnish any required proof of payment or deposit, all as required under the terms of this Agreement, then, Agent, in its sole discretion and without prior notice to any Borrower, may do any or all of the following: (a) make payment of the same or any part thereof, (b) set up such reserves against the Borrowing Base or the Maximum Revolver Amount as Agent deems necessary to protect the Lender Group from the exposure created by such failure, or (c) in the case of the failure to comply withSection 5.8 hereof, obtain and maintain insurance policies of the type described inSection 5.8 and take any action with respect to such policies as Agent deems prudent. Any such amounts paid by Agent shall constitute Lender Group Expenses and any such payments shall not constitute an agreement by the Lender Group to make similar payments in the future or a waiver by the Lender Group of any Event of Default under this Agreement. Agent need not inquire as to, or contest the validity of, any such expense, tax, or Lien and the receipt of the usual official notice for the payment thereof shall be conclusive evidence that the same was validly due and owing.
10. | WAIVERS; INDEMNIFICATION. |
10.1Demand; Protest; etc.Except as expressly provided herein, each Borrower waives demand, protest, notice of protest, notice of default or dishonor, notice of payment and nonpayment, nonpayment at maturity, release, compromise, settlement, extension, or renewal of documents, instruments, chattel paper, and guarantees at any time held by the Lender Group on which any such Borrower may in any way be liable.
10.2The Lender Group’s Liability for Collateral.Each Borrower hereby agrees that: (a) so long as Agent complies with its obligations, if any, under the Code, the Lender Group shall not in any way or manner be liable or responsible for: (i) the safekeeping of the Collateral, (ii) any loss or damage thereto occurring or arising in any manner or fashion from any cause, (iii) any diminution in the value thereof, or (iv) any act or default of any carrier, warehouseman, bailee, forwarding agency, or other Person, and (b) all risk of loss, damage, or destruction of the Collateral shall be borne by Borrowers.
10.3Indemnification.Each Borrower shall pay, indemnify, defend, and hold the Agent-Related Persons, the Lender-Related Persons, and each Participant (each, an “Indemnified Person”) harmless (to the fullest extent permitted by law) from and against any and all claims, demands, suits, actions, investigations, proceedings, liabilities, fines, costs, penalties, and damages, and all reasonable fees and disbursements of attorneys, experts, or consultants and all other costs and expenses actually incurred in connection therewith or in connection with the enforcement of this indemnification (as and when they are incurred and irrespective of whether suit is brought), at any time asserted against, imposed upon, or incurred by any of them (a) in connection with or as a result of or related to the execution, delivery, enforcement, performance, or administration (including any restructuring or workout with respect hereto) of this Agreement, any of the other Loan Documents, or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or the monitoring of Borrowers’ and their Subsidiaries’ compliance with the terms of the Loan Documents, (b) with respect to any investigation, litigation, or proceeding related to this Agreement, any other Loan Document, or the use of the proceeds of the credit provided hereunder (irrespective of whether any Indemnified Person is a party thereto), or any act, omission, event, or circumstance in any manner related thereto, and (c) in connection with or arising out of any presence or release of Hazardous Materials at, on, under, to or from any assets or properties owned, leased or operated by Parent or any of its Material Subsidiaries or any Environmental Actions, Environmental Liabilities or Remedial Actions related in any way to any such assets or properties of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries
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(each and all of the foregoing, the “Indemnified Liabilities”). The foregoing to the contrary notwithstanding, Borrowers shall have no obligation to any Indemnified Person under thisSection 10.3 with respect to any Indemnified Liability that a court of competent jurisdiction finally determines to have resulted from the bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnified Person. This provision shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the repayment of the Obligations. If any Indemnified Person makes any payment to any other Indemnified Person with respect to an Indemnified Liability as to which Borrowers were required to indemnify the Indemnified Person receiving such payment, the Indemnified Person making such payment is entitled to be indemnified and reimbursed by Borrowers with respect thereto.WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE FOREGOING INDEMNITY SHALL APPLY TO EACH INDEMNIFIED PERSON WITH RESPECT TO INDEMNIFIED LIABILITIES WHICH IN WHOLE OR IN PART ARE CAUSED BY OR ARISE OUT OF ANY NEGLIGENT (BUT NOT GROSSLY NEGLIGENT) ACT OR OMISSION OF SUCH INDEMNIFIED PERSON OR OF ANY OTHER PERSON.
11. | NOTICES. |
Unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, all notices or demands by Borrowers or Agent to the other relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be in writing and (except for financial statements and other informational documents which may be sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid) shall be personally delivered or sent by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested), overnight courier, electronic mail (at such email addresses as Administrative Borrower or Agent, as applicable, may designate to each other in accordance herewith), or telefacsimile to Borrowers in care of Administrative Borrower or to Agent, as the case may be, at its address set forth below:
If to Administrative Borrower: | HUDSON HIGHLAND GROUP, INC. | |
560 Lexington Avenue, 5th Floor | ||
New York, New York 10022 | ||
Attn: Mary Jane Raymond Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
Fax No.: 917.256.8403 | ||
with copies to: | FOLEY & LARDNER LLP | |
777 East Wisconsin Avenue | ||
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202-5306 | ||
Attn: Benjamin Garmer III, Esq. | ||
Fax No.: 414.297.4900 | ||
If to Agent: | WELLS FARGO FOOTHILL, INC. | |
One Boston Place, 18th Floor | ||
Boston, Massachusetts 02108 | ||
Attn: Business Finance Division Manager | ||
Fax No.: 617.523.1697 | ||
with copies to: | OTTERBOURG, STEINDLER, HOUSTON & ROSEN, P.C. | |
230 Park Avenue | ||
New York, New York 10169 | ||
Attn: Richard L. Stehl, Esq. | ||
Fax No.: 212.682.6104 |
Agent and Borrowers may change the address at which they are to receive notices hereunder, by notice in writing in the foregoing manner given to the other party. All notices or demands sent in accordance with thisSection 11, other than notices by Agent in connection with enforcement rights against the
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Collateral under the provisions of the Code, shall be deemed received on the earlier of the date of actual receipt or 3 Business Days after the deposit thereof in the mail. Each Borrower acknowledges and agrees that notices sent by the Lender Group in connection with the exercise of enforcement rights against Collateral under the provisions of the Code shall be deemed sent when deposited in the mail or personally delivered, or, where permitted by law, transmitted by telefacsimile or any other method set forth above.
12. | CHOICE OF LAW AND VENUE; JURY TRIAL WAIVER. |
(a) THE VALIDITY OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS (UNLESS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED TO THE CONTRARY IN ANOTHER LOAN DOCUMENT IN RESPECT OF SUCH OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT), THE CONSTRUCTION, INTERPRETATION, AND ENFORCEMENT HEREOF AND THEREOF, AND THE RIGHTS OF THE PARTIES HERETO AND THERETO WITH RESPECT TO ALL MATTERS ARISING HEREUNDER OR THEREUNDER OR RELATED HERETO OR THERETO SHALL BE DETERMINED UNDER, GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
(b) THE PARTIES AGREE THAT ALL ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS SHALL BE TRIED AND LITIGATED ONLY IN THE STATE AND TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, FEDERAL COURTS LOCATED IN THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK, STATE OF NEW YORK;PROVIDED,HOWEVER, THAT ANY SUIT SEEKING ENFORCEMENT AGAINST ANY COLLATERAL OR OTHER PROPERTY MAY BE BROUGHT, AT AGENT’S OPTION, IN THE COURTS OF ANY JURISDICTION WHERE AGENT ELECTS TO BRING SUCH ACTION OR WHERE SUCH COLLATERAL OR OTHER PROPERTY MAY BE FOUND. BORROWERS AND EACH MEMBER OF THE LENDER GROUP WAIVE, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT EACH MAY HAVE TO ASSERT THE DOCTRINE OFFORUMNONCONVENIENS OR TO OBJECT TO VENUE TO THE EXTENT ANY PROCEEDING IS BROUGHT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THISSECTION 12(b).
(c) BORROWERS AND EACH MEMBER OF THE LENDER GROUP HEREBY WAIVE THEIR RESPECTIVE RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL OF ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION BASED UPON OR ARISING OUT OF ANY OF THE LOAN DOCUMENTS OR ANY OF THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED THEREIN, INCLUDING CONTRACT CLAIMS, TORT CLAIMS, BREACH OF DUTY CLAIMS, AND ALL OTHER COMMON LAW OR STATUTORY CLAIMS. BORROWERS AND EACH MEMBER OF THE LENDER GROUP REPRESENT THAT EACH HAS REVIEWED THIS WAIVER AND EACH KNOWINGLY AND VOLUNTARILY WAIVES ITS JURY TRIAL RIGHTS FOLLOWING CONSULTATION WITH LEGAL COUNSEL. IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, A COPY OF THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE FILED AS A WRITTEN CONSENT TO A TRIAL BY THE COURT.
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13. | ASSIGNMENTS AND PARTICIPATIONS; SUCCESSORS. |
13.1Assignments and Participations.
(a) Any Lender may assign and delegate to one or more assignees (each an “Assignee”) that are Eligible Transferees all or any portion, of the Obligations, the Commitments and the other rights and obligations of such Lender hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, in a minimum amount (unless waived by the Agent) of $5,000,000 (except such minimum amount shall not apply to (x) an assignment or delegation by any Lender to any other Lender or an Affiliate of any Lender or (y) a group of new Lenders, each of whom is an Affiliate of each other or a fund or account managed by any such new Lender or an Affiliate of such new Lender to the extent that the aggregate amount to be assigned to all such new Lenders is at least $5,000,000);provided,however, that Borrowers and Agent may continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with the interest so assigned to an Assignee until (i) written notice of such assignment, together with payment instructions, addresses, and related information with respect to the Assignee, have been given to Administrative Borrower and Agent by such Lender and the Assignee, (ii) such Lender and its Assignee have delivered to Administrative Borrower and Agent an Assignment and Acceptance and Agent has notified the assigning Lender of its receipt thereof in accordance withSection 13.1(b), and (iii) unless waived by the Agent, the assigning Lender or Assignee has paid to Agent for Agent’s separate account a processing fee in the amount of $3,500. Anything contained herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the payment of any fees shall not be required and the Assignee need not be an Eligible Transferee if such assignment is in connection with any merger, consolidation, sale, transfer, or other disposition of all or any substantial portion of the business or loan portfolio of the assigning Lender.
(b) From and after the date that Agent notifies the assigning Lender (with a copy to Administrative Borrower) that it has received an executed Assignment and Acceptance and, if applicable, payment of the required processing fee, (i) the Assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent that rights and obligations hereunder have been assigned to it pursuant to such Assignment and Acceptance, shall have the rights and obligations of a Lender under the Loan Documents, and (ii) the assigning Lender shall, to the extent that rights and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents have been assigned by it pursuant to such Assignment and Acceptance, relinquish its rights (except with respect toSection 10.3 hereof) and be released from any future obligations under this Agreement (and in the case of an Assignment and Acceptance covering all or the remaining portion of an assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto and thereto), and such assignment shall effect a novation among Borrowers, the assigning Lender, and the Assignee;provided,however, that nothing contained herein shall release any assigning Lender from obligations that survive the termination of this Agreement, including such assigning Lender’s obligations underSection 15 andSection 17.9(a) of this Agreement.
(c) By executing and delivering an Assignment and Acceptance, the assigning Lender thereunder and the Assignee thereunder confirm to and agree with each other and the other parties hereto as follows: (i) other than as provided in such Assignment and Acceptance, such assigning Lender makes no representation or warranty and assumes no responsibility with respect to any statements, warranties or representations made in or in connection with this Agreement or the execution, legality, validity, enforceability, genuineness, sufficiency or value of this Agreement or any other Loan Document furnished pursuant hereto, (ii) such assigning Lender makes no representation or warranty and assumes no responsibility with respect to the financial condition of Borrowers or the
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performance or observance by Borrowers of any of their obligations under this Agreement or any other Loan Document furnished pursuant hereto, (iii) such Assignee confirms that it has received a copy of this Agreement, together with such other documents and information as it has deemed appropriate to make its own credit analysis and decision to enter into such Assignment and Acceptance, (iv) such Assignee will, independently and without reliance upon Agent, such assigning Lender or any other Lender, and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own credit decisions in taking or not taking action under this Agreement, (v) such Assignee appoints and authorizes Agent to take such actions and to exercise such powers under this Agreement as are delegated to Agent, by the terms hereof, together with such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto, and (vi) such Assignee agrees that it will perform all of the obligations which by the terms of this Agreement are required to be performed by it as a Lender.
(d) Immediately upon Agent’s receipt of the required processing fee, if applicable, and delivery of notice to the assigning Lender pursuant toSection 13.1(b), this Agreement shall be deemed to be amended to the extent, but only to the extent, necessary to reflect the addition of the Assignee and the resulting adjustment of the Commitments arising therefrom. The Commitment allocated to each Assignee shall reduce such Commitments of the assigning Lenderpro tanto.
(e) Any Lender may at any time sell to one or more commercial banks, financial institutions, or other Persons (a “Participant”) participating interests in all or any portion of its Obligations, its Commitment, and the other rights and interests of that Lender (the “Originating Lender”) hereunder and under the other Loan Documents;provided,however, that (i) the Originating Lender shall remain a “Lender” for all purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and the Participant receiving the participating interest in the Obligations, the Commitments, and the other rights and interests of the Originating Lender hereunder shall not constitute a “Lender” hereunder or under the other Loan Documents and the Originating Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) the Originating Lender shall remain solely responsible for the performance of such obligations, (iii) Borrowers, Agent, and the Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with the Originating Lender in connection with the Originating Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, (iv) no Lender shall transfer or grant any participating interest under which the Participant has the right to approve any amendment to, or any consent or waiver with respect to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document, except to the extent such amendment to, or consent or waiver with respect to this Agreement or of any other Loan Document would (A) extend the final maturity date of the Obligations hereunder in which such Participant is participating, (B) reduce the interest rate applicable to the Obligations hereunder in which such Participant is participating, (C) release all or substantially all of the Collateral or guaranties (except to the extent expressly provided herein or in any of the Loan Documents) supporting the Obligations hereunder in which such Participant is participating, (D) postpone the payment of, or reduce the amount of, the interest or fees payable to such Participant through such Lender, or (E) change the amount or due dates of scheduled principal repayments or prepayments or premiums, and (v) all amounts payable by Borrowers hereunder shall be determined as if such Lender had not sold such participation, except that, if amounts outstanding under this Agreement are due and unpaid, or shall have been declared or shall have become due and payable upon the occurrence of an Event of Default, each Participant shall be deemed to have the right of set off in respect of its participating interest in amounts owing under this Agreement to the same extent as if the amount of its participating interest were owing directly to it as a Lender under this Agreement. The rights of any Participant only shall be derivative through the Originating
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Lender with whom such Participant participates and no Participant shall have any rights under this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or any direct rights as to the other Lenders, Agent, Borrowers, the Collections of Borrowers or their Subsidiaries, the Collateral, or otherwise in respect of the Obligations. No Participant shall have the right to participate directly in the making of decisions by the Lenders among themselves.
(f) In connection with any such assignment or participation or proposed assignment or participation, a Lender may, subject to the provisions ofSection 15.16(d) andSection 17.9, disclose all documents and information which it now or hereafter may have relating to Borrowers and their Subsidiaries and their respective businesses.
(g) Any other provision in this Agreement notwithstanding, any Lender may at any time create a security interest in, or pledge, all or any portion of its rights under and interest in this Agreement in favor of any Federal Reserve Bank in accordance with Regulation A of the Federal Reserve Bank or U.S. Treasury Regulation 31 CFR § 203.24, and such Federal Reserve Bank may enforce such pledge or security interest in any manner permitted under applicable law.
13.2Successors.This Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of the respective successors and assigns of each of the parties;provided,however, that Borrowers may not assign this Agreement or any rights or duties hereunder without the Lenders’ prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed, and any prohibited assignment shall be absolutely voidab initio. No consent to assignment by the Lenders shall release any Borrower from its Obligations. A Lender may assign this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and its rights and duties hereunder and thereunder pursuant toSection 13.1 hereof and, except as expressly required pursuant toSection 13.1 hereof, no consent or approval by any Borrower is required in connection with any such assignment.
14. | AMENDMENTS; WAIVERS. |
14.1Amendments and Waivers.No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document (other than Bank Product Agreements or the Fee Letter), and no consent with respect to any departure by Borrowers therefrom, shall be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the Required Lenders (or by Agent at the written request of the Required Lenders) and Administrative Borrower (on behalf of all Borrowers) and then any such waiver or consent shall be effective, but only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given;provided,however, that no such waiver, amendment, or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by all of the Lenders directly affected thereby and Administrative Borrower (on behalf of all Borrowers), do any of the following:
(a) increase or extend any Commitment of any Lender,
(b) postpone or delay any date fixed by this Agreement or any other Loan Document for any payment of principal, interest, fees, or other amounts due hereunder or under any other Loan Document,
(c) reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest on, any loan or other extension of credit hereunder, or reduce any fees or other amounts payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document,
(d) change the Pro Rata Share that is required to take any action hereunder,
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(e) amend or modify this Section or any provision of this Agreement providing for consent or other action by all Lenders,
(f) other than as permitted bySection 15.11, release Agent’s Lien in and to any of the Collateral,
(g) contractually subordinate any of the Agent’s Liens,
(h) other than in connection with a merger, liquidation, dissolution or sale of such Person expressly permitted by the terms hereof or the other Loan Documents, release any Borrower or any Guarantor from any obligation for the payment of money,
(i) amend any of the provisions ofSection 2.4(b)(i) or (ii),
(j) change the definition of “Required Lenders”, “Pro Rata Share”, “Borrowing Base”, “Eligible Accounts”, “Maximum US Amount”, “Maximum UK Amount”, “Maximum Australia Amount”, “Maximum Revolver Amount” or changeSection 2.1(b), or
(k) amend any of the provisions ofSection 15.
and,provided further,however, that no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by Agent, Issuing Lender, or Swing Lender, as applicable, affect the rights or duties of Agent, Issuing Lender, or Swing Lender, as applicable, under this Agreement or any other Loan Document. The foregoing notwithstanding, any amendment, modification, waiver, consent, termination, or release of, or with respect to, any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document that relates only to the relationship of the Lender Group among themselves, and that does not affect the rights or obligations of Borrowers, shall not require consent by or the agreement of Borrowers;providedthat Agent shall provide Administrative Borrower with a copy of any such document.
14.2Replacement of Holdout Lender.
(a) If any action to be taken by the Lender Group or Agent hereunder requires the unanimous consent, authorization, or agreement of all or a majority of Lenders, and a Lender (“Holdout Lender”) fails to give its consent, authorization, or agreement, then Agent, upon at least 5 Business Days prior irrevocable notice to the Holdout Lender, may permanently replace the Holdout Lender with one or more substitute Lenders (each, a “Replacement Lender”), and the Holdout Lender shall have no right to refuse to be replaced hereunder. Such notice to replace the Holdout Lender shall specify an effective date for such replacement, which date shall not be later than 15 Business Days after the date such notice is given.
(b) Prior to the effective date of such replacement, the Holdout Lender and each Replacement Lender shall execute and deliver an Assignment and Acceptance, subject only to the Holdout Lender being repaid its share of the outstanding Obligations (including an assumption of its Pro Rata Share of the Risk Participation Liability) without any premium or penalty of any kind whatsoever. If the Holdout Lender shall refuse or fail to execute and deliver any such Assignment and Acceptance prior to the effective date of such replacement, the Holdout Lender shall be deemed to have executed and delivered such Assignment and Acceptance. The replacement of any Holdout Lender shall be made in accordance with the terms ofSection 13.1. Until such time as the Replacement Lenders shall have acquired all of the Obligations, the Commitments, and the other rights and obligations of the Holdout Lender hereunder and under the other Loan
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Documents, the Holdout Lender shall remain obligated to make the Holdout Lender’s Pro Rata Share of Advances and to purchase a participation in each Letter of Credit, in an amount equal to its Pro Rata Share of the Risk Participation Liability of such Letter of Credit.
14.3No Waivers; Cumulative Remedies.No failure by Agent or any Lender to exercise any right, remedy, or option under this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or delay by Agent or any Lender in exercising the same, will operate as a waiver thereof. No waiver by Agent or any Lender on any occasion shall affect or diminish Agent’s and each Lender’s rights thereafter to require strict performance by Borrowers of any provision of this Agreement. Agent’s and each Lender’s rights under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents will be cumulative and not exclusive of any other right or remedy that Agent or any Lender may have.
15. | AGENT; THE LENDER GROUP. |
15.1Appointment and Authorization of Agent.Each Lender hereby designates and appoints WFF as its representative under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and each Lender hereby irrevocably authorizes Agent to execute and deliver each of the other Loan Documents on its behalf and to take such other action on its behalf under the provisions of this Agreement and each other Loan Document and to exercise such powers and perform such duties as are expressly delegated to Agent by the terms of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, together with such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. Agent agrees to act as such on the express conditions contained in thisSection 15. The provisions of thisSection 15 are solely for the benefit of Agent and the Lenders, and Borrowers shall have no rights as a third party beneficiary of any of the provisions contained herein. Any provision to the contrary contained elsewhere in this Agreement or in any other Loan Document notwithstanding, Agent shall not have any duties or responsibilities, except those expressly set forth herein, nor shall Agent have or be deemed to have any fiduciary relationship with any Lender, and no implied covenants, functions, responsibilities, duties, obligations or liabilities shall be read into this Agreement or any other Loan Document or otherwise exist against Agent; it being expressly understood and agreed that the use of the word “Agent” is for convenience only, that WFF is merely the representative of the Lenders, and only has the contractual duties set forth herein. Except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement, Agent shall have and may use its sole discretion with respect to exercising or refraining from exercising any discretionary rights or taking or refraining from taking any actions that Agent expressly is entitled to take or assert under or pursuant to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, or of any other provision of the Loan Documents that provides rights or powers to Agent, Lenders agree that Agent shall have the right to exercise the following powers as long as this Agreement remains in effect: (a) maintain, in accordance with its customary business practices, ledgers and records reflecting the status of the Obligations, the Collateral, the Collections of Borrowers, and related matters, (b) execute or file any and all financing or similar statements or notices, amendments, renewals, supplements, documents, instruments, proofs of claim, notices and other written agreements with respect to the Loan Documents, (c) make Advances, for itself or on behalf of Lenders as provided in the Loan Documents, (d) exclusively receive, apply, and distribute the Collections of Borrowers as provided in the Loan Documents, (e) open and maintain such bank accounts and cash management arrangements as Agent deems necessary and appropriate in accordance with the Loan Documents for the foregoing purposes with respect to the Collateral and the Collections of Borrowers, (f) perform, exercise, and enforce any and all other rights and remedies of the Lender Group with respect to Borrowers, the Obligations, the Collateral, the Collections of Borrowers, or otherwise related to any of same as provided in the Loan Documents, and (g) incur and pay such Lender Group Expenses as Agent may deem necessary or appropriate for the performance and fulfillment of its functions and powers pursuant to the Loan Documents.
15.2Delegation of Duties.Agent may execute any of its duties under this Agreement or any other Loan Document by or through agents, employees or attorneys in fact and shall be entitled to advice of counsel concerning all matters pertaining to such duties. Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any agent or attorney in fact that it selects as long as such selection was made without gross negligence or willful misconduct.
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15.3Liability of Agent.None of the Agent Related Persons shall (a) be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by any of them under or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the transactions contemplated hereby (except for its own gross negligence or willful misconduct), or (b) be responsible in any manner to any of the Lenders for any recital, statement, representation or warranty made by any Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, or any officer or director thereof, contained in this Agreement or in any other Loan Document, or in any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for in, or received by Agent under or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or the validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or for any failure of any Borrower or its Subsidiaries or any other party to any Loan Document to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder. No Agent-Related Person shall be under any obligation to any Lender to ascertain or to inquire as to the observance or performance of any of the agreements contained in, or conditions of, this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or to inspect the Books and Records or properties of Borrowers or their Subsidiaries.
15.4Reliance by Agent.Agent shall be entitled to rely, and shall be fully protected in relying, upon any writing, resolution, notice, consent, certificate, affidavit, letter, telegram, telefacsimile or other electronic method of transmission, telex or telephone message, statement or other document or conversation believed by it to be genuine and correct and to have been signed, sent, or made by the proper Person or Persons, and upon advice and statements of legal counsel (including counsel to Borrowers or counsel to any Lender), independent accountants and other experts selected by Agent. Agent shall be fully justified in failing or refusing to take any action under this Agreement or any other Loan Document unless Agent shall first receive such advice or concurrence of the Lenders as it deems appropriate and until such instructions are received, Agent shall act, or refrain from acting, as it deems advisable. If Agent so requests, it shall first be indemnified to its reasonable satisfaction by the Lenders against any and all liability and expense that may be incurred by it by reason of taking or continuing to take any such action. Agent shall in all cases be fully protected in acting, or in refraining from acting, under this Agreement or any other Loan Document in accordance with a request or consent of the Required Lenders and such request and any action taken or failure to act pursuant thereto shall be binding upon all of the Lenders.
15.5Notice of Default or Event of Default.Agent shall not be deemed to have knowledge or notice of the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default, except with respect to defaults in the payment of principal, interest, fees, and expenses required to be paid to Agent for the account of the Lenders and, except with respect to Defaults or Events of Default of which Agent has actual knowledge, unless Agent shall have received written notice from a Lender or Administrative Borrower referring to this Agreement, describing such Default or Event of Default, and stating that such notice is a “notice of default.” Agent promptly will notify the Lenders of its receipt of any such notice or of any Default or Event of Default of which Agent has actual knowledge. If any Lender obtains actual knowledge of any Default or Event of Default, such Lender promptly shall notify the other Lenders and Agent of such Default or Event of Default. Each Lender shall be solely responsible for giving any notices to its Participants, if any. Subject toSection 15.4, Agent shall take such action with respect to such Default or Event of Default as may be requested by the Required Lenders in accordance withSection 8;provided,however, that unless and until Agent has received any such request, Agent may (but shall not be obligated to) take such action, or refrain from taking such action, with respect to such Default or Event of Default as it shall deem advisable.
15.6Credit Decision.Each Lender acknowledges that none of the Agent Related Persons has made any representation or warranty to it, and that no act by Agent hereinafter taken, including any review of the affairs of Borrowers and their Subsidiaries or Affiliates, shall be deemed to constitute any representation or warranty by any Agent-Related Person to any Lender. Each Lender represents to Agent that it has, independently and without reliance upon any Agent-Related Person and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own appraisal of and investigation into the business,
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prospects, operations, property, financial and other condition and creditworthiness of Borrowers or any other Person party to a Loan Document, and all applicable bank regulatory laws relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, and made its own decision to enter into this Agreement and to extend credit to Borrowers. Each Lender also represents that it will, independently and without reliance upon any Agent-Related Person and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own credit analysis, appraisals and decisions in taking or not taking action under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and to make such investigations as it deems necessary to inform itself as to the business, prospects, operations, property, financial and other condition and creditworthiness of Borrowers or any other Person party to a Loan Document. Except for notices, reports, and other documents expressly herein required to be furnished to the Lenders by Agent, Agent shall not have any duty or responsibility to provide any Lender with any credit or other information concerning the business, prospects, operations, property, financial and other condition or creditworthiness of Borrowers or any other Person party to a Loan Document that may come into the possession of any of the Agent Related Persons.
15.7Costs and Expenses; Indemnification.Agent may incur and pay Lender Group Expenses to the extent Agent reasonably deems necessary or appropriate for the performance and fulfillment of its functions, powers, and obligations pursuant to the Loan Documents, including court costs, attorneys fees and expenses, fees and expenses of financial accountants, advisors, consultants, and appraisers, costs of collection by outside collection agencies, auctioneer fees and expenses, and costs of security guards or insurance premiums paid to maintain the Collateral, whether or not Borrowers are obligated to reimburse Agent or Lenders for such expenses pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise. Agent is authorized and directed to deduct and retain sufficient amounts from the Collections of Borrowers received by Agent to reimburse Agent for such out-of-pocket costs and expenses prior to the distribution of any amounts to Lenders. In the event Agent is not reimbursed for such costs and expenses by Borrowers, each Lender hereby agrees that it is and shall be obligated to pay to Agent such Lender’s Pro Rata Share thereof. Whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated, the Lenders shall indemnify upon demand the Agent-Related Persons (to the extent not reimbursed by or on behalf of Borrowers and without limiting the obligation of Borrowers to do so), according to their Pro Rata Shares, from and against any and all Indemnified Liabilities;provided,however, that no Lender shall be liable for the payment to any Agent-Related Person of any portion of such Indemnified Liabilities resulting solely from such Person’s gross negligence or willful misconduct nor shall any Lender be liable for the obligations of any Defaulting Lender in failing to make an Advance or other extension of credit hereunder. Without limitation of the foregoing, each Lender shall reimburse Agent upon demand for such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of any costs or out of pocket expenses (including attorneys, accountants, advisors, and consultants fees and expenses) incurred by Agent in connection with the preparation, execution, delivery, administration, modification, amendment, or enforcement (whether through negotiations, legal proceedings or otherwise) of, or legal advice in respect of rights or responsibilities under, this Agreement, any other Loan Document, or any document contemplated by or referred to herein, to the extent that Agent is not reimbursed for such expenses by or on behalf of Borrowers. The undertaking in this Section shall survive the payment of all Obligations hereunder and the resignation or replacement of Agent.
15.8Agent in Individual Capacity.WFF and its Affiliates may make loans to, issue letters of credit for the account of, accept deposits from, acquire equity interests in, and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust, financial advisory, underwriting, or other business with Borrowers and their Subsidiaries and Affiliates and any other Person party to any Loan Documents as though WFF were not Agent hereunder, and, in each case, without notice to or consent of the other members of the Lender Group. The other members of the Lender Group acknowledge that, pursuant to such activities, WFF or its Affiliates may receive information regarding Borrowers or their Affiliates or any other Person party to any Loan Documents that is subject to confidentiality obligations in favor of Borrowers or such other Person and that prohibit the disclosure of such information to the Lenders, and the Lenders acknowledge that, in such circumstances (and in the absence of a waiver of such confidentiality obligations, which waiver Agent will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain), Agent shall not be under any obligation to provide such information to them. The terms “Lender” and “Lenders” include WFF in its individual capacity.
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15.9Successor Agent.Agent may resign as Agent upon 45 days notice to the Lenders (unless such notice is waived by the Required Lenders). If Agent resigns under this Agreement, the Required Lenders shall appoint a successor Agent for the Lenders. If no successor Agent is appointed prior to the effective date of the resignation of Agent, Agent may appoint, after consulting with the Lenders, a successor Agent. If Agent has materially breached or failed to perform any material provision of this Agreement or of applicable law, the Required Lenders may agree in writing to remove and replace Agent with a successor Agent from among the Lenders. In any such event, upon the acceptance of its appointment as successor Agent hereunder, such successor Agent shall succeed to all the rights, powers, and duties of the retiring Agent and the term “Agent” shall mean such successor Agent and the retiring Agent’s appointment, powers, and duties as Agent shall be terminated. After any retiring Agent’s resignation hereunder as Agent, the provisions of thisSection 15 shall inure to its benefit as to any actions taken or omitted to be taken by it while it was Agent under this Agreement. If no successor Agent has accepted appointment as Agent by the date which is 45 days following a retiring Agent’s notice of resignation, the retiring Agent’s resignation shall nevertheless thereupon become effective and the Lenders shall perform all of the duties of Agent hereunder until such time, if any, as the Lenders appoint a successor Agent as provided for above.
15.10Lender in Individual Capacity.Any Lender and its respective Affiliates may make loans to, issue letters of credit for the account of, accept deposits from, acquire equity interests in and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust, financial advisory, underwriting, or other business with Borrowers and their Subsidiaries and Affiliates and any other Person party to any Loan Documents as though such Lender were not a Lender hereunder without notice to or consent of the other members of the Lender Group. The other members of the Lender Group acknowledge that, pursuant to such activities, such Lender and its respective Affiliates may receive information regarding Borrowers or their Affiliates or any other Person party to any Loan Documents that is subject to confidentiality obligations in favor of Borrowers or such other Person and that prohibit the disclosure of such information to the other members of the Lender Group, and the other members of the Lender Group acknowledge that, in such circumstances (and in the absence of a waiver of such confidentiality obligations, which waiver such Lender will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain), such Lender shall not be under any obligation to provide such information to them.
15.11Collateral Matters.
(a) The Lenders hereby irrevocably authorize Agent, at its option and in its sole discretion, to release any Lien on any Collateral (i) upon the termination of the Commitments and payment and satisfaction in full by Borrowers of all Obligations, (ii) constituting property being conveyed, sold, leased, licensed, assigned, transferred or otherwise disposed of if a release is required or desirable in connection therewith and if Administrative Borrower certifies to Agent that such conveyance, sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer or other disposition is permitted underSection 6.4 of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents (and Agent may rely conclusively on any such certificate, without further inquiry), (iii) constituting property in which no Borrower or its Subsidiaries owned any interest at the time the Agent’s Lien was granted nor at any time thereafter, or (iv) constituting property leased to a Borrower or its Subsidiaries under a lease that has expired or is terminated in a transaction permitted under this Agreement. Except as provided above, Agent will not execute and deliver a release of any Lien on any Collateral without the prior written authorization of (y) if the release is of all or substantially all of the Collateral, all of the Lenders, or (z) otherwise, the Required Lenders. Upon request by Agent or Administrative Borrower at any time, the Lenders will confirm in writing Agent’s authority to release any such Liens on particular types or items of Collateral pursuant to thisSection 15.11;provided,however, that (1) Agent shall not be required to execute any document necessary to evidence such release on terms that, in Agent’s reasonable opinion, would expose Agent to liability or create any obligation or entail any consequence other than the release of such Lien without recourse, representation, or warranty, and (2) such release shall not in any manner discharge, affect, or impair the Obligations or any Liens
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(other than those expressly being released) upon (or obligations of Borrowers in respect of) all interests retained by Borrowers, including, the proceeds of any sale, all of which shall continue to constitute part of the Collateral.
(b) Agent shall have no obligation whatsoever to any of the Lenders to assure that the Collateral exists or is owned by Borrowers or their Subsidiaries or is cared for, protected, or insured or has been encumbered, or that the Agent’s Liens have been properly or sufficiently or lawfully created, perfected, protected, or enforced or are entitled to any particular priority, or to exercise at all or in any particular manner or under any duty of care, disclosure or fidelity, or to continue exercising, any of the rights, authorities and powers granted or available to Agent pursuant to any of the Loan Documents, it being understood and agreed that in respect of the Collateral, or any act, omission, or event related thereto, subject to the terms and conditions contained herein, Agent may act in any manner it may deem appropriate, in its sole discretion given Agent’s own interest in the Collateral in its capacity as one of the Lenders and that Agent shall have no other duty or liability whatsoever to any Lender as to any of the foregoing, except as otherwise provided herein.
15.12Restrictions on Actions by Lenders; Sharing of Payments.
(a) Each of the Lenders agrees that it shall not, without the express written consent of Agent, and that it shall, to the extent it is lawfully entitled to do so, upon the written request of Agent, set off against the Obligations, any amounts owing by such Lender to any Borrower or any deposit accounts of any Borrower now or hereafter maintained with such Lender. Each of the Lenders further agrees that it shall not, unless specifically requested to do so in writing by Agent, take or cause to be taken any action, including, the commencement of any legal or equitable proceedings to enforce any Loan Document against the Borrowers or Guarantors or to foreclose any Lien on, or otherwise enforce any security interest in, any of the Collateral.
(b) If, at any time or times any Lender shall receive (i) by payment, foreclosure, setoff, or otherwise, any proceeds of Collateral or any payments with respect to the Obligations, except for any such proceeds or payments received by such Lender from Agent pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, or (ii) payments from Agent in excess of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of all such distributions by Agent, such Lender promptly shall (A) turn the same over to Agent, in kind, and with such endorsements as may be required to negotiate the same to Agent, or in immediately available funds, as applicable, for the account of all of the Lenders and for application to the Obligations in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement, or (B) purchase, without recourse or warranty, an undivided interest and participation in the Obligations owed to the other Lenders so that such excess payment received shall be applied ratably as among the Lenders in accordance with their Pro Rata Shares;provided,however, that to the extent that such excess payment received by the purchasing party is thereafter recovered from it, those purchases of participations shall be rescinded in whole or in part, as applicable, and the applicable portion of the purchase price paid therefor shall be returned to such purchasing party, but without interest except to the extent that such purchasing party is required to pay interest in connection with the recovery of the excess payment.
15.13Agency for Perfection.Agent hereby appoints each other Lender as its agent (and each Lender hereby accepts such appointment) for the purpose of perfecting the Agent’s Liens in assets which, in accordance with Article 8 or Article 9, as applicable, of the Code can be perfected only by possession or control. Should any Lender obtain possession or control of any such Collateral, such Lender shall notify Agent thereof, and, promptly upon Agent’s request therefor shall deliver possession or control of such Collateral to Agent or in accordance with Agent’s instructions.
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15.14Payments by Agent to the Lenders.All payments to be made by Agent to the Lenders shall be made by bank wire transfer of immediately available funds pursuant to such wire transfer instructions as each party may designate for itself by written notice to Agent. Concurrently with each such payment, Agent shall identify whether such payment (or any portion thereof) represents principal, premium, fees, or interest of the Obligations.
15.15Concerning the Collateral and Related Loan Documents.Each member of the Lender Group authorizes and directs Agent to enter into this Agreement and the other Loan Documents for the benefit of the Lender Group. Each member of the Lender Group agrees that any action taken by Agent in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents relating to the Collateral and the exercise by Agent of its powers set forth therein or herein, together with such other powers that are reasonably incidental thereto, shall be binding upon all of the Lenders.
15.16Field Audits and Examination Reports; Confidentiality; Disclaimers by Lenders; Other Reports and Information.By becoming a party to this Agreement, each Lender:
(a) is deemed to have requested that Agent furnish such Lender, promptly after it becomes available, a copy of each field audit or examination report respecting Borrowers or their Subsidiaries (each a “Report” and collectively, “Reports”) prepared by or at the request of Agent, and Agent shall so furnish each Lender with such Reports,
(b) expressly agrees and acknowledges that Agent does not (i) make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy of any Report, and (ii) shall not be liable for any information contained in any Report,
(c) expressly agrees and acknowledges that the Reports are not comprehensive audits or examinations, that Agent or other party performing any audit or examination will inspect only specific information regarding Borrowers or their Subsidiaries and will rely significantly upon Borrowers’ and their Subsidiaries’ Books and Records, as well as on representations of Borrowers’ personnel,
(d) agrees that all Reports constitute material, non-public information which shall be subject toSection 17.9, and
(e) without limiting the generality of any other indemnification provision contained in this Agreement, agrees: (i) to hold Agent and any such other Lender preparing a Report harmless from any action the indemnifying Lender may take or fail to take or any conclusion the indemnifying Lender may reach or draw from any Report in connection with any loans or other credit accommodations that the indemnifying Lender has made or may make to Borrowers, or the indemnifying Lender’s participation in, or the indemnifying Lender’s purchase of, a loan or loans of Borrowers; and (ii) to pay and protect, and indemnify, defend and hold Agent, and any such other Lender preparing a Report harmless from and against, the claims, actions, proceedings, damages, costs, expenses, and other amounts (including, attorneys fees and costs) incurred by Agent and any such other Lender preparing a Report as the direct or indirect result of any third parties who might obtain all or part of any Report through the indemnifying Lender.
In addition to the foregoing: (x) any Lender may from time to time request of Agent in writing that Agent provide to such Lender a copy of any report or document provided by Borrowers or their Subsidiaries to Agent
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that has not been contemporaneously provided by Borrowers or their Subsidiaries to such Lender, and, upon receipt of such request, Agent promptly shall provide a copy of same to such Lender, (y) to the extent that Agent is entitled, under any provision of the Loan Documents, to request additional reports or information from Borrowers or their Subsidiaries, any Lender may, from time to time, reasonably request Agent to exercise such right as specified in such Lender’s notice to Agent, whereupon Agent promptly shall request of Administrative Borrower the additional reports or information reasonably specified by such Lender, and, upon receipt thereof from Administrative Borrower, Agent promptly shall provide a copy of same to such Lender, and (z) any time that Agent renders to Administrative Borrower a statement regarding the Loan Account, Agent shall send a copy of such statement to each Lender.
15.17Several Obligations; No Liability.Notwithstanding that certain of the Loan Documents now or hereafter may have been or will be executed only by or in favor of Agent in its capacity as such, and not by or in favor of the Lenders, any and all obligations on the part of Agent (if any) to make any credit available hereunder shall constitute the several (and not joint) obligations of the respective Lenders on a ratable basis, according to their respective Commitments, to make an amount of such credit not to exceed, in principal amount, at any one time outstanding, the amount of their respective Commitments. Nothing contained herein shall confer upon any Lender any interest in, or subject any Lender to any liability for, or in respect of, the business, assets, profits, losses, or liabilities of any other Lender. Each Lender shall be solely responsible for notifying its Participants of any matters relating to the Loan Documents to the extent any such notice may be required, and no Lender shall have any obligation, duty, or liability to any Participant of any other Lender. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, no member of the Lender Group shall have any liability for the acts of any other member of the Lender Group. No Lender shall be responsible to any Borrower or any other Person for any failure by any other Lender to fulfill its obligations to make credit available hereunder, nor to advance for it or on its behalf in connection with its Commitment, nor to take any other action on its behalf hereunder or in connection with the financing contemplated herein.
16. | WITHHOLDING TAXES. |
(a) All payments made by any Borrower hereunder or under any note or other Loan Document will be made without setoff, counterclaim, or other defense, except as required by applicable law. In addition, all such payments will be made free and clear of, and without deduction or withholding for, any present or future Taxes, and in the event any deduction or withholding of Taxes is required, each Borrower shall comply with the immediately following sentence of thisSection 16(a). If any Taxes are so levied or imposed, each Borrower agrees to pay the full amount of such Taxes and such additional amounts as may be necessary so that every payment of all amounts due under this Agreement, any note, or Loan Document, including any amount paid pursuant to thisSection 16(a) after withholding or deduction for or on account of any Taxes, will not be less than the amount provided for herein;provided,however, that Borrowers shall not be required to increase any such amounts payable to Agent or any Lender (i) that is not organized under the laws of the United States, if such Person fails to comply with the other requirements of this Section 16.11, or (ii) if the increase in such amount payable results from Agent’s or such Lender’s own willful misconduct or gross negligence (as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction). Each Borrower will furnish to Agent as promptly as possible after the date the payment of any Tax is due pursuant to applicable law certified copies of tax receipts evidencing such payment by any Borrower. In the event that Agent or any Lender receives a refund, reimbursement, or other form of relief from a taxing authority in respect of any Tax paid by Borrowers hereunder, Borrowers shall receive a credit, reimbursement, or comparable relief in the amount of such relief received by Agent or such Lender. “Taxes” shall mean, any taxes, levies, imposts, duties, fees, assessments or other charges of whatever nature now or hereafter imposed by any jurisdiction (other than the United States) or by any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein with respect to such payments (but excluding any tax imposed by any
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jurisdiction or by any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein measured by or based on the net income or net profits of any Lender or Agent) and all interest, penalties or similar liabilities with respect thereto.
(b) If a Lender claims an exemption from United States withholding tax, Lender agrees with and in favor of Agent and any Borrower, to deliver to Agent and such Borrower:
(i) if such Lender claims an exemption from United States withholding tax pursuant to its portfolio interest exception, (A) a statement of the Lender, signed under penalty of perjury, that it is not a (I) a “bank” as described in Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the IRC, (II) a 10% shareholder of any Borrower (within the meaning of Section 871(h)(3)(B) of the IRC), or (III) a controlled foreign corporation related to any Borrower within the meaning of Section 864(d)(4) of the IRC, and (B) a properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN, before receiving its first payment under this Agreement and at any other time reasonably requested by Agent or any Borrower;
(ii) if such Lender claims an exemption from, or a reduction of, withholding tax under a United States tax treaty, properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN before receiving its first payment under this Agreement and at any other time reasonably requested by Agent or any Borrower;
(iii) if such Lender claims that interest paid under this Agreement is exempt from United States withholding tax because it is effectively connected with a United States trade or business of such Lender, two properly completed and executed copies of IRS Form W-8ECI before receiving its first payment under this Agreement and at any other time reasonably requested by Agent or any Borrower; or
(iv) such other form or forms, including IRS Form W-9, as may be required under the IRC or other laws of the United States as a condition to exemption from, or reduction of, United States withholding or backup withholding tax before receiving its first payment under this Agreement and at any other time reasonably requested by Agent or any Borrower.
Such Lender agrees promptly to notify Agent and Administrative Borrower of any change in circumstances which would modify or render invalid any claimed exemption or reduction.
(c) If a Lender claims an exemption from withholding tax in a jurisdiction other than the United States, Lender agrees with and in favor of Agent and Borrowers, to deliver to Agent any such form or forms, as may be required under the laws of such jurisdiction as a condition to exemption from, or reduction of, foreign withholding or backup withholding tax before receiving its first payment under this Agreement and at any other time reasonably requested by Agent or Administrative Borrower.
Such Lender agrees promptly to notify Agent and Administrative Borrower of any change in circumstances which would modify or render invalid any claimed exemption or reduction.
(d) If any Lender claims exemption from, or reduction of, withholding tax and such Lender sells, assigns, grants a participation in, or otherwise transfers all or part of the Obligations of Borrowers to such Lender, such Lender agrees to notify Agent and Administrative Borrower of the percentage amount in which it is no longer the beneficial owner of Obligations of Borrowers to such Lender. To the extent of such percentage amount, Agent and Borrowers will treat such Lender’s documentation provided pursuant toSections 16(b) or16(c) as no longer valid. With respect to such percentage amount, Lender may provide new documentation, pursuant toSections 16(b) or16(c), if applicable.
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(e) If any Lender is entitled to a reduction in the applicable withholding tax, Agent may withhold from any interest payment to such Lender an amount equivalent to the applicable withholding tax after taking into account such reduction. If the forms or other documentation required by subsection (b) or (c) of thisSection 16 are not delivered to Agent, then Agent may withhold from any interest payment to such Lender not providing such forms or other documentation an amount equivalent to the applicable withholding tax.
(f) If the IRS or any other Governmental Authority of the United States or other jurisdiction asserts a claim that Agent did not properly withhold tax from amounts paid to or for the account of any Lender (because the appropriate form was not delivered, was not properly executed, or because such Lender failed to notify Agent of a change in circumstances which rendered the exemption from, or reduction of, withholding tax ineffective, or for any other reason) such Lender shall indemnify and hold Agent harmless for all amounts paid, directly or indirectly, by Agent, as tax or otherwise, including penalties and interest, and including any taxes imposed by any jurisdiction on the amounts payable to Agent under thisSection 16, together with all costs and expenses (including attorneys fees and expenses). The obligation of the Lenders under this subsection shall survive the payment of all Obligations and the resignation or replacement of Agent.
17. | GENERAL PROVISIONS. |
17.1Effectiveness.This Agreement shall be binding and deemed effective when executed by Borrowers, Agent, and each Lender whose signature is provided for on the signature pages hereof.
17.2Section Headings.Headings and numbers have been set forth herein for convenience only. Unless the contrary is compelled by the context, everything contained in each Section applies equally to this entire Agreement.
17.3Interpretation.Neither this Agreement nor any uncertainty or ambiguity herein shall be construed against the Lender Group or Borrowers, whether under any rule of construction or otherwise. On the contrary, this Agreement has been reviewed by all parties and shall be construed and interpreted according to the ordinary meaning of the words used so as to accomplish fairly the purposes and intentions of all parties hereto.
17.4Severability of Provisions.Each provision of this Agreement shall be severable from every other provision of this Agreement for the purpose of determining the legal enforceability of any specific provision.
17.5Bank Product Providers.Each Bank Product Provider shall be deemed a party hereto for purposes of any reference in a Loan Document to the parties for whom Agent is acting; it being understood and agreed that the rights and benefits of such Bank Product Provider under the Loan Documents consist exclusively of such Bank Product Provider’s right to share in payments and collections out of the Collateral as more fully set forth herein. In connection with any such distribution of payments and collections, Agent shall be entitled to assume no amounts are due to any Bank Product Provider unless such Bank Product Provider has notified Agent in writing of the amount of any such liability owed to it prior to such distribution.
17.6Lender-Creditor Relationship. The relationship between the Lenders and Agent, on the one hand, and Borrowers, on the other hand, is solely that of creditor and debtor. No member of the Lender Group has (or shall be deemed to have) any fiduciary relationship or duty to Borrowers arising out of or in connection with, and there is no agency or joint venture relationship between the members of the Lender Group, on the one hand, and Borrowers, on the other hand, by virtue of any Loan Document or any transaction contemplated therein.
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17.7Counterparts; Electronic Execution.This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by different parties on separate counterparts, each of which, when executed and delivered, shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which, when taken together, shall constitute but one and the same Agreement. Delivery of an executed counterpart of this Agreement by telefacsimile or other electronic method of transmission shall be equally as effective as delivery of an original executed counterpart of this Agreement. Any party delivering an executed counterpart of this Agreement by telefacsimile or other electronic method of transmission also shall deliver an original executed counterpart of this Agreement but the failure to deliver an original executed counterpart shall not affect the validity, enforceability, and binding effect of this Agreement.
17.8Revival and Reinstatement of Obligations.If the incurrence or payment of the Obligations by any Borrower or Guarantor or the transfer to the Lender Group of any property should for any reason subsequently be declared to be void or voidable under any state or federal law relating to creditors’ rights, including provisions of the Bankruptcy Code relating to fraudulent conveyances, preferences, or other voidable or recoverable payments of money or transfers of property (each, a “Voidable Transfer”), and if the Lender Group is required to repay or restore, in whole or in part, any such Voidable Transfer, or elects to do so upon the reasonable advice of its counsel, then, as to any such Voidable Transfer, or the amount thereof that the Lender Group is required or elects to repay or restore, and as to all reasonable costs, expenses, and attorneys fees of the Lender Group related thereto, the liability of Borrowers or Guarantor automatically shall be revived, reinstated, and restored and shall exist as though such Voidable Transfer had never been made.
17.9Confidentiality.
(a) Agent and Lenders each individually (and not jointly or jointly and severally) agree that material, non-public information regarding Borrowers and their Subsidiaries, their operations, assets, and existing and contemplated business plans shall be treated by Agent and the Lenders as confidential, and shall not be disclosed by Agent and the Lenders to Persons who are not parties to this Agreement, except: (i) to attorneys for and other advisors, accountants, auditors, and consultants to any member of the Lender Group, (ii) to Subsidiaries and Affiliates of any member of the Lender Group (including the Bank Product Providers),provided that any such Subsidiary or Affiliate shall have agreed to receive such information hereunder subject to, and to treat such information in accordance with, the terms of thisSection 17.9, (iii) as may be required by statute, decision, or judicial or administrative order, rule, or regulation, (iv) as may be agreed to in advance by Administrative Borrower or its Subsidiaries or as requested or required by any Governmental Authority pursuant to any subpoena or other legal process, (v) as to any such information that is or becomes generally available to the public (other than as a result of prohibited disclosure by Agent or the Lenders), (vi) in connection with any assignment, participation or pledge of any Lender’s interest under this Agreement,provided that any such assignee, participant, or pledgee shall have agreed in writing to receive such information hereunder subject to, and to treat such information in accordance with, the terms of thisSection 17.9, and (vii) in connection with any litigation or other adversary proceeding involving parties hereto which such litigation or adversary proceeding involves claims related to the rights or duties of such parties under this Agreement or the other Loan Documents. The provisions of thisSection 17.9(a) shall survive for 2 years after the payment in full of the Obligations or other satisfaction in a manner acceptable to Agent.
(b) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, Agent may provide information concerning the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to loan syndication and pricing reporting services.
17.10Lender Group Expenses. Borrowers agree to pay any and all Lender Group Expenses promptly after written receipt of written demand therefor by Agent and agrees that their obligations contained in thisSection 17.10 shall survive payment or satisfaction in full of all other Obligations.
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17.11USA PATRIOT Act. Each Lender that is subject to the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title 111 of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “Act”) hereby notifies Borrowers that pursuant to the requirements of the Act, it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies Borrowers, which information includes the name and address of Borrowers and other information that will allow such Lender to identify Borrowers in accordance with the Act.
17.12Integration.This Agreement, together with the other Loan Documents, reflects the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby and shall not be contradicted or qualified by any other agreement, oral or written, before the date hereof.
17.13Parent as Agent for Borrowers.Each Borrower hereby irrevocably appoints Parent as the borrowing agent and attorney-in-fact for all Borrowers (the “Administrative Borrower”) which appointment shall remain in full force and effect unless and until Agent shall have received prior written notice signed by each Borrower that such appointment has been revoked and that another Borrower has been appointed Administrative Borrower. Each Borrower hereby irrevocably appoints and authorizes the Administrative Borrower (i) to provide Agent with all notices with respect to Advances and Letters of Credit obtained for the benefit of any Borrower and all other notices and instructions under this Agreement and (ii) to take such action as the Administrative Borrower deems appropriate on its behalf to obtain Advances and Letters of Credit and to exercise such other powers as are reasonably incidental thereto to carry out the purposes of this Agreement. It is understood that the handling of the Loan Account and Collateral of Borrowers in a combined fashion, as more fully set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, is done solely as an accommodation to Borrowers in order to utilize the collective borrowing powers of Borrowers in the most efficient and economical manner and at their request, and that Lender Group shall not incur liability to any Borrower as a result hereof. Each Borrower expects to derive benefit, directly or indirectly, from the handling of the Loan Account and the Collateral in a combined fashion since the successful operation of each Borrower is dependent on the continued successful performance of the integrated group. To induce the Lender Group to do so, and in consideration thereof, each Borrower hereby jointly and severally agrees to indemnify each member of the Lender Group and hold each member of the Lender Group harmless against any and all liability, expense, loss or claim of damage or injury, made against the Lender Group by any Borrower or by any third party whosoever, arising from or incurred by reason of (a) the handling of the Loan Account and Collateral of Borrowers as herein provided, (b) the Lender Group’s relying on any instructions of the Administrative Borrower, or (c) any other action taken by the Lender Group hereunder or under the other Loan Documents, except that Borrowers will have no liability to the relevant Agent-Related Person or Lender-Related Person under thisSection 17.13 with respect to any liability that has been finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted solely from the bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Agent-Related Person or Lender-Related Person, as the case may be.
18. | ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND RESTATEMENT. |
18.1Continuing Obligations. HH US, HH UK and HH Australia hereby acknowledge, confirm and agree that they have been obligated under the terms and conditions of the Existing Loan Agreement and continue to be obligated under the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Borrowers hereby acknowledge, confirm and agree that each of them are directly, jointly, and severally obligated to Agent and the Lender Group for all Obligations without offset, defense or counterclaim of any kind, nature or description whatsoever.
18.2Acknowledgements.
(a) Each Borrower hereby acknowledges, confirms and agrees that Agent, on behalf of the Lender Group, has and shall continue to have a security interest in and lien upon the Collateral heretofore granted to Agent pursuant to the Existing Financing Agreements to secure the “Obligations” (as defined in the Existing Loan Agreement), as well as any Collateral granted under the Security Agreement or under any of the other Loan Documents or otherwise granted to or held by Agent.
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(b) The liens and security interests of Agent in the Collateral shall be deemed to be continuously granted and perfected from the earliest date of the granting and perfection of such liens and security interests, whether under the Existing Financing Agreements, this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents.
18.3Existing Agreements. Each individual Borrower comprising HH US, HH UK and HH Australia hereby acknowledges, confirms and agrees that: each of the Existing Financing Agreements executed by such Borrower has been duly executed and is in full force and effect as of the date hereof and the agreements and obligations of such Borrower contained in the Existing Financing Agreements constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of such Borrower enforceable against it in accordance with their respective terms, except as enforcement may be limited by equitable principles or by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, or similar laws relating to or limiting creditors’ rights generally, and such Borrower has no valid defense to the enforcement of such obligations and Agent is entitled to all of the rights and remedies provided for in the Existing Financing Agreements.
18.4Restatement. Except as otherwise stated in Section 18.2 hereof and this Section 18.4, as of the date hereof, the terms, conditions, agreements, covenants, representations and warranties set forth in the Existing Financing Agreements are hereby amended and restated in their entirety and, as so amended and restated, replaced and superseded by the terms, conditions, agreements, covenants, representations and warranties set forth in this Agreement, the Security Agreement and the other Loan Documents, except that (a) nothing herein or in the other Loan Documents shall impair or adversely affect the continuation of the joint and several liability of Borrowers for the “Obligations” (as defined in the Existing Loan Agreement) heretofore granted, pledged and/or assigned to Agent and (b) each waiver and consent granted under the Existing Financing Agreements shall, solely to the extent of such waiver or consent under the Existing Financing Agreements, be deemed to be a waiver or consent, as applicable, hereunder and under the Security Agreement and the other Loan Documents. The amendment and restatement contained herein shall not, in any manner, be construed to constitute payment of, or impair, limit, cancel or extinguish, or constitute a novation in respect of, the indebtedness and other obligations and liabilities of Borrowers evidenced by or arising under the Existing Financing Agreements, and the liens and security interests securing such indebtedness and other obligations and liabilities.
[Signature pages to follow.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed and delivered as of the date first above written.
HUDSON HIGHLAND GROUP, INC., a Delaware corporation, as Parent and a Borrower | ||
By: | /S/ ELAINE A. KLOSS | |
Title: | Vice President, Finance and Treasurer |
HUDSON GLOBAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, INC., a Pennsylvania corporation, as a Borrower | ||
By: | /S/ ELAINE A. KLOSS | |
Title: | Treasurer |
HUDSON GLOBAL RESOURCES AMERICA, INC., a Florida corporation, as a Borrower | ||
By: | /S/ ELAINE A. KLOSS | |
Title: | Treasurer |
HUDSON GLOBAL RESOURCES HOLDINGS, INC., a Delaware corporation, as a Borrower | ||
By: | /S/ ELAINE A. KLOSS | |
Title: | Treasurer |
HUDSON GLOBAL RESOURCES LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, as a Borrower | ||
By: | /S/ ANDY ROGERSON | |
Title: | Director | |
By: | /S/ LOUISE MARSHALL | |
Title: | Secretary |
HUDSON PAYROLL SERVICES LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, as a Borrower | ||
By: | /S/ ANDY ROGERSON | |
Title: | Director | |
By: | /S/ LOUISE MARSHALL | |
Title: | Secretary |
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HUDSON GLOBAL RESOURCES (AUST) PTY LTD., a corporation organized under the laws of New South Wales, as a Borrower | ||
By: | /S/ ELAINE A. KLOSS | |
Title: | Authorized Signer |
HUDSON GLOBAL RESOURCES (NEWCASTLE) PTY LTD., a corporation organized under the laws of Victoria, as a Borrower | ||
By: | /S/ ELAINE A. KLOSS | |
Title: | Authorized Signer |
WELLS FARGO FOOTHILL, INC., a California corporation, as Agent and as a Lender | ||
By: | /S/ JOHN T. LEONARD | |
Title: | Senior Vice President |
THE CIT GROUP/BUSINESS CREDIT, INC., as a Lender | ||
By: | /S/ JACK MEYERS | |
Title: | Vice President |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | ||||||
1. | DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION | 1 | ||||
1.1 | Definitions | 1 | ||||
1.2 | Accounting Terms | 1 | ||||
1.3 | Code | 1 | ||||
1.4 | Construction | 1 | ||||
1.5 | Schedules and Exhibits | 2 | ||||
2. | LOAN AND TERMS OF PAYMENT | 2 | ||||
2.1 | Revolver Advances | 2 | ||||
2.2 | Increase in Commitment | 2 | ||||
2.3 | Borrowing Procedures and Settlements | 4 | ||||
2.4 | Payments | 9 | ||||
2.5 | Overadvances | 10 | ||||
2.6 | Interest Rates and Letter of Credit Fee: Rates, Payments, and Calculations | 11 | ||||
2.7 | Cash Management | 12 | ||||
2.8 | Crediting Payments | 13 | ||||
2.9 | Designated Account | 13 | ||||
2.10 | Maintenance of Loan Account; Statements of Obligations | 13 | ||||
2.11 | Fees | 14 | ||||
2.12 | Letters of Credit | 14 | ||||
2.13 | LIBOR Option | 17 | ||||
2.14 | Capital Requirements | 19 | ||||
2.15 | Joint and Several Liability of Borrowers | 19 | ||||
2.16 | Additional Borrowers | 21 | ||||
2.17 | Foreign Currencies | 21 | ||||
2.18 | Foreign Accounts | 22 | ||||
2.19 | Reserved | 22 | ||||
2.20 | Currency; Judgment | 22 | ||||
3. | CONDITIONS; TERM OF AGREEMENT | 22 | ||||
3.1 | Conditions Precedent to the Initial Extension of Credit | 22 | ||||
3.2 | Conditions Precedent to all Extensions of Credit | 22 | ||||
3.3 | Term | 23 | ||||
3.4 | Effect of Termination | 23 | ||||
3.5 | Early Termination by Borrowers | 23 |
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Page | ||||||
3.6 | Voluntary Reductions of Maximum Revolver Amount | 23 | ||||
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES | 24 | ||||
4.1 | No Encumbrances | 24 | ||||
4.2 | Eligible Accounts | 24 | ||||
4.3 | Locations; Leases | 24 | ||||
4.4 | Equipment | 24 | ||||
4.5 | Location of Equipment | 24 | ||||
4.6 | Reserved | 24 | ||||
4.7 | Jurisdiction of Organization; Location of Chief Executive Office; Organizational Identification Number; Commercial Tort Claims | 24 | ||||
4.8 | Due Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries | 25 | ||||
4.9 | Due Authorization; No Conflict | 25 | ||||
4.10 | Litigation | 27 | ||||
4.11 | No Material Adverse Change | 27 | ||||
4.12 | Fraudulent Transfer | 27 | ||||
4.13 | Employee Benefits | 27 | ||||
4.14 | Environmental Condition | 28 | ||||
4.15 | Intellectual Property | 28 | ||||
4.16 | Leases | 28 | ||||
4.17 | Deposit Accounts and Securities Accounts | 28 | ||||
4.18 | Complete Disclosure | 28 | ||||
4.19 | Indebtedness | 29 | ||||
4.20 | Reserved | 29 | ||||
4.21 | Payments to Employees and Others | 29 | ||||
4.22 | Reserved | 29 | ||||
4.23 | Interrelated Entities | 29 | ||||
4.24 | Amendment of Schedules | 29 | ||||
5. | AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS | 29 | ||||
5.1 | Accounting System | 29 | ||||
5.2 | Collateral Reporting | 30 | ||||
5.3 | Financial Statements, Reports, Certificates | 30 | ||||
5.4 | Guarantor Reports | 30 | ||||
5.5 | Inspection; Field Audits and Examinations | 30 | ||||
5.6 | Maintenance of Properties | 30 |
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Page | ||||||
5.7 | Taxes | 30 | ||||
5.8 | Insurance | 30 | ||||
5.9 | Location of Equipment | 31 | ||||
5.10 | Compliance with Laws | 31 | ||||
5.11 | Leases | 31 | ||||
5.12 | Existence | 32 | ||||
5.13 | Environmental | 32 | ||||
5.14 | Disclosure Updates | 32 | ||||
5.15 | Control Agreements | 32 | ||||
5.16 | Formation of Material Subsidiaries | 32 | ||||
5.17 | Further Assurances | 33 | ||||
5.18 | Material Contracts | 33 | ||||
5.19 | Allowances | 33 | ||||
6. | NEGATIVE COVENANTS | 33 | ||||
6.1 | Indebtedness | 33 | ||||
6.2 | Liens | 34 | ||||
6.3 | Restrictions on Fundamental Changes | 34 | ||||
6.4 | Disposal of Assets | 35 | ||||
6.5 | Change Name | 35 | ||||
6.6 | Nature of Business | 35 | ||||
6.7 | Prepayments and Amendments | 35 | ||||
6.8 | Change of Control | 35 | ||||
6.9 | Inactive Subsidiaries | 35 | ||||
6.10 | Distributions | 36 | ||||
6.11 | Accounting Methods | 36 | ||||
6.12 | Investments | 36 | ||||
6.13 | Transactions with Affiliates | 36 | ||||
6.14 | Use of Proceeds | 37 | ||||
6.15 | Change in Location of Chief Executive Office; Equipment with Bailees | 37 | ||||
6.16 | Financial Covenants | 37 | ||||
7. | EVENTS OF DEFAULT | 37 | ||||
8. | THE LENDER GROUP’S RIGHTS AND REMEDIES | 39 | ||||
8.1 | Rights and Remedies | 39 | ||||
8.2 | Remedies Cumulative | 41 |
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Page | ||||||
9. | TAXES AND EXPENSES | 42 | ||||
10. | WAIVERS; INDEMNIFICATION | 42 | ||||
10.1 | Demand; Protest; etc | 42 | ||||
10.2 | The Lender Group’s Liability for Collateral | 42 | ||||
10.3 | Indemnification | 42 | ||||
11. | NOTICES | 43 | ||||
12. | CHOICE OF LAW AND VENUE; JURY TRIAL WAIVER | 44 | ||||
13. | ASSIGNMENTS AND PARTICIPATIONS; SUCCESSORS | 45 | ||||
13.1 | Assignments and Participations | 45 | ||||
13.2 | Successors | 47 | ||||
14. | AMENDMENTS; WAIVERS | 47 | ||||
14.1 | Amendments and Waivers | 47 | ||||
14.2 | Replacement of Holdout Lender | 48 | ||||
14.3 | No Waivers; Cumulative Remedies | 49 | ||||
15. | AGENT; THE LENDER GROUP | 49 | ||||
15.1 | Appointment and Authorization of Agent | 49 | ||||
15.2 | Delegation of Duties | 49 | ||||
15.3 | Liability of Agent | 50 | ||||
15.4 | Reliance by Agent | 50 | ||||
15.5 | Notice of Default or Event of Default | 50 | ||||
15.6 | Credit Decision | 50 | ||||
15.7 | Costs and Expenses; Indemnification | 51 | ||||
15.8 | Agent in Individual Capacity | 51 | ||||
15.9 | Successor Agent | 52 | ||||
15.10 | Lender in Individual Capacity | 52 | ||||
15.11 | Collateral Matters | 52 | ||||
15.12 | Restrictions on Actions by Lenders; Sharing of Payments | 53 | ||||
15.13 | Agency for Perfection | 53 | ||||
15.14 | Payments by Agent to the Lenders | 54 | ||||
15.15 | Concerning the Collateral and Related Loan Documents | 54 | ||||
15.16 | Field Audits and Examination Reports; Confidentiality; Disclaimers by Lenders; Other Reports and Information | 54 | ||||
15.17 | Several Obligations; No Liability | 55 |
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(continued)
Page | ||||||
16. | WITHHOLDING TAXES | 55 | ||||
17. | GENERAL PROVISIONS | 57 | ||||
17.1 | Effectiveness | 57 | ||||
17.2 | Section Headings | 57 | ||||
17.3 | Interpretation | 57 | ||||
17.4 | Severability of Provisions | 57 | ||||
17.5 | Bank Product Providers | 57 | ||||
17.6 | Lender-Creditor Relationship | 57 | ||||
17.7 | Counterparts; Electronic Execution | 58 | ||||
17.8 | Revival and Reinstatement of Obligations | 58 | ||||
17.9 | Confidentiality | 58 | ||||
17.10 | Lender Group Expenses | 58 | ||||
17.11 | USA PATRIOT Act | 59 | ||||
17.12 | Integration | 59 | ||||
17.13 | Parent as Agent for Borrowers | 59 | ||||
18. | ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND RESTATEMENT | 59 | ||||
18.1 | Continuing Obligations | 59 | ||||
18.2 | Acknowledgements | 59 | ||||
18.3 | Existing Agreements | 60 | ||||
18.4 | Restatement | 60 |
-v-
EXHIBITS AND SCHEDULES
Exhibit A-1 | Form of Assignment and Acceptance | |
Exhibit C-1 | Form of Compliance Certificate | |
Exhibit L-1 | Form of LIBOR Notice | |
Schedule A-1 | Agent’s Account | |
Schedule A-2 | Authorized Persons | |
Schedule C-1 | Commitments | |
Schedule D-1 | Designated Account | |
Schedule G-1 | Guarantors | |
Schedule P-1 | Permitted Liens | |
Schedule P-2 | Permitted Acquisitions | |
Schedule R-1 | Real Property Collateral | |
Schedule 1.1 | Definitions | |
Schedule 2.7(a) | Cash Management Banks | |
Schedule 3.1 | Conditions Precedent | |
Schedule 4.3 | Locations; Leases | |
Schedule 4.5 | Locations of Equipment | |
Schedule 4.7(a) | States of Organization | |
Schedule 4.7(b) | Chief Executive Offices | |
Schedule 4.7(c) | Organizational Identification Numbers | |
Schedule 4.7(d) | Commercial Tort Claims | |
Schedule 4.8(b) | Capitalization of Borrowers | |
Schedule 4.8(c) | Capitalization of Borrowers’ Subsidiaries | |
Schedule 4.10 | Litigation | |
Schedule 4.13(b-1) | Benefit Plans | |
Schedule 4.14 | Environmental Matters | |
Schedule 4.15 | Intellectual Property | |
Schedule 4.17 | Deposit Accounts and Securities Accounts | |
Schedule 4.19 | Outstanding Indebtedness | |
Schedule 5.2 | Collateral Reporting | |
Schedule 5.3 | Financial Statements, Reports, Certificates | |
Schedule 6.6 | Nature of Business |
Schedule 1.1
As used in the Agreement, the following terms shall have the following definitions:
“Account” means an account (as that term is defined in the Code).
“Account Debtor” means an account debtor (as that term is defined in the Code).
“ACH Transactions” means any cash management or related services (including the Automated Clearing House processing of electronic fund transfers through the direct Federal Reserve Fedline system) provided by a Bank Product Provider for the account of Administrative Borrower or its Subsidiaries.
“Acquisition” means (a) a Stock Acquisition, or (b) an Asset Acquisition, as the context requires.
“Act” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 17.11.
“Additional Borrower” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.16.
“Additional Documents” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 5.17.
“Administrative Borrower” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 17.13.
“Advances” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.1(a).
“Affiliate” means, as applied to any Person, any other Person who controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such Person. For purposes of this definition, “control” means the possession, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, of the power to direct the management and policies of a Person, whether through the ownership of Stock, by contract, or otherwise;provided,however, that, for purposes of the definition of Eligible Accounts andSection 6.13 of the Agreement: (a) any Person which owns directly or indirectly 15% or more of the Stock having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other members of the governing body of a Person or 15% or more of the partnership or other ownership interests of a Person (other than as a limited partner of such Person) shall be deemed an Affiliate of such Person, (b) each director (or comparable manager) of a Person shall be deemed to be an Affiliate of such Person, and (c) each partnership and joint venture in which a Person is a general partner or joint venturer shall be deemed an Affiliate of such Person.
“Agent” has the meaning specified therefor in the preamble to the Agreement.
“Agent-Related Persons” means Agent, together with its Affiliates, officers, directors, employees, attorneys, and agents.
“Agent’s Account” means the Deposit Account of Agent identified onSchedule A-1.
“Agent’s Liens” means the Liens granted by Borrowers, Guarantors or their Material Subsidiaries to Agent under the Loan Documents.
“Agreement” means the Credit Agreement to which thisSchedule 1.1 is attached.
“Application Event” means the occurrence of (a) a failure by Borrowers to repay all of the Obligations on the Maturity Date, or (b) an Event of Default and the election by the Required Lenders to declare all or any portion of the Obligations to be due and payable, to terminate the Commitment, or to exercise remedies against the Collateral.
“Asset Acquisition” means the purchase or other acquisition by a Person of all or substantially all of the assets of any other Person.
“Assignee” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 13.1(a).
“Assignment and Acceptance” means an Assignment and Acceptance Agreement substantially in the form ofExhibit A-1.
“Australian Employee Benefit Laws” means the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 and the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Regulations 1994 (Commonwealth of Australia).
“Australian Guarantor” means, individually, each Guarantor designated as an “Australian Guarantor” on Schedule G-1 attached hereto.
“Australian Security” means each charge, mortgage or other security given over the assets of HH Australia or an Australian Guarantor in favor of the Agent.
“Australian Security Documents” means the Australian Securities and such other agreements, instruments and documents as may be required by Agent to create and perfect the security interest of Agent on behalf of the Lenders in any Collateral located in Australia.
“Authorized Person” means any one of the individuals identified onSchedule A-2.
“Availability” means, as of any date of determination, if such date is a Business Day, and determined at the close of business on the immediately preceding Business Day, if such date of determination is not a Business Day, the amount that Borrowers are entitled to borrow as Advances underSection 2.1 (after giving effect to all then outstanding Obligations (other than Bank Product Obligations) and all sublimits and reserves then applicable hereunder).
“Bank Product” means any financial accommodation extended to Administrative Borrower or its Subsidiaries by a Bank Product Provider (other than pursuant to the Agreement) including: (a) credit cards, (b) credit card processing services, (c) debit cards, (d) purchase cards, (e) ACH Transactions, (f) cash management, including controlled disbursement, accounts or services, or (g) transactions under Hedge Agreements.
“Bank Product Agreements” means those agreements entered into from time to time by Administrative Borrower or its Subsidiaries with a Bank Product Provider in connection with the obtaining of any of the Bank Products.
“Bank Product Collateralization” means providing cash collateral or a standby letter of credit (pursuant to documentation reasonably satisfactory to Agent) to be held by Agent for the benefit of the Bank Product Providers in an amount determined by Agent as sufficient to satisfy the reasonably estimated credit exposure with respect to the then existing Bank Products.
“Bank Product Obligations” means all obligations, liabilities, contingent reimbursement obligations, fees, and expenses owing by Administrative Borrower or its Subsidiaries to any Bank Product Provider pursuant to or evidenced by the Bank Product Agreements and irrespective of whether for the payment of money, whether direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising, and including all such amounts that Administrative Borrower or its Subsidiaries are obligated to reimburse to Agent or any member of the Lender Group as a result of Agent or such member of the Lender Group purchasing participations from, or executing indemnities or reimbursement obligations to, a Bank Product Provider with respect to the Bank Products provided by such Bank Product Provider to Administrative Borrower or its Subsidiaries.
“Bank Product Provider” means Wells Fargo or any of its Affiliates.
“Bank Product Reserve” means, as of any date of determination, the amount of reserves that Agent has established (based upon the Bank Product Providers’ reasonable determination of the credit exposure of Administrative Borrower and its Subsidiaries in respect of then existing Bank Products) upon at least 5 Business Days notice to Administrative Borrower in respect of then existing Bank Products then provided or outstanding.
“Bankruptcy Code” means, as applicable, (a) title 11 of the United States Code, (b) the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada), (c) the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (Canada), and (d) any similar legislation in the United Kingdom or Australia or any other relevant jurisdiction, each as in effect from time to time.
“Base LIBOR Rate” means the rate per annum, determined by Agent in accordance with its customary procedures, and utilizing such electronic or other quotation sources as it considers appropriate, to be the rate at which Dollar deposits (for delivery on the first day of the requested Interest Period) are offered to major banks in the London interbank market 2 Business Days prior to the commencement of the requested Interest Period, for a term and in an amount comparable to the Interest Period and the amount of the LIBOR Rate Loan requested (whether as an initial LIBOR Rate Loan or as a continuation of a LIBOR Rate Loan or as a conversion of a Base Rate Loan to a LIBOR Rate Loan) by Administrative Borrower in accordance with the Agreement, which determination shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error.
“Base Rate” means, the rate of interest announced, from time to time, within Wells Fargo at its principal office in San Francisco as its “prime rate”, with the understanding that the “prime rate” is one of Wells Fargo’s base rates (not necessarily the lowest of such rates) and serves as the basis upon which effective rates of interest are calculated for those loans making reference thereto and is evidenced by the recording thereof after its announcement in such internal publications as Wells Fargo may designate.
“Base Rate Loan” means each portion of an Advance that bears interest at a rate determined by reference to the Base Rate.
“Base Rate Margin” means, (a) at any time in which the Leverage Ratio is greater than 3.0:1.0, 0.25 percentage points and (b) at any time in which the Leverage Ratio is equal to or less than 3.0:1.0, 0.00 percentage points.
“Benefit Plan” means a “defined benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(35) of ERISA) or a benefit plan under any Australian Employee Benefit Law for which any Borrower or any Subsidiary or ERISA Affiliate of any Borrower has been an “employer” (as defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA) or has held equivalent status under any Australian Employee Benefit Law within the past six years.
“Board of Directors” means the board of directors (or comparable managers) of Parent or any committee thereof duly authorized to act on behalf of the board of directors (or comparable managers).
“Books” means all of each Borrower’s now owned or hereafter acquired books and records (including all of its Records indicating, summarizing, or evidencing its assets (including the Collateral) or liabilities, all of its Records relating to its business operations or financial condition, and all of its goods or General Intangibles related to such information).
“Borrower” and “Borrowers” have the respective meanings specified therefor in the preamble to the Agreement.
“Borrowing” means a borrowing hereunder consisting of Advances made on the same day by the Lenders (or Agent on behalf thereof), or by Swing Lender in the case of a Swing Loan, or by Agent in the case of a Protective Advance, in each case, to Administrative Borrower.
“Borrowing Base” means, as of any date of determination, the result of:
(a)the lesser of
(i) 85% of the amount of Eligible Billed Accounts,lessthe amount, if any, of the Dilution Reserve, and
(ii) an amount equal to Borrowers’ Collections with respect to Accounts for the immediately preceding 65 day period, plus
(b)the lesser of
(i) $20,000,000, and
(ii) 65% of the amount of Eligible Unbilled Accounts, minus
(c) the sum of (i) the Bank Product Reserve, (ii) the Payroll Reserve and (iii) the aggregate amount of reserves, if any, established by Agent underSection 2.1(b).
“Business Day” means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or other day on which banks are authorized or required to close in the state of New York, except that, if a determination of a Business Day shall relate to a LIBOR Rate Loan, the term “Business Day” also shall exclude any day on which banks are closed for dealings in Dollar deposits in the London interbank market.
“Canadian Guarantee” means that certain Guarantee executed and delivered by HH Canada in favor of Agent, for the benefit of the Lender Group and the Bank Product Providers, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent.
“Canadian Security Agreement” means that certain Amended and Restated Security Agreement executed and delivered by HH Canada in favor of Agent, for the benefit of the Lender Group and the Bank Product Providers, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent.
“Canadian Security Documents” means the Canadian Security Agreement and such other agreements, instruments and documents as may be required by Agent to create and perfect the security interest of Agent, for the benefit of the Lender Group and the Bank Product Providers, in any Collateral located in Canada.
“Capital Expenditures” means, with respect to any Person for any period, the aggregate of all expenditures by such Person and its Subsidiaries during such period that are capital expenditures as determined in accordance with GAAP, whether such expenditures are paid in cash or financed.
“Capitalized Lease Obligation” means that portion of the obligations under a Capital Lease that is required to be capitalized in accordance with GAAP.
“Capital Lease” means a lease that is required to be capitalized for financial reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP.
“Cash Equivalents” means (a) marketable direct obligations issued by, or unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States or issued by any agency thereof and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, in each case maturing within 1 year from the date of acquisition thereof, (b) marketable direct
obligations issued by any state of the United States or any political subdivision of any such state or any public instrumentality thereof maturing within 1 year from the date of acquisition thereof and, at the time of acquisition, having one of the two highest ratings obtainable from either Standard & Poor’s Rating Group (“S&P”) or Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), (c) commercial paper maturing no more than 270 days from the date of creation thereof and, at the time of acquisition, having a rating of at least A-1 from S&P or at least P-1 from Moody’s, (d) certificates of deposit or bankers’ acceptances maturing within 1 year from the date of acquisition thereof issued by any bank organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof having at the date of acquisition thereof combined capital and surplus of not less than $250,000,000 or a creditworthy banking institution located outside of the United States and acceptable to Agent in its Permitted Discretion, (e) Deposit Accounts maintained with (i) any bank that satisfies the criteria described in clause (d) above, or (ii) any other bank organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof so long as the amount maintained with any such other bank is less than or equal to $100,000 and is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and (f) Investments in money market funds substantially all of whose assets are invested in the types of assets described in clauses (a) through (e) above.
“Cash Management Account” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.7(a).
“Cash Management Agreements” means those certain cash management agreements, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent, each of which is among Administrative Borrower or one of its Subsidiaries, Agent, and one of the Cash Management Banks.
“Cash Management Bank” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.7(a).
“Change of Control” means that (a) any “person” or “group” (within the meaning of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of 25%, or more, of the Stock of Parent having the right to vote for the election of members of the Board of Directors, (b) a majority of the members of the Board of Directors do not constitute Continuing Directors, (c) except as permitted under the Agreement, any Borrower ceases to directly or indirectly own and control 100% of the outstanding capital Stock of each of its Subsidiaries existing as of the Closing Date, or (d) Parent ceases to directly own and control at least 50% of the outstanding equity interests of Hudson Recruitment Shanghai Limited.
“Chattel Paper” means chattel paper (as that term is defined in the Code) and includes tangible Chattel Paper and electronic chattel paper.
“Closing Date” means the date of this Agreement.
“Code” means the New York Uniform Commercial Code, as in effect from time to time, and when used to define a category or categories of Collateral owned or hereafter acquired by HH Canada, “Code” means the equivalent category or categories of Collateral set out under the PPSA.
“Collateral” means all assets and interests in assets and proceeds thereof now owned or hereafter acquired by Administrative Borrower or its Subsidiaries in or upon which a Lien is granted under any of the Loan Documents.
“Collateral Access Agreement” means a landlord waiver, bailee letter, or acknowledgement agreement of any lessor, warehouseman, processor, consignee, or other Person in possession of, having a Lien upon, or having rights or interests in any Borrower’s Books and Records or Equipment, in each case, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent.
“Collections” meansall cash, checks, notes, instruments, and other items of payment (including insurance proceeds, proceeds of cash sales, rental proceeds, and tax refunds).
“Commercial Tort Claims” means commercial tort claims (as that term is defined in the Code), and includes those commercial tort claims listed in Schedule 4.7(d) attached hereto.
“Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, its Commitment and, with respect to all Lenders, their Commitments, in each case as such Dollar amounts are set forth beside such Lender’s name under the applicable heading onSchedule C-1 or in the Assignment and Acceptance pursuant to which such Lender became a Lender hereunder and as such Dollar amounts may be reduced or increased from time to time in accordance herewith.
“Commitment Increase Effective Date” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.2(c).
“Compliance Certificate” means a certificate substantially in the form ofExhibit C-1 delivered by the chief financial officer of Parent to Agent.
“Continuing Director” means (a) any member of the Board of Directors who was a director (or comparable manager) of Parent on the Closing Date, and (b) any individual who becomes a member of the Board of Directors after the Closing Date if such individual was appointed or nominated for election to the Board of Directors by a majority of the Continuing Directors, but excluding any such individual originally proposed for election in opposition to the Board of Directors in office at the Closing Date in an actual or threatened election contest relating to the election of the directors (or comparable managers) of Parent and whose initial assumption of office resulted from such contest or the settlement thereof.
“Control Agreement” means a control agreement, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent, executed and delivered by the Administrative Borrower or one of its Subsidiaries, Agent, and the applicable securities intermediary (with respect to a Securities Account) or bank (with respect to a Deposit Account).
“Copyright Security Agreement” has the meaning specified therefor in the Security Agreement.
“Daily Balance” means, as of any date of determination and with respect to any Obligation, the amount of such Obligation owed at the end of such day.
“Deed of Acknowledgement and Consent” means a deed of acknowledgement and consent to be entered into by HH Australia in favor of Agent, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent.
“Default” means an event, condition, or default that, with the giving of notice, the passage of time, or both, would be an Event of Default.
“Defaulting Lender” means any Lender that fails to make any Advance (or other extension of credit) that it is required to make hereunder on the date that it is required to do so hereunder.
“Defaulting Lender Rate” means (a) for the first 3 days from and after the date the relevant payment is due, the Base Rate, and (b) thereafter, the interest rate then applicable to Advances that are Base Rate Loans (inclusive of the Base Rate Margin applicable thereto).
“Deposit Account” means any deposit account (as that term is defined in the Code).
“Designated Account” means the Deposit Account of Administrative Borrower identified onSchedule D-1.
“Designated Account Bank” has the meaning specified therefor inSchedule D-1.
“Dilution” means, as of any date of determination, a percentage, based upon the experience of the immediately prior 180 consecutive days, that is the result of dividing the Dollar amount of (a) bad debt write-downs, discounts, advertising allowances, credits, or other dilutive items with respect to Borrowers’ Accounts during such period, by (b) Borrowers’ billings with respect to Accounts during such period.
“Dilution Reserve” means, as of any date of determination, an amount sufficient to reduce the advance rate against Eligible Accounts by 1 percentage point for each percentage point by which Dilution is in excess of 5%.
“Dollars” or “$” means United States dollars.
“Domestic Borrower” means a Borrower organized under the laws of the United States, any of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
“Domestic Guarantor” means a Guarantor organized under the laws of the United States, any of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
“EBITDA” means, with respect to any fiscal period, Parent’s and its Subsidiaries’ consolidated net earnings (or loss), minus extraordinary gains, plus (a) interest expense, (b) income or franchise taxes, (c) depreciation, (d) amortization, (e) write-offs of goodwill taken in accordance with accounting principles for such period, as determined in accordance with GAAP, and (f) (i) interest expense, (ii) income taxes, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) non-operating (income) expenses, and (v) restructuring charges, in each case (x) attributable to discontinued operations arising from the sale by Parent and certain of its Subsidiaries of their business of retained executive search and placement, and (y) expensed, for purposes of calculating EBITDA, in the month such expense was originally incurred. For the purposes of calculating EBITDA for any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters (each, a “Reference Period”), if at any time during such Reference Period (and after the Closing Date) Borrowers or any of their Subsidiaries shall have made a Permitted Acquisition, EBITDA for such Reference Period shall be calculated after giving pro forma effect
thereto in accordance with Regulation S-X promulgated under the Exchange Act or in such other manner reasonably acceptable to the Agent as if the Permitted Acquisition occurred on the first day of such Reference Period.
“Eligible Accounts” means those Accounts created by a Borrower in the ordinary course of its business, that arise out of its sale of goods or rendition of services, that comply with each of the representations and warranties respecting Eligible Accounts made in the Loan Documents, and that are not excluded as ineligible by virtue of one or more of the excluding criteria set forth below;provided,however, that such criteria may be revised from time to time by Agent in Agent’s Permitted Discretion to address the results of any audit performed by Agent from time to time after the Closing Date. Agent shall provide Administrative Borrower with prompt notice of any revision of such criteria, but the delivery of such notice shall not be a condition to the effectiveness of such revision. In determining the amount to be included, Eligible Accounts shall be calculated net of customer deposits and unapplied cash. Eligible Accounts shall not include the following:
(a) Accounts that otherwise are neither Eligible Billed Accounts or Eligible Unbilled Accounts or Accounts with selling terms of more than 60 days,
(b) Accounts owed by an Account Debtor (or its Affiliates) where 50% or more of all Accounts owed by that Account Debtor (or its Affiliates) are ineligible under clause (a) above,
(c) Accounts with respect to which the Account Debtor is an Affiliate of any Borrower or an employee or agent of any Borrower or any Affiliate of any Borrower,
(d) Accounts arising in a transaction wherein goods are placed on consignment or are sold pursuant to a guaranteed sale, a sale or return, a sale on approval, a bill and hold, or any other terms by reason of which the payment by the Account Debtor may be conditional,
(e) Accounts that are not payable in Dollars, or, with respect to Accounts created by a Foreign Borrower, the national currency of such Foreign Borrower or Euros (subject to Section 2.18),
(f) Accounts with respect to which the Account Debtor either (i) does not maintain its chief executive office in the United States or, with respect to Accounts owing to a Foreign Borrower, the country of origin of such Borrower (provided that, at any time, promptly upon Agent’s request, such Borrower shall execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, such other agreements, instruments and documents as may be required by Agent to perfect the security interests of Agent in those accounts of an Account Debtor with its Chief Executive Office or principal place of business in a country other than the United States in accordance with applicable federal, national, and local laws in which such Chief Executive Office or principal place of business is located and take or cause to be taken such other and further actions as Agent may request to enable Agent as secured party with respect thereto to collect such Accounts), or (ii) is not organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or, with respect to Accounts owing to a Foreign Borrower, the country of origin of such Borrower, or (iii) is the government of any foreign country or sovereign state, or of any state, province, municipality, or other political subdivision thereof, or of any department, agency, public corporation, or other instrumentality thereof, unless (y) the Account is supported by an irrevocable letter of credit satisfactory to Agent (as to form, substance, and issuer or domestic confirming bank) that has been delivered to Agent and is directly drawable by Agent, or (z) the Account is covered by credit insurance in form, substance, and amount, and by an insurer, satisfactory to Agent,
(g) Accounts with respect to which the Account Debtor is either (i) the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, or Australia or any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, or Australia (exclusive, however, of Accounts with respect to which the applicable Borrower has complied, to the reasonable satisfaction of Agent, with the Assignment of Claims Act, 31 USC § 3727 or the Financial Administration Act (Canada)), or (ii) any state of the United States or Australia or province of Canada (exclusive, however, of (y) Accounts owed by any state that does not have a statutory counterpart to the Assignment of Claims Act or the Financial Administration Act (Canada) and (z) Accounts owed by any state that does have a statutory counterpart to the Assignment of Claims Act or the Financial Administration Act (Canada) as to which the applicable Borrower has complied to Agent’s satisfaction),
(h) Accounts with respect to which the Account Debtor is a creditor of any Borrower, has or has asserted a right of setoff, or has disputed its obligation to pay all or any portion of the Account, to the extent of such claim, right of setoff, or dispute,
(i) Accounts with respect to an Account Debtor and its Affiliates whose total obligations owing to Borrowers exceed 10% (such percentage, as applied to a particular Account Debtor and its Affiliates, being subject to reduction by Agent in its Permitted Discretion if the creditworthiness of such Account Debtor and its Affiliates deteriorates) of the aggregate unpaid balance of all Eligible Accounts, to the extent of the obligations owing by such Account Debtor and its Affiliates in excess of such percentage;provided,however, that, in each case, the amount of Eligible Accounts that are excluded because they exceed the foregoing percentage shall be determined by Agent based on all of the otherwise Eligible Accounts prior to giving effect to any eliminations based upon the foregoing concentration limit,
(j) Accounts with respect to which the Account Debtor is subject to an Insolvency Proceeding, is not Solvent, has gone out of business, or as to which a Borrower has received notice of an imminent Insolvency Proceeding or a material impairment of the financial condition of such Account Debtor,
(k) Accounts with respect to which the Account Debtor is located in a state or jurisdiction (e.g., New Jersey, Minnesota, and West Virginia) that requires, as a condition to access to the courts of such jurisdiction, that a creditor qualify to transact business, file a business activities report or other report or form, or take one or more other actions, unless the applicable Borrower has so qualified, filed such reports or forms, or taken such actions (and, in each case, paid any required fees or other charges), except to the extent that the applicable Borrower may qualify subsequently as a foreign entity authorized to transact business in such state or jurisdiction and gain access to such courts, without incurring any cost or penalty reasonably viewed by Agent to be significant in amount, and such later qualification cures any access to such courts to enforce payment of such Account,
(l) Accounts, the collection of which, Agent, in its Permitted Discretion, believes to be doubtful by reason of the Account Debtor’s financial condition,
(m) Accounts that are not subject to a valid and perfected first priority Agent’s Lien,
(n) Accounts with respect to which (i) the goods giving rise to such Account have not been shipped and billed to the Account Debtor, or (ii) the services giving rise to such Account have not been performed and billed to the Account Debtor, or
(o) Accounts that represent the right to receive progress payments or other advance billings that are due prior to the completion of performance by the applicable Borrower of the subject contract for goods or services.
“Eligible Billed Accounts” means Eligible Accounts that have been invoiced and are not unpaid more than 90 days after the original invoice date.
“Eligible Unbilled Accounts” means Eligible Accounts of HH US that have not yet been invoiced but represent services rendered or work completed within 30 days before the end of the current (as of any date of determination) billing cycle;provided,however, that any such Account shall be subject to such auditing and inspection requirements as Agent may determine, the results of which shall be satisfactory to Agent in its Permitted Discretion.
“Eligible Transferee” means (a) a commercial bank organized under the laws of the United States, or any state thereof, and having total assets in excess of $250,000,000, (b) a commercial bank organized under the laws of any other country which is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development or a political subdivision of any such country and which has total assets in excess of $250,000,000, provided that such bank is acting through a branch or agency located in the United States, (c) a finance company, insurance company, financial institution, or fund that is engaged in making, purchasing, or otherwise investing in commercial loans in the ordinary course of its business and having (together with its Affiliates) total assets in excess of $250,000,000, (d) any Affiliate (other than individuals) of a Lender, (e) so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any other Person approved by Agent and Administrative Borrower (which approval of Administrative Borrower shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed, or conditioned), and (f) during the continuation of an Event of Default, any other Person approved by Agent.
“Environmental Actions” means any complaint, summons, citation, notice, directive, order, claim, litigation, investigation, judicial or administrative proceeding, judgment, letter, or other communication from any Governmental Authority, or any third party involving violations or alleged violations of Environmental Law or releases of Hazardous Materials from (a) any assets, properties, or businesses of any
Borrower or any predecessor in interest, (b) from adjoining properties or businesses, or (c) from or onto any facilities which received Hazardous Materials generated by any Borrower or any predecessor in interest.
“Environmental Law” means any applicable federal, state, provincial, foreign or local statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, binding and enforceable guideline, binding and enforceable written policy, or rule of common law now or hereafter in effect and in each case as amended, or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent decree or judgment, in each case, to the extent binding on any Borrower or any Material Subsidiary of a Borrower, relating to the environment, the effect of the environment on employee health, or Hazardous Materials, in each case as amended from time to time.
“Environmental Liabilities” means all liabilities, monetary obligations, losses, damages, punitive damages, consequential damages, treble damages, costs and expenses (including all reasonable fees, disbursements and expenses of counsel, experts, or consultants, and costs of investigation and feasibility studies), fines, penalties, sanctions, and interest incurred as a result of any claim or demand, or Remedial Action required, by any Governmental Authority or any third party, and which relate to any Environmental Action.
“Environmental Lien” means any Lien in favor of any Governmental Authority for Environmental Liabilities.
“Equipment” means equipment (as that term is defined in the Code).
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and any successor statute thereto.
“ERISA Affiliate” means (a) any Person subject to ERISA whose employees are treated as employed by the same employer as the employees of a Borrower under IRC Section 414(b), (b) any trade or business subject to ERISA whose employees are treated as employed by the same employer as the employees of a Borrower under IRC Section 414(c), (c) solely for purposes of Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the IRC, any organization subject to ERISA that is a member of an affiliated service group of which a Borrower is a member under IRC Section 414(m), or (d) solely for purposes of Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the IRC, any Person subject to ERISA that is a party to an arrangement with a Borrower and whose employees are aggregated with the employees of a Borrower under IRC Section 414(o).
“Event of Default” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 7.
“Excess Availability” means the amount, as of the date any determination thereof is to be made, equal to Availability minus the aggregate amount, if any, of all trade payables of Borrowers aged in excess of their historical levels with respect thereto and all book overdrafts in excess of their historical practices with respect thereto, in each case as determined by Agent in its Permitted Discretion.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as in effect from time to time.
“Excluded Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is neither a Borrower nor a Material Subsidiary.
“Existing Financing Agreements” means the Existing Loan Agreement and all other “Loan Documents” as referred to therein, in each case as amended, modified, or supplemented (including, without limitation, all waivers and consents in connection therewith) prior to the Closing Date.
“Existing Loan Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement dated as of June 25, 2003 by and among Agent, certain lenders and certain borrowers, as amended, modified, or supplemented (including, without limitation, all waivers and consents in connection therewith) prior to the Closing Date.
“Fee Letter” means that certain fee letter between Borrowers and Agent, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent.
“FEIN” means Federal Employer Identification Number.
“Foreign Borrower’ means a Borrower organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than any of the United States or the District of Columbia.
“Foreign Guarantor” means a Guarantor organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than any of the United States or the District of Columbia.
“Funding Date” means the date on which a Borrowing occurs.
“Funding Losses” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.13(b)(ii).
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles as in effect from time to time in the United States, consistently applied.
“General Intangibles” means general intangibles (as that term is defined in the Code) and, in any event, includes payment intangibles, contract rights, rights to payment, rights arising under common law, statutes, or regulations, choses or things in action, goodwill (including the goodwill associated with any Trademark, Patent, or Copyright), Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, URLs and domain names, industrial designs, other industrial or Intellectual Property or rights therein or applications therefor, whether under license or otherwise, programs, programming materials, blueprints, drawings, purchase orders, customer lists, monies due or recoverable from pension funds, route lists, rights to payment and other rights under any royalty or licensing agreements, including Intellectual Property Licenses (as defined in the Security Agreement), infringement claims, computer programs, information contained on computer disks or tapes, software, literature, reports, catalogs, pension plan refunds, pension plan refund claims, insurance premium rebates, tax refunds, and tax refund claims, interests in a partnership or limited liability company which do not constitute a security under Article 8 of the Code, and any other personal property other than Commercial Tort Claims, money, Accounts, Chattel Paper, Deposit Accounts, goods, Investment Related Property, Negotiable Collateral, and oil, gas, or other minerals before extraction.
“Governing Documents” means, with respect to any Person, the certificate or articles of incorporation, by-laws, or other organizational documents of such Person.
“Governmental Authority” means any federal (including the federal governments of the United States, Canada and Australia), state, provincial, local, or other governmental or administrative body, instrumentality, department, or agency or any court, tribunal, administrative hearing body, arbitration panel, commission, or other similar dispute resolving panel or body.
“Guarantee Confirmation” means a guarantee confirmation to be entered into by HH UK in favor of Agent, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent.
“Guarantors” means each Material Subsidiary of each Borrower set forth on Schedule G-1 attached hereto and each other Person which provides a guaranty pursuant toSection 5.16, and “Guarantor” means any one of them.
“Guaranty” means that certain general continuing guaranty executed and delivered by each Guarantor in favor of Agent, for the benefit of the Lender Group and the Bank Product Providers, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent.
“Hazardous Materials” means (a) substances that are defined or listed in, or otherwise classified pursuant to, any applicable laws or regulations as “hazardous substances,” “hazardous materials,” “hazardous wastes,” “toxic substances,” or any other formulation intended to define, list, or classify substances by reason of deleterious properties such as ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, or “EP toxicity”, (b) oil, petroleum, or petroleum derived substances, natural gas, natural gas liquids, synthetic gas, drilling fluids, produced waters, and other wastes associated with the exploration, development, or production of crude oil, natural gas, or geothermal resources, (c) any flammable substances or explosives or any radioactive materials, and (d) asbestos in any form or electrical equipment that contains any oil or dielectric fluid containing levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in excess of 50 parts per million.
“Hedge Agreement” means any and all agreements or documents now existing or hereafter entered into by Administrative Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries that provide for an interest rate, credit, commodity or equity swap, cap, floor, collar, forward foreign exchange transaction, currency swap, cross currency rate swap, currency option, or any combination of, or option with respect to, these or similar transactions, for the purpose of hedging Administrative Borrower’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ exposure to fluctuations in interest or exchange rates, loan, credit exchange, security, or currency valuations or commodity prices.
“HH Australia” means, collectively, Hudson Global Resources (Aust) Pty Ltd. and Hudson Global Resources (Newcastle) Pty Ltd.
“HH Canada” means James Botrie and Associates, Inc.
“HH UK” means, collectively, Hudson Payroll Services Limited (incorporated in England and Wales with company number 03507261) and Hudson Global Resources Limited (incorporated in England and Wales with company number 03203655).
“HH US” means, collectively, Hudson Highland Group, Inc., Hudson Global Resources Management, Inc., Hudson Global Resources America, Inc. and Hudson Global Resources Holdings, Inc.
“Holdout Lender” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 14.2(a).
“Inactive Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary which does not conduct any business or have any material assets or liabilities.
“Indebtedness” means, without duplication, (a) all obligations for borrowed money, (b) all obligations evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, or other similar instruments and all reimbursement or other obligations in respect of letters of credit, bankers acceptances, interest rate swaps, or other financial products, (c) all obligations as a lessee under Capital Leases, (d) all obligations or liabilities of others secured by a Lien on any asset of a Person, irrespective of whether such obligation or liability is assumed, (e) all obligations to pay the deferred purchase price of property (other than trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business and repayable in accordance with customary trade practices), (f) all obligations owing under Hedge Agreements, and (g) any obligation guaranteeing or intended to guarantee (whether directly or indirectly guaranteed, endorsed, co-made, discounted, or sold with recourse) any obligation of any other Person that constitutes Indebtedness under any of clauses (a) through (f) above, it being understood that the amount of any guaranty of an operating lease or obligation shall be deemed to be equal to the amount of the liability under such guaranty. For the avoidance of doubt, “Indebtedness” shall not include any Investment by a Borrower, Guarantor or Subsidiary thereof in any other Borrower, Guarantor or Subsidiary thereof.
“Indemnified Liabilities” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 10.3.
“Indemnified Person” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 10.3.
“Insolvency Proceeding” means any proceeding commenced by or against any Person under any provision of the Bankruptcy Code or under any other state or federal bankruptcy or insolvency law, assignments for the benefit of creditors, formal or informal moratoria, compositions, extensions generally with creditors generally, or proceedings seeking reorganization, arrangement, or other similar relief.
“Intercompany Subordination Agreement” means a subordination agreement executed and delivered by applicable Borrowers, applicable Subsidiaries thereof, and Agent, the form and substance of which is satisfactory to Agent.
“Interest Expense” means, for any period, the aggregate of the interest expense of Parent and its Subsidiaries for such period, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
“Interest Period” means, with respect to each LIBOR Rate Loan, a period commencing on the date of the making of such LIBOR Rate Loan (or the continuation of a LIBOR Rate Loan or the conversion of a Base Rate Loan to a LIBOR Rate Loan) and ending 1, 2, or 3 months thereafter;provided,however, that (a) if any Interest Period would end on a day that is not a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be extended (subject to clauses (c)-(e) below) to the next succeeding Business Day, (b) interest shall accrue at the applicable rate based upon the LIBOR Rate from and including the first day of each Interest Period to, but excluding, the day on which any Interest Period expires, (c) any Interest Period that would end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day, (d) with respect to an 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), the Interest Period shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month that is 1, 2, or 3 months after the date on which the Interest Period began, as applicable, and (e) Borrowers (or Administrative Borrower on behalf thereof) may not elect an Interest Period which will end after the Maturity Date.
“Investment” means, with respect to any Person, any investment by such Person in any other Person (including Affiliates) in the form of loans, guarantees, advances, capital contributions (excluding (a) commission, travel, and similar advances to officers and employees of such Person made in the ordinary course of business, and (b) bona fide Accounts arising in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice), purchases or other acquisitions of Indebtedness, Stock, or all or substantially all of the assets of such other Person (or of any division or business line of such other Person), and any other items that are or would be classified as investments on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with GAAP.
“IRC” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as in effect from time to time.
“Issuing Lender” means WFF or any other Lender that, at the request of Administrative Borrower and with the consent of Agent, agrees, in such Lender’s sole discretion, to become an Issuing Lender for the purpose of issuing L/Cs or L/C Undertakings pursuant toSection 2.12.
“Law (or Laws)” means, in respect to Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and any other country, all published laws, statutes, codes, ordinances, decrees, rules, regulations, by-laws, judicial or arbitral or administrative or ministerial or departmental or regulatory judgments, orders, decisions, rulings or awards, including general principles of common and civil law, and conditions of any grant of approval, permission, authority or license of any court, Governmental Authority, statutory body or self-regulatory authority, and the term “applicable” with respect to those laws and in the context that refers to one or more Persons, that those Laws apply to that Person or Persons or its or their business, undertaking, property or securities.
“L/C” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.12(a).
“L/C Disbursement” means a payment made by the Issuing Lender pursuant to a Letter of Credit.
“L/C Undertaking” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.12(a).
“Lender” and “Lenders” have the respective meanings set forth in the preamble to the Agreement, and shall include any other Person made a party to the Agreement in accordance with the provisions ofSection 13.1.
“Lender Group” means, individually and collectively, each of the Lenders (including the Issuing Lender) and Agent.
“Lender Group Expenses” means all (a) costs or expenses (including taxes, and insurance premiums) required to be paid by a Borrower or its Subsidiaries under any of the Loan Documents that are paid, advanced, or incurred by the Lender Group, (b) fees or charges paid or incurred by Agent in connection with the Lender Group’s transactions with Borrowers or their Subsidiaries, including, fees or charges for photocopying, notarization, couriers and messengers, telecommunication, public record searches (including tax lien, litigation, and UCC searches and including searches with the patent and trademark office, the copyright office, or the department of motor vehicles), filing, recording, publication, appraisal (including periodic collateral appraisals or business valuations to the extent of the fees and charges (and up to the amount of any limitation) contained in the Agreement or the Fee Letter), real estate surveys, real estate title policies and endorsements, and environmental audits, (c) costs and expenses incurred by Agent in the disbursement of funds to or for the account of Borrowers or other members of the Lender Group (by wire transfer or otherwise), (d) charges paid or incurred by Agent resulting from the dishonor of checks, (e) reasonable costs and expenses paid or incurred by the Lender Group to correct any default or enforce any provision of the Loan Documents, or in gaining possession of, maintaining, handling, preserving, storing, shipping, selling, preparing for sale, or advertising to sell the Collateral, or any portion thereof, irrespective of whether a sale is consummated, (f) audit fees and expenses (including travel, meals, and lodging) of Agent related to any inspections or audits to the extent of the fees and charges (and up to the amount of any limitation) contained in the Agreement or the Fee Letter, (g) reasonable costs and expenses of third party claims or any other suit paid or incurred by the Lender Group in enforcing or defending the Loan Documents or in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents or the Lender Group’s relationship with any Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower, (h) Agent’s and each Lender’s reasonable costs and expenses (including attorneys fees) incurred in advising, structuring, drafting, reviewing, administering (including travel, meals, and lodging), syndicating, or amending the Loan Documents, and (i) Agent’s and each Lender’s reasonable costs and expenses (including attorneys, accountants, consultants, and other advisors fees and expenses) incurred in terminating, enforcing (including attorneys, accountants, consultants, and other advisors fees and expenses incurred in connection with a “workout,” a “restructuring,” or an Insolvency Proceeding concerning any Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower or in exercising rights or remedies under the Loan Documents), or defending the Loan Documents, irrespective of whether suit is brought, or in taking any Remedial Action concerning the Collateral.
“Lender-Related Person” means, with respect to any Lender, such Lender, together with such Lender’s Affiliates, officers, directors, employees, attorneys, and agents.
“Letter of Credit” means an L/C or an L/C Undertaking, as the context requires.
“Letter of Credit Collateralization” means either (i) providing cash collateral (pursuant to documentation reasonably satisfactory to Agent, including provisions that specify that the Letter of Credit fee set forth in the Agreement will continue to accrue while the Letters of Credit are outstanding) to be held by Agent for the benefit of those Lenders with a Commitment in an amount equal to 105% of the then existing Letter of Credit Usage, (ii) causing the Underlying Letters of Credit to be returned to the Issuing Lender, or (iii) providing Agent with a standby letter of credit, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent, from a commercial bank reasonably acceptable to the Agent (in its Permitted Discretion) in an amount equal to 105% of the then existing Letter of Credit Usage (it being understood that the Letter of Credit fee set forth in the Agreement will continue to accrue while the Letters of Credit are outstanding and that any such fee that accrues must be an amount that can be drawn under any such standby letter of credit).
“Letter of Credit Usage” means, as of any date of determination, the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit plus 100% of the amount of outstanding time drafts accepted by an Underlying Issuer as a result of drawings under Underlying Letters of Credit.
“Leverage Ratio” means, as of any date of determination (a) the Maximum Revolver Amount as of such date,divided by (b) Parent’s EBITDA for the 12 month period ended as of such date.
“LIBOR Deadline” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.13(b)(i).
“LIBOR Notice” means a written notice in the form ofExhibit L-1.
“LIBOR Option” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.13(a).
“LIBOR Rate” means, for each Interest Period for each LIBOR Rate Loan, the rate per annum determined by Agent bydividing (a) the Base LIBOR Rate for such Interest Period, by (b) 100%minus the Reserve Percentage. The LIBOR Rate shall be adjusted on and as of the effective day of any change in the Reserve Percentage.
“LIBOR Rate Loan” means each portion of an Advance that bears interest at a rate determined by reference to the LIBOR Rate.
“LIBOR Rate Margin” means, (a) at any time in which the Leverage Ratio is greater than 3.0:1.0, 1.75 percentage points and (b) at any time in which the Leverage Ratio is equal to or less than 3.0:1.0, 1.50 percentage points.
“Lien” means any mortgage, deed of trust, pledge, hypothecation, assignment for security purposes, charge, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, easement, lien (statutory or other), security interest, or other security arrangement and any other preference, priority, or preferential arrangement of any kind or nature whatsoever, including any conditional sale contract or other title retention agreement, the interest of a lessor under a Capital Lease and any synthetic or other financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing.
“Liquidity” means the sum of (a) Qualified Cashplus (b) Availability.
“Loan Account” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.10.
“Loan Documents” means the Agreement, the Bank Product Agreements, the Cash Management Agreements, the Control Agreements, the Copyright Security Agreement, the Fee Letter, the Guaranty, the Intercompany Subordination Agreements, the UK Security Documents, the Subsidiary Documents, the Australian Security Documents, the Canadian Guarantee, the Canadian Security Documents, the Letters of Credit, the Mortgages, the Patent Security Agreement, the Ratifications of Existing Financing Agreements, the Security Agreement, the Trademark Security Agreement, any note or notes executed by a Borrower in connection with the Agreement and payable to a member of the Lender Group, and any other agreement entered into, now or in the future, by any Borrower or any of their Subsidiaries, and the Lender Group in connection with the Agreement.
“Material Adverse Change” means (a) a material adverse change in the business, operations, results of operations, assets, liabilities or condition (financial or otherwise) of Borrowers, taken as a whole, (b) a material impairment of a Borrower’s ability to perform its obligations under the Loan Documents to which it is a party or of the Lender Group’s ability to enforce the Obligations or realize upon the Collateral, taken as a whole, or (c) a material impairment of the enforceability or priority of the Agent’s Liens with respect to the Collateral, taken as a whole, as a result of an action or failure to act on the part of a Borrower.
“Material Contract” means, with respect to any Person, (i) each contract or agreement to which such Person is a party involving aggregate consideration payable to or by such Person of $2,000,000 or more (other than purchase orders in the ordinary course of the business of such Person and other than contracts
that by their terms may be terminated by such Person in the ordinary course of its business upon less than 60 days notice without penalty or premium) and (ii) all other contracts or agreements material to the business, operations, condition (financial or otherwise), performance, prospects or properties of such Person;provided, that, with respect to contracts described in the foregoing clause (ii), to the extent any such contract is readily replaceable on substantially similar terms, such contract shall not be deemed to be a Material Contract.
“Material Jurisdiction” mean any of the United States or any State thereof, the United Kingdom, Australia or any State thereof or Canada.
“Material Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that (a) is not a Borrower, (b) is organized under the laws of a Material Jurisdiction and (c) has assets in excess of $250,000.
“Maturity Date” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 3.3.
“Maximum Australia Amount” means an amount equal to $30,000,000.
“Maximum Revolver Amount” shall mean an amount equal to $75,000,000, as the same may be increased from time to time in accordance withSection 2.2 and decreased from time to time in accordance withSection 3.6.
“Maximum UK Amount” means an amount equal to $50,000,000.
“Moody’s” has the meaning specified therefor in the definition of Cash Equivalents.
“Mortgage Policy” has the meaning specified therefor inSchedule 3.1.
“Mortgages” means, individually and collectively, one or more mortgages, deeds of trust, or deeds to secure debt, executed and delivered by a Borrower or a Subsidiary of a Borrower in favor of Agent, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent, that encumber the Real Property Collateral.
“Obligations” means (a) all loans, Advances, debts, principal, interest (including any interest that accrues after the commencement of an Insolvency Proceeding regardless of whether allowed or allowable in whole or in part as a claim in any such Insolvency Proceeding), contingent reimbursement obligations with respect to outstanding Letters of Credit, premiums, liabilities (including all amounts charged to Borrowers’ Loan Account pursuant to this Agreement), obligations (including indemnification obligations), fees (including the fees provided for in the Fee Letter), charges, costs, Lender Group Expenses (including any fees or expenses that accrue after the commencement of an Insolvency Proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in whole or in part as a claim in any such Insolvency Proceeding), lease payments, guaranties, covenants, and duties of any kind and description owing by Borrowers to the Lender Group pursuant to or evidenced by the Loan Documents and irrespective of whether for the payment of money, whether direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising, and including all interest not paid when due and all other expenses or other amounts that Borrowers are required to pay or reimburse the Lender Group by the Loan Documents or by law or otherwise in connection with the Loan Documents, and (b) all Bank Product Obligations. Any reference in the Agreement or in the other Loan Documents to the Obligations shall include all or any portion thereof and any extensions, modifications, renewals or alterations thereof, both prior and subsequent to any Insolvency Proceeding.
“Originating Lender” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 13.1(e).
“Overadvance” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.5.
“Parent” has the meaning specified therefor in the preamble to the Agreement.
“Participant” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 13.1(e).
“Patent Security Agreement” has the meaning specified therefor in the Security Agreement.
“Payroll Reserve” means an amount, as determined by Agent in its Permitted Discretion, equal to the aggregate amount of all of Borrowers’ then accrued or incurred and unpaid payroll and payroll taxes, which reserve amount, in addition to all of Agent’s other rights hereunder, may be increased by Agent from time to time, including for any deviation from any Borrowers’ past practices with respect to such payroll and payroll taxes;provided,however, that (a) in the event that Liquidity is less than $30,000,000, the Payroll Reserve shall be limited to the foregoing amounts with respect to a 2-week period, (b) in the event that Liquidity is equal to or greater than $30,000,000 and less than $50,000,000, the Payroll Reserve shall be limited to the foregoing amounts with respect to a 1-week period, and (c) in the event that Liquidity is equal to or greater than $50,000,000, the Payroll Reserve shall equal $0. Agent shall provide Administrative Borrower with prompt notice of any change in the Payroll Reserve, but the delivery of such notice shall not be a condition to the effectiveness of such change.
“Permitted Acquisition” means (a) a Permitted Cash Acquisition, or (b) a Permitted Non-Cash Acquisition, as the context requires, (c) the Acquisitions set forth onSchedule P-2.
“Permitted Capital Investment” means an Investment in the form of equity in a Subsidiary or Affiliate of a Borrower or Guarantor organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than a Material Jurisdiction made for purposes of permitting such Subsidiary or Affiliate to comply with capital requirements under applicable local Law, so long as: (a) no Default or Event of Default exists at the time of the making of such Investment or would exist after giving effect thereto, (b) Agent has received not less than fourteen (14) days prior written notice of the making of such Investment, (c) the contribution of additional equity is legally required, (d) if permitted by applicable law, such Investment is immediately returned to the contributing Borrower, Guarantor, or Subsidiary of a Borrower or Guarantor as a loan, and (e) such loan is subject to an Intercompany Subordination Agreement in favor of the Agent and the Lenders.
“Permitted Cash Acquisition” means any Acquisition as to which each of the following is applicable;
(a) such Acquisition qualifies as a Permitted Non-Cash Acquisition except that the consideration payable in respect of the proposed Acquisition includes some form of consideration other than solely the consideration specified in clause (b) of the definition of Permitted Non-Cash Acquisition;
(b) For each such Acquisition in which the consideration payable exceeds $5,000,000, Parent has provided Agent with forecasted balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and cash flow statements of the Person to be acquired, all prepared on a basis consistent with such Person’s historical financial statements, together with appropriate supporting details and a statement of underlying assumptions for the 1 year period following the date of the proposed Acquisition (on a month by month basis), in form and substance (including as to scope and underlying assumptions) reasonably satisfactory to Agent;
(c) Borrowers and their Subsidiaries shall have Availability plus Qualified Cash in an amount equal to $15,000,000 immediately after giving effect to the consummation of the proposed Acquisition;
(d) the purchase consideration payable in respect of all Permitted Cash Acquisitions, in the aggregate in each fiscal year (including the proposed Acquisition and including deferred payment obligations) shall not exceed $25,000,000 in the aggregate in each fiscal year,provided, that the limitation set forth in this clause (d) shall not apply to deferred payment obligations payable in 2007 in respect of the acquisition by Parent of JMT Financial Partners, LLC;
(e) in the case of an Asset Acquisition (and notwithstanding any contrary provisions ofSection 5.16 or any other contrary provision of the Agreement), the Borrower or Guarantor acquiring such assets shall have executed and delivered any and all documentation reasonably requested by Agent in order to provide Agent with a first priority perfected security interest, subject to Permitted Liens, in such assets; and
(f) in the case of a Stock Acquisition (and notwithstanding any contrary provisions ofSection 5.16 or any other contrary provision of the Agreement), (i) in the case of a Stock Acquisition in which the Person whose Stock is being acquired is organized in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Australia, the Person whose Stock is being acquired shall have executed and delivered any and all documentation reasonably requested by Agent in order to (x) become a Guarantor and (y) provide Agent with a first priority perfected security interest, subject to Permitted Liens, in the assets of such Person, and, (ii) in the case of all Stock Acquisitions in which the consideration payable exceeds $10,000,000, the owner of the Stock subject to such Stock Acquisition shall have executed and delivered any and all documentation reasonably requested by Agent in order to provide Agent with a first priority perfected security interest, subject to Permitted Liens, in such Stock.
“Permitted Discretion” means a determination made in the exercise of reasonable (from the perspective of a secured lender) business judgment.
“Permitted Dispositions” means (a) sales or other dispositions of Equipment that is substantially worn, damaged, or obsolete in the ordinary course of business, or replacement of Equipment that is worn, damaged or obsolete with Equipment of like function and value, if the replacement Equipment is acquired substantially contemporaneously with such disposition and is free of Liens, (b) the use or transfer of money or Cash Equivalents in a manner that is not prohibited by the terms of the Agreement or the other Loan Documents (it being expressly acknowledged that Permitted Investments are not prohibited by the terms of the Agreement or the other Loan Documents), (c) the licensing, on a non-exclusive basis, of patents, trademarks,
copyrights, and other intellectual property rights in the ordinary course of business, (d) the disposition or transfer of all or substantially all of a Borrower’s assets to another Borrower or a Guarantor; (e) the disposition or transfer of all or substantially all of a Guarantor’s assets to a Borrower or another Guarantor; (f) the voluntary termination by Administrative Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries of a Hedge Agreement without penalty; (g) sales or other dispositions not otherwise permitted under this definition in an aggregate amount not to exceed $15,000,000 in each fiscal year; and (h) transfers of property subject to casualty, so long as such property is fully insured and such transfer could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
“Permitted Investments” means (a) Investments in cash and Cash Equivalents, (b) Investments in negotiable instruments for collection, (c) advances made in connection with purchases of goods or services in the ordinary course of business, (d) Investments by any Borrower or Guarantor in any other Borrower or Guarantor, provided that if any such Investment is in the form of Indebtedness, such Indebtedness shall be subject to the terms and conditions of an Intercompany Subordination Agreement, (e) Permitted Subsidiary Investments, (f) Permitted Capital Investments, (g) Investments in Subsidiaries (other than Borrowers and Guarantors and other than Investments comprising Permitted Acquisitions) not otherwise permitted pursuant to clauses (e) and (f) hereof in an aggregate amount not exceeding $2,500,000 in any fiscal quarter, (h) Investments by any Subsidiary that is neither a Borrower nor a Guarantor in any Borrower or other Subsidiary of Parent, (i) Investments received in settlement of amounts due to a Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower effected in the ordinary course of business or owing to a Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower as a result of Insolvency Proceedings involving an Account Debtor or upon the foreclosure or enforcement of any Lien in favor of a Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower, (j) loans or advances to directors, officers, members of management, employees and consultants in the ordinary course of business for business-related travel, entertainment, relocation and similar business purposes, (k) Investments in Hedge Agreements for the purpose of limiting Administrative Borrower’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ amount of interest expense, and (l) advances of payroll payments to employees in the ordinary course of business not to exceed an outstanding amount of $25,000 to any one individual and $250,000 in the aggregate at any one time.
“Permitted Liens” means (a) Liens held by Agent to secure the Obligations, (b) Liens for unpaid taxes, assessments, or other governmental charges or levies that either (i) are not yet delinquent, or (ii) do not have priority over the Agent’s Liens and the underlying taxes, assessments, or charges or levies are the subject of Permitted Protests, (c) Liens set forth onSchedule P-1, provided that any such Lien only secures the Indebtedness that it secures on the Closing Date and any Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof, (d) the interests of lessors under operating leases, (e) purchase money Liens or the interests of lessors under Capital Leases to the extent that such Liens or interests secure Permitted Purchase Money Indebtedness and so long as (i) such Lien attaches only to the asset purchased or acquired and the proceeds thereof, and (ii) such Lien only secures the Indebtedness that was incurred to acquire the asset purchased or acquired or any Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof, (f) Liens arising by operation of law in favor of warehousemen, landlords, carriers, mechanics, materialmen, laborers, or suppliers, incurred in the ordinary course of business and not in connection with the borrowing of money, and which Liens either (i) are for sums not yet delinquent, or (ii) are the subject of Permitted Protests, (g) Liens on amounts deposited in connection with obtaining worker’s compensation or other unemployment insurance, (h) Liens on amounts deposited in connection with the making or entering into of bids, tenders, or leases in the ordinary course of business and not in connection with the borrowing of money, (i) Liens on amounts deposited as security for surety or appeal bonds in connection with obtaining such bonds in the ordinary course of business, (j) Liens resulting from any judgment or award that is not an Event of Default hereunder, (k) Liens with respect to the Real Property Collateral that are exceptions to the commitments for title insurance issued in connection with the Mortgages, as accepted by Agent, (l) with respect to any Real Property that is not part of the Real Property Collateral, easements, rights of way, and zoning restrictions that do not materially interfere with or impair the use or operation thereof, (m) Liens arising out of conditional sales of goods entered into by a Borrower in the ordinary course of business and not prohibited by the terms of the Agreement or the other Loan Documents and (n) Liens arising from any precautionary UCC financing statement filings (or similar filings) made by lessors in connection with leases entered into by any Borrower in the ordinary course of its business.
“Permitted Non-Cash Acquisition” means any Acquisition so long as:
(a) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result from the consummation of the proposed Acquisition and the proposed Acquisition is consensual;
(b) the consideration payable in respect of the proposed Acquisition shall be composed solely of (i) common Stock of Parent or (ii) proceeds of Indebtedness incurred pursuant to clause (f) ofSection 6.1;
(c) no Indebtedness will be incurred, assumed, or would exist with respect to Parent or its Subsidiaries to consummate such Acquisition, other than Indebtedness permitted under clauses (c) or (f) ofSection 6.1 and no Liens will be incurred, assumed, or would exist with respect to the assets of Parent or its Subsidiaries as a result of such Acquisition other than Liens permitted under clause (f) of the definition of Permitted Liens;
(d) For each such Acquisition in which the consideration payable exceeds $5,000,000, Parent has provided Agent with written confirmation, supported by reasonably detailed calculations, that on a pro forma basis, created by adding the historical combined financial statements of Parent (including the combined financial statements of any other Person or assets that were the subject of a prior Permitted Acquisition during the relevant period) to the historical consolidated financial statements of the Person to be acquired (or the historical financial statements related to the assets to be acquired) pursuant to the proposed Acquisition (adjusted to eliminate expense items that would not have been incurred and to include income items that would have been recognized, in each case, if the combination had been accomplished at the beginning of the relevant period; such eliminations and inclusions to be mutually and reasonably agreed upon by Parent and Agent), Parent and its Subsidiaries (i) would have been in compliance with the financial covenants inSection 6.16 for the 12 month period ended immediately prior to the proposed date of consummation of such proposed Acquisition, and (ii) are projected to be in compliance with the financial covenants inSection 6.16 for the 12 month period ended one year after the proposed date of consummation of such proposed Acquisition, together with copies of all such historical financial statements of the Person or assets being acquired;
(e) Parent has provided Agent with written notice of the proposed Acquisition at least 15 Business Days prior to the anticipated closing date of the proposed Acquisition and, not later than 5 Business Days prior to the anticipated closing date of the proposed Acquisition, copies of the acquisition agreement and other material documents relative to the proposed Acquisition, which agreement and documents must be reasonably acceptable to Agent; and
(f) the subject assets or Stock, as applicable, are being acquired directly by a Borrower or Guarantor, and (i) in the case of an Asset Acquisition, the applicable Borrower or Guarantor shall have executed and delivered or authorized, as applicable, any and all documentation reasonably requested by the Agent in order to include the newly acquired assets within the collateral hypothecated under the Loan Documents, and (ii) in the case of a Stock Acquisition, the applicable Borrower or Guarantor shall have complied withSection 5.16 of the Agreement.
“Permitted Protest” means the right of Administrative Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries to protest any Lien (other than any Lien that secures the Obligations), taxes (other than payroll taxes or taxes that are the subject of a United States, Canadian, or Australian federal or provincial tax lien or a tax lien of the United Kingdom), or rental payment, provided that (a) a reserve with respect to such obligation is established on a Borrower’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ Books and Records in such amount as is required under GAAP, (b) any such protest is instituted promptly and prosecuted diligently by Administrative Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, as applicable, in good faith, and (c) Agent is satisfied that, while any such protest is pending, there will be no impairment of the enforceability, validity, or priority of any of the Agent’s Liens.
“Permitted Purchase Money Indebtedness” means, as of any date of determination, Purchase Money Indebtedness incurred after the Closing Date in an aggregate principal amount outstanding at any one time not in excess of $20,000,000.
“Permitted Subsidiary Investments” means loans, advances or transfers of cash in the ordinary course of business from a Borrower or a Guarantor to a Subsidiary of Parent, so long as: (a) no Default or Event of Default exists at the time of the making of such loan, advance, or transfer of cash or would exist after giving effect thereto, (b) Borrowers have aggregate Excess Availability greater than $0 as of the date of such loan, advance or transfer of cash and immediately after giving effect thereto, (c) both before and after giving effect to the making of such loan, advance or transfer of cash, the Person that is acting as the
transferor with respect thereto is Solvent, (d) both before and after giving effect to the making of such loan, advance or transfer of cash, all of the Subsidiaries (other than Subsidiaries that are Borrowers or Guarantors), taken as a whole, do not have cash or Cash Equivalents in excess of $8,000,000 in the aggregate (or the Dollar equivalent thereof) for more than three consecutive Business Days, and (e) the making of such loan, advance or transfer of cash shall not cause the aggregate amount of all loans, advances or transfers of cash made by all Borrowers to all Subsidiaries (other than Subsidiaries that are Borrowers or Guarantors) as Permitted Subsidiary Investments in any fiscal quarter to exceed $20,000,000.
“Person” means natural persons, corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, general partnerships, limited liability partnerships, joint ventures, trusts, land trusts, business trusts, or other organizations, irrespective of whether they are legal entities, and governments and agencies and political subdivisions thereof.
“Personal Property Collateral” means all Collateral other than Real Property.
“PPSA” means the Personal Property Security Act of the applicable Canadian province or provinces in respect of HH Canada, together with the regulations thereunder, each as may be amended and in effect from time to time.
“Projections” means Parent’s forecasted (a) balance sheets, (b) profit and loss statements, and (c) cash flow statements, all prepared on a basis consistent with Parent’s historical financial statements, together with appropriate supporting details and a statement of underlying assumptions.
“Pro Rata Share” means, as of any date of determination:
(a) with respect to a Lender’s obligation to make Advances and right to receive payments of principal, interest, fees, costs, and expenses with respect thereto, (i) prior to the Commitments being terminated or reduced to zero, the percentage obtained by dividing (y) such Lender’s Commitment, by (z) the aggregate Commitments of all Lenders, and (ii) from and after the time that the Commitments have been terminated or reduced to zero, the percentage obtained by dividing (y) the outstanding principal amount of such Lender’s Advances by (z) the outstanding principal amount of all Advances,
(b) with respect to a Lender’s obligation to participate in Letters of Credit, to reimburse the Issuing Lender, and right to receive payments of fees with respect thereto, (i) prior to the Commitments being terminated or reduced to zero, the percentage obtained by dividing (y) such Lender’s Commitment, by (z) the aggregate Commitments of all Lenders, and (ii) from and after the time that the Commitments have been terminated or reduced to zero, the percentage obtained by dividing (y) the outstanding principal amount of such Lender’s Advances by (z) the outstanding principal amount of all Advances,
(c) with respect to all other matters as to a particular Lender (including the indemnification obligations arising underSection 15.7), the percentage obtained by dividing (i) such Lender’s Commitment, by (ii) the aggregate Commitments of all Lenders;provided,however, that in the event the Commitments have been terminated or reduced to zero, Pro Rata Share under this clause shall be the percentage obtained by dividing (A) the outstanding principal amount of such Lender’s Advances plus such Lender’s ratable portion of the Risk Participation Liability with respect to outstanding Letters of Credit, by (B) the outstanding principal amount of all Advances plus the aggregate amount of the Risk Participation Liability with respect to outstanding Letters of Credit.
“Protective Advances” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.3(d)(i).
“Purchase Money Indebtedness” means Indebtedness (other than the Obligations, but including Capitalized Lease Obligations), incurred at the time of, or within 20 days after, the acquisition of any fixed assets for the purpose of financing all or any part of the acquisition cost thereof.
“Qualified Cash” means, as of any date of determination, the amount of unrestricted cash and Cash Equivalents of Borrowers and their Subsidiaries that is in Deposit Accounts or in Securities Accounts, or any combination thereof, and which such Deposit Account or Securities Account is the subject of a Control Agreement and is maintained by a branch office of the bank or securities intermediary located within the United States.
“Ratifications of Existing Financing Agreements” means ratifications, reaffirmations and/or amendments to the Existing Financing Agreements entered into in connection with the amendment and restatement of the Existing Loan Agreement, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent.
“Real Property” means any estates or interests in real property (other than leased real property) now owned or hereafter acquired by any Borrower or a Guarantor and the improvements thereto.
“Real Property Collateral” means the Real Property identified onSchedule R-1 and any Real Property hereafter acquired by a Borrower or any Material Subsidiary of a Borrower.
“Record” means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.
“Refinancing Indebtedness” means refinancings, renewals, amendments, replacements or extensions of Indebtedness so long as: (a) the terms and conditions of such refinancings, renewals, amendments, replacements or extensions do not, in Agent’s reasonable judgment, materially impair the prospects of repayment of the Obligations by Borrowers or materially impair Borrowers’ creditworthiness, (b) such refinancings, renewals, amendments, replacements or extensions do not result in an increase in the principal amount of the Indebtedness so refinanced, renewed, or extended, (c) such refinancings, renewals, amendments, replacements or extensions do not result in an increase in the interest rate with respect to the Indebtedness so refinanced, renewed, amended, replaced or extended, (d) such refinancings, renewals, amendments, replacements or extensions do not result in a shortening of the average weighted maturity of the Indebtedness so refinanced, renewed, amended, replaced or extended, nor are they on terms or conditions that, taken as a whole, are materially more burdensome or restrictive to Borrowers, (e) if the Indebtedness that is refinanced, renewed, amended, replaced or extended was subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations, then the terms and conditions of the refinancing, renewal, amendments, replacements or extension must include subordination terms and conditions that are at least as favorable in all material respects to the Lender Group as those that were applicable to the refinanced, renewed, amended, replaced or extended Indebtedness, and (f) the Indebtedness that is refinanced, renewed, amended, replaced or extended is not recourse to any Person that is liable on account of the Obligations other than those Persons which were obligated with respect to the Indebtedness that was refinanced, renewed, or extended.
“Remedial Action” means all actions taken to (a) clean up, remove, remediate, contain, treat, monitor, assess, evaluate, or in any way address Hazardous Materials in the indoor or outdoor environment, (b) prevent or minimize a release or threatened release of Hazardous Materials so they do not migrate or endanger or threaten to endanger public health or welfare or the indoor or outdoor environment, (c) restore or reclaim natural resources or the environment, (d) perform any pre-remedial studies, investigations, or post-remedial operation and maintenance activities, or (e) conduct any other actions with respect to Hazardous Materials authorized by Environmental Laws.
“Replacement Lender” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 14.2(a).
“Report” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 15.16(a).
“Required Lenders” means, at any time, Lenders whose aggregate Pro Rata Shares (calculated under clause (c) of the definition of Pro Rata Shares) exceed 66 2/3%.
“Reserve Percentage” means, on any day, for any Lender, the maximum percentage prescribed by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (or any successor Governmental Authority) for determining the reserve requirements (including any basic, supplemental, marginal, or emergency reserves) that are in effect on such date with respect to eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “eurocurrency liabilities”) of that Lender, but so long as such Lender is not required or directed under applicable regulations to maintain such reserves, the Reserve Percentage shall be zero.
“Revolver Usage” means, as of any date of determination, the sum of (a) the amount of outstanding Advances (including Swing Loans outstanding),plus(b) the amount of the Letter of Credit Usage.
“Risk Participation Liability” means, as to each Letter of Credit, all reimbursement obligations of Borrowers to the Issuing Lender with respect to an L/C Undertaking, consisting of (a) the amount available to be drawn or which may become available to be drawn, (b) all amounts that have been paid by the Issuing Lender to the Underlying Issuer to the extent not reimbursed by Borrowers, whether by the making of an Advance or otherwise, and (c) all accrued and unpaid interest, fees, and expenses payable with respect thereto.
“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and any successor thereto.
“Securities Account” means a securities account (as that term is defined in the Code).
“Security Agreement” means a security agreement, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent, executed and delivered by Borrowers and Guarantors to Agent.
“Settlement” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.3(e)(i).
“Settlement Date” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.3(e)(i).
“Share Mortgage” means a share mortgage executed or to be executed in favor of Agent by each Subsidiary of Parent which owns any shares in any other Subsidiary of Parent incorporated in England and Wales in respect of such shares.
“Solvent” means, with respect to any Person on a particular date, that, at good faith valuations, the sum of such Person’s assets is greater than all of such Person’s debts.
“S&P” has the meaning specified therefor in the definition of Cash Equivalents.
“Stock” means all shares, options, warrants, interests, participations, or other equivalents (regardless of how designated) of or in a Person, whether voting or nonvoting, including common stock, preferred stock, or any other “equity security” (as such term is defined in Rule 3a11-1 of the General Rules and Regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act).
“Stock Acquisition” means the purchase or other acquisition by a Person or its Subsidiaries of all or substantially all of the Stock of any other Person.
“Subsidiary” of a Person means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other entity in which that Person directly or indirectly owns or controls the shares of Stock having ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors (or appoint other comparable managers) of such corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other entity.
“Subsidiary Documents” means the Guaranty, Trademark Security Agreement and General Security Agreement (or comparable documents with respect to each Foreign Guarantor) executed by each Guarantor with or in favor of Agent and any other agreement entered into, now or in the future, by any Guarantor and the Lender Group in connection with this Agreement.
“Supporting Obligations” means supporting obligations (as such term is defined in the Code).
“Swing Lender” means WFF or any other Lender that, at the request of Administrative Borrower and with the consent of Agent agrees, in such Lender’s sole discretion, to become the Swing Lender underSection 2.3(b).
“Swing Loan” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 2.3(b).
“Taxes” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 16(a).
“Trademark Security Agreement” has the meaning specified therefor in the Security Agreement.
“UK Security Documents” means the Guarantee and Debenture, the Share Mortgages and such other agreements, instruments and documents as may be required by Agent to create and perfect the security interest of Agent on behalf of Lenders in any Collateral located in the United Kingdom.
“Underlying Issuer” means a third Person which is the beneficiary of an L/C Undertaking and which has issued a letter of credit at the request of the Issuing Lender for the benefit of Borrowers.
“Underlying Letter of Credit” means a letter of credit that has been issued by an Underlying Issuer.
“United States” means the United States of America.
“Voidable Transfer” has the meaning specified therefor inSection 17.8.
“Wells Fargo” means Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, a national banking association, and its successors.
“WFF” means Wells Fargo Foothill, Inc., a California corporation.