FOURTH ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT
OF
PHILLIPS EDISON – ARC SHOPPING CENTER REIT INC.
FIRST: Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., a Maryland corporation, desires to amend and restate its charter as currently in effect and as hereinafter amended.
SECOND: The following provisions are all the provisions of the charter currently in effect and as hereinafter amended:
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of the corporation is Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. (the “Corporation”).
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The purposes for which the Corporation is formed are to engage in any lawful act or activity (including, without limitation or obligation, qualifying as a real estate investment trust under Sections 856 through 860, or any successor sections, of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)), for which corporations may be organized under the MGCL and the general laws of the State of Maryland as now or hereafter in force.
ARTICLE III
PRINCIPAL OFFICE IN STATE AND RESIDENT AGENT
The name and address of the resident agent for service of process of the Corporation in the State of Maryland is The Corporation Trust Incorporated, 351 West Camden Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201. The address of the Corporation's principal office in the State of Maryland is c/o The Corporation Trust Incorporated, 351 West Camden Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201. The Corporation may have such other offices and places of business within or outside the State of Maryland as the board may from time to time determine.
ARTICLE IV
DEFINITIONS
As used herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings unless the context otherwise requires:
Business Day. Any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions in New York City are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.
Capital Stock. All classes or series of stock of the Corporation, including, without limitation, Common Stock and Preferred Stock.
Code. The term shall have the meaning as provided in Article II herein.
Common Stock. The term shall have the meaning as provided in Section 5.1 herein.
Common Stockholders. The registered holders of Common Stock.
Corporation. The term shall have the meaning as provided in Article I herein.
Director(s). The members of the board of directors of the Corporation.
Extension Amendment. The term shall have the meaning as provided in Section 5.8 herein.
Independent Director. A Director who satisfies the independence requirements of the New York Stock Exchange as in effect from time to time.
Initial Public Offering. The initial public offering of Common Stock registered on Registration Statement No. 333-164313 on Form S-11.
Liquidity Event. A Liquidity Event shall mean a sale of substantially all the assets of the Corporation, a sale or merger of the Corporation, a Listing, or other similar transaction.
Listed. Approved for trading on any securities exchange registered as a national securities exchange under Section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The term “Listing” shall have the correlative meaning.
MGCL. The Maryland General Corporation Law, as amended from time to time.
Non-Compliant Tender Offer. The term shall have the meaning as provided in Section 7.10 herein.
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Person. An individual, corporation, association, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company or other legal entity.
Plan of Liquidation. The term shall have the meaning as provided in Section 5.8 herein.
Preferred Stock. The term shall have the meaning as provided in Section 5.1 herein.
REIT. Real estate investment trust under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code.
SDAT. The State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland.
Tendered Shares. The term shall have the meaning as provided in Section 7.9 herein.
Termination of the Initial Public Offering. The Termination of the Initial Public Offering shall mean the earlier of (i) the date on which the Initial Public Offering expires or is terminated by the Corporation or (ii) the date on which all shares of Common Stock offered in the Initial Public Offering are sold, excluding shares offered thereunder that may be acquired pursuant to any dividend reinvestment plan approved by the Corporation.
ARTICLE V
STOCK
Section 5.1. Authorized Shares. The Corporation has authority to issue 1,010,000,000 shares of Capital Stock, consisting of 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Common Stock”), and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”). The aggregate par value of all authorized shares of Capital Stock having par value is $10,100,000. If shares of Capital Stock of one class are classified or reclassified into shares of Capital Stock of another class pursuant to this Article V, the number of authorized shares of Capital Stock of the former class shall be automatically decreased and the number of shares of Capital Stock of the latter class shall be automatically increased, in each case by the number of shares of Capital Stock so classified or reclassified, so that the aggregate number of shares of Capital Stock of all classes that the Corporation has authority to issue shall not be more than the total number of shares of Capital Stock set forth in the first sentence of this paragraph. The board of directors, with the approval of a majority of the Directors and without any action by the stockholders of the Corporation, may amend the charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of Capital Stock or the number of shares of Capital Stock of any class or series that the Corporation has the authority to issue.
Section 5.2. Common Stock. Subject to the provisions of Article VI and except as may otherwise be specified in the terms of any class or series of Common Stock, each share of Common Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote. The board of directors may reclassify any unissued shares of Common Stock from time to time in one or more classes or series of Capital Stock.
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Section 5.3. Preferred Stock. The board of directors may classify any unissued shares of Preferred Stock and reclassify any previously classified but unissued shares of Preferred Stock of any series from time to time in one or more series of Capital Stock.
Section 5.4. Classified or Reclassified Shares. Prior to the issuance of classified or reclassified shares of any class or series, the board of directors by resolution shall: (a) designate that class or series to distinguish it from all other classes and series of Capital Stock of the Corporation; (b) specify the number of shares to be included in the class or series; (c) set or change, subject to the provisions of Article VIand subject to the express terms of any class or series of Capital Stock of the Corporation outstanding at the time, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption for each class or series; and (d) cause the Corporation to file articles supplementary with the SDAT. Any of the terms of any class or series of Capital Stock set or changed pursuant to clause (c) of this Section 5.4 may be made dependent upon facts or events ascertainable outside the charter (including determinations by the board of directors or other facts or events within the control of the Corporation) and may vary among holders thereof, provided that the manner in which such facts, events or variations shall operate upon the terms of such class or series of Capital Stock is clearly and expressly set forth in the articles supplementary filed with the SDAT.
Section 5.5. Charter and Bylaws. The rights of all stockholders and the terms of all shares of Capital Stock are subject to the provisions of the charter and the bylaws.
Section 5.6. No Preemptive Rights. Except as may be provided by the board of directors in setting the terms of classified or reclassified shares of Capital Stock pursuant to Section 5.4 or as may otherwise be provided by contract approved by the board of directors, no holder of shares of Capital Stock of any class or series shall have any preemptive right to subscribe to or purchase any additional shares of any class or series, or any bonds or convertible securities of any nature.
Section 5.7. Issuance of Shares Without Certificates. Unless otherwise provided by the board of directors, the Corporation shall not issue stock certificates. The Corporation shall continue to treat the holder of uncertificated Capital Stock registered on its stock ledger as the owner of the shares noted therein until the new owner delivers a properly executed form provided by the Corporation for that purpose. With respect to any shares of Capital Stock that are issued without certificates, information regarding restrictions on the transferability of such shares that would otherwise be required by the MGCL to appear on the stock certificates will instead be furnished to stockholders upon request and without charge.
Section 5.8. Actions Required if Common Stock Not Listed. In the event that a Liquidity Event does not occur on or before the fifth anniversary of the Termination of the Initial Public Offering, then a majority of the Directors and a majority of the Independent Directors must either (a) adopt a resolution that sets forth a proposed amendment to the charter extending or eliminating this deadline (the “Extension Amendment”), declares that the Extension Amendment is advisable and directs that the proposed Extension Amendment be submitted for consideration at either an annual or special meeting of the Common Stockholders, or (b) adopt a resolution that declares that a proposed liquidation of the Corporation is advisable on substantially the terms and conditions set forth in, or referred to, in the resolution (the “Plan of Liquidation”) and directs that the proposed Plan of Liquidation be submitted for consideration at either an annual or special meeting of the Common Stockholders. If the Directors seek the Extension Amendment as described above and the Common Stockholders do not approve the Extension Amendment, then the Directors shall take the steps set forth in clause (b) above. In the event that Listing occurs on or before the fifth anniversary of the Termination of the Initial Public Offering, the Corporation shall continue perpetually unless dissolved pursuant to any applicable provision of the MGCL.
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ARTICLE VI
RESTRICTION ON TRANSFER AND OWNERSHIP OF SHARES
Section 6.1. Definitions. As used in this Article VI, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit. 9.8% in value of the aggregate of the outstanding shares of Capital Stock. The value of the outstanding shares of Capital Stock shall be determined by the board of directors in good faith, which determination shall be conclusive for all purposes hereof.
Beneficial Ownership. Ownership of Capital Stock by a Person, whether the interest in the shares of Capital Stock is held directly or indirectly (including by a nominee), and shall include interests that would be treated as owned through the application of Section 544 of the Code, as modified by Section 856(h)(1)(B) of the Code. The terms “Beneficial Owner,” “Beneficially Owns,” “Beneficially Owning” and “Beneficially Owned” shall have the correlative meanings.
Charitable Beneficiary. One or more beneficiaries of the Trust as determined pursuant to Section 6.3.6, provided that each such organization must be described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Code and contributions to each such organization must be eligible for deduction under each of Sections 170(b)(1)(A), 2055 and 2522 of the Code.
Common Stock Ownership Limit. 9.8% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the aggregate of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Corporation. The number and value of outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Corporation shall be determined by the board of directors in good faith, which determination shall be conclusive for all purposes hereof.
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Constructive Ownership. Ownership of Capital Stock by a Person, whether the interest in the shares of Capital Stock is held directly or indirectly (including by a nominee), and shall include interests that would be treated as owned through the application of Section 318(a) of the Code, as modified by Section 856(d)(5) of the Code. The terms “Constructive Owner,” “Constructively Owns,” “Constructively Owning” and “Constructively Owned” shall have the correlative meanings.
Excepted Holder. A stockholder of the Corporation for whom an Excepted Holder Limit is created by the board of directors pursuant to Section 6.2.7.
Excepted Holder Limit. The percentage limit established by the board of directors pursuant to Section 6.2.7 provided that the affected Excepted Holder agrees to comply with the requirements, if any, established by the board of directors pursuant to Section 6.2.7, and subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 6.2.8.
Initial Date. The date upon which shares of Common Stock are first issued in the Initial Public Offering.
Market Price. With respect to any class or series of outstanding shares of Capital Stock, the Closing Price for such Capital Stock on such date. The “Closing Price” on any date shall mean the last sale price for such Capital Stock, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, for such Capital Stock, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the principal national securities exchange on which such Capital Stock is listed or admitted to trading or, if such Capital Stock is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price, or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by FINRA’s OTC Bulletin Board service or, if such system is no longer in use, the principal other automated quotation system that may then be in use or, if such Capital Stock is not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such Capital Stock selected by the board of directors or, in the event that no trading price is available for such Capital Stock, the fair market value of the Capital Stock, as determined in good faith by the board of directors.
Prohibited Owner. With respect to any purported Transfer, any Person who but for the provisions of Section 6.2.1 would Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of Capital Stock and, if appropriate in the context, shall also mean any Person who would have been the record owner of the shares that the Prohibited Owner would have so owned.
Restriction Termination Date. The first day on which the Corporation determines pursuant to Section 7.2 that it is no longer in the best interests of the Corporation to attempt to, or continue to, qualify as a REIT or that compliance with the restrictions and limitations on Beneficial Ownership, Constructive Ownership and Transfers of shares of Capital Stock set forth herein is no longer required in order for the Corporation to qualify as a REIT.
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Transfer. Any issuance, sale, transfer, gift, assignment, devise or other disposition, as well as any other event that causes any Person to acquire Beneficial Ownership or Constructive Ownership, of Capital Stock or the right to vote or receive distributions on Capital Stock, or any agreement to take any such actions or cause any such events, including (a) the granting or exercise of any option (or any disposition of any option), (b) any disposition of any securities or rights convertible into or exchangeable for Capital Stock or any interest in Capital Stock or any exercise of any such conversion or exchange right and (c) Transfers of interests in other entities that result in changes in Beneficial Ownership or Constructive Ownership of Capital Stock; in each case, whether voluntary or involuntary, whether owned of record, Constructively Owned or Beneficially Owned and whether by operation of law or otherwise. The terms “Transferring” and “Transferred” shall have the correlative meanings.
Trust. Any trust provided for in Section 6.3.1.
Trustee. The Person unaffiliated with the Corporation and a Prohibited Owner that is appointed by the Corporation to serve as trustee of the Trust.
Section 6.2. Capital Stock.
Section 6.2.1. Ownership Limitations. During the period commencing on the Initial Date and prior to the Restriction Termination Date:
(a) | Basic Restrictions. |
(i) (1) No Person, other than an Excepted Holder, shall Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of Capital Stock in excess of the Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit, (2) no Person, other than an Excepted Holder, shall Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of Common Stock in excess of the Common Stock Ownership Limit and (3) no Excepted Holder shall Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of Capital Stock in excess of the Excepted Holder Limit for such Excepted Holder.
(ii) No Person shall Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of Capital Stock to the extent that such Beneficial Ownership or Constructive Ownership of Capital Stock would result in the Corporation (1) being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a taxable year), or (2) otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT (including, but not limited to, Beneficial Ownership or Constructive Ownership that would result in the Corporation owning (actually or Constructively) an interest in a tenant that is described in Section 856(d)(2)(B) of the Code if the income derived by the Corporation from such tenant would cause the Corporation to fail to satisfy any of the gross income requirements of Section 856(c) of the Code);provided,however, that Section 6.2.1(a)(ii)(1) shall not apply any period prior to the second year for which the Corporation has elected to be taxable as a REIT.
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(iii) Any Transfer of shares of Capital Stock that, if effective, would result in the Capital Stock being Beneficially Owned by less than 100 Persons (determined under the principles of Section 856(a)(5) of the Code) shall be voidabinitio, and the intended transferee shall acquire no rights in such shares of Capital Stock;provided,however, that (1) this Section 6.2.1(a)(iii) shall not apply to a Transfer of shares of Capital Stock occurring in the Corporation’s first taxable year for which a REIT election is made and (2) the board of directors may waive this Section 6.2.1(a)(iii) if, in the opinion of the board of directors, such Transfer would not adversely affect the Corporation’s ability to qualify as a REIT.
(b)Transfer in Trust. If any Transfer of shares of Capital Stock occurs that, if effective, would result in any Person Beneficially Owning or Constructively Owning shares of Capital Stock in violation of Section 6.2.1(a)(i) or Section 6.2.1(a)(ii),
(i) then that number of shares of Capital Stock the Beneficial Ownership or Constructive Ownership of which otherwise would cause such Person to violate Section 6.2.1(a)(i) or Section 6.2.1(a)(ii) (rounded to the nearest whole share) shall be automatically transferred to a Trust for the benefit of a Charitable Beneficiary, as described in Section 6.3, effective as of the close of business on the Business Day prior to the date of such Transfer and such Person shall acquire no rights in such shares; provided, however,
(ii) if the transfer to the Trust described in clause (i) of this sentence would not be effective for any reason to prevent the violation of Section 6.2.1(a)(i) or Section 6.2.1(a)(ii), then the Transfer of that number of shares of Capital Stock that otherwise would cause any Person to violate Section 6.2.1(a)(i) or Section 6.2.1(a)(ii) shall be voidabinitio and the intended transferee shall acquire no rights in such shares of Capital Stock.
Section 6.2.2. Remedies for Breach. If the board of directors shall at any time determine in good faith that a Transfer or other event has taken place that results in a violation of Section 6.2.1(a) or that a Person intends to acquire or has attempted to acquire Beneficial Ownership or Constructive Ownership of any shares of Capital Stock in violation of Section 6.2.1(a) (whether or not such violation is intended), the board of directors or a committee thereof shall take such action as it deems advisable to refuse to give effect to or to prevent such Transfer or other event, including, without limitation, causing the Corporation to redeem shares, refusing to give effect to such Transfer on the books of the Corporation or instituting proceedings to enjoin such Transfer or other event;provided,however, that any Transfers or attempted Transfers or other events in violation of Section 6.2.1(a) shall automatically result in the transfer to the Trust described above and, where applicable, such Transfer (or other event) shall be voidabinitio as provided above irrespective of any action (or non-action) by the board of directors.
Section 6.2.3. Notice of Restricted Transfer. Any Person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire Beneficial Ownership or Constructive Ownership of shares of Capital Stock that will or may violate Section 6.2.1(a) or any Person who would have owned shares of Capital Stock that resulted in a transfer to the Trust pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.2.1(b) shall immediately give written notice to the Corporation of such event or, in the case of such a proposed or attempted transaction, give at least 15 days prior written notice and shall provide to the Corporation such other information as the Corporation may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of such Transfer on the Corporation's status as a REIT.
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Section 6.2.4. Owners Required to Provide Information. Prior to the Restriction Termination Date:
(a) every owner of 5% or more (or such higher percentage as required by the Code or the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder) of the outstanding shares of Capital Stock, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, shall give written notice to the Corporation stating the name and address of such owner, the number of shares of Capital Stock and other shares of the Capital Stock Beneficially Owned and a description of the manner in which such shares are held. Each such owner shall provide to the Corporation such additional information as the Corporation may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of such Beneficial Ownership on the Corporation's status as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit.
(b) each Person who is a Beneficial Owner or Constructive Owner of Capital Stock and each Person (including the stockholder of record) who is holding Capital Stock for a Beneficial Owner or Constructive Owner shall provide to the Corporation such information as the Corporation may request, in good faith, in order to determine the Corporation's status as a REIT and to comply with requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine such compliance.
Section 6.2.5. Remedies Not Limited. Subject to Section 7.2, nothing contained in this Section 6.2 shall limit the authority of the board of directors to take such other action as it deems necessary or advisable to protect the Corporation and the interests of its stockholders in preserving the Corporation's status as a REIT.
Section 6.2.6. Ambiguity. In the case of an ambiguity in the application of any of the provisions of this Section 6.2, Section 6.3 or any definition contained in Section 6.1, the board of directors shall have the power to determine the application of the provisions of this Section 6.2 or Section 6.3 with respect to any situation based on the facts known to it. In the event Section 6.2 or Section 6.3 requires an action by the board of directors and the charter fails to provide specific guidance with respect to such action, the board of directors shall have the power to determine the action to be taken so long as such action is not contrary to the provisions of Sections 6.1, 6.2 or 6.3.
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Section 6.2.7. Exceptions.
(a) Subject to Section 6.2.1(a)(ii), the board of directors, in its sole discretion, may exempt (prospectively or retroactively) a Person from the Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit and the Common Stock Ownership Limit, as the case may be, and may establish or increase an Excepted Holder Limit for such Person. The board of directors may determine only to establish or increase an Excepted Holder Limit for such Person if:
(i) the board of directors obtains such representations and undertakings from such Person as are reasonably necessary to ascertain that no Person's Beneficial Ownership or Constructive Ownership of such shares of Capital Stock will violate Section 6.2.1(a)(ii);
(ii) such Person does not and represents that it will not own, actually or Constructively, an interest in a tenant of the Corporation (or a tenant of any entity owned or controlled by the Corporation) that would cause the Corporation to own, actually or Constructively, more than a 9.9% interest (as set forth in Section 856(d)(2)(B) of the Code) in such tenant and the board of directors obtains such representations and undertakings from such Person as are reasonably necessary to ascertain this fact (for this purpose, a tenant from whom the Corporation (or an entity owned or controlled by the Corporation) derives (and is expected to continue to derive) a sufficiently small amount of revenue such that, in the opinion of the board of directors, rent from such tenant would not adversely affect the Corporation's ability to qualify as a REIT shall not be treated as a tenant of the Corporation); and
(iii) such Person agrees that any violation or attempted violation of such representations or undertakings (or other action which is contrary to the restrictions contained in Sections 6.2.1 through 6.2.6) will result in such shares of Capital Stock being automatically transferred to a Trust in accordance with Section 6.2.1(b) and Section 6.3.
(b) Prior to granting any exception pursuant to Section 6.2.7(a), the board of directors may require a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service or an opinion of counsel, in either case, in form and substance satisfactory to the board of directors in its sole discretion, as it may deem necessary or advisable in order to determine or ensure the Corporation's status as a REIT. Notwithstanding the receipt of any ruling or opinion, the board of directors may impose such conditions or restrictions as it deems appropriate in connection with granting such exception.
(c) Subject to Section 6.2.1(a)(ii), an underwriter which participates in a public offering or a private placement of Capital Stock (or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Capital Stock) may Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of Capital Stock (or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Capital Stock) in excess of the Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit, the Common Stock Ownership Limit or both such limits, but only to the extent necessary to facilitate such public offering or private placement.
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(d) The board of directors may only reduce the Excepted Holder Limit for an Excepted Holder: (i) with the written consent of such Excepted Holder at any time or (ii) pursuant to the terms and conditions of the agreements and undertakings entered into with such Excepted Holder in connection with the establishment of the Excepted Holder Limit for that Excepted Holder. No Excepted Holder Limit shall be reduced to a percentage that is less than the Common Stock Ownership Limit.
Section 6.2.8. Increase or Decrease in Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit and Common Stock Ownership Limit. Subject to Section 6.2.1(a)(ii), the board of directors may from time to time increase the Common Stock Ownership Limit and the Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit for one or more Persons and decrease the Common Stock Ownership Limit and the Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit for all other Persons; provided, however, that the decreased Common Stock Ownership Limit and/or Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit will not be effective for any Person whose percentage ownership in shares of Capital Stock is in excess of such decreased Common Stock Ownership Limit and/or Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit until such time as such Person’s percentage of shares of Capital Stock equals or falls below the decreased Common Stock Ownership Limit and/or Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit, but any further acquisition of shares of Capital Stock in excess of such percentage ownership of shares of Capital Stock will be in violation of the Common Stock Ownership Limit and/or Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit and, provided further, that the new Common Stock Ownership Limit and/or Aggregate Stock Ownership Limit would not allow five or fewer Persons to Beneficially Own more than 49.9% in value of the outstanding shares of Capital Stock.
Section 6.2.9. Legend. Should the Corporation issue stock certificates, each certificate for shares of Capital Stock shall bear substantially the following legend:
The shares represented by this certificate are subject to restrictions on Beneficial Ownership, Constructive Ownership and Transfer for the purpose of the Corporation’s maintenance of its status as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Subject to certain further restrictions and except as expressly provided in the Corporation’s charter: (a) no Person may Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of the Corporation’s Common Stock in excess of 9.8% (in value or number of shares) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Corporation unless such Person is an Excepted Holder (in which case the Excepted Holder Limit for such Excepted Holder shall be applicable); (b) no Person may Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of Capital Stock of the Corporation in excess of 9.8% of the value of the total outstanding shares of Capital Stock of the Corporation, unless such Person is an Excepted Holder (in which case the Excepted Holder Limit for such Excepted Holder shall be applicable); (c) no Person may Beneficially Own or Constructively Own Capital Stock that would result in the Corporation being “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the Code or otherwise cause the Corporation to fail to qualify as a REIT; and (d) other than as provided in the Corporation’s charter, no Person may Transfer shares of Capital Stock if such Transfer would result in the Capital Stock of the Corporation being owned by fewer than 100 Persons. Any Person who Beneficially Owns or Constructively Owns or attempts to Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of Capital Stock that causes or will cause a Person to Beneficially Own or Constructively Own shares of Capital Stock in excess or in violation of the above limitations must immediately notify the Corporation or, in the case of a proposed or attempted transaction, give at least 15 days prior written notice and provide to the Corporation such other information as the Corporation may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of such Transfer on the Corporation’s status as a REIT. If any of the restrictions on Transfer or ownership are violated, the shares of Capital Stock represented hereby will be automatically transferred to a Trustee of a Trust for the benefit of one or more Charitable Beneficiaries or, upon the occurrence of certain events, attempted Transfers in violation of the restrictions described above may be voidab initio. In addition, the Corporation may redeem shares of Capital Stock upon the terms and conditions specified by the board of directors in its sole discretion if the board of directors determines that ownership or a Transfer or other event may violate the restrictions described above.
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All capitalized terms in this legend have the meanings defined in the charter of the Corporation, as the same may be amended from time to time, a copy of which, including the restrictions on Transfer and ownership, will be furnished to each holder of Capital Stock of the Corporation on request and without charge.
Instead of the foregoing legend, the certificate may state that the Corporation will furnish a full statement about certain restrictions on transferability to a stockholder on request and without charge. Such statement shall also be sent on request and without charge to stockholders who are issued shares without a certificate.
Section 6.3. Transfer of Capital Stock in Trust.
Section 6.3.1. Ownership in Trust. Upon any purported Transfer or other event described in Section 6.2.1(b) that would result in a transfer of shares of Capital Stock to a Trust, such shares of Capital Stock shall be deemed to have been transferred to the Trustee as trustee of a Trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more Charitable Beneficiaries. Such transfer to the Trustee shall be deemed to be effective as of the close of business on the Business Day prior to the purported Transfer or other event that results in the transfer to the Trust pursuant to Section 6.2.1(b). The Trustee shall be appointed by the Corporation and shall be a Person unaffiliated with the Corporation and any Prohibited Owner. Each Charitable Beneficiary shall be designated by the Corporation as provided in Section 6.3.6.
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Section 6.3.2. Status of Shares Held by the Trustee. Shares of Capital Stock held by the Trustee shall be issued and outstanding shares of Capital Stock of the Corporation. The Prohibited Owner shall have no rights in the shares held by the Trustee. The Prohibited Owner shall not benefit economically from ownership of any shares held in trust by the Trustee and shall have no rights to dividends or other distributions attributable to the shares held in the Trust.
Section 6.3.3. Distributions and Voting Rights. The Trustee shall have all voting rights and rights to distributions with respect to shares of Capital Stock held in the Trust, which rights shall be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the Charitable Beneficiary. Any distribution paid prior to the discovery by the Corporation that the shares of Capital Stock have been transferred to the Trustee shall be paid by the recipient of such distribution to the Trustee upon demand, and any distribution authorized but unpaid shall be paid when due to the Trustee. Any distribution so paid to the Trustee shall be held in trust for the Charitable Beneficiary. The Prohibited Owner shall have no voting rights with respect to shares held in the Trust, and, subject to Maryland law, effective as of the date that the shares of Capital Stock have been transferred to the Trustee, the Trustee shall have the authority with respect to the shares held in the Trust (at the Trustee's sole discretion) (a) to rescind as void any vote cast by a Prohibited Owner prior to the discovery by the Corporation that the shares of Capital Stock have been transferred to the Trustee and (b) to recast such vote in accordance with the desires of the Trustee acting for the benefit of the Charitable Beneficiary; provided, however, that if the Corporation has already taken irreversible corporate action, then the Trustee shall not have the authority to rescind and recast such vote. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article VI, until the Corporation has received notification that shares of Capital Stock have been transferred into a Trust, the Corporation shall be entitled to rely on its share transfer and other stockholder records for purposes of preparing lists of stockholders entitled to vote at meetings, determining the validity and authority of proxies and otherwise conducting votes of stockholders.
Section 6.3.4. Sale of Shares by Trustee. Within 20 days of receiving notice from the Corporation that shares of Capital Stock have been transferred to the Trust, the Trustee of the Trust shall sell the shares held in the Trust to a Person, designated by the Trustee, whose ownership of the shares will not violate the ownership limitations set forth in Section 6.2.1(a). Upon such sale, the interest of the Charitable Beneficiary in the shares sold shall terminate and the Trustee shall distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the Prohibited Owner and to the Charitable Beneficiary as provided in this Section 6.3.4. The Prohibited Owner shall receive the lesser of (a) the price paid by the Prohibited Owner for the shares or, if the Prohibited Owner did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the Trust (e.g., in the case of a gift, devise or other such transaction), the Market Price of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the Trust or (b) the price per share received by the Trustee from the sale or other disposition of the shares held in the Trust. The Trustee may reduce the amount payable to the Prohibited Owner by the amount of distributions which have been paid to the Prohibited Owner and are owed by the Prohibited Owner to the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.3.3 of this Article VI. Any net sale proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the Prohibited Owner shall be immediately paid to the Charitable Beneficiary. If, prior to the discovery by the Corporation that shares of Capital Stock have been transferred to the Trustee, such shares are sold by a Prohibited Owner, then (i) such shares shall be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the Trust and (ii) to the extent that the Prohibited Owner received an amount for such shares that exceeds the amount that such Prohibited Owner was entitled to receive pursuant to this Section 6.3.4, such excess shall be paid to the Trustee upon demand.
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Section 6.3.5. Purchase Right in Stock Transferred to the Trustee. Shares of Capital Stock transferred to the Trustee shall be deemed to have been offered for sale to the Corporation, or its designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (a) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in such transfer to the Trust (or, in the case of a devise or gift, the Market Price at the time of such devise or gift) or (b) the Market Price on the date the Corporation, or its designee, accepts such offer. The Corporation shall have the right to accept such offer until the Trustee has sold the shares held in the Trust pursuant to Section 6.3.4. Upon such a sale to the Corporation, the interest of the Charitable Beneficiary in the shares sold shall terminate and the Trustee shall distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the Prohibited Owner. The Corporation may reduce the amount payable to the Prohibited Owner by the amount of distributions which have been paid to the Prohibited Owner and are owed by the Prohibited Owner to the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.3.3 of this Article VI. The Corporation may pay the amount of such reduction to the Trustee for the benefit of the Charitable Beneficiary.
Section 6.3.6. Designation of Charitable Beneficiaries. By written notice to the Trustee, the Corporation shall designate one or more nonprofit organizations to be the Charitable Beneficiary of the interest in the Trust such that (a) the shares of Capital Stock held in the Trust would not violate the restrictions set forth in Section 6.2.1(a) in the hands of such Charitable Beneficiary and (b) each such organization must be described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Code and contributions to each such organization must be eligible for deduction under each of Sections 170(b)(1)(A), 2055 and 2522 of the Code.
Section 6.4. Settlement. Nothing in this Article VI shall preclude the settlement of any transaction entered into through the facilities of any national securities exchange or automated inter-dealer quotation system. The fact that the settlement of any transaction is so permitted shall not negate the effect of any other provision of this Article VI and any transferee in such a transaction shall be subject to all of the provisions and limitations set forth in this Article VI.
Section 6.5. Enforcement. The Corporation is authorized specifically to seek equitable relief, including injunctive relief, to enforce the provisions of this Article VI.
Section 6.6. Non-Waiver. No delay or failure on the part of the Corporation or the board of directors in exercising any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver of any right of the Corporation or the board of directors, as the case may be, except to the extent specifically waived in writing.
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ARTICLE VII
PROVISIONS FOR DEFINING, LIMITING AND REGULATING CERTAIN POWERS OF THE CORPORATION AND OF THE STOCKHOLDERS AND DIRECTORS
Section 7.1. Number of Directors. The number of Directors of the Corporation shall be five, which number may be increased or decreased from time to time pursuant to the bylaws but shall never be less than three. A majority of the seats on the board of directors will be for Independent Directors. No reduction in the number of Directors shall cause the removal of any Director from office prior to the expiration of his term, except as may otherwise be provided in the terms of any Preferred Stock issued by the Corporation. The names of the Directors who shall serve on the board until the next annual meeting of the stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified are:
Jeffrey S. Edison
William M. Kahane
Leslie T. Chao
Paul J. Massey, Jr.
Stephen R. Quazzo
Section 7.2. REIT Qualification. If the Corporation elects to qualify for federal income tax treatment as a REIT, the board of directors shall use its reasonable best efforts to take such actions as are necessary or appropriate to preserve the status of the Corporation as a REIT; however, if the board of directors determines that it is no longer in the best interests of the Corporation to continue to be qualified as a REIT, the board of directors may revoke or otherwise terminate the Corporation's REIT election pursuant to Section 856(g) of the Code. The board of directors also may determine that compliance with any restriction or limitation on ownership and transfers of Capital Stock set forth in Article VI is no longer required for REIT qualification.
Section 7.3Authorization by Board of Stock Issuance. The board of directors may authorize the issuance from time to time of shares of Capital Stock of any class or series, whether now or hereafter authorized, or securities or rights convertible into shares of Capital Stock of any class or series, whether now or hereafter authorized, for such consideration as the board of directors may deem advisable (or without consideration in the case of a stock split or stock dividend), subject to such restrictions or limitations, if any, as may be set forth in the charter or the bylaws.
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Section 7.4. Determinations by the Board. The determination as to any of the following matters, made in good faith by or pursuant to the direction of the board of directors consistent with this charter or any shares of Capital Stock, shall be final and conclusive and shall be binding upon the Corporation and every holder of shares of its Capital Stock: (a) the amount of the net income of the Corporation for any period and the amount of assets at any time legally available for the payment of dividends, redemption of its Capital Stock or the payment of other distributions on its Capital Stock; (b) the amount of paid-in surplus, net assets, other surplus, annual or other cash flow, funds from operations, net profit, net assets in excess of capital, undivided profits or excess of profits over losses on sales of assets; (c) the amount, purpose, time of creation, increase or decrease, alteration or cancellation of any reserves or charges and the propriety thereof (whether or not any obligation or liability for which such reserves or charges shall have been created shall have been paid or discharged); (d) the fair value, or any sale, bid or asked price to be applied in determining the fair value, of any asset owned or held by the Corporation or any shares of Capital Stock; (e) any matters relating to the acquisition, holding and disposition of any assets by the Corporation; (f) any interpretation of the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers or rights, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of any class or series of shares of Capital Stock; (g) the number of shares of Capital Stock of any class or series of the Corporation; or (h) any other matter relating to the business and affairs of the Corporation or required or permitted by applicable law, the charter or bylaws or otherwise to be determined by the board of directors; provided, however, that any determination by the board of directors as to any of the preceding matters shall not render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted prior to such determination and no Director shall be liable for making or failing to make such a determination.
Section 7.5.Tax on Disqualified Organizations. To the extent that the Corporation incurs any tax pursuant to Section 860E(e)(6) of the Code as the result of any “excess inclusion” income (within the meaning of Section 860E of the Code) of the Corporation that is allocable to a stockholder that is a “disqualified organization” (as defined in Section 860E(e)(5) of the Code), the board of directors may, in its sole discretion, cause the Corporation to allocate such tax solely to the stock held by such disqualified organization in the manner described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.860E-2(b)(4), by reducing from one or more distributions paid to such stockholder the tax incurred by the Corporation pursuant to Section 860E(e)(6) as a result of such stockholder’s stock ownership.
Section 7.6.Indemnification. The Corporation shall indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law, as applicable from time to time, its present and former Directors and officers, whether serving or having served, the Corporation or at its request any other entity, for any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative) relating to any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity as a Director or officer. The Corporation shall pay or reimburse all reasonable expenses incurred by a present or former Director or officer, whether serving or having served, the Corporation or at its request any other entity, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative) in which the present or former Director or officer is a party, in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding, to the fullest extent permitted by, and in accordance with the applicable requirements of, Maryland law, as applicable from time to time. The Corporation may indemnify any other persons, including a person who served a predecessor of the Corporation as an officer or Director, permitted to be indemnified by Maryland law as applicable from time to time, if and to the extent indemnification is authorized and determined to be appropriate, in each case in accordance with applicable law. No amendment of the Charter of the Corporation or repeal of any of its provisions shall limit or eliminate any of the benefits provided to directors and officers under this Section 7.6 in respect of any act or omission that occurred prior to such amendment or repeal.
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Section 7.7. Extraordinary Actions. Notwithstanding any provision of law permitting or requiring any action to be taken or approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of shares entitled to cast a greater number of votes, any such action shall be effective and valid if taken or approved by the affirmative vote of holders of shares entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
Section 7.8. Rights of Objecting Stockholders. Holders of shares of Capital Stock shall not be entitled to exercise any rights of an objecting stockholder provided for under Title 3, Subtitle 2 of the MGCL unless the board, upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the entire board, shall determine that such rights shall apply, with respect to all or any classes or series of Capital Stock, to a particular transaction or all transactions occurring after the date of such determination in connection with which holders of such shares of Capital Stock would otherwise be entitled to exercise such rights.
Section 7.9.Tender Offers. If any Person makes a tender offer, including, without limitation, a “mini-tender” offer, such Person must comply with all of the provisions set forth in Regulation 14D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, without limitation, disclosure and notice requirements, which would be applicable if the tender offer was for more than 5% of the outstanding securities of the Corporation, provided, however, that such documents are not required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any such Person must provide notice to the Corporation at least 10 Business Days prior to initiating any such tender offer. If any Person initiates a tender offer without complying with the provisions set forth above (a “Non-Compliant Tender Offer”), the Corporation, in its sole discretion, shall have the right to redeem such non-compliant Person’s shares of Capital Stock and any shares of Capital Stock acquired in such tender offer (collectively, the “Tendered Shares”) at the lesser of (i) with respect to Common Stock, the price then being paid per share of Common Stock purchased in the Corporation’s latest offering of Common Stock at full purchase price (not discounted for commission reductions nor for reductions in sale price permitted pursuant to the distribution reinvestment plan), (ii) the fair market value of the shares as determined by an independent valuation obtained by the Corporation or (iii) the lowest tender offer price offered in such Non-Compliant Tender Offer. The Corporation may purchase such Tendered Shares upon delivery of the purchase price to the Person initiating such Non-Compliant Tender Offer, and, upon such delivery, the Corporation may instruct any transfer agent to transfer such purchased shares to the Corporation. In addition, any Person who makes a Non-Compliant Tender Offer shall be responsible for all expenses incurred by the Corporation in connection with the enforcement of the provisions of this Section 7.9, including, without limitation, expenses incurred in connection with the review of all documents related to such tender offer and expenses incurred in connection with any purchase of Tendered Shares by the Corporation. The Corporation maintains the right to offset any such expenses against the dollar amount to be paid by the Corporation for the purchase of Tendered Shares pursuant to this Section 7.9. In addition to the remedies provided herein, the Corporation may seek injunctive relief, including, without limitation, a temporary or permanent restraining order, in connection with any Non-Compliant Tender Offer. This Section 7.9 shall be of no force or effect with respect to Capital Stock that is then Listed.
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Section 7.10.Limitation of Director and Officer Liability. To the maximum extent that Maryland law in effect from time to time permits limitation of the liability of directors and officers of a corporation, no Director or officer of the Corporation shall be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for money damages. Neither the amendment nor repeal of this Section 7.10, nor the adoption or amendment of any other provision of the charter or bylaws inconsistent with this Section 7.10, shall apply to or affect in any respect the applicability of the preceding sentence with respect to any act or failure to act that occurred prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption.
Section 7.11.Authority to Declare Stock Dividends of Different Classes. Subject to any preferential rights in favor of any class of Preferred Stock, the board of directors, in accordance with Section 2-309(c)(5)(i) of the MGCL, is hereby specifically authorized to, at any time, cause the Corporation to declare and pay a dividend payable in shares of any one class or multiple classes of Capital Stock to the holders of shares of any other class or classes of Capital Stock without obtaining stockholder approval.
ARTICLE VIII
AMENDMENT
The Corporation reserves the right from time to time to make any amendment to the charter, now or hereafter authorized by law, including any amendment altering the terms or contract rights, as expressly set forth in the charter, of any shares of outstanding Capital Stock.
ARTICLE IX
GOVERNINGLAW
The rights of all parties and the validity, construction and effect of every provision hereof shall be subject to and construed according to the laws of the State of Maryland without regard to conflicts of laws provisions thereof.
THIRD: The amendment and restatement of the charter of the Corporation as hereinabove set forth has been duly advised and approved by a majority of the entire board of directors and approved by the stockholders of the Corporation as required by law.
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FOURTH: The current address of the principal office of the Corporation is as set forth in Article III of the foregoing amendment and restatement of the charter.
FIFTH: The name and address of the Corporation's current resident agent are as set forth in Article III of the foregoing amendment and restatement of the charter.
SIXTH: The number of Directors of the Corporation and the names of those currently in office are as set forth in Section 7.1 of the foregoing amendment and restatement of the charter.
SEVENTH: The undersigned Co-President acknowledges the foregoing amendment and restatement of the charter to be the corporate act of the Corporation and as to all matters and facts required to be verified under oath, the undersigned Co-President acknowledges that to the best of his knowledge, information and belief, these matters and facts are true in all material respects and that this statement is made under the penalties of perjury.
[SIGNATURES ON FOLLOWING PAGE]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., has caused the foregoing amendment and restatement of the charter to be signed in its name and on its behalf by its Co-President and attested to by its Secretary on this 14th day of July, 2014.
PHILLIPS EDISON – ARC SHOPPING CENTER REIT INC. | |||
By: | /s/ John Bessey | (SEAL) | |
John Bessey | |||
Co-President | |||
ATTEST | |||
By: | /s/ Devin I. Murphy | ||
Devin I. Murphy | |||
Secretary |
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