Exhibit 1.1
HOME LOAN SERVICING SOLUTIONS, LTD.
[—] Ordinary Shares
FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Dated: September [—], 2012
Table of Contents
Page | ||||
SECTION 1.Representations and Warranties | 2 | |||
SECTION 2.Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing | 16 | |||
SECTION 3.Covenants of the Company | 18 | |||
SECTION 4.Payment of Expenses | 22 | |||
SECTION 5.Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations | 23 | |||
SECTION 6.Indemnification | 27 | |||
SECTION 7.Contribution | 30 | |||
SECTION 8.Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery | 31 | |||
SECTION 9.Termination of Agreement | 31 | |||
SECTION 10.Default by One or More of the Underwriters | 33 | |||
SECTION 11.Notices | 33 | |||
SECTION 12.Parties | 33 | |||
SECTION 13.Governing Law and Time | 34 | |||
SECTION 14.Effect of Headings | 34 | |||
SECTION 15.Definitions | 34 | |||
SECTION 16.Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses | 37 | |||
SECTION 17.Absence of Fiduciary Relationship | 37 | |||
SECTION 18.Research Analyst Independence | 38 | |||
SECTION 19.Consent to Jurisdiction | 38 | |||
SECTION 20.Waiver of Immunity | 39 | |||
SECTION 21.Judgment Currency | 39 |
i
EXHIBITS
Exhibit A | – | Underwriters | ||
Exhibit B | – | Subsidiaries of the Company | ||
Exhibit C | – | List of Persons Subject to Lock-Up | ||
Exhibit D | – | Form of Lock-Up Agreement | ||
Exhibit E | – | Price-Related Information | ||
Exhibit F | – | Issuer Free Writing Prospectus | ||
Exhibit G | – | Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses |
ii
HOME LOAN SERVICING SOLUTIONS, LTD.
[—] Ordinary Shares
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
September [—], 2012
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
Barclays Capital Inc.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
As Representatives of the several Underwriters
c/o Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
375 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10152
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Home Loan Servicing Solutions, Ltd., an exempted Cayman Islands company (the “Company”), confirms its agreement with Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (“Wells Fargo”) and each of the other Underwriters named in Exhibit A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), for whom Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the “Representatives”), with respect to the issue and sale by the Company of a total of [—] ordinary shares (the “Initial Securities”) of the Company, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective numbers of Initial Securities set forth in said Exhibit A hereto, and with respect to the grant by the Company to the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the option described in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of [—] additional shares of Common Stock, if any (the “Option Securities”). The Initial Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters and all or any part of the Option Securities are hereinafter called, collectively, the “Securities.” Certain terms used in this agreement (this “Agreement”) are defined in Section 15 hereof.
The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representatives deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.
Promptly after the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file with the Commission a prospectus dated [—], 2012 in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430A and Rule 424(b) and the Company has previously advised you of all information (financial and other) that will be set forth therein. Such prospectus, in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities (whether to meet the request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173(d) or otherwise) is herein called the “Prospectus.”
1
SECTION 1.Representations and Warranties.
(a)Representations and Warranties by the Company.The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the Applicable Time, as of the Closing Date referred to in Section 2(c) hereof, and as of each Option Closing Date (if any) referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:
(1)Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Securities have been duly registered under the 1933 Act pursuant to the Registration Statement. Each of the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto have been declared effective under the 1933 Act and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has become effective under the 1933 Act or will become effective under the 1933 Act not later than 8:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the business day immediately after the date of this Agreement, and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with or otherwise resolved with the Commission.
(2)Registration Statement, Prospectus and Disclosure at Time of Sale. At the respective times the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any amendments to any of the foregoing became effective and at the Closing Date (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the applicable Option Closing Date), the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any amendments to any of the foregoing complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
At the respective times the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto was filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) or issued, and at the Closing Date (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the applicable Option Closing Date), neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
As of the Applicable Time and at the Closing Date (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the applicable Option Closing Date), neither (x) any Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, issued at or prior to the Applicable Time, the Pre-Pricing Prospectus as of the Applicable Time and the information, if any, included on Exhibit E hereto, all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”) nor (y) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included or will include an untrue
2
statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing filed as part of the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, or delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities, complied when so filed or when so delivered, as the case may be, in all material respects with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.
The representations and warranties in the preceding paragraphs of this Section 1(a)(2) do not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any the foregoing made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Underwriters as aforesaid consists of the information described as such in Section 6(c) hereof.
At the respective times that the Initial Registration Statement, any 462(b) Registration Statement or any amendment to any of the foregoing were filed and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405, in each case without taking into account any determination made by the Commission pursuant to paragraph (2) of the definition of such term in Rule 405; and, without limitation to the foregoing, the Company has at all relevant times met, meets and will at all relevant times meet the requirements of Rule 164 for the use of a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby.
The copies of the Initial Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any amendments to any of the foregoing and the copies of each preliminary prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433 and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, that have been or subsequently are delivered to the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Securities (whether to meet the request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173(d) or otherwise) were and will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T. For purposes of this Agreement, references to the “delivery” or “furnishing” of any of the foregoing documents to the Underwriters, and any similar terms, include, without limitation, electronic delivery.
Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (if any), as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offering and sale of the Securities, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus that has not been superseded or modified.
3
(3)Independent Accountants. The accountants who certified the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are independent public accountants with respect to the Company as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.
(4)Financial Statements. The financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules (if any) and notes, present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the results of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; and all such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved and comply with all applicable accounting requirements under the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations. The information in the Pre-Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Summary Consolidated Financial Data” presents fairly the information shown therein and has been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement.
(5)No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (in each case exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), (A) there has been no material adverse change or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition (financial or other), results of operations, business, properties, management or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (in any such case, a “Material Adverse Effect”); (B) except as otherwise disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (in each case exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has incurred any liability or obligation or entered into any transaction or agreement that, individually or in the aggregate, is material with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained any loss or interference with its business or operations from fire, explosion, flood, earthquake or other natural disaster or calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or disturbance or court or governmental action, order or decree, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and (C) except as otherwise disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (in each case exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its Capital Stock.
4
(6)Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly formed and is validly existing as an exempted company in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and has power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(7)Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation, limited or general partnership, limited liability company or statutory trust as the case may be, in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation, limited or general partnership, limited liability company or statutory trust, as the case may be, to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each such subsidiary that is a corporation, all of the issued and outstanding partnership interests of each such subsidiary that is a limited or general partnership, and all of the issued and outstanding limited liability company interests, membership interests or other similar interests of each such subsidiary that is a limited liability company or statutory trust have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and (except in the case of general partnership interests) non-assessable and are owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any Lien; and none of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of any such subsidiary that is a corporation, none of the issued and outstanding partnership interests of any such subsidiary that is a limited or general partnership, and none of the issued and outstanding limited liability company interests, membership interests or other similar interests of any such subsidiary that is a limited liability company or a statutory trust was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any securityholder of such subsidiary or, to the knowledge of the Company, any other person. The only subsidiaries of the Company are the subsidiaries listed on Exhibit B hereto and Exhibit B accurately sets forth whether each such subsidiary is a corporation, limited or general partnership, limited
5
liability company or statutory trust and the jurisdiction of organization of each such subsidiary and, in the case of any subsidiary which is a partnership or limited liability company, its general partners and managing members, respectively.
(8)Capitalization. The authorized, issued and outstanding Capital Stock of the Company as of the date of this Agreement is as set forth in the column entitled “Actual” and in the corresponding line items under the caption “Capitalization” in the Pre-Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus and, at the time of the purchase of the Initial Securities by the Underwriters on the Closing Date and as of each Option Closing Date (if any), the authorized, issued and outstanding Capital Stock of the Company will be as set forth in the column entitled “As adjusted for this offering” and in the corresponding line items under such caption (in each case except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to this Agreement). The shares of issued and outstanding Capital Stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; and none of the outstanding shares of Capital Stock of the Company was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company, to the knowledge of the Company, or any other person.
(9)Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(10)Authorization of Securities. The Securities to be sold by the Company under this Agreement have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; no holder of the Securities is or will be subject to personal liability to the Company by reason of being such a holder; and the issuance and sale of the Securities to be sold by the Company under this Agreement are not subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company or any other person.
(11)Description of Securities. The Common Stock and the Company’s memorandum and articles of association conform in all material respects to all of the respective statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and such statements conform to the rights set forth in the respective instruments and agreements defining the same.
(12)Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its Organizational Documents or in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any Company Document, except (solely in the case of Company Documents other than Subject Instruments) for such defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and in the Registration
6
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Pre-Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations under this Agreement do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event under, or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any Company Documents, except (solely in the case of Company Documents other than Subject Instruments) for such conflicts, breaches, defaults or Liens that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, nor will such action result in any violation of (i) the provisions of the Organizational Documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (ii) any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective assets, properties or operations, except in the case of clause (ii) only, for any such violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect or would not have a material adverse effect on the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(13)Absence of Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pre-Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus (other than as disclosed therein), or which would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect or that would reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement.
(14)Accuracy of Descriptions and Exhibits. The information in the Pre-Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under the captions “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Relationship with Ocwen, Other Subservicers and Related Parties,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Government Regulation,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Taxation,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Ordinary Shares and this Offering,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Dividend Policy,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Related Party Transactions,” “The Business—Description of Purchase Agreement,” “The Business—Description of Subservicing Agreement,” “The Business—Description of Servicing Advance Facility Agreements and the Advance Financing Facility,” “The Business—Description of Ocwen Professional Services Agreement,” “The Business—Description of Altisource Administrative Services Agreement,” “The Business—Regulation,” “The Business—Legal Proceedings,” “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions,” “Description of Share Capital,”
7
“Shares Eligible for Future Sale,” “Material Cayman Islands and United States Federal Income Tax Considerations,” and “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities,” and the information in the Registration Statement under Items 14 and 15, in each case to the extent that it constitutes matters of law, summaries of legal matters, summaries of provisions of the Company’s memorandum or articles of association, any Subject Instrument or any other instruments or agreements, summaries of legal proceedings, or legal conclusions, is accurate in all material respects; all descriptions of any Company Documents in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are accurate in all material respects; and there are no franchises, contracts, indentures, mortgages, deeds of trust, loan or credit agreements, bonds, notes, debentures, evidences of indebtedness, leases or other instruments or agreements required to be described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Pre-Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been so described and filed as required.
(15)Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have valid and enforceable licenses to use, or otherwise have the right to use on reasonable terms, all patents, patent rights, patent applications, licenses, inventions, copyrights, inventions, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trade marks, service marks, trade names, service names, software, internet addresses, domain names and other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) that is described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or that is necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted or as proposed to be conducted and as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein which would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(16)Absence of Further Requirements. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (A) no filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign, (B) no authorization, approval, vote or consent of any holder of Capital Stock or other securities of the Company or creditor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (C) no authorization, approval, waiver or consent under any Subject Instrument, and (D) no authorization, approval, vote or consent of any other person or entity, is necessary or required for (x) the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, (y) the offering, issuance, sale or delivery of the Securities hereunder, or (z) the consummation of any of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, in each case on the terms contemplated by the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except (i) such as have been obtained under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations and the rules of FINRA, (ii) such as may be required under state or foreign securities laws, and (iii) the filing of the Prospectus with the Commission.
8
(17)Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business to be operated by them upon consummation of the issuance of the Securities hereunder and the consummation of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except where the failure to so possess any of the foregoing would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or would not have a material adverse effect on the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(18)Title to Property. The Company and its subsidiaries do not own any real property; all real property, buildings and other improvements, and all equipment and other property held under lease or sublease by the Company or any of its subsidiaries is held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases or subleases, as the case may be, with, solely in the case of leases or subleases relating to real property, buildings or other improvements, such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property and buildings or other improvements by the Company and its subsidiaries, and all such leases and subleases are in full force and effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any notice of any claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease except for such claims which, if successfully asserted against the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(19)Investment Company Act. The Company is not, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Use Of Proceeds,” will not be, an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” as such terms are defined in the 1940 Act.
9
(20)Absence of Registration Rights. Except as otherwise disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities (debt or equity) otherwise registered by the Company under the 1933 Act, and there are no persons with co-sale rights, tag-along rights or other similar rights to have any securities (debt or equity) included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement or sold in connection with the sale of Securities pursuant to this Agreement, except in each case for such rights that have been duly waived in writing; and the Company has given all notices required by, and has otherwise complied with its obligations under, all registration rights agreements, co-sale agreements, tag-along agreements and other similar agreements in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(21)Parties to Lock-Up Agreements. Each of the persons listed on Exhibit C hereto has executed and delivered to the Representatives a lock-up agreement in the form of Exhibit D hereto. Exhibit C hereto contains a true, complete and correct list of all directors and executive officers of the Company who are employed by the Company as of the date hereof or who the Company presently expects to employ upon consummation of the transactions contemplated herein.
(22)FINRA Matters. All of the information provided to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters by the Company in connection with any letters, filings or other supplemental information provided to FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110 or 5121 is true, complete and correct in all material respects.
(23)Tax Returns. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all foreign, federal, state and local tax returns that are required to be filed or have obtained extensions thereof, except where the failure so to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and have paid all taxes (including, without limitation, any estimated taxes) required to be paid by them and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against them, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such tax, assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith by appropriate actions and except for such taxes, assessments, fines or penalties the nonpayment of which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(24)Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; all policies of insurance and any fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective businesses, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect in all material respects; the
10
Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects; there are no claims by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers at a cost that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(25)Reporting. The Company is subject to and in compliance with the reporting requirements of either Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the 1934 Act and files reports with the Commission on EDGAR.
(26)Accounting and Disclosure Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries have taken all actions reasonably necessary to ensure that, within the time period required by applicable law, the Company will have established and will maintain effective “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15 of the 1934 Act Regulations). The Company and its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, since the Company’s date of inception, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has been (1) no material weakness (as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X of the Commission) in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated), and (2) no fraud, whether or not material, involving management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and, since the end of the Company’s most recent fiscal year for which audited financial statements are included in the Registration Statements, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, in a negative manner the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company and its subsidiaries have established, maintained and periodically evaluate the effectiveness of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules 13a-15 of the 1934 Act Regulation and 15d-15 under the 1934 Act); such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and is
11
accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer or officers and principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.
The Company’s independent public accountants and the audit committee of the Company’s board of directors have been advised of all material weaknesses, if any, and significant deficiencies (as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X of the Commission), if any, in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting or of all fraud, if any, whether or not material, involving management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, in each case that occurred or existed, or was first detected, at any time during the period covered by the Company’s audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or at any time subsequent thereto.
(27)Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act with which any of them is required to comply, including Section 402 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.
(28)Absence of Manipulation. The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities;provided,however, that the Company makes no such representation or warranty with respect to the actions of any Underwriter or affiliate or agent of any Underwriter.
(29)Statistical and Market-Related Data. Any statistical, demographic, market-related and similar data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate and accurately reflect in all material respects the materials upon which such data is based or from which it was derived, and the Company has delivered true, complete and correct copies of such materials to the Representatives.
(30)Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that has resulted or would result in a violation by any such person of the FCPA, including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as
12
such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA; and the Company and its subsidiaries, and, to the knowledge of the Company, its other affiliates, have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(31)Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar applicable rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(32)OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC; and the Company will not directly or indirectly use any of the proceeds from the sale of Securities in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available any such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
(33)ERISA Compliance.Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, none of the following events has occurred or exists: (i) a failure to fulfill the obligations, if any, under the minimum funding standards of Section 302 of ERISA with respect to a Plan determined without regard to any waiver of such obligations or extension of any amortization period; (ii) an audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any other federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory agency with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; or (iii) any breach of any contractual obligation, or any violation of law or applicable qualification standards, with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by the Company or any of its subsidiaries. None of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur: (i) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans in the current fiscal year of the Company and its subsidiaries compared to the amount of such contributions made in the Company’s most recently completed fiscal year; (ii) a material increase in the “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 106) of the
13
Company and its subsidiaries compared to the amount of such obligations in the Company’s most recently completed fiscal year; (iii) any event or condition giving rise to a liability under Title IV of ERISA that would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect; or (iv) the filing of a claim by one or more employees or former employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries related to its or their employment that would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect. For purposes of this paragraph and the definition of ERISA, the term “Plan” means a plan (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA) subject to Title IV of ERISA with respect to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries may have any liability.
(34)Lending Relationship.Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (i) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any lending or similar relationship with any Underwriter or any bank or other lending institution affiliated with any Underwriter and (ii) the Company will not use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities by the Company hereunder to reduce or retire the balance of any loan or credit facility extended by any Underwriter or any of its “affiliates” or “associated persons” (as such terms are used in FINRA Rule 5120) or otherwise direct any such proceeds to any Underwriter or any of its “affiliates” or “associated persons” (as so defined).
(35)Transfer Taxes. There are no stock or other transfer taxes, stamp duties, capital duties or other similar duties, taxes or charges payable in connection with the execution or delivery of this Agreement by the Company or the issuance or sale by the Company of the Securities to be sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder.
(36)Related Party Transactions. There are no business relationships or related party transactions involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any other person that are required to be described in the Pre-Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus that have not been described as required.
(37)Stop Transfer Instructions. The Company has, with respect to any Common Stock (other than the Securities to be sold pursuant to this Agreement) or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock owned or held (of record or beneficially) by any of the persons who have entered into or are required to enter into an agreement in the form of Exhibit D hereto, instructed the transfer agent or other registrar to enter stop transfer instructions and implement stop transfer procedures with respect to such securities during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as provided in such agreements); and, during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as provided in such agreements), the Company will not cause or permit any waiver, release, modification or amendment of any such stop transfer instructions or stop transfer procedures, other than transfers permissible pursuant to the terms of such agreements without the prior written consent of the Representatives.
14
(38)Offering Materials. Without limitation to the provisions of Section 16 hereof, the Company has not distributed and will not distribute, directly or indirectly (other than through the Underwriters), any “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act) or other offering materials in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities, other than the Pre-Pricing Prospectus, the Prospectus, any amendment or supplements to any of the foregoing and any Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses (as defined in Section 16).
(39)No Restrictions on Dividends. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to or otherwise bound by any instrument or agreements that limits or prohibits or could limit or prohibit, directly or indirectly, the Company from paying any dividends or making other distributions on its Capital Stock, and no subsidiary of the Company is a party to or otherwise bound by any instrument or agreements that limits or prohibits or could limit or prohibit, directly or indirectly, any subsidiary of the Company from paying any dividends or making other distributions on its capital stock, limited or general partnership interests, limited liability company interests, or other equity interest, as the case may be, or from repaying any loans or advances from, or (except for instruments or agreements that by their express terms prohibit the transfer or assignment thereof or of any rights thereunder) transferring any of its properties or assets to, the Company or any other subsidiary, in each case except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(40)Brokers. Except for the discount provided to the Underwriters as contemplated in this Agreement, no broker, finder or other party is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(41)PFIC Status. The Company is a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) as defined in Section 1297 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for its current taxable year and, based on the Company’s current projected income, assets and activities, the Company expects to continue to be classified as a PFIC for its foreseeable taxable years. The Company will provide all electing shareholders with all necessary information on a timely basis in order for such shareholders to make qualified electing fund elections (including with respect to any of the Company’s subsidiaries that are classified as PFICs) and will provide all shareholders with any other information needed to comply with U.S. tax reporting obligations with respect to PFICs. The Company is not engaged in a trade or business in the United States for its current taxable year, and based on its current business plans, also will not be engaged in a trade or business in the United States for its foreseeable taxable years.
(42)Dividends. The dividends declared by the Company prior to this offering were duly authorized by the Company under Cayman Islands law. The
15
payment of such dividends by the Company does not and will not conflict with or constitute a breach of any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective assets, properties or operations.
(43)Immunity from Jurisdiction. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of its or their properties or assets has any immunity from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution or otherwise) under the laws of the Cayman Islands, or the States of Georgia, New York or Delaware.
(b)Certificates.Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or Ocwen Financial Corporation (“Ocwen”) or any of their respective subsidiaries (whether signed on behalf of such officer, the Company, Ocwen or such subsidiary) and delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company or Ocwen, as applicable, to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.
SECTION 2.Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.
(a)Initial Securities.On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Initial Securities, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase the respective number of Initial Securities set forth opposite its name in Exhibit A hereto plus any additional number of Initial Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, subject to such adjustments among the Underwriters as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional Securities, in each case at a price of $[—] per share (the “Purchase Price”).
(b)Option Securities.In addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase up to [—] Option Securities at a price per share equal to the Purchase Price referred to in Section 2(a) above;provided that the price per share for any Option Securities shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared, paid or payable by the Company on the Initial Securities but not payable on such Option Securities. The option hereby granted will expire at 11:59 P.M. (New York City time) on the 30th day after the date hereof and may be exercised, in whole or in part, and from time to time, upon written notice by the Representatives to the Company setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment and delivery for such Option Securities. Any such time and date of delivery (an “Option Closing Date”) shall be determined by the Representatives, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), nor in any event prior to the Closing Date. If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Securities, the Company will sell to the Underwriters that number of Option Securities
16
then being purchased, and each of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, will purchase that proportion of the total number of Option Securities then being purchased which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Exhibit A opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional number of Initial Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject in each case to such adjustments as the Representatives in their discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares.
(c)Payment.Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Initial Securities shall be made at the offices of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, 1177 Avenenue of the Americas, New York, NY or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, at 9:00 A.M. (New York City time) on [—], 2012 (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or such other time not later than five business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called the “Closing Date”).
In addition, in the event that any or all of the Option Securities are purchased by the Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, such Option Securities shall be made at the above-mentioned offices, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, on each Option Closing Date as specified in the notice from the Representatives to the Company.
Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a single bank account designated by the Company against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of the Securities to be purchased by them. It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for its account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, which it has agreed to purchase. Wells Fargo, individually and not as representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Initial Securities or the Option Securities, if any, to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case may be, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.
(d)Delivery of Securities. Delivery of the Initial Securities and any Option Securities shall be made through the facilities of DTC unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.
(e)Appointment of QIU. The Company hereby confirms its engagement of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. as, and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. hereby confirms its agreement with the Company to render services as, a “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121 with respect to the offering and sale of the Securities. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., solely in its capacity as qualified independent underwriter and not otherwise, is referred to herein as the “QIU.”
17
SECTION 3.Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:
(a)Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests.The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430A and Rule 433 and will promptly notify the Representatives, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall become effective, or when any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission (and shall promptly furnish the Representatives with a copy of any comment letters and any transcript or written summary of oral comments and shall furnish the Representatives with copies of any written responses thereto), (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes, or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any such stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
(b)Filing of Amendments. The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any amendment, supplement or revision to any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act or otherwise, and the Company will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents within a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object in writing.
(c)Delivery of Registration Statements.The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, copies of the Initial Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith) and copies of all consents and certificates of experts. The copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
18
(d)Delivery of Prospectuses.The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required (or, but for the provisions of Rule 172, would be required) to be delivered by applicable law (whether to meet the request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173(d) or otherwise), such number of copies of the Pre-Pricing Prospectus, the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto as such Underwriter may reasonably request. Each preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters were and will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(e)Continued Compliance with Securities Laws.The Company will comply with the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus is required (or, but for the provisions of Rule 172, would be required) by the applicable law to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities (whether to meet the request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173(d) or otherwise), any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary (or if the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall notify the Company that, in their reasonable judgment, it is necessary) to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus so that the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made or then prevailing, not misleading or if it is necessary (or, if the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall notify the Company that, in their reasonable judgment, it is necessary) to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives of such event or condition and of its intention to file such amendment or supplement (or, if the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall have notified the Company as aforesaid, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives of its intention to prepare such amendment or supplement) and will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b) hereof, such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such untrue statement or omission or to comply with such requirements, and, in the case of amendment or post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, the Company will use its best efforts to have such amendment declared or become effective as soon as practicable and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request. If at any time an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement or if an event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary (or if the Representatives
19
or counsel for the Underwriters shall notify the Company that, in their reasonable judgment, it is necessary) to amend or supplement such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus so that it will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made or then prevailing, not misleading, or if it is necessary (or, if the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall notify the Company that, in their reasonable judgment, it is necessary) to amend or supplement such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives of such event or condition and of its intention to file such amendment or supplement (or, if the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall have notified the Company as aforesaid, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives of its intention to prepare such amendment or supplement) and will promptly prepare and, if required by the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b) hereof, such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission or to comply with such requirements, and, in the case of an amendment or post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.
(f)Blue Sky Qualifications.The Company will use its reasonable best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale, or to obtain an exemption for the Securities to be offered and sold, under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Representatives may designate and to maintain such qualifications and exemptions in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Securities (but in no event for a period of not less than one year from the date of this Agreement);provided,however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.
(g)Rule 158.The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Underwriters the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.
(h)Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Pre-Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”
(i)Listing.The Company will use its best efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the Securities on such exchange as and when required by this Agreement.
20
(j)Restriction on Sale of Securities.During the Lock-Up Period (as may be extended pursuant to the provisions set forth in the next sentence), the Company will not, without the prior written consent of Wells Fargo directly or indirectly:
(i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock,
(ii) file or cause the filing of any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for any Common Stock or other Capital Stock (other than any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement filed to register Securities to be sold to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement), or
(iii) enter into any swap or other agreement, arrangement or transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for any Common Stock or other Capital Stock,
whether any transaction described in clause (i) or (iii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock, other Capital Stock, other securities, in cash or otherwise, or publicly announce any intention to do any of the foregoing.
Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, the Company may, without the prior written consent of Wells Fargo issue: (1) Securities to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement or (2) up to ten percent (10.0%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company (after giving effect to the offer and sale of the Securities under this Agreement) in the aggregate,provided in the case this clause (2) that (a) the proceeds from any such issuance shall be used by the Company only to finance the acquisition of assets or a business, (b) any such shares of Common Stock shall be sold at a price per share not less than the initial public offering price of the Securities being offered hereby (as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus), (c) each recipient of any such shares of Common Stock agrees in writing to be bound by the terms of this Section 3(j) to the same extent as the Company with respect to the shares of Common Stock received by it in connection with such issuance for longer of (i) the remaining term of the Lock-Up Period or (ii) 90 days, and (d) such issuance shall not occur earlier than the thirty-first day following the Closing Date.
(k)Reporting Requirements.The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required (or, but for the provisions of Rule 172, would be required) by applicable law to be delivered (whether to meet the request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173(d) or otherwise), will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.
(l)Preparation of Prospectus.Promptly following the execution of this Agreement, the Company will, subject to Section 3(b) hereof, prepare the Prospectus, which shall contain the selling terms of the Securities, the plan of distribution thereof and
21
such other information as may be required by the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or as the Representatives and the Company may deem appropriate, and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus containing the information set forth in Exhibit F hereto and such other information as may be required by Rule 433 or as the Representatives and the Company may deem appropriate, and will file or transmit for filing with the Commission, in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430A and in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), the Prospectus and any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.
(m)Required Third Party Consents. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to continue to work to obtain the consents and other documentation from third parties necessary for HLSS to own legal title to any Initial Mortgage Servicing Rights, as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
SECTION 4.Payment of Expenses.
(a)Expenses.The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto (in each case including exhibits) and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing, (ii) the preparation of the certificates for the Securities and the issuance and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other taxes or duties payable in connection with the sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (iii) the fees and disbursements of the counsel, accountants and other advisors to the Company, (iv) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplements thereto and the reasonable fees and disbursements of special Canadian counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the preparation of any Canadian “wrapper”;provided that such fees and disbursements do not exceed $10,000 in the aggregate, (v) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing, (vi) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any Canadian “wrapper” and any supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing (excluding Canadian counsel’s fees and disbursements, which are addressed in section (iv) above), (vii) the fees and expenses of the transfer agent and registrar for the Securities, (viii) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the review, if any, by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Securities;provided that such fees and disbursements do not exceed $50,000 in the aggregate, (ix) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Securities on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, (x) the costs and expenses of the Company and any of its officers, directors, counsel or other representatives in connection with presentations or meetings undertaken in connection with the offering of the Securities, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics and the production and hosting of any electronic road shows, fees and expenses of any consultants
22
engaged in connection with road show presentations, and travel, lodging, transportation, and other expenses of the officers, directors, counsel and other representatives of the Company incurred and one-half of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with any such presentations or meetings and (xi) the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters and in connection with matters relating to the QIU and its activities contemplated by this Agreement.
(b)Termination of Agreement.If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 or Section 9(a)(i), (iii) or (vi) hereof, (y) prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of the Underwriters’ out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters, or (z) after the Closing Date but prior to any Option Closing Date with respect to the purchase of any Options Securities pursuant to a notice delivered by the Representatives to the Company under Section 2(b) hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters incurred in connection with proposed purchase of any such Option Securities.
SECTION 5.Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company or Ocwen contained in this Agreement, or in certificates signed by any officer of the Company or Ocwen or any subsidiary of the Company or Ocwen (whether signed on behalf of such officer, the Company, Ocwen or such subsidiary) delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:
(a)Effectiveness of Registration Statement.The Initial Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, shall have become effective, and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)).
(b)Opinions of Counsel for Company and its Subsidiaries.At the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received:
(1) the favorable opinion and negative assurance letter, each dated as of the Closing Date, of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, counsel for the Company and its subsidiaries (“Company Counsel”), substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit H, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters;
23
(2) the favorable opinion, dated as of the Closing Date, of Walkers, special Cayman Islands counsel for the Company, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit I-1, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters; and
(3) the favorable opinion, dated as of the Closing Date, of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, special tax counsel for the Company, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit I-2, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters.
(c)Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.At the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of the Closing Date, of Shearman & Sterling LLP, counsel for the Underwriters.
(d)Company Officers’ Certificate.At the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (in each case exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), any material adverse change or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change in the condition (financial or other), results of operations, business, properties, management or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and, at the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received a certificate, signed on behalf of the Company by the President, the Chief Executive Officer or an Executive Vice President of the Company and the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Accounting Officer of the Company, dated as of Closing Date, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct at and as of the Closing Date with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of Closing Date, (iii) the Company has complied in all material respects with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to Closing Date under or pursuant to this Agreement, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission.
(e)Ocwen Officers’ Certificate. At the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the Representatives shall have received a certificate (the “Ocwen Certificate”), signed on behalf of Ocwen by the President, the Chief Executive Officer or an Executive Vice President of Ocwen and the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Accounting Officer of Ocwen, dated as of the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the counsel for the Underwriters.
(f)Accountant’s Comfort Letters.At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte & Touche, LLP letters, dated the date of this Agreement and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of each such letter for each of
24
the other Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information of the Company, respectively contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses (other than any electronic road show) and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto.
(g)Bring-down Comfort Letters.At the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte & Touche, LLP letters, dated as of the Closing Date and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letters furnished pursuant to subsection (h) of this Section, except that the specified dates referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to the Closing Date.
(h)Approval of Listing.At the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any, the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company at such time shall have been approved for listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, subject only to official notice of issuance.
(i)Lock-up Agreements.Prior to the date of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit D hereto signed by each of the persons listed in Exhibit C hereto.
(j)No Objection. Prior to the date of this Agreement, FINRA shall have confirmed in writing that it has no objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.
(k)Conditions to Purchase of Option Securities.In the event that the Underwriters exercise their option provided in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any portion of the Option Securities on any Option Closing Date that is after the Closing Date, the obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase the applicable Option Securities shall be subject to the conditions specified in the introductory paragraph of this Section 5 and to the further condition that, at the applicable Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received:
(1)Opinions of Counsel for Company. The favorable opinions of Company Counsel and of the other counsel named in Section 5(b)(l)(2) and (3), each dated such Option Closing Date, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and to the same effect as the respective opinions required by Sections 5(b)(1), (2) and (3) hereof.
(2)Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. The favorable opinion of Shearman & Sterling LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Option Closing Date, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof.
25
(3)Officers’ Certificates. Certificates, dated such Option Closing Date, to the effect set forth in and signed on behalf of the Company and Ocwen by two of the officers specified in Sections 5(d) and 5(e) hereof, respectively, except that the references in such certificates to the Closing Date shall be changed to refer to such Option Closing Date.
(4)Bring-down Comfort Letters. Letters from Deloitte & Touche LLP, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives and dated such Option Closing Date, substantially in the same form and substance as the letters furnished to the Representatives pursuant to Section 5(g) hereof, except that the “specified date” in the letters furnished pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more than three business days prior to such Option Closing Date, and except that such letters shall cover any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (other than any electronic road show) and the Prospectus subsequent to the Closing Date.
(l)Additional Documents.At the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, contained in this Agreement, or as the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters may otherwise reasonably request; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and in connection with the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.
(m)Termination of Agreement.If any condition specified in this Section 5 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement, or, in the case of any condition to the purchase of Option Securities on an Option Closing Date which is after the Closing Date, the obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase the relevant Option Securities on such Option Closing Date, may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time on or prior to Closing Date or such Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof and except that, Sections 1, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 hereof shall survive any such termination of this Agreement and remain in full force and effect.
26
SECTION 6.Indemnification.
(a)Indemnification by the Company.(1) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its officers, directors, employees, partners, members, agents and affiliates and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:
(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing), or any “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433) filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d), or any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433) that does not constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission;provided that (subject to Section 6(e) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and
(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above,
provided,however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or in any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing), or any “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433) filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) or any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433) that does not constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Underwriters as aforesaid consists of the information described as such in Section 6(c) hereof.
27
(2) In addition to, and without limitation of the Company’s obligation to indemnify Citigroup Global Markets Inc. as an Underwriter, the Company also agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the QIU, its officers, directors, employees, partners, members, agents and affiliates and each person, if any, who controls the QIU within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:
(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, incurred as a result of the QIU’s participation as a “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121 (“Rule 5121”) in connection with the offering of the Securities;
(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon the QIU’s participation as a “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of Rule 5121 in connection with the offering of the Securities;provided that (subject to Section 6(e) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company (such consent to not be unreasonably withheld); and
(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the QIU), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental body or agency, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon the QIU’s participation as “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of Rule 5121 in connection with the offering of the Securities, to the extent any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above.
(b)Indemnification by the Underwriters. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of the Company’s officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section 6, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or the Pre-Pricing Prospectus, any other any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing), or any “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433) filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) or any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433) that does not constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
The Company hereby acknowledges and agrees that the information furnished to the Company by the Underwriters through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing), or any “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433) filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) or any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433) that does not constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus consists exclusively of the following information appearing under the caption “Underwriting” in the Pre-Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus: (i) the information regarding sales by the underwriters to securities dealers in the third paragraph under such caption, (ii) the information regarding the underwriters’ expectations on sales to discretionary accounts
28
appearing in the third paragraph under such caption and (iii) the information regarding stabilization, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids appearing in the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth paragraphs under such caption.
(c)Actions Against Parties; Notification.Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. Counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected as follows: counsel to the Underwriters and the other indemnified parties referred to in Sections 6(a)(1) and (b) above shall be selected by Wells Fargo; counsel to the QIU and each other indemnified party referred to in Section 6(a)(2) above shall be selected by the QIU; and counsel to the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall be selected by the Company. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action;provided,however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for the Underwriters and the other indemnified parties referred to in Sections 6(a)(1) and (b) above, the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for the QIU and the other indemnified parties referred to in Section 6(a)(2) above; and the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, in each case in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d)Settlement Without Consent if Failure to Reimburse.If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by this Section 6, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(1)(ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 45 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.
29
SECTION 7.Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.
The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company (as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus) and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters (as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus), bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities (as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus). Benefits received by the QIU in its capacity as QIU shall be deemed to be equal to the compensation received by the QIU for acting in such capacity.
The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, (i) in the case of the Company, whether any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, and (ii) in the case of the Underwriters, whether any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Underwriters, and in each case such parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement, omission or mistake, as applicable.
The Company and the Underwriters agree that the QIU will not receive any additional benefits hereunder for serving as the QIU in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities.
The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency
30
or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. In addition, notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., in its capacity as QIU shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the compensation received by it for acting in such capacity.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
For purposes of this Section 7, (i) each officer, director, employee, partner, member and agent of any Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, (ii) each officer, director, employee, partner, member, agent and affiliates of the QIU and each person, if any, who controls the QIU within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the QIU, and (iii) each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to the number of Initial Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Exhibit A hereto and not joint.
SECTION 8.Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates signed by any officer of the Company or Ocwen or any of their respective subsidiaries (whether signed on behalf of such officer, the Company, Ocwen or such subsidiary) and delivered to the Representatives or counsel to the Underwriters shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, any officer, director, employee, partner, member, agent or affiliate of any Underwriter or any person controlling any Underwriter, or by or on behalf of the Company, Ocwen, any officer, director or employee of the Company or Ocwen or any person controlling the Company or Ocwen, or by or on behalf of the QIU, any officer, director, employee, partner, member, agent or affiliate of the QIU or any person controlling the QIU, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Securities.
SECTION 9.Termination of Agreement.
(a)Termination; General.The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time on or prior to Closing Date (and, if any Option Securities are to be purchased on an Option Closing Date which occurs after the Closing Date, the
31
Representatives may terminate the obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase such Option Securities, by notice to the Company at any time on or prior to such Option Closing Date) (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (in each case exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), any material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition (financial or other), results of operations, business, properties, management or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any declaration of a national emergency or way by the United States, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions (including, without limitation, as a result of terrorist activities), in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the NASDAQ Global Select Market, or (iv) if trading generally on the NYSE, the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NYSE Amex, the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade has been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by order of the Commission, FINRA or any other governmental authority, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or in Europe, or (v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities or (vi) if there shall have occurred, since the time of execution of this Agreement, any downgrading in the rating of any debt securities issued by the Company by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436 under the 1933 Act) or any public announcement that any such organization has placed its rating on the Company or any such debt securities under surveillance or review or on a so-called “watch list” (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading, and no implication of a possible downgrading, of such rating) or any announcement by any such organization that the Company or any such debt securities has been placed on negative outlook.
(b)Liabilities.If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section 9, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 hereof shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.
32
SECTION 10.Default by One or More of the Underwriters.
If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:
(1) if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount of such Defaulted Securities in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters; or
(2) if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, this Agreement or, with respect to any Option Closing Date which occurs after the Closing Date, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Option Securities that were to have been purchased and sold on such Option Closing Date, shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.
No action taken pursuant to this Section 10 shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.
In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement or, in the case of an Option Closing Date which is after the Closing Date, which does not result in a termination of the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and the Company to sell the relevant Option Securities, as the case may be, the Representatives shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.
SECTION 11.Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing, shall be effective only upon receipt and shall be mailed, delivered by hand or overnight courier, or transmitted by fax (with the receipt of such fax to be confirmed by telephone). Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to the Representatives at Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 375 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10152, Attention of Equity Syndicate, fax no. (212) 214-5918 (with such fax to be confirmed by telephone), Barclays Capital Inc., 745 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, Attention of Syndicate Registration, fax no. (646) 834-8133, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, Attention of General Counsel, fax no. (212) 816-7912) and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, One Bryant Park, New York, New York 10036, Attention of Syndicate Department, fax no. (646) 855-3073, with a copy, Attention of ECM Legal, fax no. (212) 230-8730; and notices to the Company shall be directed to it at 2002 Summit Boulevard, Suite 600, Atlanta, Georgia 30319 Attention of Secretary, fax no. (770) 671-7704 (with such fax to be confirmed by telephone to (561) 682-7130).
SECTION 12.Parties. This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and the QIU and its respective successors. Nothing
33
expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters, the Company and the QIUand their respective successors and the controlling persons and other indemnified parties referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters, the Company and the QIU and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and other indemnified parties and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person or entity. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.
SECTION 13.GOVERNING LAW AND TIME. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.
SECTION 14. Effect of Headings. The Section and Exhibit headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
SECTION 15.Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the respective meanings set forth below:
“Applicable Time” means [—] (New York City time) on [—], 2012 or such other time as agreed by the Company and Wells Fargo.
“Capital Stock” means any Common Stock, Preferred Stock or other capital stock of the Company.
“Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Company Documents” means (i) all Subject Instruments and (ii) all other contracts, indentures, mortgages, deeds of trust, loan or credit agreements, bonds, notes, debentures, evidences of indebtedness, swap agreements, leases or other instruments or agreements to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject.
“DTC” means The Depository Trust Company.
“EDGAR” means the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder.
“FCPA” means the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
34
“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. or the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or both, as the context shall require.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles.
“Initial Registration Statement” means the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-183407), as amended (if applicable), including the Rule 430A Information.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, relating to the Securities that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) is a “road show” that is a “written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission, or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, and all free writing prospectuses that are listed in Exhibit F hereto, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).
“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (other than any Issuer Pricing Free Writing Prospectus) that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Exhibit G hereto.
“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus or an Issuer Pricing Free Writing Prospectus.
“Lien” means any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.
“Lock-Up Period” means the period beginning on and including the date of this Agreement through and including the date that is the 60th day after the date of this Agreement.
“NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange.
“OFAC” means the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department.
“Organizational Documents” means (a) in the case of a corporation, its charter and by-laws or similar organizational documents; (b) in the case of a limited or general partnership, its partnership certificate, certificate of formation or similar organizational documents and its partnership agreement; (c) in the case of a limited liability company, its articles of organization, certificate of formation or similar organizational documents and its operating agreement, limited liability company agreement, membership agreement or other similar agreement; (d) in the case of a trust, its certificate of trust, certificate of formation or similar organizational document and its trust agreement or other similar agreement; and (e) in the case of any other entity, the organizational and governing documents of such entity.
“Preferred Stock” means any class or series of preference shares issued by the Company.
35
“preliminary prospectus” means any prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Securities that omitted the public offering price of the Securities or that was captioned “Subject to Completion.” The term “preliminary prospectus” includes, without limitation, the Pre-Pricing Prospectus.
“Pre-Pricing Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus dated [—], 2012 relating to the Securities in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities.
“Registration Statement” means the Initial Registration Statement;provided that, if a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed with the Commission, then the term “Registration Statement” shall include such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement from and after the time of such filing, mutatis mutandis.
“Repayment Event” means any event or condition which (i) gives the holder of any bond, note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, or (ii) gives any counterparty (or any person acting on such counterparty’s behalf) under any swap agreement or similar agreement or instrument to which the Company or any subsidiary of the Company is a party the right to liquidate or accelerate the payment obligations, or designate an early termination date under such agreement or instrument, as the case may be.
“Rule 164,” “Rule 172,” “Rule 173,” “Rule 405,” “Rule 424(b),” “Rule 430A,” “Rule 433” and “Rule 462(b)” refer to such rules under the 1933 Act.
“Rule 430A Information” means the information included in the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, that was omitted from the Initial Registration Statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be a part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it became effective pursuant to Rule 430A.
“Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” means a registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) for the purpose of registering any of the Securities under the 1933 Act, including the documents and other information incorporated by reference therein and the Rule 430A Information.
“Sarbanes-Oxley Act” means the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or implementing the provisions thereof.
“Subject Instruments” means all instruments, agreements and documents filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K of the Commission;provided that if any instrument, agreement or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement as aforesaid has been redacted or if any portion thereof has been deleted or is otherwise not included as part of such exhibit (whether pursuant to a request for confidential treatment or otherwise), the term “Subject Instruments” shall nonetheless mean such instrument, agreement or other document, as the case may be, in its entirety, including any portions thereof which shall have been so redacted, deleted or otherwise not filed.
36
“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“1933 Act Regulations” means the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act.
“1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“1934 Act Regulations” means the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1934 Act.
“1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the version thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR and all versions thereof delivered (physically or electronically) to the Representatives or the Underwriters.
SECTION 16.Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents, warrants and agrees that it has not made and, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Representatives, it will not make, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, represents, warrants and agrees that it has not made and, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Company and the Representatives, it will not make, any offer relating to the Securities that constitutes or would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 433) or that otherwise constitutes or would constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405) or portion thereof required to be filed with the Commission or, in the case of the Company, whether or not required to be filed with the Commission;provided that the prior written consent of the Company and the Representatives shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, listed on Exhibit G hereto and to any electronic road show in the form previously provided by the Company to and approved by the Representatives. Any such free writing prospectus consented to or deemed to have been consented to as aforesaid is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents, warrants and agrees that it has treated and will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rules 164 and 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping. For the purposes of clarity, the parties hereto agree that all free writing prospectuses, if any, listed in Exhibits F and G hereto are Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses.
SECTION 17.Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:
(a) each of the Underwriters is acting solely as an underwriter in connection with the sale of the Securities and no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company, on the one hand, and any of the Underwriters, on the other hand, has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether any of the Underwriters has advised or is advising the Company on other matters;
37
(b) the public offering price of the Securities and the price to be paid by the Underwriters for the Securities set forth in this Agreement were established by the Company following discussions and arm’s-length negotiations with the Representatives;
(c) it is capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(d) it is aware that the Underwriters and their respective affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that none of the Underwriters has any obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and
(e) it waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against any of the Underwriters for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that none of the Underwriters shall have any liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract, tort or otherwise) to it in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on its behalf or in right of it or the Company, including stockholders, employees or creditors of the Company.
SECTION 18.Research Analyst Independence. The Company acknowledges that the Underwriters’ research analysts and research departments are required to be independent from their respective investment banking divisions and are subject to certain regulations and internal policies, and that such Underwriters’ research analysts may hold views and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Company and/or the offering that differ from the views of their respective investment banking divisions. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any conflict of interest that may arise from the fact that the views expressed by their independent research analysts and research departments may be different from or inconsistent with the views or advice communicated to the Company by such Underwriters’ investment banking divisions. The Company acknowledges that each of the Underwriters is a full service securities firm and as such, from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short positions in debt or equity securities of the companies that may be the subject of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
SECTION 19.Consent to Jurisdiction. The Company hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of any U.S. federal or state court located in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and County of New York in any action, suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to or based upon this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, and irrevocably and unconditionally waives any objection to the laying of venue of any action, suit or proceeding in any such court and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such action, suit or proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum. The Company irrevocably appoints CT Corporation System as its authorized agent in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and County of
38
New York upon which process may be served in any such action, suit or proceeding and agrees that service of process upon such agent, and written notice of said service to Michael J. McElroy, in his capacity of General Counsel to the Company, as provided in this Agreement shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon it in any such action, suit or proceeding, and agrees to take any and all such action as may be necessary to maintain such designation and appointment of such agent in full force and effect for a period of ten years from the date of this Agreement.
SECTION 20.Waiver of Immunity. With respect to any action, suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to or based upon this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, each party irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all immunity (whether on the basis of sovereignty or otherwise) from jurisdiction, service of process, attachment (both before and after judgment) and execution to which it might otherwise be entitled, and with respect to any such action, suit or proceeding, each party waives any such immunity in any court of competent jurisdiction, and will not raise or claim or cause to be pleaded any such immunity at or in respect of any such action, suit or proceeding, including, without limitation, any immunity pursuant to the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, as amended.
SECTION 21.Judgment Currency. The obligation of the Company in respect of any sum due to any Underwriter under this Agreement shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than U.S. dollars or any other applicable currency (the “Judgment Currency”), not be discharged until the first business day following receipt by such Underwriter of any sum adjudged to be so due in the Judgment Currency on which (and only to the extent that) such Underwriter may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase U.S. dollars or any other applicable currency with the Judgment Currency; if the U.S. dollars or other applicable currency so purchased are less than the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, the Company agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter against such loss in respect of any sum due to such Underwriter from the Company. If the U.S. dollars or other applicable currency so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, such Underwriter agrees to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the U.S. dollars or other applicable currency so purchased over the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder.
[Signature Page Follows]
39
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours, | ||
HOME LOAN SERVICING SOLUTIONS, LTD. | ||
By |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
40
CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED, as of the date first above written: | ||
WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC | ||
BARCLAYS CAPITAL INC. | ||
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC. | ||
MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED | ||
By: | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC | |
By |
| |
Authorized Signatory | ||
By: | BARCLAYS CAPITAL INC. | |
By |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
By: | CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC. | |
By |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
By: | MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED | |
By |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
For themselves and as Representatives of the Underwriters named in Exhibit A hereto.
41
EXHIBIT A
Name of Underwriter | Number of Initial Securities | |
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC | [—] | |
Barclays Capital Inc. | [—] | |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | [—] | |
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated | [—] | |
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. | [—] | |
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. | [—] | |
Piper Jaffray & Co. | [—] | |
RBC Capital Markets, LLC. | [—] | |
Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc. | [—] | |
Total | [—] | |
|
A-1
EXHIBIT B
SUBSIDIARIES OF THE COMPANY
Name | Jurisdiction of Organization | Type of Entity | Names of General Partners/Managing Members* | |||
HLSS Holdings, LLC | Delaware | Limited Liability Company | Home Loan Servicing Solutions, Ltd. | |||
HLSS Management, LLC | Delaware | Limited Liability Company | HLSS Holdings, LLC | |||
HomEq Servicer Advance Facility Transferor, LLC† | Delaware | Limited Liability Company | HLSS Holdings, LLC | |||
HomEq Servicer Advance Receivables Trust 2010-ADV1† | Delaware | Statutory Trust |
* | Applicable only if the subsidiary in question is a limited or general partnership or limited liability company. |
† | Shall be deemed a subsidiary of the Company as of the Closing Date. |
B-1
EXHIBIT C
LIST OF PERSONS SUBJECT TO LOCK-UP
William C. Erbey
John P. Van Vlack
James E. Lauter
Richard Delgado
Kerry Kennedy
Richard J. Lochrie
Michael J. McElroy
Robert McGinnis
David B. Reiner
C-1
EXHIBIT D
FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
Home Loan Servicing Solutions, Ltd.
Public Offering of Common Stock
Dated as of
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
Barclays Capital Inc.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
As Representatives of the several Underwriters
c/o Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
375 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10152
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This agreement is being delivered to you in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) between Home Loan Servicing Solutions, Ltd., an exempted Cayman Islands company (the “Company”) and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (“Wells Fargo”), Barclays Capital Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as representatives of a group of underwriters (the “Underwriters”) and the other parties thereto, relating to a proposed underwritten public offering of ordinary shares (the “Common Stock”) of the Company.
In order to induce you and the other Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement, and in light of the benefits that the offering of the Common Stock will confer upon the undersigned in its capacity as a securityholder and/or an officer or director of the Company, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned agrees with each Underwriter that, during the period beginning on and including the date of the Underwriting Agreement through and including the date that is the 60th day after the date of the Underwriting Agreement (the “Lock-Up Period”), the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of Wells Fargo, directly or indirectly:
(i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares of the Company’s
D-1
Common Stock or preferred stock or other capital stock (collectively, “Capital Stock”) or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock, or
(ii) enter into any swap or other agreement, arrangement or transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, any of the economic consequence of ownership of any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock,
whether any transaction described in clauses (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock, other Capital Stock, other securities, in cash or otherwise, or relates to Common Stock or other Capital Stock owned now or acquired later by the undersigned or for which the undersigned later acquires the power of disposition, or publicly announce any intention to do any of the foregoing. Moreover, if:
(1) during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or
(2) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period,
the Lock-Up Period shall be extended and the restrictions imposed by this agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, as the case may be, unless Wells Fargo waives, in writing, such extension. Prior to engaging in any transaction or taking any other action that is subject to the restrictions imposed by this agreement at any time during the period from and including the date of this agreement through and including the 34th day following the last day of the Lock-Up Period (prior to giving effect to any extension of the Lock-Up Period pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence), the undersigned will give notice thereof to the Company and will not consummate such transaction or take any such action unless it has received written confirmation from the Company that the Lock-Up Period (as the same may have been extended pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence) has expired.
Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, the undersigned may, without the prior written consent of Wells Fargo, transfer any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock:
(1) if the undersigned is a natural person, (a) as a bona fide gift or gifts or by will, by intestate succession or pursuant to a so-called “living trust” or other revocable trust established to provide for the disposition of property on the undersigned’s death, in each case to any member of the immediate family (as defined below) of the undersigned or to a trust the beneficiaries of which are exclusively the undersigned or members of the
D-2
undersigned’s immediate family, (b) as a bona fide gift or gifts to a charity or educational institution or (c) to a spouse, former spouse, child or other dependent pursuant to a domestic relations or similar order of a court of competent jurisdiction,
(2) if the undersigned is a partnership or a limited liability company, to a partner or member, as the case may be, of such partnership or limited liability company if, in any such case, such transfer is not for value, and
(3) if the transactions relate to shares of Common Stock or other securities acquired in open market transactions after the Closing Date (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement),
provided,however, that in the case of any transfer described in clause (1) or (2) above, it shall be a condition to the transfer that (A) the transferee executes and delivers to Wells Fargo, acting on behalf of the Underwriters, not later than one business day prior to such transfer, a written agreement, in substantially the form of this agreement (it being understood that any references to “immediate family” in the agreement executed by such transferee shall expressly refer only to the immediate family of the undersigned and not to the immediate family of the transferee), (B) in the case of a transfer pursuant to clause (1) above, if the undersigned is required to file a report under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock by the undersigned during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above), the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that such transfer is not a transfer for value and that such transfer is being made as a gift, by will or intestate succession or pursuant to a so-called “living trust” or other revocable trust established to provide for the disposition of property on the undersigned’s death, or by court order, as the case may be, (C) in the case of a transfer pursuant to clause (2) or (3) above, no filing under Section 16(a) of the 1934 Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock shall be required to be made or shall be voluntarily made during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above) and (D) in the case of a transfer pursuant to clause (1) or (2) above, no voluntary filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission or other public report, filing or announcement shall be made in respect of such transfer during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above). For purposes of this paragraph, “immediate family” shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption not more remote than the first cousin (including by adoption).
The undersigned further agrees that (i) it will not, during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above), make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), of any shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock, and (ii) the Company may, with respect to any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock owned or held (of record or beneficially) by the undersigned, cause the transfer agent or other registrar to enter stop transfer instructions and implement stop transfer procedures with respect to such securities during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above).
D-3
In addition, the undersigned hereby waives any and all notice requirements and rights with respect to the registration of any securities pursuant to any agreement, instrument, understanding or otherwise, including any registration rights agreement or similar agreement, to which the undersigned is a party or under which the undersigned is entitled to any right or benefit,provided that such waiver shall apply only to the public offering of Common Stock pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement and each registration statement filed under the 1933 Act in connection therewith.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this agreement and that this agreement has been duly authorized (if applicable), executed and delivered by the undersigned and is a valid and binding agreement of the undersigned. This agreement and all authority herein conferred are irrevocable and shall survive the death or incapacity of the undersigned (if a natural person) and shall be binding upon the heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns of the undersigned.
It is understood that if (i) the Company notifies Wells Fargo in writing that it does not intend to proceed with the offering of the Common Stock, (ii) the Underwriting Agreement is not executed by December 31, 2012;provided,however, that the Company may, by prior written notice to the undersigned, extend such date for a period of up to an additional three months after December 31, 2012, or (iii) if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall, pursuant to its terms, terminate or be terminated for any reason prior to payment for and delivery of the shares of Common Stock to be sold thereunder (other than any shares issuable upon exercise of the option granted to the Underwriters), this agreement shall immediately be terminated and the undersigned shall automatically be released from all of his, her or its obligations under this agreement.
This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that whether or not any public offering of Common Stock actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions.
[Signature Page Immediately Follows]
D-4
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed and delivered this agreement as of the date first set forth above.
Yours very truly, |
Print Name: |
D-5
EXHIBIT E
PRICE-RELATED INFORMATION
Public offering price: | $[—] per share | |
Offering size: | [—] ordinary shares | |
Option: | [—] ordinary shares, if the Underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ordinary shares in full |
E-1
EXHIBIT F
ISSUER FREE WRITING PROSPECTUS
F-1
EXHIBIT G
ISSUER GENERAL USE FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES
• | [None.] |
G-1
EXHIBIT H
FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY COUNSEL
1. Each subsidiary of the Company identified on Exhibit B to the Underwriting Agreement (each, a “Delaware Subsidiary” and collectively, the “Delaware Subsidiaries”) is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has the limited liability company power to own its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus.
2. Each of the documents listed onSchedule I hereto to which a Delaware Subsidiary is a party constitutes a valid and binding obligation of such Delaware Subsidiary, enforceable against such Delaware Subsidiary in accordance with its terms.
3. No filing, consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental authority is required under Relevant Law (as hereinafter defined) for (i) the issuance and sale of the Ordinary Shares by the Company or (ii) the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, other than such as have been previously obtained or made and those that may be required (A) under state securities or blue sky laws in connection with the offer and sale of the Ordinary Shares and (B) by any national securities exchange or interdealer quotation system upon which Company’s stock may be traded or listed (as to which, in the case of clauses (A) and (B), we express no opinion).
4. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission under the Act, and to our knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose or otherwise have been instituted or are pending or threatened in writing by the Commission. Any required filing of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and any supplements thereto, pursuant to Rule 424(b) and pursuant to Rule 462(b) has been made in the manner and within the time period required by such Rules.
5. The Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as of the Effective Date, and each amendment or supplement thereto as of its effective or issue date (except for the financial statements and other financial data included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we express no opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
6. The statements in the Prospectus under the captions “The Business—Description of Purchase Agreement”, “The Business—Description of Subservicing Agreement” and “The Business—Description of Servicing Advance Facility Agreements and the Advance Financing Facility”, insofar as such statements purport to constitute summaries of the legal matters and the documents listed onSchedule I, constitute accurate summaries in all material respects of the matters referred to therein.
H-1-1
7. The execution and delivery by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement, and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated thereby do not: (i) breach or result in a default under any agreement, instrument or other document listed onSchedule I hereto or result in the acceleration of (or entitle any party to accelerate) any indebtedness of the Company thereunder; (ii) result in the creation or imposition of a lien on any of the Company’s property or assets under any agreement, instrument or other document listed onSchedule I hereto; or (iii) result in the violation of any Relevant Law (as hereinafter defined).
8. The Company is not, and immediately after the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
9. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, and based solely on a certificate submitted to us by an officer of the Company, to our knowledge, the Company is not a party to any action or proceeding pending or threatened in writing with respect to the Underwriting Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated thereby.
During the course of performing the services referred to in this letter, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that (i) any part of the Registration Statement, at the time such part or amendment became effective under the Securities Act, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) the Pre-Pricing Prospectus, as of the Applicable Time, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that we express no belief in this clause (ii) with respect to the final offering size, pricing or distribution terms of the offering of the Shares or information based upon or derived therefrom to the extent not included in the Pre-Pricing Prospectus; or (iii) that, as of its date and as of the date hereof, the Prospectus (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which we express no opinion) contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; it being understood that, in the case of each of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above, we express no view with respect to the financial statements, the notes thereto and the related schedules, and the other financial, accounting and the statistical data derived therefrom, contained or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom. As used herein, the “Applicable Time” means [ ] (Eastern Time) on September [ ], 2012. This letter is based upon the facts and circumstances in existence on the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to revise or supplement this letter should there be any change in such facts or circumstances.
H-1-2
EXHIBIT I-1
FORM OF SPECIAL CAYMAN ISLANDS COUNSEL OPINION
1. | The Company is an exempted company duly incorporated with limited liability, validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and is in good standing with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands. |
2. | The Company (a) has full corporate power and authority to execute and deliver the Underwriting Agreement and to perform its obligations thereunder and (b) has taken all corporate action necessary to authorise the execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement. |
3. | The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorised and executed and, when delivered by the Company, will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with its terms. |
4. | The Registration Statement (as defined in Schedule 1) and the Final Prospectus (as defined in Schedule 1), including the filing thereof with the SEC (as defined in Schedule 1), have been duly authorized by and on behalf of the Company. |
5. | The Securities have been duly authorised by all necessary corporate action of the Company and, upon the issue of the Securities (by the entry of the name of the registered owner thereof in the register of members of the Company confirming that such Securities have been issued credited as fully paid), delivery and payment therefore by the holder in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association (as defined in Schedule 1), and in the manner contemplated by each of the Underwriting Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus, will be validly created, issued, fully paid and non-assessable (meaning that no additional sums may be levied on the holder thereof by the Company). |
6. | Based solely upon our review of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the authorised share capital of the Company is US$2,000,000 divided into 200,000,000 ordinary shares of nominal or par value US$0.01 each. Pursuant to the provisions of sections 6 and 49(d) of the Companies Law (as amended) (the “Companies Law”), and the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the liability of the members of the Company is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of the Company held by such persons. |
7. | The issue and sale of the Securities, as contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus is not subject to any pre-emptive rights, rights of first refusal or similar rights under Memorandum and Articles of Association or the Companies Law and based solely on our examination of the Register of Charges (as defined in Schedule 1) and the Register of Members (as defined in Schedule 1) of the Company, there are no entries or notations indicating any third party interests, including any security interest, in respect of the property and assets of the Company or the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of the Company. |
I-1-1
8. | The execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement, the issue of the Securities contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement to be made and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby and the compliance by the Company with the terms and provisions thereof do not: |
(a) | contravene any law, public rule or regulation of the Cayman Islands applicable to the Company which is currently in force; or |
(b) | contravene the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company. |
9. | Neither: |
(a) | the execution, delivery or performance of the Underwriting Agreement; nor |
(b) | the consummation or performance of any of the transactions contemplated thereby by the Company, |
requires the consent or approval of, the giving of notice to, or the registration with, or the taking of any other action in respect of any Cayman Islands governmental or judicial authority or agency.
10. | The choice of the laws of the State of New York in the Underwriting Agreement to govern its interpretation would be upheld as a valid choice of law in any action on the Underwriting Agreement in the courts of the Cayman Islands (the “Courts” and each a “Court”). |
11. | Save as set out in qualification in Schedule 3, there are no stamp duties, income taxes, withholdings, levies, registration taxes, or other duties or similar taxes or charges now imposed, or which under the present laws of the Cayman Islands could in the future become imposed, in connection with the enforcement or admissibility in evidence of the Underwriting Agreement or on any payment to be made by the Company or any other person pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement. The Cayman Islands currently have no form of income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax. |
12. | None of the parties to the Underwriting Agreement is or will be deemed to be resident, domiciled or carrying on business in the Cayman Islands by reason only of the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of the Underwriting Agreement. |
13. | It is not necessary under the laws of the Cayman Islands that the Underwriting Agreement be registered or recorded in any public office or elsewhere in the Cayman Islands in order to ensure the validity or enforceability of the Underwriting Agreement. |
I-1-2
14. | A judgment obtained in a foreign court (other than certain judgments of a superior court of any state of the Commonwealth of Australia) will be recognised and enforced in the Courts without any re-examination of the merits at common law, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands (the “Grand Court”), where the judgment: |
(a) | is final and conclusive; |
(b) | is one in respect of which the foreign court had jurisdiction over the defendant according to Cayman Islands conflict of law rules; |
(c) | is either for a liquidated sum not in respect of penalties or taxes or a fine or similar fiscal or revenue obligations or, in certain circumstances, for in personam non-money relief (followingBandone Sdn Bhd v Sol Properties Inc. [2008] CILR 301); and |
(d) | was neither obtained in a manner, nor is of a kind enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands. |
15. | It is not necessary under the laws of the Cayman Islands: |
(a) | in order to enable any party to the Underwriting Agreement to enforce their rights under the Underwriting Agreement; or |
(b) | solely by reason of the execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement, |
that any party to the Underwriting Agreement should be licensed, qualified or otherwise entitled to carry on business in the Cayman Islands or any other political subdivision thereof.
16. | Based solely upon our examination of the Register of Writs and other Originating Process of the Grand Court (the “Court Register”) on [ ] 2012 (the “Search Date”), we confirm that, as at 9.00am on the Search Date (the “Search Time”), there are no actions, suits or proceedings pending against the Company before the Grand Court and no steps have been, or are being, taken compulsorily to wind up the Company. |
17. | Pursuant to section 43 of the Companies Law a certificate (a) specifying the shares or stock held by a member of a company; and (b) purportedly signed by a person (including by facsimile or other mechanically affixed signature) with the express or implied authority of that company, is admissible in evidence as proof of the title of that member to those shares or that stock. |
18. | The statements set forth in the Registration Statement and Final Prospectus under the captions “Description of Share Capital”, “Enforcement of Civil Liabilities”, and “Material Cayman Islands and United States Federal Income Tax Considerations - Cayman Islands Taxation”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the applicable Cayman Islands laws and the documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects. |
I-1-3
EXHIBIT I-2
OPINION OF SPECIAL TAX COUNSEL TO THE COMPANY
(i) the statements set forth in the Prospectus under the heading “Material Cayman Islands and United States Federal Income Tax Considerations – United States Federal Income Taxation,” to the extent they are statements of U.S. federal income tax law, constitute our opinion as to the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders of the purchase, ownership, and disposition of Ordinary Shares, and
(ii) based on the description of the business, and the Company’s estimates of its gross income, gross assets and the nature of its business as set forth in the Prospectus, the Company should be treated as a “passive foreign investment company” as defined in Section 1297 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for the current taxable year.
J-2-1