Item 5.03. Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.
On September 26, 2018, NW Holdings amended and restated its Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws to conform, in all material respects, to the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of NW Natural as in effect prior to the Merger. The amended and restated Articles and Bylaws are included in this filing as Exhibits 3.1 and 3.2, respectively.
As one of the ring-fencing measures by the regulatory orders authorizing the holding company restructuring, on October 1, 2018, NW Natural amended and restated its Articles of Incorporation to establish a new class of preferred stock consisting of one share of Limited Voting Junior Preferred Stock, $1 par value (Junior Preferred Stock). The amended and restated Articles of Incorporation are included in this filing as Exhibit 3.3. The Junior Preferred Stock is not entitled to receive or participate in any dividends and does not have any voting rights other than as required by law except that NW Natural may not commence a voluntary bankruptcy filing without the consent of the holder of the Junior Preferred Stock. The holder of the Junior Preferred Stock must be independent of NW Natural. On October 1, 2018, the single share of Junior Preferred Stock was issued to an entity which meets the eligibility requirements.
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.
On October 1, 2018, NW Holdings and NW Natural issued a press release announcing the completion of the holding company restructuring. A copy of such press release is included in this filing as Exhibit 99.1.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
Completion of Holding Company Restructuring
As previously disclosed, NW Natural has pursued the formation of a holding company to best position it to be able to respond to opportunities and risks in a manner that serves the best interests of its shareholders and customers. On October 1, 2018, the holding company restructuring was completed.
In order to effect the holding company restructuring, on October 1, 2018, under the terms of the Plan of Merger, Merger Sub merged into NW Natural and each outstanding share of common stock of NW Natural converted into one share of common stock of NW Holdings. As a result of the Merger, the holders of NW Natural common stock immediately before the effective time of the Merger became holders of NW Holdings common stock, and NW Natural became a subsidiary of NW Holdings. The Plan of Merger is included in this filing as Exhibit 2.1.
The conversion of shares in the Merger occurred automatically without an exchange of stock certificates. After the Merger, stock certificates that previously represented shares of NW Natural common stock now represent the same number of shares of NW Holdings common stock. Following the consummation of the Merger, shares of NW Holdings continue to trade on the NYSE under the symbol “NWN”.
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