any Property (including pursuant to Finance Leases), but excluding trade accounts payable or accrued liabilities arising in the ordinary course of business; but only, for each of clause (a) through (e), if and to the extent any of the foregoing indebtedness would appear as a liability upon an unconsolidated balance sheet of such Person prepared in accordance with GAAP (but does not include contingent liabilities which appear only in a footnote to a balance sheet). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the term “Indebtedness” be deemed to include letters of credit that secure performance, bonds that secure performance, surety bonds or similar instruments that are issued in the ordinary course of business.
“Lien” means any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance of any kind (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature thereof, and any agreement to give any security interest).
“Permitted Liens” means:
(1) Liens on any of our assets or any assets of the parent guarantor, created solely to secure obligations incurred to finance the refurbishment, improvement or construction of such asset, which obligations are incurred no later than 24 months after completion of such refurbishment, improvement or construction, and all renewals, extensions, refinancings, replacements or refundings of such obligations;
(2) (a) Liens given to secure the payment of the purchase price incurred in connection with the acquisition (including acquisition through merger or consolidation) of Property (including shares of stock), including Finance Lease transactions in connection with any such acquisition, and (b) Liens existing on Property at the time of acquisition thereof or at the time of acquisition by us or the parent guarantor of any Person then owning such Property whether or not such existing Liens were given to secure the payment of the purchase price of the Property to which they attach; provided that, with respect to clause (a), the Liens shall be given within 24 months after such acquisition and shall attach solely to the Property acquired or purchased and any improvements then or thereafter placed thereon;
(3) Liens securing reimbursement obligations with respect to letters of credit that encumber documents and other Property relating to such letters of credit and the products and proceeds thereof;
(4) Liens encumbering customary initial deposits and margin deposits and other Liens in the ordinary course of business, in each case securing Hedging Obligations and forward contracts, options, futures contracts, futures options, equity hedges or similar agreements or arrangements designed to protect from fluctuations in interest rates, currencies, equities or the price of commodities;
(5) Liens in our favor or in favor of the parent guarantor;
(6) Liens consisting of pledges or deposits of Property to secure performance in connection with operating leases made in the ordinary course of business to which we or the parent guarantor are a party as lessee, provided the aggregate value of all such pledges and deposits in connection with any such lease does not at any time exceed 16 2/3% of the annual fixed rentals payable under such lease;
(7) Liens securing the performance of statutory obligations or bids, surety, appeal or customs bonds, standby letters of credit, performance or return-of-money bonds or other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of our business or in the ordinary course of the parent guarantor’s business;
(8) Liens securing Indebtedness owing by us or the parent guarantor to a Subsidiary (provided that, upon either (a) the transfer or other disposition of any Indebtedness secured by such Lien to a Person other than another Subsidiary or (b) the issuance, sale, lease, transfer or other disposition of more than a majority of the capital stock of or any other ownership interest in such Subsidiary to which such secured Indebtedness is owed to a Person other than us, the parent guarantor or another Subsidiary, such Lien will no longer qualify as a “Permitted Lien” pursuant to this clause (8));
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