Business Combination Disclosure | PROPOSED AQUISITION On March 27, 2015, Olin and The Dow Chemical Company (TDCC) announced that Olin had agreed to acquire certain chlor alkali and downstream derivatives businesses from TDCC using a Reverse Morris Trust structure. Olin and TDCC and certain affiliates have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the Merger Agreement) dated March 26, 2015 among Olin, TDCC, Blue Cube Acquisition Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Olin (Merger Sub) and Blue Cube Spinco Inc. (Spinco), pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement and a Separation Agreement dated March 26, 2015 between TDCC and Spinco (the Separation Agreement), (1) TDCC will transfer its U.S. chlor alkali and vinyl, global chlorinated organics and global epoxy businesses (collectively, the Business) to Spinco, (2) TDCC will distribute Spinco’s stock to TDCC’s shareholders, at TDCC’s option, by way of a spin-off, a split-off or a combination thereof (the Distribution) and (3) Merger Sub will merge with and into Spinco, with Spinco as the surviving corporation (the Merger). Upon consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement, the shares of Spinco common stock then outstanding will automatically be converted into approximately 87.5 million shares of Olin’s common stock and will represent approximately 52.7% of the outstanding shares of Olin’s common stock. Olin’s existing shareholders will continue to hold the remaining approximately 47.3% of the outstanding shares of Olin’s common stock. Prior to the Distribution, TDCC will receive from Spinco distributions of cash and debt instruments of Spinco with an aggregate value of approximately $2,030.0 million (collectively, the Cash and Debt Distribution). TDCC expects to deliver the Spinco debt instruments received in the Cash and Debt Distribution in exchange for outstanding debt obligations to be identified by TDCC prior to the consummation of the Distribution (the Exchange). As the cash portion of the Cash and Debt Distribution, TDCC will receive from Spinco a total of $875.0 million immediately prior to the Distribution. The amount of the Cash and Debt Distribution is subject to adjustment based on Spinco’s working capital at the time of Distribution. If TDCC determines that the Exchange is not reasonably likely to be consummated at the time of the Distribution, TDCC may elect to receive the Spinco debt instruments in any event, or alternatively, may elect to receive cash for the full amount of the Cash and Debt Distribution; however, TDCC has no obligation to waive the consummation of the Exchange as a condition to the closing of the Merger. On June 23, 2015, Spinco entered into a new five-year $1,050.0 million delayed-draw term loan facility that will be used to finance the cash portion of the Cash and Debt Distribution. Also on June 23, 2015, Olin and Spinco entered into a new five-year $1,850.0 million senior credit facility consisting of a $500.0 million senior revolving credit facility, which will replace Olin’s current $265.0 million senior revolving credit facility at the closing of the Merger, and a $1,350.0 million (subject to reduction by the aggregate amount of the term loans funded to Spinco under the Spinco term loan facility) delayed-draw term loan facility that will be used to pay fees and expenses of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement, obtain additional funds for general corporate purposes and refinance Olin’s existing senior term loan facility due in 2019. The new senior credit facilities will expire in 2020. The $500.0 million senior revolving credit facility includes a $100.0 million letter of credit subfacility. The term loan facilities includes amortization payable in equal quarterly installments at a rate of 5.0% per annum for the first two years, increasing to 7.5% per annum for the following year and to 10.0% per annum for the last two years. The terms and conditions of the new senior credit facilities are similar to those of our current $415.0 million senior credit facility. Under its applicable new senior credit facilities, Olin or Spinco, as the case may be, may select various floating rate borrowing options. The actual interest rate paid on borrowings under the applicable senior credit facilities is based on a pricing grid which is dependent upon the leverage ratio as calculated under the terms of the applicable facility for the prior fiscal quarter. The facilities include various customary restrictive covenants, including restrictions related to the ratio of debt to earnings before interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization (leverage ratio) and the ratio of earnings before interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization to interest expense (coverage ratio). Compliance with these covenants is determined quarterly based on the operating cash flows for the last four quarters. On March 26, 2015, we and certain financial institutions executed commitment letters pursuant to which the financial institutions agreed to provide financing to Spinco to finance the amount of the Cash and Debt Distribution and to provide financing, if needed, to Olin to refinance certain of our existing debt (the Bridge Financing), in each case on the terms and conditions set forth in the commitment letters. For the six months ended June 30, 2015, we paid deferred debt issuance costs of $18.7 million associated with the Bridge Financing. During 2015, we expect to incur one-time costs in connection with the Merger and related transactions, including approximately $55 million to $60 million of advisory, legal, accounting, integration and other professional fees, approximately $50 million of costs associated with the change in control mandatory acceleration of expenses under deferred compensation plans as a result of the transaction and approximately $25 million to $30 million financing-related fees. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2015 , acquisition-related costs included $10.5 million and $20.9 million , respectively, associated with advisory, legal, accounting, integration and other professional fees, and interest expense included $11.6 million and $12.0 million , respectively, for acquisition financing expenses. The consummation of the Merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of various customary closing conditions, including, among others, (1) the consummation of the separation of the Business from the other businesses of TDCC (the Separation) and the Distribution in accordance with the Separation Agreement, (2) the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the HSR Act), and the receipt of regulatory approvals in certain other jurisdictions, (3) the effectiveness of registration statements to be filed with the SEC, (4) the approval by Olin’s shareholders of the issuance of Olin common stock in the Merger (the Share Issuance) and the amendment of Olin’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of Olin common stock (the Charter Amendment), (5) the receipt by TDCC of a favorable IRS private letter ruling with respect to certain aspects of the Separation and the Distribution and an opinion from its counsel with respect to certain federal income tax matters related to the Separation, Distribution and Exchange, (6) the receipt by TDCC, on the one hand, and Olin, on the other hand, of an opinion from their respective counsel to the effect that the Merger will be treated as a “reorganization” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (7) the consummation of the Exchange (unless TDCC elects to receive cash for the full amount of the Cash and Debt Distribution as described above), (8) material compliance by each party with its covenants and (9) subject to certain materiality qualifiers, the absence of breaches of representations and warranties. On June 16, 2015, Olin announced that the waiting period applicable to the Merger under the HSR Act expired and on July 6, 2015, Olin announced that all foreign regulatory approvals required to close the Merger had been obtained. On July 17, 2015, TDCC announced that it had received a favorable private letter ruling from the IRS with respect to certain aspects of the Separation and Distribution. In connection with the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement, certain additional agreements have been or will by entered into, including, among others, an Employee Matters Agreement, a Tax Matters Agreement and site, transitional and other services agreements, supply and purchase agreements, real estate agreements, technology licenses and intellectual property agreements. In addition, Olin and TDCC have agreed in connection with the transactions to enter into arrangements for the long-term supply of ethylene by TDCC to Olin, pursuant to which, among other things, Olin will make certain upfront payments upon the closing of the Merger in return for receiving ethylene at producer economics. Olin will also have the option of obtaining additional future ethylene supply by paying an additional reservation fee at closing. |