Terms of the Private Placement
On December 21, 2023, we entered into the Securities Purchase Agreement with Kenneth R. Lehman (“Mr. Lehman”), Castle Creek Capital Partners VIII, L.P. (“Castle Creek”), other institutional investors and certain of our directors and executive officers (each, a “Purchaser” and collectively, the “Purchasers”) pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell to the Purchasers (i) 60,000,000 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $2.50 per share (the “Placement Shares”) and (ii) warrants to purchase 29,369,000 shares of our common stock (the “Warrant Shares”) at an exercise price of $2.50 per share (the “Warrants”) in the Private Placement. Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, no director or executive officer of the Company will receive Warrants. Subject to closing conditions, including shareholder approval at the Special Meeting, the Private Placement is expected to close in March 2024.
In connection with the Private Placement, a shareholder of the Company, Richard T. Spurzem, is entitled to exercise contractual gross-up rights to acquire equity securities of the Company pursuant to certain stock purchase agreements, by and between the Company and Mr. Spurzem, dated December 31, 2014 and March 17, 2015, respectively. Those agreements afford Mr. Spurzem the opportunity to acquire from the Company, for the same price (net of any underwriting discounts or sales commissions) and on the same terms as the Securities Purchase Agreement, up to an amount of shares of our common stock and Warrants to enable him to maintain his proportionate common stock interest in the Company immediately prior to the Private Placement. For purposes of the Capital Raise Proposal, the terms “Private Placement,” “Placement Shares,” “Warrants” and “Warrant Shares” also include the issuance of additional shares of our common stock and warrants exercisable into shares of our common stock, if any, to Richard T. Spurzem pursuant to his exercise of these contractual rights.
The following descriptions of the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Warrants and the Registration Rights Agreement (as such term is defined below) do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, the form of Securities Purchase Agreement, a copy of which is attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix A and the form of Warrant and the form of Registration Rights Agreement included as exhibits therein.
Securities Purchase Agreement. The obligations of the Company and the Purchasers to consummate the Private Placement pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement are subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions, including (i) approval of the Capital Raise Proposal and Articles Amendment Proposal by our shareholders at the Special Meeting, (ii) receipt by Mr. Lehman and Castle Creek of any required bank regulatory approvals, waivers or non-objections, (iii) the Placement Shares and Warrant Shares having been authorized for listing on the NYSE American market, (iv) the Purchasers having remitted an aggregate of at least $130.0 million in funds (including at least $3.1 million by directors and executive officers of the Company) at closing, and (v) the Bank’s compliance with certain minimum capital requirements.
Until the completion of the Private Placement, we have agreed to operate our business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice, preserve intact the current business organization of the Company, use commercially reasonable efforts to retain the services of our officers, employees, consultants and agents, preserve our rights and permits issued by governmental authorities, preserve our current relationships with material customers and others with whom we have and intend to maintain significant relations and maintain all of our operating assets in their current condition (normal wear and tear excepted). In addition, we generally have agreed not to, directly or indirectly (i) discuss, encourage, negotiate, undertake, initiate, authorize, recommend, propose or enter into any transaction involving a merger, consolidation, business combination, recapitalization, purchase or disposition of any material amount of the assets of the Company or any material amount of the capital stock or other ownership interests of the Company (other than in connection with the Private Placement), (ii) facilitate, encourage, solicit or initiate discussions, negotiations or submissions of proposals or offers in respect of such a transaction, (iii) furnish any information concerning the business, operations, properties or assets of the Company in connection with such a transaction or (iv) otherwise cooperate in any way with, or assist or participate in, facilitate or encourage, any effort or attempt by any other person to do or seek any of the foregoing.
Effective as of the closing of the Private Placement, Castle Creek will be entitled to designate two individuals to be appointed to the Company’s and the Bank’s boards of directors. This right will continue for as long as Castle Creek, together with its respective affiliates, owns, in the aggregate, 9.9% or more of the outstanding shares of our common stock. In the event that Castle Creek’s ownership falls below 9.9%, but is at least 4.9%, of the outstanding shares of our common stock, Castle Creek’s board designation rights will continue with respect to one
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