SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
Current Report
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 31, 2001
First Financial Bancorp
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
California 94-28222858
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(State of Incorporation) (IRS Employer ID Number)
0-12499
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(Commission File No.)
First Financial Bancorp
701 South Ham Lane, Lodi, California 95242
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(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(209)-367-2000
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Registrant's telephone number, including area code
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Former name or former address, if changed since last report
Item 5. Other Events.
On May 31, 2001 the Board of Directors of First Financial Bancorp (the
"Company") declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a "Right")
for each outstanding share of common stock, no par value (the "Common Shares"),
of the Company. The dividend is payable on July 6, 2001 (the "Record Date") to
the shareholders of record on that date. Each Right entitles the registered
holder to purchase from the Company one one-hundredth of a share of Series A
Junior Participating Preferred Stock, no par value (the "Preferred Shares"), of
the Company at a price of $47.50 per one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (the
"Purchase Price"), subject to adjustment. The description and terms of the
Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement dated as of June 15, 2001 (the
"Rights Agreement") between the Company and Mellon Investor Services LLC, as
Rights Agent (the "Rights Agent").
Initially, the Rights will be evidenced by the certificates
representing Common Shares then outstanding, regardless of whether any such
certificate has a copy of this Summary of Rights attached thereto, and no
separate Right Certificates will be distributed. The Rights will separate from
the Common Shares and a Distribution Date will occur upon the earlier of (i) 10
days following a public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or
associated persons have acquired beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares (an "Acquiring Person"); provided, however, a person
or group holding 10% or more of the outstanding shares as of June 15, 2001 will
become a "Grandfathered Person" and such Grandfathered Person will be treated as
an Acquiring Person upon public announcement or knowledge by the Company's Board
of Directors that such Grandfathered Person has acquired beneficial ownership of
an additional 1% of the outstanding Common Shares; or (ii) 10 business days (or
such later date as may be determined by action of the Board of Directors prior
to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person) following the
commencement of, or announcement of an intention to make, a tender offer or
exchange offer the consummation of which would result in the beneficial
ownership by a person or group of 10% or more of such outstanding Common Shares
(unless the Company's Board of Directors has approved the offer).
The Rights Agreement provides that, until the Distribution Date, the
Rights will be transferred with and only with the Common Shares. Until the
Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), new
Common Share certificates issued after the Record Date, upon transfer or new
issuance of Common Shares, will contain a notation incorporating the Rights
Agreement by reference. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or
expiration of the Rights), the surrender for transfer of any certificates for
Common Shares outstanding as of the Record Date, even without such notation or a
copy of this Summary of Rights being attached thereto, will also constitute the
transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented by such
certificate. As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, separate
certificates evidencing the Rights ("Right Certificates") will be mailed to
holders of record of the Common Shares as of the close of business on the
Distribution Date and such separate Right Certificates alone will evidence the
Rights.
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The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The Rights
will expire on May 31, 2011 (the "Final Expiration Date"), unless the Rights are
earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company, in each case as described below.
The Purchase Price payable, and the number of Preferred Shares or other
securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are subject to
adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a stock
dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of, the Preferred
Shares, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Preferred Shares of certain rights
or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Preferred Shares at a price, or
securities convertible into Preferred Shares with a conversion price, less than
the then current market price of the Preferred Shares or (iii) upon the
distribution to holders of the Preferred Shares of evidences of indebtedness or
assets (excluding regular periodic cash dividends paid out of earnings or
retained earnings or dividends payable in Preferred Shares) or of subscription
rights or warrants (other than those referred to above).
The number of outstanding Rights and the number of one one-hundredths
of a Preferred Share issuable upon exercise of each Right are also subject to
adjustment in the event of a stock split of the Common Shares or a stock
dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or a subdivision,
consolidation or combination of the Common Shares occurring, in any such case,
prior to the Distribution Date.
Preferred Shares purchasable upon exercise of the Rights will not be
redeemable. Each Preferred Share will be entitled to a minimum preferential
dividend payment of 100 times the dividend declared per Common Share. In the
event of liquidation, the holders of the Preferred Shares will be entitled to a
minimum preferential liquidation payment of $100.00 per share but will be
entitled to an aggregate payment of 100 times the payment made per Common Share.
Each Preferred Share will have 100 votes, voting together with the Common
Shares. Finally, in the event of any merger, consolidation or other transaction
in which Common Shares are exchanged, each Preferred Share will be entitled to
receive 100 times the amount received per Common Share. These rights are
protected by customary antidilution provisions.
Because of the nature of the Preferred Shares' dividend, liquidation
and voting rights, the value of the one one-hundredth interest in a Preferred
Share purchasable upon exercise of each Right should approximate the value of
one Common Share.
In the event that (i) any person or group of affiliated or associated
persons becomes an Acquiring Person, or (ii) during such time as there is an
Acquiring Person, there shall be a reclassification of securities or a
recapitalization or reorganization of the Company or other transaction or series
of transactions involving the Company which has the effect of increasing by more
than 1% the proportionate share of the outstanding shares of any class of equity
securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries beneficially owned by the
Acquiring Person (each a "flip-in" event), proper provision shall be made so
that each holder of a Right, other than Rights beneficially owned by the
Acquiring Person (which will thereafter be void), will thereafter have the right
to receive upon exercise that number of Common Shares (or, in the event that
there are insufficient authorized Common Shares, substitute consideration such
as cash, property, or other securities of the Company, such as Preferred Stock)
having a market
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value of two times the exercise price of the Right. In the event that the
Company is acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction or 50%
or more of its consolidated assets or earning power are sold (a "flip-over
event"), proper provision will be made so that each holder of a Right will
thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then
current exercise price of the Right, that number of shares of common stock of
the acquiring company which at the time of such transaction will have a market
value of two times the exercise price of the Right.
At any time after the acquisition by a person or group of affiliated or
associated persons of beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the outstanding
Common Shares and prior to the acquisition by such person or group of 50% or
more of the outstanding Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company may
exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which have
become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one Common Share, or
one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (or of a share of a class or series of
the Company's preferred stock having equivalent rights, preferences and
privileges), per Right (subject to adjustment).
With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be
required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% in
such Purchase Price. No fractional Preferred Shares will be issued (other than
fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred
Share, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depository
receipts) and in lieu thereof, an adjustment in cash will be made based on the
market price of the Preferred Shares on the last trading day prior to the date
of exercise.
At any time before a person becomes an Acquiring Person, the Board of
Directors of the Company may redeem the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a
price of $0.001 per Right (the "Redemption Price"). After the redemption period
has expired, the Company's rights of redemption may be reinstated if, prior to
completion of certain recapitalizations, mergers or other business combinations,
an Acquiring Person reduces its beneficial ownership to less than 10% of the
outstanding Common Shares in a transaction or series of transactions not
involving the Company. The redemption of the rights may be made effective at
such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board of Directors in
its sole discretion may establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the
Rights, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right of
the holders of Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price.
The terms of the Rights may be amended by the Board of Directors of the
Company without the consent of the holders of the Rights, including an amendment
to lower certain thresholds described above to not less than the greater of (i)
any percentage greater than the largest percentage of the outstanding Common
Shares then known to the Company to be beneficially owned by any person or group
of affiliated or associated persons (unless such person or group is excluded
from the effect of such reduction) and (ii) 10%, except that from and after such
time as any person becomes an Acquiring Person no such amendment may adversely
affect the interests of the holders of the Rights.
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Until a Right is exercised, the holder of a Right will not, by reason
of being such a holder, have rights as a shareholder of the Company, including,
without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends.
A copy of the Rights Agreement has been filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to a Registration Statement on Form 8-A. A
copy of the Rights Agreement is available free of charge from the Company. This
summary description of the Rights does not purport to be complete and is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the Rights Agreement, which is hereby
incorporated herein by reference.
On July 22, 2001, the registrant issued the press release attached
hereto as Exhibit 99.
Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(c) Exhibits.
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The exhibits to this report are incorporated by reference to the
exhibit index which is attached hereto.
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this current report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: June 27, 2001 First Financial Bancorp
By: /s/ Allen R. Christenson
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Name: Allen R. Christenson
Senior Vice President
Chief Financial Officer
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Exhibit Index
No. Description
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4. Rights Agreement between First Financial Bancorp and U. S. Stock
Transfer Corporation dated as of June 15, 2001, including Form of Right
Certificate attached thereto as Exhibit B (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 4 to Registration on Form 8-A filed by the registrant on June
28, 2001).
99. Press release issued by the Company on June 22, 2001 (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 99 to Registration on Form 8-A filed by the
registrant on June 28, 2001).
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