1 ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 --------------------------------------- FORM 8-A/A FOR REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN CLASSES OF SECURITIES PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(B) OR (G) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 ------------------------------------- BOATMEN'S BANCSHARES, INC. -------------------------------------------------------------- (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter) MISSOURI 43-0672260 ------------------------------ ------------------------------- (State of Incorporation (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) or Organization) ONE BOATMEN'S PLAZA, 800 MARKET STREET, ST. LOUIS, MO 63101 ------------------------------------------------------------ (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) ----------------------------------- If this Form relates to the registration of a class of debt securities and is effective upon filing pursuant to General Instruction A(c)(1) please check the following box. / / If this Form relates to the registration of a class of debt securities and is to become effective simultaneously with the effectiveness of a concurrent registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to General Instruction A(c)(2) please check the following box. / / Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Name of Each Exchange Title of Each Class on Which Each Class is to be so Registered to be Registered ------------------- ---------------------- NONE NONE Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: PREFERRED SHARE PURCHASE RIGHTS ------------------------------- (Title of Class) ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 ITEM 1. DESCRIPTION OF REGISTRANT'S SECURITIES TO BE REGISTERED. On August 14, 1990, the Board of Directors of BOATMEN'S BANCSHARES, INC. (the "Corporation") declared a dividend of one Preferred Share Purchase Right (a "Right") for each outstanding share of common stock, par value $1.00 per share (the "Common Shares"), of the Corporation. The dividend is payable on August 31, 1990 (the "Record Date") to the stockholders of record on that date. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from the Corporation one one-hundredth share of the Company's Junior Participating Preferred Stock, Series C, stated value $1.00 per share ("Preferred Shares") at a price of $110.00 per one one-hundredth Preferred Share (the "Purchase Price"), subject to adjustment. The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Rights Agreement, dated as of January 26, 1993, and as further amended by Amendment No. 2 to Rights Agreement, dated as of August 29, 1996 (as amended, the "Rights Agreement"), between the Corporation and Boatmen's Trust Company, as Rights Agent (the "Rights Agent"). Until the earlier to occur of (i) 10 days following a public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons (an "Acquiring Person") have acquired beneficial ownership of 20% or more 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 20% or more of such outstanding Common Shares (the earlier of such dates being called the "Distribution Date"), the Rights will be evidenced, with respect to any of the Common Share certificates outstanding as of the Record Date, by such Common Share certificate with a copy of a Summary of Rights attached thereto. An Acquiring Person does not include the Corporation and its subsidiaries or employee benefit plans of the Corporation and its subsidiaries. In addition, until termination of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 29, 1996 (the "Merger Agreement"), by and between the Corporation and NationsBank Corporation ("NationsBank"), and the Stock Option Agreement, dated as of August 29, 1996, between the Corporation and NationsBank (the "Option Agreement"), an Acquiring Person does not include NationsBank and its affiliates and associates, provided that NationsBank is in compliance with all material terms, conditions and obligations imposed upon it by the Merger Agreement and the Option Agreement and, except in certain limited circumstances (including by reason of approval, execution, delivery or consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Merger Agreement or the Option Agreement), NationsBank and its affiliates and associates do not beneficially own any Common Shares. 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 the 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. 3 The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The Rights will expire on August 14, 2000 (the "Final Expiration Date"), unless the Final Expiration Date is extended or unless the Rights are earlier redeemed by the Corporation, 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 subdivisions, consolidations or combinations 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 quarterly dividend payment of $1.00 per share but will be entitled to an aggregate dividend 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 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 the Corporation is acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction or 50% or more of its consolidated assets or earning power are sold, 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. In the event that (i) any person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes the beneficial owner of 20% or more of the outstanding Common Shares (unless such person first acquires 20% or more of the outstanding Common Shares by a purchase pursuant to a tender offer for all of the Common Shares for cash, which purchase increases such person's beneficial ownership to 80% or more of the outstanding Common Shares) 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 Corporation or other transaction or series of transactions involving the Corporation 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 Corporation or any of its subsidiaries beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person, proper provision shall be made so that 2 4 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 having a market value of two times the exercise price of the Right. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither the execution and delivery of the Merger Agreement or the Option Agreement, nor consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, shall be deemed to result in the beneficial ownership by NationsBank and its affiliates and associates of 20% or more of the Common Shares. Except as noted above, at any time after the acquisition by a person or group of affiliated or associated persons of beneficial ownership of 20% 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 the Corporation 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 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 and which may, at the election of the Corporation, be evidenced by depositary receipts) and in lieu thereof, an adjustment in cash will be made based on the market price of the Common Shares on the last trading day prior to the date of exercise. Except as noted above, at any time prior to the acquisition by a person or group of affiliated or associated persons of beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the outstanding Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Corporation may redeem the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.01 per Right (the "Redemption Price"). 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. In addition, if a bidder who does not beneficially own more than 1% of the Common Shares and all other voting shares of the Corporation (together the "Voting Shares") (and who has not within the past year owned in excess of 1% of the Voting Shares and, at a time he held such greater than 1% stake, disclosed, or caused the disclosure of, an intention which relates to or would result in the acquisition or influence of control of the Corporation) proposes to acquire all of the Voting Shares for cash at a price which a nationally recognized investment banker selected by such bidder states in writing is fair, and such bidder has obtained written financing commitments (or otherwise has financing) and complies with certain procedural requirements, then the Corporation, upon the request of the bidder, will hold a special stockholders meeting to vote on a resolution requesting the Board of Directors to accept the bidder's proposal. If a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the proposal vote in favor of such resolution, then for a period of 60 days after such meeting the Rights will be automatically redeemed at the Redemption Price immediately prior to the consummation of any tender offer for all of such shares at a price per share in cash equal to or greater than the price offered by such bidder; provided, however, that no redemption will -------- ------- be permitted or required after the acquisition by any person or group of affiliated or associated persons of beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the outstanding Common Shares. 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. 3 5 The terms of the Rights may be amended by the Board of Directors of the Corporation 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 Corporation to be beneficially owned by any person or group of affiliated or associated persons or (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. Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no rights as a stockholder of the Corporation, including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends. Nothing in the Rights Agreement gives any holder of Rights or any other person any legal or equitable rights, remedies or claims under the Rights Agreement in connection with any transaction contemplated by the Merger Agreement or the Option Agreement. At the effective time of the merger transaction contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the Rights Agreement, including all rights, benefits, obligations, duties and agencies created by the Rights Agreement, shall be terminated, and all issued and outstanding Rights shall cease to exist and shall be terminated without any payment to any holder thereof. ITEM 2. EXHIBITS. 1. Rights Agreement dated as of August 14, 1990 between Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc. and Boatmen's Trust Company, which includes as Exhibit A the form of Certificate of Designation of Junior Participating Preferred Stock, Series C, of Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc., as Exhibit B the form of Right Certificate, and as Exhibit C a Summary of Rights to Purchase Preferred Shares, is incorporated by reference from the Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc. Registration Statement on Form 8-A, dated August 14, 1990. 2. Letter sent to Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc. shareholders, is incorporated by reference from the Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc. Registration Statement on Form 8-A, dated August 14, 1990. 3. Amendment No. 1, dated as of January 26, 1993, to the Rights Agreement, dated as of August 14, 1990, of Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference from the Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1992. 4. Amendment No. 2, dated as of August 29, 1996, to the Rights Agreement, dated as of August 14, 1990, of Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc. 4 6 SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized. BOATMEN'S BANCSHARES, INC. By /s/ James W. Kienker ------------------------------- James W. Kienker Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Dated: September 24, 1996 5