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EXHIBIT 10.13
PARENT GUARANTEE AGREEMENT dated as of April
30, 1997, between NFC CASTINGS, INC., a Delaware
corporation (the "Guarantor") and THE CHASE MANHATTAN
BANK, a New York banking corporation ("Chase"), as
collateral agent (the "Collateral Agent") for the
Secured Parties (as defined in the Credit Agreement
referred to below).
Reference is made to the Credit Agreement dated as of April 30, 1997
(as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the "Credit
Agreement"), among NC Merger Company, a Wisconsin corporation (the "Borrower"),
the Guarantor, the lenders from time to time party thereto (the "Lenders") and
Chase, as administrative agent for the Lenders, Collateral Agent and issuing
bank (in such capacity, the "Issuing Bank"). Capitalized terms used herein and
not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Credit
Agreement.
The Lenders have agreed to make Loans to the Borrower, and the Issuing
Bank has agreed to issue Letters of Credit for the account of the Borrower,
pursuant to, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions specified in, the
Credit Agreement. As the record owner of all of the issued and outstanding
capital stock of the Borrower, the Guarantor acknowledges that it will derive
substantial benefit from the making of the Loans by the Lenders and the issuance
of the Letters of Credit by the Issuing Bank. The obligations of the Lenders to
make Loans and of the Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit are conditioned
on, among other things, the execution and delivery by the Guarantor of a Parent
Guarantee Agreement in the form hereof. As consideration therefor and in order
to induce the Lenders to make Loans and the Issuing Bank to issue Letters of
Credit, the Guarantor is willing to execute this Agreement.
Accordingly, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1. Guarantee. The Guarantor unconditionally guarantees, as a
primary obligor and not merely as a surety, (a) the due and punctual payment of
(i) the principal of and premium, if any, and interest (including interest
accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or
other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such
proceeding) on the Loans, when and as due, whether at maturity, by acceleration,
upon one or more dates set for prepayment or otherwise, (ii) each payment
required to be made by the Borrower under the Credit Agreement in respect of any
Letter of Credit, when and as due, including payments in respect of
reimbursement of disbursements, interest thereon and obligations to provide cash
collateral and (iii) all other monetary obligations, including reasonable fees,
costs, expenses and indemnities, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent,
fixed or otherwise (including monetary obligations incurred during the pendency
of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding,
regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), of the Loan
Parties to the Secured Parties under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan
Documents, (b) the due and punctual performance of all covenants, agreements,
obligations and liabilities of the Loan Parties under or pursuant to the Credit
Agreement and the other Loan Documents and (c) unless otherwise agreed upon in
writing by the applicable Lender party thereto, all obligations of the Borrower,
monetary or otherwise, under each Interest Rate Protection Agreement entered
into with a counterparty that was a Lender at the time such Interest Rate
Protection Agreement was entered into (all the monetary and other obligations
referred to in the preceding clauses (a) through (c) being collectively called
the "Obligations"). The Guarantor further agrees that the Obligations may be
extended or renewed, in whole or in part, without notice to or further assent
from it, and that it will remain bound upon its guarantee not withstanding any
extension or renewal of any Obligation.
SECTION 2. Obligations Not Waived. To the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law, the Guarantor waives presentment to, demand of payment from and
protest to the Borrower of any of the Obligations, and also waives notice of
acceptance of its guarantee and notice of protest for nonpayment. To
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the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the obligations of the Guarantor
hereunder shall not be affected by (a) the failure of the Collateral Agent or
any other Secured Party to assert any claim or demand or to enforce or exercise
any right or remedy against the Borrower or any other guarantor of the
Obligations under the provisions of the Credit Agreement, any other Loan
Document or otherwise, (b) any rescission, waiver, amendment or modification of,
or any release from any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement, any other
Loan Document, any Guarantee or any other agreement, including with respect to
any other guarantor of the Obligations or (c) the failure to perfect any
security interest in, or the release of, any of the security held by or on
behalf of the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party.
SECTION 3. Security. The Guarantor authorizes the Collateral Agent and
each of the other Secured Parties to (a) take and hold security for the payment
of this Guarantee and the Obligations and exchange, enforce, waive and release
any such security, (b) apply such security and direct the order or manner of
sale thereof as they in their sole discretion may reasonably determine and (c)
release or substitute any one or more endorsees, other guarantors or other
obligors.
SECTION 4. Guarantee of Payment. The Guarantor further agrees that its
guarantee constitutes a guarantee of payment when due and not of collection, and
waives to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law any right to require
that any resort be had by the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party to any
of the security held for payment of the Obligations or to any balance of any
deposit account or credit on the books of the Collateral Agent or any other
Secured Party in favor of the Borrower or any other person.
SECTION 5. No Discharge or Diminishment of Guarantee. The obligations
of the Guarantor hereunder shall not be subject to any reduction, limitation,
impairment or termination for any reason (other than the indefeasible payment in
full in cash of the Obligations), including any claim of waiver, release,
surrender, alteration or compromise of any of the Obligations, and shall not be
subject to any defense or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment or termination
whatsoever by reason of the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of the
Obligations or otherwise. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the
obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall not be discharged or impaired or
otherwise affected by the failure of the Collateral Agent or any other Secured
Party to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any remedy under the Credit
Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, by any waiver or
modification of any provision of any thereof, by any default, failure or delay,
wilful or otherwise, in the performance of the Obligations, or by any other act
or omission that may or might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of
the Guarantor or that would otherwise operate as a discharge of the Guarantor as
a matter of law or equity (other than the indefeasible payment in full in cash
of all the Obligations).
SECTION 6. Defenses of Borrower Waived. To the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law, the Guarantor waives any defense based on or arising out of
any defense of the Borrower or the unenforceability of the Obligations or any
part thereof from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of
the Borrower, other than the final and indefeasible payment in full in cash of
the Obligations. The Collateral Agent and the other Secured Parties may, at
their election, foreclose on any security held by one or more of them by one or
more judicial or nonjudicial sales, accept an assignment of any such security in
lieu of foreclosure, compromise or adjust any part of the Obligations, make any
other accommodation with the Borrower or any other guarantor or exercise any
other right or remedy available to them against the Borrower or any other
guarantor, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of the
Guarantor hereunder except to the extent the Obligations have been fully,
finally and indefeasibly paid in cash. To the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law, the Guarantor waives any defense arising out of any such
election even though such election operates, pursuant to applicable law, to
impair or to extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right
or remedy of the Guarantor against the Borrower or any other guarantor, as the
case may be, or any security.
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SECTION 7. Agreement to Pay; Subrogation. In furtherance of the
foregoing and not in limitation of any other right that the Collateral Agent or
any other Secured Party has at law or in equity against the Guarantor by virtue
hereof, upon the failure of the Borrower or any other Loan Party to pay any
Obligation when and as the same shall become due, whether at maturity, by
acceleration, after notice of prepayment or otherwise, the Guarantor hereby
promises to and will forthwith pay, or cause to be paid, to the Collateral Agent
or such other Secured Party as designated thereby in cash the amount of such
unpaid Obligations. Upon payment by the Guarantor of any sums to the Collateral
Agent or any Secured Party as provided above, all rights of the Guarantor
against the Borrower arising as a result thereof by way of right of subrogation,
contribution, reimbursement, indemnity or otherwise shall in all respects be
subordinate and junior in right of payment to the prior indefeasible payment in
full in cash of all the Obligations. In addition, any indebtedness of the
Borrower now or hereafter held by the Guarantor is hereby subordinated in right
of payment to the prior payment in full of the Obligations. If any amount shall
erroneously be paid to the Guarantor on account of (i) such subrogation,
contribution, reimbursement, indemnity or similar right or (ii) any such
indebtedness of the Borrower, such amount shall be held in trust for the benefit
of the Secured Parties and shall forthwith be paid to the Collateral Agent to be
credited against the payment of the Obligations, whether matured or unmatured,
in accordance with the terms of the Loan Documents.
SECTION 8. Information. The Guarantor assumes all responsibility for
being and keeping itself informed of the Borrower's financial condition and
assets, and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of
the Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of the risks that the Guarantor
assumes and incurs hereunder, and agrees that none of the Collateral Agent or
the other Secured Parties will have any duty to advise the Guarantor of
information known to it or any of them regarding such circumstances or risks.
SECTION 9. Termination. The Guarantee made hereunder (a) shall
terminate when all the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full and the
Lenders have no further commitment to lend under the Credit Agreement, the L/C
Exposure has been reduced to zero and the Issuing Bank has no further obligation
to issue Letters of Credit under the Credit Agreement and (b) shall continue to
be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment, or
any part thereof, of any Obligation is rescinded or must otherwise be restored
by any Secured Party or the Guarantor upon the bankruptcy or reorganization of
the Borrower, the Guarantor or otherwise.
SECTION 10. Binding Agreement; Assignments. Whenever in this Agreement
any of the parties hereto is referred to, such reference shall be deemed to
include the successors and assigns of such party; and all covenants, promises
and agreements by or on behalf of the Guarantor that are contained in this
Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of each party hereto and their
respective successors and assigns. This Agreement shall become effective when a
counterpart hereof executed on behalf of the Guarantor shall have been delivered
to the Collateral Agent and a counterpart hereof shall have been executed on
behalf of the Collateral Agent, and thereafter shall be binding upon the
Guarantor and the Collateral Agent and their respective successors and assigns,
and shall inure to the benefit of the Guarantor, the Collateral Agent and the
other Secured Parties, and their respective successors and assigns, except that
the Guarantor shall not have the right to assign its rights or obligations
hereunder or any interest herein (and any such attempted assignment shall be
void) and the Collateral Agent shall not have the right to assign its rights or
obligations hereunder or any interest herein other than pursuant to any
assignment or resignation permitted under the Credit Agreement.
SECTION 11. Waivers; Amendment. (a) No failure or delay of the
Collateral Agent in exercising any power or right hereunder shall operate as a
waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or
power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or
power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any
other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Collateral Agent hereunder
and of the other Secured Parties under the other Loan Documents
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are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would
otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement or consent to any
departure by the Guarantor therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the
same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) below, and then such waiver or consent
shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which
given. No notice or demand on the Guarantor in any case shall entitle the
Guarantor to any other or further notice or demand in similar or other
circumstances.
(b) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived,
amended or modified except pursuant to a written agreement entered into between
the Guarantor and the Collateral Agent, with the prior written consent of the
Required Lenders (except as otherwise provided in the Credit Agreement).
SECTION 12. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND
CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (BUT WITHOUT
GIVING EFFECT TO PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICT OF LAWS).
SECTION 13. Notices. All communications and notices hereunder shall be
in writing and given as provided in Section 9.01 of the Credit Agreement. All
communications and notices hereunder to the Guarantor shall be given to it at
2121 Brooks Avenue, Neenah, WI 54956.
SECTION 14. Survival of Agreement. All covenants, agreements,
representations and warranties made by the Guarantors herein and in the
certificates or other instruments prepared or delivered in connection with or
pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be considered to
have been relied upon by the Collateral Agent and the other Secured Parties and
shall survive the making by the Lenders of the Loans and the issuance of the
Letters of Credit by the Issuing Bank regardless of any investigation made by
the Secured Parties or on their behalf, and shall continue in full force and
effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any
other fee or amount payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document is
outstanding and unpaid or the L/C Exposure does not equal zero and as long as
the Commitments and the L/C Commitment have not been terminated.
SECTION 15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when
taken together shall constitute a single contract, and shall become effective as
provided in Section 10. Delivery of an executed signature page to this Agreement
by facsimile transmission shall be as effective as delivery of a manually
executed counterpart of this Agreement.
SECTION 16. Rules of Interpretation. The rules of interpretation
specified in Section 1.02 of the Credit Agreement shall be applicable to this
Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this
Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
NFC CASTINGS, INC., as Guarantor,
by
Name:
Title:
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THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, as
Collateral Agent,
by
Name:
Title: