Exhibit 99.3
March __, 2002
FORM OF EXCHANGE AGENT AGREEMENT
The Bank of New York
101 Barclay Street, Floor 21 West
New York, New York 10286
Attention: Corporate Trust Administration
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Allegheny Technologies Incorporated, a Delaware corporation
(the "Company") proposes to make an offer (the "Exchange Offer") to exchange all
of its outstanding 8.375% Notes due 2011 (the "Old Securities") for its 8.375%
Notes due 2011 registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "New
Securities"). The terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer as currently
contemplated are set forth in a prospectus, dated March __, 2002 (the
"Prospectus"), proposed to be distributed to all record holders of the Old
Securities. The Old Securities and the New Securities are collectively referred
to herein as the "Securities".
The Company hereby appoints The Bank of New York to act as
exchange agent (the "Exchange Agent") in connection with the Exchange Offer.
References hereinafter to "you" shall refer to The Bank of New York.
The Exchange Offer will commence as soon as practicable after
the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-4 relating to the Exchange Offer
is declared effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Letter
of Transmittal accompanying the Prospectus (or in the case of book-entry
securities, the Automated Tender Offer Program ("ATOP") of the Book-Entry
Transfer Facility (as defined below)) is to be used by the holders of the Old
Securities to accept the Exchange Offer and contains instructions with respect
to the delivery of certificates for Old Securities tendered in connection
therewith.
The Exchange Offer shall expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City
time, on _________, 2002 or on such subsequent date or time to which the Company
may extend the Exchange Offer (the "Expiration Date"). Subject to the terms and
conditions set forth in the Prospectus, the Company expressly reserves the right
to extend the Exchange Offer from time to time and may extend the Exchange Offer
by giving oral (promptly confirmed in writing) or written notice to you before
9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the business day following the previously
scheduled Expiration Date.
The Company expressly reserves the right to amend or terminate
the Exchange Offer, and not to accept for exchange any Old Securities not
theretofore accepted for exchange, upon the occurrence of any of the conditions
of the Exchange Offer specified in the Prospectus under the caption "The
Exchange Offer -- Conditions." The Company will give oral (promptly confirmed in
writing) or written notice of any amendment, termination or nonacceptance to you
as promptly as practicable.
In carrying out your duties as Exchange Agent, you are to act
in accordance with the following instructions:
1. You will perform such duties and only such duties as are
specifically set forth in the section of the Prospectus captioned "The Exchange
Offer" or as specifically set forth herein; provided, however, that in no way
will your general duty to act in good faith be discharged by the foregoing.
2. You will establish a book-entry account with respect to the
Old Securities at The Depository Trust Company (the "Book-Entry Transfer
Facility") for purposes of the Exchange Offer within two business days after the
date of the Prospectus, and any financial institution that is a participant in
the Book-Entry Transfer Facility's systems may make book-entry delivery of the
Old Securities by causing the Book-Entry Transfer Facility to transfer such Old
Securities into your account in accordance with the Book-Entry Transfer
Facility's procedure for such transfer.
3. You are to examine each of the Letters of Transmittal and
certificates for Old Securities (or confirmation of book-entry transfer into
your account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility) and any other documents
delivered or mailed to you by or for holders of the Old Securities to ascertain
whether: (i) the Letters of Transmittal and any such other documents are duly
executed and properly completed in accordance with instructions set forth
therein; and (ii) the Old Securities have otherwise been properly tendered. In
each case where the Letter of Transmittal or any other document has been
improperly completed or executed or any of the certificates for Old Securities
are not in proper form for transfer or some other irregularity in connection
with the acceptance of the Exchange Offer exists, you will endeavor to inform
the presenters of the need for fulfillment of all requirements and to take any
other action as may be reasonably necessary or advisable to cause such
irregularity to be corrected.
4. With the approval of Jon D. Walton, Senior Vice President,
Chief Legal and Administrative Officer of the Company (such approval, if given
orally, to be promptly confirmed in writing) or any other party designated in
writing by him, you are authorized to waive any irregularities in connection
with any tender of Old Securities pursuant to the Exchange Offer.
5. Tenders of Old Securities may be made only as set forth in
the Letter of Transmittal and in the section of the Prospectus captioned "The
Exchange Offer
- 2 -
- -- Procedures for Tendering", and Old Securities shall be considered properly
tendered to you only when tendered in accordance with the procedures set forth
therein.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5, Old
Securities which Jon D. Walton, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and
Administrative Officer of the Company shall approve as having been properly
tendered shall be considered to be properly tendered (such approval, if given
orally, shall be promptly confirmed in writing). All questions as to the
validity, form, eligibility (including timeliness of receipt), acceptance and
withdrawal of any Old Securities tendered or delivered shall be determined by
the Company, in its sole discretion.
6. You shall advise the Company with respect to any Old
Securities received subsequent to the Expiration Date and accept its
instructions with respect to disposition of such Old Securities.
7. You shall accept tenders:
(a) in cases where the Old Securities are registered
in two or more names only if signed by all named holders;
(b) in cases where the signing person (as indicated
on the Letter of Transmittal) is acting in a fiduciary or a representative
capacity only when proper evidence of his or her authority so to act is
submitted; and
(c) from persons other than the registered holder of
Old Securities, provided that customary transfer requirements, including payment
of any applicable transfer taxes, are fulfilled.
You shall accept partial tenders of Old Securities where so
indicated and as permitted in the Letter of Transmittal and deliver certificates
for Old Securities to the registrar for split-up and return any untendered Old
Securities to the holder (or such other person as may be designated in the
Letter of Transmittal) as promptly as practicable after expiration or
termination of the Exchange Offer.
8. Upon satisfaction or waiver of all of the conditions to the
Exchange Offer, the Company will notify you (such notice, if given orally, to be
promptly confirmed in writing) of its acceptance, promptly after the Expiration
Date, of all Old Securities properly tendered and you, on behalf of the Company,
will exchange such Old Securities for New Securities and cause such Old
Securities to be cancelled. Delivery of New Securities will be made on behalf of
the Company by you at the rate of $1,000 principal amount of New Securities for
each $1,000 principal amount of the corresponding series of Old Securities
tendered promptly after notice (such notice if given orally, to be promptly
confirmed in writing) of acceptance of said Old Securities by the Company;
provided, however, that in all cases, Old Securities tendered pursuant to the
Exchange Offer will be exchanged only after timely receipt by you of
certificates for
- 3 -
such Old Securities (or confirmation of book-entry transfer into your account at
the Book-Entry Transfer Facility), a properly completed and duly executed Letter
of Transmittal (or manually signed facsimile thereof) with any required
signature guarantees and any other required documents. You shall issue New
Securities only in denominations of $1,000 or any integral multiple thereof.
9. Tenders pursuant to the Exchange Offer are irrevocable,
except that, subject to the terms and upon the conditions set forth in the
Prospectus and the Letter of Transmittal, Old Securities tendered pursuant to
the Exchange Offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Expiration Date.
10. The Company shall not be required to exchange any Old
Securities tendered if any of the conditions set forth in the Exchange Offer are
not met. Notice of any decision by the Company not to exchange any Old
Securities tendered shall be given (if given orally, to be promptly confirmed in
writing) by the Company to you.
11. If, pursuant to the Exchange Offer, the Company does not
accept for exchange all or part of the Old Securities tendered because of an
invalid tender, the occurrence of certain other events set forth in the
Prospectus under the caption "The Exchange Offer -- Conditions" or otherwise,
you shall as soon as practicable after the expiration or termination of the
Exchange Offer return those certificates for unaccepted Old Securities (or
effect appropriate book-entry transfer), together with any related required
documents and the Letters of Transmittal relating thereto that are in your
possession, to the persons who deposited them.
12. All certificates for reissued Old Securities, unaccepted
Old Securities or for New Securities shall be forwarded by first-class mail.
13. You are not authorized to pay or offer to pay any
concessions, commissions or solicitation fees to any broker, dealer, bank or
other persons or to engage or utilize any person to solicit tenders.
14. As Exchange Agent hereunder you:
(a) shall not be liable for any action or omission to
act unless the same constitutes your own gross negligence, willful misconduct or
bad faith, and in no event shall you be liable to a securityholder, the Company
or any third party for special, indirect or consequential damages, or lost
profits, arising in connection with this Agreement.
(b) shall have no duties or obligations other than
those specifically set forth herein or as may be subsequently agreed to in
writing between you and the Company;
- 4 -
(c) will be regarded as making no representations and
having no responsibilities as to the validity, sufficiency, value or genuineness
of any of the certificates or the Old Securities represented thereby deposited
with you pursuant to the Exchange Offer, and will not be required to and will
make no representation as to the validity, value or genuineness of the Exchange
Offer;
(d) shall not be obligated to take any legal action
hereunder which might in your judgment involve any expense or liability, unless
you shall have been furnished with indemnity satisfactory to you;
(e) may conclusively rely on and shall be protected
in acting in reliance upon any certificate, instrument, opinion, notice, letter,
telegram or other document or security delivered to you and believed by you to
be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person or persons;
(f) may act upon any tender, statement, request,
document, agreement, certificate or other instrument whatsoever not only as to
its due execution and validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as
to the truth and accuracy of any information contained therein, which you shall
in good faith believe to be genuine or to have been signed or presented by the
proper person or persons;
(g) may conclusively rely on and shall be protected
in acting upon written or oral instructions from any authorized officer of the
Company;
(h) may consult with counsel of your selection with
respect to any questions relating to your duties and responsibilities and the
advice or opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and
protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by
you hereunder in good faith and in accordance with the advice or opinion of such
counsel;
(i) shall not advise any person tendering Old
Securities pursuant to the Exchange Offer as to the wisdom of making such tender
or as to the market value or decline or appreciation in market value of any Old
Securities.
15. You shall take such action as may from time to time be
requested by the Company (and such other action as you may deem appropriate) to
furnish copies of the Prospectus, Letter of Transmittal and the Notice of
Guaranteed Delivery (as defined in the Prospectus) or such other forms as may be
approved from time to time by the Company, to all persons requesting such
documents and to accept and comply with telephone requests for information
relating to the Exchange Offer, provided that such information shall relate only
to the procedures for accepting (or withdrawing from) the Exchange Offer. The
Company will furnish you with copies of such documents on your request. All
other requests for information relating to the Exchange Offer shall be directed
to the Company, Attention: Jon D. Walton, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and
Administrative Officer.
- 5 -
16. You shall advise by facsimile transmission: Jon D. Walton,
the Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer of the Company
(at the facsimile number (412) 494-2837), and such other person or persons as
the Company may request, daily (and more frequently during the week immediately
preceding the Expiration Date if requested) up to and including the Expiration
Date, as to the number of Old Securities which have been tendered pursuant to
the Exchange Offer and the items received by you pursuant to this Agreement,
separately reporting and giving cumulative totals as to items properly received
and items improperly received. In addition, you will also inform, and cooperate
in making available to, the Company or any such other person or persons upon
oral request made from time to time prior to the Expiration Date of such other
information as they may reasonably request. Such cooperation shall include,
without limitation, the granting by you to the Company and such person as the
Company may request of access to those persons on your staff who are responsible
for receiving tenders, in order to ensure that immediately prior to the
Expiration Date the Company shall have received information in sufficient detail
to enable it to decide whether to extend the Exchange Offer. You shall prepare a
final list of all persons whose tenders were accepted, the aggregate principal
amount of Old Securities tendered, the aggregate principal amount of Old
Securities accepted and deliver said list to the Company.
17. Letters of Transmittal and Notices of Guaranteed Delivery
shall be stamped by you as to the date and, after the expiration of the Exchange
Offer, the time, of receipt thereof and shall be preserved by you for a period
of time at least equal to the period of time you preserve other records
pertaining to the transfer of securities. You shall dispose of unused Letters of
Transmittal and other surplus materials by returning them to the Company.
18. For services rendered as Exchange Agent hereunder, you
shall be entitled to such compensation as set forth on Schedule I attached
hereto. The provisions of this section shall survive the termination of this
Agreement.
19. You hereby acknowledge receipt of the Prospectus and the
Letter of Transmittal. Any inconsistency between this Agreement, on the one
hand, and the Prospectus and the Letter of Transmittal (as they may be amended
from time to time), on the other hand, shall be resolved in favor of the latter
two documents, except with respect to your duties, liabilities and
indemnification as Exchange Agent.
20. The Company covenants and agrees to fully indemnify and
hold you harmless against any and all loss, liability, cost or expense,
including attorneys' fees and expenses, incurred without gross negligence or
willful misconduct on your part, arising out of or in connection with any act,
omission, delay or refusal made by you in reliance upon any signature,
endorsement, assignment, certificate, order, request, notice, instruction or
other instrument or document believed by you to be valid, genuine and sufficient
and in accepting any tender or effecting any transfer of Old Securities believed
by you in good faith to be authorized, and in delaying or refusing in good faith
to accept
- 6 -
any tenders or effect any transfer of Old Securities. In each case, the Company
shall be notified by you, by letter or facsimile transmission, of the written
assertion of a claim against you or of any other action commenced against you,
promptly after you shall have received any such written assertion or shall have
been served with a summons in connection therewith. The Company shall be
entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense of any such claim or
other action and, if the Company so elects, the Company shall assume the defense
of any suit brought to enforce any such claim. In the event that the Company
shall assume the defense of any such suit, the Company shall not be liable for
the fees and expenses of any additional counsel thereafter retained by you, so
long as the Company shall retain counsel satisfactory to you to defend such
suit, and so long as you have not determined, in your reasonable judgment, that
a conflict of interest exists between you and the Company. The provisions of
this section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
21. You shall arrange to comply with all requirements under
the tax laws of the United States, including those relating to missing Tax
Identification Numbers, and shall file any appropriate reports with the Internal
Revenue Service.
22. You shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in a timely
manner to each governmental authority to which any transfer taxes are payable in
respect of the exchange of Old Securities, the Company's check in the amount of
all transfer taxes so payable; provided, however, that you shall reimburse the
Company for amounts refunded to you in respect of your payment of any such
transfer taxes, at such time as such refund is received by you.
23. This Agreement and your appointment as Exchange Agent
hereunder shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the
State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely
within such state, and without regard to conflicts of law principles, and shall
inure to the benefit of, and the obligations created hereby shall be binding
upon, the successors and assigns of each of the parties hereto.
24. This Agreement may be executed in two or more
counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which
together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
25. In case any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid,
illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the
remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
26. This Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be
modified, amended, rescinded, cancelled or waived, in whole or in part, except
by a written instrument signed by a duly authorized representative of the party
to be charged. This Agreement may not be modified orally.
- 7 -
27. Unless otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests
and other communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing (including
facsimile or similar writing) and shall be given to such party, addressed to it,
at its address or telecopy number set forth below:
If to the Company:
Allegheny Technologies Incorporated
1000 Six PPG Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-5479
Facsimile: (412) 394-2837
Attention: Jon D. Walton, Senior Vice President,
Chief Legal and Administrative Officer
If to the Exchange Agent:
The Bank of New York
101 Barclay Street
Floor 21 West
New York, New York 10286
Facsimile: (212) 815-5915
Attention: Corporate Trust
Administration
28. Unless terminated earlier by the parties hereto, this
Agreement shall terminate 90 days following the Expiration Date. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, Sections 18 and 20 shall survive the termination of this
Agreement. Upon any termination of this Agreement, you shall promptly deliver to
the Company any certificates for Securities, funds or property then held by you
as Exchange Agent under this Agreement.
29. This Agreement shall be binding and effective as of the
date hereof.
- 8 -
Please acknowledge receipt of this Agreement and confirm the
arrangements herein provided by signing and returning the enclosed copy.
ALLEGHENY TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED
By:
-----------------------------------------
Name: Jon D. Walton
Title: Senior Vice President, Chief Legal
and Administrative Officer
Accepted as of the date
first above written:
THE BANK OF NEW YORK, as Exchange Agent
By:
-----------------------------------------
Name:
Title:
- 9 -