1
EXHIBIT 1.2
HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc.
$
----------
[____%] [[Senior] [Subordinated]] [Convertible] [[Debentures] [Notes]] Due ____*
Underwriting Agreement
New York, New York
, 20__
To the Representatives named in Schedule I hereto of the Underwriters named in
Schedule II hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., a corporation organized under the laws of
Delaware (the "Company"), proposes to sell to the several underwriters named in
Schedule II hereto (the "Underwriters"), for whom you (the "Representatives")
are acting as representatives, the principal amount of its securities identified
in Schedule I hereto (the "Securities"), to be issued under an indenture (the
"Indenture") dated as of [_____________], between the Company and First Union
National Bank, as trustee (the "Trustee") as identified in Schedule I hereto. To
the extent there are no additional Underwriters listed on Schedule I or II other
than you, the term Representatives as used herein shall mean you, as
Underwriters, and the terms Representatives and Underwriters shall mean either
the singular or plural as the context requires. Certain terms used herein are
defined in Section 17 hereof.
The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement on
Form S-3 (No. 333-_______) [and pre- effective amendment[s] no[s]. __ thereto]
for the registration of the Securities under the 1933 Act, and the offering
thereof from time to time in accordance with Rule 415, and the Company has filed
such post-effective amendments thereto as may be required prior to the execution
of this Agreement. Such registration statement (as so amended, if applicable)
has been declared effective by the Commission and each Indenture has been duly
qualified under the 1939 Act. Such registration statement (as so amended, if
applicable), including the Rule 430A Information, if any, or Rule 434
Information, is referred to herein as the "Registration Statement"; and the
final prospectus and the prospectus supplement relating to the offering of the
Securities, in the form first furnished to the Underwriters by the Company for
use in connection with the offering of the Securities, are collectively referred
to herein as the "Prospectus"; provided, however, that all references to the
"Registration Statement" and the "Prospectus" shall be deemed to include all
documents incorporated therein by reference pursuant to the 1934 Act, prior to
the execution of this Agreement; provided, further, that if the Company files a
Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, then, after such filing, all references to
"Registration Statement" shall be deemed to include the Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement; and provided, further, that if the Company elects to rely upon Rule
434 of the 1933 Act Regulations, then all references to "Prospectus" shall be
deemed to include the final or preliminary prospectus and the applicable term
sheet or abbreviated term sheet (the "Term Sheet"), as the case may be, in the
form first furnished
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* Appropriate provisions to be included in each underwriting agreement
based on the type of security offered.
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to the Underwriters by the Company in reliance upon Rule 434 of the 1933 Act
Regulations, and all references in this Agreement to the date of the Prospectus
shall mean the date of the Term Sheet. A "preliminary prospectus" shall be
deemed to refer to any prospectus used before the registration statement became
effective and any prospectus that omitted, as applicable, the Rule 430A
Information, the Rule 434 Information or other information to be included upon
pricing in a form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
424(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations, that was used after such effectiveness and
prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement. For purposes of this
Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Term Sheet
or preliminary prospectus or to any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant
to EDGAR.
All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules
and other information which is "contained," "included" or "stated" (or other
references of like import) in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or
preliminary prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial
statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary prospectus,
as the case may be; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or
supplements to the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary prospectus
shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the 1934
Act which is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, Prospectus
or preliminary prospectus, as the case may be.
1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants
to, and agrees with, each Underwriter, as of the date hereof and as of the
Closing Date (as defined below) (in each case, a "Representation Date") as set
forth below in this Section 1.
(a) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Company meets the
requirements for use of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act. Each of the Registration
Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has become effective under
the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has been issued under the
1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending
or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any
request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been
complied with. In addition, each Indenture has been duly qualified under the
1939 Act. At the respective times the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto (including the
filing of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K with the
Commission (the "Annual Report on Form 10-K")) became effective and at each
Representation Date, the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto complied and will comply in
all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act
Regulations and the 1939 Act and the 1939 Act Regulations and did not and will
not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
not misleading. At the date of the Prospectus and at the Closing Date, the
Prospectus and any amendments and supplements thereto did not and will not
include an untrue statement of
- ----------
* Appropriate provisions to be included in each underwriting agreement
based on the type of security offered.
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a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading. If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 434, the Company
will comply with the requirements of Rule 434. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to
statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus
made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the
Company in writing by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for
use in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus. Each preliminary prospectus
and prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed
or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424, complied
when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act Regulations and, if
applicable, each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the
Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of Securities will, at the
time of such delivery, be identical to the electronically transmitted copies
thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent
permitted by Regulation S-T.
(b) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, at
the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will
comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the
1934 Act Regulations and, when read together with the other information in the
Prospectus, at the date of the Prospectus and at the Closing Date, did not and
will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(c) Authorization of this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(d) Authorization of Securities. The Securities have been duly
authorized by the Company for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement. Such
Securities, when issued and authenticated in the manner provided for in the
Indenture and delivered against payment of the consideration therefor specified
in this Agreement, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the
Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except
as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting
creditors' rights generally or by general equitable principles, and except
further as enforcement thereof may be limited by (A) requirements that a claim
with respect to any Securities denominated other than in U.S. dollars (or a
foreign or composite currency judgment in respect of such claim) be converted
into U.S. dollars at a rate of exchange prevailing on a date determined pursuant
to applicable law or (B) governmental authority to limit, delay or prohibit the
making of payments outside the United States. Such Securities will be in the
form contemplated by, and each registered holder thereof is entitled to the
benefits of, the Indenture.
(e) Authorization of the Indenture. The Indenture has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and
legally binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in
accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
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moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights
generally or by general equitable principles.
(f) Descriptions of the Securities and Indenture. The Securities being
sold pursuant to this Agreement and the Indenture, as of the date of the
Prospectus, will conform in all material respects to the statements relating
thereto contained in the Prospectus and will be in substantially the form filed
or incorporated by reference, as the case may be, as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement.
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any subsidiary
and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters in
connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed a representation
and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter
on the date of such certificate and, unless subsequently amended or
supplemented, at each Representation Date subsequent thereto.
2. Purchase and Sale. Subject to the terms and conditions and in
reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company
agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and
not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price set forth in
Schedule I hereto the principal amount of the Securities set forth opposite such
Underwriter's name in Schedule II hereto.
3. Delivery and Payment. Delivery of and payment for the Securities
shall be made on the date and at the time specified in Schedule I hereto or at
such time on such later date not more than three Business Days after the
foregoing date as the Representatives shall designate, which date and time may
be postponed by agreement between the Representatives and the Company or as
provided in Section 9 hereof (such date and time of delivery and payment for the
Securities being herein called the "Closing Date"). Delivery of the Securities
shall be made to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several
Underwriters against payment by the several Underwriters through the
Representatives of the purchase price thereof to or upon the order of the
Company by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to an account specified by
the Company. Delivery of the Securities shall be made through the facilities of
The Depository Trust Company unless the Representatives shall otherwise
instruct.
4. Offering by Underwriters. It is understood that the several
Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale to the public as set forth
in the Prospectus.
5. Agreements. The Company agrees with each of the several Underwriters
that:
(a) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests. The
Company, subject to Section 5(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430A
and/or Rule 434, if and as applicable, and will notify the Representative(s)
immediately of (i) the effectiveness of any post- effective amendment to the
Registration Statement or the filing of any supplement or amendment to the
Prospectus, (ii) the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) any
request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any
amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information,
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and (iv) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order preventing or
suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the
qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of
the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes. The
Company will promptly effect the filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424 and will
take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the
Prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424 was received for filing by the
Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file the
Prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the
issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the
lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
(b) Filing of Amendments. The Company will give the Representatives
notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration
Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b)), any Term Sheet or any
amendment, supplement or revision to either the prospectus included in the
Registration Statement at the time it became effective or to the Prospectus,
whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, will furnish the
Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time
prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or
use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the
Underwriters shall object.
(c) Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company has furnished or
will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without
charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of
each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by
reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by
reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of
experts, and will also deliver to the Representatives, without charge, a
conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each
amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. If
applicable, the copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto
furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically
transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except
to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(d) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company will deliver to each
Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as
such Underwriter may reasonably request, and the Company hereby consents to the
use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will
furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the
Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, such
number of copies of the Prospectus as such Underwriter may reasonably request.
If applicable, the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto
furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically
transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except
to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply
with the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act
Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities
as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus. If at any time when the Prospectus is
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required by the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act to be delivered in connection with
sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a
result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters
or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement in order that the
Registration Statement will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein not misleading or to amend or supplement the
Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include an untrue statement of
a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at
the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the
opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or
amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of
the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and
file with the Commission, subject to Section 5(b), such amendment or supplement
as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the
Company will furnish to the Underwriters, without charge, such number of copies
of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.
(f) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its best efforts, in
cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and
sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and the jurisdictions
(domestic or foreign) as the Representatives may designate and to maintain such
qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year from the date of
this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to
file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign
corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not
so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in
any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction
in which the Securities have been so qualified, the Company will file such
statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to
continue such qualification in effect for a period of not less than one year
from the date of this Agreement.
(g) Earnings Statement. The Company will timely file such reports
pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available
to its security holders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the
purposes of, and to provide the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of
Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.
(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by
it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus
under "Use of Proceeds."
(i) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to effect the
listing of the Securities prior to the Closing Date on any national securities
exchange or quotation system if and as specified in Schedule I hereto.
(j) Restriction on Sale of Securities. Between the date of this
Agreement and the Closing Date, the Company will not, without the prior written
consent of the Representatives, directly or indirectly, issue, sell, offer to
sell, grant any option for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of, the securities
as specified in Schedule I hereto.
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(k) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the
Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, will
file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934
Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act
Regulations.
6. Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations
of the Underwriters to purchase the Securities shall be subject to the accuracy
of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained
herein as of the Execution Time and the Closing Date, to the accuracy of the
statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions
hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations
hereunder, and to the following additional conditions:
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration
Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, has become
effective under the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of
the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or
proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request
on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been
complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A
prospectus containing information relating to the description of the Securities,
the specific method of distribution and similar matters shall have been filed
with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b)(1), (2), (3), (4) or (5), as
applicable (or any required post-effective amendment providing such information
shall have been filed and declared effective in accordance with the requirements
of Rule 430A), or, if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 434, a Term
Sheet including the Rule 434 Information shall have been filed with the
Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b)(7).
(b) Opinion of Counsel for Company. At the Closing Date, the
Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of the
Closing Date, of Haynes and Boone, LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and
substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or
reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, to the
effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto and to such further effect as counsel to
the Underwriters may reasonably request.
(c) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At the Closing Date, the
Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of the
Closing Date, of [____________________], counsel for the Underwriters, together
with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other
Underwriters, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the
Indenture, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (together with any
supplement thereto) and other related matters as the Representatives may
reasonably require. In giving such opinion, such counsel may rely, as to all
matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of
New York, the federal law of the United States and the General Corporation Law
of the State of Delaware, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the
Representatives. Such counsel may state that, insofar as such opinion involves
factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon
certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of
public officials.
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(d) Officers' Certificate. At the Closing Date, there shall not have
been, since the Execution Time or since the respective dates as of which
information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the
condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or
business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one
enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the
Representatives shall have received a certificate of the President or a Vice
President of the Company and of the chief financial officer or chief accounting
officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that (i)
there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations and
warranties in Section 1 are true and correct with the same force and effect as
though expressly made at and as of the Closing Date, (iii) the Company has
complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be
performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date, and (iv) no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and
no proceedings for that purpose have been initiated or threatened by the
Commission.
(e) Accountant's Comfort Letter. At the Execution Time, the
Representatives shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP a letter
dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives,
together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other
Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily
included in accountants' "comfort letters" to underwriters with respect to the
financial statements and certain financial information contained in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, including as set forth in Annex I
hereto.
(f) Bring-down Comfort Letter. At the Closing Date, the Representatives
shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP a letter, dated as of the
Closing Date, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter
furnished pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section 6, except that the
specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days
prior to the Closing Date.
(g) Ratings. At the Closing Date, the Securities shall have the ratings
accorded by any "nationally recognized statistical rating organization," as
defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2), if and as specified in
Schedule I hereto, and the Company shall have delivered to the Representatives a
letter, dated as of such date, from each such rating organization, or other
evidence satisfactory to the Representatives, confirming that the Securities
have such ratings. Since the Execution Time, there shall not have occurred a
downgrading in the rating assigned to the Securities or any of the Company's
other securities by any such rating organization, and no such rating
organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or
review, with possible negative implications, its rating of the Securities or any
of the Company's other securities.
(h) Approval of Listing. At the Closing Date, the Securities shall have
been approved for listing, subject only to official notice of issuance, if and
as specified in Schedule I hereto.
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(i) No Objection. If the Registration Statement or an offering of
Securities has been filed with the NASD for review, the NASD shall not have
raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the
underwriting terms and arrangements.
(j) Additional Documents. At the Closing Date, counsel for the
Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they
may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the
issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to
evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the
fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings
taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities
as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the
Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.
If any condition specified in this Section 6 shall not have been
fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, or if any of the opinions and
certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be in all
material respects reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the
Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, this Agreement and all
obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be terminated by the
Representatives by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to the Closing
Date and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other
party except as provided in Section 7 and except that Sections 1 and 8 shall
survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect. Notice of such
termination shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or
facsimile confirmed in writing.
The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 shall be
delivered at the office of [______________________], counsel for the
Underwriters, at [_______________________________], on the Closing Date.
7. Payment of Expenses.
(a) The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of
its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing
and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and
exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the
preparation, printing (if applicable) and delivery to the Underwriters of this
Agreement, any Agreement among Underwriters, the Indenture and such other
documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and
delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the
Securities to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company's
counsel, accountants and other advisors or agents, as well as the fees and
disbursements of the Trustees and their respective counsel, (v) the
qualification of the Securities under state securities laws in accordance with
the provisions of Section 5(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable
fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith
and in connection with the preparation, printing and delivery of the Blue Sky
Survey and any Legal Investment Survey, and any amendment thereto, (vi) the
printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary
prospectus, any Term Sheet, and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements
thereto, (vii) the fees charged by nationally recognized
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statistical rating organizations for the rating of the Securities if applicable,
(viii) the fees and expenses incurred with respect to the listing of the
Securities if applicable, (ix) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable
fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the
review, if any, by the NASD of the terms of the sale of the Securities and (x)
the fees and expenses of any Underwriter acting in the capacity of a "qualified
independent underwriter" (as defined in Rule 2720 of the Conduct Rules of the
NASD), if applicable.
(b) If the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not
consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Underwriters set
forth in Section 6 hereof is not satisfied, because of any termination pursuant
to Section 10 hereof or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part
of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision
hereof other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriters, the Company
will reimburse the Underwriters severally through the Representatives on demand
for all out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of
counsel) that shall have been incurred by them in connection with the proposed
purchase and sale of the Securities.
8. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter,
the directors, officers, employees and agents of each Underwriter and each
person who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either the 1933 Act or
the 1934 Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint
or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the 1933 Act,
the 1934 Act or other Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common
law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement
or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the registration
statement for the registration of the Securities as originally filed or in any
amendment thereof, or in any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, or in any
amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the
omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and
agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or
other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or
defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however,
that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such
loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made
therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to
the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives
specifically for inclusion therein. This indemnity agreement will be in addition
to any liability which the Company may otherwise have.
(b) Each Underwriter severally and not jointly agrees to indemnify and
hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs
the Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the
meaning of either the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, to the same extent as the
foregoing indemnity from the Company to
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each Underwriter, but only with reference to written information relating to
such Underwriter furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter
through the Representatives specifically for inclusion in the documents referred
to in the foregoing indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to
any liability which any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company acknowledges
that the statements set forth in the last paragraph of the cover page regarding
delivery of the Securities and, under the heading "Underwriting" or "Plan of
Distribution", (i) the list of Underwriters and their respective participation
in the sale of the Securities, (ii) the sentences related to concessions and
reallowances and (iii) the paragraph related to stabilization, syndicate
covering transactions and penalty bids in any preliminary prospectus and the
Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf
of the several Underwriters for inclusion in any preliminary prospectus or the
Prospectus.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8
of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a
claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this
Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof;
but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from
liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not
otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the
indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any
event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified
party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b)
above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the
indemnifying party's choice at the indemnifying party's expense to represent the
indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which
case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and
expenses of any separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties
except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be
satisfactory to the indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party's
election to appoint counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the
indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including
local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs
and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the
indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel
with a conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or
targets of, any such action include both the indemnified party and the
indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded
that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified
parties which are different from or additional to those available to the
indemnifying party, (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel
satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within
a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the
indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate
counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will
not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or
compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending
or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which
indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the
indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action)
unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release
of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action,
suit or proceeding.
12
(d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a) or (b) of
this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified
party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally agree to
contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or
defending same) (collectively "Losses") to which the Company and one or more of
the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect
the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and by the
Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities; provided,
however, that in no case shall any Underwriter (except as may be provided in any
agreement among underwriters relating to the offering of the Securities) be
responsible for any amount in excess of the underwriting discount or commission
applicable to the Securities purchased by such Underwriter hereunder. If the
allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any
reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally shall contribute in such
proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also
the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the
other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such
Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received
by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the
offering (before deducting expenses) received by it, and benefits received by
the Underwriters shall be deemed to be equal to the total underwriting discounts
and commissions, in each case as set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus.
Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether
any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or
alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information provided by the
Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the
parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to
correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the
Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were
determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation which does
not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of
fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933
Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of
such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person
who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of either the 1933 Act or the
1934 Act and each director, officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter shall
have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each person who
controls the Company within the meaning of either the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act,
each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement and
each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the
Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this
paragraph (d).
9. Default by an Underwriter. If any one or more Underwriters shall
fail to purchase and pay for any of the Securities agreed to be purchased by
such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to purchase shall
constitute a default in the performance of its or their obligations under this
Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated severally to take up
and pay for (in the respective proportions which the
13
principal amount of Securities set forth opposite their names in Schedule II
hereto bears to the aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth opposite
the names of all the remaining Underwriters) the Securities which the defaulting
Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase; provided, however,
that in the event that the aggregate principal amount of Securities which the
defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase shall
exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth in Schedule
II hereto, the remaining Underwriters shall have the right to purchase all, but
shall not be under any obligation to purchase any, of the Securities, and if
such nondefaulting Underwriters do not purchase all the Securities, this
Agreement will terminate without liability to any nondefaulting Underwriter or
the Company. In the event of a default by any Underwriter as set forth in this
Section 9, the Closing Date shall be postponed for such period, not exceeding
five Business Days, as the Representatives shall determine in order that the
required changes in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any
other documents or arrangements may be effected. Nothing contained in this
Agreement shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to
the Company and any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages occasioned by its
default hereunder.
10. Termination. This Agreement shall be subject to termination in the
absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice given to the Company prior
to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if at any time prior to such time
(i) trading in the Company's Common Stock shall have been suspended by the
Commission or the New York Stock Exchange or trading in securities generally on
the New York Stock Exchange shall have been suspended or limited or minimum
prices shall have been established on such Exchange, (ii) a banking moratorium
shall have been declared either by Federal or New York State authorities or
(iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities,
declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war, or other
calamity or crisis the effect of which on financial markets is such as to make
it, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, impractical or inadvisable to
proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the
Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
11. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective
agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the
Company or its officers and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to
this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any
investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of
the officers, directors, employees, agents or controlling persons referred to in
Section 8 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities.
The provisions of Sections 7 and 8 hereof shall survive the termination or
cancellation of this Agreement.
12. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and
effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Representatives, will be mailed,
delivered or telefaxed to ____________________; or, if sent to the Company, will
be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to _________________.
13. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be
binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the
officers, directors, employees, agents
14
and controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and no other person
will have any right or obligation hereunder.
14. Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made
and to be performed within the State of New York.
15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which
together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
16. Headings. The section headings used herein are for convenience only
and shall not affect the construction hereof.
17. Definitions. The terms which follow, when used in this Agreement,
shall have the meanings indicated.
"1933 Act" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the
rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
"1933 Act Regulations" shall mean the rules and regulations of the
Commission under the 1933 Act.
"1934 Act" shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
"1934 Act Regulations" shall mean the rules and regulations of the
Commission under the 1934 Act.
"1939 Act" shall mean the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
"1939 Act Regulations" shall mean the rules and regulations of the
Commission under the 1939 Act.
"Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a
legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are
authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City.
"Commission" shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"EDGAR" shall mean the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and
Retrieval system of the Commission.
"Effective Date" shall mean each date and time that the Registration
Statement, any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto and any Rule
462(b) Registration Statement became or become effective.
15
"Execution Time" shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is
executed and delivered by the parties hereto.
"NASD" shall mean the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
"Regulation S-T" and "Regulation S-K" refer to such regulation under
the 1933 Act Regulations.
"Rule 415", "Rule 424", "Rule 430A", "Rule 434", "Rule 436" and "Rule
462" refer to such rules under the 1933 Act.
"Rule 430A Information" shall mean information with respect to the
Securities and the offering thereof permitted to be omitted from the
Registration Statement when it becomes effective pursuant to Rule 430A.
"Rule 434 Information" shall mean information with respect to the
Securities and the offering thereof deemed to be a part of the Registration
Statement when it becomes effective pursuant to Rule 434(d).
"Rule 462(b) Registration Statement" shall mean a registration
statement and any amendments thereto filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) relating to
the offering covered by the registration statement referred to in the second
paragraph of this Agreement.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our
agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon
this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the
Company and the several Underwriters.
Very truly yours,
HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc.
By:
--------------------------
Name:
Title:
16
The foregoing Agreement is hereby
confirmed and accepted as of the date
specified in Schedule I hereto.
[name of lead manager]
[name of comanager, if any]
By: [name of lead manager]
By:
-------------------------
Name:
Title:
For themselves and the other
several Underwriters, if any,
named in Schedule II to the
foregoing Agreement.
[or
[name of lead manager]
By:
-------------------------
Name:
Title:
For itself and the other
several Underwriters, if any,
named in Schedule II to the
foregoing Agreement.]