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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

___________________________________

 

FORM 8-K

 

Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

 

October 13, 2017 (October 11, 2017)

 

STELLUS CAPITAL INVESTMENT CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Maryland 814-00971 46-0937320
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
of incorporation)    

 

4400 Post Oak Parkway, Suite 2200
Houston, Texas 77027

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (713) 292-5400

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

¨Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).

 

Emerging growth company x

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

 

 

 

 

Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

 

On October 11, 2017, Stellus Capital Investment Corporation (the “Company”) entered into a Senior Secured Revolving Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), dated as of October 10, 2017, by and among the Company, ZB, N.A., dba Amegy Bank (“Amegy”), Cadence Bank, N.A., Frost Bank, Stifel Bank and Trust, Texas Capital Bank National Association, CommunityBank of Texas, N.A., Woodforest National Bank, Whitney Bank and other lenders from time to time party thereto.

 

The Credit Agreement provides for borrowings up to a maximum aggregate principal amount of $140.0 million on a committed basis, with availability thereunder subject to the number and value of portfolio investments and assets included in a borrowing base and otherwise specified in the Credit Agreement. The Credit Agreement has an accordion feature that allows the Company to increase the aggregate commitments up to $195.0 million, subject to new or existing lenders agreeing to participate in the increase and other customary conditions. There can be no assurances that existing lenders will agree to such an increase, or that additional lenders will join the credit facility to increase available borrowings. The Company may borrow amounts in U.S. dollars or certain other permitted currencies, with borrowings in currencies other than U.S. dollars limited to $30 million in the aggregate.

 

Borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear interest, subject to the Company’s election, on a per annum basis equal to (i) LIBOR plus 2.50% (with a LIBOR floor of zero) or (ii) 1.50% plus an alternate base rate based on the highest of the prime rate, federal funds rate plus 0.5%, or one month LIBOR plus 1.0% (with a LIBOR floor of zero). The Company pays unused commitment fees of 0.50% per annum on the unused lender commitments under the Credit Agreement. Interest is payable quarterly in arrears. The availability period under the Credit Agreement expires on October 10, 2020, followed by a one-year amortization period and a final maturity date under the Credit Agreement of October 10, 2021.

 

The Credit Agreement is secured by a first-priority security interest in substantially all of the Company’s assets and portfolio investments, but excluding, for example, the Company’s interests in its SBIC subsidiary. Certain of the Company’s subsidiaries will also guarantee the obligations of the Company under the Credit Agreement and pledge substantially all of their assets as security. The security interests and guarantee are being granted and provided pursuant to a Guarantee and Security Agreement dated as of October 10, 2017, by and among the Company, ZB, N.A., dba Amegy Bank, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the Company’s taxable blocker subsidiaries party thereto.

 

The Credit Agreement includes certain customary affirmative and negative covenants for secured revolving credit facilities of this nature, including but not limited to (i) maintaining a minimum liquidity test, (ii) maintaining an asset coverage ratio of at least 2.0 to 1.0, (iii) maintaining minimum shareholder’s equity, (iv) maintaining an interest coverage ratio of 2.0 to 1.0, and (v) complying with certain limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness and liens. The Credit Agreement also contains certain customary events of default, including but not limited to nonpayment, misrepresentation of representations and warranties in a material respect, breach of covenant, cross-default to other indebtedness, bankruptcy, and change in control.

 

 

 

The lenders under the Credit Agreement, and their respective affiliates, may from time to time receive customary fees and expenses in the performance of investment banking, financial advisory, or other services for the Company.

 

In connection with entering into the Credit Agreement with Amegy, the Company also intends to enter into a customary custody agreement with Amegy, subject to approval by the Company’s board of directors.

 

The above summary is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Credit Agreement and the Guarantee and Security Agreement, which are filed as exhibits hereto.

 

Item 1.02 Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement.

 

On October 11, 2017, in conjunction with securing and entering into the new Credit Agreement, the Company terminated its senior secured revolving credit facility with SunTrust Bank, as administrative agent and a lender, and the other lenders party thereto.

 

Item 2.03 Creation of Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

 

The information set forth under Item 1.01 (with the exception of the information in the penultimate paragraph of Item 1.01) is hereby incorporated by reference into this Item 2.03.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits

 

10.1Senior Secured Revolving Credit Agreement, dated as of October 10, 2017.
10.2Guarantee and Security Agreement, dated as of October 10, 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

         
Date: October 13, 2017   STELLUS CAPITAL INVESTMENT CORPORATION
         
         
      By: /s/ W. Todd Huskinson
            W. Todd Huskinson
        Chief Financial Officer
         

 

 

 

Exhibit Index

 

 

10.1Senior Secured Revolving Credit Agreement, dated as of October 10, 2017.
10.2Guarantee and Security Agreement, dated as of October 10, 2017.

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.1

 

 

 

SENIOR SECURED
REVOLVING CREDIT AGREEMENT

 

dated as of

 

October [ ], 2017

 

among

 

STELLUS CAPITAL INVESTMENT CORPORATION
as Borrower

 

The LENDERS Party Hereto

 

ZB, N.A. dba AMEGY BANK
as Administrative Agent

 

CADENCE BANK, N.A.

as Syndication Agent

 

and

 

FROST BANK

as Documentation Agent

 

__________________

 

ZB, N.A. dba AMEGY BANK
as Sole Lead Arranger and Sole Book Runner

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

 

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS 1
Section 1.01   Defined Terms 1
Section 1.02   Classification of Loans and Borrowings 24
Section 1.03   Terms Generally 24
Section 1.04   Accounting Terms; GAAP 24
Section 1.05   Currencies; Currency Equivalents 25
   
ARTICLE II THE CREDITS 26
Section 2.01   The Commitments 26
Section 2.02   Loans and Borrowings 27
Section 2.03   Requests for Syndicated Borrowings and Multicurrency Loans 28
Section 2.04   Swingline Loans 29
Section 2.05   Letters of Credit 30
Section 2.06   Funding of Borrowings 34
Section 2.07   Interest Elections 34
Section 2.08   Termination, Reduction or Increase of the Commitments 35
Section 2.09   Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt 38
Section 2.10   Prepayment of Loans 39
Section 2.11   Fees 40
Section 2.12   Interest 42
Section 2.13   Alternate Rate of Interest 42
Section 2.14   Increased Costs 43
Section 2.15   Break Funding Payments 44
Section 2.16   Taxes 44
Section 2.17   Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment: Sharing of Set-offs 48
Section 2.18   Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders 50
Section 2.19   Defaulting Lenders 50
Section 2.20   Acknowledgement and Consent to Bail-In of EEA Financial Institutions 54
   
ARTICLE III REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES 54
Section 3.01   Organization; Powers 54
Section 3.02   Authorization; Enforceability 54
Section 3.03   Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts 55
Section 3.04   No Material Adverse Effect 55
Section 3.05   Litigation 55
Section 3.06   Compliance with Laws and Agreements 55
Section 3.07   Taxes 55
Section 3.08   ERISA 55
Section 3.09   Disclosure 55
Section 3.10   Investment Company Act; Margin Regulations 56
Section 3.11   Material Agreements and Liens 56
Section 3.12   Subsidiaries and Investments 56
Section 3.13   Properties 57

 

 i

 

 

Section 3.14   Affiliate Agreements 57
Section 3.15   OFAC 57
Section 3.16   Patriot Act 57
Section 3.17   Collateral Documents 57
   
ARTICLE IV CONDITIONS 58
Section 4.01   Effective Date 58
Section 4.02   Each Credit Event 59
   
ARTICLE V AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS 60
Section 5.01   Financial Statements and Other Information 60
Section 5.02   Notices of Material Events 62
Section 5.03   Existence: Conduct of Business 62
Section 5.04   Payment of Obligations 62
Section 5.05   Maintenance of Properties; Insurance 62
Section 5.06   Books and Records; Inspection and Audit Rights 62
Section 5.07   Compliance with Laws 63
Section 5.08   Certain Obligations Respecting Subsidiaries; Further Assurances 63
Section 5.09   Use of Proceeds 64
Section 5.10   Status of RIC and BDC 64
Section 5.11   Investment Policies 64
Section 5.12   Portfolio Valuation and Diversification Etc 64
Section 5.13   Calculation of Borrowing Base 67
Section 5.14   Post-Closing Covenant 71
   
ARTICLE VI NEGATIVE COVENANTS 71
Section 6.01   Indebtedness 71
Section 6.02   Liens 72
Section 6.03   Fundamental Changes 72
Section 6.04   Investments 73
Section 6.05   Restricted Payments 74
Section 6.06   Certain Restrictions on Subsidiaries 75
Section 6.07   Certain Financial Covenants 76
Section 6.08   Transactions with Affiliates 76
Section 6.09   Lines of Business 76
Section 6.10   No Further Negative Pledge 76
Section 6.11   Modifications of Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness Documents 77
Section 6.12   Payments of Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness 77
Section 6.13   Accounting Changes 77
Section 6.14   SBIC Guarantee 77
   
ARTICLE VII EVENTS OF DEFAULT 77
   
ARTICLE VIII THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT 81
Section 8.01   Appointment of the Administrative Agent 81
Section 8.02   Capacity as Lender 81
Section 8.03   Limitation of Duties; Exculpation 81

 

 ii

 

 

Section 8.04   Reliance 82
Section 8.05   Sub-Agents 82
Section 8.06   Resignation; Successor Administrative Agent 82
Section 8.07   Reliance by Lenders 83
Section 8.08   Modifications to Loan Documents 83
   
ARTICLE IX MISCELLANEOUS 83
Section 9.01   Notices; Electronic Communications 83
Section 9.02   Waivers; Amendments 85
Section 9.03   Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver 87
Section 9.04   Successors and Assigns 89
Section 9.05   Survival 93
Section 9.06   Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution 93
Section 9.07   Severability 94
Section 9.08   Right of Setoff 94
Section 9.09   Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc 94
Section 9.10   WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL 95
Section 9.11   Judgment Currency 95
Section 9.12   Headings 96
Section 9.13   Treatment of Certain Information; No Fiduciary Duty; Confidentiality 96
Section 9.14   USA PATRIOT Act 97

 

SCHEDULE 1.01(a) - Approved Dealers and Approved Pricing Services
SCHEDULE 1.01(b) - Commitments
SCHEDULE 1.01(c) - Industry Classification Group List
SCHEDULE 1.01(d) - Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness
SCHEDULE 3.11 - Material Agreements and Liens
SCHEDULE 3.12(a) - Subsidiaries
SCHEDULE 3.12(b) - Investments
SCHEDULE 5.14 - Post-Closing Covenant
SCHEDULE 6.08 - Transactions with Affiliates
EXHIBIT A - Form of Assignment and Assumption
EXHIBIT B - Form of Borrowing Base Certificate
EXHIBIT C - Form of Borrowing Request

 

 iii

 

 

SENIOR SECURED REVOLVING CREDIT AGREEMENT dated as of October [    ], 2017 (as amended, restated, supplemented, or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Agreement”), among STELLUS CAPITAL INVESTMENT CORPORATION, a Maryland corporation (the “Borrower”), the LENDERS from time to time party hereto, and ZB, N.A. dba Amegy Bank, as Administrative Agent.

 

ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS

 

Section 1.01            Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:

 

“ABR”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan or the Loans constituting such Borrowing are denominated in Dollars and bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Alternate Base Rate.

 

“Adjusted Covered Debt Balance” means, on any date, the aggregate Covered Debt Amount on such date minus the aggregate amount of Cash and Cash Equivalents included in the Portfolio Investments held by the Obligors (provided that, Cash Collateral for outstanding Letters of Credit shall not be treated as a portion of the Portfolio Investments).

 

“Adjusted LIBO Rate” means, for the Interest Period for any Eurocurrency Borrowing, an interest rate per annum (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/16 of 1%) equal to (a) the LIBO Rate for such Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate for such Interest Period.

 

“Administrative Agent” means Amegy Bank, in its capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders hereunder.

 

“Administrative Agent’s Account” means, for each Currency, an account in respect of such Currency designated by the Administrative Agent in a notice to the Borrower and the Lenders.

 

“Administrative Questionnaire” means an administrative questionnaire in a form supplied by the Administrative Agent.

 

“Advance Rate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.13.

 

“Affected Currency” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.13.

 

“Affiliate” means, with respect to a specified Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the term “Affiliate” shall not include any Person that constitutes an Investment held by any Obligor in the ordinary course of business.

 

“Affiliate Agreements” means (a) the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated as of October 26, 2012, between the Borrower and Stellus Capital Management, L.L.C., (b) the License Agreement, dated as of September 24, 2012, between the Borrower and Stellus Capital Management, L.L.C., (c) the Administration Agreement, dated as of October 26, 2012, between the Borrower and Stellus Capital Management, L.L.C. and (d) the Letter Agreement, dated as of November 1, 2012, between Borrower and Stellus Capital Management, L.L.C.

 

“Agreed Foreign Currency” means, at any time, any of Canadian Dollars, English Pounds Sterling, Euros and, with the agreement of each Multicurrency Lender, any other Foreign Currency, so long as, in respect of any such specified Foreign Currency or other Foreign Currency, at such time (a) such Foreign Currency is dealt with in the London interbank deposit market, (b) such Foreign Currency is freely transferable and convertible into Dollars in the London foreign exchange market and (c) no central bank or other governmental authorization in the country of issue of such Foreign Currency (including, in the case of the Euro, any authorization by the European Central Bank) is required to permit use of such Foreign Currency by any Multicurrency Lender for making any Loan hereunder and/or to permit the Borrower to borrow and repay the principal thereof and to pay the interest thereon, unless such authorization has been obtained and is in full force and effect.

 

1 

 

 

“Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble to this Agreement.

 

“Alternate Base Rate” means, for any day, a rate per annum equal to the greatest of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day, (b) the Federal Funds Effective Rate for such day plus 1/2 of 1%, and (c) the rate per annum equal to 1% plus the Adjusted LIBO Rate with a one-month Interest Period on such day (or if such day is not a Business Day, the immediately preceding Business Day); provided that, the Adjusted LIBO Rate for any day shall be based on the LIBO Rate at approximately 11:00 a.m. London time on such day, subject to any interest rate floors set forth therein. Any change in the Alternate Base Rate due to a change in the Prime Rate, the Federal Funds Effective Rate or the rate as displayed in the Bloomberg Financial Markets System (or successor therefor) as set forth above shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in the Prime Rate, the Federal Funds Effective Rate or such rate as displayed in the Bloomberg Financial Markets System (or successor therefor), respectively.

 

“Amegy Bank” means ZB, N.A. dba Amegy Bank.

 

“Applicable Dollar Percentage” means, with respect to any Dollar Lender, the percentage of the total Commitments represented by such Dollar Lender’s Commitment. If the Commitments have terminated or expired, the Applicable Dollar Percentages shall be determined based upon the Commitments most recently in effect, giving effect to any assignments.

 

“Applicable Financial Statements” means, as at any date, the most-recent audited financial statements of the Borrower delivered to the Lenders; provided that if immediately prior to the delivery to the Lenders of new audited financial statements of the Borrower a Material Adverse Effect (the “Pre-existing MAE”) shall exist (regardless of when it occurred), then the “Applicable Financial Statements” as at said date means the Applicable Financial Statements in effect immediately prior to such delivery until such time as the Pre-existing MAE shall no longer exist.

 

“Applicable Margin” means: (a) with respect to any ABR Loan, 1.50 % per annum; and (b) with respect to any Eurocurrency Loan, 2.50 % per annum.

 

“Applicable Multicurrency Percentage” means, with respect to any Multicurrency Lender, such Multicurrency Lender’s commitment percentage of the total Multicurrency Sublimit.

 

“Applicable Percentage” means, with respect to any Lender, the percentage of the total Commitments represented by such Lender’s Commitment. If the Commitments have terminated or expired, the Applicable Percentages shall be determined based upon the Commitments most recently in effect, giving effect to any assignments.

 

“Approved Dealer” means (a) in the case of any Investment that is not a U.S. Government Security, a bank or a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (as amended) of nationally recognized standing or an Affiliate thereof, (b) in the case of a U.S. Government Security, any primary dealer in U.S. Government Securities, and (c) in the case of any foreign Investment, any foreign broker-dealer of internationally recognized standing or an Affiliate thereof, in the case of each of clauses (a), (b) and (c) above, as set forth on Schedule 1.01(a) or any other bank or broker-dealer acceptable to the Administrative Agent in its reasonable determination.

 

2 

 

 

“Approved Pricing Service” means a pricing or quotation service as set forth in Schedule 1.01(a) or any other pricing or quotation service approved by the Board of Directors of the Borrower and designated in writing to the Administrative Agent (which designation shall be accompanied by a copy of a resolution of the Board of Directors of the Borrower that such pricing or quotation service has been approved by the Borrower).

 

“Approved Third-Party Appraiser” means any Independent nationally recognized third-party appraisal firm (a) designated by the Borrower in writing to the Administrative Agent (which designation shall be accompanied by a copy of a resolution of the Board of Directors of the Borrower that such firm has been approved by the Borrower for purposes of assisting the Board of Directors of the Borrower in making valuations of portfolio assets to determine the Borrower’s compliance with the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act) and (b) acceptable to the Administrative Agent. It is understood and agreed that Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin Capital, Inc., Duff & Phelps LLC, Murray, Devine and Company, Lincoln International LLC (formerly known as Lincoln Partners LLC) and Valuation Research Corporation are acceptable to the Administrative Agent. As used in Section 5.12 hereof, an “Approved Third-Party Appraiser selected by the Administrative Agent” shall mean any of the firms identified in the preceding sentence and any other Independent nationally recognized third-party appraisal firm identified by the Administrative Agent and consented to by the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld).

 

“Asset Coverage Ratio” means the ratio, determined on a consolidated basis for Borrower and its Subsidiaries, without duplication, of (a) the value of total assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, to (b) the aggregate amount of senior securities representing indebtedness of Borrower and its Subsidiaries (including this Agreement), in each case as determined pursuant to the Investment Company Act and any orders of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued to or with respect to Borrower thereunder, including any exemptive relief granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to the indebtedness of any SBIC Subsidiary.

 

“Assignment and Assumption” means an Assignment and Assumption entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 9.04), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in the form of Exhibit A or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.

 

“Assuming Lender” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.08(e).

 

“Availability Period” means the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the earlier of the Commitment Termination Date and the date of termination of the Commitments.

 

“Bail-In Action” means the exercise of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers of the applicable EEA Resolution Authority in respect of any liability of the EEA Financial Institution.

 

“Bail-In Legislation” means with respect to any EEA Member Country implementing Article 55 with Directive 2014/59/EU with the European Parliament and of the Counsel of the European Union, the implementing law for such EEA Member Country from time to time which is described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule.

 

3 

 

 

“Board” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States of America.

 

“Borrower” has the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble to this Agreement.

 

“Borrowing” means (a) all Syndicated ABR Loans of the same Class made, converted or continued on the same date, (b) all Eurocurrency Loans of the same Class denominated in the same Currency that have the same Interest Period or (c) a Swingline Loan.

 

“Borrowing Base” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.13.

 

“Borrowing Base Certificate” means a certificate of a Financial Officer of the Borrower, substantially in the form of Exhibit B and appropriately completed.

 

“Borrowing Base Deficiency” means, at any date on which the same is determined, the amount, if any, that (a) the aggregate Covered Debt Amount as of such date exceeds (b) the Borrowing Base as of such date.

 

“Borrowing Request” means a request by the Borrower for a Syndicated Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.03, which, if in writing, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit C.

 

“Business Day” means any day (a) that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in Houston, Texas are authorized or required by law to remain closed, (b) if such day relates to a borrowing of, a payment or prepayment of principal of or interest on, a continuation or conversion of or into, or the Interest Period for, a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in Dollars, or to a notice by the Borrower with respect to any such borrowing, payment, prepayment, continuation, conversion, or Interest Period, that is also a day on which dealings in deposits denominated in Dollars are carried out in the London interbank market and (c) if such day relates to a borrowing or continuation of, a payment or prepayment of principal of or interest on, or the Interest Period for, any Borrowing denominated in any Foreign Currency, or to a notice by the Borrower with respect to any such borrowing, continuation, payment, prepayment or Interest Period, that is also a day on which commercial banks and the London foreign exchange market settle payments in the Principal Financial Center for such Foreign Currency.

 

“Calculation Amount” shall mean, as of the end of any Testing Period, an amount equal to the greater of: (a) (i) 125% of the Adjusted Covered Debt Balance (as of the end of such Testing Period) minus (ii) the aggregate Value of all Quoted Investments included in the Borrowing Base (as of the end of such Testing Period) and (b) 10% of the aggregate Value of all Unquoted Investments included in the Borrowing Base (as of the end of such Testing Period); provided that in no event shall more than 25% (or, if clause (b) applies, 10%, or as near thereto as reasonably practicable) of the aggregate Value of the Unquoted Investments in the Borrowing Base be tested in respect of any applicable Testing Period.

 

“CAM Exchange” means the exchange of the Lenders’ interests provided for in Article VII.

 

“CAM Exchange Date” means the date on which any Event of Default referred to in clause (j) of Article VII shall occur or the date on which the Borrower receives written notice from the Administrative Agent that any Event of Default referred to in clause (i) of Article VII has occurred.

 

“CAM Percentage” means, as to each Lender, a fraction, expressed as a decimal, of which (a) the numerator shall be the aggregate Dollar Equivalent of the Designated Obligations owed to such Lender (whether or not at the time due and payable) immediately prior to the CAM Exchange Date and (b) the denominator shall be the aggregate Dollar Equivalent amount of the Designated Obligations owed to all the Lenders (whether or not at the time due and payable) immediately prior to the CAM Exchange Date.

 

4 

 

 

“Capital Lease Obligations” of any Person means the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as capital leases on a balance sheet of such Person under GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be the capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

“Cash” means any immediately available funds in Dollars or in any currency other than Dollars (measured in terms of the Dollar Equivalent thereof) which is a freely convertible currency.

 

“Cash Collateralize” means, in respect of a Letter of Credit or any obligation hereunder, to provide and pledge cash collateral pursuant to Section 2.05(k), at a location and pursuant to documentation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Administrative Agent and the Issuing Bank. “Cash Collateral” shall have a meaning correlative to the foregoing and shall include the proceeds of such cash collateral and other credit support.

 

“Cash Equivalents” means investments (other than Cash) that are one or more of the following obligations:

 

(a)                U.S. Government Securities, in each case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition thereof;

 

(b)                investments in commercial paper maturing within 270 days from the date of acquisition thereof and having, at such date of acquisition, a credit rating of at least A-1 from S&P and at least P-1 from Moody’s;

 

(c)                investments in certificates of deposit, banker’s acceptances and time deposits maturing within 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof (i) issued or guaranteed by or placed with, and money market deposit accounts issued or offered by, any domestic office of any commercial bank organized under the laws of the United States of America or any State thereof or under the laws of the jurisdiction or any constituent jurisdiction thereof of any Agreed Foreign Currency; provided that such certificates of deposit, banker’s acceptances and time deposits are held in a securities account (as defined in the Uniform Commercial Code) through which the Collateral Agent can perfect a security interest therein and (ii) having, at such date of acquisition, a credit rating of at least A-1 from S&P and at least P-1 from Moody’s;

 

(d)                fully collateralized repurchase agreements with a term of not more than 30 days from the date of acquisition thereof for U.S. Government Securities and entered into with (i) a financial institution satisfying the criteria described in clause (c) of this definition or (ii) an Approved Dealer having (or being a member of a consolidated group having), at such date of acquisition, a credit rating of at least A-1 from S&P and at least P-1 from Moody’s; and

 

(e)                investments in money market funds that invest solely, and which are restricted by their respective charters to invest solely, in investments of the type described in the immediately preceding clauses (a) through (d) above (including as to credit quality and maturity).

 

provided that (i) in no event shall Cash Equivalents include any obligation that provides for the payment of interest alone (for example, interest-only securities or “IOs”); (ii) if any of Moody’s or S&P changes its rating system, then any ratings included in this definition shall be deemed to be an equivalent rating in a successor rating category of Moody’s or S&P, as the case may be; (iii) Cash Equivalents (other than U.S. Government Securities or repurchase agreements) shall not include any such investment of more than 10% of total assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in any single issuer; and (iv) in no event shall Cash Equivalents include any obligation that is not denominated in Dollars or an Agreed Foreign Currency.

 

5 

 

 

“Change in Control” means the External Manager ceases to be Controlled by any or all of Robert Ladd, Dean D’Angelo, Joshua Davis, W. Todd Huskinson and/or Todd Overbergen, or any of their successors who have been approved by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion within ninety days.

 

“Change in Law” means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement, of (a) the adoption of any law, treaty or governmental rule or regulation or any change in any law, treaty or governmental rule or regulation or in the interpretation, administration or application thereof (regardless of whether the underlying law, treaty or governmental rule or regulation was issued or enacted prior to the date hereof), but excluding proposals thereof, or any determination of a court or Governmental Authority, (b) any guideline, request or directive by any Governmental Authority (whether or not having the force of law) or any implementation rules or interpretations of previously issued guidelines, requests or directives, in each case that is issued or made after the date hereof or (c) compliance by any Lender (or its applicable lending office) or any company controlling such Lender with any guideline, request or directive regarding capital adequacy or liquidity (whether or not having the force of law) of any such Governmental Authority, in each case adopted after the date hereof. For the avoidance of doubt, all requests, rules, guidelines or directives concerning liquidity and capital adequacy issued (i) by any United States regulatory authority under or in connection with the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and (ii) in connection with the implementation of the recommendations of the Bank for International Settlements or the Basel Committee on Banking Regulations and Supervisory Practices (or any successor or similar authority), in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law”, regardless of the date adopted, issued, promulgated or implemented.

 

“Class”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan or the Loans constituting such Borrowing are Syndicated Dollar Loans, Multicurrency Loans or Swingline Loans; when used in reference to any Lender, refers to whether such Lender is a Dollar Lender or a Multicurrency Lender. The “Class” of a Letter of Credit refers to whether such Letter of Credit is a Dollar Letter of Credit or a Multicurrency Letter of Credit.

 

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.

 

“Collateral” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Guarantee and Security Agreement.

 

“Collateral Agent” means Amegy Bank in its capacity as Collateral Agent under the Guarantee and Security Agreement, and includes any successor Collateral Agent thereunder.

 

“Commitments” means with respect to each Dollar Lender, the commitment of such Dollar Lender to make Syndicated Loans, and to acquire participations denominated in Dollars in Letters of Credit, Swingline Loans, and Multicurrency Loans, expressed as an amount representing the maximum aggregate amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure hereunder, as such commitment may be (a) reduced from time to time pursuant to Section 2.08 and (b) reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to Section 9.04. The initial amount of each Dollar Lender’s Commitment is set forth on Schedule 1.01(b) or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed its Commitment, as applicable. The aggregate amount of all Dollar Lenders’ Commitments as of the Effective Date is $140,000,000.

 

6 

 

 

“Commitment Increase” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.08(e).

 

“Commitment Increase Date” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.08(e).

 

“Commitment Termination Date” means October [ ], 2020, as such date may be extended upon the consent of each affected Lender and the payment by Borrower of a then-market commitment fee.

 

“Consolidated EBITDA” means, for Borrower and its Subsidiaries a consolidated basis for any period and without duplication, (a) Consolidated Net Investment Income, plus (b) to the extent subtracted in determining Consolidated Net Investment Income, (i) Consolidated Interest Expense, (ii) federal and state income Tax expense, and (iii) depreciation and amortization expense, minus (c) to the extent added in determining Consolidated Net Investment Income, any accretion of any discounts.

 

“Consolidated Group” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.13(a).

 

“Consolidated Interest Expense” means, for Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for any period, interest expense for such period (including interest expense attributable to Capital Lease Obligations and all net payment obligations pursuant to Hedging Agreements).

 

“Consolidated Net Investment Income” means, for Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for any period, the consolidated net investment income (or loss) of such Person for such period as determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

“Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.

 

“Covered Debt Amount” means, on any date, the sum of (x) all of the Revolving Credit Exposures of all Lenders on such date minus (y) the LC Exposures fully Cash Collateralized on such date pursuant to Section 2.05(k) and the last paragraph of Section 2.09(a).

 

“Currency” means Dollars or any Foreign Currency.

 

“Default” means any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.

 

“Defaulting Lender” means, subject to Section 2.19(b), any Lender that (a) has failed to (i) fund all or any portion of its Loans or participations in Letters of Credit within two Business Days of the date such Loans were required to be funded hereunder unless such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower in writing that such failure is the result of such Lender’s reasonable determination that one or more conditions precedent to funding (each of which conditions precedent, together with the applicable default, if any, shall be specifically identified in detail in such writing) has not been satisfied, or (ii) pay to the Administrative Agent, Issuing Bank, Swingline Lender or any Lender any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder (including in respect of its participation in Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans) within two Business Days of the date when due, (b) has notified the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender in writing that it does not intend to comply with its funding obligations hereunder, or has made a public statement to that effect (unless such writing or public statement relates to such Lender’s obligation to fund a Loan hereunder and states that such position is based on such Lender’s reasonable determination that a condition precedent to funding (which condition precedent, together with the applicable default, if any, shall be specifically identified in detail in such writing or public statement) cannot be satisfied), (c) has failed, within three Business Days after written request by the Administrative Agent or the Borrower, to confirm in writing to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that it will comply with its prospective funding obligations hereunder (provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon receipt of such written confirmation by Administrative Agent and Borrower), or (d) Administrative Agent has received notification that such Lender has become, or has a direct or indirect parent company that is, (i) insolvent, or is generally unable to pay its debts as they become due, or admits in writing its inability to pay its debts as they become due, or makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors or (ii) other than via an Undisclosed Administration, the subject of a bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, liquidation or similar proceeding, or a receiver, trustee, conservator, intervenor or sequestrator or the like has been appointed for such Lender or its direct or indirect parent company, or such Lender or its direct or indirect parent company has taken any action in furtherance of or indicating its consent to or acquiescence in any such proceeding or appointment, or (iii) the subject of a Bail-In Action; provided that a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any Equity Interest in that Lender or any direct or indirect parent company thereof by a Governmental Authority or instrumentality so long as such ownership interest does not result in or provide such Lender with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permit such Lender (or such Governmental Authority or instrumentality) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made with such Lender. Any determination by the Administrative Agent that a Lender is a Defaulting Lender under any one or more of clauses (a) through (d) above shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error, and such Lender shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender (subject to Section 2.19(b)) upon such determination (and the Administrative Agent shall deliver written notice of such determination to the Borrower, the Issuing Bank and each Lender and the Swingline Lender).

 

7 

 

 

“Designated Obligations” means all obligations of the Borrower with respect to (a) principal of and interest on the Loans and (b) accrued and unpaid fees under the Loan Documents.

 

“Disposition” or “Dispose” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (including any sale and leaseback transaction) of any property by any Person (or the granting of any option or other right to do any of the foregoing), including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith; provided that the term “Disposition” or “Dispose” shall not include the disposition of Investments originated by the Borrower and immediately transferred to a Financing Subsidiary pursuant to a transaction not prohibited hereunder.

 

“Dollar Equivalent” means, on any date of determination, with respect to an amount denominated in any Foreign Currency, the amount of Dollars that would be required to purchase such amount of such Foreign Currency on the date two Business Days prior to such date, based upon the spot selling rate at which the Administrative Agent offers to sell such Foreign Currency for Dollars in the London foreign exchange market at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, for delivery two Business Days later.

 

“Dollar Lender” means the Persons listed on Schedule 1.01(b) as having Commitments and any other Person that shall have become a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption that provides for it to assume a Commitment or to acquire Revolving Credit Exposure, other than any such Person that ceases to be a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption.

 

“Dollar Letters of Credit” means Letters of Credit that utilize the Commitments.

 

8 

 

 

“Dollar Loan” means a Loan denominated in Dollars.

 

“Dollars” or “$” refers to lawful money of the United States of America.

 

“EEA Financial Institution” means (a) any credit institution or investment firm established in any EEA Member Country which is subject to the supervision of an EEA Resolution Authority, (b) any entity established in an EEA Member Country which is a parent of an institution described in clause (a) of this definition, or (c) any financial institution established in an EEA Member Country which is a subsidiary of an institution described in clauses (a) or (b) of this definition and is subject to consolidated supervision with its parent.

 

“EEA Member Country” means any of the member states of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

 

“EEA Resolution Authority” means any public administrative authority or any person entrusted with public administrative authority of any EEA Member Country (including any delegee) having responsibility for the resolution of any EEA Financial Institution.

 

“Effective Date” means the date on which the conditions specified in Section 4.01 are satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02).

 

“Equity Interests” means shares of capital stock, partnership interests, membership interests in a limited liability company, beneficial interests in a trust or other equity ownership interests or equivalents (however designated, including any instrument treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes) in a Person, and any warrants, options or other rights entitling the holder thereof to purchase or acquire any such equity interest.

 

“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time.

 

“ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with the Borrower, is treated as a single employer under Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code, or, solely for purposes of Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the Code, is treated as a single employer under Section 414 of the Code.

 

“ERISA Event” means (a) any “reportable event”, as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder with respect to a Plan (other than an event for which the 30-day notice period is waived); (b) any failure by any Plan to satisfy the minimum funding standard (within the meaning of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA) applicable to such Plan; (c) the filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Plan; (d) the incurrence by the Borrower or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan; (e) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating to an intention to terminate any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan; (f) the incurrence by the Borrower or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability with respect to the withdrawal or partial withdrawal from any Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or (g) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, or the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan from the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, concerning the imposition of Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent or in reorganization, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.

 

9 

 

 

“EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule means the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor person), as in effect from time to time.

 

“Euro” means a single currency of the Participating Member States.

 

“Eurocurrency”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan or the Loans constituting such Borrowing are bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate.

 

“Event of Default” has the meaning assigned to such term in Article VII.

 

“Excluded Taxes” means, with respect to the Administrative Agent, any Lender, the Issuing Bank or any other recipient of any payment to be made by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower hereunder, (a) income, corporate, franchise or other similar Taxes imposed on (or measured by) its net income or profits by the United States of America (or any state or political subdivision thereof), or by the jurisdiction (or any political subdivision thereof) under the laws of which such recipient is organized or in which its principal office is located or, in the case of any Lender, in which its applicable lending office is located, (b) any branch profits Taxes imposed by the United States of America or any similar Tax imposed by any other jurisdiction in which the Borrower is located, (c) in the case of a Lender, any U.S. withholding Tax imposed on amounts payable to such Lender at the time such Lender (i) becomes a party to this Agreement (other than an assignee pursuant to a request by the Borrower under Section 2.18(b)) or (ii) designates a new lending office, except to the extent that such Lender’s assignor or such Lender was entitled to receive additional amounts from the Borrower with respect to such withholding Tax pursuant to Section 2.16, at the time of such assignment or designation (other than to the extent such withholding is as a result of a CAM Exchange), (d) Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure or inability to comply with Section 2.16(f), (e) any U.S. federal, state or local backup withholding Taxes imposed on payments made under any Loan Document, and (f) any U.S. federal withholding Tax that is imposed pursuant to FATCA.

 

“Existing Credit Agreement” means that certain Senior Secured Revolving Credit Agreement dated as of November 13, 2012, among Borrower, the lenders party thereto, and SunTrust Bank, as administrative agent, as amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified prior to the date hereof.

 

“External Manager” means Stellus Capital Management, LLC.

 

“FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof and any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code, any intergovernmental agreement entered into in connection with such sections of the Code and any legislations, law, regulation or practice enacted or promulgated pursuant to such intergovernmental agreement.

 

“Federal Funds Effective Rate” means, for any day, the weighted average (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers, as published on the next succeeding Business Day by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or, if such rate is not so published for any day that is a Business Day, the average (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the quotations for such day for such transactions received by the Administrative Agent from three Federal funds brokers of recognized standing selected by it.

 

10 

 

 

“Fee Letter” means that certain fee letter dated as of October [ ], 2017, between Borrower and Amegy Bank, as amended, restated, supplemented, or otherwise modified from time to time.

 

“Final Maturity Date” means October [ ], 2021.

 

“Financial Officer” means the chief financial officer or treasurer of the Borrower.

 

“Financing Subsidiary” means an SPE Subsidiary or an SBIC Subsidiary.

 

“Foreign Currency” means at any time any Currency other than Dollars.

 

“Foreign Currency Equivalent” means, with respect to any amount in Dollars, the amount of any Foreign Currency that could be purchased with such amount of Dollars using the reciprocal of the foreign exchange rate(s) specified in the definition of the term “Dollar Equivalent”, as determined by the Administrative Agent.

 

“Foreign Lender” means any Lender that is not a “United States person” as defined under Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.

 

“Foreign Subsidiary” means any (a) direct or indirect Subsidiary of the Borrower that is organized under the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United States or its territories or possessions and that is treated as a corporation for United States federal income Tax purposes, (b) direct or indirect Subsidiary of the Borrower which is a “controlled foreign corporation” within the meaning of the Code or (c) direct or indirect Subsidiary that is disregarded as an entity that is separate from its owner for United States federal income Tax purposes and substantially all of its assets consist of the Capital Stock of one or more direct or indirect Foreign Subsidiaries.

 

“Fronting Exposure” means, at any time there is a Defaulting Lender, with respect to any Issuing Bank, such Defaulting Lender’s Applicable Dollar Percentage of the outstanding LC Exposure with respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank other than LC Exposure as to which such Defaulting Lender’s participation obligation has been reallocated to other Lenders or Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.

 

“Good Faith Tax Estimate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.05(b).

 

“Governmental Authority” means the government of the United States of America, or of any other nation, or any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government.

 

“Guarantee” of or by any Person (the “guarantor”) means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of the guarantor guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of the guarantor, direct or indirect, (a) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation or to purchase (or to advance or supply funds for the purchase of) any security for the payment thereof, (b) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the owner of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment thereof, (c) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation or (d) as an account party in respect of any letter of credit or letter of guaranty issued to support such Indebtedness or obligation; provided that the term Guarantee shall not include (i) endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business or (ii) customary indemnification agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business, provided that such indemnification obligations are unsecured, such Person has determined that any liability thereunder is remote and such indemnification obligations are not the functional equivalent of the guaranty of a payment obligation of the primary obligor.

 

11 

 

 

“Guarantee and Security Agreement” means that certain Guarantee and Security Agreement dated as of the date hereof, among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, each Subsidiary of the Borrower from time to time party thereto and the Collateral Agent, as the same shall be modified and supplemented and in effect from time to time.

 

“Guarantee Assumption Agreement” means a Guarantee Assumption Agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit B to the Guarantee and Security Agreement between the Collateral Agent and an entity that pursuant to Section 5.08 is required to become a “Subsidiary Guarantor” under the Guarantee and Security Agreement (with such changes as the Administrative Agent shall request consistent with the requirements of Section 5.08).

 

“Hedging Agreement” means any interest rate protection agreement, foreign currency exchange protection agreement, commodity price protection agreement or other interest or currency exchange rate or commodity price hedging arrangement which is provided by a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender and is documented on a form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, or other reasonable and customary manner.

 

“Immaterial Subsidiaries” means those Subsidiaries of the Borrower that are “designated” as Immaterial Subsidiaries by the Borrower from time to time (it being understood that the Borrower may at any time change any such designation); provided that such designated Immaterial Subsidiaries shall collectively meet all of the following criteria as of the date of the most recent balance sheet required to be delivered pursuant to Section 5.01: (a) the aggregate assets of such Subsidiaries and their Subsidiaries (on a consolidated basis) as of such date do not exceed an amount equal to 2% of the consolidated assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of such date; and (b) the aggregate revenues of such Subsidiaries and their Subsidiaries (on a consolidated basis) for the fiscal quarter ending on such date do not exceed an amount equal to 2% of the consolidated revenues of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such period.

 

“Increasing Lender” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.08(e).

 

“Indebtedness” of any Person means, without duplication, (a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances of any kind, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property acquired by such Person, (d) all obligations of such Person in respect of the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding accounts payable and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business which are not overdue for a period of more than 90 days), (e) all Indebtedness of others secured by any Lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the Indebtedness secured thereby has been assumed (with the value of such debt being the lower of the outstanding amount of such debt and the fair market value of the property subject to such Lien), (f) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (g) all Capital Lease Obligations of such Person, (h) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit and letters of guaranty and (i) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person in respect of bankers’ acceptances. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any other entity (including any partnership in which such Person is a general partner) to the extent such Person is liable therefor as a result of such Person’s ownership interest in or other relationship with such entity, except to the extent the terms of such Indebtedness provide that such Person is not liable therefor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Indebtedness” shall not include (x) purchase price holdbacks arising in the ordinary course of business in respect of a portion of the purchase price of an asset or Investment to satisfy unperformed obligations of the seller of such asset or Investment or (y) a commitment arising in the ordinary course of business to make a future Investment.

 

12 

 

 

“Indemnified Taxes” means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in (a), Other Taxes.

 

“Independent” when used with respect to any specified Person means that such Person (a) does not have any direct financial interest or any material indirect financial interest in the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates (including its investment advisor or any Affiliate thereof) and (b) is not connected with the Borrower or of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates (including its investment advisor or any Affiliate thereof) as an officer, employee, promoter, underwriter, trustee, partner, director or Person performing similar functions.

 

“Industry Classification Group” means (a) any of the classification groups set forth in Schedule 1.01(c) hereto, together with any such classification groups that may be subsequently established by Moody’s and provided by the Borrower to the Lenders, and (b) up to three additional industry group classifications established by the Borrower pursuant to Section 5.12.

 

“Interest Coverage Ratio” means, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBITDA to (b) Consolidated Interest Expense, in each case for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ending on such date.

 

“Interest Election Request” means a request by the Borrower to convert or continue a Syndicated Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.07.

 

“Interest Payment Date” means (a) with respect to any Syndicated ABR Loan, each Quarterly Date, (b) with respect to any Eurocurrency Loan, the last day of each Interest Period therefor and, in the case of any Interest Period of more than three months’ duration, each day prior to the last day of such Interest Period that occurs at three-month intervals after the first day of such Interest Period and (c) with respect to any Swingline Loan, the day that such Loan is required to be repaid.

 

“Interest Period” means, for any Eurocurrency Loan or Borrowing, the period commencing on the date of such Loan or Borrowing and ending on the numerically corresponding day in the calendar month that is one, two, three or six months thereafter or, with respect to such portion of any Eurocurrency Loan or Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency that is scheduled to be repaid on the Final Maturity Date, a period of less than one month’s duration commencing on the date of such Loan or Borrowing and ending on the Final Maturity Date, as specified in the applicable Borrowing Request or Interest Election Request; provided that (i) if any Interest Period would end on a day other than a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such next succeeding Business Day would fall in the next calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day, and (ii) any Interest Period (other than an Interest Period pertaining to a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency that ends on the Final Maturity Date that is permitted to be of less than one month’s duration as provided in this definition) that commences on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the last calendar month of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the last calendar month of such Interest Period. For purposes hereof, the date of a Loan initially shall be the date on which such Loan is made and thereafter shall be the effective date of the most recent conversion or continuation of such Loan, and the date of a Syndicated Borrowing comprising Loans that have been converted or continued shall be the effective date of the most recent conversion or continuation of such Loans.

 

13 

 

 

“Interpolated Rate” means, at any time, for any Interest Period, the rate per annum (rounded to the same number of decimal places as the LIBO Screen Rate) determined by the Administrative Agent (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) to be equal to the rate that results from interpolating on a linear basis between: (a) the LIBO Screen Rate for the longest period (for which the LIBO Screen Rate is available) that is shorter than the Impacted Interest Period and (b) the LIBO Screen Rate for the shortest period (for which the LIBOR Screen Rate is available) that exceeds the Impacted Interest Period, in each case, at such time; provided that, if the Interpolated Rate shall be less than 0%, such rate shall be deemed to be 0% for purposes of this Agreement.

 

“Investment” means, for any Person: (a) Equity Interests, bonds, notes, debentures or other securities of any other Person or any agreement to acquire any Equity Interests, bonds, notes, debentures or other securities of any other Person (and any rights or proceeds in respect of (x) any “short sale” of securities or (y) any sale of any securities at a time when such securities are not owned by such Person); (b) deposits, advances, loans or other extensions of credit made to any other Person (including purchases of property from another Person subject to an understanding or agreement, contingent or otherwise, to resell such property to such Person); or (c) Hedging Agreements.

 

“Investment Company Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended from time to time.

 

“Investment Policies” means the investment objectives, policies, restrictions and limitations set forth in the “COMPANY” section of its Registration Statement, and as the same may be changed, altered, expanded, amended, modified, terminated or restated from time to time.

 

“IRS” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.

 

“Issuing Bank” means Amegy Bank, in its capacity as the issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder, and its successors in such capacity as provided in Section 2.05(j). In the case of any Letter of Credit to be issued in an Agreed Foreign Currency, Amegy Bank may designate any of its affiliates as the “Issuing Bank” for purposes of such Letter of Credit.

 

“LC Disbursement” means a payment made by the Issuing Bank pursuant to a Letter of Credit.

 

“LC Exposure” means, at any time, the sum of (a) the aggregate undrawn amount (or Dollar Equivalent) of all outstanding Letters of Credit at such time plus (b) the aggregate amount of all LC Disbursements (or Dollar Equivalent) in respect of such Letters of Credit that have not yet been reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time. The LC Exposure of any Lender at any time shall be its Applicable Dollar Percentage of the total LC Exposure at such time.

 

“Lenders” means, collectively, the Dollar Lenders and the Multicurrency Lenders. Unless the context otherwise requires, the term “Lenders” includes the Swingline Lender.

 

“Letter of Credit” means any letter of credit issued pursuant to this Agreement.

 

“Letter of Credit Collateral Account” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.05(k).

 

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“Letter of Credit Documents” means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, collectively, any application therefor and any other agreements, instruments, guarantees or other documents (whether general in application or applicable only to such Letter of Credit) governing or providing for (a) the rights and obligations of the parties concerned or at risk with respect to such Letter of Credit or (b) any collateral security for any of such obligations, each as the same may be modified and supplemented and in effect from time to time.

 

“LIBO Rate” means, for any applicable Interest Period, the London interbank offered rate administered by ICE Benchmark Administration (or any other Person that takes over the administration of such rate for the relevant Currency) for deposits in the relevant Currency for a period equal in length to such Interest Period, as displayed on a Bloomberg page or screen or, in the event such rate does not appear on a Bloomberg rate or screen, on a Reuters screen or, in the event such rate does not appear on a Reuters page or screen, on any successor or substitute page on such screen that displays such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate as shall be selected by the Administrative Agent from time to time in its reasonable discretion (the “LIBO Screen Rate”), at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two (2) Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period; provided that, (a) if any LIBO Screen Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement, and (b) if the LIBO Screen Rate shall not be available at such time for deposits in the relevant Currency for a period equal in length to such Interest Period (an “Impacted Interest Period”), then LIBO shall be the Interpolated Rate at such time, subject to Section 2.13, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall conclude that it shall not be possible to determine such Interpolated Rate (which conclusion shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error); provided further that, if any Interpolated Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the above, to the extent that “LIBO” or “Adjusted LIBO Rate” is used in connection with an ABR Borrowing, such rate shall be determined as modified by the definition of Alternate Base Rate.

 

“Lien” means, with respect to any asset, (a) any mortgage, deed of trust, lien, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, charge or security interest in, on or of such asset, (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention agreement (or any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing) relating to such asset and (c) in the case of securities, any purchase option, call or similar right of a third party with respect to such securities, except in favor of the issuer thereof (and in the case of Investments that are securities, excluding customary drag-along, tagalong, right of first refusal and other similar rights in favor of the equity holders of the same issuer).

 

“Loan Documents” means, collectively, this Agreement, the Fee Letter, the Letter of Credit Documents and the Security Documents.

 

“Loans” means the loans made by the Lenders to the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement.

 

“Margin Stock” means “margin stock” within the meaning of Regulations T, U and X.

 

“Material Adverse Effect” means a material adverse effect on (a) the business, Investments and other assets, liabilities or financial condition of the Borrower or the Borrower and its Subsidiaries (other than Financing Subsidiaries) taken as a whole (excluding in any case a decline in the net asset value of the Borrower or a change in general market conditions or values of the Investments), or (b) the validity or enforceability of any of the Loan Documents or the rights or remedies of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders thereunder.

 

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“Material Indebtedness” means (a) Indebtedness (other than the Loans, Letters of Credit and Hedging Agreements), of any one or more of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount exceeding $5,000,000 and (b) obligations in respect of one or more Hedging Agreements under which the maximum aggregate amount (giving effect to any netting agreements) that the Borrower and its Subsidiaries would be required to pay if such Hedging Agreement(s) were terminated at such time would exceed $5,000,000.

 

“Minimum Collateral Amount” means, at any time, with respect to Cash Collateral consisting of Cash or deposit account balances, an amount equal to 100% of the Fronting Exposure of Issuing Bank with respect to Letters of Credit issued and outstanding at such time.

 

“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or any successor thereto.

 

“Multicurrency LC Exposure” means, at any time, the sum of (a) the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Multicurrency Letters of Credit at such time plus (b) the aggregate amount of all LC Disbursements in respect of such Multicurrency Letters of Credit that have not yet been reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time.

 

“Multicurrency Lender” means Amegy Bank in its capacity as lender of Multicurrency Loans, and each other Lender from time to time approved by Administrative Agent and Borrower to make Multicurrency Loans.

 

“Multicurrency Letters of Credit” means Letters of Credit denominated in an Agreed Foreign Currency.

 

“Multicurrency Loan” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.01(b) and which is denominated in an Agreed Foreign Currency.

 

“Multicurrency Loan Exposure” means, at any time, the aggregate principal amount of all Multicurrency Loans outstanding at such time. The Multicurrency Loan Exposure of any Multicurrency Lender at any time shall be its Applicable Multicurrency Percentage of the total Multicurrency Loan Exposure.

 

“Multicurrency Sublimit” means the lesser of (a) $30,000,000, and (b) the aggregate amount of the Commitments.

 

“Multiemployer Plan” means a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.

 

“National Currency” means the currency, other than the Euro, of a Participating Member State.

 

“Non-Defaulting Lender” means, at any time, a Lender that is not a Defaulting Lender at such time.

 

“Non-Public Information” means material non-public information (within the meaning of United States federal, state or other applicable securities laws) with respect to Borrower or its Affiliates or their Securities.

 

“Note” means a promissory note made by the Borrower in favor of a Lender evidencing Loans made by such Lender, in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent.

 

“Obligor” means, collectively, the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors.

 

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“Original Currency” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.17.

 

“Other Permitted Indebtedness” means (a) accrued expenses and current trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of the Borrower’s business which are not overdue for a period of more than 90 days or which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (b) Indebtedness (other than Indebtedness for borrowed money) arising in connection with transactions in the ordinary course of the Borrower’s business in connection with its purchasing of securities, derivatives transactions, reverse repurchase agreements or dollar rolls to the extent such transactions are permitted under the Investment Company Act and the Borrower’s Investment Policies (after giving effect to any Permitted Policy Amendments), provided that, such Indebtedness does not arise in connection with the purchase of Investments other than Cash Equivalents and U.S. Government Securities, and (c) Indebtedness in respect of judgments or awards that have been in force for less than the applicable period for taking an appeal so long as such judgments or awards do not constitute an Event of Default under clause (l) of Article VII; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, Indebtedness arising under Hedging Agreements shall not constitute “Other Permitted Indebtedness” hereunder.

 

“Other Taxes” means any and all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes arising from any payment made under any Loan Document or from the execution, delivery or enforcement of, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, excluding any such Taxes, charges or similar levies resulting from an assignment by any Lender in accordance with Section 9.04 hereof (unless such assignment is made pursuant to Section 2.18(b)).

 

“Parent Company” means, with respect to a Lender, the bank holding company (as defined in Federal Reserve Board Regulation Y), if any, of such Lender, and/or any Person owning, beneficially or of record, directly or indirectly, a majority of the shares of such Lender.

 

“Participant” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04.

 

“Participant Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04.

 

“Participating Member State” means any member state of the European Community that adopts or has adopted the Euro as its lawful currency in accordance with the legislation of the European Union relating to the European Monetary Union.

 

“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in ERISA and any successor entity performing similar functions.

 

“Permitted Liens” means (a) Liens imposed by any Governmental Authority for Taxes, assessments or charges not yet due or that are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the Borrower in accordance with GAAP; (b) Liens of clearing agencies, broker-dealers and similar Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business, provided that, such Liens (i) attach only to the securities (or proceeds) being purchased or sold and (ii) secure only obligations incurred in connection with such purchase or sale, and not any obligation in connection with margin financing; (c) Liens imposed by law, such as materialmen’s, mechanics’, carriers’, workmens’, storage and repairmen’s Liens and other similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of business and securing obligations (other than Indebtedness for borrowed money) not yet due or that are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the Borrower in accordance with GAAP; (d) Liens incurred or pledges or deposits made to secure obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business under workers’ compensation laws, unemployment insurance or other similar social security legislation (other than in respect of employee benefit plans subject to ERISA) or to secure public or statutory obligations; (e) Liens securing the performance of, or payment in respect of, bids, insurance premiums, deductibles or co-insured amounts, tenders, government or utility contracts (other than for the repayment of borrowed money), surety, stay, customs and appeal bonds and other obligations of a similar nature incurred in the ordinary course of business; (f) Liens arising out of judgments or awards that have been in force for less than the applicable period for taking an appeal so long as such judgments or awards do not constitute an Event of Default under clause (l) of Article VII; (g) customary rights of setoff and liens upon (i) deposits of cash in favor of banks or other depository institutions in which such cash is maintained in the ordinary course of business, (ii) cash and financial assets held in securities accounts in favor of banks and other financial institutions with which such accounts are maintained in the ordinary course of business and (iii) assets held by a custodian in favor of such custodian in the ordinary course of business securing payment of fees, indemnities and other similar obligations; (h) Liens arising solely from precautionary filings of financing statements under the Uniform Commercial Code of the applicable jurisdictions in respect of operating leases entered into by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business; and (i) deposits of money securing leases to which Borrower is a party as lessee made in the ordinary course of business.

 

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“Permitted Policy Amendment” means any change, alteration, expansion, amendment, modification, termination or restatement of the Investment Policies that is either (a) approved in writing by the Administrative Agent (with the consent of the Required Lenders), (b) required by applicable law, rule, regulation or Governmental Authority, or (c) not material in the reasonable discretion of the Administrative Agent (for the avoidance of doubt, no change, alteration, expansion, amendment, modification, termination or restatement of the Investment Policies shall be deemed “material” if investment size proportionately increases as the size of the Borrower’s capital base changes).

 

“Permitted SBIC Guarantee” means a guarantee by the Borrower of Indebtedness of an SBIC Subsidiary on the SBA’s then applicable form, provided that, the recourse to the Borrower thereunder is expressly limited only to periods after the occurrence of an event or condition that is an impermissible change in the control of such SBIC Subsidiary (it being understood that, as provided in clause (t) of Article VII, it shall be an Event of Default hereunder if any such event or condition giving rise to such recourse occurs).

 

“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.

 

“Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an “employer” as defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA.

 

“Platform” means has the meaning set forth in Section 5.01(i).

 

“Portfolio Investment” means any Investment held by the Obligors in their asset portfolio (and, solely for purposes of determining the Borrowing Base, Cash). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the following Investments shall not be considered Portfolio Investments under this Agreement or any other Loan Document: (a) any Investment by an Obligor in any Subsidiary or Affiliate of such Obligor or any Financing Subsidiary (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any Investment by an Obligor in an entity constituting a portfolio investment of such Obligor or an Affiliate of such Obligor); (b) any Investment that provides in favor of the obligor in respect of such Portfolio Investment an express right of rescission, set-off, counterclaim or any other defenses; (c) any Investment, which if debt, is an obligation (other than a revolving loan or delayed draw term loan) pursuant to which any future advances or payments to the Obligor may be required to be made by the Borrower; (d) any Investment which is made to a bankrupt entity (other than a debtor-in-possession financing and current pay obligations); (f) any Investment, Cash or account in which a Financing Subsidiary has an interest; and (g) any Investment that, when made, was not made in accordance with Borrower’s Investment Policies in effect at such time.

 

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“Prime Rate” means the rate of interest per annum then most recently published in The Wall Street Journal (or any successor publication if The Wall Street Journal is no longer published) in the “Money Rates” Section (or such successor section) as the “Prime Rate.” If a range of prime interest rates per annum is so published, “Prime Rate” shall mean the highest rate per annum of all stated rates in such published range. If the definition of “Prime Rate” is no longer published in The Wall Street Journal (or any successor publication), “Prime Rate” shall mean, at any time, the rate of interest per annum then most recently established by Administrative Agent as its prime rate.

 

“Principal Financial Center” means, in the case of any Currency, the principal financial center where such Currency is cleared and settled, as determined by the Administrative Agent.

 

“Prohibited Assignees and Participants Side Letter” means that certain Side Letter, dated as of the date hereof, between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.

 

“Public Lender” means Lenders that do not wish to receive Non-Public Information with respect to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or their Securities.

 

“Quarterly Date” means the last Business Day of March, June, September and December in each year, commencing on December 31, 2017.

 

“Quoted Investments” means a Portfolio Investment with a value assigned by the Borrower pursuant to Section 5.12(b)(ii)(A).

 

“Register” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.04.

 

“Registration Statement” means the Registration Statement filed by the Borrower with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 3, 2017.

 

“Regulations D, T, U and X” means, respectively, Regulations D, T, U and X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (or any successor), as the same may be modified and supplemented and in effect from time to time.

 

“Related Parties” means, with respect to any specified Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the respective partners, directors, officers, employees, agents and advisors of such Person and such Person’s Affiliates.

 

“Required Lenders” means, at any time, Lenders having Revolving Credit Exposures and unused Commitments representing more than 50% of the sum of the total Revolving Credit Exposures and unused Commitments at such time; provided that the Revolving Credit Exposures and unused Commitments of any Defaulting Lender shall be disregarded in the determination of Required Lenders.

 

“Restricted Payment” means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any shares of any class of capital stock of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such shares of capital stock of the Borrower or any option, warrant or other right to acquire any such shares of capital stock of the Borrower (it being understood that none of: (w) the conversion features under convertible notes; (x) the triggering and/or settlement thereof or in respect of the repurchase of such notes at the option of the holder; or (y) any cash payment made by the Borrower in respect thereof, shall constitute a Restricted Payment hereunder).

 

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“Revolving Credit Exposure” means, with respect to any Lender at any time, the sum of the outstanding principal amount of such Lender’s Syndicated Loans, its LC Exposure, its Swingline Exposure, and its Multicurrency Loan Exposure.

 

“Revolving Multicurrency Credit Exposure” means, with respect to any Multicurrency Lender at any time, the sum of its Multicurrency Loan Exposure and its Multicurrency LC Exposure.

 

“Revolving Percentage” means, as of any date of determination, the result, expressed as a percentage, of the Revolving Credit Exposure on such date divided by the aggregate outstanding Covered Debt Amount on such date.

 

“RIC” means a “regulated investment company” as defined in section 851 of the Code.

 

“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc., a New York corporation, or any successor thereto.

 

“SBA” means the United States Small Business Administration.

 

“SBIC Equity Commitment” means a commitment by the Borrower to make one or more capital contributions to an SBIC Subsidiary.

 

“SBIC Subsidiary” means any direct or indirect Subsidiary (including such Subsidiary’s general partner or managing entity to the extent that the only material asset of such general partner or managing entity is its equity interest in the SBIC Subsidiary) of the Borrower licensed as a small business investment company under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended, and which is designated by the Borrower (as provided below) as an SBIC Subsidiary, so long as (a) no portion of the Indebtedness or any other obligations (contingent or otherwise) of such Subsidiary: (i) is Guaranteed by any Obligor (other than a Permitted SBIC Guarantee), (ii) is recourse to or obligates any Obligor in any way (other than in respect of any SBIC Equity Commitment or Permitted SBIC Guarantee), or (iii) subjects any property of any Obligor, directly or indirectly, contingently or otherwise, to the satisfaction thereof, and (b) no Obligor has any obligation to maintain or preserve such Subsidiary’s financial condition or cause such entity to achieve certain levels of operating results. Any such designation by the Borrower shall be effected pursuant to a certificate of a Financial Officer delivered to the Administrative Agent, which certificate shall include a statement to the effect that, to the best of such officer’s knowledge, such designation complied with the foregoing conditions.

 

“Scheduled Payment Date” means the 15th day of each calendar month beginning October [ ], 2020, and continuing on the 15thday of each calendar month thereafter through and including the Final Maturity Date.

 

“Security Documents” means, collectively, the Guarantee and Security Agreement, all Uniform Commercial Code financing statements filed with respect to the security interests in personal property created pursuant to the Guarantee and Security Agreement and all other assignments, pledge agreements, security agreements, control agreements and other instruments executed and delivered on or after the date hereof by any of the Obligors pursuant to the Guarantee and Security Agreement or otherwise providing or relating to any collateral security for any of the Secured Obligations under and as defined in the Guarantee and Security Agreement.

 

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“Shareholders’ Equity” means, at any date, the amount determined on a consolidated basis, without duplication, in accordance with GAAP, of shareholders equity for the Borrower and its Subsidiaries at such date.

 

“SPE Subsidiary” means a direct or indirect Subsidiary of the Borrower to which any Obligor sells, conveys or otherwise transfers (whether directly or indirectly) Investments, which engages in no material activities other than in connection with the purchase or financing of such assets and which is designated by the Borrower (as provided below) as an SPE Subsidiary:

 

(a)                no portion of the Indebtedness or any other obligations (contingent or otherwise) of which (i) is Guaranteed by any Obligor (other than Guarantees in respect of Standard Securitization Undertakings), (ii) is recourse to or obligates any Obligor in any way other than pursuant to Standard Securitization Undertakings or (iii) subjects any property of any Obligor, directly or indirectly, contingently or otherwise, to the satisfaction thereof, other than pursuant to Standard Securitization Undertakings or any Guarantee thereof,

 

(b)                with which no Obligor has any material contract, agreement, arrangement or understanding other than on terms no less favorable to such Obligor than those that might be obtained at the time from Persons that are not Affiliates of any Obligor, other than fees payable in the ordinary course of business in connection with servicing receivables, and

 

(c)                to which no Obligor has any obligation to maintain or preserve such entity’s financial condition or cause such entity to achieve certain levels of operating results.

 

Any such designation by the Borrower shall be effected pursuant to a certificate of a Financial Officer delivered to the Administrative Agent, which certificate shall include a statement to the effect that such designation complies with the foregoing conditions. Each Subsidiary of an SPE Subsidiary shall be deemed to be an SPE Subsidiary and shall comply with the foregoing requirements of this definition.

 

“Special Equity Interest” means any Equity Interest that is subject to a Lien in favor of creditors of the issuer of such Equity Interest provided that (a) such Lien was created to secure Indebtedness owing by such issuer to such creditors, (b) such Indebtedness was (i) in existence at the time the Obligors acquired such Equity Interest, (ii) incurred or assumed by such issuer substantially contemporaneously with such acquisition or (iii) already subject to a Lien granted to such creditors and (c) unless such Equity Interest is not intended to be included in the Collateral, the documentation creating or governing such Lien does not prohibit the inclusion of such Equity Interest in the Collateral.

 

“Standard Securitization Undertakings” means, collectively, (a) customary arms-length servicing obligations (together with any related performance guarantees), (b) (i) obligations (together with any related performance guarantees) to refund the purchase price or grant purchase price credits for dilutive events or misrepresentations (in each case unrelated to the collectibility of the assets sold or the creditworthiness of the associated account debtors) or (ii) options to substitute conforming assets for non-conforming assets and (c) representations, warranties, covenants and indemnities (together with any related performance guarantees) of a type that are reasonably customary in accounts receivable securitizations or loan securitizations.

 

“Statutory Reserve Rate” means, for the Interest Period for any Eurocurrency Borrowing, a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which is the number one minus the arithmetic mean, taken over each day in such Interest Period, of the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentages (including any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves) expressed as a decimal established by the Board to which the Administrative Agent is subject for eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency liabilities” in Regulation D). Such reserve percentages shall include those imposed pursuant to Regulation D. Eurocurrency Loans shall be deemed to constitute eurocurrency funding and to be subject to such reserve requirements without benefit of or credit for proration, exemptions or offsets that may be available from time to time to any Lender under Regulation D or any comparable regulation. The Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.

 

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“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person (the “parent”) at any date, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity the accounts of which would be consolidated with those of the parent in the parent’s consolidated financial statements if such financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP as of such date, as well as any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity (a) of which securities or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests are, as of such date, owned, controlled or held, or (b) that is, as of such date, otherwise Controlled by the parent or one or more subsidiaries of the parent or by the parent and one or more subsidiaries of the parent. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the term “Subsidiary” shall not include any Person that constitutes an Investment held by the Borrower (i) (x) in the ordinary course of business or (y) that is listed on the Borrower’s consolidated Schedule of Investments included in any filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (or, for investments made during a given quarter and before a consolidated Schedule of Investments is filed with respect to the end of such quarter, will be listed on the Borrower’s consolidated Schedule of Investments to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to the end of such quarter during which the Investment is made), including, without limitation, any such Schedule of Investments filed (or to be filed) with any of the Borrower’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, registration statements, or prospectuses, and (ii) that is not, under GAAP, consolidated on the financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries. Unless otherwise specified, “Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary of the Borrower.

 

“Subsidiary Guarantor” means any Subsidiary that is a Guarantor under the Guarantee and Security Agreement. It is understood and agreed that no Financing Subsidiary, Immaterial Subsidiary or Foreign Subsidiary shall be a Subsidiary Guarantor, provided that, such Subsidiaries do not own any Portfolio Investments included in the Borrowing Base.

 

“Swingline Exposure” means, at any time, the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans outstanding at such time. The Swingline Exposure of any Lender at any time shall be its Applicable Dollar Percentage of the total Swingline Exposure.

 

“Swingline Lender” means Amegy Bank, in its capacity as lender of Swingline Loans hereunder, and its successors in such capacity as provided in Section 2.04(d).

 

“Swingline Loan” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.04.

 

“Syndicated”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan or the Loans constituting such Borrowing are made pursuant to Section 2.01(a).

 

“Taxes” means any and all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, charges or withholdings (including backup withholding), assessments, fees, or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.

 

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“Termination Date” means the earliest to occur of (i) the Final Maturity Date, (ii) the date of the termination of the Commitments in full pursuant to Section 2.08(c), or (iii) the date on which the Commitments are terminated pursuant to Article VII.

 

“Testing Period” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.12(b)(ii)(E)(x).

 

“Testing Quarter” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.12(b)(ii)(B).

 

“Transactions” means the execution, delivery and performance by the Borrower of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, the borrowing of Loans, the use of the proceeds thereof and the issuance of Letters of Credit hereunder.

 

“Treasury Credit Facility” means any limited recourse debt facility of the Borrower used by the Borrower to purchase U.S. Government Securities maturing within ninety (90) days from the date of acquisition and secured solely by Cash and U.S. Government Securities (and not secured by any Investments, Cash or other property, in each case that constitute Collateral hereunder or are included in the Borrowing Base hereunder).

 

“Type”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether the rate of interest on such Loan, or on the Loans constituting such Borrowing, is determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the Alternate Base Rate.

 

“Undisclosed Administration” means, in relation to a Lender, the appointment of an administrator, provisional liquidator, conservator, receiver, trustee, custodian or other similar official by a supervisory authority or regulator under or based on the law in the country where such Lender is subject to home jurisdiction supervision if applicable law requires that such appointment is not to be publicly disclosed.

 

“Uniform Commercial Code” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in the State of New York.

 

“Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness” means (a) the Indebtedness set forth on Schedule 1.01(d) and any refinancing, renewals or re-openings of such Indebtedness; provided that after giving effect to any such refinancing, renewal or re-opening of such Indebtedness and any extension of the Final Maturity Date at the time of any such refinancing, renewal or re-opening but not after,, such Indebtedness has no amortization prior to, and a final maturity date not earlier than, six months after the Final Maturity Date, and (b) any other Indebtedness of an Obligor (which may be Guaranteed by Subsidiary Guarantors) that (i) has no amortization prior to, and a final maturity date not earlier than, six months after the Final Maturity Date after giving effect to any extension of the Final Maturity Date at the time of incurrence but not after (it being understood that none of: (w) the conversion features under convertible notes; (x) the triggering and/or settlement thereof or in respect of the repurchase of such notes at the option of the holder, or (y) any cash payment made in respect thereof, shall constitute “amortization” for purposes of this clause (a)), (ii) is incurred pursuant to documentation that is substantially comparable to market terms for substantially similar debt of other similarly situated borrowers as determined by the Borrower in its reasonable judgment and (iii) is not secured by any assets of any Obligor.

 

“Unquoted Investments” means a Portfolio Investment with a value assigned by the Borrower pursuant to Section 5.12(b)(ii)(B).

 

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“U.S. Government Securities” means securities that are direct obligations of, and obligations the timely payment of principal and interest on which is fully guaranteed by, the United States or any agency or instrumentality of the United States the obligations of which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States and in the form of conventional bills, bonds, and notes.

 

“U.S. Person” means any Person that is a “United States Person” as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.

 

“Value” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.13.

 

“Withdrawal Liability” means liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.

 

“Write-Down and Conversion Powers” means, with respect to any EEA Resolution Authority, the write-down and conversion powers of such EEA Resolution Authority from time to time under the Bail-In Legislation for the applicable EEA Member Country, which Write-Down and Conversion Powers are described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule.

 

Section 1.02            Classification of Loans and Borrowings. For purposes of this Agreement, Loans may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a “Syndicated Dollar Loan”), by Type (e.g., an “ABR Loan”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a “Syndicated Dollar LIBOR Loan”). Borrowings also may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a “Dollar Borrowing”, or “Syndicated Borrowing”), by Type (e.g., an “ABR Borrowing”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a “Syndicated ABR Borrowing” or “Syndicated Dollar LIBOR Borrowing”). Loans and Borrowings may also be identified by Currency.

 

Section 1.03            Terms Generally. The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include”, “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation”. The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall”. Unless the context requires otherwise (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein), (b) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns, (c) the words “herein”, “hereof’ and “hereunder”, and words of similar import, shall be construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular provision hereof, (d) all references herein to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, this Agreement and (e) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.

 

Section 1.04            Accounting Terms; GAAP. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature shall be construed in accordance with GAAP, as in effect from time to time; provided that, if the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of any change occurring after the date hereof in GAAP or in the application thereof on the operation of such provision (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof then such provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such change shall have become effective until such notice shall have been withdrawn or such provision amended in accordance herewith. The Borrower covenants and agrees with the Lenders that whether or not the Borrower may at any time adopt Financial Accounting Standard No. 159 (or successor standard solely as it relates to fair valuing liabilities) or accounts for liabilities acquired in an acquisition on a fair value basis pursuant to Financial Accounting Standard No. 141(R) (or successor standard solely as it relates to fair valuing liabilities), all determinations of compliance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall be made on the basis that the Borrower has not adopted Financial Accounting Standard No. 159 (or such successor standard solely as it relates to fair valuing liabilities) or, in the case of liabilities acquired in an acquisition, Financial Accounting Standard No. 141(R) (or such successor standard solely as it relates to fair valuing liabilities).

 

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Section 1.05            Currencies; Currency Equivalents.

 

(a)                Currencies Generally. At any time, any reference in the definition of the term “Agreed Foreign Currency” or in any other provision of this Agreement to the Currency of any particular nation means the lawful currency of such nation at such time whether or not the name of such Currency is the same as it was on the date hereof. Except as provided in Section 2.10(b) and the last sentence of Section 2.17(a), for purposes of determining (i) whether the amount of any Multicurrency Loans to be borrowed or any Multicurrency Letter of Credit to be issued, together with all other Multicurrency Loans and Multicurrency Letters of Credit then outstanding at the same time, would exceed the aggregate amount of the Multicurrency Sublimit or the Applicable Multicurrency Percentage, (ii) the aggregate unutilized amount of the Multicurrency Sublimit, (iii) the Revolving Credit Exposure, (iv) the Multicurrency LC Exposure, (v) the Covered Debt Amount and (vi) the Borrowing Base or the Value or the fair market value of any Portfolio Investment, the outstanding principal amount of any Borrowing or Letter of Credit that is denominated in any Foreign Currency or the Value or the fair market value of any Portfolio Investment that is denominated in any Foreign Currency shall be deemed to be the Dollar Equivalent of the amount of the Foreign Currency of such Borrowing, Letter of Credit or Portfolio Investment, as the case may be, determined as of the date of such Borrowing or Letter of Credit (determined in accordance with the last sentence of the definition of the term “Interest Period”) or the date of valuation of such Portfolio Investment, as the case may be. Wherever in this Agreement in connection with a Borrowing or Loan an amount, such as a required minimum or multiple amount, is expressed in Dollars, but such Borrowing or Loan is denominated in a Foreign Currency, such amount shall be the relevant Foreign Currency Equivalent of such Dollar amount (rounded to the nearest 1,000 units of such Foreign Currency).

 

(b)                Special Provisions Relating to Euro. Each obligation hereunder of any party hereto that is denominated in the National Currency of a state that is not a Participating Member State on the date hereof shall, effective from the date on which such state becomes a Participating Member State, be redenominated in Euro in accordance with the legislation of the European Union applicable to the European Monetary Union; provided that, if and to the extent that any such legislation provides that any such obligation of any such party payable within such Participating Member State by crediting an account of the creditor can be paid by the debtor either in Euros or such National Currency, such party shall be entitled to pay or repay such amount either in Euros or in such National Currency. If the basis of accrual of interest or fees expressed in this Agreement with respect to an Agreed Foreign Currency of any country that becomes a Participating Member State after the date on which such currency becomes an Agreed Foreign Currency shall be inconsistent with any convention or practice in the interbank market for the basis of accrual of interest or fees in respect of the Euro, such convention or practice shall replace such expressed basis effective as of and from the date on which such state becomes a Participating Member State; provided that, with respect to any Borrowing denominated in such currency that is outstanding immediately prior to such date, such replacement shall take effect at the end of the Interest Period therefor.

 

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Without prejudice to the respective liabilities of the Borrower to the Lenders and the Lenders to the Borrower under or pursuant to this Agreement, each provision of this Agreement shall be subject to such reasonable changes of construction as the Administrative Agent may from time to time, in consultation with the Borrower, reasonably specify to be necessary or appropriate to reflect the introduction or changeover to the Euro in any country that becomes a Participating Member State after the date hereof; provided that the Administrative Agent shall provide the Borrower and the Lenders with prior notice of the proposed change with an explanation of such change in sufficient time to permit the Borrower and the Lenders an opportunity to respond to such proposed change.

 

ARTICLE II
THE CREDITS

 

Section 2.01            The Commitments.

 

(a)                Syndicated Loans. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Dollar Lender severally agrees to make Syndicated Loans in Dollars to the Borrower from time to time during the Availability Period in an aggregate principal amount that will not result in (i) such Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure exceeding such Lender’s Commitment, (ii) the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposure of all of the Dollar Lenders exceeding the aggregate Commitments, or (iii) the total Covered Debt Amount exceeding the Borrowing Base then in effect. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Syndicated Loans.

 

(b)                Multicurrency Loans. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Multicurrency Lender severally agrees to make Loans in Agreed Foreign Currencies to the Borrower from time to time during the Availability Period in an aggregate principal amount that will not result in (i) the aggregate Revolving Multicurrency Credit Exposure exceeding the Multicurrency Sublimit, (ii) such Multicurrency Lender exceeding its Applicable Multicurrency Percentage, (iii) the Revolving Credit Exposure of such Lender exceeding its Commitment, or (iv) the total Covered Debt Amount exceeding the Borrowing Base then in effect. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Multicurrency Loans.

 

(c)                Participations by Lenders in Multicurrency Loans. Each Multicurrency Lender may by written notice given to the Administrative Agent not later than 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time on any Business Day, require the Lenders to acquire participations on such Business Day in all or a portion of its Multicurrency Loans outstanding. Such notice to the Administrative Agent shall specify the aggregate amount of Multicurrency Loans in which the Lenders will participate. Promptly upon receipt of such notice, the Administrative Agent will give notice thereof to each Lender, specifying in such notice such Lender’s Applicable Dollar Percentage of such Multicurrency Loan or Loans. Each Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees, upon receipt of notice as provided above in this paragraph, to pay to the Administrative Agent, for account of such Multicurrency Lender, such Lender’s Applicable Dollar Percentage of such Multicurrency Loan or Loans; provided that no Lender shall be required to purchase a participation in a Multicurrency Loan pursuant to this Section 2.01(c) if (x) the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 would not be satisfied in respect of a Borrowing at the time such Multicurrency Loan was made and (y) the Required Lenders shall have so notified such Multicurrency Lender in writing and shall not have subsequently determined that the circumstances giving rise to such conditions not being satisfied no longer exist.

 

Subject to the foregoing, each Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire participations in Multicurrency Loans pursuant to this paragraph (c) is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including the occurrence and continuance of a Default or an Event of Default or reduction or termination of the Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. Each Lender shall comply with its obligation under this paragraph by wire transfer of immediately available funds, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.06 with respect to Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.06 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the Multicurrency Lender the amounts so received by it from the Lenders. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower of any participations in any Multicurrency Loan acquired pursuant to this paragraph, and thereafter payments in respect of such Multicurrency Loan shall be made to the Administrative Agent and not to the Multicurrency Lender. Any amounts received by the Multicurrency Lender from the Borrower (or other party on behalf of the Borrower) in respect of a Multicurrency Loan after receipt by the Multicurrency Lender of the proceeds of a sale of participations therein shall be promptly remitted to the Administrative Agent; any such amounts received by the Administrative Agent shall be promptly remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Lenders that shall have made their payments pursuant to this paragraph and to the Multicurrency Lender, as their interests may appear. The purchase of participations in a Multicurrency Loan pursuant to this paragraph shall not relieve the Borrower of any default in the payment thereof.

 

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Section 2.02            Loans and Borrowings.

 

(a)                Obligations of Lenders. Each Syndicated Loan shall be made as part of a Borrowing consisting of Loans of the same Class, Currency and Type made by the applicable Lenders ratably in accordance with their respective Commitments of the applicable Class. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan required to be made by it shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligations hereunder; provided that the Commitments of the Lenders are several and no Lender shall be responsible for any other Lender’s failure to make Loans as required.

 

(b)                Type of Loans. Subject to Section 2.13, each Syndicated Borrowing shall be constituted entirely of ABR Loans or of Eurocurrency Loans of such Class denominated in a single Currency as the Borrower may request in accordance herewith. Each ABR Loan shall be denominated in Dollars. Each Lender at its option may make any Eurocurrency Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan; provided that any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

 

(c)                Minimum Amounts. Each Eurocurrency Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount of $1,000,000 or a larger multiple of $250,000, and each ABR Borrowing (whether Syndicated or Swingline) shall be in an aggregate amount of $1,000,000 or a larger multiple of $250,000; provided that a Syndicated ABR Borrowing may be in an aggregate amount that is equal to the entire unused balance of the total Commitments or that is required to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.05(f). Borrowings of more than one Class, Currency and Type may be outstanding at the same time.

 

(d)                Limitations on Interest Periods. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to request (or to elect to convert to or continue as a Eurocurrency Borrowing) any Borrowing if the Interest Period requested therefor would end after the Final Maturity Date.

 

(e)                Treatment of Classes. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, with respect to each Syndicated Loan, Swingline Loan or Letter of Credit designated in Dollars, the Administrative Agent shall deem the Borrower to have requested that such Syndicated Loan, Swingline Loan or Letter of Credit be applied ratably to the Commitments.

 

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Section 2.03            Requests for Syndicated Borrowings and Multicurrency Loans.

 

(a)                Notice by the Borrower. To request a Syndicated Borrowing or Multicurrency Loan, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request by telephone (i) in the case of a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in Dollars, not later than 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, two Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing, (ii) in the case of a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency, not later than 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, three Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing or (iii) in the case of a Syndicated ABR Borrowing, not later than 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, one Business Day before the date of the proposed Borrowing. Each such telephonic Borrowing Request shall be irrevocable and shall be confirmed promptly by hand delivery or telecopy to the Administrative Agent of a written Borrowing Request in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the Borrower.

 

(b)                Content of Borrowing Requests. Each telephonic and written Borrowing Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:

 

(i)               whether such Borrowing is to be made under the Multicurrency Sublimit;

 

(ii)              the aggregate amount and Currency of the requested Borrowing;

 

(iii)             the date of such Borrowing, which shall be a Business Day;

 

(iv)           in the case of a Syndicated Borrowing denominated in Dollars, whether such Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing or a Eurocurrency Borrowing;

 

(v)             in the case of a Eurocurrency Borrowing, the Interest Period therefor, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period” and permitted under Section 2.02(d); and

 

(vi)            the location and number of the Borrower’s account to which funds are to be disbursed.

 

(c)                Notice by the Administrative Agent to the Lenders. Promptly following receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent shall advise each applicable Lender of the details thereof and of the amounts of such Lender’s Loan to be made as part of the requested Borrowing.

 

(d)                Failure to Elect. If no election as to the Class of a Borrowing is specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be deemed to be a Borrowing of Dollar Loans. If no election as to the Currency of a Borrowing is specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be denominated in Dollars. If no election as to the Type of a Borrowing is specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be a Eurocurrency Borrowing having an Interest Period of one month and, if an Agreed Foreign Currency has been specified, the requested Borrowing shall be a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in such Agreed Foreign Currency and having an Interest Period of one month. If a Eurocurrency Borrowing is requested but no Interest Period is specified, (i) if the Currency specified for such Borrowing is Dollars (or if no Currency has been so specified), the requested Borrowing shall be a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in Dollars having an Interest Period of one month’s duration, and (ii) if the Currency specified for such Borrowing is an Agreed Foreign Currency, the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration.

 

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Section 2.04            Swingline Loans.

 

(a)                Agreement to Make Swingline Loans. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Swingline Lender agrees to make Swingline Loans under each Commitment to the Borrower from time to time during the Availability Period in Dollars, in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding that will not result in (i) the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Swingline Loans of both Classes exceeding $10,000,000, (ii) the total Revolving Credit Exposures exceeding the aggregate Commitments, or (iii) the total Covered Debt Amount exceeding the Borrowing Base then in effect; provided that the Swingline Lender shall not be required to make a Swingline Loan to refinance an outstanding Swingline Loan. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Swingline Loans.

 

(b)                Notice of Swingline Loans by the Borrower. To request a Swingline Loan, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request by telephone (confirmed by telecopy) not later than 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, on the day of such proposed Swingline Loan. Each such notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the requested date (which shall be a Business Day), the amount of the requested Swingline Loan. The Administrative Agent will promptly advise the Swingline Lender of any such notice received from the Borrower. The Swingline Lender shall make each Swingline Loan available to the Borrower by means of a credit to the general deposit account of the Borrower with the Swingline Lender (or, in the case of a Swingline Loan made to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.05(f), by remittance to the Issuing Bank) by 3:00 p.m., Houston, Texas time, on the requested date of such Swingline Loan.

 

(c)                Participations by Lenders in Swingline Loans. The Swingline Lender may by written notice given to the Administrative Agent not later than 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time on any Business Day, require the Lenders to acquire participations on such Business Day in all or a portion of the Swingline Loans outstanding. Such notice to the Administrative Agent shall specify the aggregate amount of Swingline Loans in which the Lenders will participate. Promptly upon receipt of such notice, the Administrative Agent will give notice thereof to each Lender, specifying in such notice such Lender’s Applicable Dollar Percentage of such Swingline Loan or Loans. Each Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees, upon receipt of notice as provided above in this paragraph, to pay to the Administrative Agent, for account of the Swingline Lender, such Lender’s Applicable Dollar Percentage of such Swingline Loan or Loans; provided that no Lender shall be required to purchase a participation in a Swingline Loan pursuant to this Section 2.04(c) if (x) the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 would not be satisfied in respect of a Borrowing at the time such Swingline Loan was made and (y) the Required Lenders shall have so notified the Swingline Lender in writing and shall not have subsequently determined that the circumstances giving rise to such conditions not being satisfied no longer exist.

 

Subject to the foregoing, each Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire participations in Swingline Loans pursuant to this paragraph (c) is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including the occurrence and continuance of a Default or an Event of Default or reduction or termination of the Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. Each Lender shall comply with its obligation under this paragraph by wire transfer of immediately available funds, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.06 with respect to Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.06 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the Swingline Lender the amounts so received by it from the Lenders. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower of any participations in any Swingline Loan acquired pursuant to this paragraph, and thereafter payments in respect of such Swingline Loan shall be made to the Administrative Agent and not to the Swingline Lender. Any amounts received by the Swingline Lender from the Borrower (or other party on behalf of the Borrower) in respect of a Swingline Loan after receipt by the Swingline Lender of the proceeds of a sale of participations therein shall be promptly remitted to the Administrative Agent; any such amounts received by the Administrative Agent shall be promptly remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Lenders that shall have made their payments pursuant to this paragraph and to the Swingline Lender, as their interests may appear. The purchase of participations in a Swingline Loan pursuant to this paragraph shall not relieve the Borrower of any default in the payment thereof.

 

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(d)                Resignation and Replacement of Swingline Lender. The Swingline Lender may resign and be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the resigning Swingline Lender and the successor Swingline Lender. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such resignation and replacement of the Swingline Lender. In addition to the foregoing, if a Lender becomes, and during the period it remains, a Defaulting Lender, and if any Default has arisen from a failure of the Borrower to comply with Section 2.19(a), then the Swingline Lender may, upon prior written notice to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, resign as Swingline Lender, effective at the close of business Houston, Texas time on a date specified in such notice (which date may not be less than five (5) Business Days after the date of such notice). On or after the effective date of any such resignation, the Borrower and the Administrative Agent may, by written agreement, appoint a successor Swingline Lender. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such appointment of a successor Swingline Lender. Upon the effectiveness of any resignation of the Swingline Lender, the Borrower shall repay in full all outstanding Swingline Loans together with all accrued interest thereon. From and after the effective date of the appointment of a successor Swingline Lender, (i) the successor Swingline Lender shall have all the rights and obligations of the replaced Swingline Lender under this Agreement with respect to Swingline Loans to be made thereafter and (ii) references herein to the term “Swingline Lender” shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous Swingline Lender, or to such successor and all previous Swingline Lenders, as the context shall require. After the replacement of the Swingline Lender hereunder, the replaced Swingline Lender shall have no obligation to make additional Swingline Loans.

 

Section 2.05            Letters of Credit.

 

(a)                General. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, in addition to the Loans provided for in Section 2.01, the Borrower may request the Issuing Bank to issue, at any time and from time to time during the Availability Period, Letters of Credit denominated in Dollars or in any Agreed Foreign Currency for its own account in such form as is acceptable to the Issuing Bank in its reasonable determination. Letters of Credit issued hereunder shall constitute utilization of the Commitments and as applicable, the Multicurrency Sublimit, up to the aggregate amount available to be drawn thereunder.

 

(b)                Notice of Issuance, Amendment, Renewal or Extension. To request the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or the amendment, renewal or extension of an outstanding Letter of Credit), the Borrower shall hand deliver or telecopy (or transmit by electronic communication, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Issuing Bank) to the Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent (reasonably in advance of the requested date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension) a notice requesting the issuance of a Letter of Credit, or identifying the Letter of Credit to be amended, renewed or extended, and specifying the date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (which shall be a Business Day), the date on which such Letter of Credit is to expire (which shall comply with paragraph (d) of this Section), the amount and Currency of such Letter of Credit, the name and address of the beneficiary thereof and such other information as shall be necessary to prepare, amend, renew or extend such Letter of Credit. If requested by the Issuing Bank, the Borrower also shall submit a letter of credit application on the Issuing Bank’s standard form in connection with any request for a Letter of Credit. In the event of any inconsistency between the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the terms and conditions of any form of letter of credit application or other agreement submitted by the Borrower to, or entered into by the Borrower with, the Issuing Bank relating to any Letter of Credit, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall control.

 

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(c)                Limitations on Amounts. A Letter of Credit shall be issued, amended, renewed or extended only if (and upon issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of each Letter of Credit the Borrower shall be deemed to represent and warrant that), after giving effect to such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (i) the aggregate LC Exposure of the Issuing Bank (determined for these purposes without giving effect to the participations therein of the Lenders pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section) shall not exceed $5,000,000, (ii) the total Revolving Dollar Credit Exposures shall not exceed the aggregate Commitments, (iii) the total Revolving Multicurrency Credit Exposures shall not exceed the Multicurrency Sublimit and (iv) the total Covered Debt Amount shall not exceed the Borrowing Base then in effect.

 

(d)                Expiration Date. Each Letter of Credit shall expire at or prior to the close of business on the date twelve months after the date of the issuance of such Letter of Credit (or, in the case of any renewal or extension thereof, twelve months after the then-current expiration date of such Letter of Credit, so long as such renewal or extension occurs within three months of such then-current expiration date); provided that any Letter of Credit with a one-year term may provide for the renewal thereof for additional one-year periods. No Letter of Credit may be renewed following the earlier to occur of the Commitment Termination Date and the Termination Date.

 

(e)                Participations. By the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or an amendment to a Letter of Credit increasing the amount thereof) by the Issuing Bank, and without any further action on the part of the Issuing Bank or the Lenders, the Issuing Bank hereby grants to each Lender, and each Lender hereby acquires from the Issuing Bank, a participation in such Letter of Credit equal to such Lender’s Applicable Dollar Percentage of the aggregate amount, or Dollar Equivalent thereof, available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit. Each Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire participations pursuant to this paragraph in respect of Letters of Credit is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including any amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or the occurrence and continuance of a Default or reduction or termination of the applicable Commitments; provided that no Lender shall be required to purchase a participation in a Letter of Credit pursuant to this Section 2.05(e) if (x) the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 would not be satisfied in respect of a Borrowing at the time such Letter of Credit was issued and (y) the Required Lenders shall have so notified the Issuing Bank in writing and shall not have subsequently determined that the circumstances giving rise to such conditions not being satisfied no longer exist.

 

In consideration and in furtherance of the foregoing, each Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for account of the Issuing Bank, such Lender’s Applicable Dollar Percentage of each LC Disbursement, or Dollar Equivalent thereof, made by the Issuing Bank in respect of Letters of Credit promptly upon the request of the Issuing Bank at any time from the time of such LC Disbursement until such LC Disbursement is reimbursed by the Borrower or at any time after any reimbursement payment is required to be refunded to the Borrower for any reason. Such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. Each such payment shall be made in the same manner as provided in Section 2.06 with respect to Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.06 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the Issuing Bank the amounts so received by it from the Lenders. Promptly following receipt by the Administrative Agent of any payment from the Borrower pursuant to the next following paragraph, the Administrative Agent shall distribute such payment to the Issuing Bank or, to the extent that the Lenders have made payments pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Bank, then to such Lenders and the Issuing Bank as their interests may appear. Any payment made by a Lender pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Bank for any LC Disbursement shall not constitute a Loan and shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse such LC Disbursement.

 

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(f)                 Reimbursement. If the Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement in respect of a Letter of Credit, the Borrower shall reimburse the Issuing Bank in respect of such LC Disbursement by paying to the Administrative Agent an amount equal to such LC Disbursement not later than 11:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, on (i) the Business Day that the Borrower receives notice of such LC Disbursement, if such notice is received prior to 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, or (ii) the Business Day immediately following the day that the Borrower receives such notice, if such notice is not received prior to such time; provided that, if such LC Disbursement is not less than $1,000,000 and is denominated in Dollars, the Borrower may, subject to the conditions to borrowing set forth herein, request in accordance with Section 2.03 or 2.04 that such payment be financed with a Syndicated ABR Borrowing or a Swingline Loan in an equivalent amount and, to the extent so financed, the Borrower’s obligation to make such payment shall be discharged and replaced by the resulting Syndicated ABR Borrowing or Swingline Loan.

 

If the Borrower fails to make such payment when due, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the applicable LC Disbursement, or Dollar Equivalent thereof, the payment then due from the Borrower in respect thereof and such Lender’s Applicable Dollar Percentage thereof.

 

(g)                Obligations Absolute. The Borrower’s obligation to reimburse LC Disbursements as provided in paragraph (f) of this Section shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be performed strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under any and all circumstances whatsoever and irrespective of (i) any lack of validity or enforceability of any Letter of Credit, or any term or provision therein, (ii) any draft or other document presented under a Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent or invalid in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect, (iii) payment by the Issuing Bank under a Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or other document that does not comply strictly with the terms of such Letter of Credit, and (iv) any other event or circumstance whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, that might, but for the provisions of this Section, constitute a legal or equitable discharge of the Borrower’s obligations hereunder.

 

Neither the Administrative Agent, the Lenders nor the Issuing Bank, nor any of their Related Parties, shall have any liability or responsibility by reason of or in connection with the issuance or transfer of any Letter of Credit by the Issuing Bank or any payment or failure to make any payment thereunder (irrespective of any of the circumstances referred to in the preceding sentence), or any error, omission, interruption, loss or delay in transmission or delivery of any draft, notice or other communication under or relating to any Letter of Credit (including any document required to make a drawing thereunder), any error in interpretation of technical terms or any consequence arising from causes beyond the control of the Issuing Bank; provided that the foregoing shall not be construed to excuse the Issuing Bank from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages (as opposed to consequential damages, claims in respect of which are hereby waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable law) suffered by the Borrower that are caused by the Issuing Bank’s gross negligence or willful misconduct when determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof. The parties hereto expressly agree that:

 

(i)                 the Issuing Bank may accept documents that appear on their face to be in substantial compliance with the terms of a Letter of Credit without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, and may make payment upon presentation of documents that appear on their face to be in substantial compliance with the terms of such Letter of Credit;

 

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(ii)               the Issuing Bank shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to decline to accept such documents and to make such payment if such documents are not in strict compliance with the terms of such Letter of Credit; and

 

(iii)             this sentence shall establish the standard of care to be exercised by the Issuing Bank when determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof (and the parties hereto hereby waive, to the extent permitted by applicable law, any standard of care inconsistent with the foregoing).

 

(h)                Disbursement Procedures. The Issuing Bank shall, within a reasonable time following its receipt thereof, examine all documents purporting to represent a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit. The Issuing Bank shall promptly after such examination notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrower by telephone (confirmed by telecopy) of such demand for payment and whether the Issuing Bank has made or will make an LC Disbursement thereunder; provided that any failure to give or delay in giving such notice shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse the Issuing Bank and the applicable Lenders with respect to any such LC Disbursement.

 

(i)                 Interim Interest. If the Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement, then, unless the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement in full on the date such LC Disbursement is made, the unpaid amount thereof shall bear interest, for each day from and including the date such LC Disbursement is made to but excluding the date that the Borrower reimburses such LC Disbursement, at the rate per annum then applicable to Syndicated ABR Loans; provided that, if the Borrower fails to reimburse such LC Disbursement within two Business Days following the date when due pursuant to paragraph (f) of this Section, then the provisions of Section 2.12(c) shall apply. Interest accrued pursuant to this paragraph shall be for account of the Issuing Bank, except that interest accrued on and after the date of payment by any Lender pursuant to paragraph (f) of this Section to reimburse the Issuing Bank shall be for account of such Lender to the extent of such payment.

 

(j)                 Resignation and/or Replacement of Issuing Bank. The Issuing Bank may resign and be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the resigning Issuing Bank and the successor Issuing Bank. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such resignation and replacement of the Issuing Bank. Upon the effectiveness of any resignation of the Issuing Bank, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid fees accrued for account of the resigning Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 2.11(b). From and after the effective date of the appointment of a successor Issuing Bank, (i) the successor Issuing Bank shall have all the rights and obligations of the replaced Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit to be issued thereafter and (ii) references herein to the term “Issuing Bank” shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous Issuing Bank, or to such successor and all previous Issuing Banks, as the context shall require. After the effective resignation of the Issuing Bank hereunder, the resigning Issuing Bank, as the case may be, shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of the Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit issued by it prior to such resignation, but shall not be required to issue additional Letters of Credit.

 

(k)                Cash Collateralization. If the Borrower shall be required to provide Cash Collateral for LC Exposure pursuant to Section 2.05(d), Section 2.09(a), Section 2.10(b) or (c) or the last paragraph of Article VII, the Borrower shall immediately deposit into a segregated collateral account or accounts (herein, collectively, the “Letter of Credit Collateral Account”) in the name and under the dominion and control of the Administrative Agent Cash denominated in the Currency of the Letter of Credit under which such LC Exposure arises in an amount equal to the amount required under Section 2.09(a), Section 2.10(b) or (c) or the last paragraph of Article VII, as applicable. Such deposit shall be held by the Administrative Agent as collateral in the first instance for the LC Exposure under this Agreement and thereafter for the payment of the “Secured Obligations” under and as defined in the Guarantee and Security Agreement, and for these purposes the Borrower hereby grants a security interest to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Lenders in the Letter of Credit Collateral Account and in any financial assets (as defined in the Uniform Commercial Code) or other property held therein.

 

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Section 2.06            Funding of Borrowings.

 

(a)                Funding by Lenders. Each Lender shall make each Loan to be made by it hereunder on the proposed date thereof by wire transfer of immediately available funds by 1:00 p.m., Houston, Texas time, to the account of the Administrative Agent most recently designated by it for such purpose by notice to the Lenders; provided that Swingline Loans shall be made as provided in Section 2.04. The Administrative Agent will make such Loans available to the Borrower by promptly crediting the amounts so received, in like funds, to an account of the Borrower designated by the Borrower in the applicable Borrowing Request; provided that Syndicated ABR Borrowings made to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.05(f) shall be remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Issuing Bank.

 

(b)                Presumption by the Administrative Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Section and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (i) in the case of such Lender, the Federal Funds Effective Rate or (ii) in the case of the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to ABR Loans. If such Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such amount shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing.

 

Section 2.07            Interest Elections.

 

(a)                Elections by the Borrower for Syndicated Borrowings. Subject to Section 2.03(d), the Loans constituting each Syndicated Borrowing initially shall be of the Type specified in the applicable Borrowing Request and, in the case of a Eurocurrency Borrowing, shall have the Interest Period specified in such Borrowing Request. Thereafter, the Borrower may elect to convert such Borrowing to a Borrowing of a different Type or to continue such Borrowing as a Borrowing of the same Type and, in the case of a Eurocurrency Borrowing, may elect the Interest Period therefor, all as provided in this Section; provided, however, that (i) a Syndicated Borrowing may only be continued or converted into a Syndicated Borrowing, (ii) a Borrowing denominated in one Currency may not be continued as, or converted to, a Borrowing in a different Currency, (iii) no Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency may be continued if, after giving effect thereto, the aggregate Revolving Multicurrency Credit Exposures would exceed the aggregate Multicurrency Sublimit, and (iv) a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency may not be converted to a Borrowing of a different Type. The Borrower may elect different options with respect to different portions of the affected Borrowing, in which case each such portion shall be allocated ratably among the Lenders holding the Loans constituting such Borrowing, and the Loans constituting each such portion shall be considered a separate Borrowing. This Section shall not apply to Swingline Borrowings, which may not be converted or continued.

 

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(b)                Notice of Elections. To make an election pursuant to this Section, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such election by telephone by the time that a Borrowing Request would be required under Section 2.03 if the Borrower were requesting a Syndicated Borrowing of the Type resulting from such election to be made on the effective date of such election. Each such telephonic Interest Election Request shall be irrevocable and shall be confirmed promptly (but no later than the close of business on the date of such request) by hand delivery or telecopy to the Administrative Agent of a written Interest Election Request in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the Borrower.

 

(c)                Content of Interest Election Requests. Each telephonic and written Interest Election Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:

 

(i)                 the Borrowing (including the Class) to which such Interest Election Request applies and, if different options are being elected with respect to different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in which case the information to be specified pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) of this paragraph shall be specified for each resulting Borrowing);

 

(ii)               the effective date of the election made pursuant to such Interest Election Request, which shall be a Business Day;

 

(iii)             whether, in the case of a Borrowing denominated in Dollars, the resulting Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing or a Eurocurrency Borrowing; and

 

(iv)              if the resulting Borrowing is a Eurocurrency Borrowing, the Interest Period therefor after giving effect to such election, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period” and permitted under Section 2.02(d).

 

(d)                Notice by the Administrative Agent to the Lenders. Promptly following receipt of an Interest Election Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise each applicable Lender of the details thereof and of such Lender’s portion of each resulting Borrowing.

 

(e)                Failure to Elect; Events of Default. If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely and complete Interest Election Request with respect to a Eurocurrency Borrowing prior to the end of the Interest Period therefor, then, unless such Borrowing is repaid as provided herein, (i) if such Borrowing is denominated in Dollars, at the end of such Interest Period such Borrowing shall be converted to a Syndicated Eurocurrency Borrowing of the same Class having an Interest Period of one month, and (ii) if such Borrowing is denominated in a Foreign Currency, the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration. Notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, (i) any Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in Dollars shall, at the end of the applicable Interest Period for such Eurocurrency Borrowing, be automatically converted to an ABR Borrowing and (ii) any Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency shall not have an Interest Period of more than one month’s duration.

 

Section 2.08            Termination, Reduction or Increase of the Commitments.

 

(a)                Scheduled Termination. Unless previously terminated, the Commitments of each Class shall terminate on the Commitment Termination Date.

 

(b)                Voluntary Termination or Reduction. The Borrower may at any time terminate, or from time to time reduce, the Commitments of either Class; provided that (i) each reduction of the Commitments shall be in an amount that is $5,000,000 (or, if less, the entire amount of the Commitments of such Class) or a larger multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof and (ii) the Borrower shall not terminate or reduce the Commitments of either Class if, after giving effect to any concurrent prepayment of the Syndicated Loans of such Class in accordance with Section 2.10, the total Revolving Credit Exposures of such Class would exceed the total Commitments of such Class. Any such reduction of the Commitments below the principal amount of the Swingline Loans permitted under Section 2.04(a)(i) and the Letters of Credit permitted under Section 2.05(c)(i) shall result in a dollar-for-dollar reduction of such amounts as applicable.

 

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(c)                Notice of Voluntary Termination or Reduction. The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of any election to terminate or reduce the Commitments under paragraph (b) of this Section at least three Business Days prior to the effective date of such termination or reduction, specifying such election and the effective date thereof. Promptly following receipt of any notice, the Administrative Agent shall advise the applicable Lenders of the contents thereof. Each notice delivered by the Borrower pursuant to this Section shall be irrevocable; provided that a notice of termination of the Commitments delivered by the Borrower may state that such notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities, in which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied.

 

(d)                Effect of Termination or Reduction. Any termination or reduction of the Commitments shall be permanent. Each reduction of the Commitments shall be made ratably among the Lenders of such Class in accordance with their respective Commitments.

 

(e)                Increase of the Commitments.

 

(i)                 Requests for Increase by Borrower. The Borrower may, at any time, request that the Commitments hereunder be increased (each such proposed increase being a “Commitment Increase”), upon notice to the Administrative Agent (who shall promptly notify the Lenders), which notice shall specify each existing Lender (each an “Increasing Lender”) and/or each additional lender (each an “Assuming Lender”) that shall have agreed to an additional Commitment and the date on which such increase is to be effective (the “Commitment Increase Date”), which shall be a Business Day at least three Business Days (or such lesser period as the Administrative Agent may reasonably agree) after delivery of such notice and 30 days prior to the Commitment Termination Date; provided that:

 

(A)              the minimum amount of the Commitment of any Assuming Lender, and the minimum amount of the increase of the Commitment of any Increasing Lender, as part of such Commitment Increase shall be $10,000,000 or a larger multiple of $5,000,000 in excess thereof (or such lesser amount as the Administrative Agent may reasonably agree);

 

(B)              immediately after giving effect to such Commitment Increase, the total Commitments of all of the Lenders hereunder shall not exceed $195,000,000;

 

(C)              each Assuming Lender shall be consented to by the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Bank (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld);

 

(D)              no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing on such Commitment Increase Date or shall result from the proposed Commitment Increase; and

 

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(E)               the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects (or, in the case of any portion of the representations and warranties already subject to a materiality qualifier, true and correct in all respects) on and as of the Commitment Increase Date as if made on and as of such date (or, if any such representation or warranty is expressly stated to have been made as of a specific date, as of such specific date).

 

(ii)               Effectiveness of Commitment Increase by Borrower. An Assuming Lender, if any, shall become a Lender hereunder as of such Commitment Increase Date and the Commitment of any Increasing Lender and such Assuming Lender shall be increased as of such Commitment Increase Date; provided that:

 

(x)       the Administrative Agent shall have received on or prior to 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, on such Commitment Increase Date (or on or prior to a time on an earlier date specified by the Administrative Agent) a certificate of a duly authorized officer of the Borrower stating that each of the applicable conditions to such Commitment Increase set forth in the foregoing paragraph (i) has been satisfied; and

 

(y)       each Assuming Lender or Increasing Lender shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent, on or prior to 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time on such Commitment Increase Date (or on or prior to a time on an earlier date specified by the Administrative Agent), an agreement, in form and substance satisfactory to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, pursuant to which such Lender shall, effective as of such Commitment Increase Date, undertake a Commitment or an increase of Commitment, duly executed by such Assuming Lender or Increasing Lender, as applicable, and the Borrower and acknowledged by the Administrative Agent.

 

Promptly following satisfaction of such conditions, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of such Class (including any Assuming Lenders) thereof and of the occurrence of the Commitment Increase Date by facsimile transmission or electronic messaging system.

 

(iii)             Recordation into Register. Upon its receipt of an agreement referred to in clause (ii)(y) above executed by an Assuming Lender or any Increasing Lender, together with the certificate referred to in clause (ii)(x) above, the Administrative Agent shall, if such agreement has been completed, (x) accept such agreement, (y) record the information contained therein in the Register and (z) give prompt notice thereof to the Borrower.

 

(iv)              Adjustments of Borrowings upon Effectiveness of Increase. On the Commitment Increase Date, the Borrower shall (A) prepay the outstanding Loans (if any) of the affected Class in full, (B) simultaneously borrow new Loans of such Class hereunder in an amount equal to such prepayment; provided that with respect to subclauses (A) and (B), (x) the prepayment to, and borrowing from, any existing Lender shall be effected by book entry to the extent that any portion of the amount prepaid to such Lender will be subsequently borrowed from such Lender and (y) the existing Lenders, the Increasing Lenders and the Assuming Lenders shall make and receive payments among themselves, in a manner acceptable to the Administrative Agent, so that, after giving effect thereto, the Loans of such Class are held ratably by the Lenders of such Class in accordance with the respective Commitments of such Class of such Lenders (after giving effect to such Commitment Increase) and (C) pay to the Lenders of such Class the amounts, if any, payable under Section 2.15 as a result of any such prepayment. Concurrently therewith, the Lenders of such Class shall be deemed to have adjusted their participation interests in any outstanding Letters of Credit of such Class so that such interests are held ratably in accordance with their commitments of such Class as so increased.

 

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Section 2.09            Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt.

 

(a)                Repayment. The Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay the Loans of each Class as follows:

 

(i)                to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders of such Class the outstanding principal amount of the Syndicated Loans of such Class on the Final Maturity Date; and

 

(ii)               to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Swingline Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Swingline Loan of such Class denominated in Dollars, on the earlier of the Final Maturity Date and the fifth Business Day after such Swingline Loan is made; provided that, on each date that a Syndicated Borrowing of such Class is made, the Borrower shall repay all Swingline Loans of such Class then outstanding and the proceeds of any such Syndicated Borrowing shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to repay any Swingline Loans of such Class outstanding.

 

In addition, on the Commitment Termination Date, the Borrower shall deposit into the Letter of Credit Collateral Account Cash (denominated in the Currency of the Letter of Credit under which such LC Exposure arises) in an amount equal to 100% of the undrawn face amount of all Letters of Credit outstanding on the close of business on the Commitment Termination Date, such deposit to be held by the Administrative Agent as collateral security for the LC Exposure under this Agreement in respect of the undrawn portion of such Letters of Credit.

 

(b)                Manner of Payment. Prior to any repayment or prepayment of any Borrowings of any Class hereunder, the Borrower shall select the Borrowing or Borrowings of such Class to be paid and shall notify the Administrative Agent by telephone (confirmed by telecopy) of such selection not later than the time set forth in Section 2.10(e) prior to the scheduled date of such repayment; provided that each repayment of Borrowings of a Class shall be applied to repay any outstanding ABR Borrowings of such Class before any other Borrowings of such Class. If the Borrower fails to make a timely selection of the Borrowing or Borrowings to be repaid or prepaid, such payment shall be applied, first, to pay any outstanding ABR Borrowings of the applicable Class and, second, to other Borrowings of such Class in the order of the remaining duration of their respective Interest Periods (the Borrowing with the shortest remaining Interest Period to be repaid first). Each payment of a Syndicated Borrowing shall be applied ratably to the Loans included in such Borrowing.

 

(c)                Maintenance of Records by Lenders. Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice records evidencing the indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such Lender, including the amounts and Currency of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time to time hereunder.

 

(d)                Maintenance of Records by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall maintain records in which it shall record (i) the amount and Currency of each Loan made hereunder, the Class and Type thereof and each Interest Period therefor, (ii) the amount and Currency of any principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender of such Class hereunder and (iii) the amount and Currency of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder for account of the Lenders and each Lender’s share thereof.

 

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(e)                Effect of Entries. The entries made in the records maintained pursuant to paragraph (c) or (d) of this Section shall be prima facie evidence, absent obvious error, of the existence and amounts of the obligations recorded therein; provided that the failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such records or any error therein shall not in any manner affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay the Loans in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

 

(f)                 Promissory Notes. Any Lender may request that Loans of any Class made by it be evidenced by a Note; in such event, the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a Note payable to such Lender (or, if requested by such Lender, to such Lender and its registered assigns) and in a form approved by the Administrative Agent. Thereafter, the Loans evidenced by such Note and interest thereon shall at all times (including after assignment pursuant to Section 9.04) be represented by one or more Notes in such form payable to the payee named therein (or, if such Note is a registered note, to such payee and its registered assigns).

 

Section 2.10            Prepayment of Loans.

 

(a)                Optional Prepayments. The Borrower shall have the right at any time and from time to time to prepay any Borrowing in whole or in part, without premium or penalty except for payments under Section 2.15, subject to the requirements of this Section.

 

(b)                Mandatory Prepayments due to Changes in Exchange Rates.

 

(i)                 Determination of Amount Outstanding. On each Quarterly Date and, in addition, promptly upon the receipt by the Administrative Agent of a Currency Valuation Notice (as defined below), the Administrative Agent shall determine the aggregate Revolving Multicurrency Credit Exposure. For the purpose of this determination, the outstanding principal amount of any Loan that is denominated in any Foreign Currency shall be deemed to be the Dollar Equivalent of the amount in the Foreign Currency of such Loan, determined as of such Quarterly Date or, in the case of a Currency Valuation Notice received by the Administrative Agent prior to 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, on a Business Day, on such Business Day or, in the case of a Currency Valuation Notice otherwise received, on the first Business Day after such Currency Valuation Notice is received. Upon making such determination, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Multicurrency Lenders and the Borrower thereof.

 

(ii)               Prepayment. If on the date of such determination the aggregate Revolving Multicurrency Credit Exposure minus the Multicurrency LC Exposure fully Cash Collateralized on such date exceeds 105% of the aggregate amount of the Multicurrency Sublimit as then in effect, the Borrower shall, if requested by any Multicurrency Lender (through the Administrative Agent), prepay the Multicurrency Loans (and/or provide Cash Collateral for Multicurrency LC Exposure as specified in Section 2.05(k)) within 15 Business Days following the Borrower’s receipt of such request in such amounts as shall be necessary so that after giving effect thereto the aggregate Revolving Multicurrency Credit Exposure does not exceed the Multicurrency Sublimit.

 

For purposes hereof “Currency Valuation Notice” means a notice given by any Multicurrency Lender to the Administrative Agent stating that such notice is a “Currency Valuation Notice” and requesting that the Administrative Agent determine the aggregate Revolving Multicurrency Credit Exposure. The Administrative Agent shall not be required to make more than one valuation determination pursuant to Currency Valuation Notices within any rolling three month period.

 

Any prepayment pursuant to this paragraph shall be applied, first to Multicurrency Loans outstanding and second, as cover for Multicurrency LC Exposure.

 

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(c)                Mandatory Prepayments due to Borrowing Base Deficiency. In the event that at any time any Borrowing Base Deficiency shall exist, the Borrower shall, within five Business Days after delivery of the applicable Borrowing Base Certificate, prepay the Loans (or provide Cash Collateral for Letters of Credit as contemplated by Section 2.05(k)) in such amounts as shall be necessary so that such Borrowing Base Deficiency is cured, and (ii) if, within five Business Days after delivery of a Borrowing Base Certificate demonstrating such Borrowing Base Deficiency, the Borrower shall present the Lenders with a reasonably feasible plan acceptable to the Required Lenders in their sole discretion to enable such Borrowing Base Deficiency to be cured within 30 Business Days (which 30-Business Day period shall include the five Business Days permitted for delivery of such plan), then such prepayment or reduction shall not be required to be effected immediately but may be effected in accordance with such plan (with such modifications as the Borrower may reasonably determine), so long as such Borrowing Base Deficiency is cured within such 30-Business Day period.

 

(d)                Scheduled Payments. On each Scheduled Payment Date, the Borrower shall repay the Loans (and provide Cash Collateral for Letters of Credit as contemplated by Section 2.05(k)) in an aggregate amount equal to 1/12 of the aggregate outstanding amount of Loans, and 1/12 of the face amount of Letters of Credit, for each Class and Currency of Loans and Letters of Credit outstanding, based on the outstanding Loans and Letters of Credit as of the Commitment Termination Date. Following the Commitment Termination Date, any other optional or mandatory prepayment of Loans (or Cash Collateralization or expiration of outstanding Letters of Credit) will reduce in direct order the amount of any subsequent repayment of Loans or Cash Collateralization of Letters of Credit required to be made pursuant to this clause (d).

 

(e)                Notices, Etc. The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent (and, in the case of prepayment of a Swingline Loan, the Swingline Lender) by telephone (confirmed by telecopy) of any prepayment hereunder (i) in the case of prepayment of a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in Dollars (other than in the case of a prepayment pursuant to Section  2.10(d)), not later than 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, three Business Days before the date of prepayment, (ii) in the case of prepayment of a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than in the case of a prepayment pursuant to Section 2.10(d)), not later than 10:00 a.m., London time, four Business Days before the date of prepayment, (iii) in the case of prepayment of a Syndicated ABR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, one Business Day before the date of prepayment, or (iv) in the case of prepayment of a Swingline Loan, not later than 10:00 a.m., Houston, Texas time, on the date of prepayment. Each such notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the prepayment date, the principal amount of each Borrowing or portion thereof to be prepaid and, in the case of a mandatory prepayment, a reasonably detailed calculation of the amount of such prepayment; provided that, if a notice of prepayment is given in connection with a conditional notice of termination of the Commitments as contemplated by Section 2.08, then such notice of prepayment may be revoked if such notice of termination is revoked in accordance with Section 2.08. Promptly following receipt of any such notice relating to a Syndicated Borrowing, the Administrative Agent shall advise the affected Lenders of the contents thereof. Each partial prepayment of any Borrowing shall be in an amount that would be permitted in the case of a Borrowing of the same Type as provided in Section 2.02 or in the case of a Swingline Loan, as provided in Section 2.04, except as necessary to apply fully the required amount of a mandatory prepayment. Each prepayment of a Syndicated Borrowing shall be applied ratably to the Loans included in the prepaid Borrowing. Prepayments shall be accompanied by accrued interest to the extent required by Section 2.12 and shall be made in the manner specified in Section 2.09(b).

 

Section 2.11            Fees.

 

(a)              Commitment Fee. The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent for account of each Lender a commitment fee, which shall accrue at a rate per annum equal to 0.50% on the average daily unused amount of the Commitment of such Lender during the period from and including the date hereof to but excluding the earlier of the date such commitment terminates and the Commitment Termination Date. Accrued commitment fees shall be payable on each Quarterly Date and on the earlier of the date the Commitments terminate and the Commitment Termination Date, commencing on the first such date to occur after the date hereof. All commitment fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day). For purposes of computing commitment fees, the Commitment of a Lender shall be deemed to be used to the extent of the outstanding Syndicated Loans and LC Exposure of such Lender (and the Swingline Exposure of such Lender shall be disregarded for such purpose).

 

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(b)                Letter of Credit Fees. The Borrower agrees to pay (i) to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender a participation fee with respect to its participations in Letters of Credit of each Class, which shall accrue at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Margin applicable to interest on Eurocurrency Loans on the average daily amount of such Lender’s LC Exposure of such Class (excluding any portion thereof attributable to unreimbursed LC Disbursements) during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date on which such Lender’s Commitment of such Class terminates and the date on which such Lender ceases to have any LC Exposure of such Class, and (ii) to the Issuing Bank a fronting fee, which shall accrue at the rate of 0.25% per annum on the average daily amount of the LC Exposure (excluding any portion thereof attributable to unreimbursed LC Disbursements) during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date of termination of the Commitments and the date on which there ceases to be any LC Exposure, as well as the Issuing Bank’s standard fees with respect to the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or processing of drawings thereunder. Participation fees and fronting fees accrued through and including each Quarterly Date shall be payable on such Quarterly Date, commencing on the first such date to occur after the Effective Date; provided that all such fees with respect to the Letters of Credit shall be payable on the Termination Date and the Borrower shall pay any such fees that have accrued and that are unpaid on the Termination Date and, in the event any Letters of Credit shall be outstanding that have expiration dates after the Termination Date, the Borrower shall prepay on the Termination Date the full amount of the participation and fronting fees that will accrue on such Letters of Credit subsequent to the Termination Date through but not including the date such outstanding Letters of Credit are scheduled to expire (and, in that connection, the Lenders agree not later than the date two Business Days after the date upon which the last such Letter of Credit shall expire or be terminated to rebate to the Borrower the excess, if any, of the aggregate participation and fronting fees that have been prepaid by the Borrower over the sum of the amount of such fees that ultimately accrue through the date of such expiration or termination and the aggregate amount of all other unpaid obligations hereunder at such time). Any other fees payable to the Issuing Bank pursuant to this paragraph shall be payable within 10 days after demand. All participation fees and fronting fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day).

 

(c)                Administrative Agent Fees. The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for its own account, fees payable in the amounts and at the times separately agreed upon between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.

 

(d)                Payment of Fees. All fees payable hereunder shall be paid on the dates due, in Dollars (or, at the election of the Borrower with respect to any fees payable to the Issuing Bank on account of Letters of Credit issued in any Foreign Currency, in such Foreign Currency) and immediately available funds, to the Administrative Agent (or to the Issuing Bank, in the case of fees payable to it) for distribution, in the case of commitment fees and participation fees, to the Lenders entitled thereto. Fees paid shall not be refundable under any circumstances absent obvious error.

 

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Section 2.12            Interest.

 

(a)                ABR Loans. The Loans constituting each ABR Borrowing (including each Swingline Loan) shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable Margin.

 

(b)                Eurocurrency Loans. The Loans constituting each Eurocurrency Borrowing shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Adjusted LIBO Rate for the related Interest Period for such Borrowing plus the Applicable Margin.

 

(c)                Default Interest. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the interest rates applicable to Loans and any fee or other amount payable by the Borrower hereunder shall bear interest, after as well as before judgment, at a rate per annum equal to (i) in the case of principal of any Loan, 2% plus the rate otherwise applicable to such Loan as provided above, (ii) in the case of any Letter of Credit, 2% plus the fee otherwise applicable to such Letter of Credit as provided in Section 2.11(b)(i), or (iii) in the case of any fee or other amount, 2% plus the rate applicable to ABR Loans as provided in paragraph (a) of this Section.

 

(d)                Payment of Interest. Accrued interest on each Loan shall be payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date for such Loan in the Currency in which such Loan is denominated and, in the case of Syndicated Loans, upon the Termination Date; provided that (i) interest accrued pursuant to paragraph (c) of this Section shall be payable on demand, (ii) in the event of any repayment or prepayment of any Loan (other than a prepayment of a Syndicated ABR Loan prior to the Final Maturity Date), accrued interest on the principal amount repaid or prepaid shall be payable on the date of such repayment or prepayment and (iii) in the event of any conversion of any Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in Dollars prior to the end of the Interest Period therefor, accrued interest on such Borrowing shall be payable on the effective date of such conversion.

 

(e)                Computation. All interest hereunder shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days, except that interest computed (i) by reference to the Alternate Base Rate at times when the Alternate Base Rate is based on the Prime Rate and (ii) on Multicurrency Loans denominated in Pounds Sterling shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days (or 366 days in a leap year), and in each case shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day). The applicable Alternate Base Rate or Adjusted LIBO Rate shall be determined by the Administrative Agent and such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

 

Section 2.13            Alternate Rate of Interest. If prior to the commencement of the Interest Period for any Eurocurrency Borrowing (the Currency of such Borrowing herein called the “Affected Currency”):

 

(a)                the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the Adjusted LIBO Rate for the Affected Currency for such Interest Period; or

 

(b)                the Administrative Agent is advised by the Required Lenders of such Class that the Adjusted LIBO Rate for the Affected Currency for such Interest Period will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of making or maintaining their respective Loans included in such Borrowing for such Interest Period;

 

then the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Borrower and the affected Lenders by telephone or telecopy as promptly as practicable thereafter and, until the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and such Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist, (i) any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Syndicated Borrowing to, or the continuation of any Syndicated Borrowing as, a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in the Affected Currency shall be ineffective and, if the Affected Currency is Dollars, such Syndicated Borrowing (unless prepaid) shall be continued as, or converted to, a Syndicated ABR Borrowing, (ii) if the Affected Currency is Dollars and any Borrowing Request requests a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in Dollars, such Borrowing shall be made as a Syndicated ABR Borrowing and (iii) if the Affected Currency is a Foreign Currency, any Borrowing Request that requests a Eurocurrency Borrowing denominated in the Affected Currency shall be ineffective.

 

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Section 2.14            Increased Costs.

 

(a)                Increased Costs Generally. If any Change in Law shall:

 

(i)                 impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for account of, or credit extended by, any Lender (except any such reserve requirement reflected in the Adjusted LIBO Rate) or the Issuing Bank; or

 

(ii)               impose on any Lender or the Issuing Bank or the London interbank market any other condition, cost or expense (other than Taxes) affecting this Agreement or Eurocurrency Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation therein;

 

and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lenders of making, converting to, continuing or maintaining any Eurocurrency Loan (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan) or to increase the cost to such Lender or the Issuing Bank of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender or the Issuing Bank hereunder (whether of principal, interest or otherwise), then the Borrower will pay to such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, in Dollars, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.

 

(b)                Capital Requirements. If any Lender or the Issuing Bank determines that any Change in Law regarding capital or liquidity requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement or the Loans made by, or participations in Swingline Loans and Letters of Credit held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by the Issuing Bank, to a level below that which such Lender or the Issuing Bank or such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy), by an amount deemed to be material by such Lender or Issuing Bank, then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, in Dollars, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the Issuing Bank or such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.

 

(c)                Certificates from Lenders. A certificate of a Lender or the Issuing Bank setting forth the amount or amounts, in Dollars, necessary to compensate such Lender or the Issuing Bank or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section shall be promptly delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.

 

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(d)                Delay in Requests. Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or the Issuing Bank to demand compensation pursuant to this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s right to demand such compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender or the Issuing Bank pursuant to this Section for any increased costs or reductions incurred more than six months prior to the date that such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s intention to claim compensation therefor; provided, further, that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the six-month period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.

 

Section 2.15            Break Funding Payments. In the event of (a) the payment of any principal of any Eurocurrency Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period therefor (including as a result of the occurrence of any Commitment Increase Date or an Event of Default), (b) the conversion of any Eurocurrency Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period therefor, (c) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any Syndicated Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (including, in connection with any Commitment Increase Date, and regardless of whether such notice is permitted to be revocable under Section 2.10(e) and is revoked in accordance herewith), or (d) the assignment as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.18(b) of any Eurocurrency Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period therefor, then, in any such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense attributable to such event. In the case of a Eurocurrency Loan, the loss to any Lender attributable to any such event shall be deemed to include an amount determined by such Lender to be equal to the excess, if any, of

 

(i)                 the amount of interest that such Lender would pay for a deposit equal to the principal amount of such Loan denominated in the Currency of such Loan for the period from the date of such payment, conversion, failure or assignment to the last day of the then current Interest Period for such Loan (or, in the case of a failure to borrow, convert or continue, the duration of the Interest Period that would have resulted from such borrowing, conversion or continuation) if the interest rate payable on such deposit were equal to the Adjusted LIBO Rate for such Currency for such Interest Period, over

 

(ii)               the amount of interest that such Lender would earn on such principal amount for such period if such Lender were to invest such principal amount for such period at the interest rate that would be bid by such Lender (or an affiliate of such Lender) for deposits denominated in such Currency from other banks in the Eurocurrency market at the commencement of such period.

 

Payment under this Section shall be made upon request of a Lender delivered not later than five Business Days following the payment, conversion, or failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay that gives rise to a claim under this Section accompanied by a certificate of such Lender setting forth the amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section, which certificate shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.

 

Section 2.16            Taxes.

 

(a)                Payments Free of Taxes. Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall be made free and clear of and without deduction for any Taxes, except as required by applicable law; provided that if the Borrower shall be required to deduct any Taxes from such payments (as determined in its good faith discretion), then (i) if such Taxes are Indemnified Taxes, the sum payable shall be increased as necessary so that after making all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section) the Administrative Agent, Lender or Issuing Bank (as the case may be) receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deductions been made, (ii) the Borrower shall make such deductions and (iii) the Borrower shall pay the full amount deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.

 

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(b)                Payment of Other Taxes by the Borrower. In addition, the Borrower shall pay any Other Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.

 

(c)                Indemnification by the Borrower. The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, each Lender and the Issuing Bank for and, within 10 Business Days after written demand therefor, pay the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes paid by the Administrative Agent, such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, and any penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority, except to the extent that any such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes arise as the result of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Administrative Agent, such Lender or the Issuing Bank. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the Borrower by a Lender or the Issuing Bank, or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender or the Issuing Bank, accompanied by a written statement thereof setting forth in reasonable detail the basis and calculation of such amounts, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

 

(d)                Indemnification by the Lenders. Each Lender shall severally indemnify, within 10 Business Days after written demand therefor, (i) the Administrative Agent for any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes attributable to such Lender (but only to the extent that the Borrower has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Borrower to do so), (ii) the Administrative Agent or the Borrower for any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 9.04(f) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register, and (iii) the Administrative Agent or the Borrower for any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender, in each case, that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent or the Borrower, as applicable, in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under any Loan Document or otherwise payable by the Administrative Agent to the Lender from any other source against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this paragraph (d).

 

(e)                Evidence of Payments. As soon as practicable after any payment of Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes by the Borrower to a Governmental Authority, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

 

(f)                 Tax Documentation. (i) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), at the time or times prescribed by applicable law or as reasonably requested by the Borrower, such properly completed and executed documentation prescribed by applicable law as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 2.16(f)(ii)(A) and (B) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.

 

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(ii)               Without limiting the generality of the foregoing:

 

(A)              any Lender that is a “United States person” (as defined under Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code) shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (and such additional copies as shall be reasonably requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Lender become a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), duly completed and executed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 or any successor form certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding Tax; and

 

(B)              each Foreign Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, but only if such Foreign Lender is legally entitled to do so), whichever of the following is applicable:

 

(w)       duly completed and executed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E or any successor form claiming eligibility for benefits of an income Tax treaty to which the United States is a party,

 

(x)       duly completed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8ECI or any successor form certifying that the income receivable pursuant to this Agreement is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States,

 

(y)       in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (1) a certificate to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not (1) a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (2) a “10 percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, or (3) a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code and (2) duly completed and executed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or any successor form) certifying that the Foreign Lender is not a United States Person, or

 

(z)       any other form including Internal Revenue Service Form W-8IMY as applicable prescribed by applicable law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding Tax duly completed together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the Borrower to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made.

 

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In addition, each Lender shall deliver updated versions of such forms or certifications promptly upon the obsolescence, expiration or invalidity of any form or certification previously delivered by such Lender or to the extent such form or certification it previously delivered becomes inaccurate in any respect; provided it is legally able to do so at the time. Each Lender shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at any time such Lender no longer satisfies the legal requirements to provide any previously delivered form or certificate to the Borrower (or any other form of certification adopted by any Government Authority for such purpose).

 

(g)                Documentation Required by FATCA. If a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such document prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their respective obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this Section 2.16(g), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.

 

(h)                Treatment of Certain Refunds. Unless required by applicable law, at no time shall the Administrative Agent have any obligation to file for or otherwise pursue on behalf of a Lender, or have any obligation to pay to any Lender, any refund of Taxes withheld or deducted from funds paid to or for the account of a Lender. If the Administrative Agent, any Lender or an Issuing Bank determines, in its sole discretion, that it has received a refund or credit (in lieu of such refund) of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by the Borrower or with respect to which the Borrower has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section, as soon as practicable after it is determined that such refund pertains to Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by the Borrower or with respect to which the Borrower has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section, it shall pay to the Borrower an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made, or additional amounts paid, by the Borrower under this Section with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or an Issuing Bank, as the case may be, and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund); provided that the Borrower, upon the request of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or an Issuing Bank, agrees to repay the amount paid over to the Borrower (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or an Issuing Bank in the event the Administrative Agent, any Lender or an Issuing Bank is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. The Administrative Agent, the Lender or the Issuing Bank, as applicable, upon the request of the Borrower, shall provide the Borrower with a copy of any notice of assessment or other evidence of the requirement to repay such refund received from the relevant Government Authority (provided that the Administrative Agent, the Lender or the Issuing Bank, as applicable, may delete any information therein that it deemed confidential). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this clause (h), in no event will the Administrative Agent, any Lender or an Issuing Bank be required to pay any amount to Borrower pursuant to this clause (h), the payment of which would place such Person in a less favorable net after-Tax position than such Person would have been in if the indemnification payments or additional amounts giving rise to such refund had never been paid. This subsection shall not be construed to require the Administrative Agent, any Lender or an Issuing Bank to make available its Tax returns or its books or records (or any other information relating to its Taxes that it deems confidential) to the Borrower or any other Person.

 

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(i)       This Section 2.16 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of the Loans and all other Secured Obligations under, and as defined in the Guarantee and Security Agreement.

 

Section 2.17            Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment: Sharing of Set-offs.

 

(a)                Payments by the Borrower. The Borrower shall make each payment required to be made by it hereunder (whether of principal, interest, fees or reimbursement of LC Disbursements, or under Section 2.14, 2.15 or 2.16, or otherwise) or under any other Loan Document (except to the extent otherwise provided therein) prior to 12:00 noon, Houston, Texas time, on the date when due, in immediately available funds, without set-off or counterclaim. Any amounts received after such time on any date may, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, be deemed to have been received on the next succeeding Business Day for purposes of calculating interest thereon. All such payments shall be made to the Administrative Agent at the Administrative Agent’s Account, except as otherwise expressly provided in the relevant Loan Document and except payments to be made directly to the Issuing Bank or the Swingline Lender as expressly provided herein and payments pursuant to Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 9.03, which shall be made directly to the Persons entitled thereto. The Administrative Agent shall distribute any such payments received by it for account of any other Person to the appropriate recipient promptly following receipt thereof. If any payment hereunder shall be due on a day that is not a Business Day, the date for payment shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day and, in the case of any payment accruing interest, interest thereon shall be payable for the period of such extension.

 

All amounts owing under this Agreement (including commitment fees, payments required under Section 2.14, and payments required under Section 2.15 relating to any Loan denominated in Dollars, but not including principal of and interest on any Loan denominated in any Foreign Currency or payments relating to any such Loan required under Section 2.15, which are payable in such Foreign Currency) or under any other Loan Document (except to the extent otherwise provided therein) are payable in Dollars. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Borrower shall fail to pay any principal of any Loan when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration, by mandatory prepayment or otherwise), the unpaid portion of such Loan shall, if such Loan is not denominated in Dollars, automatically be redenominated in Dollars on the due date thereof (or, if such due date is a day other than the last day of the Interest Period therefor, on the last day of such Interest Period) in an amount equal to the Dollar Equivalent thereof on the date of such redenomination and such principal shall be payable on demand; and if the Borrower shall fail to pay any interest on any Loan that is not denominated in Dollars, such interest shall automatically be redenominated in Dollars on the due date therefor (or, if such due date is a day other than the last day of the Interest Period therefor, on the last day of such Interest Period) in an amount equal to the Dollar Equivalent thereof on the date of such redenomination and such interest shall be payable on demand.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section, if, after the making of any Borrowing in any Foreign Currency, currency control or exchange regulations are imposed in the country which issues such currency with the result that the type of currency in which the Borrowing was made (the “Original Currency”) no longer exists or the Borrower is not able to make payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders in such Original Currency, then all payments to be made by the Borrower hereunder in such currency shall instead be made when due in Dollars in an amount equal to the Dollar Equivalent (as of the date of repayment) of such payment due, it being the intention of the parties hereto that the Borrower takes all risks of the imposition of any such currency control or exchange regulations.

 

(b)                Application of Insufficient Payments. If at any time insufficient funds are received by and available to the Administrative Agent to pay fully all amounts of principal, unreimbursed LC Disbursements, interest and fees of a Class then due hereunder, such funds shall be applied (i) first, to pay interest and fees of such Class then due hereunder, ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of interest and fees of such Class then due to such parties, and (ii) second, to pay principal and unreimbursed LC Disbursements of such Class then due hereunder, ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of principal and unreimbursed LC Disbursements of such Class then due to such parties.

 

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(c)                Pro Rata Treatment. Except to the extent otherwise provided herein: (i) each Syndicated Borrowing shall be made from the Lenders, each payment of commitment fee under Section 2.11 shall be made for account of the Lenders, and each termination or reduction of the amount of the Commitments under Section 2.08 shall be applied to the respective Commitments of the Lenders, pro rata according to the amounts of their respective Commitments; (ii) each Syndicated Borrowing shall be allocated pro rata among the Lenders according to the amounts of their respective Commitments (in the case of the making of Syndicated Loans) or their respective Loans that are to be included in such Borrowing (in the case of conversions and continuations of Loans); (iii) each payment or prepayment of principal of Syndicated Loans by the Borrower shall be made for account of the Lenders pro rata in accordance with the respective unpaid principal amounts of the Syndicated Loans held by them; and (iv) each payment of interest on Syndicated Loans by the Borrower shall be made for account of the Lenders pro rata in accordance with the amounts of interest on such Loans then due and payable to the respective Lenders.

 

(d)                Sharing of Payments by Lenders. If any Lender of any Class shall, by exercising any right of set-off or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of its Syndicated Loans, or participations in LC Disbursements or Swingline Loans, of such Class resulting in such Lender receiving payment of a greater proportion of the aggregate amount of its Syndicated Loans, and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans, and accrued interest thereon of such Class then due than the proportion received by any other Lender of such Class, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Syndicated Loans, and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans, of other Lenders of such Class to the extent necessary so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders of such Class ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Syndicated Loans, and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans, of such Class; provided that (i) if any such participations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest, and (ii) the provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed to apply to any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements to any assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this paragraph shall apply). The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the Borrower rights of set-off and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.

 

(e)                Presumptions of Payment. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for account of the Lenders or the Issuing Bank hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the Lenders or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount due. In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the Lenders or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender or the Issuing Bank with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent at the Federal Funds Effective Rate.

 

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(f)                 Certain Deductions by the Administrative Agent. If any Lender shall fail to make any payment required to be made by it pursuant to Section 2.04(c), 2.05(e), 2.06(a) or (b) or 2.17(e), then the Administrative Agent may, in its discretion (notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof), apply any amounts thereafter received by the Administrative Agent for account of such Lender to satisfy such Lender’s obligations under such Sections until all such unsatisfied obligations are fully paid.

 

Section 2.18            Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.

 

(a)                Designation of a Different Lending Office. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.14, or if the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.16, then such Lender shall use reasonable efforts to designate a different lending office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if in the judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 2.14 or 2.16, as the case may be, in the future and (ii) would not subject such Lender to any cost or expense not required to be reimbursed by the Borrower and would not otherwise be materially disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment.

 

(b)                Replacement of Lenders. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.14, or if the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.16, or if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender or is a Non-Consenting Lender (as provided in Section 9.02(d)), then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in Section 9.04), all its interests, rights and obligations under this Agreement to an assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment); provided that (i) the Borrower shall have received the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent (and, if a Commitment is being assigned, the Issuing Bank and the Swingline Lender), which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld, (ii) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder, from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts) and (iii) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 2.14 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 2.16, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments thereafter. A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment and delegation if prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply.

 

Section 2.19            Defaulting Lenders.

 

(a)                Defaulting Lender Adjustments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then, until such time as such Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender, to the extent permitted by applicable law:

 

(i)                 Defaulting Lender Waterfall. Any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by Administrative Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Article VII or otherwise) or received by Administrative Agent from a Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 9.08 shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by Administrative Agent as follows: first, to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to Administrative Agent hereunder; second, to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender hereunder; third, to Cash Collateralize Issuing Bank’s Fronting Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender in the manner described in Section 2.09(a); fourth, as Borrower may request (so long as no Default exists), to the funding of any Loan in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by Administrative Agent; fifth, if so determined by Administrative Agent and Borrower, to be held in a deposit account and released pro rata in order to (x) satisfy such Defaulting Lender’s potential future funding obligations with respect to Loans under this Agreement and (y) Cash Collateralize Issuing Bank’s future Fronting Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender with respect to future Letters of Credit issued under this Agreement, in the manner described in Section 2.09(a); sixth, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender, Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; seventh, so long as no Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to Borrower as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by Borrower against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; and eighth, to such Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (x) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or reimbursement obligations in respect of any LC Disbursement for which such Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share, and (y) such Loans were made or the related Letters of Credit were issued at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 were satisfied and waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of, and reimbursement obligations in respect of any LC Disbursement that is owed to, all Non-Defaulting Lenders on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of, or reimbursement obligations in respect of any LC Disbursement that is owed to, such Defaulting Lender until such time as all Loans and funded and unfunded participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans are held by the Lenders pro rata in accordance with the applicable Commitments without giving effect to Section 2.19(a)(iii). Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post Cash Collateral pursuant to this Section 2.19(a)(i) shall be deemed paid to and redirected by such Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto.

 

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(ii)               Certain Fees.

 

(A)              No Defaulting Lender shall be entitled to receive any fee pursuant to Sections 2.11(a) and (b) for any period during which that Lender is a Defaulting Lender (and Borrower shall not be required to pay any such fee that otherwise would have been required to have been paid to that Defaulting Lender); provided that such Defaulting Lender shall be entitled to receive fees pursuant to Section 2.11(b) for any period during which that Lender is a Defaulting Lender only to extent allocable to its Applicable Percentage of the stated amount of Letters of Credit for which it has provided Cash Collateral pursuant to Section 2.19(d).

 

(B)              With respect to any Section 2.11(b) fees not required to be paid to any Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (A) above, Borrower shall (x) pay to each Non-Defaulting Lender that portion of any such fee otherwise payable to such Defaulting Lender with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s participation in Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans that has been reallocated to such Non-Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (iii) below, (y) pay to Issuing Bank the amount of any such fee otherwise payable to such Defaulting Lender to the extent allocable to Issuing Bank’s Fronting Exposure to such Defaulting Lender, and (z) not be required to pay the remaining amount of any such fee.

 

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(iii)             Reallocation of Participations to Reduce Fronting Exposure. All or any part of such Defaulting Lender’s participation in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans shall be reallocated (effective no later than one (1) Business Day after the Administrative Agent has actual knowledge that such Lender has become a Defaulting Lender) among the Non-Defaulting Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Dollar Percentages (in each case calculated without regard to such Defaulting Lender’s Commitment), but only to the extent that (x) the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 are satisfied at the time of such reallocation (and, unless Borrower shall have otherwise notified Administrative Agent at such time, Borrower shall be deemed to have represented and warranted that such conditions are satisfied at such time), and (y) such reallocation does not cause the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposure of any Non-Defaulting Lender to exceed such Non-Defaulting Lender’s Commitment. No reallocation hereunder shall constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder against a Defaulting Lender arising from that Lender having become a Defaulting Lender, including any claim of a Non-Defaulting Lender as a result of such Non-Defaulting Lender’s increased exposure following such reallocation.

 

(iv)              Cash Collateral; Repayment of Swingline Loans. If the reallocation described in clause (iii) above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Borrower shall not later than two (2) Business Days after demand by the Administrative Agent (at the direction of the Issuing Bank and/or the Swingline Lender), without prejudice to any right or remedy available to it hereunder or under law, (x) first, prepay Swingline Loans in an amount equal to the Swingline Lender’s Swingline Exposure (which exposure shall be deemed equal to the applicable Defaulting Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the total outstanding Swingline Exposure (other than Swingline Exposure as to which such Defaulting Lender’s participation obligation has been reallocated to other Lenders or Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof)) and (y) second, Cash Collateralize the Issuing Bank’s Fronting Exposure in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.19(d) or (z) make other arrangements reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Swingline Lender in their sole discretion to protect them against the risk of non-payment by such Defaulting Lender.

 

(b)                Defaulting Lender Cure. If the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Bank agree in writing that a Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender, Administrative Agent will so notify the parties hereto, whereupon as of the effective date specified in such notice and subject to any conditions set forth therein (which may include arrangements with respect to any Cash Collateral), that such former Defaulting Lender will, to the extent applicable, purchase at par that portion of outstanding Loans of the other Lenders or take such other actions as Administrative Agent may determine to be necessary to cause the Loans and funded and unfunded participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans to be held pro rata by the Lenders in accordance with the applicable Commitments (without giving effect to Section 2.19(a)(iii)), and if Cash Collateral has been posted with respect to such Defaulting Lender, the Administrative Agent will promptly return or release such Cash Collateral to the Borrower, whereupon such Lender will cease to be a Defaulting Lender; provided that no adjustments will be made retroactively with respect to fees accrued or payments made by or on behalf of Borrower while that Lender was a Defaulting Lender; and provided, further, that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no change hereunder from Defaulting Lender to Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lender having been a Defaulting Lender.

 

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(c)                New Swingline Loans/Letters of Credit. So long as any Lender is a Defaulting Lender, (i) the Swingline Lender shall not be required to fund any Swingline Loans unless it is satisfied that the participations therein will be fully allocated among Non-Defaulting Lenders in a manner consistent with clause (a)(iii) above and the Defaulting Lender shall not participate therein and (ii) the Issuing Bank shall not be required to issue, extend, renew or increase any Letter of Credit unless it is satisfied that the participations in any existing Letters of Credit as well as the new, extended, renewed or increased Letter of Credit has been or will be fully allocated among the Non-Defaulting Lenders in a manner consistent with clause (a)(iii) above and such Defaulting Lender shall not participate therein except to the extent such Defaulting Lender’s participation has been or will be fully Cash Collateralized in accordance with Section 2.19(d).

 

(d)                Cash Collateral. At any time that there shall exist a Defaulting Lender, promptly following the written request of Administrative Agent or Issuing Bank (with a copy to Administrative Agent) Borrower shall Cash Collateralize Issuing Bank’s Fronting Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender (determined after giving effect to Section 2.19(a)(iii) and any Cash Collateral provided by such Defaulting Lender) in an amount not less than the Minimum Collateral Amount.

 

(i)                 Grant of Security Interest. Borrower, and to the extent provided by any Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lender, hereby grants to (and subjects to the control of) Administrative Agent, for the benefit of Issuing Bank, and agrees to maintain, a first priority security interest in all such Cash Collateral as security for the Defaulting Lenders’ obligation to fund participations in respect of Letters of Credit, to be applied pursuant to clause (ii) below. If at any time Administrative Agent determines that Cash Collateral is subject to any right or claim of any Person other than Administrative Agent and Issuing Bank as herein provided, or that the total amount of such Cash Collateral is less than the Minimum Collateral Amount, Borrower will, promptly upon demand by Administrative Agent, pay or provide to Administrative Agent additional Cash Collateral in an amount sufficient to eliminate such deficiency (after giving effect to any Cash Collateral provided by the Defaulting Lender). All Cash Collateral (other than credit support not constituting funds subject to deposit) shall be maintained in blocked, non-interest bearing deposit accounts at Amegy Bank. Borrower shall pay on demand therefor from time to time all reasonable and customary account opening, activity and other administrative fees and charges in connection with the maintenance and disbursement of Cash Collateral.

 

(ii)               Application. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, Cash Collateral provided under this Section 2.19 in respect of Letters of Credit shall be applied to the satisfaction of the Defaulting Lender’s obligation to fund participations in respect of Letters of Credit (including, as to Cash Collateral provided by a Defaulting Lender, any interest accrued on such obligation) for which the Cash Collateral was so provided, prior to any other application of such property as may otherwise be provided for herein.

 

(iii)             Termination of Requirement. Cash Collateral (or the appropriate portion thereof) provided to reduce Issuing Bank’s Fronting Exposure shall no longer be required to be held as Cash Collateral pursuant to this Section 2.19 following (i) the elimination of the applicable Fronting Exposure (including by the termination of Defaulting Lender status of the applicable Lender) or (ii) the determination by Administrative Agent and Issuing Bank that there exists excess Cash Collateral; provided that, subject to the other provisions of this Section 2.19, the Person providing Cash Collateral and Issuing Bank may agree that Cash Collateral shall be held to support future anticipated Fronting Exposure; provided, further, that to the extent that such Cash Collateral was provided by Borrower, such Cash Collateral shall remain subject to the security interest granted pursuant to the Loan Documents.

 

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Section 2.20            Acknowledgement and Consent to Bail-In of EEA Financial Institutions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any Loan Document or in any other agreement, arrangement or understanding among any such parties, each party hereto acknowledges that any liability of any Lender that is an EEA Financial Institution arising under any Loan Document, to the extent such liability is unsecured, may be subject to the Write-Down and Conversion powers of an EEA Resolution Authority and agrees and consents to, and acknowledges and agrees to be bound by:

 

(a)                the application of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by an EEA Resolution Authority to any such liabilities arising hereunder which may be payable to it by any Lender that is an EEA Financial Institution; and

 

(b)                the effects of any Bail-in Action on any such liability, including, if applicable:

 

(i)                a reduction in full or in part or cancellation of any such liability;

 

(ii)               a conversion of all, or a portion of, such liability into shares or other instruments of ownership in such EEA Financial Institution, its parent undertaking, or a bridge institution that may be issued to it or otherwise conferred on it, and that such shares or other instruments of ownership will be accepted by it in lieu of any rights with respect to any such liability under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; or 

 

(iii)             the variation of the terms of such liability in connection with the exercise of the Write-Down and Conversion powers of any EEA Resolution Authority.

 

ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

The Borrower represents and warrants to the Lenders that:

 

Section 3.01            Organization; Powers. Each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as now conducted and, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, is qualified to do business in, and is in good standing in, every jurisdiction where such qualification is required of the Borrower or such Subsidiary, as applicable.

 

Section 3.02            Authorization; Enforceability. The Transactions are within the Borrower’s corporate powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate and, if required, by all necessary shareholder action. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Borrower and constitutes, and each of the other Loan Documents when executed and delivered by each Obligor party thereto will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Obligor, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws of general applicability affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights and (b) the application of general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

 

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Section 3.03            Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts. The Transactions (a) do not require any consent or approval of, registration or filing with, or any other action by, any Governmental Authority, except for (i) such as have been or will be obtained or made and are in full force and effect and (ii) filings and recordings in respect of the Liens created pursuant to this Agreement or the Security Documents, (b) will not violate any applicable law or regulation or the charter, by-laws or other organizational documents of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or any order of any Governmental Authority, (c) will not violate or result in a default in any material respect under any indenture, agreement or other instrument binding upon the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or assets, or give rise to a right thereunder to require any payment to be made by any such Person, and (d) except for the Liens created pursuant to this Agreement or the Security Documents, will not result in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any asset of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

Section 3.04            No Material Adverse Effect. Since the date of the most recent Applicable Financial Statements, there has not been any event, development or circumstance that has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 3.05            Litigation. There are no actions, suits, investigations or proceedings by or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority now pending against or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened against or affecting the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (i) as to which there is a reasonable possibility of an adverse determination and that, if adversely determined, could reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect or (ii) that involve this Agreement or the Transactions.

 

Section 3.06            Compliance with Laws and Agreements. Each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries is in compliance with all laws, regulations and orders of any Governmental Authority applicable to it or its property and all indentures, agreements and other instruments binding upon it or its property, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any contract or other arrangement, the performance of which by the Borrower or its Subsidiaries could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 3.07            Taxes. Each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries has timely filed or caused to be filed all material Tax returns and reports required to have been filed and has paid or caused to be paid all material Taxes required to have been paid by it, except (a) Taxes that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which such Person has set aside on its books adequate reserves or (b) to the extent that the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 3.08            ERISA. No ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur that, when taken together with all other such ERISA Events for which liability is reasonably expected to occur, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 3.09            Disclosure. The Borrower has disclosed to the Lenders all agreements, instruments and corporate or other restrictions to which it or any of its Subsidiaries is subject, and all other matters known to it, that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the reports, financial statements, certificates or other written information (other than projected financial information, other forward looking information relating to third parties and information of a general economic or general industry nature) furnished by or on behalf of the Borrower to the Administrative Agent in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or delivered hereunder or thereunder (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) when taken as a whole (and after giving effect to all updates, modifications and supplements) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that with respect to projected financial information, the Borrower represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.

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Section 3.10            Investment Company Act; Margin Regulations.

 

(a)                Status as Business Development Company. The Borrower has elected to be regulated as a “business development company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act and has taken, and will continue to take, all actions necessary to elect to be treated as a RIC beginning with its taxable year ended December 31, 2012.

 

(b)                Compliance with Investment Company Act. The business and other activities of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including the making of the Loans hereunder, the application of the proceeds and repayment thereof by the Borrower and the consummation of the Transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents do not result in a violation or breach in any material respect of the provisions of the Investment Company Act or any rules, regulations or orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, in each case that are applicable to the Borrower and its Subsidiaries.

 

(c)                Investment Policies. The Borrower is in compliance in all material respects with the Investment Policies (after giving effect to any Permitted Policy Amendments).

 

(d)                Use of Credit. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is engaged principally, or as one of its important activities, in the business of extending credit for the purpose, whether immediate, incidental or ultimate, of buying or carrying Margin Stock, and no part of the proceeds of any extension of credit hereunder will be used to buy or carry any Margin Stock.

 

Section 3.11            Material Agreements and Liens.

 

(a)                Material Agreements. Part A of Schedule 3.11 is a complete and correct list, as of the Effective Date, of each credit agreement, loan agreement, indenture, purchase agreement, guarantee, letter of credit or other arrangement providing for or otherwise relating to any Indebtedness or any extension of credit (or commitment for any extension of credit) to, or guarantee by, the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries outstanding on the Effective Date, and the aggregate principal or face amount outstanding or that is, or may become, outstanding under each such arrangement is correctly described in Part A of Schedule 3.11.

 

(b)                Liens. Part B of Schedule 3.11 is a complete and correct list, as of the Effective Date, of each Lien securing Indebtedness of any Person outstanding on the Effective Date covering any property of the Borrower or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors, and the aggregate Indebtedness secured (or that may be secured) by each such Lien and the property covered by each such Lien is correctly described in Part B of Schedule 3.11.

 

Section 3.12            Subsidiaries and Investments.

 

(a)                Subsidiaries. Set forth on Schedule 3.12(a) is a list of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries as of the Effective Date.

 

(b)                Investments. Set forth on Schedule 3.12(b) is a complete and correct list, as of the Effective Date, of all Investments (other than Investments of the types referred to in clauses (b), (c) and (d) of Section 6.04) held by the Borrower or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors in any Person on the Effective Date and, for each such Investment, (x) the identity of the Person or Persons holding such Investment and (y) the nature of such Investment. Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.12, each of the Borrower and any of the Subsidiary Guarantors owns, free and clear of all Liens (other than Liens created pursuant to this Agreement or the Security Documents and Permitted Liens), all such Investments.

 

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Section 3.13            Properties.

 

(a)                Title Generally. Each of the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors has good title to, or valid leasehold interests in, all its real and personal property material to its business, except for minor defects in title that do not interfere with its ability to conduct its business as currently conducted or to utilize such properties for their intended purposes.

 

(b)                Intellectual Property. Each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries (other than any Financing Subsidiary) owns, or is licensed to use, all trademarks, tradenames, copyrights, patents and other intellectual property material to its business, and the use thereof by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries (other than any Financing Subsidiary) does not infringe upon the rights of any other Person, except for any such infringements that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 3.14            Affiliate Agreements. As of the date hereof, the Borrower has heretofore delivered to the Administrative Agent true and complete copies of each of the Affiliate Agreements (including and schedules and exhibits thereto, and any amendments, supplements or waivers executed and delivered thereunder). As of the date of hereof, each of the Affiliate Agreements is in full force and effect.

 

Section 3.15            OFAC. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries (a) is a person whose property or interest in property is blocked or subject to blocking pursuant to Section 1 of Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001 Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism (66 Fed. Reg. 49079 (2001)), (b) engages in any dealings or transactions prohibited by Section 2 of such executive order, or is otherwise associated with any such person in any manner violative of Section 2 of such executive order, or (c) is a person on the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons or subject to the limitations or prohibitions under any other U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control regulation or executive order.

 

Section 3.16            Patriot Act. Each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries is in compliance with (a) the Trading with the Enemy Act, as amended, and each of the foreign assets control regulations of the United States Treasury Department (31 CFR, Subtitle B, Chapter V, as amended) and any other enabling legislation or executive order relating thereto, and (b) the Uniting And Strengthening America By Providing Appropriate Tools Required To Intercept And Obstruct Terrorism (USA Patriot Act of 2001). No part of the proceeds of the Loans will be used, directly or indirectly, for any payments to any governmental official or employee, political party, official of a political party, candidate for political office, or anyone else acting in an official capacity, in order to obtain, retain or direct business or obtain any improper advantage, in violation of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.

 

Section 3.17            Collateral Documents. The provisions of the Security Documents are effective to create in favor of the Collateral Agent a legal, valid and enforceable first priority Lien (subject to Liens permitted by Section 6.02) on all right, title and interest of the Borrower and each Subsidiary Guarantor in the Collateral described therein. Except for filings completed prior to the Effective Date and as contemplated hereby and by the Security Documents, no filing or other action will be necessary to perfect such Liens.

 

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ARTICLE IV

CONDITIONS

 

Section 4.01            Effective Date. The effectiveness of this Agreement and of the obligations of the Lenders to make Loans and of the Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit hereunder shall not become effective until completion of each of the following conditions precedent (unless a condition shall have been waived in accordance with Section 9.02):

 

(a)                Documents. Administrative Agent shall have received each of the following documents, each of which shall be satisfactory to the Administrative Agent (and to the extent specified below to each Lender) in form and substance:

 

(i)                 Executed Counterparts. From each party hereto either (i) a counterpart of this Agreement signed on behalf of such party or (ii) written evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent (which may include telecopy transmission of a signed signature page to this Agreement) that such party has signed a counterpart of this Agreement.

 

(ii)               Opinion of Counsel to the Borrower. A favorable written opinion (addressed to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and dated the Effective Date) of Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP, New York and Maryland counsel for the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors, in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent (and the Borrower hereby instructs such counsel to deliver such opinion to the Lenders and the Administrative Agent).

 

(iii)             Corporate Documents. Such documents and certificates as the Administrative Agent or its counsel may reasonably request relating to the organization, existence and good standing of the Borrower, the authorization of the Transactions and any other legal matters relating to the Borrower, this Agreement or the Transactions, all in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel.

 

(iv)              Officer’s Certificate. A certificate, dated the Effective Date and signed by the President, the Chief Executive Officer, a Vice President or a Financial Officer of the Borrower, confirming compliance with the conditions set forth in the lettered clauses of the first sentence of Section 4.02.

 

(v)                Guarantee and Security Agreement. The Guarantee and Security Agreement, duly executed and delivered by each of the parties to the Guarantee and Security Agreement.

 

(vi)              Control Agreements. A Control Agreement, duly executed and delivered by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and State Street Bank and Trust Company.

 

(vii)            Borrowing Base Certificate. A Borrowing Base Certificate showing a calculation of the Borrowing Base as of August 31, 2017.

 

(b)                Liens. The Administrative Agent shall have received results of a recent lien search in each relevant jurisdiction with respect to the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors, confirming that each financing statement in respect of the Liens in favor of the Collateral Agent created pursuant to the Security Documents is otherwise prior to all other financing statements or other interests reflected therein (other than any financing statement or interest in respect of liens permitted under Section 6.02 or liens to be discharged on or prior to the Effective Date pursuant to documentation satisfactory to the Administrative Agent) and revealing no liens on any of the assets of the Borrower or the Subsidiary Guarantors (except for liens permitted under Section 6.02 or liens to be discharged on or prior to the Effective Date pursuant to documentation satisfactory to the Administrative Agent). All UCC financing statements and similar documents required to be filed in order to create in favor of the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, a first priority perfected security interest in the Collateral (to the extent that such a security interest may be perfected by a filing under the Uniform Commercial Code) shall have been properly filed in each jurisdiction required (or arrangements for such filings acceptable to the Collateral Agent shall have been made).

 

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(c)                Consents. The Borrower shall have obtained and delivered to the Administrative Agent copies of all consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations, or filings required to be made or obtained by the Borrower and all Subsidiary Guarantors in connection with the Transactions and any transaction being financed with the proceeds of the Loans, and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations, filings and orders shall be in full force and effect and all applicable waiting periods shall have expired and no investigation or inquiry by any Governmental Authority regarding the Transactions or any transaction being financed with the proceeds of the Loans shall be ongoing.

 

(d)                Fees and Expenses. The Borrower shall have paid in full to the Administrative Agent all fees and expenses related to this Agreement owing on the Effective Date, including the fees specified in the Fee Letter that are due and payable on the Effective Date.

 

(e)                Patriot Act. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall have received, sufficiently in advance of the Effective Date, all documentation and other information required by bank regulatory authorities under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)).

 

(f)                 Minimum Availability. The Administrative Agent shall have received evidence from the Borrower on the Effective Date that the Borrowing Base exceeds the aggregate Covered Debt Amount by an amount equal to or greater than $40,000,000.

 

(g)                Existing Credit Agreement. The Administrative Agent shall have received a customary payoff letter executed by SunTrust Bank, confirming that (i) all Indebtedness under the Existing Credit Agreement will be paid in full, and (ii) all guarantees and Liens securing such Indebtedness are being released and terminated, in each case upon the payment of the payoff amount specified in such payoff letter.

 

(h)                Other Documents. The Administrative Agent shall have received such other documents as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may reasonably request in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

 

Section 4.02            Each Credit Event. The obligation of each Lender to make any Loan, and of the Issuing Bank to issue, amend, renew or extend any Letter of Credit, is additionally subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:

 

(a)                the representations and warranties of the Borrower set forth in this Agreement and in the other Loan Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects (or, in the case of any portion of any representations and warranties already subject to a materiality qualifier, true and correct in all respects) on and as of the date of such Loan or the date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable, or, as to any such representation or warranty that refers to a specific date, as of such specific date;

 

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(b)                at the time of and immediately after giving effect to such Loan or the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing; and

 

(c)                either (i) the aggregate Covered Debt Amount (after giving effect to such extension of credit) shall not exceed the Borrowing Base reflected on the Borrowing Base Certificate most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent or (ii) the Borrower shall have delivered an updated Borrowing Base Certificate demonstrating that the Covered Debt Amount (after giving effect to such extension of credit) shall not exceed the Borrowing Base after giving effect to such extension of credit as well as any concurrent acquisitions of Investments or payment of outstanding Loans.

 

Each Borrowing and each issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of a Letter of Credit shall be deemed to constitute a representation and warranty by the Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in the preceding sentence.

 

ARTICLE V
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

 

Until the Commitments have expired or been terminated and the principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees payable hereunder shall have been paid in full and all Letters of Credit shall have expired, been terminated, Cash Collateralized or backstopped and all LC Disbursements shall have been reimbursed, the Borrower covenants and agrees with the Lenders that:

 

Section 5.01            Financial Statements and Other Information. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:

 

(a)                within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Borrower, the audited consolidated balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the end of and for such year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all reported on by Grant Thornton LLP or other independent public accountants of recognized national standing to the effect that such consolidated financial statements present fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied; provided that the requirements set forth in this clause (a) may be fulfilled by providing to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders the report of the Borrower to the SEC on Form 10-K for the applicable fiscal year;

 

(b)                within 45 days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Borrower, the consolidated balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the end of and for such fiscal quarter and the then elapsed portion of the fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for (or, in the case of the statements of assets and liabilities, operations, changes in net assets and cash flows, as of the end of) the corresponding period or periods of the previous fiscal year, all certified by a Financial Officer of the Borrower as presenting fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes; provided that the requirements set forth in this clause (b) may be fulfilled by providing to the Lenders the report of the Borrower to the SEC on Form 10-Q for the applicable quarterly period;

 

(c)                concurrently with any delivery of financial statements under clause (a) or (b) of this Section, a certificate of a Financial Officer of the Borrower (i) certifying that such statements are consistent with the financial statements filed by the Borrower with the Securities and Exchange Commission, (ii) certifying as to whether the Borrower has knowledge that a Default has occurred during the applicable period and, if a Default or an Event of Default has occurred, specifying the details thereof and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto, (iii) setting forth reasonably detailed calculations demonstrating compliance with Sections 6.01, 6.02, 6.04 and 6.07 (with respect to such financial covenants under Section 6.07, unless otherwise required by Administrative Agent with respect to Sections 6.07(b) and (c), each of the financial covenants set forth in Section 6.07 shall be calculated and tested as of the last day of each March, June, September, and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the Effective Date), (iii) setting forth the Borrower’s Good Faith Tax Estimate for the current taxable year as of the last day of the most recent fiscal quarter and (iv) stating whether any change in GAAP as applied by (or in the application of GAAP by) the Borrower has occurred since the Effective Date and, if any such change has occurred, specifying the effect of such change on the financial statements accompanying such certificate;

 

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(d)                as soon as available and in any event not later than 20 days after the end of each monthly accounting period (ending on the last day of each calendar month) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, a Borrowing Base Certificate as at the last day of such accounting period;

 

(e)                promptly but no later than five Business Days after the Borrower shall at any time have knowledge that there is a Borrowing Base Deficiency, a Borrowing Base Certificate as at the date the Borrower has knowledge of such Borrowing Base Deficiency indicating the amount of the Borrowing Base Deficiency as at the date the Borrower obtained knowledge of such deficiency and the amount of the Borrowing Base Deficiency as of the date not earlier than one Business Day prior to the date the Borrowing Base Certificate is delivered pursuant to this paragraph;

 

(f)                 promptly upon receipt thereof copies of all significant reports submitted by the Borrower’s independent public accountants in connection with each annual, interim or special audit or review of any type of the financial statements or related internal control systems of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries delivered by such accountants to the management or board of directors of the Borrower;

 

(g)                promptly after the same become publicly available, copies of all periodic and other reports, proxy statements and other materials filed by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any or all of the functions of said Commission, or with any national securities exchange, as the case may be; and

 

(h)                promptly following any request therefor, such other information regarding the operations, business affairs and financial condition of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or compliance with the terms of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may reasonably request.

 

Borrower and each Lender acknowledge that certain of the Lenders may be Public Lenders and, if documents or notices required to be delivered pursuant to this Section 5.01 or otherwise are being distributed through DebtX, IntraLinks/IntraAgency, SyndTrak or another relevant website or other information platform (the “Platform”), any document or notice that Borrower has indicated contains Non-Public Information shall not be posted by Administrative Agent on that portion of the Platform designated for such Public Lenders. Borrower agrees to clearly designate all information provided to Administrative Agent by or on behalf of Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries which is suitable to make available to Public Lenders. If Borrower has not indicated whether a document or notice delivered pursuant to this Section 5.01 contains Non-Public Information, the Administrative Agent reserves the right to post such document or notice solely on that portion of the Platform designated for Lenders who wish to receive material Non-Public Information with respect to Borrower, its Subsidiaries and their Securities (as such term is defined in Section 5.13 of this Agreement).

 

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Section 5.02            Notices of Material Events. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender prompt written notice of the following:

 

(a)                the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default;

 

(b)                the filing or commencement of any action, suit or proceeding by or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority against or affecting the Borrower or any of its Affiliates that, if adversely determined, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(c)                the occurrence of any ERISA Event that, alone or together with any other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in liability of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount exceeding $1,000,000; and

 

(d)                any other development that results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Each notice delivered under this Section shall be accompanied by a statement of a Financial Officer or other executive officer of the Borrower setting forth the details of the event or development requiring such notice and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.03            Existence: Conduct of Business. The Borrower will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) to, do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect its legal existence and the rights, licenses, permits, privileges and franchises material to the conduct of its business; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit (a) any merger, consolidation, liquidation or dissolution permitted under Section 6.03 or (b) the dissolution of any Financing Subsidiary.

 

Section 5.04            Payment of Obligations. The Borrower will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, pay its obligations, including income Tax and other material Tax liabilities and material contractual obligations, that, if not paid, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect before the same shall become delinquent or in default, except where (a) the validity or amount thereof is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (b) the Borrower or such Subsidiary has set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto in accordance with GAAP and (c) the failure to make payment pending such contest could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 5.05            Maintenance of Properties; Insurance. The Borrower will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) to, (a) keep and maintain all property material to the conduct of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and (b) maintain, with financially sound and reputable insurance companies in the Borrower’s reasonable judgment, insurance in such amounts and against such risks as are customarily maintained by companies engaged in the same or similar businesses operating in the same or similar locations.

 

Section 5.06            Books and Records; Inspection and Audit Rights. The Borrower will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, keep books of record and account in accordance with GAAP. The Borrower will, and will cause each other Obligor to, permit any representatives designated by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, upon reasonable prior notice, to visit and inspect its properties during business hours, to examine and make extracts from its books and records, and to discuss its affairs, finances and condition with its officers and independent accountants, all at such reasonable times and as often as reasonably requested, in each case, to the extent such inspection or requests for such information are reasonable and such information can be provided or discussed without violation of law, rule, regulation, order of any Governmental Authority or contract; provided that, the Borrower or such Obligor shall be entitled to have its representatives and advisors present during any inspection of its books and records.

 

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Section 5.07            Compliance with Laws. The Borrower will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, comply with all laws, rules, regulations, including the Investment Company Act, and orders of any Governmental Authority applicable to it or its property, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Borrower will, and will cause its Subsidiaries to, conduct its business and other activities in compliance in all material respects with the provisions of the Investment Company Act and any applicable rules, regulations or orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.

 

Section 5.08            Certain Obligations Respecting Subsidiaries; Further Assurances.

 

(a)                Subsidiary Guarantors. In the event that the Borrower or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors shall form or acquire any new Subsidiary (other than a Financing Subsidiary, a Foreign Subsidiary, an Immaterial Subsidiary or a Subsidiary of a Foreign Subsidiary), the Borrower will cause such new Subsidiary to become a “Subsidiary Guarantor” (and, thereby, an “Obligor”) under the Guarantee and Security Agreement pursuant to a Guarantee Assumption Agreement and to deliver such proof of corporate or other action, incumbency of officers, opinions of counsel and other documents as is consistent with those delivered by the Borrower pursuant to Section 4.01 upon the Effective Date or as the Administrative Agent shall have requested.

 

(b)                Ownership of Subsidiaries. The Borrower will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, take such action from time to time as shall be necessary to ensure that each of its Subsidiaries is a wholly owned Subsidiary.

 

(c)                Further Assurances. The Borrower will, and will cause each of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, take such action from time to time as shall reasonably be requested by the Administrative Agent to effectuate the purposes and objectives of this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Borrower will, and will cause each of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, take such action from time to time (including filing appropriate Uniform Commercial Code financing statements and executing and delivering such assignments, security agreements and other instruments) as shall be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent: (i) to create, in favor of the Collateral Agent for the benefit of the Lenders (and any affiliate thereof that is a party to any Hedging Agreement entered into with the Borrower) perfected security interests and Liens in the Collateral; provided that any such security interest or Lien shall be subject to the relevant requirements of the Security Documents, (ii) to cause any bank or securities intermediary (within the meaning of the Uniform Commercial Code) to enter into such arrangements with the Collateral Agent as shall be appropriate in order that the Collateral Agent has “control” (within the meaning of the Uniform Commercial Code) over each bank account or securities account of the Obligors, and in that connection, the Borrower agrees to cause all cash and other proceeds of Investments received by any Obligor to be promptly deposited into such an account (or otherwise delivered to, or registered in the name of, the Collateral Agent), (iii) in the case of any Investment consisting of a Bank Loan (as defined in Section 5.13) that does not constitute all of the credit extended to the underlying borrower under the relevant underlying loan documents and a Financing Subsidiary holds any interest in the loans or other extensions of credit under such loan documents, (x) to cause such Financing Subsidiary to be party to such underlying loan documents as a “lender” having a direct interest in such underlying loan documents and the extensions of credit thereunder and (y) to ensure that all amounts owing to such Obligor (including any amounts owing to such Obligor in its capacity as the administrative agent) or Financing Subsidiary by the underlying borrower or other obligated party are remitted by such borrower or obligated party directly to separate accounts of such Obligor and such Financing Subsidiary, as applicable, (iv) in the event that any Obligor is acting as an agent or administrative agent under any loan documents with respect to any Bank Loan that does not constitute all of the credit extended to the underlying borrower under the relevant underlying loan documents, to ensure that all funds held by such Obligor in such capacity as agent or administrative agent is segregated from all other funds of such Obligor and clearly identified as being held in an agency capacity and (v) to cause the closing sets and all executed amendments, consents, forbearances and other modifications and assignment agreements relating to any Investment and any other documents relating to any Investment requested by the Collateral Agent, in each case, to be held by the Collateral Agent or a custodian pursuant to the terms of a custodian agreement reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent.

 

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Section 5.09            Use of Proceeds. The Borrower will use the proceeds of the Loans only for general corporate purposes of the Borrower in the ordinary course of business, including the acquisition and funding (either directly or through one or more wholly-owned Subsidiaries) of leveraged loans, mezzanine loans, high-yield securities, convertible securities, preferred stock, common stock and other Investments; provided that, neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall have any responsibility as to the use of any of such proceeds. No part of the proceeds of any Loan will be used in violation of applicable law or, directly or indirectly, for the purpose, whether immediate, incidental or ultimate, of buying or carrying any Margin Stock. Margin Stock shall be purchased by the Obligors only with the proceeds of Indebtedness not directly or indirectly secured by Margin Stock, or with the proceeds of equity capital of the Borrower.

 

Section 5.10            Status of RIC and BDC. The Borrower shall (a) take all actions necessary to qualify as a RIC and to thereafter maintain its qualification as a RIC, and (b) at all times maintain its status as a “business development company” under the Investment Company Act.

 

Section 5.11            Investment Policies. The Borrower shall at all times be in compliance in all material respects with its Investment Policies (after giving effect to any Permitted Policy Amendments).

 

Section 5.12            Portfolio Valuation and Diversification Etc.

 

(a)                Industry Classification Groups. For purposes of this Agreement, the Borrower shall assign each Portfolio Investment to an Industry Classification Group. To the extent that any Portfolio Investment is not correlated with the risks of other Portfolio Investments in an Industry Classification Group, such Portfolio Investment may be assigned by the Borrower to an Industry Classification Group that is more closely correlated to such Portfolio Investment. In the absence of any correlation, the Borrower shall be permitted, upon prior notice to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, to create up to three additional industry classification groups for purposes of this Agreement after the Effective Date.

 

(b)                Portfolio Valuation Etc.

 

(i)                 Settlement Date Basis. For purposes of this Agreement, all determinations of whether an investment is to be included as a Portfolio Investment shall be determined on a settlement-date basis (meaning that any investment that has been purchased will not be treated as a Portfolio Investment until such purchase has settled, and any Portfolio Investment which has been sold will not be excluded as a Portfolio Investment until such sale has settled); provided that no such investment shall be included as a Portfolio Investment to the extent it has not been paid for in full.

 

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(ii)               Determination of Values. The Borrower will conduct reviews of the value to be assigned to each of its Portfolio Investments as follows:

 

(A)              Quoted Investments – External Review. With respect to Portfolio Investments (including Cash Equivalents) for which market quotations are readily available, the Borrower shall, not less frequently than once each calendar month, determine the market value of such Portfolio Investments which shall, in each case, be determined in accordance with one of the following methodologies (as selected by the Borrower):

 

(w)       in the case of public and 144A securities, the average of the bid prices as determined by two Approved Dealers selected by the Borrower,

 

(x)       in the case of bank loans, the bid price as determined by one Approved Dealer selected by the Borrower,

 

(y)       in the case of any Portfolio Investment traded on an exchange, the closing price for such Portfolio Investment most recently posted on such exchange, and

 

(z)       in the case of any other Portfolio Investment, the fair market value thereof as determined by an Approved Pricing Service.

 

(B)              Unquoted Investments – External Review. With respect to each Portfolio Investment for which market quotations are not readily available, the Borrower shall select an Approved Third-Party Appraiser to determine the fair market value (on a positive assurance basis) of such Portfolio Investment, as at the last day of two fiscal quarters each year (each a “Testing Quarter”) (which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall not be two consecutive fiscal quarters for any Portfolio Investment); provided that (x) the Value of any such Portfolio Investment (i.e., a Portfolio Investment for which market quotations are not readily available) acquired shall be deemed to be equal to the cost of such Portfolio Investment until such time as the fair market value of such Portfolio Investment is determined in accordance with the provisions of this sub-clause (B) as at the last day of the next succeeding Testing Quarter with respect to such Portfolio Investment and (y) no Testing Quarter with respect to any Portfolio Investment for which market quotations are not readily available shall end more than two fiscal quarters following the end of the immediately preceding Testing Quarter for such Portfolio Investment or the end of the fiscal quarter during which such Portfolio Investment was acquired.

 

(C)              Internal Review. The Borrower shall conduct internal reviews of all Portfolio Investments at least once each calendar month which shall take into account any events of which the Borrower has actual knowledge that adversely affect the value of the Portfolio Investments. If the value of any Portfolio Investment as most recently determined by the Borrower pursuant to this Section 5.12(b)(ii)(C) is lower than the value of such Portfolio Investment as most recently determined pursuant to Section 5.12(b)(ii)(A) and (B), such lower value shall be deemed to be the “Value” of such Portfolio Investment for purposes hereof; provided that the Value of any Portfolio Investment of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be increased by the net unrealized gain as at the date such Value is determined of any Hedging Agreement entered into to hedge risks associated with such Portfolio Investment and reduced by the net unrealized loss as at such date of any such Hedging Agreement (such net unrealized gain or net unrealized loss, on any date, to be equal to the aggregate amount receivable or payable under the related Hedging Agreement if the same were terminated on such date).

 

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(D)              Failure to Determine Values. If the Borrower shall fail to determine the value of any Portfolio Investment as at any date pursuant to the requirements of the foregoing sub-clauses (A), (B) or (C), then the “Value” of such Portfolio Investment as at such date shall be deemed to be zero.

 

(E)               Testing of Values.

 

(x)       For the second calendar month immediately following the end of each fiscal quarter (the last such fiscal quarter is referred to herein as, the “Testing Period”), the Administrative Agent shall cause an Approved Third-Party Appraiser selected by the Administrative Agent to value (on a positive assurance basis) such number of Unquoted Investments (selected by the Administrative Agent) that collectively have an aggregate Value approximately equal to the Calculation Amount. If there is a difference between the Borrower’s valuation and the Approved Third-Party Appraiser’s valuation of any Unquoted Investment, the Value of such Unquoted Investment for Borrowing Base purposes shall be established as set forth in sub-clause (F) below.

 

(y)       For the avoidance of doubt, the valuation of any Approved Third-Party Appraiser selected by the Administrative Agent would not be as of, or delivered at, the end of any fiscal quarter. Any such valuation would be as of the end of the second month immediately following any fiscal quarter and would be reflected in the Borrowing Base Certificate for such month (provided that such Approved Third-Party Appraiser delivers such valuation at least seven (7) Business Days before the 20th day after the end of the applicable monthly accounting period and, if such valuation is delivered after such time, it shall be included in the Borrowing Base Certificate for the following monthly period and applied to the then applicable balance of the related Portfolio Investment). For illustrative purposes, if the given fiscal quarter is the fourth quarter ending on December 31, 2017, then (A) the Administrative Agent would initiate the testing of Values (using the December 31, 2017 Calculation Values for purposes of determining the scope of the testing under clauses (E)(x) during the month of February with the anticipation of receiving the valuations from the applicable Approved Third-Party Appraiser(s) on or after February 28, 2018 and (B)(xx) if such valuations were received before the 7th Business Day before March 20, 2018, such valuations would be included in the March 20, 2018 Borrowing Base Certificate covering the month of February, or (yy) if such valuations were received after such time, they would be included in the April 20, 2018 Borrowing Base Certificate for the month of March.

 

For the avoidance of doubt, all calculations of value pursuant to this Section 5.12(b)(ii)(E) shall be determined without application of the Advance Rates.

 

(F)               Valuation Dispute Resolution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrative Agent shall at any time have the right to request any Unquoted Investment be independently valued (on a positive assurance basis) by an Approved Third-Party Appraiser selected by the Administrative Agent. There shall be no limit on the number of such appraisals requested by the Administrative Agent and the costs of any such valuation shall be at the expense of the Borrower. If the difference between the Borrower’s valuation pursuant to Section 5.12(b)(ii)(B) and the valuation of any Approved Third-Party Appraiser selected by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 5.12(b)(ii)(E) or (F) is (1) less than 5% of the value thereof, then the Borrower’s valuation shall be used, (2) between 5% and 20% of the value thereof, then the valuation of such Portfolio Investment shall be the average of the value determined by the Borrower and the value determined by the Approved Third-Party Appraiser retained by the Administrative Agent and (3) greater than 20% of the value thereof, then the Borrower and the Administrative Agent shall select an additional Approved Third-Party Appraiser and the valuation of such Portfolio Investment shall be the average of the three valuations (with the Administrative Agent’s Approved Third-Party Appraiser’s valuation to be used until the third valuation is obtained).

 

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(c)                RIC Diversification Requirements. The Borrower will at all times, subject to applicable grace periods set forth in the Code, comply with the portfolio diversification requirements set forth in Section 851(b)(3) of the Code.

 

Section 5.13            Calculation of Borrowing Base. For purposes of this Agreement, the “Borrowing Base” shall be determined, as at any date of determination, as the sum of the Advance Rates of the Value of each Portfolio Investment (excluding any Cash Collateral held by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.05(k) or the last paragraph of Section 2.09(a)); provided that:

 

(a)                the Advance Rate applicable to that portion of the aggregate Value of the Portfolio Investments of all issuers in a consolidated group of corporations or other entities (collectively, a “Consolidated Group”) exceeding 20% of Shareholders’ Equity of the Borrower (which, for purposes of this calculation shall exclude the aggregate amount of investments in, and advances to, Financing Subsidiaries) shall be 0%;

 

(b)                the Advance Rate applicable to that portion of the aggregate Value of the Portfolio Investments in any single Industry Classification Group that exceeds 25% of Shareholders’ Equity of the Borrower (which for purposes of this calculation shall exclude the aggregate amount of investments in, and advances to, Financing Subsidiaries) shall be 0%; provided that, with respect to the Portfolio Investments in a single Industry Classification Group from time to time designated by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent, such 25% figure shall be increased to 30% and, accordingly, only to the extent that the Value for such single Industry Classification Group exceeds 30% of the Shareholders’ Equity shall the Advance Rate applicable to such excess Value be 0%;

 

(c)                no Portfolio Investment may be included in the Borrowing Base unless the Collateral Agent maintains a first-priority, perfected Lien (subject to Permitted Liens) on such Portfolio Investment and such Portfolio Investment has been Delivered (as defined in the Guarantee and Security Agreement) to the Collateral Agent, and then only for so long as such Portfolio Investment continues to be Delivered as contemplated therein;

 

(d)                no portion of any Portfolio Investment (whether quoted or unquoted) for which the applicable Advance Rate specified below is 0% shall be included in the Borrowing Base at any time; and

 

(e)                the portion of the Borrowing Base attributable to Portfolio Investments invested outside the United States and Canada shall not exceed 5% without the consent of the Administrative Agent.

 

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As used herein, the following terms have the following meanings:

 

“Advance Rate” means, as to any Portfolio Investment and subject to adjustment as provided in Section 5.13(a), (b) and (c), the following percentages with respect to such Portfolio Investment:

 

Portfolio Investment  Quoted   Unquoted 
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term U.S. Government Securities   100%   0%
Long-Term U.S.  Government Securities   95%   0%
Performing First Lien Bank Loans   75%   65%
Performing Unitranche Loans   65%   55%
Performing Second Lien Bank Loans   60%   50%
Performing Cash Pay Secured High Yield Securities   60%   50%
Performing Cash Pay Unsecured High Yield Securities   50%   40%
Performing Cash Pay Mezzanine Investments   45%   35%
Non-Performing First Lien Bank Loans   0%   0%
Non-Performing Unitranche Loans   0%   0%
Non-Performing Second Lien Bank Loans   0%   0%
Performing Non-Cash Pay Mezzanine Investments   0%   0%
Performing Non-Cash Pay Secured High Yield Securities   0%   0%
Performing Non-Cash Pay Unsecured High Yield Securities   0%   0%
Performing Common Equity (and zero cost or penny warrants with performing debt)   0%   0%
Non-Performing Mezzanine Investments   0%   0%
Non-Performing High Yield Securities   0%   0%
Non-Performing Common Equity   0%   0%
Structured Finance Obligations and Finance Leases   0%   0%

 

“Bank Loans” means debt obligations (including term loans, revolving loans, debtor-in-possession financings, the funded and unfunded portion of revolving credit lines and letter of credit facilities and other similar loans and investments including interim loans and senior subordinated loans) which are generally under a loan or credit facility (whether or not syndicated).

 

“Capital Stock” of any Person means any and all shares of corporate stock (however designated) of and any and all other Equity Interests and participations representing ownership interests (including membership interests and limited liability company interests) in, such Person.

 

“Finance Lease” means any transaction representing the obligation of a lessee to pay rent or other amounts under a lease which is required to be classified and accounted for as a capital lease on the balance sheet of such lessee under GAAP.

 

“First Lien Bank Loan” means a Bank Loan that is entitled to the benefit of a first lien and first priority perfected security interest (subject to Liens for “ABL” revolvers and customary encumbrances) on a substantial portion of the assets of the respective borrower and guarantors obligated in respect thereof.

 

“High Yield Securities” means debt Securities and Preferred Stock, in each case (a) issued by public or private issuers, (b) issued pursuant to an effective registration statement or pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act (or any successor provision thereunder) or other exemption to the Securities Act and (c) that are not Cash Equivalents, Mezzanine Investments or Bank Loans.

 

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“Long-Term U.S. Government Securities” means U.S. Government Securities maturing more than one month from the applicable date of determination.

 

“Mezzanine Investments” means debt Securities (including convertible debt Securities (other than the “in-the-money” equity component thereof)) and Preferred Stock in each case (a) issued by public or private issuers, (b) issued without registration under the Securities Act, (c) not issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act (or any successor provision thereunder), (d) that are not Cash Equivalents and (e) contractually subordinated in right of payment to other debt of the same issuer.

 

“Non-Performing Common Equity” means Capital Stock (other than Preferred Stock) and warrants of an issuer having any debt outstanding that is not Performing.

 

“Non-Performing First Lien Bank Loans” means First Lien Bank Loans other than Performing First Lien Bank Loans.

 

“Non-Performing High Yield Securities” means High Yield Securities other than Performing High Yield Securities.

 

“Non-Performing Mezzanine Investments” means Mezzanine Investments other than Performing Mezzanine Investments.

 

“Non-Performing Portfolio Investment” means Portfolio Investments for which the issuer is in default of any payment obligations of principal or interest in respect thereof after the expiration of any applicable grace period.

 

“Non-Performing Second Lien Bank Loans” means Second Lien Bank Loans other than Performing Second Lien Bank Loans.

 

“Non-Performing Unitranche Loan” means Unitranche Loans other than Performing Unitranche Loans.

 

“Performing” means (a) with respect to any Portfolio Investment that is debt, the issuer of such Portfolio Investment is not in default of any payment obligations of principal or interest in respect thereof after the expiration of any applicable grace period, (b) with respect to any Portfolio Investment that is Preferred Stock, the issuer of such Portfolio Investment has not failed to meet any scheduled redemption obligations or to pay its latest declared cash dividend, after the expiration of any applicable grace period, and (c) with respect to any Portfolio Investment that is debt or Preferred Stock, (i) Borrower has not received notice of any material impairment of the financial condition of the issuer of such debt or Preferred Stock, and (ii) the issuer of such debt or Preferred Stock is not the subject of a bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, liquidation or similar proceeding; provided that, with respect to any Portfolio Investment that is debt or Preferred Stock and that the Borrower has assigned, in each case, in accordance with the Borrower’s Investment Policies in effect on the Closing Date, to an investment category of 4 or 5 (as such investment categories are defined in the Borrower’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission), such Portfolio Investment shall automatically be deemed as non-Performing, unless Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion has deemed such Portfolio Investment as Performing.

 

“Performing Cash Pay High Yield Securities” means High Yield Securities (a) as to which, at the time of determination, not less than 2/3rds of the interest (including accretions and “pay-in-kind” interest) for the current monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual period (as applicable) is payable in cash and (b) which are Performing.

 

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“Performing Cash Pay Mezzanine Investments” means Mezzanine Investments (a) as to which, at the time of determination, not less than 2/3rds of the interest (including accretions and “pay-in-kind” interest) for the current monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual period (as applicable) is payable in cash and (b) which are Performing.

 

“Performing Common Equity” means Capital Stock (other than Preferred Stock) and warrants of an issuer all of whose outstanding debt is Performing.

 

“Performing First Lien Bank Loans” means First Lien Bank Loans which are Performing.

 

“Performing Non-Cash Pay High Yield Securities” means Performing High Yield Securities other than Performing Cash Pay High Yield Securities.

 

“Performing Non-Cash Pay Mezzanine Investments” means Performing Mezzanine Investments other than Performing Cash Pay Mezzanine Investments.

 

“Performing Second Lien Bank Loans” means Second Lien Bank Loans which are Performing.

 

“Preferred Stock,” as applied to the Capital Stock of any Person, means Capital Stock of such Person of any class or classes (however designated) that ranks prior, as to the payment of dividends or as to the distribution of assets upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of such Person, to any shares (or other interests) of other Capital Stock of such Person, and shall include, without limitation, cumulative preferred, noncumulative preferred, participating preferred and convertible preferred Capital Stock.

 

“Second Lien Bank Loan” means a Bank Loan that is entitled to the benefit of a second lien and second-priority perfected security interest (subject to customary encumbrances) on specified assets of the respective borrower and guarantors obligated in respect thereof.

 

“Securities” means common and preferred stock, units and participations, member interests in limited liability companies, partnership interests in partnerships, notes, bonds, debentures, trust receipts and other obligations, instruments or evidences of indebtedness, including debt instruments of public and private issuers and tax-exempt securities (including warrants, rights, put and call options and other options relating thereto, representing rights, or any combination thereof) and other property or interests commonly regarded as securities or any form of interest or participation therein, but not including Bank Loans.

 

“Securities Act” means the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

“Short-Term U.S. Government Securities” means U.S. Government Securities maturing within one month of the applicable date of determination.

 

“Structured Finance Obligation” means any obligation issued by a special purpose vehicle and secured directly by, referenced to, or representing ownership of, a pool of receivables or other financial assets of any obligor, including collateralized debt obligations and mortgaged-backed securities. For the avoidance of doubt, if an obligation satisfies the definition of “Structured Finance Obligation”, such obligation shall not (a) qualify as any other category of Portfolio Investment and (b) be included in the Borrowing Base.

 

“Unitranche Loan” means a Bank Loan that is a First Lien Bank Loan, a portion of which is, in effect, subject to superpriority rights of other lenders following an event of default (such portion, a “second out” portion); provided, however, that such second out portion shall not be treated as a Unitranche Loan (and instead shall be treated as a Second Lien Bank Loan) at such times as the aggregate drawn principal amount of such second out portion constitutes less than 75% of the combined aggregate drawn principal amount of (i) such second out portion and (ii) the portion of such Bank Loan in which such other lenders hold such superpriority rights. As and at the times provided in the foregoing sentence, the Borrower’s investment in the second out portion shall be treated as a Unitranche Loan or Second Lien Bank Loan, as applicable, for purposes of determining the applicable Advance Rate for such Portfolio Investment.

 

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“Value” means, with respect to any Portfolio Investment, the lower of:

 

(i)                the most recent internal market value as determined pursuant to Section 5.12(b)(ii)(C) and

 

(ii)               the most recent external market value as determined pursuant to Section 5.12(b)(ii)(A) and (B).

 

Section 5.14            Post-Closing Covenant. The Borrower will deliver to Administrative Agent the items listed on Schedule 5.14 within the time specified for delivery of such item on Schedule 5.14.

 

ARTICLE VI
NEGATIVE COVENANTS

 

Until the Commitments have expired or terminated and the principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees payable hereunder have been paid in full and all Letters of Credit have expired, been terminated, Cash Collateralized or backstopped and all LC Disbursements shall have been reimbursed, the Borrower covenants and agrees with the Lenders that:

 

Section 6.01            Indebtedness. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Indebtedness, except:

 

(a)                Indebtedness created hereunder;

 

(b)                Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness so long as (i) no Default exists at the time of the incurrence thereof, and (ii) the aggregate amount of such Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness, taken together with other then-outstanding Indebtedness, does not exceed the amount required to comply with the provisions of Section 6.07(b);

 

(c)                Other Permitted Indebtedness;

 

(d)                repurchase obligations arising in the ordinary course of business with respect to U.S. Government Securities;

 

(e)                obligations payable to clearing agencies, brokers or dealers in connection with the purchase or sale of securities in the ordinary course of business;

 

(f)                 obligations (including Guarantees) in respect of Standard Securitization Undertakings;

 

(g)                Permitted SBIC Guarantees;

 

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(h)                Indebtedness under any Treasury Credit Facility not to exceed $100,000,000 in the aggregate;

 

(i)                 other Indebtedness not to exceed $3,000,000 at any time; and

 

(j)                 Indebtedness of any Subsidiary Guarantor owed to the Borrower.

 

Section 6.02            Liens. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Lien on any property or asset now owned or hereafter acquired by it, or assign or sell any income or revenues (including accounts receivable) or rights in respect of any thereof except:

 

(a)                any Lien on any property or asset of the Borrower or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors existing as of the Effective Date and set forth in Part B of Schedule 3.11; provided that (i) no such Lien shall extend to any other property or asset of the Borrower or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors, and (ii) any such Lien shall secure only those obligations which it secures on the date hereof and extensions, renewals and replacements thereof that do not increase the outstanding principal amount thereof;

 

(b)                Liens created pursuant to this Agreement (including Section 2.19) or any of the Security Documents;

 

(c)                Liens on Special Equity Interests included in the Investments of the Borrower but only to the extent securing obligations in the manner provided in the definition of “Special Equity Interests” in Section 1.01;

 

(d)                Permitted Liens;

 

(e)                Liens on Equity Interests in any SBIC Subsidiary created in favor of the SBA;

 

(f)                 Liens securing repurchase obligations arising in the ordinary course of business with respect to U.S. Government Securities;

 

(g)                Liens created pursuant to any Treasury Credit Facility; provided that such Liens (i) only constitute Liens on (A) Cash not exceeding $2,000,000 at any one time outstanding and (B) U.S. Government Securities and (ii) do not constitute Liens on any Investments, Cash or other property, in each case that constitute Collateral hereunder or are included in the Borrowing Base hereunder; and

 

(h)                Liens securing Indebtedness or other obligations in an aggregate principal amount not exceeding $2,000,000 at any one time outstanding.

 

Section 6.03            Fundamental Changes. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, enter into any transaction of merger or consolidation or amalgamation, or liquidate, wind up or dissolve itself (or suffer any liquidation or dissolution). The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, acquire any business or property from, or capital stock of, or be a party to any acquisition of, any Person, except for purchases or acquisitions of Investments and other assets in the normal course of the day-to-day business activities of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries and not in violation of the terms and conditions of this Agreement or any other Loan Document. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, convey, sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of, in one transaction or a series of transactions, any part of its assets, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, but excluding (x) assets (other than Investments) sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business (including to make expenditures of cash in the normal course of the day-to-day business activities of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries) and (y) subject to the provisions of clauses (d) and (e) below, Investments.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section:

 

(a)                any Subsidiary Guarantor of the Borrower may be merged or consolidated with or into the Borrower or any other Subsidiary Guarantor; provided that if any such transaction shall be between a Subsidiary Guarantor and a wholly owned Subsidiary Guarantor, the wholly owned Subsidiary Guarantor shall be the continuing or surviving corporation;

 

(b)                any Subsidiary Guarantor of the Borrower may sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of any or all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Borrower or any wholly owned Subsidiary Guarantor of the Borrower;

 

(c)                the capital stock of any Subsidiary of the Borrower may be sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of to the Borrower or any wholly owned Subsidiary Guarantor of the Borrower;

 

(d)                the Obligors may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of Investments (other than to a Financing Subsidiary) so long as after giving effect to such sale, transfer or other disposition (and any concurrent acquisitions of Investments or payment of outstanding Loans) the Covered Debt Amount does not exceed the Borrowing Base;

 

(e)                the Obligors may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of Investments to a Financing Subsidiary so long as (i) after giving effect to such sale, transfer or other disposition (and any concurrent acquisitions of Investments or payment of outstanding Loans) the Covered Debt Amount does not exceed the Borrowing Base and the Borrower delivers to the Administrative Agent a certificate of a Financial Officer to such effect and (ii) either (x) the amount by which the Borrowing Base exceeds the Covered Debt Amount immediately prior to such release is not diminished as a result of such release or (y) the Borrowing Base immediately after giving effect to such release is at least 110% of the Covered Debt Amount;

 

(f)                 the Borrower may merge or consolidate with any other Person so long as (i) the Borrower is the continuing or surviving entity in such transaction and (ii) at the time thereof and after giving effect thereto, no Default shall have occurred or be continuing; and

 

(g)                the Borrower and each of the Subsidiary Guarantors may sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of equipment or other property or assets that do not consist of Investments so long as the aggregate amount of all such sales, leases, transfer and dispositions does not exceed $5,000,000 in any fiscal year.

 

Section 6.04            Investments. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, acquire, make or enter into, or hold, any Investments except:

 

(a)                operating deposit accounts with banks;

 

(b)                Investments by the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors in the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors;

 

(c)                Hedging Agreements entered into in the ordinary course of the Borrower’s financial planning and not for speculative purposes;

 

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(d)                Investments by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries to the extent such Investments are permitted under the Investment Company Act and the Borrower’s Investment Policies as in effect as of the date such Investments are acquired;

 

(e)                Investments in Financing Subsidiaries so long as, (i) after giving effect to such Investment, the Covered Debt Amount does not exceed the Borrowing Base and (ii) the sum of (x) all Investments under this clause (e) that occur after the Commitment Termination Date and (y) all Investments under clause (f) below that occur after the Commitment Termination Date, shall not exceed $5,000,000 in the aggregate;

 

(f)                 additional Investments up to but not exceeding $15,000,000 in the aggregate; provided that the sum of (x) all Investments under this clause (f) that occur after the Commitment Termination Date and (y) all Investments under clause (e) above that occur after the Commitment Termination Date, shall not exceed $5,000,000 in the aggregate;

 

(g)                Investments in Cash and Cash Equivalents; and

 

(h)                Investments described on Schedule 3.12(b).

 

For purposes of clause (f) of this Section, the aggregate amount of an Investment at any time shall be deemed to be equal to (A) the aggregate amount of cash, together with the aggregate fair market value of property, loaned, advanced, contributed, transferred or otherwise invested that gives rise to such Investment minus (B) the aggregate amount of dividends, distributions or other payments received in cash in respect of such Investment; provided that in no event shall the aggregate amount of such Investment be deemed to be less than zero; the amount of an Investment shall not in any event be reduced by reason of any write-off of such Investment nor increased by any increase in the amount of earnings retained in the Person in which such Investment is made that have not been dividended, distributed or otherwise paid out.

 

Section 6.05            Restricted Payments. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, declare or make, or agree to pay or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, except that the Borrower may declare and pay:

 

(a)                dividends with respect to the capital stock of the Borrower payable solely in additional shares of the Borrower’s common stock;

 

(b)                dividends and distributions in either case in cash or other property (excluding for this purpose the Borrower’s common stock) in any taxable year of the Borrower in amounts not to exceed the amount that is determined in good faith by the Borrower to be required to (i) qualify and maintain the status of the Borrower as a RIC, and (ii) avoid federal excise Taxes for such taxable year imposed by Section 4982 of the Code (the “Good Faith Tax Estimate”);

 

(c)                dividends and distributions in each case in cash or other property (excluding for this purpose the Borrower’s common stock) in addition to the dividends and distributions permitted under the foregoing clauses (a) and (b), so long as on the date of such Restricted Payment and after giving effect thereto:

 

(i)                 no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom; and

 

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(ii)               the aggregate amount of Restricted Payments made during any taxable year of the Borrower after the date hereof under this clause (c) shall not exceed the difference of (x) an amount equal to 10% of the estimated taxable income of the Borrower for such taxable year determined under section 852(b)(2) of the Code in good faith by the Borrower on the date such Restricted Payment is declared, but without regard to subparagraphs (A), (B) or (D) thereof, minus (y) the amount, if any, by which dividends and distributions made during such taxable year pursuant to the foregoing clause (b) (whether in respect of such taxable year or the previous taxable year) exceeds the most recent Good Faith Tax Estimate provided by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 5.01(c)(iii); and

 

(d)          other Restricted Payments so long as (i) on the date of such other Restricted Payment and after giving effect thereto (x) the Covered Debt Amount does not exceed 90% of the Borrowing Base and (y) no Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom and (ii) on the date of such other Restricted Payment the Borrower delivers to the Administrative Agent and each Lender a Borrowing Base Certificate as at such date demonstrating compliance with subclause (x) after giving effect to such Restricted Payment; provided that the aggregate amount of Restricted Payments made during any taxable year of the Borrower after the date hereof in accordance with clause (c)  above and this clause (d) shall not exceed the difference of (A) an amount equal to 20% of the estimated taxable income of the Borrower for such taxable year determined under section 852(b)(2) of the Code in good faith by the Borrower on the date such Restricted Payment is declared, but without regard to subparagraphs (A), (B) or (D) thereof, minus (B) the amount, if any, by which dividends and distributions made during such taxable year pursuant to clause (b) above (whether in respect of such taxable year or the previous taxable year) exceeds the most recent Good Faith Tax Estimate provided by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 5.01(c)(iii).

 

For purposes of preparing any Borrowing Base Certificate pursuant to this Section, (A) the fair market value of Portfolio Investments for which market quotations are readily available shall be the most recent quotation available for such Portfolio Investment and (B) the fair market value of Portfolio Investments for which market quotations are not readily available shall be the Value set forth in the Borrowing Base Certificate most recently delivered by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 5.01(d); provided that, the Borrower shall reduce the Value of any Portfolio Investment referred to in this sub-clause (B) to the extent necessary to take into account any events of which the Borrower has knowledge that adversely affect the value of such Portfolio Investment.

 

Nothing herein shall be deemed to prohibit the payment of Restricted Payments by any Subsidiary of the Borrower to the Borrower or to any other Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

Section 6.06            Certain Restrictions on Subsidiaries. The Borrower will not permit any of its Subsidiaries (other than Financing Subsidiaries) to enter into or suffer to exist any indenture, agreement, instrument or other arrangement (other than the Loan Documents) that prohibits or restrains, in each case in any material respect, or imposes materially adverse conditions upon, the incurrence or payment of Indebtedness, the declaration or payment of dividends, the making of loans, advances, guarantees or Investments or the sale, assignment, transfer or other disposition of property to the Borrower by any Subsidiary; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to (i) indentures, agreements, instruments or other arrangements pertaining to other Indebtedness permitted hereby (provided that such restrictions would not adversely affect the exercise of rights or remedies of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders hereunder or under the Security Documents or restrict any Subsidiary in any manner from performing its obligations under the Loan Documents) and (ii) indentures, agreements, instruments or other arrangements pertaining to any lease, sale or other disposition of any asset permitted by this Agreement or any Lien permitted by this Agreement on such asset so long as the applicable restrictions only apply to the assets subject to such lease, sale, other disposition or Lien.

 

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Section 6.07            Certain Financial Covenants.

 

(a)                Minimum Shareholders’ Equity. The Borrower will not permit Shareholders’ Equity at the last day of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower to be less than $150,000,000 plus 25% of the net proceeds of the sale of Equity Interests by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries after the Effective Date (other than proceeds of sales of Equity Interests by and among the Borrower and its Subsidiaries).

 

(b)                Asset Coverage Ratio. The Borrower will not permit the Asset Coverage Ratio to be less than 2.00: 1.00 at any time.

 

(c)                Liquidity Test. The Borrower will not at any time permit the sum of (i) the aggregate Value of the Portfolio Investments that are Cash (excluding Cash Collateral for outstanding Letters of Credit) or that can be converted to Cash in fewer than 10 Business Days without more than a 5% change in price, plus (ii) the total amount available to be borrowed by Borrower under Section 2.01(a), to be less than $10,000,000.

 

(d)                Interest Coverage Ratio. The Borrower will not permit the Interest Coverage Ratio to be less than 2.00: 1.00 as of the last day of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower after the Effective Date.

 

Section 6.08            Transactions with Affiliates. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, enter into any transactions with any of its Affiliates, even if otherwise permitted under this Agreement, except (a) transactions in the ordinary course of business at prices and on terms and conditions not less favorable to the Borrower or such Subsidiary (other than a SBIC Subsidiary) than could be obtained on an arm’s-length basis from unrelated third parties, (b) transactions between or among the Borrower and its Subsidiaries not involving any other Affiliate, (c) Restricted Payments permitted by Section 6.05, (d) the transactions provided in the Affiliate Agreements, (e) transactions described on Schedule 6.08, (f) any Investment otherwise permitted under this Agreement that results in the creation of an Affiliate or (g) transactions between or among the Obligors and any SBIC Subsidiary or any “downstream affiliate” (as such term is used under the rules promulgated under the Investment Company Act) company of an Obligor at prices and on terms and conditions not less favorable to the Obligors than could be obtained at the time on an arm’s-length basis from unrelated third parties.

 

Section 6.09            Lines of Business. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) to, engage to any material extent in any business other than in accordance with its Investment Policies. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of its Subsidiaries to amend or modify the Investment Policies (other than a Permitted Policy Amendment).

 

Section 6.10            No Further Negative Pledge. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, enter into any agreement, instrument, deed or lease which prohibits or limits the ability of any Obligor to create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its properties, assets or revenues, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or which requires the grant of any security for an obligation if security is granted for another obligation, except the following: (a) this Agreement, the other Loan Documents and documents with respect to Indebtedness permitted under Section 6.01(b); (b) covenants in documents creating Liens permitted by Section 6.02 prohibiting further Liens on the assets encumbered thereby; (c) customary restrictions contained in leases not subject to a waiver; (d) any such agreement that imposes restrictions on investments or other interests in Financing Subsidiaries (but no other assets of any Obligor); and (e) any other agreement that does not restrict in any manner (directly or indirectly) Liens created pursuant to the Loan Documents on any Collateral securing the “Secured Obligations” under and as defined in the Guarantee and Security Agreement and does not require the direct or indirect granting of any Lien securing any Indebtedness or other obligation by virtue of the granting of Liens on or pledge of property of any Obligor to secure the Loans or any Hedging Agreement.

 

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Section 6.11            Modifications of Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness Documents. The Borrower will not consent to any modification, supplement or waiver of:

 

(a)                any of the provisions of any agreement, instrument or other document evidencing or relating to any Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness that would result in such Indebtedness not meeting the requirements of the definition of “Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness” set forth in Section 1.01 of this Agreement; or

 

(b)                any of the Affiliate Agreements, unless such modification, supplement or waiver is not materially less favorable to the Borrower than could be obtained on an arm’s-length basis from unrelated third parties, in each case, without the prior consent of the Administrative Agent (with the approval of the Required Lenders).

 

Section 6.12            Payments of Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, purchase, redeem, retire or otherwise acquire for value, or set apart any money for a sinking, defeasance or other analogous fund for the purchase, redemption, retirement or other acquisition of or make any voluntary payment or prepayment of the principal of or interest on, or any other amount owing in respect of, any Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness (other than the refinancing of Unsecured Longer-Term Indebtedness with Indebtedness permitted under Section 6.01), except for (a) regularly scheduled payments, prepayments or redemptions of principal and interest in respect thereof required pursuant to the instruments evidencing such Indebtedness (it being understood that any cash payment made in respect of the repurchase of convertible notes at the option of the holder or the settlement in Cash or stock or a combination thereof upon conversion of such notes shall constitute a “regularly scheduled payment, prepayment or redemption of principal and interest” within the meaning of this clause (a)); and (b) so long as no Default shall exist or be continuing, any payment that, if treated as a Restricted Payment for purposes of Section 6.05(d), would be permitted to be made pursuant to the provisions set forth in Section 6.05(d).

 

Section 6.13            Accounting Changes. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of its Subsidiaries to, make any change in (a) accounting policies or reporting practices, except as permitted under GAAP or required by law or rule or regulation of any Governmental Authority, or (b) its fiscal year.

 

Section 6.14            SBIC Guarantee. The Borrower will not, nor will it permit any of its Subsidiaries to, cause or permit the occurrence of any event or condition that would result in any recourse to any Obligor under any Permitted SBIC Guarantee.

 

ARTICLE VII
EVENTS OF DEFAULT

 

If any of the following events (“Events of Default”) shall occur and be continuing:

 

(a)                the Borrower shall (i) fail to pay any principal of any Loan or any reimbursement obligation in respect of any LC Disbursement when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at the due date thereof or at a date fixed for prepayment thereof or otherwise (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any failure to pay any monthly installment of principal payable on any Scheduled Payment Date and any failure to pay all principal on the Loans in full on the Final Maturity Date) or (ii) fail to deposit any amount into the Letter of Credit Collateral Account as required by Section 2.09(a) on the Commitment Termination Date;

 

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(b)                the Borrower shall fail to pay any interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount (other than an amount referred to in clause (a) of this Article) payable under this Agreement or under any other Loan Document, when and as the same shall become due and payable, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of five or more Business Days;

 

(c)                any representation or warranty made or deemed made by or on behalf of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof, or in any report, certificate, financial statement or other document furnished pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof, shall prove to have been incorrect when made or deemed made in any material respect;

 

(d)                the Borrower shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in (i) Section 5.03 (with respect to the Borrower’s existence) or Sections 5.08(a) and (b) or in Article VI or any Obligor shall default in the performance of any of its obligations contained in Sections 3 and 7 of the Guarantee and Security Agreement or (ii) Sections 5.01(e) and (f) or 5.02 and such failure in the case of this clause (ii) shall continue unremedied for a period of five or more days after notice thereof by the Administrative Agent (given at the request of any Lender) to the Borrower;

 

(e)                a Borrowing Base Deficiency shall occur and continue unremedied for a period of five or more Business Days after delivery of a Borrowing Base Certificate demonstrating such Borrowing Base Deficiency pursuant to Section 5.01(e); provided that it shall not be an Event of Default hereunder if the Borrower shall present the Administrative Agent with a reasonably feasible plan acceptable to the Required Lenders in their sole discretion to enable such Borrowing Base Deficiency to be cured within 30 Business Days (which 30-Business Day period shall include the five Business Days permitted for delivery of such plan), so long as such Borrowing Base Deficiency is cured within such 30-Business Day period;

 

(f)                 the Borrower or any Obligor, as applicable, shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in this Agreement (other than those specified in clause (a), (b), (d), (e) or (s) of this Article) or any other Loan Document and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of 30 or more days after notice thereof from the Administrative Agent (given at the request of any Lender) to the Borrower;

 

(g)                the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries shall fail to make any payment (whether of principal or interest and regardless of amount) in respect of any Material Indebtedness, when and as the same shall become due and payable, taking into account any applicable grace period;

 

(h)                any event or condition occurs that results in any Material Indebtedness becoming due prior to its scheduled maturity or shall continue unremedied for any applicable period of time sufficient to enable or permit the holder or holders of any Material Indebtedness or any trustee or agent on its or their behalf to cause any Material Indebtedness to become due, or to require the prepayment, repurchase, redemption or defeasance thereof, prior to its scheduled maturity, unless such event or condition is no longer continuing or has been waived in accordance with the terms of such Material Indebtedness such that the holder or holders thereof or any trustee or agent on its or their behalf may no longer cause such Material Indebtedness to become due, or to require the prepayment, repurchase, redemption or defeasance thereof, prior to its scheduled maturity; provided that this clause (h) shall not apply to (1) secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the property or assets securing such Indebtedness; or (2) convertible debt that becomes due as a result of a conversion or redemption event, other than as a result of an “event of default” (as defined in the documents governing such convertible Material Indebtedness);

 

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(i)                 an involuntary proceeding shall be commenced or an involuntary petition shall be filed seeking (i) liquidation, reorganization or other relief in respect of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) or its debts, or of a substantial part of its assets, under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect or (ii) the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) or for a substantial part of its assets, and, in any such case, such proceeding or petition shall continue undismissed and unstayed for a period of 60 or more days or an order or decree approving or ordering any of the foregoing shall be entered;

 

(j)                 the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) shall (i) voluntarily commence any proceeding or file any petition seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, (ii) consent to the institution of, or fail to contest in a timely and appropriate manner, any proceeding or petition described in clause (i) of this Article, (iii) apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) or for a substantial part of its assets, (iv) file an answer admitting the material allegations of a petition filed against it in any such proceeding, (v) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or (vi) take any action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing;

 

(k)                the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) shall become unable, admit in writing its inability or fail generally to pay its debts as they become due;

 

(l)                 one or more judgments for the payment of money in an aggregate amount in excess of $5,000,000 shall be rendered against the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) or any combination thereof and the same shall remain undischarged for a period of 30 consecutive days during which execution shall not be effectively stayed, or any action shall be legally taken by a judgment creditor to attach or levy upon any assets of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries) to enforce any such judgment;

 

(m)              an ERISA Event shall have occurred that, in the opinion of the Required Lenders, when taken together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(n)                a Change in Control shall occur;

 

(o)                the Borrower shall cease to be managed by the External Manager or an Affiliate thereof;

 

(p)                if, prior to the Final Maturity Date, any two principals of the External Manager (who initially will be Robert Ladd, Dean D’Angelo and Joshua Davis), or any of their successors who have been approved by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion within ninety days, cease to be employed by the External Manager;

 

(q)                the Liens created by the Security Documents shall, at any time with respect to Portfolio Investments having an aggregate Value in excess of 5% of the aggregate Value of all Portfolio Investments, not be valid and perfected (to the extent perfection by filing, registration, recordation, possession or control is required herein or therein) in favor of the Administrative Agent, free and clear of all other Liens (other than Liens permitted under Section 6.02 or under the respective Security Documents) except to the extent that any such loss of perfection results from the failure of the Collateral Agent to maintain possession of the certificates representing the securities pledged under the Loan Documents;

 

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(r)                 except for expiration in accordance with its terms, any of the Loan Documents shall for whatever reason be terminated or cease to be in full force and effect in any material respect, or the enforceability thereof shall be contested by the Borrower or any other Obligor;

 

(s)                 the Obligors shall at any time, without the consent of the Required Lenders fail to comply with the covenant contained in Section 5.11, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of 30 or more days after the earlier of notice thereof by the Administrative Agent (given at the request of any Lender) to the Borrower or knowledge thereof by a Financial Officer; or

 

(t)                 the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries shall cause or permit the occurrence of any condition or event that would result in any recourse to any Obligor under any Permitted SBIC Guarantee;

 

then, and in every such event (other than an event with respect to the Borrower described in clause (i) or (j) of this Article), and at any time thereafter during the continuance of such event, the Administrative Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, by notice to the Borrower, take either or both of the following actions, at the same or different times: (i) terminate the Commitments, and thereupon the Commitments shall terminate immediately, and (ii) declare the Loans then outstanding to be due and payable in whole (or in part, in which case any principal not so declared to be due and payable may thereafter be declared to be due and payable), and thereupon the principal of the Loans so declared to be due and payable, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other obligations of the Borrower accrued hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, shall become due and payable immediately, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower; and in case of any event with respect to the Borrower described in clause (i) or (j) of this Article, the Commitments shall automatically terminate and the principal of the Loans then outstanding, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other obligations of the Borrower accrued hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, shall automatically become due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower.

 

In the event that the Loans shall be declared, or shall become, due and payable pursuant to the immediately preceding paragraph then, upon notice from the Administrative Agent or Lenders with LC Exposure representing more than 50% of the total LC Exposure demanding the deposit of Cash Collateral pursuant to this paragraph, the Borrower shall immediately deposit into the Letter of Credit Collateral Account cash in an amount equal to the LC Exposure as of such date plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon; provided that the obligation to deposit such cash shall become effective immediately, and such deposit shall become immediately due and payable, without demand or other notice of any kind, upon the occurrence of any Event of Default with respect to the Borrower described in clause (i) or (j) of this Article.

 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, on the CAM Exchange Date, to the extent not otherwise prohibited by law, (a) the Lenders shall automatically and without further act be deemed to have exchanged interests in the Designated Obligations such that, in lieu of the interests of each Lender in the Designated Obligations under each Loan in which it shall participate as of such date, such Lender shall own an interest equal to such Lender’s CAM Percentage in the Designated Obligations under each of the Loans and (b) simultaneously with the deemed exchange of interests pursuant to clause (a) above, the interests in the Designated Obligations to be received in such deemed exchange shall, automatically and with no further action required, be converted into the Dollar Equivalent of such amount (as of the Business Day immediately prior to the CAM Exchange Date) and on and after such date all amounts accruing and owed to the Lenders in respect of such Designated Obligations shall accrue and be payable in Dollars at the rate otherwise applicable hereunder. Each Lender, each Person acquiring a participation from any Lender as contemplated by Section 9.04 and the Borrower hereby consents and agrees to the CAM Exchange. The Borrower and the Lenders agree from time to time to execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent all such promissory notes and other instruments and documents as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request to evidence and confirm the respective interests and obligations of the Lenders after giving effect to the CAM Exchange, and each Lender agrees to surrender any promissory notes originally received by it in connection with its Loans hereunder to the Administrative Agent against delivery of any promissory notes so executed and delivered; provided that the failure of the Borrower to execute or deliver or of any Lender to accept any such promissory note, instrument or document shall not affect the validity or effectiveness of the CAM Exchange. As a result of the CAM Exchange, on and after the CAM Exchange Date, each payment received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to any Loan Document in respect of the Designated Obligations shall be distributed to the Lenders pro rata in accordance with their respective CAM Percentages (to be redetermined as of each such date of payment).

 

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ARTICLE VIII
THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT

 

Section 8.01            Appointment of the Administrative Agent. Each of the Lenders and the Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably appoints the Administrative Agent as its agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms hereof or thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. Each of the Lenders and the Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably appoints the Collateral Agent as its agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes the Collateral Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Collateral Agent by the terms hereof or thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto.

 

Section 8.02            Capacity as Lender. The Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not the Administrative Agent, and such Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to and generally engage in any kind of business with the Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if it were not the Administrative Agent hereunder.

 

Section 8.03            Limitation of Duties; Exculpation. The Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, (a) the Administrative Agent shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing, (b) the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that the Administrative Agent is required to exercise in writing by the Required Lenders, and (c) except as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries that is communicated to or obtained by the bank serving as Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity. The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders or in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until written notice thereof is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower or a Lender, and the Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein or therein, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document, or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere herein or therein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.

 

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Section 8.04            Reliance. The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request, certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or sent by the proper Person. The Administrative Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to be made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. The Administrative Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Borrower), independent accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants or experts.

 

Section 8.05            Sub-Agents. The Administrative Agent may perform any and all its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any and all its duties and exercise its rights and powers through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of the preceding paragraphs shall apply to any such subagent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agents except to the extent that a count of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and non-appealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agents.

 

Section 8.06            Resignation; Successor Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent may resign at any time by notifying the Lenders, the Issuing Bank and the Borrower. Upon any such resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, with the consent of the Borrower not to be unreasonably withheld (or, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing in consultation with the Borrower), to appoint a successor. If no successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation shall nonetheless become effective and (1) the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and (2) the Required Lenders shall perform the duties of the Administrative Agent (and all payments and communications provided to be made by, to or through the Administrative Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender directly) until such time as the Required Lenders appoint a successor agent as provided for above in this paragraph. Upon the acceptance of its appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder by a successor, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or retired) Administrative Agent and the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this paragraph). The fees payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Borrower and such successor. After the Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder, the provisions of this Article and Section 9.03 shall continue in effect for its benefit in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by it while it was acting as Administrative Agent.

 

Any resignation by Amegy Bank as Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section shall also constitute its resignation as Issuing Bank and Swingline Lender. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Issuing Bank and Swingline Lender, (b) the retiring Issuing Bank and Swingline Lender shall be discharged from all of their respective duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents, and (c) the successor Issuing Bank shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to the retiring Issuing Bank to effectively assume the obligations of the retiring Issuing Bank with respect to such Letters of Credit.

 

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Section 8.07            Reliance by Lenders. Each Lender acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender and based on such documents and information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder. The Administrative Agent shall have no duty or responsibility, either initially or on a continuing basis, to make any such investigation or any such appraisal on behalf of Lenders or to provide any Lender with any credit or other information with respect thereto, whether coming into its possession before the making of the Loans or at any time or times thereafter, and the Administrative Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the accuracy of or the completeness of any information provided to Lenders.

 

Each Lender, by delivering its signature page to this Agreement or any Assignment and Assumption and funding any Loan shall be deemed to have acknowledged receipt of, and consented to and approved, each Loan Document and each other document required to be approved by the Administrative Agent, Required Lenders or Lenders.

 

Section 8.08            Modifications to Loan Documents. Except as otherwise provided in Section 9.02(b) or (c) of this Agreement or the Security Documents with respect to this Agreement, the Administrative Agent may, with the prior consent of the Required Lenders (but not otherwise), consent to any modification, supplement or waiver under any of the Loan Documents; provided that, without the prior consent of each Lender, the Administrative Agent shall not (except as provided herein or in the Security Documents) release all or substantially all of the Collateral or otherwise terminate all or substantially all of the Liens under any Security Document providing for collateral security, agree to additional obligations being secured by all or substantially all of such collateral security, or alter the relative priorities of the obligations entitled to the benefits of the Liens created under the Security Documents with respect to all or substantially all of the Collateral, except that no such consent shall be required, and the Administrative Agent is hereby authorized, to release any Lien covering property that is the subject of either a disposition of property permitted hereunder or a disposition to which the Required Lenders have consented.

 

ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS

 

Section 9.01            Notices; Electronic Communications.

 

(a)                Notices Generally. Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone, all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by telecopy or electronic mail, as follows:

 

(i)                 if to the Borrower, to it at:

 

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Stellus Capital Investment Corporation
4400 Post Oak Parkway, Suite 2200
Houston, Texas 77027
Attention: W. Todd Huskinson
E-mail:   Thuskinson@stelluscapital.com

Dblank@stelluscapital.com

Vgarcia@stelluscapital.com

Telephone Number: (713) 292-5454

Telecopy Number: (713) 292-5414

 

(ii)               if to the Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender, or Issuing Bank to it at:

 

ZB, N.A. dba Amegy Bank

1717 West Loop South, 23rd Floor

Houston, Texas 77027

Attention: Natalie Garza

E-mail: Natalie.Garza@amegybank.com

Telephone Number: (713) 232-2197

Telecopy Number: (713) 571-5389

 

with a copy to:

Porter Hedges LLP

1000 Main Street, Floor 36

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Janine Lundin

E-mail: jlundin@porterhedges.com

Telephone Number: (713) 226-6651

Telecopy Number: (713) 226-6251

 

(iii)             if to any other Lender, to it at its address (or telecopy number or e-mail address) set forth in its Administrative Questionnaire.

 

Any party hereto may change its address or telecopy number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto. All notices and other communications given to any party hereto in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed to have been given on the date of receipt. Notices delivered through electronic communications to the extent provided in paragraph (b) below, shall be effective as provided in said paragraph (b).

 

(b)                Electronic Communications. Notices and other communications to the Lenders and the Issuing Bank hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communication (including e-mail and Internet or intranet websites) pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices to any Lender or the Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 2.06 if such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as applicable, has notified the Administrative Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such Article by electronic communication. The Administrative Agent or the Borrower may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.

 

(i)                 Notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement); provided that if such notice or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient, and (ii) notices or communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (i) of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor.

 

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Each party hereto understands that the distribution of material through an electronic medium is not necessarily secure and that there are confidentiality and other risks associated with such distribution and agrees and assumes the risks associated with such electronic distribution, except to the extent caused by the willful misconduct or gross negligence of Administrative Agent, any Lender or their respective Related Parties, as determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction. The Platform and any electronic communications media approved by the Administrative Agent as provided herein are provided “as is” and “as available”. None of the Administrative Agent or its Related Parties warrant the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of the such media or the Platform and each expressly disclaims liability for errors or omissions in the Platform and such media. No warranty of any kind, express, implied or statutory, including any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement of third party rights or freedom from viruses or other code defects is made by the Administrative Agent and any of its Related Parties in connection with the Platform or the electronic communications media approved by the Administrative Agent as provided for herein.

 

(c)                Private Side Information Contacts. Each Public Lender agrees to cause at least one individual at or on behalf of such Public Lender to at all times have selected the “Private Side Information” or similar designation on the content declaration screen of the Platform in order to enable such Public Lender or its delegate, in accordance with such Public Lender’s compliance procedures and applicable law, including United States federal and state securities laws, to make reference to information that is not made available through the “Public Side Information” portion of the Platform and that may contain Non-Public Information with respect to the Borrower, its Subsidiaries or their Securities for purposes of United States federal or state securities laws. In the event that any Public Lender has determined for itself to not access any information disclosed through the Platform or otherwise, such Public Lender acknowledges that (i) other Lenders may have availed themselves of such information and (ii) neither Borrower nor Administrative Agent has any responsibility for such Public Lender’s decision to limit the scope of the information it has obtained in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.

 

(d)                Documents to be Delivered under Sections 5.01 and 5.12(a). For so long as an DebtX, IntralinksTM or equivalent website is available to each of the Lenders hereunder, the Borrower may satisfy its obligation to deliver documents to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders under Sections 5.01 and 5.12(a) by delivering one hard copy thereof to the Administrative Agent and either an electronic copy or a notice identifying the website where such information is located for posting by the Administrative Agent on DebtX, IntralinksTM, or such equivalent website; provided that the Administrative Agent shall have no responsibility to maintain access to DebtX, IntralinksTM, or an equivalent website.

 

Section 9.02            Waivers; Amendments.

 

(a)                No Deemed Waivers Remedies Cumulative. No failure or delay by the Administrative Agent the Issuing Bank, the Swingline Lender or any Lender in exercising any right or power 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 Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, the Swingline Lender and the Lenders hereunder 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 Borrower therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan, Swingline Loan or issuance of a Letter of Credit shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender, any Lender or the Issuing Bank may have had notice or knowledge of such Default at the time.

 

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(b)                Amendments to this Agreement. Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Borrower and the Required Lenders or by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders; provided that no such agreement shall:

 

(i)                increase the Commitment of any Lender without the written consent of such Lender,

 

(ii)               reduce the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement or reduce the rate of interest thereon, or reduce any fees payable hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender affected thereby,

 

(iii)             postpone the scheduled date of payment of the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement, or any interest thereon, or any fees payable hereunder, or reduce the amount of waive or excuse any such payment, or postpone the scheduled date of expiration of any Commitment, without the written consent of each Lender affected thereby,

 

(iv)              change Section 2.17(b), (c) or (d) in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby without the written consent of each Lender affected thereby, or

 

(v)               change any of the provisions of this Section or the definition of the term “Required Lenders” or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to waive, amend or modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender affected thereby;

 

provided further that (x) no such agreement shall amend, modify or otherwise affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank the Swingline Lender, or any Multicurrency Lender hereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, the Swingline Lender, or any Multicurrency Lender, as the case may be, (y) the consent of Lenders holding not less than two-thirds of the Revolving Credit Exposure and unused Commitments will be required (A) for any adverse change affecting the provisions of this Agreement relating to the determination of the Borrowing Base (excluding changes to the provisions of Section 5.12(b)(ii)(E) and (F), but including changes to the provisions of Section 5.12(c)(ii) and the definitions set forth in Section 5.13), and (B) for any release of any material portion of the Collateral other than for fair value or as otherwise permitted hereunder or under the other Loan Documents, and (z) the Fee Letter may be amended, or rights or privileges thereunder waived, in a written agreement executed only by the parties thereto.

 

Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, no waiver or modification of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document that could reasonably be expected to adversely affect the Lenders of any Class in a manner that does not affect all Classes equally shall be effective against the Lenders of such Class unless the Required Lenders of such Class shall have concurred with such waiver or modification.

 

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(c)                Amendments to Security Documents. No Security Document nor any provision thereof may be waived, amended or modified, nor may the Liens thereof be spread to secure any additional obligations (including any increase in Loans hereunder, but excluding any such increase pursuant to a Commitment Increase under Section 2.08(e)) except pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Borrower, and by the Collateral Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders; provided that, (i) without the written consent of each Lender, no such agreement shall release all or substantially all of the Obligors from their respective obligations under the Security Documents and (ii) without the written consent of each Lender, no such agreement shall release all or substantially all of the collateral security or otherwise terminate all or substantially all of the Liens under the Security Documents, alter the relative priorities of the obligations entitled to the Liens created under the Security Documents (except in connection with securing additional obligations equally and ratably with the Loans and other obligations hereunder) with respect to all or substantially all of the collateral security provided thereby, or release all or substantially all of the guarantors under the Guarantee and Security Agreement from their guarantee obligations thereunder, except that no such consent shall be required, and the Administrative Agent is hereby authorized (and so agrees with the Borrower) to direct the Collateral Agent under the Guarantee and Security Agreement, to release any Lien covering property (and to release any such guarantor) that is the subject of either a disposition of property permitted hereunder or a disposition to which the Required Lenders have consented.

 

(d)                Replacement of Non-Consenting Lender. If, in connection with any proposed change, waiver, discharge or termination to any of the provisions of this Agreement as contemplated by this Section 9.02, the consent of the Required Lenders shall have been obtained but the consent of one or more Lenders (each a “Non-Consenting Lender”) whose consent is required for such proposed change, waiver, discharge or termination is not obtained, then (so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing) the Borrower shall have the right, at its sole cost and expense, to replace each such Non-Consenting Lender or Lenders with one or more replacement Lenders pursuant to Section 2.18(b) so long as at the time of such replacement, each such replacement Lender consents to the proposed change, waiver, discharge or termination.

 

Section 9.03            Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver.

 

(a)                Costs and Expenses. The Borrower shall pay (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent and their Affiliates, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent, in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), (ii) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Issuing Bank in connection with the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or any demand for payment thereunder, (iii) all documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, the Swingline Lender or any Lender, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of one outside counsel and one local counsel in each applicable jurisdiction for the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Swingline Lender as well as one outside counsel for the Lenders and additional counsel should any conflict of interest arise, in connection with the enforcement or protection of its rights in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section, or in connection with the Loans made or Letters of Credit issued hereunder, including all such documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect thereof, and (iv) and all documented costs, expenses, assessments and other charges incurred in connection with any filing, registration, recording or perfection of any security interest contemplated by any Security Document or any other document referred to therein. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 9.03(a) shall not apply to Taxes, the payment of which is governed by Section 2.16.

 

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(b)                Indemnification by the Borrower. The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, the Swingline Lender and each Lender, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all reasonable losses, claims, damages, liabilities, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses and disbursements of any kind or nature whatsoever (including the reasonable out-of-pocket fees and disbursements of one outside counsel for all Indemnitees (and, if reasonably necessary, of one local counsel in any relevant jurisdiction for all Indemnitees) unless, in the reasonable opinion of an Indemnitee, representation of all Indemnitees by such counsel would be inappropriate due to the existence of an actual or potential conflict of interest) in connection with any investigative, administrative or judicial proceeding or hearing commenced or threatened by any Person, whether or not any such Indemnitee shall be designated as a party or a potential party thereto, and any fees or expenses incurred by Indemnitees in enforcing this indemnity), whether based on any federal, state or foreign laws, statutes, rules or regulations (including securities and commercial laws, statutes, rules or regulations and laws, statutes, rules or regulations relating to environmental, occupational safety and health or land use matters), on common law or equitable cause or on contract or otherwise and related expenses or disbursements of any kind (other than Taxes which shall only be indemnified by the Borrower to the extent provided in Section 2.16), including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) any Loan, Swingline Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by the Issuing Bank to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit) or (iii) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory and whether brought by the Borrower or a third party and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence of such Indemnitee. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 9.03(b) shall not apply to Taxes, the payment of which is governed by Section 2.16.

 

The Borrower shall not be liable to any Indemnitee for any special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of the Transactions asserted by an Indemnitee against the Borrower or any other Obligor; provided that the foregoing limitation shall not be deemed to impair or affect the Obligations of the Borrower under the preceding provisions of this subsection.

 

(c)                Reimbursement by Lenders. To the extent that the Borrower fails to pay any amount required to be paid by it to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or the Swingline Lender under paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or the Swingline Lender, as the case may be, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought) of such unpaid amount; provided that the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage, liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or the Swingline Lender in its capacity as such.

 

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(d)                Waiver of Consequential Damages, Etc. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Borrower shall not assert, and hereby waives, any claim against any Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the Transactions, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds thereof. No Indemnitee shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of any information or other materials distributed by it through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, except to the extent caused by the fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence of such Indemnitee, as determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.

 

(e)                Payments. All amounts due under this Section shall be payable promptly after written demand therefor.

 

Section 9.04            Successors and Assigns.

 

(a)                Assignments Generally. The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of the Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), except that (i) the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by the Borrower without such consent shall be null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer its rights or obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Section. Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of the Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.

 

(b)                Assignments by Lenders.

 

(i)                 Assignments Generally. Subject to the conditions set forth in clause (ii) below, any Lender may assign to one or more assignees (other than natural persons, any Defaulting Lender or any Person listed in the Prohibited Assignees and Participants Side Letter) all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitments and the Loans and LC Exposure at the time owing to it) with the prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) of:

 

(A)              the Borrower; provided that no consent of the Borrower shall be required for an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender, or, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any other assignee; provided, further, that the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless it shall have objected thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within five Business Days after having received notice thereof; and

 

(B)              the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Bank.

 

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(ii)               Certain Conditions to Assignments. Assignments shall be subject to the following additional conditions:

 

(A)              except in the case of an Assignment to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender or an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment or Loans and LC Exposure, the amount of the Commitment or Loans and LC Exposure of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment (determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such Assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent) shall not be less than U.S. $5,000,000 unless each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent otherwise consent; provided that no such consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing;

 

(B)              each partial assignment of any Class of Commitments or Loans and LC Exposure shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement in respect of such Class of Commitments, Loans and LC Exposure;

 

(C)              the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption in substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto, together with a processing and recordation fee of U.S. $3,500 (which fee shall not be payable in connection with an assignment to a Lender or to an Affiliate of a Lender), for which the Borrower and the Guarantors shall not be obligated; and

 

(D)              the assignee, if it shall not already be a Lender of the applicable Class, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire.

 

(iii)             Effectiveness of Assignments. Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to paragraph (c) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 9.03 with respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment). Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 9.04 shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with paragraph (e) of this Section. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, in connection with any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder, no such assignment shall be effective unless and until, in addition to the other conditions set forth in Section 9.04(b)(ii) or otherwise, the parties to the assignment shall make such additional payments to Administrative Agent in an aggregate amount sufficient, upon distribution thereof as appropriate (which may be outright payment, purchases by the assignee of participations or subparticipations, or other compensating actions, including funding, with the consent of Borrower and Administrative Agent, the Applicable Percentage of Loans previously requested but not funded by the Defaulting Lender, to each of which the applicable assignee and assignor hereby irrevocably consent), to (x) pay and satisfy in full all payment liabilities then owed by such Defaulting Lender to Administrative Agent, Issuing Bank, Swingline Lender and each Lender hereunder (and interest accrued thereon), and (y) acquire (and fund as appropriate) its full Applicable Percentage of all Loans and participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder shall become effective under applicable law without compliance with the provisions of this paragraph, then the assignee of such interest shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender for all purposes of this Agreement until such compliance occurs.

 

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(c)                Maintenance of Registers by Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as an agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at one of its offices in New York City a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amount (and stated interest) of the Loans and LC Disbursements owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Registers” and each individually, a “Register”). The entries in the Registers shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders may treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Registers pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Registers shall be available for inspection by the Borrower, the Issuing Bank and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.

 

(d)                Acceptance of Assignments by Administrative Agent. Upon its receipt of a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee, the assignee’s completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section and any written consent to such assignment required by paragraph (b) of this Section, the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register. No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.

 

(e)                Special Purposes Vehicles. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, any Lender (a “Granting Lender”) may grant to a special purpose funding vehicle (an “SPC”) owned or administered by such Granting Lender, identified as such in writing from time to time by the Granting Lender to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, the option to provide all or any part of any Loan that such Granting Lender would otherwise be obligated to make; provided that (i) nothing herein shall constitute a commitment to make any Loan by any SPC, (ii) if an SPC elects not to exercise such option or otherwise fails to provide all or any part of such Loan, the Granting Lender shall, subject to the terms of this Agreement, make such Loan pursuant to the terms hereof, (iii) the rights of any such SPC shall be derivative of the rights of the Granting Lender, and such SPC shall be subject to all of the restrictions upon the Granting Lender herein contained, and (iv) no SPC shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.14 (or any other increased costs protection provision), 2.15 or 2.16. Each SPC shall be conclusively presumed to have made arrangements with its Granting Lender for the exercise of voting and other rights hereunder in a manner which is acceptable to the SPC, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Borrower, and each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Obligors shall be entitled to rely upon and deal solely with the Granting Lender with respect to Loans made by or through its SPC. The making of a Loan by an SPC hereunder shall utilize the Commitment of the Granting Lender to the same extent, and as if, such Loan were made by the Granting Lender.

 

Each party hereto hereby agrees (which agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement) that, prior to the date that is one year and one day after the payment in full of all outstanding senior indebtedness of any SPC, it will not institute against, or join any other person in instituting against, such SPC, any bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, insolvency or liquidation proceedings or similar proceedings under the laws of the United States or any State thereof, in respect of claims arising out of this Agreement; provided that the Granting Lender for each SPC hereby agrees to indemnify, save and hold harmless each other party hereto for any loss, cost, damage and expense arising out of their inability to institute any such proceeding against its SPC. In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section, any SPC may (i) without the prior written consent of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent and without paying any processing fee therefor, assign all or a portion of its interests in any Loans to its Granting Lender or to any financial institutions providing liquidity and/or credit facilities to or for the account of such SPC to fund the Loans made by such SPC or to support the securities (if any) issued by such SPC to fund such Loans (but nothing contained herein shall be construed in derogation of the obligation of the Granting Lender to make Loans hereunder); provided that neither the consent of the SPC or of any such assignee shall be required for amendments or waivers hereunder except for those amendments or waivers for which the consent of participants is required under paragraph (1) below, and (ii) disclose on a confidential basis (in the same manner described in Section 9.13(b)) any non-public information relating to its Loans to any rating agency, commercial paper dealer or provider of a surety, guarantee or credit or liquidity enhancement to such SPC.

 

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(f)                 Participations. Any Lender may, with the consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), sell participations to one or more banks or other entities (a “Participant”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including all or a portion of its Commitments and the Loans and LC Disbursements owing to it); provided that (i) the consent of the Borrower shall not be required if such Participant does not have the right to receive any non-public information that may be provided pursuant to this Agreement (and the Lender selling such participation agrees with the Borrower at the time of the sale of such participation that it will not deliver such non-public information to the Participant), (ii) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall remain unchanged, (iii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations, (iv) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and (v) no Person listed in the Prohibited Assignees and Participants Side Letter may be a Participant. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, modification or waiver described in the first proviso to Section 9.02(b) that affects such Participant. Subject to paragraph (g) of this Section, the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.14, 2.15 and 2.16 to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section; provided that such Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Sections 2.14, 2.15 or 2.16, with respect to any participation, than its participating Lenders would have been entitled to receive, except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation; provided, further, that no Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 2.16 unless the Borrower is notified of the participation granted to such Participant and such Participant shall have complied with the requirements of Section 2.16 as if such Participant is a Lender. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 9.08 as though it were a Lender; provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.17(d) as though it were a Lender hereunder. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest of each Participant’s interest in the loans or other obligations under the Loan Documents (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register (including the identity of any Participant or any other information relating to a Participant’s interest in any commitments, loans, letters of credit or is other obligations under any Loan Document) to any person except to the extent that such disclosures are necessary to establish that such commitment, loan, letter of credit or other obligation is in registered form under applicable United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.

 

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(g)                Limitations on Rights of Participants. A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 2.14, 2.15 or 2.16 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, unless the sale of the participation to such Participant is made with the Borrower’s prior written consent. A Participant that would be a Foreign Lender if it were a Lender shall not be entitled to the benefits of Section 2.16 unless the Borrower is notified of the participation sold to such Participant and such Participant agrees, for the benefit of the Borrower, to comply with paragraphs (e) and (f) of Section 2.16 as though it were a Lender and in the case of a Participant claiming exemption for portfolio interest under Section 871(h) or 881(c) of the Code, the applicable Lender shall provide the Borrower with satisfactory evidence that the participation is in registered form and shall permit the Borrower to review such register as reasonably needed for the Borrower to comply with its obligations under applicable laws and regulations.

 

(h)                Certain Pledges. Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including any such pledge or assignment to a Federal Reserve Bank or any other central bank having jurisdiction over such Lender, and this Section shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.

 

(i)                 No Assignments to the Borrower or Affiliates. Anything in this Section to the contrary notwithstanding, no Lender may assign or participate any interest in any Loan or LC Exposure held by it hereunder to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates or Subsidiaries without the prior consent of each Lender.

 

Section 9.05            Survival. All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Borrower herein and in the certificates or other instruments delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement shall be considered to have been relied upon by the other parties hereto and shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the making of any Loans and issuance of any Letters of Credit, regardless of any investigation made by any such other party or on its behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default or incorrect representation or warranty at the time any credit is extended hereunder, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount payable under this Agreement is outstanding and unpaid or any Letter of Credit is outstanding and so long as the Commitments have not expired or terminated. The provisions of Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 9.03 and Article VIII shall survive and remain in full force and effect regardless of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of the Loans, the expiration or termination, Cash Collateralization or backstop of the Letters of Credit and the Commitments or the termination of this Agreement or any provision hereof.

 

Section 9.06            Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution.

 

(a)                Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement and any separate letter agreements with respect to fees payable to the Administrative Agent constitute the entire contract between and among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Except as provided in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof which, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto, and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement by telecopy electronically (e.g. pdf) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.

 

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(b)                Electronic Execution of Assignments. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in any Assignment and Assumption shall be deemed to include electronic signatures or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

 

Section 9.07            Severability. Any provision of this Agreement held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction.

 

Section 9.08            Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender and each of its Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final) at any time held and other obligations at any time owing by such Lender or Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of the Borrower against any of and all the obligations of the Borrower now or hereafter existing under this Agreement held by such Lender, irrespective of whether or not such Lender shall have made any demand under this Agreement and although such obligations may be unmatured; provided that in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, (x) all amounts so set off shall be paid over immediately to Administrative Agent for further application in accordance with the provisions of Sections 2.17(d) and, pending such payment, shall be segregated by such Defaulting Lender from its other funds and deemed held in trust for the benefit of Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank, and the Lenders, and (y) the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the amounts owing to such Defaulting Lender hereunder as to which it exercised such right of setoff. The rights of each Lender under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) which such Lender may have. Each Lender agrees to notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent promptly after any such setoff and application; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.

 

Section 9.09            Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.

 

(a)                Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.

 

(b)                Submission to Jurisdiction. The Borrower hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in New York County and of the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York, and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement and any Loan Document, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may be heard and determined in such New York State or, to the extent permitted by law, in such Federal court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect any right that the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement against the Borrower or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.

 

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(c)                Waiver of Venue. The Borrower hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement in any court referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.

 

(d)                Service of Process. Each party to this Agreement (i) irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.01 and (ii) agrees that service as provided in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.01 is sufficient to confer personal jurisdiction over such party in any proceeding in any court and otherwise constitutes effective and binding service in every respect. Nothing in this Agreement will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.

 

Section 9.10            WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, ANY LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.

 

Section 9.11            Judgment Currency. This is an international loan transaction in which the specification of Dollars or any Foreign Currency, as the case may be (the “Specified Currency”), and payment in New York City or the country of the Specified Currency, as the case may be (the “Specified Place”), is of the essence, and the Specified Currency shall be the currency of account in all events relating to Loans denominated in the Specified Currency. The payment obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement shall not be discharged or satisfied by an amount paid in another currency or in another place, whether pursuant to a judgment or otherwise, to the extent that the amount so paid on conversion to the Specified Currency and transfer to the Specified Place under normal banking procedures does not yield the amount of the Specified Currency at the Specified Place due hereunder. If for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert a sum due hereunder in the Specified Currency into another currency (the “Second Currency”), the rate of exchange that shall be applied shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Administrative Agent could purchase the Specified Currency with the Second Currency on the Business Day next preceding the day on which such judgment is rendered. The obligation of the Borrower in respect of any such sum due from it to the Administrative Agent or any Lender hereunder or under any other Loan Document (in this Section called an “Entitled Person”) shall, notwithstanding the rate of exchange actually applied in rendering such judgment be discharged only to the extent that on the Business Day following receipt by such Entitled Person of any sum adjudged to be due hereunder in the Second Currency such Entitled Person may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase and transfer to the Specified Place the Specified Currency with the amount of the Second Currency so adjudged to be due; and the Borrower hereby, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, agrees to indemnify such Entitled Person against, and to pay such Entitled Person on demand, in the Specified Currency. The amount (if any) by which the sum originally due to such Entitled Person in the Specified Currency hereunder exceeds the amount of the Specified Currency so purchased and transferred.

 

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Section 9.12            Headings. Article and Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.

 

Section 9.13            Treatment of Certain Information; No Fiduciary Duty; Confidentiality.

 

(a)                Treatment of Certain Information. The Borrower acknowledges that from time to time financial advisory, investment banking and other services may be offered or provided to the Borrower or one or more of its Subsidiaries (in connection with this Agreement or otherwise) by any Lender or by one or more subsidiaries or affiliates of such Lender and the Borrower hereby authorizes each Lender to share any information delivered to such Lender by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries pursuant to this Agreement, or in connection with the decision of such Lender to enter into this Agreement, to any such subsidiary or affiliate, it being understood that any such subsidiary or affiliate receiving such information shall be bound by the provisions of paragraph (b) of this Section as if it were a Lender hereunder. Such authorization shall survive the repayment of the Loans, the expiration or termination of the Letters of Credit and the Commitments or the termination of this Agreement or any provision hereof. Each Lender shall use all information delivered to such Lender by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries pursuant to this Agreement, or in connection with the decision of such Lender to enter into this Agreement, in connection with providing services to the Borrower. The Administrative Agent, each Lender and their Affiliates (collectively, solely for purposes of this paragraph, the “Lenders”), may have economic interests that conflict with those of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, their stockholders and/or their affiliates. The Borrower, on behalf of itself and each of its Subsidiaries, agrees that nothing in the Loan Documents or otherwise will be deemed to create an advisory, fiduciary or agency relationship or fiduciary or other implied duty between any Lender, on the one hand, and the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, its stockholders or its affiliates, on the other. The Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries each acknowledge and agree that (i) the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents (including the exercise of rights and remedies hereunder and thereunder) are arm’s-length commercial transactions between the Lenders, on the one hand, and the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, on the other, and (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading thereto, (x) no Lender has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, any of their stockholders or affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby (or the exercise of rights or remedies with respect thereto) or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether any Lender has advised, is currently advising or will advise the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, their stockholders or their affiliates on other matters) or any other obligation to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries except the obligations expressly set forth in the Loan Documents and (y) each Lender is acting solely as principal and not as the agent or fiduciary of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, their management, stockholders, creditors or any other Person. The Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries each acknowledge and agree that it has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate and that it is responsible for making its own independent judgment with respect to such transactions and the process leading thereto. The Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries each agree that it will not claim that any Lender has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.

 

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(b)                Confidentiality. Each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Bank agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (i) to its Affiliates and to its and its Affiliates’ respective partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, advisors and other representatives (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (ii) to the extent requested by any regulatory authority purporting to have jurisdiction over it (including any self-regulatory authority), (iii) to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (iv) to any other party hereto, (v) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (vi) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (x) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or (y) any actual or prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction relating to the Borrower and its obligations, (vii) with the consent of the Borrower, (viii) to the extent such Information (x) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (y) becomes available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender, the Issuing Bank or any of their respective Affiliates on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Borrower or (ix) on a confidential basis to (x) any rating agency in connection with rating the Borrower or its Subsidiaries or the credit facilities provided hereunder or (y) the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar agency in connection with the issuance and monitoring of CUSIP numbers with respect to the credit facilities provided hereunder.

 

For purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries relating to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective businesses, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent any Lender or the Issuing Bank on a non-confidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries; provided that, in the case of Information received from the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries after the date hereof, such Information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.

 

Section 9.14            USA PATRIOT Act. Each Lender hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the Borrower and each other Obligor, which information includes the name and address of the Borrower and each other Obligor and other information that will allow such Lender to identify the Borrower and each other Obligor in accordance with said Act.

 

[Signatures appear on following pages.]

 

97 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.

 

BORROWER:

 

STELLUS CAPITAL INVESTMENT CORPORATION

 

 

By:________________________________

W. Todd Huskinson

Chief Financial Officer, Chief Compliance Officer,

Treasurer, and Secretary

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

 

ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT:

 

ZB, N.A. dba Amegy Bank,

as Administrative Agent

 

 

By:________________________________

Natalie Garza

Senior Vice President

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

LENDERS:

 

ZB, N.A. dba Amegy Bank,

as a Lender, as Swingline Lender, and as LC Issuer

 

 

By:________________________________

Natalie Garza

Senior Vice President

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

CADENCE BANK, N.A.,

as a Lender

 

 

By:_______________________________

Name:_____________________________

Title:______________________________ 

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

FROST BANK,

as a Lender

 

 

By:_______________________________

Name:_____________________________

Title:______________________________ 

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

STIFEL BANK AND TRUST,

as a Lender

 

 

By:_______________________________

Name:_____________________________

Title:______________________________ 

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

TEXAS CAPITAL BANK,

as a Lender

 

 

By:_______________________________

Name:_____________________________

Title:______________________________ 

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

COMMUNITYBANK OF TEXAS, N.A.,

as a Lender

 

 

By:_______________________________

Name:_____________________________

Title:______________________________ 

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

WOODFOREST NATIONAL BANK,

as a Lender

 

 

By:_______________________________

Name:_____________________________

Title:______________________________ 

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

WHITNEY BANK,

as a Lender

 

 

By:_______________________________

Name:_____________________________

Title:______________________________ 

 

 

Signature Page to Senior Secured Credit Agreement

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.2

GUARANTEE AND SECURITY AGREEMENT

 

GUARANTEE AND SECURITY AGREEMENT dated as of October [ ], 2017 (this “Agreement”), among STELLUS CAPITAL INVESTMENT CORPORATION, a corporation duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Maryland (the “Borrower”); SCIC – ERC Blocker 1, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ERC”), SCIC – SKP Blocker 1, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“SKP”), SCIC – APE Blocker 1, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“APE”), SCIC – HUF Blocker 1, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“HUF”), SCIC – Hollander Blocker 1, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Hollander”), SCIC – CC Blocker 1, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“CC”), SCIC – Consolidated Blocker, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Consolidated”), and SCIC – ASC Blocker 1, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ASC”), and each entity that becomes a “SUBSIDIARY GUARANTOR” after the date hereof pursuant to Section 7.04 hereof (collectively, together with ERC, SKP, APE, HUF, Hollander, CC, Consolidated, and ASC, the “Subsidiary Guarantors” and, together with the Borrower, the “Obligors”); ZB, N.A. dba AMEGY BANK, as administrative agent for the parties defined as “Lenders” under the Credit Agreement referred to below (in such capacity, together with its successors in such capacity, the “Administrative Agent”); and ZB, N.A. dba AMEGY BANK, as collateral agent for the Secured Parties hereinafter referred to (in such capacity, together with its successors in such capacity, the “Collateral Agent”).

 

WITNESSETH:

 

WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Borrower, certain lenders and the Administrative Agent are entering into a Senior Secured Revolving Credit Agreement dated as of the date hereof (the “Credit Agreement”), pursuant to which such lenders have agreed to extend credit (by means of loans and letters of credit) to the Borrower from time to time;

 

WHEREAS, to induce such lenders to extend credit to the Borrower under the Credit Agreement, the Borrower wishes to provide (a) for certain of its Subsidiaries from time to time to become parties hereto and to guarantee the payment of the Guaranteed Obligations (as hereinafter defined), and (b) for the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors to provide collateral security for the Secured Obligations (as hereinafter defined);

 

WHEREAS, the Administrative Agent (on behalf of itself and such lenders) is or will be entering into this Agreement for the purpose of setting forth its respective rights to the Collateral (as hereinafter defined); and

 

WHEREAS, the Obligors and the Secured Parties agree that the Collateral Agent shall administer the Collateral, and the Collateral Agent is willing to so administer the Collateral pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth herein;

 

NOW THEREFORE, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Section 1. Definitions, Etc.

 

1.01. Certain Uniform Commercial Code Terms. As used herein, the terms “Account”, “Chattel Paper”, “Commodity Account”, “Commodity Contract”, “Deposit Account”, “Document”, “Electronic Chattel Paper”, “General Intangible”, “Instrument”, “Investment Property”, “Letter-of-Credit Right”, “Proceeds”, “Promissory Note” and “Tangible Chattel Paper” have the respective meanings set forth in Article 9 of the NYUCC, and the terms “Certificated Security”, “Clearing Corporation”, “Entitlement Holder”, “Financial Asset”, “Indorsement”, “Securities Account”, “Security”, “Security Entitlement” and “Uncertificated Security” have the respective meanings set forth in Article 8 of the NYUCC.

 

  

 

  

1.02. Additional Definitions. In addition, as used herein:

 

“Acceleration” means the Secured Obligations of any Secured Party having been declared (or become) due and payable following a default by the Borrower and expiration of any applicable grace period with respect thereto.

 

“Acceleration Notice” has the meaning specified in Section 8.01.

 

“Administrative Agent” has the meaning given to such term in the preamble.

 

“Agent Members” means members of, or participants in, a depositary, including the Depositary, Euroclear or Clearstream.

 

“Agreement” has the meaning given to such term in the preamble.

 

“Appointed Party” has the meaning specified in Section 5.04.

 

“Borrower” has the meaning given to such term in the preamble.

 

“Cash Management Obligations” means the indebtedness, obligations and liabilities of any Obligor to any Lender or any Affiliate of Lender which provides any Cash Management Products and Services to such Obligor (including all obligations and liabilities owing in respect of any returned items deposited with such Lender or Affiliate of Lender).

 

“Cash Management Products and Services” means the following products or services: (a) credit cards, (b) credit card processing services, (c) debit cards and stored value cards, (d) commercial cards, (e) ACH transactions, and (f) cash management and treasury management services and products, including controlled disbursement accounts or services, lockboxes, automated clearinghouse transactions, return items, overdrafts, and interstate depository network services.

 

“CFTC” means the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

 

“Clearing Corporation Security” means a security that is registered in the name of, or Indorsed to, a Clearing Corporation or its nominee or is in the possession of the Clearing Corporation in bearer form or Indorsed in blank by an appropriate Person.

 

“Clearstream” means Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, a corporation organized under the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

 

“Clearstream Security” means a Security that (a) is a debt or equity security and (b) is capable of being transferred to an Agent Member’s account at Clearstream pursuant to the definition of “Delivery”, whether or not such transfer has occurred.

 

“Collateral” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.

 

“Collateral Agent” has the meaning given to such term in the preamble.

 

“Commodity Exchange Act” means the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.), as amended, and all related rules, regulations and published interpretations.

 

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“Control” means “control” as defined in Section 9-104, 9-105, 9-106 or 9-107 of the NYUCC.

 

“Credit Agreement” has the meaning given to such term in the recitals.

 

“Credit Agreement Obligations” means, collectively, all obligations of the Borrower to the Lenders and the Administrative Agent under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents (as defined in the Credit Agreement), including in each case in respect of the principal of and interest on the loans made, or letters of credit issued, thereunder, and all fees, indemnification payments and other amounts whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, now or hereafter from time to time owing to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders or any of them under or in respect of the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents (as defined in the Credit Agreement), and including all interest and expenses accrued or incurred subsequent to the commencement of any bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding with respect to the Borrower, whether or not such interest or expenses are allowed as a claim in such proceeding.

 

“Custodian” means State Street Bank and Trust Company, as custodian holding Investments on behalf of the Obligors, or any successor in such capacity. The term “Custodian” includes any agent or sub-custodian acting on behalf of the Custodian.

 

“Debt Documents” means, collectively, the Credit Agreement, any Hedging Agreement evidencing or relating to any Hedging Agreement Obligations and the Security Documents.

 

“Default” means any event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default.

 

“Deliver”, “Delivered” or “Delivery” (whether to the Collateral Agent or otherwise) means, with respect to any Investment or other Collateral, that such Investment or other Collateral is held, registered or covered by a recorded UCC-1 financing statement as described below, in each case in a manner satisfactory to the Collateral Agent (it being understood that, until the Collateral Agent advises the Borrower that it is not satisfied, the conditions set forth below shall be deemed to have been met):

 

(a)       subject to clause (m) below, in the case of each Certificated Security (other than a Special Equity Interest, U.S. Government Security, Clearing Corporation Security, Euroclear Security or Clearstream Security), that such Certificated Security is either (i) in the possession of the Collateral Agent and registered in the name of the Collateral Agent (or its nominee) or Indorsed to the Collateral Agent or in blank, or (ii) in the possession of the Custodian and registered in the name of the Custodian (or its nominee) or Indorsed in blank and the Custodian has credited the same to a Securities Account for which the Custodian is a Securities Intermediary and has agreed that such Certificated Security constitutes a Financial Asset and that the Collateral Agent has Control over such Securities Account;

 

(b)       subject to clause (m) below, in the case of each Instrument, that such Instrument is either (i) in the possession of the Collateral Agent, or (ii) in the possession of the Custodian where the Custodian has agreed in documentation reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent to hold such Instrument as bailee on behalf of the Collateral Agent;

 

(c)       subject to clause (m) below, in the case of each Uncertificated Security (other than a Special Equity Interest, U.S. Government Security, Clearing Corporation Security, Euroclear Security or Clearstream Security), that such Uncertificated Security is either (i) registered on the books of the issuer thereof to the Collateral Agent (or its nominee), or (ii) registered on the books of the issuer thereof to the Custodian (or its nominee) under an arrangement where the Custodian has credited the same to a Securities Account for which the Custodian is a Securities Intermediary and has agreed that such Uncertificated Security constitutes a Financial Asset and that the Collateral Agent has Control over such Securities Account;

 

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(d)       subject to clause (m) below, in the case of each Clearing Corporation Security, that such Clearing Corporation Security is either (i) credited to a Securities Account of the Collateral Agent at such Clearing Corporation (and, if such Clearing Corporation Security is a Certificated Security, that the same is in the possession of such Clearing Corporation), or (ii) credited to a Securities Account of the Custodian at such Clearing Corporation (and, if a Certificated Security, so held in the possession of such Clearing Corporation, or of an agent or custodian on its behalf) and the Security Entitlement of the Custodian in such Clearing Corporation Securities Account has been credited by the Custodian to a Securities Account for which the Custodian is a Securities Intermediary under an arrangement where the Custodian has agreed that such Security constitutes a Financial Asset and that the Collateral Agent has Control over such Securities Account;

 

(e)       in the case of each Euroclear Security and Clearstream Security, that the actions described in clause (d) above have been taken with respect to such Security as if such Security were a Clearing Corporation Security and Euroclear and Clearstream were Clearing Corporations; provided that such additional actions shall have been taken as shall be necessary under the law of Belgium (in the case of Euroclear) and Luxembourg (in the case of Clearstream) to accord the Collateral Agent rights substantially equivalent to Control over such Security under the NYUCC;

 

(f)       in the case of each U.S. Government Security, that such U.S. Government Security is either (i) credited to a securities account of the Collateral Agent at a Federal Reserve Bank, or (ii) credited to a Securities Account of the Custodian at a Federal Reserve Bank and the Security Entitlement of the Custodian in such Federal Reserve Bank Securities Account has been credited by the Custodian to a Securities Account for which the Custodian is a Securities Intermediary under an arrangement where the Custodian has agreed that such U.S. Government Security constitutes a Financial Asset and that the Collateral Agent has Control over such Securities Account;

 

(g)       subject to clause (m) below, in the case of a Special Equity Interest constituting a Certificated Security, that the holder of the first Lien on such Certificated Security has possession of such Certificated Security in the United States (which has been registered in the name of such holder (or its nominee) or Indorsed to such holder or in blank) and has agreed to deliver the certificates evidencing such Certificated Security directly to the Collateral Agent upon the discharge of such Lien and has acknowledged that it holds such certificates for the Collateral Agent subject to such Lien (it being understood that, upon receipt of any such Certificated Security, if so requested by the Borrower, the Collateral Agent shall deliver the same to the Custodian to be held in accordance with the provisions of clause (a) above) and, in the case of a Special Equity Interest constituting an Uncertificated Security, that the holder of the first Lien on such Uncertificated Security has been registered as the holder thereof on the books of the issuer thereof and acknowledged that it holds such Uncertificated Security for the Collateral Agent subject to such Lien;

 

(h)       in the case of any Tangible Chattel Paper, that the original of such Tangible Chattel Paper is either (i) in the possession of the Collateral Agent in the United States or (ii) in the possession of the Custodian in the United States under an arrangement where the Custodian has agreed to hold such Tangible Chattel Paper as bailee on behalf of the Collateral Agent, and in each case any agreements that constitute or evidence such Tangible Chattel Paper is free of any marks or notations indicating that it is then pledged, assigned or otherwise conveyed to any Person other than the Collateral Agent;

 

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(i)       in the case of each General Intangible (including any participation in a debt obligation, any Commodity Contract and any Commodity Account) of an Obligor organized in the United States, that such General Intangible falls within the collateral description of a UCC-1 financing statement, naming the relevant Obligor as debtor and the Collateral Agent as secured party and filed in the jurisdiction of organization of such relevant Obligor; provided that in the case of a participation in a debt obligation where such participation obligation is evidenced by an Instrument, either (i) such Instrument is in the possession of the applicable participating institution in the United States, and such participating institution has agreed that it holds possession of such Instrument for the benefit of the Collateral Agent (or for the benefit of the Custodian, and the Custodian has agreed that it holds the interest in such Instrument as bailee on behalf of the Collateral Agent) or (ii) such Instrument is in the possession of the applicable participating institution outside of the United States and such participating institution (and, if applicable, the obligor that issued such Instrument) has taken such actions as shall be necessary under the law of the jurisdiction where such Instrument is physically located to accord the Collateral Agent rights equivalent to Control over such Instrument under the NYUCC;

 

(j)       in the case of each General Intangible (including any participation in a debt obligation) of an Obligor not organized in the United States, that such Obligor shall have taken such action as shall be necessary to accord the Collateral Agent rights substantially equivalent to a perfected first-priority security interest in such General Intangible under the NYUCC;

 

(k)       in the case of any Deposit Account or Securities Account, that the Collateral Agent has Control over such Deposit Account or Securities Account, or that such Deposit Account or Securities Account is in the name of the Custodian and the Custodian has credited its rights in respect of such Deposit Account or Securities Account (the “Underlying Accounts”) to a Securities Account for which the Custodian is a Securities Intermediary under an arrangement where the Custodian has agreed that the rights of the Custodian in such Underlying Accounts constitute a Financial Asset and where the Collateral Agent has Control over such Securities Account;

 

(l)       in the case of any money (regardless of currency), that such money has been credited to a Deposit Account over which the Collateral Agent has Control as described in clause (k) above;

 

(m)       in the case of any Certificated Security, Uncertificated Security, Instrument or Special Equity Interest issued by a Person organized outside of the United States, that such additional actions shall have been taken as shall be necessary under applicable law to accord the Collateral Agent rights substantially equivalent to those accorded to a secured party under the NYUCC that has possession or control of such Certificated Security, Uncertificated Security, Instrument or Special Equity Interest; and

 

(n)       in the case of each Investment not of a type covered by the foregoing clauses (a) through (m) that such Investment has been transferred to the Collateral Agent in accordance with applicable law and regulation.

 

“Depositary” means The Depositary Trust Company, its nominees and their respective successors.

 

“Eligibility Date” means, with respect to each Hedging Agreement, the date on which this Agreement or any other Loan Document becomes effective with respect to such Hedging Agreement (for the avoidance of doubt, the Eligibility Date shall be the date of execution of such Hedging Agreement if this Agreement or any other Loan Document is then in effect and otherwise it shall be the Effective Date of this Agreement and/or such other Loan Documents). For purposes of this defined term, “Effective Date” means the date indicated in a document or agreement to be the date on which such document or agreement becomes effective, or, if there is no such indication, the date of execution of such document or agreement.

 

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“Eligible Contract Participant” means an “eligible contract participant” as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act and regulations thereunder.

 

“Euroclear” means Euroclear Bank, S.A., as operator of the Euroclear system.

 

“Euroclear Security” means a Security that (a) is a debt or equity Security and (b) is capable of being transferred to an Agent Member’s account at Euroclear, whether or not such transfer has occurred.

 

“Event of Default” means any Event of Default as defined in the Credit Agreement.

 

“Excess Funding Guarantor” has the meaning specified in Section 3.08.

 

“Excess Payment” has the meaning specified in Section 3.08.

 

“Excluded Accounts” means (i) any deposit account, securities account or commodities account of any Obligor used solely to hold Cash or U.S. Government Securities subject to a Lien under any Treasury Credit Facility and (ii) any fiduciary account or any account for which any Obligor is the servicer or agent for another Person.

 

“Excluded Hedge Obligations” means with respect to any Obligor, each of its Hedging Agreement Obligations if, and only to the extent that, all or any portion of this Agreement or any other Loan Document that relates to such Hedging Agreement Obligations is or becomes illegal under the Commodity Exchange Act, or any rule, regulation or order of the CFTC, solely by virtue of such Obligor’s failure to qualify as an Eligible Contract Participant on the Eligibility Date for such Hedging Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the foregoing or in any other provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, the foregoing is subject to the following provisos: (a) if any Hedging Agreement Obligations arise under a master agreement governing more than one Hedging Agreement, this definition shall apply only to the portion of such Hedging Agreement Obligations that is attributable to Hedging Agreements for which such guaranty or security interest is or becomes illegal under the Commodity Exchange Act, or any rule, regulations or order of the CFTC, solely as a result of the failure by such Obligor for any reason to qualify as an Eligible Contract Participant on the Eligibility Date for such Hedging Agreement; (b) if a guarantee of any Hedging Agreement Obligations would cause such obligation to be an Excluded Hedge Obligation but the grant of a security interest would not cause such obligation to be an Excluded Hedge Obligation, such Hedging Agreement Obligation shall constitute an Excluded Hedge Obligation for purposes of the guaranty but not for purposes of the grant of the security interest; and (c) if there is more than one Obligor executing this Agreement or the other Loan Documents and any Hedging Agreement Obligations would be Excluded Hedge Obligations with respect to one or more of such Persons, but not all of them, the definition of Excluded Hedge Obligation with respect to each such Person shall only be deemed applicable to (i) the particular Hedging Agreement Obligations that constitute Excluded Hedge Obligation with respect to such Person, and (ii) the particular Person with respect to which such Hedging Agreement Obligations constitute Excluded Hedge Obligation.

 

“Excluded SBIC Investments” means any Investments in any SBIC Subsidiary; provided, that if any such SBIC Subsidiary shall at any time cease to be an SBIC Subsidiary pursuant to the definition thereof in the Credit Agreement, the Investments in such Person shall no longer constitute Excluded SBIC Investments and shall become part of the Collateral hereunder.

 

“Guarantee Assumption Agreement” means a Guarantee Assumption Agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A, between the Collateral Agent and an entity that, pursuant to Section 7.04, is required to become a “Subsidiary Guarantor” hereunder (with such changes as the Collateral Agent shall reasonably request, consistent with the requirements of Section 7.04).

 

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“Guaranteed Obligations” means, collectively, the Credit Agreement Obligations, the Cash Management Obligations, and the Hedging Agreement Obligations (other than Excluded Hedge Obligations).

 

“Hedge Provider” means any Person that, at the time it enters into a Hedging Agreement permitted under the Credit Agreement, is a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender, Administrative Agent, an Affiliate of Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent, or an Affiliate of Collateral Agent, in its capacity as a party to such Hedging Agreement.

 

“Hedging Agreement” means a “Hedging Agreement” as defined in the Credit Agreement.

 

“Hedging Agreement Obligations” means, collectively, all obligations of any Obligor to any Lender (or any Affiliate thereof) under any Hedging Agreement, including in each case all fees, indemnification payments and other amounts whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, now or hereafter from time to time owing to such Lender (or any Affiliate thereof) under such Hedging Agreement, and including all interest and expenses accrued or incurred subsequent to the commencement of any bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding with respect to such Obligor, whether or not such interest or expenses are allowed as a claim in such proceeding.

 

“Indemnitee” has the meaning specified in Section 9.05.

 

“Indorsed” means, with respect to any Certificated Security, that such Certificated Security has been assigned or transferred to the applicable transferee pursuant to an effective Indorsement.

 

“Lenders” means any Lender, or any Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender (in each case as defined in the Credit Agreement), that are from time to time party to the Credit Agreement.

 

“Non-Qualifying Party” means any Obligor that on the Eligibility Date fails for any reason to qualify as an Eligible Contract Participant.

 

“NYUCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in the State of New York.

 

“Obligors” has the meaning given to such term in the preamble.

 

“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.

 

“Pro Rata Share” has the meaning specified in Section 3.08.

 

“Qualified ECP Loan Party” means any Obligor if on the Eligibility Date it is (a) a corporation, partnership, proprietorship, organization, trust or other entity other than a “commodity pool” as defined in Section 1a(10) of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations thereunder that has total assets exceeding $10,000,000, or (b) an Eligible Contract Participant that can cause another Person to qualify as an Eligible Contract Participant on the Eligibility Date under Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act by entering into or otherwise providing a “letter of credit or keepwell, support, or other agreement” for purposes of Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.

 

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“Required Secured Parties” means (a) so long as no Trigger Event has occurred and is continuing, the Required Lenders or (b) if a Trigger Event shall have occurred and be continuing, Secured Parties holding more than 50% of the aggregate amount of the Credit Agreement Obligations and the Hedging Agreement Obligations.

 

“Secured Obligations” means, collectively, (a) in the case of the Borrower, the Credit Agreement Obligations, the Cash Management Obligations, and the Hedging Agreement Obligations (other than Excluded Hedge Obligations), (b) in the case of the Subsidiary Guarantors, the obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations pursuant to Section 3.01 and (c) in the case of all Obligors, all present and future obligations of the Obligors to the Secured Parties, or any of them, hereunder or under any other Security Document. For the avoidance of doubt, the Secured Obligations shall exclude any Excluded Hedge Obligations.

 

“Secured Party” means, collectively, the Lenders, any Hedge Provider, the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent.

 

“Security Documents” means, collectively, this Agreement, all Uniform Commercial Code financing statements filed with respect to the security interests in the Collateral created pursuant hereto and all other assignments, pledge agreements, security agreements, control agreements, custodial agreements and other instruments executed and delivered on or after the date hereof by any of the Obligors pursuant hereto or otherwise providing or relating to any collateral security for any of the Secured Obligations.

 

“Shares” means shares of capital stock of a corporation, limited liability company interests, partnership interests and other ownership or equity interests of any class in any Person.

 

“Specified Actions” has the meaning specified in Section 5.04.

 

“Subsidiary Guarantors” has the meaning given to such term in the preamble.

 

“Trigger Event” means any of the following events or conditions:

 

(a)       Acceleration of Secured Obligations representing 66-2/3% or more of the aggregate Secured Obligations at the time outstanding;

 

(b)       an involuntary proceeding shall be commenced or an involuntary petition shall be filed seeking (i) liquidation, reorganization or other relief in respect of any Obligor or its debts, or of a substantial part of its assets, under any Federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect or (ii) the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for any Obligor or for a substantial part of its assets, and, in any such case, such proceeding or petition shall continue undismissed for a period of 60 or more days or an order or decree approving or ordering any of the foregoing shall be entered; or

 

(c)       any Obligor shall (i) voluntarily commence any proceeding or file any petition seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief under any Federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, (ii) consent to the institution of, or fail to contest in a timely and appropriate manner, any proceeding or petition described in clause (b) above, (iii) apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for any Obligor or for a substantial part of its assets, (iv) file an answer admitting the material allegations of a petition filed against it in any such proceeding, (v) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or (vi) take any corporate or other action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing.

 

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1.03. Credit Agreement Definitions. Unless otherwise defined herein or the context otherwise requires, terms used in this Agreement, including its preamble and recitals, have the meanings provided in the Credit Agreement.

 

1.04. Terms Generally. The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include”, “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation”. The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall”. Unless the context requires otherwise (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein or therein), (b) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns, (c) the words “herein”, “hereof’ and “hereunder”, and words of similar import, shall be construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular provision hereof, (d) all references herein to Sections, Exhibits and Annexes shall be construed to refer to Sections of, and Exhibits and Annexes to, this Agreement and (e) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.

 

Section 2. Representations and Warranties. Each Obligor represents and warrants to the Secured Parties that:

 

2.01. Organization. Such Obligor is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization.

 

2.02. Authorization; Enforceability. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, and the granting of the Liens contemplated hereunder, are within such Obligor’s corporate or other powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other action, including by all necessary shareholder action. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by such Obligor and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Obligor, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws of general applicability affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights and (b) the application of general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

 

2.03. Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, and the granting of the Liens contemplated hereunder, (a) do not require any consent or approval of, registration or filing with, or any other action by, any Governmental Authority, except for (i) such as have been or will be obtained or made and are in full force and effect and (ii) filings and recordings in respect of the Liens created pursuant hereto, (b) will not violate any applicable law or regulation or the charter, by-laws or other organizational documents of any Obligor or any order of any Governmental Authority, (c) will not violate or result in a default in any material respect under any indenture, agreement or other instrument binding upon any Obligor or any of its assets, or give rise to a right thereunder to require any payment to be made by any such Person, and (d) except for the Liens created pursuant hereto, will not result in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any asset of any Obligor.

 

2.04. Title. Such Obligor is the sole beneficial owner of the Collateral in which a security interest is granted by such Obligor hereunder and no Lien exists upon such Collateral other than (a) the security interest created or provided for herein, which security interest constitutes a valid first and prior perfected Lien on the Collateral (except that any such security interest in a Special Equity Interest may be subject to a Lien in favor of a creditor of the issuer of such Special Equity Interest as contemplated by the definition of such term in the Credit Agreement) and (b) other Liens not prohibited by the provisions of any Debt Document.

 

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2.05. Names, Etc. The full and correct legal name, type of organization, jurisdiction of organization, organizational ID number (if applicable) and mailing address of each Obligor as of the date hereof are correctly set forth in Annex 1 (and of each additional Obligor as of the date of the Guarantee Assumption Agreement referred to below are set forth in the supplement to Annex 1 in Appendix A to the Guarantee Assumption Agreement executed and delivered by such Obligor pursuant to Section 7.04).

 

2.06. Changes in Circumstances. No Obligor has (a) within the period of four months prior to the date hereof (or, in the case of any Subsidiary Guarantor, within the period of four months prior to the date it becomes a party hereto pursuant to a Guarantee Assumption Agreement), changed its location (as defined in Section 9-307 of the NYUCC), (b) as of the date hereof (or, with respect to any Subsidiary Guarantor, as of the date it becomes a party hereto pursuant to a Guarantee Assumption Agreement), changed its name or (c) as of the date hereof (or, with respect to any Subsidiary Guarantor, as of the date it becomes a party hereto pursuant to a Guarantee Assumption Agreement), become a “new debtor” (as defined in Section 9-102(a)(56) of the NYUCC) with respect to a currently effective security agreement previously entered into by any other Person and binding upon such Obligor, in each case except as notified in writing to the Collateral Agent prior to the date hereof (or, in the case of any Subsidiary Guarantor, prior to the date it becomes a party hereto pursuant to a Guarantee Assumption Agreement).

 

2.07. Promissory Notes. Annex 2 sets forth a complete and correct list of all Promissory Notes (other than any previously delivered to the Custodian or held in a Securities Account referred to in Annex 3) held by the Borrower on the date hereof (or held by a Subsidiary Guarantor on the date it becomes a party hereto pursuant to a Guarantee Assumption Agreement) and having an aggregate unpaid principal amount in excess of $1,000,000.

 

2.08. Deposit Accounts and Securities Accounts. Annex 3 sets forth a complete and correct list of all Deposit Accounts, Securities Accounts and Commodity Accounts of the Borrower on the date hereof (and of any Subsidiary Guarantor on the date it becomes a party hereto pursuant to a Guarantee Assumption Agreement), except for any Deposit Account specially and exclusively used for payroll, payroll taxes and other employee wage and benefit payments.

 

Section 3. Guarantee.

 

3.01. The Guarantee. The Subsidiary Guarantors hereby jointly and severally guarantee to each of the Secured Parties and their respective successors and assigns the prompt payment in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) of the Guaranteed Obligations. The Subsidiary Guarantors hereby further jointly and severally agree that if the Borrower shall fail to pay in full when due (whether at stated or extended maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) any of the Guaranteed Obligations, the Subsidiary Guarantors will jointly and severally pay the same without any demand or notice whatsoever, and that in the case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, the same will be promptly paid in full when due (whether at extended maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) in accordance with the terms of such extension or renewal.

 

3.02. Obligations Unconditional. The obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors under Section 3.01 are irrevocable, absolute and unconditional, joint and several, irrespective of the value, genuineness, validity, regularity or enforceability of the obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement, the other Debt Documents or any other agreement or instrument referred to herein or therein, or any substitution, release or exchange of any other guarantee of or security for any of the Guaranteed Obligations, and, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, irrespective of any other circumstance whatsoever that might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a surety or guarantor, it being the intent of this Section 3 that the obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, it is agreed that the occurrence of any one or more of the following shall not alter or impair the liability of the Subsidiary Guarantors hereunder, which shall remain absolute and unconditional as described above:

 

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(a)       at any time or from time to time, without notice to the Subsidiary Guarantors, the time for any performance of or compliance with any of the Guaranteed Obligations shall be extended, or such performance or compliance shall be waived;

 

(b)       any of the acts mentioned in any of the provisions of this Agreement, the other Debt Documents or any other agreement or instrument referred to herein or therein shall be done or omitted;

 

(c)       the maturity of any of the Guaranteed Obligations shall be accelerated, or any of the Guaranteed Obligations shall be modified, supplemented or amended in any respect, or any right under this Agreement, the other Debt Documents or any other agreement or instrument referred to herein or therein shall be waived or any other guarantee of any of the Guaranteed Obligations or any security therefor shall be released or exchanged in whole or in part or otherwise dealt with; or

 

(d)       any lien or security interest granted to, or in favor of, any Secured Party as security for any of the Guaranteed Obligations shall fail to be perfected.

 

The Subsidiary Guarantors hereby expressly waive diligence, presentment, demand of payment, protest and all notices whatsoever, and any requirement that any Secured Party exhaust any right, power or remedy or proceed against the Borrower under this Agreement, the other Debt Documents or any other agreement or instrument referred to herein or therein, or against any other Person under any other guarantee of, or security for, any of the Guaranteed Obligations.

 

3.03. Reinstatement. The obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors under this Section 3 shall be automatically reinstated if and to the extent that for any reason any payment by or on behalf of the Borrower in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations is rescinded or must be otherwise restored by any holder of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, whether as a result of any proceedings in bankruptcy or reorganization or otherwise, and the Subsidiary Guarantors jointly and severally agree that they will indemnify the Secured Parties on demand for all reasonable costs and expenses (including reasonable fees and other charges of counsel) incurred by the Secured Parties in connection with such rescission or restoration, including any such costs and expenses incurred in defending against any claim alleging that such payment constituted a preference, fraudulent transfer or similar payment under any bankruptcy, insolvency or similar law.

 

3.04. Subrogation. The Subsidiary Guarantors hereby jointly and severally agree that until the payment and satisfaction in full of all Guaranteed Obligations, and the expiration and termination of all letters of credit or commitments to extend credit under all Debt Documents, they shall not exercise any right or remedy arising by reason of any performance by them of their guarantee in Section 3.01, whether by subrogation or otherwise, against the Borrower or any other guarantor of any of the Guaranteed Obligations or any security for any of the Guaranteed Obligations.

 

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3.05. Remedies. The Subsidiary Guarantors jointly and severally agree that, as between the Subsidiary Guarantors and the Secured Parties, a Guaranteed Obligation may be declared to be forthwith due and payable as provided in the respective Debt Document therefor including, in the case of the Credit Agreement, Article VII thereof (and shall be deemed to have become automatically due and payable in the circumstances provided therein including, in the case of the Credit Agreement, such Article VII) for purposes of Section 3.01 notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such declaration (or such obligations from becoming automatically due and payable) as against the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantors and that, in the event of such declaration (or such obligations being deemed to have become automatically due and payable), such obligations (whether or not due and payable by the Borrower) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Subsidiary Guarantors for purposes of Section 3.01.

 

3.06. Continuing Guarantee. The guarantee in this Section 3 is a continuing guarantee of payment (and not of collection), and shall apply to all Guaranteed Obligations whenever arising.

 

3.07. Instrument for the Payment of Money. Each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby acknowledges that the guarantee in this Section 3 constitutes an instrument for the payment of money, and consents and agrees that any Secured Party, at its sole option, in the event of a dispute by such Subsidiary Guarantor in the payment of any moneys due hereunder, shall have the right to bring motion action under New York CPLR Section 3213.

 

3.08. Rights of Contribution. The Obligors hereby agree, as between themselves, that if any Subsidiary Guarantor shall become an Excess Funding Guarantor (as defined below) by reason of the payment by such Subsidiary Guarantor of any Guaranteed Obligations, then each other Subsidiary Guarantor shall, on demand of such Excess Funding Guarantor (but subject to the next sentence), pay to such Excess Funding Guarantor an amount equal to such Subsidiary Guarantor’s Pro Rata Share (as defined below and determined, for this purpose, without reference to the properties, debts and liabilities of such Excess Funding Guarantor) of the Excess Payment (as defined below) in respect of such Guaranteed Obligations. The payment obligation of a Subsidiary Guarantor to any Excess Funding Guarantor under this Section 3.08 shall be subordinate and subject in right of payment to the prior payment in full of the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor under the other provisions of this Section 3 and such Excess Funding Guarantor shall not exercise any right or remedy with respect to such excess until payment and satisfaction in full of all of such obligations.

 

For purposes of this Section 3.08, (i) “Excess Funding Guarantor” means, in respect of any Guaranteed Obligations, a Subsidiary Guarantor that has paid an amount in excess of its Pro Rata Share of such Guaranteed Obligations, (ii) “Excess Payment” means, in respect of any Guaranteed Obligations, the amount paid by an Excess Funding Guarantor in excess of its Pro Rata Share of such Guaranteed Obligations and (iii) “Pro Rata Share” means, for any Subsidiary Guarantor, the ratio (expressed as a percentage) of (x) the amount by which the aggregate fair saleable value of all properties of such Subsidiary Guarantor (excluding any shares of stock or other equity interest of any other Subsidiary Guarantor) exceeds the amount of all the debts and liabilities of such Subsidiary Guarantor (including contingent, subordinated, unmatured and unliquidated liabilities, but excluding the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder and any obligations of any other Subsidiary Guarantor that have been Guaranteed by such Subsidiary Guarantor) to (y) the amount by which the aggregate fair saleable value of all properties of the Borrower and all of the Subsidiary Guarantors exceeds the amount of all the debts and liabilities (including contingent, subordinated, unmatured and unliquidated liabilities, but excluding the obligations of the Obligors hereunder) of the Borrower and all of the Subsidiary Guarantors, determined (A) with respect to any Subsidiary Guarantor that is a party hereto on the date hereof, as of the date hereof, and (B) with respect to any other Subsidiary Guarantor, as of the date such Subsidiary Guarantor becomes a Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder.

 

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3.09. General Limitation on Guarantee Obligations. In any action or proceeding involving any state corporate or other law, or any Federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other law affecting the rights of creditors generally, if the obligations of any Subsidiary Guarantor under Section 3.01 would otherwise, taking into account the provisions of Section 3.08, be held or determined to be void, invalid or unenforceable, or subordinated to the claims of any other creditors, on account of the amount of its liability under Section 3.01, then, notwithstanding any other provision hereof to the contrary, the amount of such liability shall, without any further action by such Subsidiary Guarantor, any Secured Party or any other Person, be automatically limited and reduced to the highest amount that is valid and enforceable and not subordinated to the claims of other creditors as determined in such action or proceeding.

 

3.10. Indemnity by Borrower. In addition to all such rights of indemnity and subrogation as the Subsidiary Guarantors may have under applicable law (but subject to Section 3.04), the Borrower agrees that (a) in the event a payment shall be made by any Subsidiary Guarantor under this Agreement, the Borrower shall indemnify such Subsidiary Guarantor for the full amount of such payment and such Subsidiary Guarantor shall be subrogated to the rights of the Person to whom such payment shall have been made to the extent of such payment and (b) in the event any assets of any Subsidiary Guarantor shall be sold pursuant to this Agreement or any other Security Document to satisfy in whole or in part the Guaranteed Obligations, the Borrower shall indemnify such Subsidiary Guarantor in an amount equal to the greater of the book value or the fair market value of the assets so sold.

 

Section 4. Collateral. As collateral security for the payment in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) of its Secured Obligations, each Obligor hereby pledges and grants to the Collateral Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties as hereinafter provided a security interest in all of such Obligor’s right, title and interest in, to and under the following property, in each case whether tangible or intangible, wherever located, and whether now owned by such Obligor or hereafter acquired and whether now existing or hereafter coming into existence (all of the property described in this Section 4 being collectively referred to herein as “Collateral”):

 

(a)       all Accounts, all Chattel Paper, all Commodity Accounts, all Commodity Contracts, all Documents, all General Intangibles, all Instruments (including all Promissory Notes), all Investment Property and all Securities not otherwise credited to a Securities Account, in each case to the extent constituting Investments or the Proceeds thereof, but excluding any such asset released pursuant to Section 10.03(e);

 

(b)       all Letter-of-Credit Rights where the underlying letter of credit supports any Collateral described in clause (a) of this Section;

 

(c)       all Deposit Accounts and Securities Accounts (including Securities Entitlements with respect thereto and Financial Assets carried therein);

 

(d)       to the extent related to any Collateral, all books, correspondence, credit files, records, invoices and other papers (including all tapes, cards, computer runs and other papers and documents in the possession or under the control of such Obligor or any computer bureau or service company from time to time acting for such Obligor); and

 

(e)       all Proceeds of any of the foregoing Collateral.

 

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PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that (A) in no event shall the security interest granted under this Section 4 attach to (i) any contract, property rights, obligation, instrument or agreement to which an Obligor is a party (or to any of its rights or interests thereunder) if the grant of such security interest would constitute or result in either (x) the abandonment, invalidation or unenforceability of any right, title or interest of such Obligor therein or (y) in a breach or termination pursuant to the terms of, or a default under, any such contract, property rights, obligation, instrument or agreement (other than to the extent that any such term would be rendered ineffective by Section 9-406, 9-407, 9-408 or 9-409 of the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in the relevant jurisdiction); (ii) Equity Interests in directly-held Foreign Subsidiaries in excess of 65% of the total outstanding voting Equity Interests of each such Foreign Subsidiary or any Equity Interests in indirectly-held Foreign Subsidiaries, in each case, except to the extent that, in the reasonable determination of the Borrower, such a security interest would not reasonably be expected to result in a materially adverse tax consequence to such Obligor; (iii) any Excluded Account; or (iv) any Excluded SBIC Investments; and (B) the Obligors, may by notice to the Collateral Agent, exclude from the grant of a security interest provided above in this Section 4, any Special Equity Interests designated by the Borrower in reasonable detail to the Collateral Agent in such notice (it being understood that the Borrower may at any later time rescind any such designation by similar notice to the Collateral Agent).

 

Section 5. Certain Agreements Among Secured Parties.

 

5.01. Priorities; Additional Collateral.

 

(a)       Pari Passu Status of Obligations. Each Secured Party by acceptance of the benefits of this Agreement and the other Security Documents agrees that their respective interests in the Security Documents and the Collateral shall rank pari passu and that the Secured Obligations shall be equally and ratably secured by the Security Documents subject to the terms hereof and the priority of payment established in Section 8.06.

 

(b)       Sharing of Guaranties and Liens. Each Secured Party by acceptance of the benefits of this Agreement and the other Security Documents agrees that (i) such Secured Party will not accept from any Subsidiary of the Borrower any guarantee of any of the Guaranteed Obligations unless such guarantor simultaneously guarantees the payment of all of the Guaranteed Obligations owed to all Secured Parties and (ii) such Secured Party will not hold, take, accept or obtain any Lien upon any assets of any Obligor or any Subsidiary of the Borrower to secure the payment and performance of the Secured Obligations except and to the extent that such Lien is in favor of the Collateral Agent pursuant to this Agreement or another Security Document to which the Collateral Agent is a party for the benefit of all of the Secured Parties as provided herein.

 

Anything in this Section, or any other provision of this Agreement, to the contrary notwithstanding, this Agreement shall be inapplicable to any debtor-in-possession financing that may be provided by any Secured Party to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in any Federal or state bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, and no consent or approval of any other Secured Party shall be required as a condition to the provision by any Secured Party of any such financing, and no other Secured Party shall be entitled to share in any Lien upon any Collateral granted to any Secured Party to secure repayment of such debtor-in-possession financing; provided that no Secured Party shall be barred from objecting to any such financing on the basis of adequate protection or any other grounds.

 

5.02. Turnover of Collateral. If a Secured Party acquires custody, control or possession of any Collateral or the Proceeds therefrom, other than pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, such Secured Party shall promptly (but in any event within five Business Days) cause such Collateral or Proceeds to be Delivered in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Until such time as such Secured Party shall have complied with the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence, such Secured Party shall be deemed to hold such Collateral and Proceeds in trust for the benefit of the Collateral Agent.

 

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5.03. Cooperation of Secured Parties. Each Secured Party will cooperate with the Collateral Agent and with each other Secured Party in the enforcement of the Liens upon the Collateral and otherwise in order to accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the Security Documents.

 

5.04. Limitation upon Certain Independent Actions by Secured Parties. No Secured Party shall have any right to institute any action or proceeding to enforce any term or provision of the Security Documents or to enforce any of its rights in respect of the Collateral or to exercise any other remedy pursuant to the Security Documents or at law or in equity, for the purpose of realizing on the Collateral, or by reason of jeopardy of any Collateral, or for the execution of any trust or power hereunder (collectively, the “Specified Actions”), unless the Required Secured Parties have delivered written instructions to the Collateral Agent and the Collateral Agent shall have failed to act in accordance with such instructions within 30 days thereafter. In such case but not otherwise, the Required Secured Parties may appoint one Person to act on behalf of the Secured Parties solely to take any of the Specified Actions (the “Appointed Party”), and, upon the acceptance of its appointment as Appointed Party, the Appointed Party shall be entitled to commence proceedings in any court of competent jurisdiction or to take any other Specified Actions as the Collateral Agent might have taken pursuant to this Agreement or the Security Documents (in accordance with the directions of the Required Secured Parties). The Obligors acknowledge and agree that should the Appointed Party act in accordance with this provision, such Appointed Party will have all the rights, remedies, benefits and powers as are granted to the Collateral Agent pursuant hereto or pursuant to any Security Documents.

 

5.05. No Challenges. In no event shall any Secured Party take any action to challenge, contest or dispute the validity, extent, enforceability, or priority of the Collateral Agent’s Liens hereunder or under any other Security Document with respect to any of the Collateral, or that would have the effect of invalidating any such Lien or support any Person who takes any such action. Each of the Secured Parties agrees that it will not take any action to challenge, contest or dispute the validity, enforceability or secured status of any other Secured Party’s claims against any Obligor (other than any such claim resulting from a breach of this Agreement by a Secured Party, or any challenge, contest or dispute alleging arithmetical error in the determination of a claim), or that would have the effect of invalidating any such claim, or support any Person who takes any such action.

 

5.06. Rights of Secured Parties as to Secured Obligations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the right of each Secured Party to receive payment of the Secured Obligations held by such Secured Party when due (whether at the stated maturity thereof, by acceleration or otherwise) as expressed in any instrument evidencing or agreement governing such Secured Obligations, or to institute suit for the enforcement of such payment on or after such due date, and the obligation of the Obligors to pay their respective Secured Obligations when due, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such Secured Party; provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, each Secured Party agrees that it will not attempt to exercise remedies with respect to any Collateral except as provided in this Agreement.

 

Section 6. Recordkeeping. The Collateral Agent will maintain books and records necessary to enable it to determine at any time all transactions under this Agreement which have occurred on or prior to such time. Each Obligor agrees that such books and records maintained in good faith by the Collateral Agent shall be conclusive as to the matters contained therein absent manifest error. Each Obligor shall have the right to inspect such books and records at any time upon reasonable prior notice.

 

Section 7. Covenants of the Obligors. In furtherance of the grant of the security interest pursuant to Section 4, each Obligor hereby agrees with the Collateral Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties as follows:

 

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7.01. Delivery and Other Perfection. (a) Within sixty days after the acquisition by an Obligor of any Investment constituting part of the Collateral as to which physical possession by the Collateral Agent or the Custodian is required in order for such Investment to have been “Delivered”, such Obligor shall take such actions as shall be necessary to effect Delivery of such Investment. As to all other Investments constituting part of the Collateral, such Obligor shall cause the same to be Delivered (to the extent not already Delivered) within five Business Days of the acquisition thereof. In addition, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Obligor shall promptly from time to time give, execute, deliver, file, record, authorize or obtain all such financing statements, continuation statements, notices, instruments, documents, account control agreements or any other agreements or consents or other papers as may be necessary in the judgment of the Collateral Agent to create, preserve, perfect, maintain the perfection of or validate the security interest granted pursuant hereto or to enable the Collateral Agent to exercise and enforce its rights hereunder with respect to such security interest, and without limiting the foregoing, shall:

 

(i)       keep full and accurate books and records relating to the Collateral in all material respects, and stamp or otherwise mark such books and records in such manner as the Collateral Agent may reasonably require in order to reflect the security interests granted by this Agreement; and

 

(ii)       permit representatives of the Collateral Agent, upon reasonable notice, at any time during normal business hours to inspect and make abstracts from its books and records pertaining to the Collateral, and permit representatives of the Collateral Agent to be present at such Obligor’s place of business to receive copies of communications and remittances relating to the Collateral, and forward copies of any notices or communications received by such Obligor with respect to the Collateral, all in such manner as the Collateral Agent may reasonably require; provided that each such Obligor shall be entitled to have its representatives and advisors present during any inspection of its books and records at such Obligor’s place of business.

 

(b)       Unless released from the Collateral pursuant to Section 10.03(e), once any Investment has been Delivered, the Obligors shall not take or permit any action that would result in such Investment no longer being Delivered hereunder and shall promptly from time to time give, execute, deliver, file, record, authorize or obtain all such financing statements, continuation statements, notices, instruments, documents, account control agreements or any other agreements or consents or other papers as may be necessary or desirable in the judgment of the Collateral Agent to continue the Delivered status of any Collateral. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Obligors shall not terminate any arrangement with the Custodian unless and until a successor Custodian reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent has been appointed and has executed all documentation necessary to continue the Delivered status of the Collateral, which documentation shall be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent.

 

7.02. Name; Jurisdiction of Organization, Etc. Each Obligor agrees that (a) without providing prior written notice to the Collateral Agent, such Obligor will not change its name, its place of business or, if more than one, chief executive office, or its mailing address or organizational identification number if it has one, (b) if such Obligor does not have an organizational identification number and later obtains one, such Obligor will forthwith notify the Collateral Agent of such organizational identification number, and (c) such Obligor will not change its type of organization, jurisdiction of organization or other legal structure.

 

7.03. Other Financing Statements or Control. Except as otherwise permitted under Section 6.02 of the Credit Agreement and the applicable provisions of each other Debt Document, the Obligors shall not (a) file or suffer to be on file, or authorize or permit to be filed or to be on file, in any jurisdiction, any financing statement or like instrument with respect to any of the Collateral in which the Collateral Agent is not named as the sole Collateral Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties other than any financing statement or like instrument in respect of a Lien not prohibited by the provisions of any Debt Document, or (b) cause or permit any Person other than the Collateral Agent to have Control of any Deposit Account, Electronic Chattel Paper, Investment Property or Letter-of-Credit Right constituting part of the Collateral.

 

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7.04. Additional Subsidiary Guarantors. As contemplated by Section 5.08 of the Credit Agreement, any new Subsidiary (other than a Financing Subsidiary, Foreign Subsidiary, Immaterial Subsidiary or Subsidiary of a Foreign Subsidiary) of the Borrower formed or acquired by the Borrower after the date hereof, is required to become a “Subsidiary Guarantor” under this Agreement, by executing and delivering to the Collateral Agent a Guarantee Assumption Agreement in the form of Exhibit A. Accordingly, upon the execution and delivery of any such Guarantee Assumption Agreement by any such Subsidiary, such new Subsidiary shall automatically and immediately, and without any further action on the part of any Person, become a “Subsidiary Guarantor” and an “Obligor” for all purposes of this Agreement, and Annexes 1 through 3, inclusive, hereto shall be deemed to be supplemented in the manner specified in such Guarantee Assumption Agreement. In addition, upon execution and delivery of any such Guarantee Assumption Agreement, the new Subsidiary Guarantor makes the representations and warranties set forth in Section 2 as of the date of such Guarantee Assumption Agreement.

 

7.05. Control Agreements. No Obligor shall open any account with any bank, securities intermediary or commodities intermediary (other than (i) any payroll account so long as such payroll account is a zero balance account, (ii) withholding tax and fiduciary accounts, (iii) any Excluded Accounts and (iv) any account in which the aggregate value of deposits therein, together with all other such accounts under this clause (iv), does not at any time exceed $100,000) unless such Obligor has notified the Collateral Agent of such new account and the Collateral Agent has Control over such account pursuant to a control agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Collateral Agent.

 

7.06. Credit Agreement. Each Subsidiary Guarantor agrees to perform, comply with and be bound by the covenants contained in Articles V and VI of the Credit Agreement (which provisions are incorporated herein by reference) applicable to such Subsidiary Guarantor as if each Subsidiary Guarantor were a signatory to the Credit Agreement.

 

Section 8. Acceleration Notice; Remedies; Distribution of Collateral.

 

8.01. Notice of Acceleration. Upon receipt by the Collateral Agent of a written notice from any Secured Party or the Borrower which (i) expressly refers to this Agreement, (ii) describes an event or condition which has occurred and is continuing and (iii) expressly states that such event or condition constitutes an Acceleration as defined herein, the Collateral Agent shall promptly notify each other party hereto of the receipt and contents thereof (any such notice is referred to herein as a “Acceleration Notice”).

 

8.02. Preservation of Rights. The Collateral Agent shall not be required to take steps necessary to preserve any rights against prior parties to any of the Collateral.

 

8.03. Events of Default, Etc. During the period during which an Event of Default or Trigger Event shall have occurred and be continuing:

 

(a)       each Obligor shall, at the request of the Collateral Agent, assemble the Collateral owned by it at such place or places, reasonably convenient to both the Collateral Agent and such Obligor, designated in the Collateral Agent’s request;

 

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(b)       the Collateral Agent may make any reasonable compromise or settlement deemed desirable with respect to any of the Collateral and may extend the time of payment, arrange for payment in installments, or otherwise modify the terms of, any of the Collateral;

 

(c)       the Collateral Agent shall have all of the rights and remedies with respect to the Collateral of a secured party under the Uniform Commercial Code (whether or not the Uniform Commercial Code is in effect in the jurisdiction where the rights and remedies are asserted) and such additional rights and remedies to which a secured party is entitled under the laws in effect in any jurisdiction where any rights and remedies hereunder may be asserted, including the right, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, to exercise all voting, consensual and other powers of ownership pertaining to the Collateral as if the Collateral Agent were the sole and absolute owner thereof (and each Obligor agrees to take all such action as may be appropriate to give effect to such right);

 

(d)       the Collateral Agent in its discretion may, in its name or in the name of any Obligor or otherwise, demand, sue for, collect or receive any money or property at any time payable or receivable on account of or in exchange for any of the Collateral, but shall be under no obligation to do so; and

 

(e)       the Collateral Agent may, upon ten Business Days’ prior written notice to the Obligors of the time and place (or, if such sale is to take place on the NYSE or any other established exchange or market, prior to the time of such sale or other disposition), with respect to the Collateral or any part thereof which shall then be or shall thereafter come into the possession, custody or control of the Collateral Agent, the other Secured Parties or any of their respective agents, sell, assign or otherwise dispose of all or any part of such Collateral, at such place or places as the Collateral Agent deems best, and for cash or for credit or for future delivery (without thereby assuming any credit risk), at public or private sale, without demand of performance or notice of intention to effect any such disposition or of the time or place thereof (except such notice as is required above or by applicable statute and cannot be waived), and the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party or anyone else may be the purchaser, assignee or recipient of any or all of the Collateral so disposed of at any public sale (or, to the extent permitted by law, at any private sale) and thereafter, to the fullest extent permitted by law, hold the same absolutely, free from any claim or right of whatsoever kind, including any right or equity of redemption (statutory or otherwise), of the Obligors, any such demand, notice and right or equity being hereby expressly waived and released, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

The Collateral Agent may, without notice or publication, adjourn any public or private sale or cause the same to be adjourned from time to time by announcement at the time and place fixed for the sale, and such sale may be made at any time or place to which the sale may be so adjourned.

 

The proceeds of each collection, sale or other disposition under this Section shall be applied in accordance with Section 8.06.

 

The Obligors recognize that, by reason of certain prohibitions contained in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and applicable state securities laws, the Collateral Agent may be compelled, with respect to any sale of all or any part of the Collateral, to limit purchasers to those who will agree, among other things, to acquire the Collateral for their own account, for investment and not with a view to the distribution or resale thereof. The Obligors acknowledge that any such private sales may be at prices and on terms less favorable to the Collateral Agent than those obtainable through a public sale without such restrictions, and, notwithstanding such circumstances, agree that to the extent any such private sale is conducted by the Collateral Agent in a commercially reasonable manner, the Collateral Agent shall have no obligation to engage in public sales and no obligation to delay the sale of any Collateral for the period of time necessary to permit the Obligors, or the issuer thereof, to register it for public sale.

 

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8.04. Deficiency. If the proceeds of sale, collection or other realization of or upon the Collateral pursuant to Section 8.03 are insufficient to cover the costs and expenses of such realization and the payment in full of the Secured Obligations, the Obligors shall remain liable for any deficiency.

 

8.05. Private Sale. The Collateral Agent and the Secured Parties shall incur no liability as a result of the sale of the Collateral, or any part thereof, at any private sale pursuant to Section 8.03 conducted in a commercially reasonable manner. Each Obligor hereby waives any claims against the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party arising by reason of the fact that the price at which the Collateral may have been sold at such a private sale was less than the price which might have been obtained at a public sale or was less than the aggregate amount of the Secured Obligations, even if the Collateral Agent accepts the first offer received and does not offer the Collateral to more than one offeree, so long as such private sale was conducted in a commercially reasonable manner.

 

8.06. Application of Proceeds. Except as otherwise herein expressly provided, the proceeds of any collection, sale or other realization of all or any part of the Collateral of any Obligor pursuant hereto, and any other cash of any Obligor at the time held by the Collateral Agent under this Agreement, shall be applied by the Collateral Agent as follows:

 

First, to the payment of the costs and expenses of such collection, sale or other realization, including reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses of the Collateral Agent and the reasonable fees and expenses of its agents and counsel, and all expenses incurred and advances made by the Collateral Agent in connection therewith;

 

Second, to the payment of any fees and other amounts then owing by such Obligor to the Collateral Agent in its capacity as such;

 

Third, to the payment of any reasonable fees, costs and expenses then owing by such Obligor to the Secured Parties under the applicable Debt Documents, in each case to each Secured Party ratably;

 

Fourth, to the payment of the Secured Obligations of such Obligor then due and payable, in each case to each Secured Party ratably in accordance with the amount of Secured Obligations then due and payable to such Secured Party (it being understood that, for the purposes hereof (i) the outstanding principal amount of the loans under the Credit Agreement shall be deemed then due and payable whether or not any Acceleration of such loans has occurred, and (ii) to the extent any cover in respect of a letter of credit shall be due and payable under a Debt Document, that such cover shall be deemed to be a Secured Obligation that is due and payable for purposes hereof); and

 

Fifth, after application as provided in clauses “First” “Second”, “Third” and “Fourth” above, to the payment to the respective Obligor, or their respective successors or assigns, or as a court of competent jurisdiction may direct, of any surplus then remaining.

 

In making the allocations required by this Section, the Collateral Agent may rely upon its records and information supplied to it pursuant to Section 9.02, and the Collateral Agent shall have no liability to any of the other Secured Parties for actions taken in reliance on such information, except to the extent of its gross negligence or willful misconduct. The Collateral Agent may, in its sole discretion, at the time of any application under this Section, withhold all or any portion of the proceeds otherwise to be applied to the Secured Obligations as provided above and maintain the same in a segregated cash collateral account in the name and under the exclusive Control of the Collateral Agent, to the extent that it in good faith believes that the information provided to it pursuant to Section 9.02 is either incomplete or inaccurate and that application of the full amount of such proceeds to the Secured Obligations would be disadvantageous to any Secured Party. All distributions made by the Collateral Agent pursuant to this Section shall be final (subject to any decree of any court of competent jurisdiction), and the Collateral Agent shall have no duty to inquire as to the application by the other Secured Parties of any amounts distributed to them.

 

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8.07. Attorney-in-Fact. Without limiting any rights or powers granted by this Agreement to the Collateral Agent while no Event of Default or Trigger Event has occurred and is continuing, upon the occurrence and during the continuance of any Event of Default or Trigger Event, the Collateral Agent is hereby appointed the attorney-in-fact of each Obligor for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Section 8 and taking any action and executing any instruments which the Collateral Agent may reasonably deem necessary or advisable to accomplish the purposes hereof, which appointment as attorney-in-fact is irrevocable and coupled with an interest. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, so long as the Collateral Agent shall be entitled under this Section 8 to make collections in respect of the Collateral, the Collateral Agent shall have the right and power to receive, endorse and collect all checks made payable to the order of any Obligor representing any dividend, payment or other distribution in respect of the Collateral or any part thereof and to give full discharge for the same.

 

Section 9. The Collateral Agent.

 

9.01. Appointment; Powers and Immunities. Each Lender and the Administrative Agent hereby irrevocably appoints and authorizes Amegy Bank to act as its agent hereunder with such powers as are specifically delegated to the Collateral Agent by the terms of this Agreement, together with such other powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. The Collateral Agent (which term as used in this sentence and in Section 9.06 and the first sentence of Section 9.07 shall include reference to its affiliates and its own and its affiliates’ officers, directors, employees and agents):

 

(a)       shall have no duties or responsibilities except those expressly set forth in this Agreement and shall not by reason of this Agreement be a trustee for, or a fiduciary with respect to, any Lender;

 

(b)       shall not be responsible to the Lenders or the Administrative Agent for any recitals, statements, representations or warranties contained in this Agreement or in any notice delivered hereunder, or in any other certificate or other document referred to or provided for in, or received by it under, this Agreement, or for the value, validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other document referred to or provided for herein or therein or for any failure by the Obligors or any other Person to perform any of its obligations hereunder;

 

(c)       shall not be required to initiate or conduct any litigation or collection proceedings hereunder except, subject to Section 9.07, for any such litigation or proceedings relating to the enforcement of the guarantee set forth in Section 3, or the Liens created pursuant to Section 4; and

 

(d)       shall not be responsible for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it hereunder or under any other document or instrument referred to or provided for herein or therein or in connection herewith or therewith, except for its own gross negligence or willful misconduct.

 

9.02. Information Regarding Secured Parties. The Borrower will at such times and from time to time as shall be reasonably requested by the Collateral Agent, supply a list in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent setting forth the amount of the Secured Obligations held by each Secured Party (excluding, so long as Amegy Bank is both the Collateral Agent and the Administrative Agent, the Credit Agreement Obligations) as of a date specified in such request. The Collateral Agent shall provide any such list to any Secured Party upon request. The Collateral Agent shall be entitled to rely upon such information, and such information shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes of this Agreement, except to the extent the Collateral Agent shall have been notified by a Secured Party that such information as set forth on any such list is inaccurate or in dispute between such Secured Party and the Borrower.

 

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9.03. Reliance by Collateral Agent. The Collateral Agent shall be entitled to rely upon any certification, notice or other communication (including any thereof by telephone, telecopy, telex, telegram, cable or electronic mail) believed by it in good faith to be genuine and correct and to have been signed or sent by or on behalf of the proper Person or Persons, and upon advice and statements of legal counsel, independent accountants and other experts selected by the Collateral Agent. As to any matters not expressly provided for by this Agreement, the Collateral Agent shall in all cases be fully protected in acting, or in refraining from acting, hereunder or thereunder in accordance with instructions given by the Required Secured Parties, and such instructions of the Required Secured Parties, and any action taken or failure to act pursuant thereto shall be binding on all of the Secured Parties. If in one or more instances the Collateral Agent takes any action or assumes any responsibility not specifically delegated to it pursuant to this Agreement, neither the taking of such action nor the assumption of such responsibility shall be deemed to be an express or implied undertaking on the part of the Collateral Agent that it will take the same or similar action or assume the same or similar responsibility in any other instance.

 

9.04. Rights as a Secured Party. With respect to its obligation to extend credit under the Credit Agreement, Amegy Bank (and any successor acting as Collateral Agent) in its capacity as a Lender under the Credit Agreement shall have the same rights and powers hereunder as any other Secured Party and may exercise the same as though it were not acting as Collateral Agent, and the term “Secured Party” or “Secured Parties” shall, unless the context otherwise indicates, include the Collateral Agent in its individual capacity. Amegy Bank (and any successor acting as Collateral Agent) and its affiliates may (without having to account therefor to any other Secured Party) accept deposits from, lend money to, make investments in and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust or other business with any of the Obligors (and any of their Subsidiaries or affiliates) as if it were not acting as Collateral Agent, and Amegy Bank and its affiliates may accept fees and other consideration from any of the Obligors for services in connection with this Agreement or otherwise without having to account for the same to the other Secured Parties.

 

9.05. Indemnification. Each Lender by acceptance of the benefits of this Agreement and the other Security Documents agrees to indemnify the Collateral Agent and each Related Party of the Collateral Agent (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) (to the extent not reimbursed under Section 10.04, but without limiting the obligations of the Obligors under Section 10.04) ratably in accordance with the aggregate Secured Obligations held by the Lenders, for any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements of any kind and nature whatsoever that may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee (including by any other Secured Party) arising out of or by reason of any investigation in connection with or in any way relating to or arising out of this Agreement, any other Debt Documents, or any other documents contemplated by or referred to herein or therein or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby (including the costs and expenses that the Obligors are obligated to pay under Section 10.04, but excluding, unless an Event of Default or a Trigger Event has occurred and is continuing, normal administrative costs and expenses incident to the performance of its agency duties hereunder) or the enforcement of any of the terms hereof or thereof or of any such other documents; provided that no Lender shall be liable for any of the foregoing to the extent they arise from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the party to be indemnified.

 

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9.06. Non-Reliance on Collateral Agent and Other Secured Parties. The Administrative Agent (and each Lender by acceptance of the benefits of this Agreement and the other Security Documents) agrees that it has, independently and without reliance on the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party, and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis of the Borrower, the Subsidiary Guarantors and their Subsidiaries and decision to extend credit to the Borrower in reliance on this Agreement and that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party, and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own analysis and decisions in taking or not taking action under this Agreement and any Debt Document to which it is a party. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the Collateral Agent shall not be required to keep itself informed as to the performance or observance by any Obligor of this Agreement, any other Debt Document or any other document referred to or provided for herein or therein or to inspect the properties or books of any Obligor. The Collateral Agent shall not have any duty or responsibility to provide any other Secured Party with any credit or other information concerning the affairs, financial condition or business of any Obligor or any of its Subsidiaries (or any of their affiliates) that may come into the possession of the Collateral Agent or any of its affiliates, except for notices, reports and other documents and information expressly required to be furnished to the other Secured Parties by the Collateral Agent hereunder.

 

9.07. Failure to Act. Except for action expressly required of the Collateral Agent hereunder, the Collateral Agent shall in all cases be fully justified in failing or refusing to act hereunder unless it shall receive further assurances to its satisfaction from the other Secured Parties of their indemnification obligations under Section 9.05 against any and all liability and expense that may be incurred by it by reason of taking or continuing to take any such action. The Collateral Agent shall not be required to take any action that in the judgment of the Collateral Agent would violate any applicable law.

 

9.08. Resignation of Collateral Agent. Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Collateral Agent as provided below, the Collateral Agent may resign at any time by giving notice thereof to the other Secured Parties and the Obligors. Upon any such resignation, the Required Secured Parties shall have the right, with the consent of the Borrower not to be unreasonably withheld (or if an Event of Default or Trigger Event has occurred and is continuing in consultation with the Borrower) to appoint a successor Collateral Agent. If no successor Collateral Agent shall have been so appointed by the Required Secured Parties and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Collateral Agent’s giving of written notice of resignation of the retiring Collateral Agent, then the retiring Collateral Agent may, on behalf of the other Secured Parties, appoint a successor Collateral Agent, that shall be a bank that has an office in New York, New York and has a combined capital and surplus and undivided profits of at least $1,000,000,000. Upon the acceptance of any appointment as Collateral Agent hereunder by a successor Collateral Agent, such successor Collateral Agent shall thereupon succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Collateral Agent, and the retiring Collateral Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder. After any retiring Collateral Agent’s resignation hereunder as Collateral Agent, the provisions of this Section 9 shall continue in effect for its benefit in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by it while it was acting as the Collateral Agent. The Borrower shall pay to any successor Collateral Agent the fees and charges necessary to induce such successor Collateral Agent to accept its appointment hereunder.

 

9.09. Agents and Attorneys-in-Fact. The Collateral Agent may employ agents and attorneys-in-fact in connection herewith and shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any such agents or attorneys-in-fact selected by it in good faith.

 

Section 10. Miscellaneous.

 

10.01. Notices. All notices, requests, consents and other demands hereunder and other communications provided for herein shall be given or made in writing, (a) to any party hereto, delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by telecopy or electronic mail to the intended recipient at the “Address for Notices” specified below its name on the signature pages hereof (provided that notices to any Subsidiary Guarantor shall be given to such Subsidiary Guarantor care of the Borrower at the address for the Borrower specified herein) or (b) as to any party, at such other address as shall be designated by such party in a written notice to each other party. All notices to any Lender that is not a party hereto shall be given to the Administrative Agent. All notices and other communications given to any party hereto in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed to have been given on the date of receipt.

 

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10.02. No Deemed Waivers; Remedies Cumulative. No failure or delay by the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party in exercising any right or power 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 and the Secured Parties hereunder 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 Obligors therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by Section 10.03, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given.

 

10.03. Amendments; Waivers; Releases. Except as otherwise provided in any Security Document, the terms of this Agreement and the other Security Documents may be waived, altered or amended only by an instrument in writing duly executed by each Obligor and the Collateral Agent, with the consent of the Required Secured Parties; provided that

 

(a)       no such amendment shall adversely affect the relative rights of any Secured Party as against any other Secured Party without the prior written consent of such first Secured Party,

 

(b)       without the prior written consent of each of the Lenders under the Credit Agreement, the Collateral Agent shall not release all or substantially all of the collateral under the Security Documents or release all or substantially all of the Subsidiary Guarantors from their guarantee obligations under Section 3 hereof, except that if any amounts have become due and payable in respect of any periodic or termination payment in respect of any Hedging Agreement Obligation, and shall have remained unpaid for 30 or more days, then the prior written consent (voting as a single group) of the holders of a majority in interest of such Hedging Agreement Obligations, whichever of such obligations are then due and payable, will also be required to release all or substantially all of such collateral;

 

(c)       without the consent of each of the Secured Parties, no modification, supplement or waiver shall modify the definition of the term “Required Secured Parties” or modify in any other manner the number of percentage of the Secured Parties required to make any determinations or waive any rights under any Security Document;

 

(d)       without the consent of the Collateral Agent, no modification, supplement or waiver shall modify the terms of Section 9 or this Section 10.03;

 

(e)       the Collateral Agent is authorized to release (and shall release) any Collateral that is either the subject of a disposition not prohibited under the Credit Agreement or to which the Required Secured Parties shall have consented; notwithstanding the foregoing, Portfolio Investments constituting the Collateral shall be automatically released from the lien of this Agreement, without any action of the Collateral Agent, in connection with any disposition of Portfolio Investments that (i) occurs in the ordinary course of the Borrower’s business and (ii) is not prohibited under the Credit Agreement; and

 

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(f)       the Collateral Agent is authorized to release (and shall release) any Subsidiary Guarantor from any of its guarantee obligations under Section 3 hereof to the extent such Subsidiary Guarantor is an Immaterial Subsidiary or the Subsidiary Guarantor ceases to be a Subsidiary as a result of a transaction not prohibited under the Debt Documents, or to which the Required Secured Parties shall have consented, and, upon such release, the Collateral Agent is authorized to release (and shall release) any collateral security granted by such Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder and under the other Security Documents.

 

Any such amendment or waiver shall be binding upon the Collateral Agent, each Secured Party and each Obligor.

 

10.04. Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver.

 

(a)       Costs and Expenses. The Obligors hereby jointly and severally agree to reimburse the Collateral Agent and each of the other Secured Parties and their respective Affiliates for all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by them (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of legal counsel) in connection with (i) any Default or Trigger Event and any enforcement or collection proceeding resulting therefrom, including all manner of participation in or other involvement with (w) performance by the Collateral Agent of any obligations of the Obligors in respect of the Collateral that the Obligors have failed or refused to perform in the time period required under this Agreement, (x) bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership, foreclosure, winding up or liquidation proceedings of any Obligor, or any actual or attempted sale, or any exchange, enforcement, collection, compromise or settlement in respect of any of the Collateral, and for the care of the Collateral and defending or asserting rights and claims of the Collateral Agent in respect thereof, by litigation or otherwise, including expenses of insurance, (y) judicial or regulatory proceedings arising from or related to this Agreement and (z) workout, restructuring or other negotiations or proceedings (whether or not the workout, restructuring or transaction contemplated thereby is consummated) and (ii) the enforcement of this Section, and all such costs and expenses shall be Secured Obligations entitled to the benefits of the collateral security provided pursuant to Section 4.

 

(b)       Indemnification by the Obligors. The Obligors shall indemnify each Indemnitee against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and related expenses including the reasonable out-of-pocket fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or (ii) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence of such Indemnitee.

 

Neither the Borrower nor any Obligor shall be liable to any Indemnitee for any special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages arising out of, in connection with, this Agreement asserted by an Indemnitee against the Borrower or any other Obligor; provided that the foregoing limitation shall not be deemed to impair or affect the Obligations of the Borrower or any other Obligor under the preceding provisions of this subsection.

 

10.05. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the respective successors and assigns of the Obligors and the Secured Parties (provided that none of the Obligors shall assign or transfer its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Collateral Agent).

 

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10.06. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution.

 

(a)       Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement and any separate letter agreements with respect to fees payable to the Collateral Agent constitute the entire contract between and among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Collateral Agent and when the Collateral Agent shall have received counterparts hereof which, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto, and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement by telecopy or electronic mail shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.

 

(b)       Electronic Execution of Assignments. The words “execution”, “signed”, “signature” shall be deemed to include electronic signatures or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

 

10.07. Severability. Any provision of this Agreement held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction.

 

10.08. Governing Law; Jurisdiction.

 

(a)       Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.

 

(b)       Submission to Jurisdiction. Each Obligor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in New York County and of the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York, and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may be heard and determined in such New York State court or, to the extent permitted by law, in such Federal court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect any right that any Secured Party may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement against any Obligor or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.

 

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(c)       Waiver of Venue. Each Obligor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement in any court referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.

 

(d)       Service of Process. Each party to this Agreement (i) irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 10.01 and (ii) agrees that service as provided in the manner provided for notices in Section 10.01 is sufficient to confer personal jurisdiction over such party in any proceeding in any court and otherwise constitutes effective and binding service in every respect. Nothing in this Agreement will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.

 

10.09. Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.

 

10.10. Keepwell. To the extent that it is a Qualified ECP Loan Party at the time this Agreement (or any other Guarantee or Security Document) or grant of a security interest under any of the other Loan Documents, becomes effective with respect to any Hedging Agreement Obligations, each Obligor hereby jointly and severally, together with each other Qualified ECP Loan Party, absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably (a) guarantees the prompt payment and performance of all Hedging Agreement Obligations owing by each Non-Qualifying Party (it being understood and agreed that this guarantee is a guaranty of payment and not of collection), and (b) undertakes to provide such funds or other support as may be needed from time to time by any Non-Qualifying Party to honor all of such Non-Qualifying Party’s obligations under this Agreement or any other Loan Document in respect of Hedging Agreement Obligations (provided that, each Obligor shall only be liable under this Section 10.10 for the maximum amount of such liability that can be hereby incurred without rendering its obligations under this Section 10.10, or otherwise under this Agreement or any other Loan Document, voidable under applicable law, including fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer laws, and not for any greater amount). The obligations and undertakings of each applicable Obligor under this Section 10.10 shall remain in full force and effect until the Secured Obligations have been indefeasibly paid and performed in full and all Commitments shall have irrevocably terminated. Each such Obligor intends this Section 10.10 to constitute, and this Section 10.10 shall be deemed to constitute, a guarantee of the obligations of, and a “keepwell, support, or other agreement” for the benefit of, each Obligor for all purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act.

 

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10.11. Judgment Currency. This is an international loan transaction in which the specification of Dollars or any Foreign Currency, as the case may be (the “Specified Currency”), and payment in New York City or the country of the Specified Currency, as the case may be (the “Specified Place”), is of the essence, and the Specified Currency shall be the currency of account in all events relating to Loans denominated in the Specified Currency. The payment obligations of the Obligors under this Agreement shall not be discharged or satisfied by an amount paid in another currency or in another place, whether pursuant to a judgment or otherwise, to the extent that the amount so paid on conversion to the Specified Currency and transfer to the Specified Place under normal banking procedures does not yield the amount of the Specified Currency at the Specified Place due hereunder. If for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert a sum due hereunder in the Specified Currency into another currency (the “Second Currency”), the rate of exchange that shall be applied shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Administrative Agent could purchase the Specified Currency with the Second Currency on the Business Day next preceding the day on which such judgment is rendered. The obligation of any Obligor in respect of any such sum due from it to the Administrative Agent or any Lender hereunder or under any other Loan Document (in this Section called an “Entitled Person”) shall, notwithstanding the rate of exchange actually applied in rendering such judgment be discharged only to the extent that on the Business Day following receipt by such Entitled Person of any sum adjudged to be due hereunder in the Second Currency such Entitled Person may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase and transfer to the Specified Place the Specified Currency with the amount of the Second Currency so adjudged to be due; and the Borrower hereby, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, agrees to indemnify such Entitled Person against, and to pay such Entitled Person on demand, in the Specified Currency. The amount (if any) by which the sum originally due to such Entitled Person in the Specified Currency hereunder exceeds the amount of the Specified Currency so purchased and transferred.

 

10.12. Headings. Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.

 

[Signatures appear on following pages.]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Guarantee and Security Agreement to be duly executed and delivered as of the day and year first above written.

 

OBLIGORS:

 

STELLUS CAPITAL INVESTMENT CORPORATION,

a Maryland corporation


By:________________________________________
Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________


SCIC – ERC BLOCKER 1, INC.,

a Delaware corporation


By:________________________________________

Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________

 

 

SCIC – SKP BLOCKER 1, INC.,

a Delaware corporation


By:________________________________________

Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________

 

 

SCIC – APE BLOCKER 1, INC.,

a Delaware corporation


By:________________________________________

Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________

 

 

SCIC – HUF BLOCKER 1, INC.,

a Delaware corporation


By:________________________________________

Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________

 

Signature Page – Guarantee and Security Agreement

 

 

SCIC – HOLLANDER BLOCKER 1, INC.,

a Delaware corporation


By:________________________________________

Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________

 

 

SCIC – CC BLOCKER 1, INC.,

a Delaware corporation


By:________________________________________

Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________

 

 

SCIC – CONSOLIDATED BLOCKER, INC.,

a Delaware corporation


By:________________________________________

Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________

 

 

SCIC – ASC BLOCKER 1, INC.,

a Delaware corporation


By:________________________________________
Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________

 

 

Address for Notices

Stellus Capital Investment Corporation
4400 Post Oak Parkway, Suite 2200
Houston, Texas 77027
Attention: W. Todd Huskinson

Email: Thuskinson@stelluscapital.com; Dblank@stelluscapital.com; Vgarcia@stelluscapital.com
Telecopy Number: (713) 292-5414
Telephone: (713) 292-5454

 

 

Signature Page – Guarantee and Security Agreement

 

 

ZB, N.A. dba AMEGY BANK,
as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent


By:________________________________________
Name:________________________________________
Title:_________________________________________


Address for Notices

ZB, N.A. dba Amegy Bank

1717 West Loop South, 23rd Floor

Houston, Texas 77027

Attention: Natalie Garza

E-mail: Natalie.Garza@amegybank.com

Telephone Number: (713) 232-2197

Telecopy Number: (713) 571-5389

 

with a copy to:

Porter Hedges LLP

1000 Main Street, Floor 36

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Janine Lundin

E-mail: jlundin@porterhedges.com

Telephone Number: (713) 226-6651

Telecopy Number: (713) 226-6251

 

 

Signature Page – Guarantee and Security Agreement