THIRD SUPPLEMENTAL
INDENTURE
Third Supplemental Indenture
( this “Supplemental Indenture” ) , dated as of October 1,
2009, among CIT Group Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
“Issuer”), the entities listed on Schedule A
hereto (collectively, the “Guarantors”), and The Bank
of New York Mellon (as successor to JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.), as
trustee under the Indenture referred to below (the
“Trustee”).
WHEREAS,
the Issuer has heretofore executed and delivered to the Trustee an
indenture, dated as of January 20, 2006 (as supplemented by
the first supplemental indenture, dated as of January 31, 2007 and
the second supplemental indenture, dated as of December 24,
2008) (as so supplemented, the “Indenture”), providing
for the issuance of certain of the Issuer’s outstanding notes
with maturities on or prior to December 15, 2017;
WHEREAS,
the Indenture provides that under certain circumstances the Issuer
may execute and deliver to the Trustee a supplemental
indenture;
WHEREAS,
pursuant to Section 9.1 of the Indenture, which does not
require the consent of the Holders, the Guarantors desire to enter
into this Supplemental Indenture pursuant to which the Guarantors
shall fully and unconditionally guarantee all of the Issuer’s
obligations under the Indenture and all the notes with maturities
on or prior to December 15, 2017 that were issued prior to
September 30, 2009 and are outstanding as of such date (the
“Guaranteed Notes”) pursuant to the Indenture on the
terms and conditions set forth herein (and not any other series of
notes);
WHEREAS,
the Guarantors’ obligations under the guarantees of the
Guaranteed Notes will be subordinated to their respective senior
indebtedness; and
WHEREAS,
pursuant to Section 9.3 of the Indenture, the Trustee is
authorized to execute and deliver this Supplemental
Indenture.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is
hereby acknowledged, the Issuer, the Guarantors and the Trustee
mutually covenant and agree for the equal and ratable benefit of
the Holders of the Guaranteed Notes as follows:
1.
Capitalized Terms. Capitalized terms used herein without definition
shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture, except
as set forth below:
(a)
“Guarantee” means a guarantee other than by endorsement
of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of
business, direct or indirect, in any manner including, without
limitation, by way of a pledge of assets or through letters of
credit or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof, of all or
any part of any indebtedness (whether arising by virtue of
partnership arrangements, or by agreements to keep-well, to
purchase assets,
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goods,
securities or services, to take or pay or to maintain financial
statement conditions or otherwise).
(b)
“Note Guarantee” means the Guarantee by each Guarantor
of the Issuer’s obligations under this Supplemental Indenture
and the Guaranteed Notes, executed pursuant to the provisions of
this Supplemental Indenture.
(c)
“Guarantor Senior Indebtedness” means, with respect to
the Guaranteed Notes or any Note Guarantee, all Indebtedness of the
Guarantor outstanding at any time, except (a) the Guaranteed
Notes, (b) Indebtedness as to which, by the terms of the
instrument creating or evidencing the same, it is provided that
such Indebtedness is subordinated to the Guaranteed Notes, or ranks
pari passu with the Guaranteed Notes that are subordinated to the
Guaranteed Notes, (c) Indebtedness of the Guarantor to an
Affiliate of the Guarantor, (d) interest accruing after the
filing of a petition initiating any proceeding relating to the
Guarantor referred to in Section 5.1(6) and (7) unless such
interest is an allowed claim enforceable against the Guarantor in a
proceeding under federal or state bankruptcy laws, (e) trade
accounts payable, (f) any Indebtedness issued in violation of
the instrument creating the same and (g) any guarantee of any
Indebtedness. The term “Indebtedness,” when used in the
definition of the term “Guarantor Senior Indebtedness,”
means all obligations which, in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, should be classified as liabilities on a
balance sheet.
2.
Guarantee. The Indenture as it relates to the Guaranteed Notes only
is hereby amended to add Article Seventeen as
follows:
(a)
Subject to this Article Seventeen, each of the Guarantors
hereby, as primary obligor and not merely as surety, jointly and
severally, fully and unconditionally guarantees to each Holder of
the Guaranteed Notes authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and
to the Trustee and its successors and assigns, irrespective of the
validity and enforceability of this Indenture, the Guaranteed Notes
or the obligations of the Issuer hereunder or thereunder,
that:
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(1)
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the
principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, the Guaranteed
Notes will be promptly paid in full when due, whether at Maturity,
by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, and interest on the
overdue principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the
Guaranteed Notes, if any, if lawful, and all other monetary
obligations of the Issuer to the Holders or the Trustee hereunder
whether for payment of principal of or interest on the Guaranteed
Notes, expenses, indemnification or otherwise, or thereunder will
be punctually paid in full, all in accordance with the terms hereof
and thereof; and
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(2)
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in
case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any
Guaranteed Notes or any of such other obligations, that same will
be punctually paid in full when due in accordance with the terms of
the extension or renewal, whether at stated maturity, by
acceleration or otherwise.
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Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Indenture, the maximum aggregate
liability of each Guarantor under this Note Guarantee shall not
exceed fifty thousand United States dollars (U.S. $50,000) (the
“Guaranteed Amount”).
Failing
payment when due of any amount so guaranteed for whatever reason,
the Guarantors will be jointly and severally obligated to pay the
same immediately. Each Guarantor agrees that this is a guarantee of
payment and not a guarantee of collection.
Each
Guarantor, pursuant to its Note Guarantee, also hereby agrees to
pay any and all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including
reasonable counsel fees and expenses) incurred by the Trustee or
the Holders in enforcing any rights under its Note
Guarantee.
(b)
The Guarantors hereby agree that (to the fullest extent permitted
by law) their obligations hereunder are unconditional, irrespective
of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Guaranteed
Notes or this Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the
same, any waiver or consent by any Holder of the Guaranteed Notes
with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of
any judgment against the Issuer, any action to enforce the same or
any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or
equitable discharge or defense of a Guarantor. Each Guarantor
hereby waives (to the fullest extent permitted by law) diligence,
presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in
the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Issuer, any right to
require a proceeding first against the Issuer, protest, notice and
all demands whatsoever and covenants (except as otherwise provided
in Section 17.04 hereof) that the Note Guarantee will not be
discharged except by complete performance of the monetary
obligations contained in the Guaranteed Notes and this
Indenture.
(c)
If any Holder or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise
to return to the Issuer, the Guarantors or any custodian, trustee,
liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to either
the Issuer or the Guarantors, any amount paid by either to the
Trustee or such Holder, this Note Guarantee, to the extent
theretofore discharged, will be reinstated in full force and
effect.
(d)
Each Guarantor agrees that it will not be entitled to any right of
subrogation in relation to the Holders in respect of any
obligations guaranteed hereby until payment in full of all
obligations guaranteed hereby. Each Guarantor further agrees (to
the fullest extent permitted by law) that, as between the
Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Holders and the Trustee, on
the other hand, (1) the maturity of the obligations guaranteed
hereby may be accelerated as provided in Article Five of this
Indenture for the purposes of the Note Guarantee, notwithstanding
any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such
acceleration in respect of the obligations guaranteed hereby, and
(2) in the event of any declaration of acceleration of such
obligations as provided in Article Five of this Indenture,
such obligations (whether or not due and payable) will forthwith
become due and payable by the Guarantors for the purpose of this
Note Guarantee. The Guarantors will have the right to
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seek
contribution from the Issuer or any non-paying Guarantor so long as
the exercise of such right does not impair the rights of the
Holders under the Note Guarantee.
Section 17.02.
Limitation on Guarantor Liability
Each
Guarantor, and by its acceptance of Guaranteed Notes, each Holder,
hereby confirms that it is the intention of all such parties that
the Note Guarantee of such Guarantor not constitute a fraudulent
transfer or fraudulent conveyance for purposes of United States
Bankruptcy Code as then in effect, the Uniform Fraudulent
Conveyance Act, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act or any similar
federal or state law to the extent applicable to any Note
Guarantee. To effectuate the foregoing intention, the Trustee, the
Holders and the Guarantors hereby irrevocably agree that the
obligations of such Guarantor will be limited to the maximum amount
that will, after giving effect to such maximum amount and all other
contingent and fixed liabilities of such Guarantor that are
relevant under such laws, and after giving effect to any
collections from, rights to receive contribution from or payments
made by or on behalf of any other Guarantor in respect of the
obligations of such other Guarantor under this
Article Seventeen, result in the obligations of such Guarantor
under its Note Guarantee not constituting a fraudulent transfer or
fraudulent conveyance under applicable law. Each Guarantor
acknowledges that it will receive direct and indirect benefits from
the arrangements contemplated by the Supplemental Indenture and
that its Note Guarantee, and the waiver set forth in
Section 17.01(b), are knowingly made in contemplation of such
benefits.
Section 17.03.
Delivery of Note Guarantee
Neither
the Issuer nor any Guarantor shall be required to make a notation
on the Guaranteed Notes to reflect any Note Guarantee or any such
release, termination or discharge thereof.
The
Note Guarantee of a Guarantor will be released:
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(1)
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in
connection with any sale or other disposition of all or
substantially all of the assets of that Guarantor (including by way
of merger or consolidation) to a Person that is not (either before
or after giving effect to such transaction) the Issuer or any of
its Subsidiaries;
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(2)
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in
connection with any sale or other disposition of all of the capital
stock of that Guarantor to a Person that is not (either before or
after giving effect to such transaction) the Issuer or any of its
Subsidiaries; and
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(3)
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upon defeasance of the Guaranteed
Notes in accordance with Article Four of this Indenture or
satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture in accordance with its
terms, each Guarantor will be released and relieved of any
obligations under its Note Guarantee.
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Upon
any such occurrence specified in this Section 17.04, the
Trustee will execute any documents reasonably required in order to
evidence the release of any Guarantor from its obligations under
its Note Guarantee.
Any
Guarantor not released from its obligations under its Note
Guarantee as provided in this Section 17.04 will remain liable
for the principal, if any, of and interest and premium on the
Guaranteed Notes and for the other obligations of any Guarantor up
to the Guaranteed Amount under this Indenture as provided in this
Article Seventeen.
3.
Subordination. The Indenture as it relates to the Guaranteed Notes
only is hereby amended to add Article Eighteen as
follows:
SUBORDINATION OF
SECURITIES
Section 18.01
Agreement to Subordinate.
Each
Guarantor, for itself, its successors and assigns, covenants and
agrees, and each Holder of Guaranteed Notes issued under this
Indenture and any indenture supplemental thereto by such
Holder’s acceptance thereof likewise covenants and agrees,
that all Guaranteed Notes issued pursuant to this Indenture shall
be subject to the provisions of this Article Eighteen; and
each Holder of a Guaranteed Note, whether upon original issue or
upon transfer or assignment thereof, accepts and agrees to be bound
by such provisions.
The
payment by each Guarantor of the Note Guarantees on all Guaranteed
Notes issued under this Indenture shall, to the extent and in the
manner hereinafter set forth, be subordinate in right of payment to
the prior payment in full of all such Guarantor’s obligations
with respect to the Guarantor Senior Indebtedness with respect to
such series, whether outstanding at the date of this Indenture or
thereafter incurred.
Section 18.02
Default on Guarantor Senior Indebtedness.
In
the event and during the continuation of any default by the
Guarantor in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any
other amount due on any Guarantor Senior Indebtedness, or in the
event that the maturity of any Guarantor Senior Indebtedness has
been accelerated because of a default, then, in either case, no
payment shall be made by any Guarantor with respect to the Note
Guarantee on the Guaranteed Notes until such Guarantor’s
obligations with respect to the Guarantor Senior Indebtedness are
paid in full.
In
the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment shall be
received by the Trustee when such payment is prohibited by the
preceding paragraph of this Section 18.02, such payment shall
be held in trust for the benefit of, and shall be paid over or
delivered to, the Holders of such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness or
their respective representatives, or to the trustee or trustees
under any indenture or agreement pursuant to which any of such
Guarantor Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their
respective interests may appear, but only to
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the extent that
the Holders of such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness (or their
representative or representatives or a trustee) notify the Trustee
in writing within 120 days of such payment of the amounts then
due and owing on such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness and only the
amounts specified in such notice to the Trustee shall be paid to
the Holders of such Guarantor Senior Indebtedness.
Section 18.03
Liquidation; Dissolution; Bankruptcy.
Upon
any payment by any Guarantor or distribution of assets of any
Guarantor of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or
securities, to creditors upon any dissolution, winding-up,
liquidation or reorganization of any Guarantor, whether voluntary
or involuntary, or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other
proceedings, all amounts due upon all Guarantor Senior Indebtedness
shall first be paid in full, payment thereof shall have been
provided for in money in accordance with its terms or the
Guaranteed Amount shall have been delivered to the Trustee pursuant
to the following paragraph, before any payment is made by such
Guarantor on account of any Note Guarantee on the Guaranteed Notes;
and upon any such dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or
reorganization, or in any such bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership
or other
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