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Exhibit 2.1
EXECUTION COPY
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF
MERGER
Dated as of June 7,
2008
among
WILLIS GROUP HOLDINGS
LIMITED,
HERMES ACQUISITION
CORP.
and
HILB ROGAL & HOBBS
COMPANY
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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| ARTICLE I |
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THE MERGER |
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1 |
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Section 1.1. |
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The
Merger |
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1 |
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Section
1.2. |
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Closing |
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1 |
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Section
1.3. |
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Effective
Time |
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2 |
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Section
1.4. |
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Effects
of the Merger |
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2 |
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Section
1.5. |
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Articles
of Incorporation and By-laws of the Surviving
Corporation |
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2 |
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Section
1.6. |
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Directors
and Officers of the Surviving Corporation |
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2 |
| ARTICLE II |
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EFFECT OF THE MERGER ON THE CAPITAL STOCK OF THE CONSTITUENT
CORPORATIONS; EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES; COMPANY STOCK
OPTIONS |
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3 |
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Section
2.1. |
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Effect on
Capital Stock |
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3 |
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Section
2.2. |
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Election
Procedures |
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6 |
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Section
2.3. |
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Exchange
of Certificates |
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7 |
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Section
2.4. |
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No
Fractional Shares |
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9 |
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Section
2.5. |
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Lost,
Stolen or Destroyed Certificates |
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10 |
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Section
2.6. |
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Termination of Fund |
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10 |
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Section
2.7. |
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No
Liability |
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10 |
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Section
2.8. |
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Withholding Taxes |
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10 |
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Section
2.9. |
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Company
Equity Awards |
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11 |
| ARTICLE III |
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REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY |
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13 |
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Section
3.1. |
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Organization, Standing and Corporate Power |
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13 |
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Section
3.2. |
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Capitalization |
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15 |
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Section
3.3. |
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Authority; Noncontravention; Voting Requirements |
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15 |
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Section
3.4. |
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Governmental Approvals |
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17 |
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Section
3.5. |
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Company
SEC Documents; Undisclosed Liabilities |
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17 |
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Section
3.6. |
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Absence
of Certain Changes or Events |
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19 |
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Section
3.7. |
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Legal
Proceedings |
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19 |
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Section
3.8. |
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Compliance With Laws; Permits |
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20 |
i
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
(continued)
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Page |
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Section 3.9. |
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Information Supplied |
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21 |
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Section 3.10. |
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Tax
Matters |
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22 |
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Section
3.11. |
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Employee
Benefits and Labor Matters |
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23 |
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Section
3.12. |
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Environmental Matters |
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26 |
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Section
3.13. |
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Contracts |
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28 |
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Section
3.14. |
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Title to
Properties |
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30 |
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Section
3.15. |
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Company
Intellectual Property and Technology |
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31 |
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Section
3.16. |
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Insurance |
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35 |
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Section
3.17. |
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Opinion
of Financial Advisor |
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36 |
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Section
3.18. |
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Brokers
and Other Advisors |
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36 |
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Section
3.19. |
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Foreign
Corrupt Practices and International Trade Sanctions |
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36 |
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Section
3.20. |
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State
Takeover Statutes |
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36 |
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ARTICLE IV
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REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND MERGER
SUB |
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36 |
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Section
4.1. |
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Organization, Standing and Corporate Power |
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37 |
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Section
4.2. |
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Capital
Structure |
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37 |
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Section
4.3. |
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Authority; Noncontravention |
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38 |
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Section
4.4. |
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Governmental Approvals |
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39 |
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Section
4.5. |
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Parent
SEC Documents |
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39 |
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Section
4.6. |
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Compliance With Laws; Permits |
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41 |
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Section
4.7. |
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Information Supplied |
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41 |
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Section
4.8. |
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Absence
of Certain Changes or Events |
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42 |
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Section
4.9. |
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Legal
Proceedings |
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42 |
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Section
4.10. |
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Ownership
and Operations of Merger Sub |
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42 |
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Section
4.11. |
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Brokers
and Other Advisors |
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42 |
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Section
4.12. |
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Reorganization Treatment |
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42 |
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Section
4.13. |
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Ownership
of Company Common Stock |
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43 |
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Section
4.14. |
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Financing |
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43 |
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Section
4.15. |
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Parent
Material Contracts |
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43 |
ii
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
(continued)
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Page |
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Section 4.16. |
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Title to
Properties |
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43 |
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Section
4.17. |
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Insurance |
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44 |
| ARTICLE V |
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ADDITIONAL COVENANTS AND AGREEMENTS |
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44 |
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Section
5.1. |
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Preparation of the Form S-4 and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus;
Shareholder Meetings |
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44 |
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Section
5.2. |
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Conduct
of Business by the Company |
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45 |
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Section
5.3. |
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Conduct
of Business by Parent |
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49 |
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Section
5.4. |
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No
Solicitation by the Company; Etc |
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50 |
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Section
5.5. |
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Reasonable Best Efforts |
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53 |
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Section
5.6. |
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Public
Announcements |
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55 |
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Section
5.7. |
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Access to
Information; Confidentiality |
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55 |
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Section
5.8. |
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Notification of Certain Matters |
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56 |
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Section
5.9. |
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Indemnification and Insurance |
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56 |
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Section
5.10. |
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Securityholder Litigation |
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58 |
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Section
5.11. |
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Fees and
Expenses |
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58 |
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Section
5.12. |
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Reorganization Treatment |
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58 |
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Section
5.13. |
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Rule
16b-3 |
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58 |
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Section
5.14. |
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Employee
Benefit Matters |
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59 |
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Section
5.15. |
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Dividends |
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61 |
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Section
5.16. |
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Assistance with Financing |
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61 |
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Section
5.17. |
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Further
Actions Regarding Intellectual Property |
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62 |
| ARTICLE VI |
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CONDITIONS PRECEDENT |
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63 |
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Section
6.1. |
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Conditions to Each Party’s Obligation to Effect the
Merger |
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63 |
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Section
6.2. |
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Conditions to Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub |
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63 |
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Section
6.3. |
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Conditions to Obligation of the Company |
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64 |
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Section
6.4. |
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Frustration of Closing Conditions |
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65 |
| ARTICLE VII |
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TERMINATION |
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65 |
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Section
7.1. |
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Termination |
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65 |
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Section
7.2. |
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Effect of
Termination |
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67 |
iii
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
(continued)
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Page |
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Section 7.3. |
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Termination Fee |
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67 |
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ARTICLE VIII
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MISCELLANEOUS |
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69 |
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Section
8.1. |
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No
Survival, Etc |
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69 |
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Section
8.2. |
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Amendment
or Supplement |
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69 |
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Section
8.3. |
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Extension
of Time, Waiver, Etc |
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69 |
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Section
8.4. |
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Assignment |
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69 |
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Section
8.5. |
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Counterparts |
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70 |
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Section
8.6. |
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Entire
Agreement; No Third-Party Beneficiaries |
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70 |
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Section
8.7. |
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Governing
Law; Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial |
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70 |
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Section
8.8. |
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Specific
Enforcement |
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70 |
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Section
8.9. |
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Notices |
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71 |
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Section 8.10. |
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Severability |
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72 |
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Section
8.11. |
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Definitions |
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72 |
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Section
8.12. |
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Interpretation |
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77 |
| EXHIBIT A |
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PLAN OF MERGER |
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A-1 |
iv
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF
MERGER
This AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF
MERGER, dated as of June 7, 2008 (this “
Agreement ”), is among Willis Group Holdings Limited,
a Bermuda exempted company (“ Parent ”), Hermes
Acquisition Corp., a Virginia corporation and a direct, wholly
owned Subsidiary of Parent (“ Merger Sub ”), and
Hilb Rogal & Hobbs Company, a Virginia corporation (the
“ Company ”). Certain terms used in this
Agreement are used as defined in Section 8.11
.
WHEREAS, the respective
Boards of Directors of the Company and Merger Sub have adopted and
declared advisable, and the Board of Directors of Parent has
approved, this Agreement and the merger of the Company with and
into Merger Sub (the “ Merger ”), on the terms
and subject to the conditions provided for in this Agreement;
and
WHEREAS, for Federal income
tax purposes, it is intended that the Merger shall qualify as a
reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code
”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and
for an exception to the general rule of Section 367(a)(1) of
the Code, and that this Agreement constitutes a plan of
reorganization.
NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of the representations, warranties, covenants and
agreements contained in this Agreement, and intending to be legally
bound hereby, Parent, Merger Sub and the Company hereby agree as
follows:
ARTICLE I
THE MERGER
SECTION 1.1. The
Merger . Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
in this Agreement, and in accordance with the Virginia Stock
Corporation Act (the “ VSCA ”), at the Effective
Time, the Company shall be merged with and into Merger Sub, and the
separate corporate existence of the Company shall thereupon cease.
Merger Sub shall continue as the surviving corporation and as a
direct, wholly-owned Subsidiary of Parent and to be governed by the
VSCA (as such, the “ Surviving Corporation
”).
SECTION 1.2.
Closing . The closing of the Merger (the “
Closing ”) shall take place at 10:00 a.m. (New York
City time) on a date to be specified by the parties (the “
Closing Date ”), which date shall be no later than the
second (2nd) Business Day after satisfaction or waiver of the
conditions set forth in Article VI (other than those
conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing,
but subject to the satisfaction or waiver of those conditions at
such time), at the offices of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP,
767 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10153, unless another time,
date or place is agreed to in writing by the parties
hereto.
SECTION 1.3.
Effective Time . Subject to the provisions of this
Agreement, as soon as practicable on the Closing Date, the parties
hereto shall (a) file articles of merger, in customary form
(the “ Articles of Merger ”), together with the
related plan of merger meeting the requirements of
Section 13.1–716 of the VSCA, substantially in the form
attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “ Plan
”), with the State Corporation Commission of the Commonwealth
of Virginia (the “ SCC ”) and (b) duly make
all other filings and recordings required by the VSCA in order to
effectuate the Merger. The Merger shall become effective upon the
issuance of a certificate of merger by the SCC or at such later
time as may be agreed to by Parent and the Company in writing and
specified in the Articles of Merger (the date and time that the
Merger becomes effective is referred to as the “ Effective
Time ”).
SECTION 1.4. Effects
of the Merger . The Merger shall have the effects set forth in
this Agreement and Section 13.1–721 of the VSCA. Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, and subject thereto, at
the Effective Time, all the properties, rights, privileges,
immunities, powers and franchises of the Company and Merger Sub
shall vest in the Surviving Corporation, and all debts, liabilities
and duties of the Company and Merger Sub shall become the debts,
liabilities and duties of the Surviving Corporation.
SECTION 1.5. Articles
of Incorporation and By-laws of the Surviving Corporation . The
articles of incorporation and bylaws of Merger Sub, as in effect
immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall be the articles of
incorporation and bylaws, respectively, of the Surviving
Corporation, until thereafter changed or amended as provided
therein or by applicable Law.
SECTION 1.6.
Directors and Officers of the Surviving Corporation
.
(a) Each of the parties
hereto shall take all necessary action to cause the directors of
Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time to be the
directors of the Surviving Corporation immediately following the
Effective Time, until their respective successors are duly elected
or appointed and qualified or their earlier death, resignation or
removal in accordance with the articles of incorporation and
by-laws of the Surviving Corporation.
(b) The officers of Merger
Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the officers
of the Surviving Corporation until their respective successors are
duly appointed and qualified or their earlier death, resignation or
removal in accordance with the articles of incorporation and
by-laws of the Surviving Corporation.
2
ARTICLE II
EFFECT OF THE MERGER ON
THE CAPITAL STOCK OF THE
CONSTITUENT CORPORATIONS;
EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES; COMPANY
STOCK
OPTIONS
SECTION 2.1. Effect
on Capital Stock .
(a) At the Effective Time,
subject to the provisions of Article I and this Article
II , each share of common stock of the Company, having no par
value (“ Company Common Stock ”), issued and
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than
shares of Company Common Stock owned by Parent or the Company or
any of their respective wholly-owned Subsidiaries which for
purposes of clarity shall not include any shares of Company Common
Stock held in a trust established by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries), shall, by virtue of the Merger and without any
action on the part of the holder thereof, be converted into and
shall thereafter represent the right to receive the following
consideration (collectively, the “ Merger
Consideration ”):
(i) each Stock Election Share
shall be converted into the right to receive the number of Parent
Common Shares equal to the Exchange Ratio (the “ Per Share
Stock Consideration ”), subject to adjustment in
accordance with this Section 2.1(a) and
Section 2.1(c) ;
(ii) each Cash Election Share
shall be converted into the right to receive the Per Share Cash
Consideration in cash, without interest, subject to adjustment in
accordance with this Section 2.1(a) and
Section 2.1(c) ; and
(iii) each No Election Share
shall be converted into the right to receive the Per Share Stock
Consideration and/or the Per Share Cash Consideration in cash,
without interest, as provided in this Section 2.1(a)
below, subject to adjustment in accordance with
Section 2.1(c) .
(iv) Notwithstanding the
foregoing, if:
(1) the product of
(A) the Cash Election Shares and (B) the Per Share Cash
Consideration (such product being the “ Elected Cash
Consideration ”) that would be paid upon conversion of
the Cash Election Shares in the Merger exceeds the Available Cash
Consideration, then:
(A) all Stock Election Shares
and all No Election Shares shall be converted into the right to
receive the Per Share Stock Consideration; and
(B) all Cash Election Shares
shall be converted into the right to receive (i) an amount of
cash (without interest) equal to
3
the product of (w) the
Per Share Cash Consideration multiplied by (x) a fraction, the
numerator of which shall be the Available Cash Consideration and
the denominator of which shall be the Elected Cash Consideration
(the fraction described in this clause (x) being referred to
as the “ Cash Fraction ”) and (ii) a number
of Parent Common Shares equal to the product of (y) the
Exchange Ratio multiplied by (z) one (1) minus the Cash
Fraction; or
(2) the Elected Cash
Consideration is less than the Available Cash Consideration,
then:
(A) each Cash Election Share
shall be converted into the right to receive the Per Share Cash
Consideration; and
(B) if the product of
(i) the number of No Election Shares and (ii) the Per
Share Cash Consideration (the “ No Election Value
”) equals or exceeds the difference between the Available
Cash Amount and the Elected Cash Consideration (the “ Cash
Shortfall ”), then:
(i) a number of No Election
Shares equal to the Cash Shortfall divided by the Per Share Cash
Consideration shall be converted into the Per Share Cash
Consideration, with the remainder of the No Election Shares
converted into the Per Share Stock Consideration; and
(ii) each Stock Election
Share shall be converted into the right to receive the Per Share
Stock Consideration, or, alternatively;
(C) if the No Election Value
is less than the Cash Shortfall, then
(i) each No Election Share
shall be converted into the right to receive the Per Share Cash
Consideration; and
(ii) each Stock Election
Share shall be converted into the right to receive (i) an
amount of cash (without interest) equal to (x) the difference
between the Cash Shortfall and the No Election Value divided by
(y) the number of Stock Election Shares and (ii) a number
of Parent Common Shares equal to the product of (x) the
Exchange Ratio and (y) one (1) minus the fraction
determined by dividing the amount of cash determined pursuant to
the preceding clause (i) by the Per Share Cash
Consideration.
4
(3) the Elected Cash
Consideration equals the Available Cash Consideration,
then:
(A) each Cash Election Share
shall be converted into the right to receive the Per Share Cash
Consideration; and
(B) each Stock Election Share
and No Election Share shall be converted into the right to receive
the Per Share Stock Consideration.
(v) Notwithstanding the
definition of Available Cash Consideration, Parent shall have the
option, in its sole discretion, to increase the amount of the
Available Cash Consideration to any amount up to and including the
amount of the Elected Cash Consideration plus the product of
(A) the No Election Shares and (B) the Per Share Cash
Consideration; provided that Parent may not increase the
Available Cash Consideration to an amount that, in the reasonable
opinion of counsel to Parent and counsel to the Company, would
cause such counsel to be unable to render the opinions described in
Section 6.2(c) and Section 6.3(c) ,
respectively.
(vi) If the aggregate number
of Parent Common Shares to be issued pursuant to this
Section 2.1(a) would exceed 19.9% of the Parent Common
Shares outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (the
“ Maximum Share Amount ”), then appropriate
adjustments shall be made to the Merger Consideration to be paid or
issued pursuant thereto such that (1) the aggregate number of
Parent Common Shares included in the Merger Consideration is
reduced to the extent required such that the aggregate number of
Parent Common Shares to be so issued does not exceed the Maximum
Share Amount and (2) the aggregate amount of cash
consideration included in the Merger Consideration is increased by
an amount equal to the Average Parent Share Price multiplied by the
number of Parent Common Shares so reduced (the “
Additional Cash Consideration ”), provided ,
however , that the Additional Cash Consideration shall not
exceed the amount that would, in the reasonable opinion of counsel
to Parent and counsel to the Company, cause such counsel to be
unable to render the opinions described in
Section 6.2(c) and Section 6.3(c) ,
respectively.
(b) From and after the
Effective Time, the Company Common Stock converted into the Merger
Consideration pursuant to this Article II shall no longer
remain outstanding and shall automatically be cancelled and shall
cease to exist, and each holder of a certificate previously
representing any such Company Common Stock or shares of Company
Common Stock that are in non-certificated book-entry form (either
case being referred to in this Agreement, to the extent applicable,
as a “ Certificate ”) shall thereafter cease to
have any rights with respect to such securities, except the right
to receive (i) the consideration to which such holder may be
entitled pursuant to this Section 2.1 , (ii) any
dividends and other distributions in accordance with
Section 2.3(f) and (iii) any cash to be paid in
lieu of any fractional Parent Common Share in accordance with
Section 2.4 .
5
(c) If at any time during the
period between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time,
any change in the outstanding common stock of Parent or the
outstanding common stock of the Company shall occur by reason of
any reclassification, recapitalization, stock split or combination,
exchange, merger, consolidation or readjustment of shares, or any
stock dividend thereon with a record date during such period, or
any similar transaction or event, the Exchange Ratio, the Per Share
Stock Consideration, the Per Share Cash Consideration and any other
similarly dependent items, as the case may be, shall be
appropriately adjusted to provide the holders of Company Common
Stock the same economic effect as contemplated by this Agreement
prior to such event.
(d) At the Effective Time,
(i) all shares of Company Common Stock that are owned by
Parent or the Company (the “ Cancelled Shares ”)
shall be automatically cancelled and shall cease to exist and no
Securities of Parent, cash or other consideration shall be
delivered in exchange therefore and (ii) all shares of Company
Common Stock that are owned by any wholly-owned Subsidiary of
Parent or the Company shall be converted into the right to receive
a number of Parent Common Shares equal to the Exchange
Ratio.
SECTION 2.2. Election
Procedures .
(a) Not less than thirty
(30) days prior to the anticipated Effective Time (the “
Mailing Date ”), an election form in such form as
Parent shall specify (the “ Election Form ”)
shall be mailed to each holder of record of shares of Company
Common Stock as of five (5) Business Days prior to the Mailing
Date (the “ Election Form Record Date
”).
(b) Each Election Form shall
permit the holder (or the Beneficial Owner through appropriate and
customary documentation and instructions), to specify (i) the
number of shares of such holder’s Company Common Stock with
respect to which such holder elects to receive the Per Share Stock
Consideration (the “ Stock Election Shares ”),
(ii) the number of shares of such holder’s Company
Common Stock with respect to which such holder elects to receive
the Per Share Cash Consideration (the “ Cash Election
Shares ”) or (iii) that such holder makes no
election with respect to such holder’s Company Common Stock
(the “ No Election Shares ”). Any Company Common
Stock with respect to which the Exchange Agent does not receive an
effective, properly completed Election Form during the period from
the Mailing Date to the Election Deadline (the “ Election
Period ”) shall be deemed to be No Election Shares.
Parent shall publicly announce the anticipated Election Deadline at
least five (5) Business Days prior to the anticipated
Effective Time. If the Effective Time is delayed to a subsequent
date, the Election Deadline shall be similarly delayed to a
subsequent date, and Parent shall promptly announce any such delay
and, when determined, the rescheduled Election Deadline.
(c) Parent shall make
available one or more Election Forms as may reasonably be requested
from time to time by all Persons who become holders (or
6
Beneficial Owners) of Company Common
Stock during the Election Period, and the Company shall provide to
the Exchange Agent all information reasonably necessary for it to
perform as specified herein.
(d) Any election made
pursuant to this Section 2.2 shall have been properly
made only if the Exchange Agent shall have actually received a
properly completed Election Form during the Election Period. Any
Election Form may be revoked or changed by the Person submitting
such Election Form, by written notice received by the Exchange
Agent during the Election Period. In the event an Election Form is
revoked during the Election Period, the shares of Company Common
Stock represented by such Election Form shall become No Election
Shares, except to the extent (if any) a subsequent election is
properly made during the Election Period with respect to any or all
of such shares of Company Common Stock. Subject to the terms of
this Agreement and of the Election Form, the Exchange Agent shall
have reasonable discretion to determine whether any election,
revocation or change has been properly or timely made and to
disregard immaterial defects in the Election Forms, and any good
faith decisions of the Exchange Agent regarding such matters shall
be binding and conclusive. None of Parent or the Company or the
Exchange Agent shall be under any obligation to notify any Person
of any defect in an Election Form.
SECTION 2.3. Exchange
of Certificates .
(a) Prior to the Mailing
Date, Parent shall appoint an exchange agent reasonably acceptable
to the Company (the “ Exchange Agent ”) for the
purpose of exchanging Certificates for the Merger Consideration. As
soon as reasonably practicable after the Effective Time, but in no
event more than five (5) Business Days following the Effective
Time, Parent will send, or will cause the Exchange Agent to send,
to each holder of record of shares of Company Common Stock as of
the Effective Time (and, to the extent commercially practicable, to
make available for collection by hand if so elected by such holder
of record), whose shares of Company Common Stock were converted
into the right to receive the Merger Consideration pursuant to
Section 2.1 and Section 2.2 , a letter of
transmittal (which shall specify that the delivery shall be
effected, and risk of loss and title shall pass, only upon proper
delivery of the Certificates (or effective affidavits of loss in
lieu thereof) to the Exchange Agent) in such form as the Company
and Parent may reasonably agree, including instructions for use in
effecting the surrender of Certificates (or effective affidavits of
loss in lieu thereof) to the Exchange Agent in exchange for the
Merger Consideration.
(b) At or prior to the
Effective Time, Parent shall cause to be deposited with the
Exchange Agent, in trust for the benefit of the holders of shares
of the Company Common Stock, Parent Common Shares (which shall be
in non-certificated book-entry form) and an amount of cash in U.S.
dollars sufficient to be issued and paid pursuant to
Section 2.1 , Section 2.2 and
Section 2.4 , payable upon due surrender of the
Certificates (or effective affidavits of loss in lieu thereof)
pursuant to the provisions of this Article II . Following
the Effective Time, Parent agrees to make available to the Exchange
Agent, from time to time as needed, cash in U.S. dollars sufficient
to pay any
7
dividends and other distributions
pursuant to Section 2.3(f) . All cash and book-entry
shares representing Parent Common Shares deposited with the
Exchange Agent shall be referred to in this Agreement as the
“ Exchange Fund .” The Exchange Agent shall,
pursuant to irrevocable instructions, deliver the Merger
Consideration contemplated to be issued pursuant to
Section 2.1 , Section 2.2 and
Section 2.4 out of the Exchange Fund. The Exchange Fund
shall not be used for any other purpose. The Exchange Agent shall
invest any cash included in the Exchange Fund as directed by
Parent; provided that no such investment or losses thereon
shall affect the Merger Consideration payable to holders of shares
of Company Common Stock entitled to receive such consideration or
cash in lieu of fractional interests and Parent shall promptly
cause to be provided additional funds to the Exchange Agent for the
benefit of holders of shares of Company Common Stock entitled to
receive such consideration in the amount of any such losses. Any
interest and other income resulting from such investments shall be
the property of, and paid to, Parent.
(c) Each holder of shares of
Company Common Stock that have been converted into the right to
receive the Merger Consideration, upon surrender to the Exchange
Agent of a Certificate (or effective affidavits of loss in lieu
thereof), together with a properly completed letter of transmittal,
duly executed and completed in accordance with the instructions
thereto, and such other documents as may reasonably be required by
the Exchange Agent, will be entitled to receive in exchange
therefor (i) the number of Parent Common Shares (which shall
be in non-certificated book-entry form unless a physical
certificate is requested) representing, in the aggregate, the whole
number of Parent Common Shares, if any, that such holder has the
right to receive and/or (ii) a check in the amount, if any,
that such holder has the right to receive, including cash payable
in lieu of fractional shares pursuant to Section 2.4
and dividends and other distributions payable pursuant to
Section 2.3(f) (less any required Tax withholding),
pursuant to Section 2.1 , Section 2.2 and
this Article II . The Merger Consideration shall be paid as
promptly as practicable (by mail or, to the extent commercially
practicable, made available for collection by hand if so elected by
the surrendering holder of a Certificate) after receipt by the
Exchange Agent of the Certificate and letter of transmittal in
accordance with the foregoing. No interest shall be paid or accrued
on any Merger Consideration, cash in lieu of fractional shares or
on any unpaid dividends and distributions payable to holders of
Certificates. Until so surrendered, each such Certificate shall,
after the Effective Time, represent for all purposes only the right
to receive such Merger Consideration.
(d) If any cash payment is to
be made to a Person other than the Person in whose name the
applicable surrendered Certificate is registered, it shall be a
condition of such payment that the Person requesting such payment
shall pay any transfer or other similar Taxes required by reason of
the making of such cash payment to a Person other than the
registered holder of the surrendered Certificate or shall establish
to the satisfaction of the Exchange Agent that such Tax has been
paid or is not payable. If any portion of the Merger Consideration
is to be registered in the name of a Person other than the Person
in whose name the applicable surrendered Certificate is registered,
it shall be a
8
condition to the registration thereof
that the surrendered Certificate shall be properly endorsed or
otherwise be in proper form for transfer and that the Person
requesting such delivery of the Merger Consideration shall pay to
the Exchange Agent any transfer or other similar Taxes required as
a result of such registration in the name of a Person other than
the registered holder of such Certificate or establish to the
satisfaction of the Exchange Agent that such Tax has been paid or
is not payable.
(e) After the Effective Time,
there shall be no further registration of transfers of shares of
Company Common Stock. From and after the Effective Time, the
holders of Certificates representing shares of Company Common Stock
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall cease to
have any rights with respect to such shares of Company Common Stock
except as otherwise provided in this Agreement or by applicable
Law. If, after the Effective Time, Certificates are presented to
the Exchange Agent or Parent, they shall be cancelled and exchanged
for the consideration provided for, and in accordance with the
procedures set forth in this Article II .
(f) No dividends or other
distributions with respect to Parent Common Shares issued in the
Merger shall be paid to the holder of any unsurrendered
Certificates until such Certificates are surrendered as provided in
this Section 2.3 . Following such surrender, subject to
the effect of escheat, Tax or other applicable Law, there shall be
paid, without interest, to the record holder of the Parent Common
Shares, if any, issued in exchange therefor (i) at the time of
such surrender, all dividends and other distributions payable in
respect of any such Parent Common Shares with a record date after
the Effective Time and a payment date on or prior to the date of
such surrender and not previously paid and (ii) at the
appropriate payment date, the dividends or other distributions
payable with respect to such Parent Common Shares with a record
date after the Effective Time but with a payment date subsequent to
such surrender. For purposes of dividends or other distributions in
respect of Parent Common Shares, all Parent Common Shares to be
issued pursuant to the Merger shall be entitled to dividends
pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence as if issued and
outstanding as of the Effective Time.
SECTION 2.4. No
Fractional Shares . No certificates or scrip representing
fractional Parent Common Shares shall be issued upon the surrender
for exchange of Certificates (or effective affidavits of loss in
lieu thereof), no dividends or other distributions of Parent shall
relate to such fractional share interests, including any fractional
share interests resulting pursuant to Section 2.1(a) ,
and such fractional share interests will not entitle the owner
thereof to vote or to any rights of a shareholder of Parent. In
lieu of such fractional share interests, Parent shall pay to each
holder of a Certificate (upon surrender thereof as provided in this
Article II ) an amount in cash equal to the product obtained
by multiplying (x) the fractional share interest to which such
holder (after taking into account all shares of Company Common
Stock formerly represented by Certificates) would otherwise be
entitled by (y) the Average Parent Share Price.
9
SECTION 2.5. Lost,
Stolen or Destroyed Certificates . If any Certificate shall
have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the making of an
affidavit of that fact by the Person claiming such Certificate to
be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if required by Parent, the
posting by such Person of a bond, in such reasonable amount as
Parent may direct, as indemnity against any claim that may be made
against it with respect to such Certificate, the Exchange Agent
will issue, in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed
Certificate, the Merger Consideration to be paid in respect of the
shares of the Company Common Stock represented by such Certificates
as contemplated by this Article II .
SECTION 2.6.
Termination of Fund . Any portion of the Exchange Fund that
remains unclaimed by the holders of shares of Company Common Stock
one (1) year after the Effective Time shall be returned to
Parent, upon demand, and any such holder who has not exchanged his
or her shares of Company Common Stock for the Merger Consideration
in accordance with this Article II prior to that time shall
thereafter look only to Parent for delivery of the Merger
Consideration in respect of such holder’s shares of Company
Common Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither Parent, Merger
Sub nor the Company shall be liable to any holder of shares of
Company Common Stock for any Merger Consideration delivered to a
public official pursuant to applicable abandoned property Laws. Any
Merger Consideration remaining unclaimed by holders of shares of
Company Common Stock immediately prior to such time as such amounts
would otherwise escheat to or become property of any Governmental
Authority shall, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, become
the property of Parent free and clear of any claims or interest of
any Person previously entitled thereto.
SECTION 2.7. No
Liability . Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to
the contrary, none of the parties hereto, the Surviving Corporation
or the Exchange Agent shall be liable to any Person in respect of
any Parent Common Shares (or dividends or other distributions with
respect thereto) or cash in lieu of any fractional Parent Common
Shares or cash from the Exchange Fund, in each case delivered to a
public official pursuant to and in accordance with any applicable
abandoned property, escheat or similar Law.
SECTION 2.8.
Withholding Taxes . Each of Parent and Merger Sub shall be
entitled to deduct and withhold, or cause the Exchange Agent to
deduct and withhold, from the consideration otherwise payable to
any Person pursuant hereto, such amounts as it is required to
deduct and withhold with respect to the making of such payment
under the Code or any provision of state, local or foreign Tax Law.
To the extent that amounts are so deducted or withheld and paid
over to the applicable Governmental Authority, such deducted or
withheld amounts shall be treated for all purposes of this
Agreement as having been paid to the holder of shares of Company
Common Stock in respect of which such deduction and withholding was
made.
10
SECTION 2.9. Company
Equity Awards.
(a) Company Stock
Options . Effective as of the Effective Time, all options to
purchase shares of Company Common Stock granted under the Hilb
Rogal and Hamilton Company 2000 Stock Incentive Plan, Hilb
Rogal & Hobbs Company 2007 Stock Incentive Plan and Hilb
Rogal & Hobbs Company Non-Employee Directors Stock
Incentive Plan (collectively, the “ Company Stock
Plans ”) that are outstanding immediately prior to the
Effective Time (“ Company Stock Options ”)
shall, if unvested, vest in full and become exercisable, and shall
be converted into an option to acquire, on the same terms and
conditions as were applicable under the Company Stock Option
(taking into account accelerated vesting), the number of Parent
Common Shares (rounded down to the nearest whole share) determined
by multiplying the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject
to each such Company Stock Option by the Exchange Ratio, at a price
per share of Parent Common Shares equal to (A) the aggregate
exercise price for the shares of Company Common Stock otherwise
purchasable pursuant to each such Company Stock Option divided by
(B) the aggregate number of Parent Common Shares deemed
purchasable pursuant to each such Company Stock Option (each, as so
adjusted, an “ Adjusted Option ”);
provided that such exercise price shall be rounded up
to the nearest whole cent and the adjustments provided herein with
respect to any Company Stock Options that are “incentive
stock options” as defined in Section 422 of the Code
shall be and are intended to be effected in a manner which is
consistent with Section 424(a) of the Code.
(b) Company Restricted
Shares . As of immediately prior to the Effective Time, each
restricted share of Company Common Stock granted to any employee or
director of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under a Company
Stock Plan that is outstanding as of such time (collectively, the
“ Company Restricted Shares ”) shall vest in
full and the restrictions thereon shall lapse (with any performance
goals to be deemed achieved at the maximum level), and, as of the
Effective Time, each share of Company Common Stock that was
formerly a Company Restricted Share shall be entitled to receive
the Merger Consideration determined in accordance with
Section 2.1 based on the holder’s election in
accordance with Section 2.2 ; provided ,
however , that, upon the lapsing of restrictions with
respect to each such Company Restricted Share, the Company shall be
entitled to deduct and withhold such amounts as may be required to
be deducted and withheld under the Code and any applicable state or
local tax law with respect to the lapsing of such
restrictions.
(c) Company Deferred
Units . At the Effective Time, each right under the Company
Plans (other than the Company 401(k) Plan) of any kind, contingent
or accrued, to acquire or receive Company Common Stock or benefits
measured by the value of Company Common Stock (other than Company
Stock Options and Company Restricted Shares), including, the
deferred Company share units held in the accounts under the
Company’s Executive Voluntary Deferral Plan and the
Company’s Outside Directors Deferral Plan (the “
Deferred Compensation Plans ”) (such rights
collectively referred to herein as the “ Company Deferred
Units ”) shall, at the election of the holder of such
right, be converted into an obligation to pay or provide, at the
time specified in the applicable plan, agreement or arrangement,
either (x) shares determined based on a
11
notional investment account denominated
in a number of Parent Common Shares equal to (i) the number of
shares of Company Common Stock subject to such Company Deferred
Unit immediately prior to the Effective Time, times (ii) the
Exchange Ratio (“ Adjusted Deferred Units ”) or
(y) an amount of cash equal to (i) the number of shares
of Company Common Stock subject to such Company Deferred Unit
immediately prior to the Effective Time times (ii) the Per
Share Cash Consideration. In either case, such obligation shall be
payable or distributable in accordance with the terms of the
agreement, plan or arrangement relating to such Company Deferred
Units (or, if earlier, on the death of the holder thereof) and,
prior to the time of distribution, such amounts shall be permitted
to be deemed invested in the investment options available under the
applicable Company Plan as in effect as of the date hereof, as
elected by each holder. Any holder who does not submit an election
will be deemed to have elected to convert the applicable Company
Deferred Units into Adjusted Deferred Units.
(d) Before the Closing, the
Board of Directors of the Company (or, if appropriate, any
committee of the Board of Directors of the Company administering
the Company Stock Plans) shall adopt such resolutions to effectuate
the treatment of the Company Stock Options, Company Restricted
Shares and Company Deferred Units set forth in Sections
2.9(a) through (c) .
(e) No later than the Closing
Date, by virtue of the Merger and without the need of any further
corporate action, Parent shall assume the Company Stock Plans and
the Company Plans under which the Company Deferred Units are
provided, with the result that all obligations of the Company under
the Company Stock Plans and the Company Plans under which the
Company Deferred Units are provided, including with respect to
Company Stock Options outstanding at the Effective Time (adjusted
pursuant to Section 2.9(a) ) and Company Deferred Units
(adjusted pursuant to Section 2.9(c) ), shall be
obligations of Parent following the Effective Time.
(f) As soon as practicable
after the Effective Time, Parent shall prepare and file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ SEC ”)
a registration statement on Form S-8 (or another appropriate form)
registering a number of Parent Common Shares equal to the number of
Parent Common Shares subject to the Adjusted Options and, if
applicable, the Adjusted Deferred Units. Such registration
statement shall be kept effective (and the current status of the
prospectus or prospectuses required thereby shall be maintained) at
least for so long as any Adjusted Options or any unsettled awards
granted under the Company Stock Plans or the Company Plans under
which the Company Deferred Units are provided remain outstanding
after the Effective Time.
(g) As soon as practicable
after the Effective Time, Parent shall deliver to the holders of
Adjusted Options and, if applicable, the Adjusted Deferred Units.
appropriate notices setting forth such holders’ rights
pursuant to the Company Stock Plans and the agreements evidencing
the grants of such Company Stock Options and, if applicable, the
Company Plans under which the Company Deferred Units are provided,
after giving effect to the Merger and the adjustments required by
this Section 2.9 .
12
(h) Except as otherwise
contemplated by this Section 2.9 and except to the
extent required under the respective terms of the Company Stock
Options, all restrictions or limitations on transfer and vesting
with respect to Company Stock Options awarded under the Company
Stock Plans or any other plan, program or arrangement of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries, to the extent that such
restrictions or limitations shall not have already lapsed, shall
remain in full force and effect with respect to such Company Stock
Options after giving effect to the Merger and the assumption by
Parent as set forth above.
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
Except as otherwise expressly
disclosed or identified in the Company SEC Documents filed or
furnished, and publicly available, prior to the date hereof
(excluding any risk factor disclosure and disclosure of risks
included in any “forward-looking statements” disclaimer
or other statements included in such Company SEC Documents to the
extent that they are predictive or forward-looking in nature) or in
a letter (the “ Company Disclosure Schedule ”)
delivered to Parent by the Company prior to the execution of this
Agreement (the disclosure in any Section of the Company Disclosure
Schedule shall apply only to the indicated section of this
Agreement except to the extent that it is readily apparent that
such disclosure is relevant to another Section of this Agreement),
the Company hereby represents and warrants to Parent and Merger
Sub, on the date hereof and as of the Closing Date (except to the
extent that such representations and warranties speak as of another
date, in which case, as of such date) as follows:
SECTION 3.1.
Organization, Standing and Corporate Power .
(a) Each of the Company and
its Subsidiaries is a corporation, limited liability company,
limited company or partnership, as the case may be, duly organized,
validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of the
jurisdiction in which it is incorporated or organized and has all
requisite corporate or other power and authority necessary to own
or lease all of its properties and assets and to carry on its
business as it is now being conducted and as currently proposed by
its management to be conducted. Each of the Company and its
Subsidiaries is duly licensed or qualified to do business and is in
good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the
business conducted by it or the character or location of the
properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or
qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so
licensed, qualified or in good standing, individually or in the
aggregate, has not had and could not reasonably be expected to have
a Material Adverse Effect on the Company.
(b) Section 3.1(b) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth the name of each
Subsidiary owned (whether directly or indirectly) by the Company
and the state or jurisdiction of its organization. All of the
outstanding shares of capital stock of, or other equity interests
in, each Subsidiary of the Company have been duly authorized and
validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable and are owned
directly or
13
indirectly by the Company free and clear
of all liens, pledges, charges, mortgages, encumbrances, adverse
rights or claims and security interests of any kind or nature
whatsoever (including any restriction on the right to vote or
transfer the same, except for such transfer restrictions of general
applicability as may be provided under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder
(the “ Securities Act ”), and the “blue
sky” laws of the various States of the United States)
(collectively, “ Liens ”). Except as set forth
in Section 3.1(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the
Company does not own, directly or indirectly, any capital stock,
voting securities or equity interests in any Person.
(c) Section 3.1(c) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth (i) the name of
each Subsidiary of the Company that is registered or licensed as
(A) a broker or dealer under the Exchange Act or any similar
state or foreign Laws; (B) a futures commission merchant,
commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator or introducing
broker under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, or under any
similar state or foreign law; (C) an investment adviser under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations
of the SEC thereunder, as amended, or under any similar state or
foreign Law; or (D) an insurance company, in each case
together with a listing of all such registrations and licenses held
with all applicable Governmental Authorities; and (ii) a
complete list of all securities exchanges, commodity exchanges,
boards of trade or similar organizations in which any Subsidiary of
the Company holds membership or has been granted trading
privileges, together with the name of the relevant Subsidiary of
the Company. As of the date of this Agreement there are not, and as
of the Effective Time there will not be, any subscriptions,
options, warrants, calls, convertible or exchangeable securities,
rights, commitments or agreements of any character providing for
the issuance of any shares of capital stock, voting securities or
equity interests of the Company Subsidiaries. None of the Company
Subsidiaries has issued or is bound by any outstanding
subscriptions, options, warrants, calls, convertible or
exchangeable securities, rights, commitments or agreements of any
character providing for the issuance or disposition of any shares
of capital stock, voting securities or equity interests of any
Subsidiary of the Company. There are no outstanding obligations of
the Company Subsidiaries to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire
any shares of capital stock, voting securities or equity interests
(or any options, warrants or other rights to acquire any shares of
capital stock, voting securities or equity interests) of the
Company Subsidiaries.
(d) The Company has delivered
or made available to Parent correct and complete copies of its
articles of incorporation and by-laws (the “ Company
Charter Documents ”) and correct and complete copies of
the certificates of incorporation and by-laws (or comparable
organizational documents) of each of its Subsidiaries (the “
Subsidiary Documents ”), in each case as amended and
in effect as of the date of this Agreement. The Company Charter
Documents and all Subsidiary Documents are in full force and effect
and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation
of any of their respective provisions. The Company has made
available to Parent and its representatives correct and complete
copies of the minutes (or, in the case of minutes that
14
have not yet been finalized, drafts
thereof) of all meetings of shareholders, the Board of Directors
and each committee of the Board of Directors of the Company and
each of its material Subsidiaries held since January 1, 2006
(except to the extent relating to this Agreement or the
transactions contemplated hereby or to any discussions of other
strategic alternatives (other than acquisitions by the Company or
its Subsidiaries)).
SECTION 3.2.
Capitalization .
(a) The authorized capital
stock of the Company consists of 100,000,000 shares of Company
Common Stock. At the close of business on June 5, 2008,
(i) 36,257,672 shares of Company Common Stock were issued and
outstanding, (ii) no shares of Company Common Stock were held
by the Company in its treasury, (iii) 6,249,098 shares of
Company Common Stock were reserved for issuance under the Company
Stock Plans (of which 4,016,093 shares of Company Common Stock were
subject to outstanding Company Stock Options granted under the
Company Stock Plans) and (iv) no shares of Company Preferred
Stock were issued or outstanding. All outstanding shares of Company
Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are
fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights. Since
June 5, 2008, the Company has not issued any shares of its
capital stock, voting securities or equity interests, or any
securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any
shares of its capital stock, voting securities or equity interests,
other than pursuant to the outstanding options referred to above in
this Section 3.2(a) . Except (A) as set forth
above in this Section 3.2(a) or (B) with respect
to the Effective Time, as expressly permitted by
Section 5.2 , as of the date of this Agreement there
are not, and as of the Effective Time there will not be, any shares
of capital stock, voting securities or equity interests of the
Company issued and outstanding or any subscriptions, options,
warrants, calls, convertible or exchangeable securities, rights,
commitments or agreements of any character providing for the
issuance of any shares of capital stock, voting securities or
equity interests of the Company, including any representing the
right to purchase or otherwise receive any Company Common
Stock.
(b) The Company has not
issued and is not bound by any outstanding subscriptions, options,
warrants, calls, convertible or exchangeable securities, rights,
commitments or agreements of any character providing for the
issuance or disposition of any shares of its capital stock, voting
securities or equity interests. There are no outstanding
obligations of the Company to repurchase, redeem or otherwise
acquire any shares of its capital stock, voting securities or
equity interests (or any options, warrants or other rights to
acquire any shares of capital stock, voting securities or equity
interests).
SECTION 3.3.
Authority; Noncontravention; Voting Requirements
.
(a) The Company has all
necessary corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this
Agreement and, subject to obtaining the Company Shareholder
Approval, to perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate
the Transactions. The execution, delivery and performance by the
Company of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of
the Transactions have been duly authorized and
15
approved, and the Agreement (including
the Plan) has been duly adopted, by the Board of Directors of the
Company. Subject to obtaining the Company Shareholder Approval, no
other corporate action on the part of the Company is necessary to
authorize the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of
this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the
Transactions. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered
by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and
delivery hereof by the other parties hereto, constitutes a legal,
valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against
the Company in accordance with its terms, except that such
enforceability (i) may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other similar
laws of general application affecting or relating to the
enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and (ii) is
subject to general principles of equity, whether considered in a
proceeding at law or in equity (the “ Bankruptcy and
Equity Exception ”).
(b) The Company’s Board
of Directors, at a meeting duly called and held, has unanimously
(i) adopted and approved this Agreement and the Transactions,
including the Merger, and (ii) resolved to recommend that the
shareholders of the Company approve this Agreement.
(c) Neither the execution and
delivery of this Agreement by the Company nor the consummation by
the Company of the Transactions nor compliance by the Company with
any of the terms or provisions hereof will (i) conflict with
or violate any provision of the Company Charter Documents or any of
the Subsidiary Documents or (ii) assuming that the
authorizations, consents and approvals referred to in
Section 3.4 and the Company Shareholder Approval are
obtained and the filings referred to in Section 3.4 are
made, (A) violate any Law, judgment, writ or injunction of any
Governmental Authority applicable to the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets or
(B) violate, conflict with, result in the loss of any benefit
under, constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or
lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, result
in the termination of or a right of termination or cancellation
under, accelerate the performance required by, or result in the
creation of any Lien upon any of the respective properties or
assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under, any of the
terms, conditions or provisions of any loan or credit agreement,
debenture, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, deed of trust, license,
lease, contract or other agreement, instrument or obligation (each,
a “ Contract ”) or Permit, to which the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, or by which they or any of
their respective properties or assets may be bound or affected
except, in the case of clause (B), for such violations, conflicts,
losses, defaults, terminations, cancellations, accelerations or
Liens as, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the
Company.
(d) The affirmative vote (in
person or by proxy) of the holders of more than two-thirds of the
outstanding shares of Company Common Stock at the Company
Shareholders Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof in
favor of the approval of this Agreement (including the Plan) (the
“ Company Shareholder Approval ”) is the only
vote or approval of the holders of any class or series of capital
stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which is necessary
to approve this Agreement (including the Plan) and the
Transactions.
16
SECTION 3.4.
Governmental Approvals . Except for (i) the filing with
the SEC of a proxy statement/prospectus relating to the
Transactions (as amended or supplemented from time to time, the
“ Proxy Statement/Prospectus ”), and other
filings required under, and compliance with other applicable
requirements of, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “
Exchange Act ”), and the rules of the NYSE,
(ii) the filing of the Articles of Merger with the SCC
pursuant to the VSCA, (iii) filings required under, and
compliance with other applicable requirements of, the HSR Act and
(iv) filings required under, and compliance with other
applicable requirements of, non-U.S. Laws intended to prohibit,
restrict or regulate actions or transactions having the purpose or
effect of monopolization, restraint of trade, harm to competition
or effectuating foreign investment, including Council Regulation
No. 139/2004 of the European Community, as amended (the
“ EC Merger Regulation ”) (collectively, “
Foreign Antitrust Laws ”), no consents or approvals
of, or filings, declarations or registrations with, any
Governmental Authority are necessary for the execution, delivery
and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the
consummation by the Company of the Transactions, other than such
other consents, approvals, filings, declarations or registrations
that, if not obtained, made or given, could not, individually or in
the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse
impact on Parent or the Company or impair in any material respect
the ability of Parent or the Company to perform its obligations
hereunder, or prevent or materially impede, interfere with, hinder
or delay the consummation of the Transactions.
SECTION 3.5. Company
SEC Documents; Undisclosed Liabilities .
(a) The Company has filed and
furnished all required reports, schedules, forms, certifications,
prospectuses and registration, proxy and other statements with the
SEC since January 1, 2005 (collectively, and together with all
exhibits and schedules thereto and documents incorporated by
reference therein, the “ Company SEC Documents
”). None of the Company’s Subsidiaries is required to
file periodic reports with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act. As
of their respective effective dates (in the case of Company SEC
Documents that are registration statements filed pursuant to the
requirements of the Securities Act) and as of their respective SEC
filing dates (in the case of all other Company SEC Documents) or,
if amended or superseded by a subsequent filing made prior to the
date hereof, as of the date of such amendment or superseding
filing, the Company SEC Documents complied in all material respects
with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the Securities Act and
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as the case may be, applicable to such
Company SEC Documents, and none of the Company SEC Documents as of
such respective dates contained any untrue statement of a material
fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
17
(b) The consolidated
financial statements of the Company included in the Company SEC
Documents (i) comply as to form in all material respects with
applicable accounting requirements and the published rules and
regulations of the SEC with respect thereto, (ii) have been
prepared in accordance with GAAP (except, in the case of unaudited
quarterly statements, as indicated in the notes thereto) applied on
a consistent basis during the periods involved (except as may be
indicated in the notes thereto) and (iii) fairly present in
all material respects the consolidated financial position of the
Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof
and the consolidated results of their operations and cash flows for
the periods then ended (subject, in the case of unaudited quarterly
statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments, none of which has
been or will be, individually or in the aggregate, material to the
Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole). Without limiting
the generality of the foregoing, such financial statements and
other financial information included in the Company SEC Documents
fairly present (within the meaning of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act) in
all material respects the financial condition and results of
operations of the Company as of, and for, the periods presented in
such Company SEC Documents.
(c) The Company has
established and maintains internal controls over financial
reporting and disclosure controls and procedures (as such terms are
defined in Rule 13a-15 and Rule 15d-15 under the Exchange Act).
Such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that
material information relating to the Company, including its
consolidated Subsidiaries, required to be disclosed by the Company
in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is
accumulated and communicated to the Company’s principal
executive officer and its principal financial officer to allow
timely decisions regarding required disclosure and such disclosure
controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information
required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it
files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC
rules and forms. The Company’s principal executive officer
and its principal financial officer have disclosed, based on their
most recent evaluation, to the Company’s auditors and the
audit committee of the Board of Directors of the Company
(i) all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of
internal controls that could adversely affect the Company’s
ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and
have identified for the Company’s auditors any material
weaknesses in internal controls and (ii) any fraud, whether or
not material, that involves management or other employees who have
a significant role in the Company’s internal controls. The
principal executive officer and the principal financial officer of
the Company have made all certifications required by the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Exchange Act and any related rules and
regulations promulgated by the SEC with respect to the Company SEC
Documents, and the statements contained in such certifications are
complete and correct. The management of the Company has completed
its assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting in compliance with the
requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the
year ended December 31, 2007, and such assessment concluded
that such controls were effective. To the Knowledge of the Company,
there are no facts or circumstances that would prevent its chief
executive officer and chief financial officer
18
from giving the certifications and
attestations required pursuant to the rules and regulations adopted
pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, without
qualification, when next due.
(d) The Company is in
compliance in all material respects with the provisions of
Section 13(b) of the Exchange Act.
(e) Neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries has any liabilities or obligations of any
nature (whether accrued, absolute, contingent or otherwise, whether
known or unknown) whether or not required, if known, to be
reflected or reserved against on a consolidated balance sheet of
the Company prepared in accordance with GAAP or the notes thereto,
except liabilities (i) as and to the extent reflected or
reserved against on the balance sheet of the Company and its
Subsidiaries as of March 31, 2008 (the “ Balance
Sheet Date ”) (including the notes thereto) included in
the Company SEC Documents filed by the Company and publicly
available prior to the date of this Agreement (the “ Filed
Company SEC Documents ”), (ii) incurred after the
Balance Sheet Date in the ordinary course of business consistent
with past practice or (iii) that, individually or in the
aggregate, are not and could not reasonably be expected to be
material to the Company.
(f) Neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries is a party to, or has any commitment to
become a party to, any joint venture, off-balance sheet partnership
or any similar Contract (including any Contract or arrangement
relating to any transaction or relationship between or among the
Company and any of its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and any
unconsolidated Affiliate, including any structured finance, special
purpose or limited purpose entity or Person, on the other hand, or
any “off-balance sheet arrangements” (as defined in
Item 303(a) of Regulation S-K of the SEC)), where the result,
purpose or effect of such Contract is to avoid disclosure of any
material transaction involving, or material liabilities of, the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries in the Company’s or such
Subsidiary’s published financial statements or any Filed
Company SEC Documents.
SECTION 3.6. Absence
of Certain Changes or Events . Since the Balance Sheet Date,
there have not been any events, changes, occurrences or state of
facts that, individually or in the aggregate, have had or could
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the
Company. Since the Balance Sheet Date through the date of this
Agreement (a) the Company and its Subsidiaries have carried on
and operated their respective businesses in all material respects
in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice
and (b) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has
taken any action described in Section 5.2(a) that if
taken after the date hereof and prior to the Effective Time without
the prior written consent of Parent would violate such provision
and that would, individually or in the aggregate, be material to
the Company or its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
SECTION 3.7. Legal
Proceedings . Except insofar as not, and as could not
reasonably expected to be, individually in the aggregate, material
to the Company and
19
its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole,
there is no pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company,
threatened, legal, administrative, arbitral or other proceeding,
claim, suit or action against, or governmental or regulatory
investigation of, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, nor is
there any injunction, order, judgment, ruling or decree imposed
(or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened to be imposed)
upon the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or the assets of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries, by or before any Governmental
Authority.
SECTION 3.8.
Compliance With Laws; Permits .
(a) The Company and its
Subsidiaries are (and since January 1, 2006 have been) in
compliance in all material respects with all laws (including common
law), statutes, ordinances, codes, rules, regulations, decrees and
orders of Governmental Authorities (collectively, “
Laws ”) applicable to the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, any of their properties or other assets or any of
their businesses or operations. The Company and each of its
Subsidiaries hold all licenses, franchises, permits, certificates,
approvals and authorizations from Governmental Authorities, or
required by Governmental Authorities to be obtained, in each case
necessary for the lawful conduct of their respective businesses
(collectively, “ Permits ”), except where the
failure to hold such Permits has not been or could not,
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to be
material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. The
Company and its Subsidiaries are (and since January 1, 2006
have been) in compliance in all material respects with the terms of
all Permits.
(b) Since January 1,
2006, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received
written notice to the effect that a Governmental Authority
(i) claimed or alleged that the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries was not in compliance with all Laws applicable to the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries, any of their properties or
other assets or any of their businesses or operations or
(ii) was considering the amendment, termination, revocation or
cancellation of any Permit. The consummation of the Merger, in and
of itself, will not cause the revocation or cancellation of any
material Permit.
(c) Except as set forth in
Section 3.8(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule and except
as could not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably
be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect on the Company:
(i) to the Knowledge of the Company, each officer, employee,
independent contractor or other Person employed, supervised or
controlled by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or whom the
Company has a responsibility to supervise or control under
applicable Law or contract, who since January 1, 2002 has
marketed, sold, negotiated, serviced, administered, managed,
provided advice with respect to or otherwise transacted (“
Transacted ”) business for the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries (each a “ Producer ”), at the time
such Producer Transacted any such business was duly and
appropriately licensed or registered as a Producer (for the type of
business Transacted by such Producer), in each case, in the
particular jurisdiction in which such Producer Transacted such
business; (ii) to the Knowledge of the Company, there have
been no material violations by Producers of any
20
applicable Law in connection with the
marketing or sale of products for the Company its Subsidiaries,
including with respect to churning, twisting, suitability,
conservation, surrender, investment or allocation of funds, market
timing, late trading, replacement, fictitious bids or quotes;
(iii) to the Knowledge of the Company, there have been no
instances of Producers having breached the terms of agency or
broker contracts; and (iv) to the Knowledge of the Company,
all compensation paid to each such Producer was in all material
respects paid in accordance with applicable Law. The Company and
its Subsidiaries are in compliance in all material respects with
applicable Laws of the states in which they operate relating to
trust accounts and the separation and accounting of premium trust
funds and an amount equal to the funds or other property received
by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries from or on behalf of each
customer has been applied or used for the purpose for which such
funds or property were given to the Company or such
Subsidiary.
(d) To the Knowledge of the
Company, each Producer who is required by reason of the nature of
his or her employment by or relationship to the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries, to be registered or appointed as an investment
adviser, investment adviser representative, broker-dealer agent,
broker-dealer, registered representative, sales person, insurance
agent, insurance broker or insurance producer or real estate broker
or salesman with the SEC or the securities commission or insurance
department of any state or any self-regulatory body or Governmental
Entity or any insurer, is duly registered or appointed as such and
such registration or appointment is in full force and
effect.
SECTION 3.9.
Information Supplied . Subject to the accuracy of the
representations and warranties of Parent and Merger Sub set forth
in Section 4.7 , none of the information supplied (or
to be supplied) in writing by or on behalf of the Company
specifically for inclusion or incorporation by reference in
(a) the registration statement on Form S-4 to be filed with
the SEC by Parent in connection with the issuance of Parent Common
Shares in the Merger (as amended or supplemented from time to time,
the “ Form S-4 ”) will, at the time the Form
S-4, or any amendments or supplements thereto, are filed with the
SEC or at the time it becomes effective under the Securities Act,
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state
any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in
order to make the statements made therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they are made, not misleading, and
(b) the Proxy Statement/Prospectus will, on the date it is
first mailed to shareholders of the Company, and at the time of the
Company Shareholders Meeting, contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made,
not misleading. The proxy statement portions of the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus will comply as to form in all material
respects with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company makes no representation
or warranty with respect to information supplied by or on behalf of
Parent or Merger Sub for inclusion or incorporation by reference in
any of the foregoing documents.
21
SECTION 3.10. Tax
Matters .
(a) Each of the Company and
its Subsidiaries has timely filed, or has caused to be timely filed
on its behalf (taking into account any extension of time within
which to file), all material Tax Returns required to be filed by
it, and all such filed Tax Returns are correct and complete in all
material respects. All Taxes shown to be due on any such Tax
Return, and all other material Taxes required to be paid by the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries, have been timely
paid.
(b) The most recent financial
statements contained in the Filed Company SEC Documents reflect an
adequate reserve in accordance with GAAP for all Taxes payable by
the Company and its Subsidiaries for all taxable periods and
portions thereof through the date of such financial statements. No
deficiency with respect to material Taxes has been proposed,
asserted or assessed in writing against the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries.
(c) The United States Federal
income Tax Returns of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have
been examined by and settled with the IRS (or the applicable
statute of limitations has expired) for all years through 2003. All
assessments for Taxes due with respect to such completed and
settled examinations or any concluded litigation have been fully
paid.
(d) Neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries has constituted either a
“distributing corporation” or a “controlled
corporation” (within the meaning of Section 355(a)(1)(A)
of the Code) in a distribution of stock qualifying or intended to
qualify for tax-free treatment under Section 355(a) of the
Code within the past two years.
(e) No audit or other
administrative or court proceedings are pending with any
Governmental Authority with respect to material Taxes of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries and no written notice thereof
has been received.
(f) Neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement, plan
or other arrangement that, individually or collectively, would
reasonably be expected to give rise to the payment of any amount
which would not be deductible by reason of Section 280G of the
Code or would be subject to withholding under Section 4999 of
the Code. In the event that the Company is a “publicly held
corporation” with “covered employees” (in each
case within the meaning of Treasury Regulation
Section 1.162-27(c)) on December 31, 2008, no deduction
for the taxable year ended December 31, 2008 for
“remuneration” (within the meaning of
Section 162(m)(4)(E) of the Code) under the Company Stock
Plans will be disallowed by reason of Section 162(m) of the
Code.
(g) The Company has made
available to Parent correct and complete copies of (i) all
United States federal income Tax Returns of the Company and its
Subsidiaries for the preceding three taxable years and
(ii) any audit report issued within the last three years (or
otherwise with respect to any audit or proceeding in progress)
relating to United States federal income Taxes of the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries.
22
(h) Neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries has been a member of a group filing or
required to file a consolidated, combined or unitary Tax Return,
other than a group of which the Company was the common parent.
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or is
bound by any Tax sharing allocation or indemnification agreement or
arrangement (other than such an agreement or arrangement
exclusively between or among the Company and its
Subsidiaries).
(i) Neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries has participated in any “listed
transaction” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation
Section 1.6011-4.
(j) In the past six
(6) years, no written claim has been made by an authority in a
jurisdiction where the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has not
filed Tax Returns that it is or may be subject to taxation by that
jurisdiction.
(k) For purposes of this
Agreement: (x) “ Taxes ” means (A) all
federal, state, local or foreign taxes, charges, fees, imposts,
levies or other assessments, including all net income, gross
receipts, capital, sales, use, ad valorem, value added, transfer,
franchise, profits, inventory, capital stock, license, withholding,
payroll, employment, social security, unemployment, excise,
severance, stamp, occupation, property and estimated taxes, customs
duties, fees, assessments and charges of any kind whatsoever,
(B) all interest, penalties, fines, additions to tax or
additional amounts imposed by any Governmental Authority in
connection with any item described in clause (A), and (C) any
transferee or successor liability in respect of any items described
in clauses (A) and/or (B) payable by reason of contract,
assumption, transferee liability, successor liability, operation of
Law, Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6(a) (or any
predecessor or successor thereof of any analogous or similar
provision under Law) or otherwise, and (y) “ Tax
Returns ” means any return, report, claim for refund,
estimate, information return or statement or other similar document
relating to or required to be filed with any Governmental Authority
with respect to Taxes, including any schedule or attachment
thereto, and including any amendment thereof.
(l) Neither the Company nor
any of its Affiliates has taken or agreed to take any action or
knows of any facts or circumstances that could reasonably be
expected to (i) prevent the Merger from qualifying as a
reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the
Code; (ii) cause the shareholders of the Company to recognize
gain pursuant to Section 367(a)(1) of the Code other than any
such shareholder that would be a “five-percent transferee
shareholder” of Parent (within the meaning of Treasury
Regulation Section 1.367(a)-3(c)(5)(ii)) following the Merger
that does not enter into a five-year gain recognition agreement in
the form provided in Treasury Regulation
Section 1.367(a)-8(b), or (iii) prevent or impede the
ability of counsel to render the opinions described in
Section 6.2(c) and Section 6.3(c)
.
SECTION 3.11.
Employee Benefits and Labor Matters .
(a) Section 3.11(a) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a correct and complete
list of all: (i) “employee benefit plans” (as
defined in Section 3(3)
23
of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ ERISA ”))
subject to ERISA, (ii) other material employee benefit plans,
policies, agreements or arrangements, and (iii) material
payroll practices, including employment, consulting or other
compensation agreements, or bonus or other incentive compensation,
stock purchase, equity or equity-based compensation, deferred
compensation, change in control, severance, sick leave, vacation,
loans, salary continuation, health, life insurance and educational
assistance plan, policies, agreements or arrangements with respect
to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has any obligation
or liability, contingent or otherwise, for current or former
employees, consultants or directors of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries or ERISA Affiliates (as defined below) (collectively,
the “ Company Plans ”). “ERISA
Affiliates” means any trade or business, affiliate or
subsidiary of the Company which is or has been under common control
or which is or has ever been treated as a single employer with any
of them under Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the
Code. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or ERISA
Affiliates has in the last six years contributed to or has been
obligated to contribute to any employee pension plan subject to
Title IV of ERISA (a “ Title IV Plan ”) or a
“multiemployer plan,” as defined in Section 3(37)
of ERISA.
(b) Correct and complete
copies of the following documents with respect to each of the
Company Plans have been made available or delivered to Parent by
the Company to the extent applicable: (i) any plans and
related trust documents, insurance contracts or other funding
arrangements, and all amendments thereto; (ii) the most recent
Form 5500 and all schedules thereto, (iii) the most recent
actuarial report, if any; (iv) the most recent IRS
determination letter; and (v) the most recent summary plan
descriptions.
(c) The Company Plans have
been maintained, in all material respects, in accordance with their
terms and with all applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code and
other Laws and neither the Company nor any fiduciary with respect
to the Company Plans (that the Company would have an obligation to
indemnify) has engaged in a non-exempt prohibited transaction
within the meaning of Section 4975 of the Code or
Section 406 of ERISA which would reasonably be expected to
result in any material liability to the Company or the Company
Plans. The Company Plans that provide for payments of
“nonqualified deferred compensation” (as defined in
Section 409A(d)(1) of the Code) have been operated in good
faith compliance in all material respects with the applicable
guidance under Section 409A of the Code and the necessary
amendments to the change of control employment agreements
identified on Section 3.11(a) of the Company Disclosure
Schedule to comply with Section 409A of the Code have been
approved by the Company prior to the Effective Time.
(d) The Company Plans
intended to qualify under Section 401 of the Code have
received favorable determination letters from the IRS. To the
Knowledge of the Company, nothing has occurred with respect to the
operation of any such Company Plan since the receipt of any such
letter that would reasonably be expected to cause the loss of such
qualification.
24
(e) All contributions
required to have been made under any of the Company Plans by law
(without regard to any waivers granted under Section 412 of
the Code), have been timely made, and no accumulated funding
deficiencies exist in any of the Company Plans subject to
Section 412 of the Code.
(f) There are no material
pending actions, claims or lawsuits arising from or relating to the
Company Plans, (other than routine benefit claims).
(g) None of the Company Plans
provides for post-employment or post-retirement health or medical
or life insurance coverage for retired, former or current employees
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except as may be
required under Part 6 of the Subtitle B of Title I of ERISA and at
the expense of the participant or the participant’s
beneficiary.
(h) Neither the execution and
delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the Transactions
will (i) result in any payment becoming due to any employee of
the Company or its Subsidiaries under a Company Plan or other
compensatory arrangement, (ii) increase any benefits otherwise
payable under any Company Plan, (iii) result in the
acceleration of the time of payment or vesting of any such benefits
under any Company Plan, or (iv) require any contributions or
payments to fund any obligations under any Company Plan.
(i) The Company does not have
any contract, whether legally binding or not, to create any
additional Company Plan or to materially modify any existing
Company Plan.
(j) No stock or other
security issued by the Company forms or has formed a material part
of the assets of any Company Plan.
(k) Except for noncompliance
that would not reasonably be expected to cause material liability
to the Company and its Subsidiaries, any individual who performs
services for the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than
through a contract with an organization other than such individual)
and who is not treated as an employee of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries for federal income tax purposes by the Company is not
an employee for such purposes.
(l) Section 3.11(l) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a correct and complete
list, as of June 3, 2008, of all outstanding options or other
rights to purchase or receive shares of Company Common Stock
granted under the Company Stock Plans, the Deferred Compensation
Plans or otherwise, and, for each such option or other right, the
number of shares of Company Common Stock subject thereto, the terms
of vesting, the grant and expiration dates and exercise price
thereof and the name of the holder thereof. All Company Stock
Options have an exercise price equal to no less than the fair
market value of the underlying shares of Company Common Stock on
the date of grant.
25
(m) None of the employees of
the Company or its Subsidiaries is represented in his or her
capacity as an employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
by any labor organization. Neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries has recognized any labor organization, nor has any
labor organization been elected as the collective bargaining agent
of any employees, nor has the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
entered into any collective bargaining agreement or union contract
recognizing any labor organization as the bargaining agent of any
employees. There is no union organization activity involving any of
the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pending or,
to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened, nor has there since
January 1, 2005 been union representation involving any of the
employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. There is no
material picketing pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company,
threatened, and there are no material strikes, slowdowns, work
stoppages, other job actions, lockouts, arbitrations, grievances or
other labor disputes involving any of the employees of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries pending or, to the Knowledge of the
Company, threatened. Except for those matters that, individually or
in the aggregate, have not had and could not reasonably be expected
to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company, (i) there
are no complaints, charges or claims against the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company,
threatened that could be brought or filed with any Governmental
Authority or arbitrator based on, arising out of, in connection
with, or otherwise relating to the employment or termination of
employment or failure to employ by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, of any individual, and (ii) the Company and its
Subsidiaries are in compliance with all Laws relating to the
employment of labor, including all such Laws relating to wages,
hours, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and
any similar state or local “mass layoff” or
“plant closing” law, collective bargaining,
discrimination, civil rights, safety and health, workers’
compensation and the collection and payment of withholding and/or
social security taxes and any similar tax.
SECTION 3.12.
Environmental Matters .
(a) Except for those matters
that, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and could not
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the
Company, (i) each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is, and
has been, in compliance with all applicable Environmental Laws,
(ii) there is no investigation, suit, claim, action or
proceeding relating to or arising under Environmental Laws that is
pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against or
affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any real
property currently or, to the Knowledge of the Company, formerly
owned, operated or leased by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, (iii) neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries has received any notice of or entered into or assumed
by Contract or operation of Law or otherwise, any obligation,
liability, order, settlement, judgment, injunction or decree
relating to or arising under Environmental Laws, and (iv) no
facts, circumstances or conditions exist with respect to the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any property currently (or,
to the Knowledge of the Company, formerly) owned, operated or
leased by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any property to
or at which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
26
transported or arranged for the disposal
or treatment of Hazardous Materials that could reasonably be
expected to result in the Company and its Subsidiaries incurring
Environmental Liabilities.
(b) For purposes of this
Agreement:
(i) “ Environmental
Laws ” means all Laws relating in any way to the
environment, preservation or reclamation of natural resources, the
presence, management or Release of, or exposure to, Hazardous
Materials, or to human health and safety, including the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability
Act (42 U.S.C. § 9601 et seq .), the Hazardous
Materials Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. § 5101 et seq
.), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (42 U.S.C. §
6901 et seq .), the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. § 1251
et seq .), the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. § 7401 et
seq .), the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. § 300f
et seq .), the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C.
§ 2601 et seq .), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide
and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. § 136 et seq .), and the
Occupational Safety and Health Act (29 U.S.C. § 651 et
seq .), each of their state and local counterparts or
equivalents, each of their foreign and international equivalents,
and any transfer of ownership notification or approval statute
(including the Industrial Site Recovery Act (N.J. Stat. Ann.
§ 13:1K-6 et seq .), as each has been amended and
the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.
(ii) “ Environmental
Liabilities ” means, with respect to any Person, all
liabilities, obligations, responsibilities, remedial actions,
losses, damages, punitive damages, consequential damages, treble
damages, costs and expenses (including all reasonable fees,
disbursements and expenses of counsel, experts and consultants and
costs of investigation and feasibility studies), fines, penalties,
sanctions and interest incurred as a result of any claim or demand
by any other Person or in response to any violation of
Environmental Law, whether known or unknown, accrued or contingent,
whether based in contract, tort, implied or express warranty,
strict liability, criminal or civil statute, to the extent based
upon, related to, or arising under or pursuant to any Environmental
Law, environmental permit, order or agreement with any Governmental
Authority or other Person, which relates to any environmental,
health or safety condition, violation of Environmental Law or a
Release or threatened Release of Hazardous Materials.
(iii) “ Hazardous
Materials ” means any material, substance of waste that
is regulated, classified, or otherwise characterized under or
pursuant to any Environmental Law as “hazardous”,
“toxic”, a “pollutant”, a
“contaminant”, “radioactive” or words of
similar meaning or effect, including petroleum and its by-products,
asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon, mold, urea formaldehyde
insulation, chlorofluorocarbons and all other ozone-depleting
substances.
27
(iv) “ Release
” means any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting,
emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping,
disposing of or migrating into or through the environment or any
natural or man-made structure.
SECTION 3.13.
Contracts .
(a) Set forth in
(i) Section 3.13(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or
(ii) included as exhibits to the Filed Company SEC Documents
is a list of each of the following to which the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries is a party:
(i) “ material
contract ” (as such term is defined in
Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act),
whether or not filed by the Company with the SEC;
(ii) Contract that purports
to limit, curtail or restrict the ability of the Company or any of
its existing or future Subsidiaries or Affiliates to compete in any
geographic area or line of business or restrict the Persons to whom
the Company or any of its existing or future Subsidiaries or
Affiliates may sell products or deliver services, in each case, in
a manner that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken
as a whole;
(iii) joint venture,
partnership or other similar agreement or arrangement relating to
the formation, creation, operation, management or control of any
partnership, strategic alliance or joint venture;
(iv) Contract for the
acquisition, sale or lease of material properties or assets (by
merger, purchase or sale of stock or assets or otherwise) entered
into since January 1, 2005 and involving aggregate
consideration having value (or maximum value in the event of any
transaction involving contingent consideration) as of the closing
thereof of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) or more;
(v) [Intentionally
omitted];
(vi) loan or credit
agreement, mortgage, indenture, note or other Contract or
instrument evidencing indebtedness for borrowed money by the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any Contract or instrument
pursuant to which indebtedness for borrowed money may be incurred
or is guaranteed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, in each
case, in excess of One Hundred Thousand ($100,000);
(vii) mortgage, pledge,
security agreement, deed of trust or other Contract granting a Lien
(other than Permitted Liens arising in the ordinary course of
business) on any material property or assets of the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries;
28
(viii) customer, client or
supply Contract that involves consideration in fiscal year 2008 in
excess of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000) or that is
reasonably likely to involve consideration in fiscal year 2008 or
fiscal year 2009 in excess of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars
($250,000);
(ix) Contract with respect to
commissions or other consideration in connection with sale or
renewal of insurance policies or related products, or services
provided by the Company, in each case, accounting for revenues in
excess of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000) in fiscal
year 2006 or the fiscal year 2007, or that is estimated, or would
reasonably be to expected to estimated, by the management of Parent
or any of its Subsidiaries, to account for, revenues in excess of
Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000) in fiscal year
2008;
(x) Contract containing
outstanding obligations (whether or not measured in cash) in excess
of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) in any twelve
(12)-month period;
(xi) “standstill”
or similar agreement;
(xii) lease for real or
personal property containing obligations in excess of Two Hundred
Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000) per annum;
(xiii) Contract relating to
the disposition or acquisition by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries after the date of this Agreement of assets with a fair
market value in excess of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars
($250,000), other than any such Contract entered into in the
ordinary course of business;
(xiv) any acquisition
Contract pursuant to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
has “earn-out” or other contingent purchase price
payment obligations, in each case, that have not been paid prior to
the date hereof and that would reasonably be expected to result in
payments by the Company or the applicable Subsidiary thereof in
excess of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000);
(xv) any Contract the
termination or breach of which or failure to obtain consent in
respect of would reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect on the Company; and
(xvi) commitment or agreement
to enter into any of the foregoing (the Contracts and other
documents required to be listed on Section 3.13(a) of the
Company Disclosure Schedule, together with any and all other
Contracts of such type entered into in accordance with
Section 5.2(a) , each a “ Material
Contract ”). The Company has heretofore made available to
Parent correct and complete copies of each Material Contract in
existence as of the date hereof, together with any and all
amendments and supplements thereto and material “side
letters” and similar documentation relating
thereto.
29
(b) Each of the Material
Contracts is valid, binding and in full force and effect and is
enforceable in accordance with its terms by the Company and its
Subsidiaries party thereto, subject to the Bankruptcy and Equity
Exception, except in each case as, individually or in the
aggregate, is not, or could not reasonably be expected to be,
material to the Company. Except as identified in
Section 3.13(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, or as
would not, individually or in the aggregate, be, or reasonably be
expected to be, material to the Company, no approval, consent or
waiver of any Person is needed in order that any Material Contract
continue in full force and effect following the consummation of the
Transactions. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in
default under any Material Contract or other Contract to which the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party (collectively, the
“ Company Contracts ”), nor, to the Knowledge of
the Company, does any condition exist that, with notice or lapse of
time or both, would constitute a default thereunder by the Company
and its Subsidiaries party thereto, except for such defaults as,
individually or in the aggregate, have not had and could not
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the
Company. To the Knowledge of the Company, no other party to any
Company Contract is in default thereunder nor does any condition
exist that with notice or lapse of time or both would constitute a
default by any such other party thereunder, except for such
defaults as, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and
could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect
on the Company. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has
received notice of termination or cancellation under any Material
Contract, received any notice of breach or default, in any material
respect, under any Material Contract, which breach has not been
cured, or granted to any third party any rights, adverse or
otherwise, that would constitute a breach of any Material
Contract.
SECTION 3.14. Title
to Properties . Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries
(a) has good and valid title to all properties and other
assets which are reflected on the most recent consolidated balance
sheet of the Company included in the Filed Company SEC Documents as
being owned by the Company or one of its Subsidiaries (or acquired
after the date thereof) and which are, individually or in the
aggregate, material to the Company’s business or financial
condition on a consolidated basis (except for properties sold or
otherwise disposed of since the date thereof in the ordinary course
of business consistent with past practice and not in violation of
this Agreement), free and clear of all Liens except (the following,
“ Permitted Liens ”) (i) statutory liens
securing payments not yet due, (ii) security interests,
mortgages and pledges that are disclosed in the Filed Company SEC
Documents that secure indebtedness that is reflected in the most
recent consolidated financial statements of the Company included in
the Filed Company SEC Documents and (iii) such other
imperfections or irregularities of title or other Liens that,
individually or in the aggregate, do not and could not reasonably
be expected to materially affect the use of the properties or
assets subject thereto or otherwise materially impair business
operations as presently conducted or as currently proposed by the
Company’s management to be conducted, and
30
(b) is the lessee or sublessee of all
leasehold estates and leasehold interests reflected in the Filed
Company SEC Documents (or acquired after the date thereof) which
are, individually or in the aggregate, material to the
Company’s business or financial condition on a consolidated
basis (other than any such leaseholds whose scheduled terms have
expired subsequent to the date of such Filed Company SEC
Documents). Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries enjoys
peaceful and undisturbed possession under all such leases in all
material respects.
SECTION 3.15. Company
Intellectual Property and Technology .
(a) For purposes of this
Agreement:
(i) “ Company
Intellectual Property ” means all Intellectual Property
Rights that (A) are used in or necessary for, or that relate
to, the conduct of the business of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries as currently conducted or as currently contemplated to
be conducted, or (B) are owned or held for use by the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries.
(ii) “ Company Owned
Intellectual Property ” means all Company Intellectual
Property owned by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries.
(iii) “ Company
Owned Technology ” means all Company Technology owned by
the Company or one of its Subsidiaries.
(iv) “ Company
Systems ” shall mean the computer systems, computer
networks, headend equipment, Software, hardware and other
information technology used in, or necessary for, the conduct of
the businesses of the Company and its Subsidiaries as currently
conducted and as currently contemplated to be conducted.
(v) “ Company
Technology ” means all Technology that (A) is used
in or necessary for, or that relates to, the conduct of the
business of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as currently
conducted or as currently contemplated to be conducted, or
(B) is owned or held for use by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries.
(vi) “ Intellectual
Property Rights ” shall mean all of the rights arising
from or in respect of the following, whether protected, created or
arising under the Laws of the United States or any foreign
jurisdiction: (A) patents and patent applications, including
any reissues, reexaminations, divisionals, continuations,
continuations-in-part and extensions thereof (collectively, “
Patents ”); (B) trademarks, service marks, trade
names, service names, industrial designs, brand names, brand marks,
trade dress rights, Internet domain names, symbols, logos, emblems,
slogans or insignia, together with all goodwill, registrations, and
applications associated with or related to any of the foregoing
(collectively, “ Marks ”); (C) copyrights
(including copyrights in Software) and mask work
31
rights, including
registrations and applications for any of the foregoing
(collectively, “ Copyrights ”); and
(D) trade secrets (as defined in the Uniform Trade Secrets Act
and under corresponding foreign statutory and common law),
including any confidential and proprietary information, or
non-public processes, designs, specifications, Technology,
know-how, techniques, formulas, algorithms, models, methodologies,
inventions, concepts, discoveries, ideas, technical data, or other
non-public information constituting trade secrets, in each case
excluding any rights in respect of any of the foregoing that
comprise or are protected by Copyrights or Patents (collectively,
“ Trade Secrets ”).
(vii) “ Software
” means any and all computer programs, including any and all
software implementations of algorithms, models and methodologies,
whether in source code, object code or other form; databases and
compilations, whether machine readable or otherwise, including any
and all data and collections of data, descriptions, flow-charts and
other work product used to design, plan, organize and develop any
of the foregoing and all documentation, including user manuals and
training materials related to any of the foregoing.
(viii) “
Technology ” means, collectively, any and all designs,
formulas, algorithms, procedures, methods, techniques, ideas,
know-how, results of research and development, Software, Internet
websites and web content, tools, inventions (whether patentable or
unpatentable and whether or not reduced to practice), invention
disclosures, apparatus, creations, devices, developments,
creations, improvements, works of authorship, other similar
materials and all recordings, graphs, drawings, reports, analyses,
other writings and any other embodiment of the above, in any form
or media, whether or not specifically listed herein, and all
related technology, documentation and other materials used in,
incorporated in, embodied in or displayed by any of the foregoing,
or used or useful in the design, development, reproduction,
maintenance or modification of any of the foregoing.
(b) Section 3.15(b) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth an accurate and complete
list of (i) all Patents owned or filed by (or on behalf of)
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (ii) all registered
Marks and pending applications for registrations of any Marks owned
or filed by (or on behalf of) the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries; (iii) each material unregistered Mark used by
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with its
business; (iv) all registered Copyrights and pending
applications for registration of any Copyrights owned or filed by
(or on behalf of) the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; and
(v) each domain name registered by or on behalf of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries. Section 3.15(b) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule shall include, where applicable, the record
owner, jurisdiction(s), registration and/or application number; and
registration and/or application date for each of the
foregoing.
(c) The Company and/or one of
its Subsidiaries is the sole and exclusive owner of, free and clear
of all Liens, all right, title and interest in and to all of the
Intellectual Property Rights required to be set forth on
Section 3.15(b) of the
32
Company Disclosure Schedule, and all
such Intellectual Property Rights are subsisting, in each case
except as has not resulted in and would not, individually or in the
aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect on the Company. The Company and/or one of its Subsidiaries
is the sole and exclusive owner of, free and clear of all Liens,
all right, title, and interest in and to, or has valid and
continuing rights to use, sell and license, as the case may be, in
the manner currently used, sold and/or licensed or currently
contemplated to be used, sold and/or licensed, all of the Company
Intellectual Property and Company Technology, in each case except
as has not resulted in and would not, individually or in the
aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect on the Company. The Company Intellectual Property and the
Company Technology, respectively, include all of the Intellectual
Property Rights and Technology necessary to enable the Surviving
Corporation and its Subsidiaries to conduct their businesses in the
manner in which such businesses are currently being conducted in
all material respects.
(d) To the Knowledge of the
Company, all material Company Owned Intellectual Property is valid
and enforceable except as has not resulted in and would not,
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result
in a Material Adverse Effect on the Company. The conduct of the
business and operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, the
use, practice or other commercial exploitation of the Company
Intellectual Property and Company Technology by the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries, their products and services, and the design,
development, manufacturing, reproduction, distribution,
maintenance, licensing, marketing, importation, offer for sale,
sale or use of any of the foregoing as currently conducted and as
currently contemplated to be conducted by the Company and its
Subsidiaries do not infringe upon, misappropriate, constitute an
unauthorized use of, or otherwise violate any Intellectual Property
Rights of any third Person, in each case except as has not resulted
in and would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect on the
Company.
(e) Neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or the subject of any pending
or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened material suit,
action, investigation or proceeding which involves a claim
(i) against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, of
infringement, misappropriation, unauthorized use, or violation of
any Intellectual Property Rights or Technology of any third Person,
or challenging the ownership, use, validity or enforceability of
any Company Intellectual Property or (ii) contesting the right
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to use, sell, exercise,
license, transfer or dispose of any Company Intellectual Property
or Company Technology, or any products, processes or materials
covered thereby in any manner. The Company has not received written
notice of any such threatened material claim nor is the Company
aware of facts or circumstances that would form the basis for any
such claim against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of
infringement, misappropriation, unauthorized use, or violation of
any Intellectual Property Rights of any third Person, or
challenging the ownership, use, validity or enforceability of any
material Company Intellectual Property or Company
Technology.
33
(f) To the Knowledge of the
Company, no third Person (including employees and former employees
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries) is infringing,
violating, misappropriating or otherwise misusing any material
Company Intellectual Property or Company Technology, and neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has made any such claims
against any third Person (including employees and former employees
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries) nor, to the Knowledge of
the Company, is there any reasonable basis for such a
claim.
(g) The Company and its
Subsidiaries have taken reasonably adequate measures, consistent
with commercially reasonable practices in the industry in which the
Company and the Subsidiaries operate, to (i) protect and
preserve the Company Intellectual Property, including all material
Trade Secrets and confidential information included therein, and
(ii) protect the confidentiality, integrity and security of
their systems, databases, and websites (and all information,
transactions and content stored or contained therein or transmitted
thereby) against any unauthorized use, access, interruption,
modification or corruption. The Company and its Subsidiaries have
executed valid written agreements with all of their past and
present employees, consultants, and independent contractors who
have contributed to, or been retained in connection with, the
development of Technology and Intellectual Property pursuant to
which such employees, consultants, and independent contractors have
assigned to the Company or one of its Subsidiaries all their rights
in and to all Technology and Intellectual Property and agreed to
hold all Trade Secrets and confidential information of the Company
and its Subsidiaries in confidence both during and after their
employment or engagement, as applicable. To the Knowledge of the
Company, no Trade Secrets or any other confidential information
material to the businesses of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries as presently conducted have been authorized to be
disclosed, or have been actually disclosed, by the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries to any employee or any third Person other than
pursuant to a written confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement.
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received
written notice from any current or prior officer, employee,
consultant, or contractor of the Company or any of its Subsidiary
claiming any ownership interest in any Company Owned Intellectual
Property as a result of having been involved in the development of
such property while employed by or performing services for the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(h) Section 3.15(h) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a correct and complete
list of all agreements involving annual consideration of more than
One Hundred Thousand ($100,000) (1) granting or obtaining any
right to use or practice any Intellectual Property Rights,
Software, or other Technology to which the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries is a party or otherwise bound, (2) containing a
covenant not to compete or any other limit on the Company’s
or any of its Subsidiaries’ ability to use or exploit fully
any Company Owned Intellectual Propert
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