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EXECUTION COPY
AMENDED AND RESTATED
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (this
"Agreement"),
dated as of March 3, 2005 is by and among Center Bancorp, Inc.,
a New Jersey
corporation ("Buyer"), Union Center National Bank, a national
bank and a
wholly-owned Subsidiary of Buyer ("Buyer Subsidiary Bank"), and
Red Oak Bank, a
commercial bank chartered under the laws of the State of New
Jersey (the
"Company"). Buyer, Buyer Subsidiary Bank and the Company are
sometimes
collectively referred to herein as the "Constituent
Corporations". As used in
this Agreement, the word "Subsidiary" when used with respect to
any party means
any corporation, partnership or other organization, whether
incorporated or
unincorporated, which is consolidated with such party for
financial reporting
purposes.
RECITALS
A. Buyer, Buyer Subsidiary Bank and the Company are parties to a
Merger
Agreement dated as of December 17, 2004 (the "Existing Merger
Agreement"),
pursuant to which Buyer has agreed to acquire the Company and
the Company's
Board of Directors has determined, based upon the terms and
conditions
hereinafter set forth, that the acquisition is in the best
interests of the
Company and its shareholders. The acquisition will be
accomplished by (i)
merging the Company with and into Buyer Subsidiary Bank with
Buyer Subsidiary
Bank as the surviving corporation (the "Merger") and (ii) the
Company's
shareholders receiving the Aggregate Merger Consideration
hereinafter set forth.
The Boards of Directors of the Company, Buyer and Buyer
Subsidiary Bank have
duly adopted and approved this Agreement and the Board of
Directors of the
Company has directed that it be submitted to its shareholders
for approval.
B. Concurrently with the execution and delivery of the Existing
Merger
Agreement, and as a condition and inducement to Buyer's
willingness to enter
into the Existing Merger Agreement, certain shareholders of the
Company have
entered into a shareholders' agreement with Buyer (the
"Shareholders'
Agreement").
C. The parties desire to make certain representations,
warranties and
agreements in connection with the Merger and also to prescribe
certain
conditions to the Merger.
D. Independent of this Agreement and the Existing Merger
Agreement, the
Board of Directors of the Company has declared a 5% stock
dividend payable on
December 10, 2004 to stockholders of record as of November 19,
2004 (the "Stock
Dividend"). All figures herein relating to the Company's
capitalization and the
consideration payable hereunder have been adjusted to give
effect to the Stock
Dividend.
E. The parties desire to amend and restate the Existing Merger
Agreement
in its entirety as set forth herein.
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NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants,
representations,
warranties and agreements contained herein, and intending to be
legally bound
hereby, the parties agree that the Existing Merger Agreement is
hereby amended
and restated in its entirety to read as follows
ARTICLE I
THE MERGER
1.1 THE MERGER. Subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, in
accordance with applicable banking statutes and regulations, at
the Effective
Time (as defined in Section 1.2 hereof) the Company shall merge
with and into
Buyer Subsidiary Bank under the charter of Buyer Subsidiary Bank
in accordance
with the National Bank Act and the New Jersey Banking Act of
1948, as amended.
Buyer Subsidiary Bank shall be the surviving bank (hereinafter
sometimes called
the "Surviving Corporation") in the Merger, and shall continue
its corporate
existence under the National Bank Act. The name of the Surviving
Corporation
shall continue to be Union Center National Bank. Upon
consummation of the
Merger, the separate corporate existence of the Company shall
terminate.
1.2 CLOSING, CLOSING DATE, DETERMINATION DATE AND EFFECTIVE
TIME. Unless a
different date, time and/or place are agreed to by the parties
hereto, the
closing of the Merger (the "Closing") shall take place at 10:00
a.m., at the
offices of Lowenstein Sandler PC, 65 Livingston Avenue,
Roseland, New Jersey
07068, on a date determined by Buyer on at least five business
days notice (the
"Closing Notice") given to the Company, which date (the "Closing
Date") shall be
not more than ten (10) business days following the receipt of
all necessary
regulatory, governmental and shareholder approvals and consents
and the
expiration of all statutory waiting periods in respect thereof
and the
satisfaction or waiver of all of the conditions to the
consummation of the
Merger specified in Article VI hereof (other than the delivery
of certificates
and other instruments and documents to be delivered at the
Closing). In the
Closing Notice, Buyer shall specify the "Determination Date",
which date shall
be the first date on which all bank regulatory approvals (and
waivers, if
applicable) necessary for consummation of the Merger have been
received
(disregarding any waiting period) and either party has notified
the other in
writing that all such approvals (and waivers, if applicable)
have been received.
The Merger shall become effective (and be consummated) at the
date and time (the
"Effective Time") specified in a notice (the "OCC Notice") to
the Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency (the "OCC") which will be filed by
Buyer with the
approval of the Company, which approval shall not be
unreasonably withheld or
delayed, such filing to occur immediately after the Closing is
consummated. In
the event that the parties fail to specify the date and time in
the OCC Notice,
the Merger shall become effective upon (and the "Effective Time"
shall be) the
time of the filing of the OCC Notice with the OCC.
1.3 EFFECT OF THE MERGER. At the Effective Time, the Surviving
Corporation
shall be considered the same business and corporate entity as
each of Buyer
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Subsidiary Bank and the Company and thereupon and thereafter,
all the property,
rights, privileges, powers and franchises of each of Buyer
Subsidiary Bank and
the Company shall vest in the Surviving Corporation and the
Surviving
Corporation shall be subject to and be deemed to have assumed
all of the debts,
liabilities, obligations and duties of each of Buyer Subsidiary
Bank and the
Company and shall have succeeded to all of each of their
relationships, as fully
and to the same extent as if such property, rights, privileges,
powers,
franchises, debts, liabilities, obligations, duties and
relationships had been
originally acquired, incurred or entered into by the Surviving
Corporation. In
addition, any reference to either of Buyer Subsidiary Bank and
the Company in
any contract or document, whether executed or taking effect
before or after the
Effective Time, shall be considered a reference to the Surviving
Corporation if
not inconsistent with the other provisions of the contract or
document; and any
pending action or other judicial proceeding to which either of
Buyer Subsidiary
Bank or the Company is a party shall not be deemed to have
abated or to have
discontinued by reason of the Merger, but may be prosecuted to
final judgment,
order or decree in the same manner as if the Merger had not been
made; or the
Surviving Corporation may be substituted as a party to such
action or
proceeding, and any judgment, order or decree may be rendered
for or against it
that might have been rendered for or against either of Buyer
Subsidiary Bank or
the Company if the Merger had not occurred.
1.4 CONVERSION OF COMPANY COMMON STOCK.
(a) At the Effective Time, subject to the other provisions of
this
Section 1.4, Section 1.5, Section 1.8 and Section 2.2(e), each
share of common
stock, par value $5.00 per share, of the Company ("Company
Common Stock"),
issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time
(other than (i)
shares of Company Common Stock held in the Company's treasury
and (ii) shares of
Company Common Stock held directly or indirectly by Buyer or the
Company or any
of their respective Subsidiaries (except for Trust Account
Shares and DPC
Shares, as such terms are defined in Section 1.4(b) hereof),
shall by virtue of
this Agreement and without any action on the part of the
Company, Buyer or the
holder thereof, cease to be outstanding and shall be converted
into and become
the right to receive, at the election of the holder thereof as
provided in
Section 1.5, either:
(i) 0.9227 (the "Exchange Ratio") of a share of Buyer's
common
stock, no par value ("Buyer Common Stock"); or
(ii) cash in an amount equal to $12.06 (the "Per Share Cash
Consideration").
(b) At the Effective Time, (i) all shares of Company Common
Stock
that are owned by the Company as treasury stock and (ii) all
shares of Company
Common Stock that are owned directly or indirectly by Buyer or
the Company or
any of their respective Subsidiaries (other than shares of
Company Common Stock
(x) held directly or indirectly in trust accounts, managed
accounts and the like
or otherwise held in a fiduciary capacity for the benefit of
third parties (any
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such shares, and shares of Buyer Common Stock which are
similarly held, whether
held directly or indirectly by Buyer or the Company, as the case
may be, being
referred to herein as "Trust Account Shares") or (y) held by
Buyer or the
Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries in respect of a
debt previously
contracted (any such shares of Company Common Stock, and shares
of Buyer Common
Stock which are similarly held, being referred to herein as "DPC
Shares")),
shall be canceled and shall cease to exist and no stock of Buyer
or other
consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor. All
shares of Buyer
Common Stock that are owned by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries (other
than Trust Account Shares and DPC Shares) shall become treasury
stock of Buyer.
(c) On and after the Effective Time, holders of certificates
which
immediately prior to the Effective Time represented outstanding
shares of
Company Common Stock (the "Certificates") shall cease to have
any rights as
shareholders of the Company, except the right to receive the
consideration set
forth in this Article I for each such share held by them. The
consideration
which any one Company shareholder may receive pursuant to this
Article I is
referred to herein as the "Merger Consideration" and the
consideration which all
of the Company shareholders are entitled to receive pursuant to
this Article I
is referred to herein as the "Aggregate Merger
Consideration".
(d) Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, if,
between
the date of the Existing Merger Agreement and the Effective
Time, the shares of
Buyer Common Stock shall be changed into a different number or
class of shares
by reason of any reclassification, recapitalization, split-up,
combination,
exchange of shares or readjustment, or a stock dividend thereon
shall be
declared with a record date within said period, appropriate
adjustments shall be
made to the Exchange Ratio.
1.5 ELECTION PROCEDURES.
(a) ALLOCATION. The allocation of the Aggregate Merger
Consideration
between cash and shares of Buyer Common Stock shall be
determined pursuant to
this Section 1.5.
(b) RATIO OF BUYER COMMON STOCK TO CASH. Subject to Section
1.5(j),
the number of shares of Company Common Stock to be converted
into the right to
receive the Per Share Cash Consideration in the Merger (the
"Cash Election
Number") shall be equal to 50% (the "Cash Percentage") of the
number of shares
of Company Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the
Effective Time.
Subject to Section 1.5(j), the number of shares of Company
Common Stock to be
converted into the right to receive Buyer Common Stock in the
Merger (the "Stock
Election Number") shall be equal to 50% (the "Stock Percentage")
of the number
of shares of Company Common Stock outstanding immediately prior
to the Effective
Time.
(c) ELECTIONS BY HOLDERS OF STOCK OR CASH. Subject to the
allocation
and election procedures set forth in this Section 1.5, each
record holder
immediately prior to the Effective Time of shares of Company
Common Stock will
be entitled (i) to elect to receive the Per Share Cash
Consideration for a
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portion of such holder's shares specified by such holder or all
of such shares
(each, a "Cash Election"), (ii) to elect to receive Buyer Common
Stock for a
portion of such holder's shares specified by such holder or all
of such shares
(each, a "Stock Election"), or (iii) to indicate that such
record holder has no
preference as to the receipt of cash or Buyer Common Stock for
such shares (a
"Non-Election"). In the event that any such holder makes
elections which
together cover more than 100% of the shares of Company Common
Stock which such
Person owns as of the Effective Time, such holder shall be
deemed to have made a
Stock Election with respect to 50% of such holder's shares and a
Cash Election
with respect to 50% of such holder's shares. In the event that
any such holder
makes elections which together cover less than 100% of the
shares of Company
Common Stock which such Person owns as of the Effective Time,
such holder shall
be deemed to have made a Non-Election with respect to the number
of shares for
which no Cash Election, Stock Election or Non-Election was made.
All such
elections shall be made on a form designed for that purpose (a
"Form of
Election") and in form and substance satisfactory to Buyer and
the Company.
Holders of record of shares of Company Common Stock who hold
such shares as
nominees, trustees or in other representative capacities (a
"Representative")
may submit multiple Forms of Election, provided that each such
Form of Election
covers all the shares of Company Common Stock held by each
Representative for a
particular beneficial owner.
(d) OVERSUBSCRIPTION FOR CASH ELECTION. If the aggregate number
of
shares of Company Common Stock covered by Cash Elections (the
"Cash Election
Shares") exceeds the Cash Election Number, all shares of Company
Common Stock
covered by Stock Elections (the "Stock Election Shares") and all
shares of
Company Common Stock covered by Non-Elections (the "Non-Election
Shares") shall
be converted into the right to receive Buyer Common Stock, and
the Cash Election
Shares shall be converted into the right to receive Buyer Common
Stock and cash
in the following manner:
(i) the Exchange Agent (as hereinafter defined) will select
from among the holders of Cash Election Shares (other than
Dissenting Shares),
on a pro rata basis, a sufficient number of such shares ("Stock
Designated
Shares") such that the number of Stock Designated Shares will,
when added to the
number of Stock Election Shares and Non-Election Shares, be
equal as closely as
practicable to the Stock Election Number, and all Stock
Designated Shares shall
be converted into the right to receive Buyer Common Stock;
and
(ii) the Cash Election Shares not so selected as Stock
Designated Shares shall be converted into the right to receive
cash.
(e) OVERSUBSCRIPTION FOR STOCK ELECTION. If the aggregate number
of
Stock Election Shares exceeds the Stock Election Number, all
Cash Election
Shares and all Non-Election Shares shall be converted into the
right to receive
cash, and all Stock Election Shares shall be converted into the
right to receive
Buyer Common Stock or the right to receive cash in the following
manner:
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(i) the Exchange Agent will select from among the holders of
Stock Election Shares, on a pro rata basis, a sufficient number
of such shares
("Cash Designated Shares") such that the number of Cash
Designated Shares will,
when added to the number of Cash Election Shares and
Non-Election Shares, be
equal as closely as practicable to the Cash Election Number, and
all such Cash
Designated Shares shall be converted into the right to receive
cash; and
(ii) the Stock Election Shares not so selected as Cash
Designated Shares shall be converted into the right to receive
Buyer Common
Stock.
(f) SELECTION OF NON-ELECTION SHARES IF NO OVERSUBSCRIPTION. In
the
event that neither subparagraph (d) nor subparagraph (e) above
is applicable,
all Cash Election Shares shall be converted into the right to
receive cash, all
Stock Election Shares shall be converted into the right to
receive Buyer Common
Stock, and the Non-Election Shares shall be converted into
either the right to
receive Buyer Common Stock or the right to receive cash by
random selection by
the Exchange Agent so that the Stock Election Number and the
Cash Election
Number equal their respective percentages of the number of
shares of Company
Common Stock outstanding as closely as possible.
(g) PROCEDURES FOR HOLDERS' ELECTIONS. Elections shall be made
by
holders of Company Common Stock by mailing to the Exchange Agent
a Form of
Election. To be effective, a Form of Election must be properly
completed, signed
and submitted to the Exchange Agent by the holder and
accompanied by the
certificates representing the shares of Company Common Stock as
to which the
election is being made (or properly completed, signed and
submitted to the
Exchange Agent by an appropriate bank or trust company in the
United States or a
member of a registered national securities exchange or the
National Association
of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD")). Buyer will have the
discretion, which
it may delegate in whole or in part to the Exchange Agent, to
determine whether
Forms of Election have been properly completed, signed and
submitted and to
disregard immaterial defects in Forms of Election. The good
faith decision of
Buyer (or the Exchange Agent) in such matters shall be
conclusive and binding,
provided that Buyer (and the Exchange Agent) do not act
unreasonably. Neither
Buyer nor the Exchange Agent will be under any obligation to,
but Buyer and the
Exchange Agent may (if they choose to do so), notify any person
of any defect in
a Form of Election submitted to the Exchange Agent. The Exchange
Agent shall
also make all computations contemplated by this Section 1.5 and
all such
computations shall be conclusive and binding on the holders of
Company Common
Stock, provided that the Exchange Agent does not act
unreasonably.
(h) FAILURE OF HOLDER TO ELECT. For the purpose hereof, a holder
of
Company Common Stock who does not submit a Form of Election
which is received by
the Exchange Agent prior to the Election Deadline (as
hereinafter defined) shall
be deemed to have made a Non-Election. If Buyer or the Exchange
Agent shall
determine that any purported Cash Election or Stock Election was
not properly
made, such purported Cash Election or Stock Election shall,
unless cured prior
to the Election Deadline (as hereafter defined), be deemed to be
of no force and
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effect and the shareholder or Representative making such
purported Cash Election
or Stock Election shall, for purposes hereof, be deemed to have
made a
Non-Election.
(i) MAILING OF ELECTION FORMS TO HOLDERS AND ELECTION
DEADLINE.
Buyer and the Company shall each use its best efforts to mail
the Form of
Election to all persons who are holders of record of Company
Common Stock on the
record date for the Company Shareholders' Meeting (as defined in
Section 6.3)
and who become holders of Company Common Stock during the period
between the
record date for the Company Shareholders' Meeting and 10:00 a.m.
New York time,
on at least the date fifteen calendar days prior to the
anticipated Effective
Time and to make the Form of Election available to all persons
who become
holders of Company Common Stock subsequent to such day and no
later than the
close of business on the Election Deadline. A Form of Election
must be received
by the Exchange Agent by the close of business on the third
Business Day (as
hereinafter defined) prior to the Closing (the "Election
Deadline") in order to
be effective. All elections will be irrevocable. The term
"Business Day" shall
mean Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, other than
any such day on
which Buyer Subsidiary Bank is not open for business.
(j) INCREASE IN STOCK ELECTION NUMBER DUE TO TAX OPINION. If the
Tax
opinion referred to in Section 7.1(d) and to be delivered at the
Closing (the
"Tax Opinion") cannot be rendered (as reasonably determined by
Lowenstein
Sandler PC and as reasonably concurred in by McCarter &
English) as a result of
the Merger's potentially failing to satisfy continuity of
interest requirements
under applicable federal income Tax principles relating to
reorganizations under
Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(the "Code"),
then the Stock Percentage shall be automatically increased and
the Cash
Percentage shall be automatically decreased to the minimum
extent necessary to
enable the Tax Opinion to be rendered.
(k) EXCHANGE AGENT PROCEDURES. The random selection process to
be
used by the Exchange Agent pursuant to subparagraph (f) of
Section 1.5 will
consist of drawing by lot or such other process (other than pro
rata selection)
as the Exchange Agent deems equitable and necessary to effect
the allocations
described in such subparagraph. The pro rata selection process
to be used by the
Exchange Agent pursuant to subparagraphs (d) and (e) of Section
1.5 shall
consist of such equitable pro ration processes as shall be
mutually determined
by the Company and Parent. A selection will be disregarded if,
as a consequence,
the Stock Election Number or the Cash Election Number would be
exceeded by more
than 1,000 shares.
1.6 STOCK OPTIONS. All options which may be exercised for
issuance of
Company Common Stock (each, a "Stock Option" and collectively
the "Stock
Options") are described in Section 1.6 of the Company Disclosure
Schedule and
are issued and outstanding pursuant to the Company's 1999
Incentive Stock Option
Plan and the Company's 2004 Incentive Stock Option Plan (the
"Company Stock
Option Plans") and the agreements pursuant to which such Stock
Options were
granted (each, an "Option Grant Agreement"). True and complete
copies of the
Company's Stock Option Plans and all Option Grant Agreements
relating to
outstanding Stock Options have been delivered to Buyer. At the
Effective Time,
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each Stock Option which is outstanding and unexercised
immediately prior
thereto, whether or not then vested or exercisable, shall
automatically be
converted into an option to purchase Buyer Common Stock (a "New
Option") as
follows: (i) the number of shares of Buyer Common Stock covered
by each New
Option shall equal the number of shares of Company Common Stock
covered by the
corresponding Stock Option immediately prior to the Effective
Time multiplied by
the Exchange Ratio and (ii) the exercise price for each New
Option shall equal
the exercise price of the corresponding Stock Option immediately
prior to the
Effective Time divided by the Exchange Ratio. In substantially
all respects, the
terms of each New Option shall otherwise be identical to the
terms of the
corresponding Stock Option in effect immediately prior to the
consummation of
the Merger, subject to any provisions in the Company Stock
Option Plans which
require acceleration of vesting as a result of the consummation
of the Merger.
In effecting such conversion, the aggregate number of shares of
Buyer Common
Stock to be subject to each New Option will be rounded up or
down, if necessary,
to the nearest whole share (with one-half being rounded up) and
the aggregate
exercise price shall be rounded up or down, if necessary, to the
nearest whole
cent (with one-half being rounded up). At the Effective Time,
the Company Stock
Option Plans shall be terminated. The adjustments provided
herein with respect
to any Stock Options that are "incentive stock options" (as
defined in Section
422 of the Code) shall be effected in such manner as shall not
cause a
modification, extension or renewal of the Stock Options, within
the meaning of
Section 424(a) of the Code. Prior to the Effective Time, the
Company shall take
or cause to be taken all actions required under the Company
Stock Option Plans
to provide for the foregoing. At the request of any holder of
New Options, Buyer
shall assist such holder in effecting cashless exercises of such
New Options
with third-party brokers in the same manner that Buyer assists
holders of stock
options granted by Buyer under its stock options plans to effect
cashless
exercises of such options with third-party brokers.
1.7 BUYER COMMON STOCK. Except for shares of Buyer Common Stock
owned by
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Trust Account
Shares and DPC
Shares), which shall be converted into treasury stock of Buyer
as contemplated
by Section 1.4, the shares of Buyer Common Stock and shares of
capital stock of
Buyer Subsidiary Bank issued and outstanding immediately prior
to the Effective
Time shall be unaffected by the Merger and such shares shall
remain issued and
outstanding.
1.8 SHARES OF DISSENTING SHAREHOLDERS. Notwithstanding anything
in this
Agreement to the contrary, any shares of Company Common Stock
that are issued
and outstanding as of the Effective Time and that are held by a
shareholder who
has properly exercised his appraisal rights (the "Dissenting
Shares") under the
National Bank Act, 12 U.S.C. Section 215a, shall not be
converted into the right
to receive the Merger Consideration unless and until the holder
shall have
failed to perfect, or shall have effectively withdrawn or lost,
his, her or its
right to dissent from the Merger under National Bank Act, 12
U.S.C. Section
215a, and to receive such consideration as may be determined to
be due with
respect to such Dissenting Shares pursuant to and subject to the
requirements of
National Bank Act, 12 U.S.C. Section 215a. If any such holder
shall have failed
to perfect or shall have effectively withdrawn or lost such
right, each share of
such holder's Company Common Stock shall thereupon be deemed to
have been
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converted into and to have become, as of the Effective Time, the
right to
receive, without any interest thereon, the Per Share Cash
Consideration upon
surrender of the Certificate or Certificates representing such
Dissenting
Shares. The Company shall give Buyer (i) prompt notice of any
notice or demands
for appraisal or payment for shares of Company Common Stock
received by the
Company and (ii) the opportunity to participate in and direct
all negotiations
and proceedings with respect to any such demands or notices. The
Company shall
not, without the prior written consent of Buyer, make any
payment with respect
to, or settle, offer to settle or otherwise negotiate, any such
demands. For
purposes of determining how all shares other than Dissenting
Shares are to be
treated under Section 1.5, Dissenting Shares shall be deemed to
be Cash Election
Shares, provided that no Dissenting Shares shall be treated as
Stock Designated
Shares hereunder.
1.9 ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION At the Effective Time, the Articles
of
Association of Buyer Subsidiary Bank as they exist immediately
prior to the
Effective Time shall continue as the Articles of Association of
the Surviving
Corporation, as set forth in Exhibit A annexed hereto, until
otherwise amended
as provided by law; provided however, that Buyer Subsidiary Bank
shall have the
right, between the date of the Existing Merger Agreement and the
Closing, to
amend its Articles of Association in a manner that will not
adversely affect the
shareholders of the Company and upon the acceptance of such
amendment by the
OCC, the Articles of Association of Buyer Subsidiary Bank as so
amended shall be
substituted for Exhibit A.
1.10 BY-LAWS. At the Effective Time, the By-Laws of Buyer
Subsidiary Bank,
as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall be
the By-Laws of
the Surviving Corporation until thereafter amended in accordance
with applicable
law.
1.11 DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS. The directors and officers of
Buyer
Subsidiary Bank immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be
the directors
and officers of the Surviving Corporation, each to hold office
in accordance
with the Articles of Association and By-Laws of the Surviving
Corporation until
their respective successors are duly elected or appointed and
qualified.
1.12 TAX CONSEQUENCES. It is intended that the Merger shall
constitute a
reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code
and that this
Agreement shall constitute a "plan of reorganization" for
purposes of Section
368 of the Code.
1.13 WITHHOLDING RIGHTS. Buyer shall be entitled to deduct and
withhold,
or cause the Exchange Agent to deduct and withhold, from funds
provided by the
holder or from the consideration otherwise payable pursuant to
this Agreement to
any holder of Company Common Stock, the minimum amounts (if any)
that Buyer 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 withheld by Buyer, such withheld amounts
shall be treated
for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the
holder of Company
Common Stock in respect of which such deduction and withholding
was made by
Buyer.
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1.14 CHANGES IN STRUCTURE. As executed by the parties, this
Agreement
contemplates the merger of the Company into Buyer Subsidiary
Bank. In the event
that (a) prior to the date on which the Proxy Statement (as
defined in Section
3.4 hereof) is mailed to the Company's shareholders, Buyer
proposes an
alternative structure for the transactions contemplated hereby,
and (b) such
alternate structure does not adversely affect the Company's
shareholders in any
material respect, then the Company shall negotiate in good faith
with Buyer and
shall use commercially reasonable efforts to restructure the
transactions
contemplated hereby in accordance with such proposal.
1.15 CAPITAL STOCK. As of September 30, 2004, Buyer Subsidiary
Bank had
capital of $2,000,000, divided into 400,000 shares of common
stock, each without
par value, $22,287,000 of surplus, and undivided profits of
$45,925,000. As of
September 30, 2004, the Company had capital of $9,898,000,
divided into
2,078,727 shares of common stock, each of $5.00 par value,
$5,977,000 of
surplus, and $(4,157,000) of undivided profits. At the Effective
Time, the
amount of capital stock of the Surviving Corporation shall be
$11,898,000,
divided into 400,000 shares of common stock, each of no par
value, and the
Surviving Corporation shall have a surplus of $28,264,000 and
undivided profits,
including capital reserves, which when combined with the capital
and surplus
will be equal to the combined capital structures of Buyer
Subsidiary Bank and
the Company as stated in the preceding two sentences, adjusted
however, for
earnings and expenses and dividends declared and paid by Buyer
Subsidiary Bank
and the Company between September 30, 2004 and the Effective
Time.
ARTICLE II
EXCHANGE OF SHARES
2.1 BUYER TO MAKE SHARES AVAILABLE. The Company and Buyer hereby
appoint
Registrar and Transfer Company (or such other transfer agent as
Buyer shall
designate in good faith) as the exchange agent (the "Exchange
Agent") for
purposes of effecting the conversion of Company Common Stock
hereunder. At or
prior to the Effective Time, Buyer shall deposit, or shall cause
to be
deposited, with the Exchange Agent, for the benefit of the
holders of
Certificates, for exchange in accordance with this Article II,
certificates
representing shares of Buyer Common Stock and cash in an amount
sufficient to
cover the Aggregate Merger Consideration (such cash and
certificates for shares
of Buyer Common Stock, together with any dividends or
distributions with respect
thereto, being hereinafter referred to as the "Exchange Fund")
to be issued
pursuant to Section 1.4 and paid pursuant to Section 2.2(a) in
exchange for
outstanding shares of Company Common Stock.
2.2 EXCHANGE OF SHARES.
(a) As soon as practicable after the Effective Time, the
Exchange
Agent shall mail to each holder of record of a Certificate or
Certificates who
has not previously surrendered such Certificate or Certificates
with a Form of
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Election a form letter of transmittal (which shall specify that
delivery shall
be effected, and risk of loss and title to the Certificates
shall pass, only
upon delivery of the Certificates to the Exchange Agent) and
instructions for
use in effecting the surrender of the Certificates in exchange
for the Merger
Consideration into which the shares of Company Common Stock
represented by such
Certificate or Certificates shall have been converted pursuant
to this
Agreement. The Company shall have the right to review both the
letter of
transmittal and the instructions prior to the Effective Time and
provide
reasonable comments thereon. After the Effective Time, upon
surrender of a
Certificate for exchange and cancellation to the Exchange Agent,
together with
such letter of transmittal, duly executed, the holder of such
Certificate shall
be entitled to receive in exchange therefor the Merger
Consideration to which
such holder of Company Common Stock shall have become entitled
pursuant to the
provisions of Article I, and the Certificate so surrendered
shall forthwith be
canceled. No interest will be paid or accrued on any cash
constituting Merger
Consideration (including cash to be paid in lieu of fractional
shares) or on any
unpaid dividends or distributions, if any, payable to holders of
Certificates.
(b) No dividends or other distributions declared after the
Effective
Time with respect to Buyer Common Stock and payable to the
holders of record
thereof shall be paid to the holder of any unsurrendered
Certificate until the
holder thereof shall surrender such Certificate in accordance
with this Article
II. After the surrender of a Certificate in accordance with this
Article II, the
record holder thereof shall be entitled to receive any such
dividends or other
distributions, without any interest thereon, which theretofore
had become
payable with respect to shares of Buyer Common Stock, if any,
represented by
such Certificate.
(c) If any certificate representing shares of Buyer Common Stock
is
to be issued in a name other than that in which the Certificate
surrendered in
exchange therefor is registered, it shall be a condition of the
issuance thereof
that the Certificate so surrendered shall be properly endorsed
(or accompanied
by an appropriate instrument of transfer) and otherwise in
proper form for
transfer, and that the person requesting such exchange shall pay
to the Exchange
Agent in advance any transfer or other taxes required by reason
of the issuance
of a certificate representing shares of Buyer Common Stock in
any name other
than that of the registered holder of the Certificate
surrendered, or required
for any other reason, or shall establish to the satisfaction of
the Exchange
Agent that such Tax has been paid or is not payable.
(d) After the Effective Time, there shall be no transfers on
the
stock transfer books of the Company of the shares of Company
Common Stock which
were issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
Time. If, after
the Effective Time, Certificates representing such shares are
presented for
transfer to the Exchange Agent, they shall be canceled and
exchanged for Merger
Consideration as determined in accordance with Article I and
this Article II.
(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein,
no
certificates or scrip representing fractional shares of Buyer
Common Stock shall
be issued upon the surrender for exchange of Certificates, no
dividend or
distribution with respect to Buyer Common Stock shall be payable
on or with
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respect to any fractional share, and such fractional share
interests shall not
entitle the owner thereof to vote or to any other rights of a
shareholder of
Buyer. In lieu of the issuance of any such fractional share,
Buyer shall pay to
each former shareholder of the Company who otherwise would be
entitled to
receive a fractional share of Buyer Common Stock an amount in
cash determined by
multiplying (i) the closing sale price of one share of Buyer
Common Stock on the
Nasdaq/National Market System on the Closing Date by (ii) the
fraction of a
share of Buyer Common Stock which such holder would otherwise be
entitled to
receive pursuant to Section 1.4.
(f) Any portion of the Exchange Fund that remains unclaimed by
the
shareholders of the Company for six months after the Effective
Time shall be
paid to Buyer. Any shareholders of the Company who have not
theretofore complied
with this Article II shall thereafter look only to Buyer for
payment of the
cash, shares of Buyer Common Stock, cash in lieu of fractional
shares and unpaid
dividends and distributions on the Buyer Common Stock
deliverable in respect of
each share of Company Common Stock such shareholder holds as
determined pursuant
to this Agreement, in each case, without any interest thereon.
None of Buyer,
the Company, the Exchange Agent or any other person shall be
liable to any
former holder of shares of Company Common Stock for any amount
properly
delivered to a public official pursuant to applicable abandoned
property,
escheat or similar laws.
(g) In the event 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 Buyer, the
posting by such person of a bond in such amount as Buyer 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 cash and/or shares of Buyer Common Stock and
cash in lieu of
fractional shares deliverable in respect thereof pursuant to
this Agreement.
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
References herein to the "Company Disclosure Schedule" shall
mean all of
the disclosure schedules, dated as of the date of the Existing
Merger Agreement
and referenced to the specific sections and subsections of the
Existing Merger
Agreement and this Agreement, which were delivered on the date
of the Existing
Merger Agreement by the Company to Buyer. Except as set forth in
the Company
Disclosure Schedule, the Company hereby represents and warrants
to Buyer as
follows:
3.1 CORPORATE ORGANIZATION.
(a) The Company is a state-chartered commercial banking
corporation
duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State
of New Jersey.
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<PAGE>
The deposit accounts of the Company are insured by the Federal
Deposit Insurance
Corporation (the "FDIC") through the Bank Insurance Fund to the
fullest extent
permitted by law, and all premiums and assessments required to
be paid in
connection therewith have been paid when due. The Company does
not have, and has
never had, any Subsidiaries. The Company has the corporate power
and authority
to own or lease all of its properties and assets and to carry on
its business as
it is now being conducted and is duly licensed or qualified to
do business in
each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted
by it or the
character or the 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 or qualified would not have a Material Adverse
Effect on the
Company. On or before the date of the Existing Merger Agreement,
the Company
delivered to Buyer's counsel true and complete copies of the
Certificate of
Incorporation and By-laws of the Company. As used in this
Agreement, the term
"Material Adverse Effect" means, with respect to Buyer or the
Company, as the
case may be, a material adverse effect on (i) the business,
assets, results of
operations or financial condition of such party and its
Subsidiaries taken as a
whole, other than any such effect attributable to or resulting
from (A) any
change, effect, event or occurrence relating to the United
States economy or
financial or securities markets in general, (B) any change,
effect, event or
occurrence relating to the financial services industry to the
extent not
affecting the Buyer or the Company, as the case may be, to a
materially greater
extent than it affects other persons in industries in which such
person
competes, (C) any change in banking or similar laws, rules or
regulations of
general applicability or interpretations thereof by courts or
governmental
authorities, (D) any change in generally accepted accounting
principles ("GAAP")
or regulatory accounting principles applicable to commercial
banks or their
holding companies generally or (E) any action or omission of the
Company or
Buyer or any Subsidiary of either of them taken with the prior
written consent
of Buyer (in the case of acts or omissions of the Company) or
the Company (in
the case of acts or omissions of Buyer and its Subsidiaries) or
(ii) the ability
of such party and its Subsidiaries to consummate the
transactions contemplated
hereby.
(b) The minute books of the Company contain true and correct
records
of all meetings and other corporate actions held or taken since
December 31,
1999 of their respective shareholders and Boards of Directors
(including
committees of their respective Boards of Directors).
(c) Except as set forth in Section 3.1(c) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, the Company does not own or control, directly or
indirectly, any
equity interest in any corporation, company, association,
partnership, joint
venture or other entity except for shares held by the Company in
a fiduciary or
custodial capacity in the normal course of its business (which,
except as
disclosed in Section 3.1(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
do not in the
aggregate constitute more than 5% of the voting shares or
interests in any such
corporation, company, association, partnership, joint ventures
or other entity)
and except that which the Company holds pursuant to satisfaction
of obligations
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<PAGE>
due to the Company and which are disclosed in Section 3.1(c) of
the Company
Disclosure Schedule. The Company owns no real estate, except
real estate used
for its banking premises or acquired pursuant to satisfaction of
obligations due
to the Company. All such real estate is listed on Section 3.1(c)
of the Company
Disclosure Schedule.
3.2 CAPITALIZATION.
(a) The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of
Five
Million (5,000,000) shares of Company Common Stock and no shares
of preferred
stock. As of the date of the Existing Merger Agreement, there
were 2,078,727
shares of Company Common Stock outstanding, and no shares of
Company Common
Stock held by the Company as treasury stock. As of the date of
the Existing
Merger Agreement, there were (i) no shares of Company Common
Stock reserved for
issuance upon exercise of outstanding stock options or otherwise
except for
179,639 shares of Company Common Stock reserved for issuance
pursuant to the
Company Stock Option Plans and described in Section 3.2(a) of
the Company
Disclosure Schedule. All of the issued and outstanding shares of
Company Common
Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully
paid,
nonassessable and free of preemptive rights, with no personal
liability
attaching to the ownership thereof. Except as referred to above
or reflected in
Section 3.2(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company
does not have and
is not bound by any outstanding subscriptions, options,
warrants, calls,
commitments or agreements of any character calling for the
purchase or issuance
of any shares of Company Common Stock or any other equity
security of the
Company or any securities representing the right to purchase or
otherwise
receive any shares of Company Common Stock or any other equity
security of the
Company. The names of the optionees, the date of each option to
purchase Company
Common Stock granted, the number of shares subject to each such
option, the
expiration date of each such option, and the price at which each
such option may
be exercised under the Company Stock Option Plans are set forth
in Section
3.2(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule.
(b) As of the date of the Existing Merger Agreement, the parties
to
the Shareholders' Agreement owned of record or beneficially a
total of 574,335
shares of Company Common Stock.
(c) Section 3.2(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth
the
number of shares of Company Common Stock beneficially owned
(computed in
accordance with Rule 13d-3 of the Securities and Exchange
Commission) by each of
the members of the Board of Directors of the Company and by each
executive
officer of the Company.
3.3 AUTHORITY; NO VIOLATION.
(a) The Company has full corporate power and authority to
execute
and deliver this Agreement and, subject to (x) the parties'
obtaining (i) all
bank regulatory approvals required to effectuate the Merger and
(ii) the other
approvals listed in Section 3.4 and (y) the approval of the
Company's
shareholders as contemplated herein, to consummate the
transactions contemplated
hereby. To the Company's knowledge, each party to the
Shareholders' Agreement
(other than Buyer) has full power and authority to execute and
deliver the
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<PAGE>
Shareholders' Agreement and to perform such party's obligations
thereunder. The
execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of
the
transactions contemplated hereby have been duly and validly
approved by the
Board of Directors of the Company. The Board of Directors of the
Company has
directed that this Agreement and the transactions contemplated
hereby be
submitted to the Company's shareholders for approval at a
meeting of such
shareholders and, except for the adoption of this Agreement by
the requisite
vote of the Company's shareholders, no other corporate
proceedings on the part
of the Company are necessary to approve this Agreement and to
consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby. This Agreement has been duly
and validly
executed and delivered by the Company and (assuming due
authorization, execution
and delivery by Buyer and Buyer Subsidiary Bank) this Agreement
constitutes a
valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against
the Company in
accordance with its terms, except as enforcement may be limited
by general
principles of equity whether applied in a court of law or a
court of equity and
by bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors'
rights and
remedies generally.
(b) Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by
the
Company, nor the consummation by the Company of the transactions
contemplated
hereby, nor compliance by the Company with any of the terms or
provisions
hereof, will (i) violate any provision of the Certificate of
Incorporation or
By-Laws of the Company, or (ii) assuming that the consents and
approvals
referred to in Section 3.4 hereof are duly obtained and except
as set forth in
Section 3.3(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, (x) violate
any statute,
code, ordinance, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ, decree
or injunction
applicable to the Company, or any of their respective properties
or assets, or
(y) violate, conflict with, result in a breach of any provision
of or 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,
pledge, security
interest, charge or other encumbrance upon any of the respective
properties or
assets of the Company under, any of the terms, conditions or
provisions of any
note, bond, mortgage, indenture, deed of trust, license, lease,
agreement or
other instrument or obligation to which the Company is a party,
or by which they
or any of their respective properties or assets may be bound or
affected,
except, with respect to (x) and (y) above, such as individually
or in the
aggregate will not have a Material Adverse Effect on the
Company.
3.4 CONSENTS AND APPROVALS. Except for (a) the filing of
applications and
notices, as applicable, with the FDIC and Federal Reserve Board
and approval of
such applications and notices, (b) the filing of applications
and notices, as
applicable, with the Commissioner of Banking of the State of New
Jersey (the
"Commissioner") and approval of such applications and notices,
(c) the filing
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") of a
proxy statement in
definitive form relating to the meeting of the Company's
shareholders (and, if
determined by the Buyer to be necessary, the meeting of the
Buyer's
shareholders) to be held in connection with this Agreement and
the transactions
contemplated hereby (the "Proxy Statement") and the filing and
declaration of
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<PAGE>
effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-4 (the
"S-4") in which the
Proxy Statement will be included as a prospectus, (d) the
approval of this
Agreement by the requisite vote of the shareholders of the
Company, (e) the
filing of the OCC Notice, (f) approval of the listing of the
Buyer Common Stock
to be issued in the Merger on the Nasdaq/NMS, (g) such filings
as shall be
required to be made with any applicable state securities bureaus
or commissions,
(h) such consents, authorizations, approvals or exemptions under
the
Environmental Laws (as defined in Section 3.17) and notices and
filings with the
Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") or the Pension Benefit
Guaranty Corporation
(the "PBGC") with respect to employee benefit plans as are
described in Section
3.4 of the Company Disclosure Schedule and (i) such other
filings,
authorizations or approvals as may be set forth in Section 3.4
of the Company
Disclosure Schedule, no consents or approvals of or filings or
registrations
with any court, administrative agency or commission or other
governmental
authority or instrumentality (each a "Governmental Entity") or
with any third
party are necessary in connection with (1) the execution and
delivery by the
Company of this Agreement or (2) the consummation by the Company
of the Merger
and the other transactions contemplated hereby.
3.5 REPORTS. The Company has timely filed all reports,
registrations and
statements, together with any amendments required to be made
with respect
thereto, that they were required to file since December 31, 1999
with (i) the
Commissioner, (ii) the FDIC and (iii) any other Governmental
Entity that
regulates the Company (collectively with the Commissioner and
the FDIC, the
"Company Regulatory Agencies"), and have paid all fees and
assessments due and
payable in connection therewith. Except for normal examinations
conducted by the
Company Regulatory Agencies in the regular course of the
business of the
Company, and except as set forth in Section 3.5 of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, no Company Regulatory Agency has initiated any
proceeding or, to the
knowledge of the Company, investigation into the business or
operations of the
Company since December 31, 1999. There is no unresolved
violation, criticism, or
exception by any Company Regulatory Agency with respect to any
report or
statement relating to any examinations of the Company.
3.6 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
(a) On or before to the date of the Existing Merger Agreement,
the
Company made available to Buyer copies of (a) the statements of
financial
condition of the Company as of December 31, 2002 and 2003, and
the related
statements of income, changes in shareholders' equity and cash
flows for the
years ended December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003, in each case
accompanied by the
audit report of Grant Thornton LLP, independent public
accountants with respect
to the Company, and the notes related thereto; and (b) the
statements of
financial condition of the Company as of September 30, 2003 and
2004, and the
related statements of income and cash flows of the Company for
the nine months
ended September 30, 2003 and 2004 (the financial statements
referenced in
clauses (a) and (b), the "Company Financial Statements"). Grant
Thornton LLP is
independent with respect to the Company to the extent required
by Regulation S-X
of the SEC. The statements of financial condition of the Company
(including the
related notes, where applicable) included within the Company
Financial
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<PAGE>
Statements fairly present, and the statements of financial
condition of the
Company (including the related notes, where applicable) to be
filed with the SEC
pursuant to this Agreement will fairly present, the financial
position of the
Company as of the dates thereof, and the statements of income,
changes in
shareholders' equity and cash flows (including the related
notes, where
applicable) included within the Company Financial Statements
fairly present, and
the statements of income, changes in shareholders' equity and
cash flows of the
Company (including the related notes, where applicable) to be
filed with the SEC
pursuant to this Agreement will fairly present, the results of
the operations
and financial position of the Company for the respective fiscal
periods therein
set forth; each of the Company Financial Statements (including
the related
notes, where applicable) complies, and each of such financial
statements
(including the related notes, where applicable) to be filed with
the SEC
pursuant to this Agreement will comply, with applicable
accounting requirements
and with the published rules and regulations of the SEC with
respect thereto,
including without limitation Regulation S-X; and each of the
Company Financial
Statements (including the related notes, where applicable) has
been, and each of
such financial statements (including the related notes, where
applicable) to be
filed with the SEC pursuant to this Agreement will be, prepared
in accordance
with GAAP consistently applied during the periods involved,
except, in the case
of unaudited statements, as permitted by the SEC with respect to
financial
statements included on Form 10-Q. The books and records of the
Company have
been, and are being, maintained in accordance with GAAP and any
other applicable
legal and accounting requirements.
(b) Except as and to the extent reflected, disclosed or
reserved
against in the Company Financial Statements (including the notes
thereto), as of
December 31, 2003 the Company did not have any liabilities,
whether absolute,
accrued, contingent or otherwise, material to the financial
condition of the
Company which were required to be so disclosed under GAAP. Since
December 31,
2003, the Company has not incurred any liabilities except in the
ordinary course
of business consistent with past practice, except as
specifically contemplated
by this Agreement.
(c) Since December 31, 2003, there have been no significant
changes
in the internal controls utilized by the Company with respect to
their financial
records (the "Internal Controls") or in other factors that could
significantly
affect the Internal Controls, including any corrective actions
with regard to
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses. There are no
significant
deficiencies in the design or operation of the Internal Controls
which could
adversely affect the ability of the Company to record, process,
summarize and
report financial data and there are no material weaknesses in
the Internal
Controls. The Company is not aware of any fraud, whether or not
material, that
involves management or other employees who have a significant
role in preparing
the Company's financial statements.
3.7 BROKER'S AND OTHER FEES. Neither the Company nor any of its
officers
or directors has employed any broker or finder or incurred any
liability for any
broker's fees, commissions or finder's fees in connection with
any of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except that the
Company has
engaged, and will pay a fee or commission to, Keefe Ventures,
LLC and The
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<PAGE>
Kafafian Group (the "Firms") in accordance with the terms of
letter agreements
between the Firms and the Company, true and correct copies of
which has been
previously made available by the Company to Buyer. Other than
fees payable to
its attorneys and accountants (the names and terms of retention
of which are set
forth in Section 3.7 of the Company Disclosure Schedule) and the
fees payable to
the Firms (as set forth in the above-mentioned letter
agreements), there are no
fees payable by the Company to its financial advisors, attorneys
or accountants,
in connection with this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby or
which would be triggered by consummation of the Merger or the
termination of the
services of such advisors, attorneys or accountants by the
Company.
3.8 ABSENCE OF CERTAIN CHANGES OR EVENTS.
(a) Except as set forth in Section 3.8(a) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, since December 31, 2003, the Company has carried on
its business in
the ordinary course consistent with past practices.
(b) Except as set forth in Section 3.8(b) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, since December 31, 2003, the Company has not (i)
increased the wages,
salaries, compensation, pension, or other fringe benefits or
perquisites payable
to any current or former executive officer, employee, or
director from the
amount thereof in effect as of December 31, 2003 (which amounts
have been
previously disclosed to Buyer), granted any severance or
termination pay,
entered into any contract to make or grant any severance or
termination pay, or
paid any bonus (except for salary increases and bonus payments
made in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practices
following the date of
the Existing Merger Agreement), (ii) suffered any strike, work
stoppage,
slow-down, or other labor disturbance, (iii) been a party to a
collective
bargaining agreement, contract or other agreement or
understanding with a labor
union or organization, (iv) had any union organizing activities
or (v) entered
into, or amended, any employment, deferred compensation,
consulting, severance,
termination or indemnification agreement with any such current
or former
executive officer, employee, or director.
(c) Except as set forth in Section 3.8(c) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule or as expressly contemplated by this Agreement, the
Company did not
take or permit any of the actions set forth in Section 5.1
between December 31,
2003 and the date of the Existing Merger Agreement and, during
that period, the
Company conducted its business only in the ordinary course,
consistent with past
practice.
(d) Except for liabilities incurred in connection with this
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, and except as
set forth in
Section 3.8(d) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, since
December 31, 2003,
there has not been:
(i) any act, omission or other event which has had a
Material
Adverse Effect on the Company, including, but not limited to,
any Material
Adverse Effect arising from or relating to fraudulent or
unauthorized activity,
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<PAGE>
(ii) any issuance of Company Stock Options or restricted
shares of Company Common Stock (in any event, identifying in
Section 3.8(d) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule the issue date, exercise price
and vesting
schedule, as applicable, for issuances since December 31,
2003),
(iii) any declaration, setting aside or payment of any
dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, stock or
property) with respect
to any of the Company's capital stock,
(iv) any split, combination or reclassification of any of
the
Company's capital stock or any issuance or the authorization of
any issuance of
any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in
substitution for shares of
the Company's capital stock, except for issuances of Company
Common Stock upon
the exercise of Company Stock Options awarded prior to the date
of the Existing
Merger Agreement in accordance with their present terms,
(v) (A) any granting by the Company to any current or former
director, executive officer or other employee of any increase in
compensation,
bonus or other benefits, except for increases to then current
employees who are
not directors or executive officers that were made in the
ordinary course of
business consistent with past practice, (B) any granting by the
Company to any
such current or former director, executive officer or employee
of any increase
in severance or termination pay, or (C) any entry by the Company
into, or any
amendment of, any employment, deferred compensation, consulting,
severance,
termination or indemnification agreement with any such current
or former
director, executive officer or any employee,
(vi) except insofar as may have been required by a change in
GAAP or regulatory accounting principles, any change in
accounting methods,
principles or practices by the Company affecting its assets,
liabilities or
business, including, without limitation, any reserving, renewal
or residual
method, or estimate of practice or policy,
(vii) any Tax election or change in any Tax election,
amendment to any Tax Return (as defined in Section 3.10(e)),
closing agreement
with respect to Taxes, or settlement or compromise of any income
Tax liability
by the Company,
(viii) any material change in investment policies or
practices, or
(ix) any agreement or commitment (contingent or otherwise)
to
do any of the foregoing.
3.9 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
(a) Except as set forth in Section 3.9(a) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, the Company is not a party to any, and there are no
pending or, to the
Company's knowledge, threatened, legal, administrative, arbitral
or other
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proceedings, claims, actions or governmental or regulatory
investigations of any
material nature against the Company or challenging the validity
or propriety of
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) Except as set forth in Section 3.9(b) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, there is no injunction, order, judgment, decree, or
regulatory
restriction imposed upon the Company or the assets of the
Company, other than
any such injunction, order, judgment, decree, or regulatory
restriction which
would not have a Material Adverse Effect upon the Company.
3.10 TAXES.
(a) Except where a failure to file Tax Returns, a failure of
any
such Tax Return to be complete and accurate in any respect or
the failure to pay
any Tax, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a
Material Adverse
Effect on the Company, (i) the Company has duly filed all Tax
Returns required
to be filed by it; (ii) all such filed Tax Returns are complete
and accurate in
all respects, and (iii) the Company has duly and timely paid all
Taxes (as
defined below) that are required to be paid by it, except with
respect to
matters contested in good faith in appropriate proceedings and
disclosed to
Buyer in writing. The Company has established as of September
30, 2004, on its
books and records reserves in accordance with GAAP consistently
applied that are
adequate in the opinion of management of the Company for the
payment of all
federal, state and local Taxes not yet due and payable, but are
incurred in
respect of the Company through such date. The Company has not
waived any statute
of limitations with respect to any material Taxes or, to the
extent related to
such Taxes, agreed to any extension of time with respect to a
Tax assessment or
deficiency, in each case to the extent such waiver or agreement
is currently in
effect. Except as set forth in Section 3.10(a) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, the federal, state, local income, franchise, sales and
use Tax Returns
of the Company have been examined by the IRS or the appropriate
state, local or
foreign Tax authority (or are closed to examination due to the
expiration of the
applicable statute of limitations) and no deficiencies were
asserted as a result
of such examinations which have not been resolved and paid in
full. There is no
action, suit, investigation, audit, claim or assessment pending
or proposed or,
to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, with respect to
Taxes of the
Company. To the knowledge of the Company, no claim has ever been
made by a Tax
authority in a jurisdiction where the Company does not file Tax
Returns that the
Company is or may be subject to Taxes assessed by such
jurisdiction. The Company
does not have any material liability for any Taxes of any person
or entity,
other than the Company, under Treasury Regulation Section
1.1502-6 or any
comparable provision of state, local, or foreign law, as a
transferee or
successor, by contract or otherwise. The Company has made
available to Buyer
true and correct copies of the United States federal, state,
local and foreign
income Tax Returns filed by the Company for taxable years ended
after December
31, 1999 and before the date of the Existing Merger
Agreement.
(b) Except as set forth in Section 3.10(b) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, the Company (i) has not requested any extension of
time within which
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to file any Tax Return which Tax Return has not since been
filed, (ii) is not a
party to any agreement providing for the allocation or sharing
of Taxes, (iii)
is not required to include in income any adjustment pursuant to
Section 481(a)
of the Code, by reason of a voluntary change in accounting
method initiated by
the Company (nor does the Company have any knowledge that the
IRS has proposed
any such adjustment or change of accounting method) or has any
application
pending with the IRS or any other Tax authority requesting
permission for any
change in accounting method, (iv) has not filed a consent
pursuant to Section
341(f) of the Code or agreed to have Section 341(f)(2) of the
Code apply, (v)
has not issued or assumed any obligation under Section 279 of
the Code, any high
yield discount obligation as described in Section 163(f)(1) of
the Code or any
registration-required obligation within the meaning of Section
163(f)(2) of the
Code that is not in registered form, (vi) is not, or has not
been during the
applicable period specified in section 897(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the
Code, a United
States real property holding corporation within the meaning of
Section 897(c)(2)
of the Code, (vii) is not or has not been a member of an
affiliated group
(within the meaning of Section 1504(a) of the Code) filing
consolidated United
States federal income Tax Returns (other than such a group the
common parent of
which is or was the Company), and (viii) has not been a party to
any
distribution occurring during the last three years in which the
parties to such
distribution treated the distribution as one to which Section
355 of the Code
(or any similar provision of state, local or foreign law)
applied.
(c) Except as set forth in Section 3.10(c) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, no officer, director, employee or agent (or former
officer, director,
employee or agent) of the Company is entitled to now, or will or
may be entitled
to as a consequence of this Agreement or the Merger or
otherwise, to any payment
or benefit from the Company or from Buyer or any of its
Subsidiaries which if
paid or provided would constitute an "excess parachute payment",
as defined in
Section 280G of the Code or regulations promulgated
thereunder.
(d) The Company (i) has complied in all material respects with
all
applicable laws, rules and regulations relating to the payment
and withholding
of Taxes from the wages or salaries of employees and independent
contractors,
(ii) has paid over to the proper governmental authorities all
amounts required
to be so withheld and (iii) is not liable for any Taxes for
failure to comply
with such laws, rules and regulations.
(e) For the purposes of this Agreement, (i) the term "Taxes"
shall
include any of the following imposed by or payable to any
Governmental Entity:
any income, gross receipts, license, payroll, employment,
excise, severance,
stamp, business, occupation, premium, windfall profits,
environmental (including
taxes under Section 59A of the Code), capital stock, franchise,
profits,
withholding, social security (or similar Tax), unemployment,
disability, real
property, personal property, sales, use, transfer, registration,
or value added
Tax, any alternative or add-on minimum Tax, any estimated Tax,
and any levy,
impost, duty, assessment or withholding, in each case including
any interest,
penalty, or addition thereto, whether or not disputed; and (ii)
the term "Tax
Return" shall mean any return, declaration, report, claim for
refund,
information return or statement relating to Taxes, including any
schedule or
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attachment thereto, and including any amendment thereof, to be
filed (whether on
a mandatory or elective basis) with any Governmental Entity
responsible for the
collection or imposition of Taxes.
3.11 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.
(a) Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(a) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, neither the Company nor any ERISA Affiliate (as
defined herein)
maintains or contributes to any "employee pension benefit plan",
within the
meaning of section 3(2) of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974,
as amended ("ERISA") ("the Company Pension Plans"), "employee
welfare benefit
plan", within the meaning of Section 3(l) of ERISA (the "Company
Welfare
Plans"), stock option plan, stock purchase plan, stock
appreciation right plan,
deferred compensation plan, severance plan, bonus plan,
employment agreement or
other similar plan, program or arrangement, whether formal or
informal, written
or unwritten, (the plans, programs and arrangements identified
in Section
3.11(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule being collectively
referred to as the
"Company Benefit Plans"). The Company has never had an
obligation to contribute
to any "multiemployer plan", within the meaning of sections
3(37) and 4001(a)(3)
of ERISA. As used herein, "ERISA Affiliate" means any entity
required to be
aggregated with the Company under Section 414(b), (c), (m) or
(o) of the Code or
Section 4001 of ERISA.
(b) On or before the date of the Existing Merger Agreement,
the
Company delivered to Buyer a complete and accurate copy of each
of the following
with respect to each of the Company Pension Plans and the
Company Welfare Plans:
(i) plan document, summary plan description, and summary of
material
modifications (or, if not available or unwritten, a detailed
description of the
foregoing); (ii) trust agreement or insurance contract, if any;
(iii) most
recent IRS determination letter, if any; (iv) three most recent
actuarial
reports, if any; and (v) three most recent annual reports on
Form 5500,
including any schedules and attachments thereto.
(c) At December 31, 2003, the fair value of plan assets of
the
Company Pension Plans subject to Title IV of ERISA exceeds the
then projected
benefit obligation of each of the Company Pension Plans based
upon the actuarial
assumptions used for purposes of the preparation of the Company
Financial
Statements for the year ended December 31, 2003.
(d) During the last five years, the PBGC has not asserted any
claim
for liability against the Company which has not been paid in
full.
(e) All premiums (and interest charges and penalties for
late
payment, if applicable) due to the PBGC with respect to each
Company Pension
Plan have been paid. All contributions required to be made to
each Company
Pension Plan under the terms thereof, ERISA or other applicable
law have been
timely made, and all amounts properly accrued to date as
liabilities of the
Company which have not been paid have been properly recorded on
the books of the
Company.
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<PAGE>
(f) Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(f) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, each of the Company Pension Plans, the Company Welfare
Plans and each
other plan and arrangement identified in Section 3.11(a) of the
Company
Disclosure Schedule has been operated in compliance in all
material respects
with the provisions of ERISA, the Code, all regulations, rulings
and
announcements promulgated or issued thereunder, and all other
applicable
governmental laws and regulations. Furthermore, except as
disclosed in Section
3.11(f) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the IRS has issued a
favorable
determination letter with respect to each of the Company Pension
Plans and,
except as disclosed in Section 3.11(f) of the Company Disclosure
Schedule, no
fact or circumstance exists which could disqualify any such plan
that could not
be retroactively corrected (in accordance with the procedures of
the IRS). No
event has occurred and no condition exists that could subject
the Company or the
fund of any Company Benefit Plan to an excise Tax or penalty,
whether by
indemnity or otherwise.
(g) Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(g) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, no non-exempt prohibited transaction, within the
meaning of Section
4975 of the Code or 406 of ERISA, has occurred with respect to
any of the
Company Welfare Plans or the Company Pension Plans.
(h) None of the Company Pension Plans or any trust created
thereunder has been terminated, nor have there been any
"reportable events"
within the meaning of Section 4043(b) of ERISA, with respect to
any of the
Company Pension Plans.
(i) No "accumulated funding deficiency", within the meaning
of
Section 412 of the Code and Section 302 of ERISA, has been
incurred with respect
to any of the Company Pension Plans.
(j) Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(j) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, there are no pending, or, to the best knowledge of the
Company,
threatened or anticipated claims (other than routine claims for
benefits) by, on
behalf of, or against any, of the Company Pension Plans or the
Company Welfare
Plans, any trusts related thereto or any other plan or
arrangement identified in
any subsection of Section 3.11 of the Company Disclosure
Schedule. No assets of
the Company are subject to any lien under Section 412 of the
Code.
(k) Except as disclosed in Section 3.11(k) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, no Company Pension Plan or Company Welfare Plan
provides medical or
death benefits (whether or not insured) beyond an employee's
retirement or other
termination of service, other than (i) coverage mandated by law,
or (ii) death
benefits under any Company Pension Plan.
(l) There are no unfunded benefits obligations which are not
accounted for by reserves shown in the Company Financial
Statements and
established under GAAP, or otherwise noted on the Company
Financial Statements.
All contributions required to have been made or remitted and all
expenses
required to have been paid by the Company with respect to any
Company Benefit
Plan or under ERISA or the Code have been paid within the time
prescribed by
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such Plan, ERISA or the Code. All contributions with respect to
each Company
Benefit Plan have been currently deductible under the Code when
made.
(m) With respect to each Company Pension Plan and Company
Welfare
Plan that is funded wholly or partially through an insurance
policy, there will
be no liability of the Company as of the Effective Time under
any such insurance
policy or ancillary agreement with respect to such insurance
policy in the
nature of a retroactive rate adjustment, loss sharing
arrangement or other
actual or contingent liability arising wholly or partially out
of events
occurring prior to the Effective Time.
(n) Neither the Company nor any ERISA Affiliates has announced
to
employees, former employees or directors an intention to create,
or has
otherwise created, a legally binding commitment to adopt any
additional Company
Benefit Plans which are intended to cover employees or former
employees of the
Company or any ERISA Affiliates or to amend or modify any
existing Company
Benefit Plan which covers or has covered employees or former
employees of the
Company or any ERISA Affiliate.
(o) No Company Pension Plan subject to Title IV of the Code has
been
terminated, and no filing of or notice of intent to terminate or
initiation by
the PBGC to terminate has occurred. In addition, there has not
been, nor is
there likely to be, a partial termination of a Company Pension
Plan within the
meaning of Section 411(d)(3) of the Code.
(p) With respect to the Company Benefit Plans, no event has
occurred
and, to the knowledge of the Company, there exists no condition
or set of
circumstances in connection with which the Company, or any ERISA
Affiliate could
be subject to any liability (other than a liability to pay
benefits thereunder)
under the terms of such Company Benefit Plans, ERISA, the Code
or any other
applicable law, whether by way of indemnity or otherwise.
3.12 COMPANY INFORMATION.
(a) The information relating to the Company to be contained in
the
Proxy Statement, as of the date the Proxy Statement is mailed to
shareholders of
the Company (and, if applicable, the date on which the Proxy
Statement is mailed
to shareholders of the Company), and up to and including the
date of the meeting
of shareholders of the Company to which such Proxy Statement
relates (and, if
applicable, the date of the meeting of shareholders of the Buyer
to which such
Proxy Statement may relate), will not contain any untrue
statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements therein,
in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading. The
Proxy Statement (except for such portions thereof that relate
only to Buyer or
any of its Subsidiaries) will comply with the provisions of the
Exchange Act and
the rules and regulations thereunder.
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<PAGE>
(b) The information relating to the Company to be contained in
the
Company's applications to the FDIC and the Commissioner will be
accurate in all
material respects.
3.13 COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW.
(a) GENERAL. Except as set forth in Section 3.13(a) of the
Company
Disclosure Schedule, the Company holds all material licenses,
franchises,
permits and authorizations necessary for the lawful conduct of
its business
under and pursuant to each such item, and the Company has
complied with and is
not in default in any respect under any applicable law, statute,
order, rule,
regulation, policy and/or guideline of any federal, state or
local governmental
authority relating to the Company (other than where such
defaults or
non-compliance will not, alone or in the aggregate, have a
Material Adverse
Effect on the Company) and except as disclosed in Section
3.13(a) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule, the Company has not received notice of
violation of, and
does not know of any such violations of, any of the above other
than where such
violations will not, alone or in the aggregate, have a Material
Adverse Effect
on the Company.
(b) CRA. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company has
complied in
all material respects with the Community Reinvestment Act
("CRA") and the
Company has no reason to believe that any person or group would
object
successfully to the consummation of the Merger due to the CRA
performance of or
rating of the Company. Except as listed in Section 3.13(b) of
the Company
Disclosure Schedule, no person or group has materially and
adversely commented
in writing to the Company in a manner requiring recording in a
file of CRA
communications upon the CRA performance of the Company.
3.14 CERTAIN CONTRACTS.
(a) Except as disclosed in Section 3.14(a) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule (i) the Company is not a party to or bound by any
contract or
understanding (whether written or oral) with respect to the
employment or
termination of any present or former officers, employees,
directors or
consultants. The Company has delivered to Buyer true and correct
copies of all
employment agreements and termination agreements with officers,
employees,
directors, or consultants to which the Company is a party or is
bound.
(b) Except as disclosed in Section 3.14(b) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, (i) as of the date of the Existing Merger Agreement,
the Company was
not a party to or bound by any commitment, agreement or other
instrument which
is material to the results of operations or financial condition
of the Company,
(ii) no commitment, agreement or other instrument to which the
Company is a
party or by which it is bound limits the freedom of the Company
to compete in
any line of business or with any person, and (iii) the Company
is not a party to
any collective bargaining agreement. For purposes of
subparagraph (i) above, any
contract with a remaining term of greater than one (1) year or
involving the
payment of more than $10,000 (other than contracts governing
banking
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transactions in the ordinary course of business consistent with
past practice)
shall be deemed material.
(c) Except as disclosed in Section 3.14(c) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, neither the Company, nor to the best knowledge of the
Company, any
other party thereto, is in default in any material respect under
any material
lease, contract, mortgage, promissory note, deed of trust, loan
or other
commitment (except those under which the Company will be the
creditor) or
arrangement to which the Company is a party, except for defaults
which
individually or in the aggregate would not have a Material
Adverse Effect on the
Company.
(d) Except as set forth in Section 3.14(d) of the Company
Disclosure
Schedule, neither the entering into of this Agreement nor the
consummation of
the transactions contemplated hereunder will cause the Company
or Buyer to
become obligated to make any payment of any kind to any party,
including but
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