EXECUTION COPY
ASSIGNMENT,
ASSUMPTION AND RECOGNITION AGREEMENT
THIS ASSIGNMENT,
ASSUMPTION AND RECOGNITION AGREEMENT (this “
Assignment ”), dated as of October 1, 2006, is entered
into among J.P. Morgan Acceptance Corporation I, a Delaware
corporation (the “ Depositor ”), U.S. Bank
National Association, as trustee (the “ Trustee
”) of J.P. Morgan Alternative Loan Trust 2006-A6 (the “
Trust ”), J.P. Morgan Mortgage Acquisition Corp.
(“ JPMorgan Acquisition ”), Countrywide Home
Loans, Inc. (“ Countrywide ”), Countrywide Home
Loans Servicing LP (“Servicer”) and Wells Fargo Bank,
N.A. (the “ Master Servicer ”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS JPMorgan
Acquisition and Countrywide have entered into a certain Amended and
Restated Master Mortgage Loan Purchase and Servicing Agreement,
dated as of December 1, 2005 (the “ Agreement
”), pursuant to which JPMorgan Acquisition has acquired
certain Mortgage Loans pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and
Countrywide has agreed to service such Mortgage Loans;
WHEREAS Countrywide has
assigned the right to service such Mortgage Loans to the Servicer
and the Servicer has agreed to service such Mortgage Loans;
WHEREAS the Depositor
has agreed, on the terms and conditions contained herein, to
purchase from JPMorgan Acquisition certain of the Mortgage Loans
(the “ Specified Mortgage Loans ”) which are
subject to the provisions of the Agreement and are listed on the
mortgage loan schedule attached as Exhibit I hereto (the “
Specified Mortgage Loan Schedule ”); and
WHEREAS the Trustee, on
behalf of the Trust, has agreed, on the terms and conditions
contained herein, to purchase from the Depositor the Specified
Mortgage Loans;
NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of the mutual promises contained herein and other
good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of
which are hereby acknowledged), the parties agree as
follows:
1.
Assignment and
Assumption
(a)
On and as of the date
hereof, JPMorgan Acquisition hereby sells, assigns and transfers to
the Depositor all of its right, title and interest in the Specified
Mortgage Loans and all rights and obligations related thereto as
provided under the Agreement to the extent relating to the
Specified Mortgage Loans, the Depositor hereby accepts such
assignment from JPMorgan Acquisition (the “ First
Assignment and Assumption ”), and Countrywide and the
Servicer hereby acknowledge the First Assignment and
Assumption.
JPMorgan Acquisition
specifically reserves and does not assign to the Depositor
hereunder any and all right, title and interest in, to and under
and all obligations of JPMorgan Acquisition with respect to any
Mortgage Loans subject to the Agreement which are not the Specified
Mortgage Loans.
(b)
On and as of the date
hereof, immediately after giving effect to the First Assignment and
Assumption, the Depositor hereby sells, assigns and transfers to
the Trustee, on behalf of the Trust, all of its right, title and
interest in the Specified Mortgage Loans and all rights and
obligations related thereto as provided under the Agreement to the
extent relating to the Specified Mortgage Loans, and the Trustee,
on behalf of the Trust, hereby accepts such assignment from the
Depositor (the “ Second Assignment and Assumption
”), and Countrywide and the Servicer hereby acknowledge the
Second Assignment and Assumption.
(c)
On and as of the date
hereof, JPMorgan Acquisition represents and warrants to the
Depositor and the Trustee that JPMorgan Acquisition has not taken
any action that would serve to impair or encumber the respective
ownership interests of the Depositor and the Trustee in the
Specified Mortgage Loans since the date of JPMorgan
Acquisitions’ acquisition of the Specified Mortgage
Loans.
2.
Recognition of
Trustee
(a)
From and after the date
hereof, both JPMorgan Acquisition and Countrywide shall note the
transfer of the Specified Mortgage Loans to the Trustee, in their
respective books and records and shall recognize the Trustee, on
behalf of the Trust, as of the date hereof, as the owner of the
Specified Mortgage Loans, and the Servicer shall service the
Specified Mortgage Loans for the benefit of the Trust pursuant to
the Agreement, the terms of which are incorporated herein by
reference. It is the intention of Countrywide, the Servicer the
Depositor, the Trustee and JPMorgan Acquisition that this
Assignment shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the
Depositor, the Trustee and JPMorgan Acquisition and their
respective successors and assigns.
(b)
Without in any way
limiting the foregoing, the parties confirm that this Assignment
includes the rights relating to amendments and waivers under the
Agreement. Accordingly, the right of JPMorgan Acquisition to
consent to any amendment of the Agreement and its rights concerning
waivers as set forth in Sections 8.14 and 8.17, respectively, of
the Agreement shall be exercisable, to the extent any such
amendment or waiver affects the Specified Mortgage Loans or any of
the rights or obligations under the Agreement with respect thereto
(including, without limitation, the servicing of the Specified
Mortgage Loans), by the Trustee as assignee of JPMorgan
Acquisition.
3.
Representations and
Warranties
(a)
The Depositor
represents and warrants that it is a sophisticated investor able to
evaluate the risks and merits of the transactions contemplated
hereby, and that it has not relied in connection therewith upon any
statements or representations of Countrywide or JPMorgan
Acquisition other than those contained in the Agreement or this
Assignment.
(b)
Each of the parties
hereto represents and warrants that it is duly and legally
authorized to enter into this Assignment.
(c)
Each of the parties
hereto represents and warrants that this Assignment has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by it and (assuming due
authorization, execution and delivery thereof by each of the other
parties hereto) constitutes its legal, valid and binding
obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms,
except as such enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization or other similar laws affecting the
enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and by general
equitable principles (regardless of whether such enforcement is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(d)
Countrywide hereby
restates, as of the Closing Date (as defined in the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement referred to below), the representations and
warranties contained in Section 3.01 of the Agreement (except with
respect to Section 3.01 (k)), to and for the benefit of the
Depositor, the Trustee and the Trust, and by this reference
incorporates such representations and warranties herein, as of such
Closing Date.
4.
The Servicer hereby
acknowledges that Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. has been appointed as the
Master Servicer of the Specified Mortgage Loans pursuant to the
pooling and servicing agreement dated as of the date hereof among
the Depositor, the Master Servicer, the Securities Administrator
and the Trustee (the “Pooling and Servicing Agreement”)
for Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2006-A6 and,
therefore, has the right to enforce all obligations of the Servicer
under the Agreement. Such rights will include, without limitation,
the right to terminate the Servicer under the Agreement upon the
occurrence of an event of default thereunder, the right to receive
all remittances required to be made by the Servicer under the
Agreement and the Assignment, the right to receive all monthly
reports and other data required to be delivered by the Servicer
under the Agreement and the Assignment, the right to examine the
books and records of the Servicer, indemnification rights and the
right to exercise certain rights of consent and approval relating
to actions taken by JPMorgan Acquisition. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, it is understood that the Servicer shall not be
obligated to defend and indemnify and hold harmless the Master
Servicer, the Trust, the Trustee, the Depositor, and JP Morgan
Acquisition from and against any losses, damages, penalties, fines,
forfeitures, judgments and any related costs including, without
limitation, reasonable and necessary legal fees, resulting from
actions or inactions of the Servicer which were taken or omitted
upon the instruction or direction of the Master Servicer. The
Servicer shall make all distributions under the Agreement and the
Assignment to the Master Servicer by wire transfer of immediately
available funds to:
Wells Fargo Bank,
N.A.
ABA Number:
121-000-248
Account Name: SAS
Clearing
Account number:
3970771416
For further credit to:
J.P. Morgan Alternative Loan Trust 2006-A6,
Distribution Account
Number: 50957600
The Servicer shall
deliver all reports required to be delivered under the Agreement
and the Assignment to the Master Servicer at the following
address:
Wells Fargo Bank,
N.A.
9062 Old Annapolis
Road
Columbia, Maryland
21045
Attention: Client
Manager – JPALT 2006-A6
Telecopier: (410)
715-2380
5.
Establishment of
Custodial Account
The Servicer shall
establish and maintain a separate Collection Account in the name of
the Trustee, in trust for J.P. Morgan Alternative Loan Trust
2006-A6, for all funds collected and received on the Specified
Mortgage Loans.
6.
Amendment to the
Agreement
The parties to the
Agreement hereby agree to amend the Agreement as
follows:
(a)
The definition of
“Qualified Substitute Mortgage Loan” under the
Agreement, solely with respect to the Specified Mortgage Loans, is
hereby amended by deleting such definition in its entirety and
replacing it with the following:
“A mortgage loan
that must, on the date of such substitution, (i) have an unpaid
principal balance, after deduction of all scheduled payments due in
the month of substitution (or if more than one (1) mortgage loan is
being substituted, an aggregate principal balance), not in excess
of the unpaid principal balance of the repurchased Mortgage Loan
and not less than ninety percent (90%) of the unpaid principal
balance of the repurchased Mortgage Loan (the amount of any
shortfall will be deposited in the Custodial Account by the
Servicer in the month of substitution); (ii) have a minimum
Mortgage Interest Rate not less than that of the repurchased
Mortgage Loan; (iii) have a maximum Mortgage Interest Rate not less
than that of the repurchased Mortgage Loan and not more than two
(2) percentage points above that of the repurchased Mortgage Loan;
(iv) have a remaining term to maturity not greater than, and not
more than one year less than, the maturity date of the repurchased
Mortgage Loan; (v) have a Gross Margin not less than that of the
repurchased Mortgage Loan; (vi) have a Periodic Rate Cap equal to
that of the repurchased Mortgage Loan; (vii) have an LTV at the
time of substitution equal to or less than the LTV of the
repurchased Mortgage Loan at the time of substitution; (viii) have
the same Interest Adjustment Date as that of the repurchased
Mortgage Loan; (ix) have the same Index as that of the repurchased
Mortgage Loan; (x) not permit conversion of the related Mortgage
Interest Rate to a permanent fixed Mortgage Interest Rate; (xi) be
the same type of Mortgage Loan (i.e., an Adjustable Rate Mortgage
Loan); and (xii) comply with each representation and warranty
(respecting individual Mortgage Loans) set forth in Section 3.02
hereof.”
(b)
Notwithstanding any
provision in the Agreement to the contrary, the parties to the
Agreement hereby agree that, in connection with any prepayments in
full of the Specified Mortgage Loans in a Mortgage Pool (as defined
in the Pooling and Servicing Agreement), Countrywide or the
Servicer shall contribute from its own funds, without reimbursement
therefor up to a maximum amount per month equal to the lesser of
one half of (a) one-twelfth of the product of (i) the Servicing Fee
Rate (as defined in the Agreement) and (ii) the stated principal
balance of such Specified Mortgage Loans, or (b) the aggregate
Servicing Fee actually received for such month for the Specified
Mortgage Loans in such Mortgage Pool, for any shortfall in the
interest component of such Specified Mortgage Loans such that one
month’s interest shall be deposited to the Custodial Account,
as defined in the Agreement.
7.
Indemnification and
Contribution
(a)
Countrywide shall
indemnify and hold harmless the Depositor, its officers and
directors and each person, if any, who controls the Depositor
within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the “ 1933 Act ”) or Section
20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “
1934 Act ”) against any and all losses, claims,
damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Depositor
or any of them may become subject under the 1933 Act, the
1934 Act or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, at
common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are
based in whole or in part upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Free-Writing
Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement (as hereafter defined) or any
omission or alleged omission to state in the Free-Writing
Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading,
but in each case to the extent, and only to the extent that such
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission was made in or omitted from the Countrywide Information
(as defined herein) and (ii) agree to reimburse the Depositor and
each such officer, director and controlling person promptly upon
demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by any
of them in connection with investigating or defending or preparing
to defend against any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action
as such expenses are incurred. The foregoing indemnity
agreement is in addition to any liability which Countrywide may
otherwise have.
As used herein “
Countrywide Information ” means the information
furnished in writing by Countrywide or the Servicer as set forth on
Exhibit II attached hereto, specifically for use in the
Free-Writing Prospectus of the Depositor (the “
Free-Writing Prospectus ”) dated on or about October
18, 2006, relating to the J.P. Morgan Alternative Loan Trust
2006-A6, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (the “
Certificates ”), and the Prospectus Supplement of the
Depositor (the “ Prospectus Supplement ” and
together with the Free-Writing Prospectuses, the “
Offering Documents ”) dated on or about October 27,
2006, relating to the J.P. Morgan Alternative Loan Trust 2006-A6,
Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (the “ Certificates
”).
(b)
The Depositor and
JPMorgan Acquisition shall indemnify and hold harmless Countrywide
and the Servicer, their respective officers and directors and each
person, if any, who controls Countrywide and the Servicer within
the meaning of either Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of
the 1934 Act, against any and all losses, claims, damages or
liabilities, joint or several, to which Countrywide and the
Servicer or any of them may become subject under the 1933 Act, the
1934 Act or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, at
common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are
based in whole or in part upon any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Offering
Documents or any omission or alleged omission to state in the
Offering Documents a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances in which they were made, not misleading, but in each
case to the extent, and only to the extent that such untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission was made in or omitted from the Depositor Information (as
defined herein), and agrees to reimburse Countrywide, the Servicer
and each such officer, director and controlling person promptly
upon demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by
any of them in connection with investigating or defending or
preparing to defend against any such loss, claim, damage, liability
or action as such expenses are incurred. The foregoing
indemnity agreement is in addition to any liability which the
Depositor and JPMorgan Acquisition may otherwise have.
As used herein “
Depositor Information ” means all information other
than the Countrywide Information contained in the Free-Writing
Prospectus dated on or about October 18, 2006, Prospectus
Supplement dated on or about October 27, 2006, the accompanying
Prospectus dated on or about September 21, 2006, the Private
Placement Memorandum dated on or about October 30, 2006 relating to
the privately offered Certificates and any amendment or supplement
to any of the foregoing and any other materials used by the
Depositor to offer any of the Certificates.
(c)
Promptly after receipt
by any indemnified party under this Section 7 of notice of any
claim or the commencement of any action, such indemnified party
shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the
indemnifying party under this Section 6, notify the indemnifying
party in writing of the claim or the commencement of that action;
provided, however, that the failure to notify the indemnifying
party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have
under this Section 6 except to the extent it has been materially
prejudiced by such failure; and provided further, however, that the
failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from
any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise
than under this Section 7.
If any such claim or
action shall be brought against an indemnified party, and it shall
promptly notify the indemnifying party thereof, the indemnifying
party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent
that it wishes, jointly with any other similarly notified
indemnifying party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel
reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. After
notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its
election to assume the defense of such claim or action, except as
provided in the following paragraph, the indemnifying party shall
not be liable to the indemnified party under this Section 7 for any
legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the indemnified
party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable
costs of investigation.
Any indemnified party
shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action
and to participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and
expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such
indemnified party unless: (i) the employment thereof has been
specifically authorized by the indemnifying party in writing; (ii)
such indemnified party shall have been advised by such counsel that
there may be one or more legal defenses available to it which are
different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying
party and in the reasonable judgment of such counsel it is
advisable for such indemnified party to employ separate counsel; or
(iii) the indemnifying party has failed to assume the defense of
such action and employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to the
indemnified party, in which case, if such indemnified party
notifies the indemnifying party in writing that it elects to employ
separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, the
indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense
of such action on behalf of such indemnified party, it being
understood, however, the indemnifying party shall not, in
connection with any one such action or separate but substantially
similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of
the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the
fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys (in
addition to local counsel) at any time for all such indemnified
parties.
The indemnifying party
shall not be liable for any settlement of any such action effected
without its written consent (which consent shall not be
unreasonably withheld or delayed), but if settled with its written
consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff in any
such action, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold
harmless any indemnified party from and against any loss or
liability by reason of such settlement or judgment.
Notwithstanding the
foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have
requested the indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party
for fees and expenses of counsel, the indemnifying party agrees
that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding
effected without its written consent if such settlement is entered
into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of
the aforesaid request or such lesser amount if time is required by
the settlement (as set forth in written notice).
(d)
If the indemnification
provided for in this Section 7 is unavailable to an indemnified
party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or
liabilities referred to therein, then the indemnifying party, in
lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, shall contribute to
the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of
such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, in such proportion as
is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying
party in connection with the statements or omissions that result in
such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other
relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the
indemnifying party shall be determined by reference to whether the
untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the
omission or alleged omission to state a material fact is contained
in the Countrywide Information, on the one hand, or Depositor
Information on the other.
The amount paid or
payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims,
damages and liabilities referred to in this Section 7(d) shall be
deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified
party in connection with investigating or defending any such action
or claim, except where the indemnified party is required to bear
such expenses pursuant to this Section 7, which expenses the
indemnifying party shall pay as and when incurred, at the request
of the indemnified party, to the extent that the indemnifying party
will be ultimately obligated to pay such expenses. In the
event that any expenses so paid by the indemnifying party are
subsequently determined to not be required to be borne by the
indemnifying party hereunder, the party which received such payment
shall promptly refund the amount so paid to the party which made
such payment. No person guilty of fraudulent
misrepresentations (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933
Act), shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not
guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
(e)
The indemnity and
contribution agreements contained in this Section 7 shall remain
operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any
termination of the Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by any of
the Depositor or Countrywide, their directors or officers or any
person controlling any of them, by or on behalf of any them, and
(iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the
Certificates.
8.
Indemnification by
Master Servicer
The Master Servicer
shall indemnify and hold harmless Countrywide and its affiliates,
and in each case, its officers, directors and agents from and
against any losses, damages, penalties, fines, forfeitures,
reasonable legal fees and related costs, judgments and other costs
and expenses arising out of or based upon a breach by the Master
Servicer or any of its officers, directors, agents or affiliates of
its obligations in connection with the preparation, filing and
certification of any Form 10-K, Form 10-D or Form 8-K pursuant to
the Pooling and Servicing Agreement or the gross negligence of the
Master Servicer in connection therewith. In addition, the Master
Servicer shall indemnify and hold harmless Countrywide and its
affiliates, and in each case, its officers, directors and agents
from and against any losses, damages, penalties, fines,
forfeitures, reasonable legal fees and related costs, judgments and
other costs and expenses arising out of or based upon a breach by
any Servicer (as defined in the Pooling and Servicing Agreement),
other than Countrywide, of its obligations in connection with any
back-up certification (or any other back-up documents) to any
certification of any Form 10-K, Form 10-D or Form 8-K required to
be provided by the Master Servicer, but solely to the extent the
Master Servicer receives amounts from such Servicer in connection
with any indemnification provided by such Servicer (in each case as
defined in the Pooling and Servicing Agreement) to the Master
Servicer.
9.
Continuing
Effect
Except as contemplated
hereby, the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect in
accordance with its terms.
10.
Governing
Law
This Assignment and the
rights and obligations hereunder shall be governed by and construed
in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New
York.
11.
Notices
Any notices or other
communications permitted or required under the Agreement to be made
to the Depositor and the Trustee shall be made in accordance with
the terms of the Agreement and shall be sent to the Depositor and
Trustee as follows:
In the case of JPMorgan
Acquisition:
J.P. Morgan Mortgage
Acquisition Corp.