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Exhibit 4.5
GUARANTEE AGREEMENT
by and between
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
as Guarantor
and
THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
as Guarantee Trustee
relating to
WELLS FARGO CAPITAL X
Dated as of December 5,
2006
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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1
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Section 1.1.
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Definitions
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1
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4
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Section 2.1.
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Trust Indenture Act;
Application
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4
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Section 2.2.
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List of Holders
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4
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Section 2.3.
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Reports by the Guarantee
Trustee
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5
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Section 2.4.
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Periodic Reports to the Guarantee
Trustee
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5
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Section 2.5.
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Evidence of Compliance with Conditions
Precedent
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5
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Section 2.6.
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Events of Default; Waiver
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5
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Section 2.7.
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Event of Default; Notice
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5
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Section 2.8.
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Conflicting Interests
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6
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6
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Section 3.1.
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Powers and Duties of the Guarantee
Trustee
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6
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Section 3.2.
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Certain Rights of Guarantee
Trustee
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7
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Section 3.3.
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Compensation; Indemnity; Fees
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9
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9
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Section 4.1.
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Guarantee Trustee; Eligibility
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9
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Section 4.2.
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Appointment, Removal and Resignation of the
Guarantee Trustee
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10
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11
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Section 5.1.
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Guarantee
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11
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Section 5.2.
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Waiver of Notice and Demand
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11
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Section 5.3.
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Obligations Not Affected
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11
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Section 5.4.
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Rights of Holders
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12
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Section 5.5.
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Guarantee of Payment
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12
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Section 5.6.
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Subrogation
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12
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Section 5.7.
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Independent Obligations
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12
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13
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Section 6.1.
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Subordination
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13
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Section 6.2.
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Pari Passu Guarantees
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13
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i
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13
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Section 7.1.
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Termination
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13
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13
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Section 8.1.
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Successors and Assigns
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13
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Section 8.2.
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Amendments
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14
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Section 8.3.
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Notices
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14
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Section 8.4.
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Benefit
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15
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Section 8.5.
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Governing Law
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15
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Section 8.6.
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Counterparts
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ii
GUARANTEE AGREEMENT, dated as of December 5,
2006, between WELLS FARGO & COMPANY, a Delaware
corporation (the " Guarantor "), having its principal office
at 420 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California 94163, and THE
BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A., as trustee (the "
Guarantee Trustee "), for the benefit of the Holders (as
defined herein) from time to time of the Capital Securities (as
defined herein) of WELLS FARGO CAPITAL X, a Delaware statutory
trust (the " Issuer Trust ").
RECITALS
WHEREAS, pursuant to an Amended and Restated Declaration of
Trust and Trust Agreement, of even date herewith (the " Trust
Agreement "), among Wells Fargo & Company, as
Depositor, the Property Trustee, the Delaware Trustee and the
Administrative Trustees (each as named therein) and the holders
from time to time of undivided beneficial interests in the assets
of the Issuer Trust, the Issuer Trust is issuing $750,000,000
aggregate Liquidation Amount (as defined in the Trust Agreement) of
its 5.95% Capital Securities (liquidation amount $1,000 per capital
security) (the " Capital Securities "), representing
preferred undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the
Issuer Trust and having the terms set forth in the Trust Agreement;
and
WHEREAS, the Capital Securities will be issued by the Issuer
Trust, and the proceeds thereof, together with the proceeds from
the issuance of the Issuer Trust’s Common Securities (as
defined herein), will be used to purchase the Debentures of the
Guarantor, which Debentures will be deposited with The Bank of New
York Trust Company, N.A., as Property Trustee under the Trust
Agreement, as trust assets; and
WHEREAS, as an incentive for the Holders to purchase Capital
Securities, the Guarantor desires irrevocably and unconditionally
to agree, to the extent set forth herein, to pay to the Holders of
the Capital Securities the Guarantee Payments (as defined herein)
and to make certain other payments on the terms and conditions set
forth herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the purchase of Capital
Securities by each Holder, which purchase the Guarantor hereby
acknowledges shall benefit the Guarantor, the Guarantor executes
and delivers this Guarantee Agreement for the benefit of the
Holders from time to time.
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1. Definitions.
For all purposes of this Guarantee Agreement, except as
otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise
requires:
(a) the terms defined in this Article have the meanings assigned
to them in this Article, and include the plural as well as the
singular;
(b) all other terms used herein that are defined in the Trust
Indenture Act, either directly or by reference therein, have the
meanings assigned to them therein;
(c) the words "include," "includes" and "including" shall be
deemed to be followed by the phrase "without limitation";
(d) all accounting terms used but not defined
herein have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with United
States generally accepted accounting principles;
(e) unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to an
"Article" or a "Section" refers to an Article or a Section, as the
case may be, of this Guarantee Agreement; and
(f) the words "hereby," "herein," "hereof" and "hereunder" and
other words of similar import refer to this Guarantee Agreement as
a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other
subdivision.
" Affiliate " of any specified Person means any other
Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under
direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For
the purposes of this definition, "control," when used with respect
to any specified Person, means the power to direct the management
and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether
through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or
otherwise; and the terms "controlling" and "controlled" have
meanings correlative to the foregoing.
" Board of Directors " means the board of directors of
the Guarantor or any committee of the board of directors of the
Guarantor, comprised of one or more members of the board of
directors of the Guarantor or officers of the Guarantor, or
both.
" Capital Securities " has the meaning specified in the
recitals to this Guarantee Agreement.
" Common Securities " means the securities representing
common undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Issuer
Trust.
" Debentures " shall have the meaning specified in the
Trust Agreement.
" Distributions " shall have the meaning specified in the
Trust Agreement.
" Event of Default " means (i) a default by the
Guarantor in any of its payment obligations under this Guarantee
Agreement or (ii) a default by the Guarantor in any other
obligation hereunder that remains unremedied for 30 days.
" Guarantee Agreement " means this Guarantee Agreement,
as modified, amended or supplemented from time to time.
" Guarantee Payments " means the following payments or
distributions, without duplication, with respect to the Capital
Securities, to the extent not paid or made by or on behalf of the
Issuer Trust: (i) any accumulated and unpaid Distributions
required to be paid on the Capital Securities, to the extent the
Issuer Trust shall have funds on hand available therefor at such
time; (ii) the Redemption Price with respect to any Capital
Securities called for redemption by the Issuer Trust, to the extent
the Issuer Trust shall have funds on hand available therefor at
such time; and (iii) upon a voluntary or involuntary
dissolution, winding-up or liquidation of the Issuer Trust, unless
Debentures are distributed to the Holders, the lesser of
(a) the Liquidation Distribution with respect to the Capital
Securities, to the extent that the Issuer Trust shall have funds on
hand available therefor at such time, and (b) the amount of
assets of the Issuer Trust remaining available for distribution to
Holders on liquidation of the Issuer Trust.
" Guarantee Trustee " means The Bank of New York Trust
Company, N.A., solely in its capacity as Guarantee Trustee and not
in its individual capacity, until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has
been
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appointed and has accepted such appointment
pursuant to the terms of this Guarantee Agreement, and thereafter
means each such Successor Guarantee Trustee.
" Guarantor " has the meaning specified in the first
paragraph of this Guarantee Agreement.
" Holder " means any Holder (as defined in the Trust
Agreement) of any Capital Securities; provided, however, that in
determining whether the holders of the requisite percentage of
Capital Securities have given any request, notice, consent or
waiver hereunder, "Holder" shall not include the Guarantor, the
Guarantee Trustee, or any Affiliate of the Guarantor or the
Guarantee Trustee.
" Indenture " means the Indenture, dated as of
August 1, 2005, between Wells Fargo & Company and The
Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. (as successor in interest to
J.P. Morgan Trust Company, National Association), as trustee, as
supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of
December 5, 2006, between Wells Fargo & Company and
The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., as trustee, as the same
may be further modified, amended or supplemented from time to
time.
" Issuer Trust " has the meaning specified in the first
paragraph of this Guarantee Agreement.
" Liquidation Distribution " shall have the meaning
specified in the Trust Agreement.
" List of Holders " has the meaning specified in
Section 2.2(a).
" Majority in Liquidation Amount of the Capital
Securities " means, except as provided by the Trust Indenture
Act, Capital Securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate
Liquidation Amount (as defined in the Trust Agreement) of all
Capital Securities then Outstanding (as defined in the Trust
Agreement).
" Officers’ Certificate " means, with respect to
any Person, a certificate signed by the Chairman or a Vice Chairman
of the Board of Directors of such Person or the President or a Vice
President of such Person, and by the Treasurer, an Assistant
Treasurer, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of such Person.
Any Officers’ Certificate delivered with respect to
compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this
Guarantee Agreement shall include:
(a) a statement by each officer signing the Officers’
Certificate that such officer has read the covenant or condition
and the definitions relating thereto;
(b) a brief statement of the nature and scope of the examination
or investigation undertaken by such officer in rendering the
Officers’ Certificate;
(c) a statement that such officer has made such examination or
investigation as, in such officer’s opinion, is necessary to
enable such officer to express an informed opinion as to whether or
not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
(d) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of such officer,
such condition or covenant has been complied with.
" Person " means a legal person, including any
individual, corporation, estate, partnership, joint venture,
association, joint stock company, company, limited liability
company, trust, business trust, unincorporated association, or
government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any
other entity of whatever nature.
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" Redemption Price " shall have the
meaning specified in the Trust Agreement.
" Responsible Officer " means, with respect to the
Guarantee Trustee, any Senior Vice President, any Vice President,
any Assistant Vice President, the Secretary, any Assistant
Secretary, the Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, any Trust
Officer or Assistant Trust Officer or any other officer of the
Global Corporate Trust Department of the Guarantee Trustee and also
means, with respect to a particular matter, any other officer to
whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s
knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
" Successor Guarantee Trustee " means a successor
Guarantee Trustee possessing the qualifications to act as Guarantee
Trustee under Section 4.1.
" Trust Agreement " means the Amended and Restated
Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the Issuer Trust
referred to in the recitals to this Guarantee Agreement, as
modified, amended or supplemented from time to time.
" Trust Indenture Act " means the Trust Indenture Act of
1939 as in force at the date as of which this Guarantee Agreement
was executed; provided, however, that in the event the Trust
Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, "Trust Indenture
Act" means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust
Indenture Act of 1939 as so amended.
" Vice President ," when used with respect to the
Guarantor, means any duly appointed vice president, whether or not
designated by a number or a word or words added before or after the
title "vice president."
ARTICLE II
TRUST INDENTURE ACT
Section 2.1. Trust Indenture Act; Application.
Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the Trust
Indenture Act shall apply as a matter of contract to this Guarantee
Agreement for purposes of interpretation, construction and defining
the rights and obligations hereunder, and this Guarantee Agreement,
the Guarantor and the Guarantee Trustee shall be deemed for all
purposes hereof to be subject to and governed by the Trust
Indenture Act to the same extent as would be the case if this
Guarantee Agreement were qualified under the Trust Indenture Act on
the date hereof. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, if
and to the extent that any provision of this Guarantee Agreement
limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by Sections
310 to 317, inclusive, of the Trust Indenture Act, such imposed
duties shall control.
Section 2.2. List of Holders.
(a) The Guarantor shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the
Guarantee Trustee (a) semiannually, on or before June 30
and December 31 of each year, a list, in such form as the
Guarantee Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and
addresses of the Holders (a " List of Holders ") as of a
date not more than 15 days prior to the delivery thereof, and
(b) at such other times as the Guarantee Trustee may request
in writing, within 30 days after the receipt by the Guarantor of
any such request, a List of Holders as of a date not more than 15
days prior to the time such list is furnished, in each case to the
extent such information is in the possession or control of the
Guarantor and has not
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otherwise been received by the Guarantee Trustee
in its capacity as such. The Guarantee Trustee may destroy any List
of Holders previously given to it on receipt of a new List of
Holders.
(b) The Guarantee Trustee shall comply with the requirements of
Section 311(a), Section 311(b) and Section 312(b) of
the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 2.3. Reports by the Guarantee Trustee.
Within 60 days after May 15 each year, commencing
May 15, 2007, the Guarantee Trustee shall provide to the
Holders such reports as are required by Section 313 of the
Trust Indenture Act, if any, in the form and in the manner provided
by Section 313 of the Trust Indenture Act. If this Guarantee
Agreement shall have been qualified under the Trust Indenture Act,
the Guarantee Trustee
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