Exhibit 10.8
MEXICAN PLEDGE
AGREEMENT
dated effective as of May 4,
2005
between
RAILCAR, LTD.
as Grantor
and
GENERAL ELECTRIC CAPITAL
CORPORATION,
as Collateral
Agent
This PLEDGE AGREEMENT , dated
effective as of May 4, 2005 (this
“Agreement” ), is entered into by and between
RAILCAR, LTD (hereinafter referred to as
“Railcar” or as “Grantor” ),
and General Electric Capital Corporation (
“GECC” ) acting in the capacity of U.S.
collateral agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties (as such
term is defined in the Credit Agreement, defined below) (in such
capacity, the “Collateral Agent” ). Capitalized
terms used in this Agreement and not defined herein shall have the
meanings assigned to them in the Credit Agreement, as such term is
defined below.
RECITALS:
WHEREAS , reference is made to that certain Credit
Agreement, dated as of March 24, 2005 (as it may be amended,
restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the
“Credit Agreement” ), by and among Progress Rail
Services Holdings Corp. (the “Parent” ), each of
the domestic subsidiaries of Parent parry thereto (such
subsidiaries, together with the Parent, the “U.S.
Borrowers” ), Progress Rail Canada Corporation, Progress
Rail Transcanada Corporation (the “Canadian
Borrowers” , and together with the U.S. Borrowers, the
“Borrowers” ), the Issuing Banks, GECC as U.S.
Administrative Agent, GE Canada Finance Holding Company, as
Canadian Administrative Agent and the Lenders party thereto from
time to time, and
WHEREAS , Railcar has concurrently hereof formalized its
pledge of (a) its 65% shareholding interest in Progress Rail
Services de México S.A. de C.V. (the “Pledged
Shares” ) and (b) its 65% equity interest in
Servicios Ferroviarios Progress S. de R.L. de C.V. (the
“Pledged Membership Interests” ) as more fully
described in Schedule A hereto, to fully guarantee the
obligations of the Borrowers under the Credit Agreement (the
“Pledge” ), and desires to enter into this
Agreement with the Collateral Agent for the purposes of agreeing as
to certain terms and conditions applying to the Pledge,
and
NOW, THEREFORE
, in consideration of the premises
and the agreements, provisions and covenants herein contained, the
Grantor and the Collateral Agent agree as follows:
SECTION 1
DEFINITIONS.
1.1
General Definitions.
In this Agreement, the
following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in the
preamble.
“Collateral
Agent” shall have
the meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Credit
Agreement” shall
have the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Indemnitee” shall mean the Collateral Agent, and its
Affiliates’ officers, partners, directors, trustees,
employees and agents.
“Notarial
Copy” shall mean a
copy of any relevant document which is certified as conforming to
original documents by a duly appointed Notary Public in the United
Mexican States ( “Mexico” ).
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“Pledged Equity
Interests” shall
mean all Pledged Shares and Pledged Membership Interests listed in
Schedule A hereto.
“Proceeds”
shall mean (i) all payments or
distributions made with respect to any Pledged Equity Interests,
and (ii) whatever is receivable or received when any Pledged
Equity Interests are sold, exchanged or otherwise disposed of,
whether such disposition is voluntary or involuntary.
“Representation
Date” shall mean
each of (i) the date hereof, (ii) each date on which a
Borrowing is made (on or after the date hereof) and (iii) each
date on which any Letter of Credit is issued, amended, renewed or
extended (on or after the date hereof).
1.2
Definitions;
Interpretation. All
capitalized terms used herein (including the preamble and recitals
hereto) and which are not otherwise defined herein shall have the
meanings ascribed thereto in the Credit Agreement. Defined terms
shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of such terms.
References to “Sections,” “Annexes” and
“Schedules” shall be to Sections, Annexes and
Schedules, as the case may be, of this Agreement unless otherwise
specifically provided. Section headings in this
Agreement are included herein for convenience of reference only and
shall not constitute a part of this Agreement for any other purpose
or be given any substantive effect.
SECTION 2
CONCURRENT FORMALIZATION OF
PLEDGE.
The Grantor has, through this
Agreement and/or concurrently with the execution of this Agreement,
granted and formalized the Pledge of its Pledged Equity Interests
in favor of the Collateral Agent through (a) the physical and
legal delivery of certificates representing the Pledged Shares
(attaching the relevant endorsement legend in the terms required by
this Agreement); (b) the physical and legal delivery of this
Agreement through which the Pledge of the Pledged Membership
Interests is formalized; (c) its causing that the issuer of
the respective Pledged Shares and the Pledged Membership Interests
to register the respective Pledges on the relevant books and
records of each respective issuer, and (d) generally through
the actions described in this Agreement and particularly in
Section 3.1(c) hereof, as a guarantee for the prompt
and complete payment in full when due, whether at stated maturity,
by required prepayment, declaration, acceleration, demand or
otherwise, of all obligations of the Borrowers under the Credit
Agreement.
SECTION 3
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND
COVENANTS
3.1
Generally.
(a)
Representations and
Warranties .
Grantor hereby represents and warrants, on each Representation
Date, that:
(i) having performed such inquiry and verification
actions as Grantor has deemed to be appropriate and sufficient for
all legal purposes, the Pledged Shares and the Pledged Membership
Interests listed in Schedule A hereto, have been duly
authorized and issued by their respective issuers in accordance
with Mexican law and the respective corporate bylaws of each of the
issuer of the Pledged Shares and the issuer of the Pledged
Membership Interests, and are fully paid and
outstanding;
(ii) it has full legal title and ownership of the
Pledged Shares and the Pledged Membership Interests listed in
Schedule A hereto, in each case free and clear of any
and all Liens, rights or claims of all other Persons other than
Liens permitted by Section 6.02 of the Credit
Agreement, including, without limitation, liens arising as
a
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result of Grantor becoming bound (as
a result of merger or otherwise) as debtor under a security
agreement entered into by another Person;
(iii) the
Grantor, and each of the issuers of the Pledged Shares and the
Pledged Membership Interests listed in Schedule A
hereto, has been duly organized as a corporation (sociedad
anónima de capital variable), limited liability company
(sociedad de responsabilidad limitada de capital variable)
or limited partnership, as applicable, under the laws of its
jurisdiction of incorporation or formation and remains duly
existing as such;
(iv) the
execution and delivery of this Agreement by Grantor and the
performance by the Grantor of its obligations under this Agreement
are within its corporate, limited liability company or other powers
and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other
action, and the individual representing the Grantor in the
execution of this Agreement has all requisite corporate powers as
are required under applicable law in order to duly bind the Grantor
in the terms of this Agreement;
(v) no authorization, approval or other action by
the Grantor or, in each case, by the issuer of the Pledged Shares
and the issuer of the Pledged Membership Interests, and no notice
to or filing with, any governmental authority or regulatory body is
required for either (x) the pledge or grant by the Grantor of the
Pledge created or purported to be created in favor of the
Collateral Agent hereunder or (y) the exercise by Collateral Agent
of any rights or remedies in respect of the Pledged Equity
Interests, except for those actions and deliveries listed in
Section 3.1(c) hereof;
(vi) all
actions and consents, including all filings, notices, registrations
and recordings necessary or desirable for the exercise by the
Collateral Agent of the voting or other rights provided for in this
Agreement or the exercise of remedies in respect of the Pledged
Equity Interests have been made or obtained;
(vii) all information supplied by the Grantor with
respect to its Pledged Equity Interests (in each case taken as a
whole with respect to any particular Pledged Equity Interests) is
accurate and complete in all material respects;
(viii) the
individual executing the certificate referred to in
Section 3.1(c)(iv) is in fact the duly appointed and
acting alternate secretary (not member of the board of directors)
of the issuer of the Pledged Shares, and his or her appointment as
alternate secretary has not been revoked as of the date hereof,
and
(ix) the individual executing the certificate
referred to in Section 3.1(c)(v) is in fact the duly
appointed and acting alternate secretary (not member of the board
of managers) of the issuer of the Pledged Membership Interests, and
his or her appointment as alternate secretary has not been revoked
as of the date hereof.
(b)
Covenants and
Agreements . The
Grantor hereby covenants and agrees that:
(i) except for the Pledge, it shall not create or
suffer to exist any Lien upon or with respect to any of the Pledged
Equity Interests, except Liens
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permitted by
Section 6.02 of the Credit Agreement, and Grantor shall
defend the Pledged Equity Interests against all Persons at any time
claiming any interest therein;
(ii) it shall not change Grantor’s name,
identity, corporate structure (e.g. by merger, consolidation,
change in corporate form or otherwise), sole place of business,
chief executive office, type of organization or jurisdiction of
organization or establish any trade names unless it shall have
(a) notified the Collateral Agent in writing at least thirty
(30) days prior to any such change or establishment, identifying
such new proposed name, identity, corporate structure, sole place
of business, chief executive office, jurisdiction of organization
or trade name and providing such other information in connection
therewith as the Collateral Agent may reasonably request and
(b) taken all actions necessary or advisable to maintain the
continuous validity, perfection and the same or better priority of
the Collateral Agent’s rights in the Pledged Equity
Interests;
(iii) upon
the Grantor or its officers obtaining knowledge thereof, it shall
promptly notify the Collateral Agent in writing of any event that
may materially and adversely affect the value of the Pledged Equity
Interests or any portion thereof, the ability of the Grantor or the
Collateral Agent to dispose of the Pledged Equity Interests or any
portion thereof, or the rights and remedies of the Collateral Agent
in relation thereto, including, without limitation, the levy of any
legal process against the Pledged Equity Interests or any portion
thereof;
(iv) it
shall not take or permit any action which could impair the
Collateral Agent’s rights in the Pledged Equity
Interests;
(v) it shall not sell, transfer, assign, abandon or
permit to lapse (by operation of law or otherwise) any Pledged
Equity Interests;
(vi) as
long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing,
the Collateral Agent will cause for Grantor to retain all ordinary
cash dividends and distributions paid in the normal course of the
business of the issuer and consistent with the past practice of the
issuer and in respect of each of the Pledged Equity Interest, in
each case to the extent permitted by Section 6.06 of
the Credit Agreement, and the Collateral Agent agrees to reasonably
assist Grantor in its receipt of such ordinary cash dividends and
distributions, and
(vii) Grantor shall take such additional actions,
including without limitation, causing each relevant issuer of the
Pledged Equity Interests to register the pledge on its books and
records or making such filings or recordings, in each case as may
be necessary or advisable, under the laws of Mexico to insure the
validity, perfection and priority of the Collateral Agent’s
rights to the Pledged Equity Interests.
(c)
Deliveries
. Concurrently with the
execution of this Agreement, Grantor shall:
(i) have formalized the Pledge through (A) the
physical and legal delivery to the Collateral Agent of the original
certificates evidencing the Pledged Shares, duly endorsed as
transferred in pledge to the Collateral Agent, including the legend
substantially in the forms set forth in Exhibit A
hereto, in the terms of paragraph II of article 334 of the
General Law of Negotiable Instruments and Credit
Transactions
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(Ley General de Títulos y
Operaciones de Crédito); (B) the physical and legal delivery of this
Agreement and the certificate referred to in paragraph
(v) below, through which the Pledge of the Pledged Membership
Interests is formalized, in the terms of paragraph III of
article 334 of the General Law of Negotiable Instruments and
Credit Transactions (Ley General de Titulos y Operaciones de
Crédito), and (C) its causing that the issuer of the
respective Pledged Shares and the Pledged Membership Interests to
register the respective Pledges on the relevant books and records
of each respective issuer, including without limitation the share
register of the issuer of the Pledged Shares and the special
members’ register of the issuer of the Pledged Membership
Interests, substantially in the record forms set forth in
Exhibit B hereto, and the Collateral Agent has
delivered to Grantor a document evidencing its receipt of the
Pledged Shares and the Pledged Membership Interests in the terms
hereof and as Grantor may have reasonably requested from the
Collateral Agent;
(ii) shall have caused for the Pledge of the Pledged
Shares to have been duly approved by the unanimous
shareholders’ meeting of the issuer of the Pledged Shares, in
form and substance acceptable to the Collateral Agent (the
“Pledged Shares Resolution” );
(iii) shall have caused for the Pledge of the Pledged
Membership Interests and any potential ownership transfer thereof
derived from the pledge rights to have been duly approved by the
unanimous members’ meeting of the issuer of the Pledged
Membership Interests, in form and substance acceptable to the
Collateral Agent (the “Pledged Membership Interests
Resolution” );
(iv) shall deliver to the Collateral Agent a
certificate, issued by the alternate secretary (not member of the
board of directors) of the issuer of the Pledged Shares, certifying
as to the completeness and duly formalization of the registration
of the Pledge of the Pledged Shares on the relevant books and
records of such issuer, in the terms required under Section
3.1(c)(i)(A) above, and attaching (A) a Notarial
Copy of all such relevant records; (B) a Notarial Copy of the
incorporation deed of the issuer of the Pledged Shares;(C) a
Notarial Copy of each bylaws amendment which has been adopted by
the issuer of the Pledged Shares as of the date hereof, and
(D) a Notarial Copy of the relevant public deed through which
the Pledged Shares Resolution adopted under Section
3.l(c)(ii) above has been protocolized in Mexico,
including evidence of its registration in the Public Registry of
Commerce in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and
(v) shall deliver to the Collateral Agent a
certificate, issued by the alternate secretary (not member of the
board of managers) of the issuer of the Pledged Membership
Interests, certifying as to the completeness and duly formalization
of the registration of the Pledge of the Pledged Membership
Interests on the relevant books and records of such issuer, in the
terms required under Section 3.1(c)(i)(B) above, and
attaching (A) a Notarial Copy of all such relevant records;
(B) a Notarial Copy of the incorporation deed of the issuer of
the Pledged Membership Interests, and (C) a Notarial Copy of
each bylaws amendment which has been adopted by the issuer of the
Pledged Membership Interests as of the date hereof, and (D) a
Notarial Copy of the relevant public deed through which the Pledged
Membership Interests Resolution required under
Section 3.1(c)(iii) above has been protocolized
in Mexico, including evidence of its registration in the Public
Registry of Commerce in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico,
and
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(vi) deliver to the Collateral Agent a legal opinion
issued by the Grantor’s Mexican counsel regarding, among
others, that (A) each of the issuer of the Pledged Shares and
the issuer of the Pledged Membership Interests has been duly
organized as a corporation (sociedad anónima de capital
variable) and a limited liability company (sociedad de
responsabilidad limitada de capital variable), respectively,
under the laws of Mexico; (B) in a