Exhibit
10.1
EXECUTION COPY
CREDIT AGREEMENT
dated as of October 5,
2006
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS, INC.,
ADVANCE STORES COMPANY,
INCORPORATED, as Borrower,
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
___________________________
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES
INC.,
as Sole Lead Arranger and Sole
Bookrunner
|
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
|
|
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE I
|
|
|
|
Definitions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SECTION
1.01.
|
Defined
Terms
|
1
|
|
SECTION
1.02.
|
Classification
of Loans and Borrowings
|
17
|
|
SECTION
1.03.
|
Terms
Generally
|
17
|
|
SECTION
1.04.
|
Accounting
Terms; GAAP; Fiscal Month
|
18
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE II
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Credits
|
|
|
|
|
|
SECTION
2.01.
|
Commitments
|
18
|
|
SECTION
2.02.
|
Loans and
Borrowings
|
18
|
|
SECTION
2.03.
|
Requests for
Borrowings
|
19
|
|
SECTION
2.04.
|
Swingline
Loans
|
20
|
|
SECTION
2.05.
|
Letters of
Credit
|
21
|
|
SECTION
2.06.
|
Funding of
Borrowings
|
26
|
|
SECTION
2.07.
|
Interest
Elections
|
26
|
|
SECTION
2.08.
|
Termination and
Reduction of Commitments
|
28
|
|
SECTION
2.09.
|
Repayment of Loans; Evidence of
Debt
|
28
|
|
SECTION
2.10.
|
Prepayment of
Loans
|
29
|
|
SECTION
2.11.
|
Fees
|
29
|
|
SECTION
2.12.
|
Interest
|
31
|
|
SECTION
2.13.
|
Alternate Rate
of Interest
|
31
|
|
SECTION
2.14.
|
Increased
Costs
|
32
|
|
SECTION
2.15.
|
Break Funding
Payments
|
33
|
|
SECTION
2.16.
|
Taxes
|
33
|
|
SECTION
2.17.
|
Payments
Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Set-offs
|
35
|
|
SECTION
2.18.
|
Mitigation
Obligations; Replacement of Lenders
|
37
|
|
SECTION
2.19.
|
Increase in Revolving Commitments
|
37
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE III
|
|
|
|
|
|
Representations and
Warranties
|
|
|
|
|
|
SECTION
3.01.
|
Organization;
Powers
|
39
|
|
SECTION
3.02.
|
Authorization;
Enforceability
|
39
|
|
SECTION
3.03.
|
Governmental
Approvals; No Conflicts
|
39
|
|
SECTION
3.04.
|
Financial
Condition; No Material Adverse Change
|
40
|
|
SECTION
3.05.
|
Properties
|
40
|
|
SECTION
3.06.
|
Litigation and
Environmental Matters
|
40
|
|
SECTION
3.07.
|
Compliance with Laws and Agreements
|
41
|
|
SECTION
3.08.
|
Investment
Company Status
|
41
|
|
SECTION
3.09.
|
|
41
|
|
SECTION
3.10.
|
ERISA
|
41
|
|
SECTION
3.11.
|
Disclosure
|
42
|
|
SECTION
3.12.
|
Subsidiaries
|
42
|
|
SECTION
3.13.
|
Insurance
|
42
|
|
SECTION
3.14.
|
Solvency
|
42
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE IV
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conditions
|
|
|
|
|
|
SECTION
4.01.
|
|
42
|
|
SECTION
4.02.
|
|
44
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE V
|
|
|
|
|
|
Affirmative Covenants
|
|
|
|
|
|
SECTION
5.01.
|
Financial
Statements and Other Information
|
44
|
|
SECTION
5.02.
|
Notices of
Material Events
|
46
|
|
SECTION
5.03.
|
Existence;
Conduct of Business
|
47
|
|
SECTION
5.04.
|
|
47
|
|
SECTION
5.05.
|
Maintenance of Properties
|
47
|
|
SECTION
5.06.
|
|
47
|
|
SECTION
5.07.
|
Books and Records; Inspection and Audit
Rights
|
47
|
|
SECTION
5.08.
|
|
48
|
|
SECTION
5.09.
|
Use of Proceeds
and Letters of Credit
|
48
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE VI
|
|
|
|
|
|
Negative Covenants
|
|
|
|
|
|
SECTION
6.01.
|
|
48
|
|
SECTION
6.02.
|
Liens
|
49
|
|
SECTION
6.03.
|
Fundamental
Changes
|
50
|
|
SECTION
6.04.
|
Investments,
Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions
|
51
|
|
SECTION
6.05.
|
Swap
Agreements
|
52
|
|
SECTION
6.06.
|
Restrictive
Agreements
|
52
|
|
SECTION
6.07.
|
Sale and Lease-Back Transactions
|
53
|
|
SECTION
6.08.
|
Leverage
Ratio
|
53
|
|
SECTION
6.09.
|
Consolidated
Coverage Ratio
|
53
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE VII
|
|
|
|
|
|
Events of Default
|
ii
|
ARTICLE VIII
|
|
|
|
The Administrative Agent
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE IX
|
|
|
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
|
|
SECTION
9.01.
|
|
58
|
|
SECTION
9.02.
|
|
59
|
|
SECTION
9.03.
|
Expenses;
Indemnity; Damage Waiver
|
60
|
|
SECTION
9.04.
|
Successors and
Assigns
|
61
|
|
SECTION
9.05.
|
Survival
|
65
|
|
SECTION
9.06.
|
Counterparts;
Integration; Effectiveness
|
65
|
|
SECTION
9.07.
|
|
65
|
|
SECTION
9.08.
|
Right of
Setoff
|
66
|
|
SECTION
9.09.
|
Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service
of Process
|
66
|
|
SECTION
9.10.
|
|
67
|
|
SECTION
9.11.
|
Headings
|
67
|
|
SECTION
9.12.
|
|
67
|
|
SECTION
9.13.
|
|
68
|
|
SECTION
9.14.
|
USA Patriot
Act
|
68
|
|
Schedule
2.01
|
—
|
Revolving
Commitments
|
|
Schedule
3.06
|
—
|
Disclosed
Matters
|
|
Schedule 3.12
|
—
|
Subsidiaries
|
|
Schedule
3.13
|
—
|
Insurance
|
|
Schedule
6.01
|
—
|
Existing
Indebtedness
|
|
Schedule
6.02
|
—
|
Existing
Liens
|
|
Schedule
6.04
|
—
|
Existing
Investments
|
|
Schedule
6.06
|
—
|
Existing
Restrictions
|
EXHIBITS :
|
Exhibit
A
|
—
|
Form of
Assignment and Assumption
|
|
Exhibit
B
|
—
|
Form of Guarantee Agreement
|
|
Exhibit
C
|
—
|
Form of Opinion of Counsel for the Loan
Parties
|
iii
CREDIT AGREEMENT dated as of October 5, 2006,
among ADVANCE AUTO PARTS, INC., ADVANCE STORES COMPANY,
INCORPORATED, the LENDERS party hereto, and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK,
N.A., as Administrative Agent.
The parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
Definitions
SECTION 1.01.
Defined Terms.
As used in this Agreement, the
following terms have the meanings specified below:
“ ABR ”, when used in
reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or
the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate
determined by reference to the Alternate Base Rate.
“ Adjusted Consolidated Net Income
” means, for any period, net income or loss of Holdings and
its Subsidiaries for such period determined on a consolidated basis
in accordance with GAAP, provided that, without duplication,
(a) there shall be excluded (i) the income of any Person in
which any other Person (other than the Borrower or any of the
Subsidiaries or any director holding qualifying shares in
compliance with applicable law) has a joint interest, except such
income shall be included to the extent of the amount of dividends
or other distributions actually paid to the Borrower or any of the
Subsidiaries by such Person during such period, (ii) the
income (or loss) of any Person accrued prior to the date it becomes
a Subsidiary or is merged into or consolidated with the Borrower or
any of the Subsidiaries or the date that Person’s assets are
acquired by the Borrower or any of the Subsidiaries and
(iii) gains and losses from, or incurred in connection with,
the sale, liquidation or other disposition of assets outside the
ordinary course of business and (b) for purposes of calculating the
Leverage Ratio, Adjusted Consolidated Net Income shall be
determined on a pro forma basis to give effect to any Permitted
Acquisitions and any divestitures by the Borrower or any Subsidiary
of all or substantially all the assets of , or all the Equity
Interests in, a Person or division or line of business of a Person
occurring during such period as if such transactions had occurred
on the first day of such period.
“ Adjusted LIBO Rate ” means
an interest rate per annum (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the
next 1/16 of 1%) equal to, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing
for any Interest Period, (i) the LIBO Rate for such Interest Period
multiplied by (ii) the Statutory Reserve Rate.
“ Administrative Agent ”
means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., in its capacity as administrative
agent for the Lenders hereunder.
“ Administrative Questionnaire
” means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form supplied by
the Administrative Agent.
2
“ Affiliate ” means, with
respect to a specified Person, another Person that directly, or
indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is
Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person
specified.
“ Alternate Base Rate ”
means, for any day, a rate per annum equal to the greater of
(a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day and (b) the Federal
Funds Effective Rate in effect on such day plus ½ of 1%.
Any change in the Alternate Base Rate due to a change in the Prime
Rate or the Federal Funds Effective Rate shall be effective from
and including the effective date of such change in the Prime Rate
or the Federal Funds Effective Rate, respectively.
“ Applicable Percentage ”
means, with respect to any Lender, the percentage of the total
Revolving Commitments represented by such Lender’s Revolving
Commitment. If the Revolving Commitments have terminated or
expired, the Applicable Percentages shall be determined based upon
the Revolving Commitments most recently in effect, giving effect to
any assignments.
“ Applicable Rate ” means,
for any day, with respect to any ABR Loan or Eurodollar Loan or
with respect to commitment fees in respect of Revolving Commitments
payable under Section 2.11(a), as the case may be, the
applicable rate per annum set forth below under the caption
“ABR Spread”, “Eurodollar Spread” or
“Commitment Fee Rate”, as the case may be, based upon
the Ratings by S&P and Moody’s, respectively, applicable
on such date:
|
Index Debt Ratings
|
ABR
Spread
|
Eurodollar
Spread
|
Commitment
Fee Rate
|
|
Category 1
Equal to or greater than
BBB+/Baa1
|
0.0%
|
0.40%
|
0.090%
|
|
Category 2
Equal to or greater than
BBB/Baa2
|
0.0%
|
0.50%
|
0.100%
|
|
Category 3
Equal to or greater than
BBB-/Baa3
|
0.0%
|
0.625%
|
0.125%
|
|
Category 4
Equal to or greater than
BB+/Ba1
|
0.0%
|
0.75%
|
0.150%
|
|
Category 5
Equal to or greater than
BB/Ba2
|
0.0%
|
1.00%
|
0.200%
|
|
Category 6
Lower than BB/Ba2
|
0.25%
|
1.25%
|
0.250%
|
For purposes of the foregoing, (a) if
either Moody’s or S&P shall not have in effect a Rating
(other than by reason of the circumstances referred to in the last
sentence of this paragraph), then such rating agency shall be
deemed to have established a Rating in Category 6; (b) if the
Ratings established or deemed to have been established by
Moody’s and S&P for the Index Debt shall fall within
different Categories, the Applicable Rate shall be based on the
higher of the two Ratings unless one of the two Ratings is two or
more Categories lower than the other, in which case the Applicable
Rate shall be determined by reference to the Category next below
that of the higher of the
3
two Ratings;
and (c) if the Ratings established or deemed to have been
established by Moody’s and S&P shall be changed (other
than as a result of a change in the rating system of Moody’s
or S&P), such change shall be effective as of the date on which
it is first announced by the applicable rating agency, irrespective
of when notice of such change shall have been furnished by the
Borrower to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to
Section 5.01 or otherwise. Each change in the Applicable Rate apply
during the period commencing on the effective date of such change
and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date of
the next such change. If the rating system of Moody’s or
S&P shall change, or if either such rating agency shall cease
to be in the business of rating corporate debt obligations, the
Borrower and the Lenders shall negotiate in good faith to amend
this definition to reflect such changed rating system or the
unavailability of Ratings from such rating agency and, pending the
effectiveness of any such amendment, the Applicable Rate shall be
determined by reference to the Rating most recently in effect prior
to such change or cessation.
“ Approved Fund ” has the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(b).
“ Assessment Rate ” means,
for any day, the annual assessment rate in effect on such day that
is payable by a member of the Bank Insurance Fund classified as
“well-capitalized” and within supervisory subgroup
“B” (or a comparable successor risk classification)
within the meaning of 12 C.F.R. Part 327 (or any successor
provision) to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for
insurance by such Corporation of time deposits made in dollars at
the offices of such member in the United States; provided
that if, as a result of any change in any law, rule or regulation,
it is no longer possible to determine the Assessment Rate as
aforesaid, then the Assessment Rate shall be such annual rate as
shall be determined by the Administrative Agent to be
representative of the cost of such insurance to the
Lenders.
“ Assignment and Assumption ”
means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an
assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required
by Section 9.04), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in
the form of Exhibit A or any other form approved by the
Administrative Agent.
“ Board ” means the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States of
America.
“ Borrower ” means Advance
Stores Company, Incorporated, a Virginia corporation.
“ Borrowing ” means
(a) Revolving Loans of the same Type, made, converted or
continued on the same date and, in the case of Eurodollar Loans, as
to which a single Interest Period is in effect, or (b) a
Swingline Loan.
“ Borrowing Request ” means a
request by the Borrower for a Borrowing in accordance with Section
2.03.
4
“ Business Day ” means any
day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial
banks in New York City are authorized or required by law to remain
closed; provided that, when used in connection with a
Eurodollar Loan, the term “Business Day” shall also
exclude any day on which banks are not open for dealings in dollar
deposits in the London interbank market.
“ Capital Lease Obligations ”
of any Person means the obligations of such Person to pay rent or
other amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying
the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination
thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and
accounted for as capital leases on a balance sheet of such Person
under GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be the
capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with
GAAP.
“ Change in Control ” means
at any time, (a) the acquisition of ownership, directly or
indirectly, beneficially or of record, by any Person other than
Holdings of any shares of capital stock of the Borrower; (b) the
acquisition of ownership, directly or indirectly, beneficially or
of record, by any Person or group (within the meaning of
Rule 13d-5 under the United States Securities and Exchange Act
of 1934 in effect on the date hereof), of shares representing more
than 25% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by the
issued and outstanding capital stock of Holdings; or (c) occupation
of a majority of the seats (other than vacant seats) on the board
of directors of Holdings by Persons who were not Continuing
Directors.
“ Change in Law ” means
(a) the adoption of any law, rule or regulation after the date
of this Agreement, (b) any change in any law, rule or
regulation or in the interpretation or application thereof by any
Governmental Authority after the date of this Agreement or
(c) compliance by any Lender or the Issuing Bank (or, for
purposes of Section 2.14(b), by any lending office of such Lender
or by such Lender’s or the Issuing Bank’s holding
company, if any) with any request, guideline or directive (whether
or not having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority made
or issued after the Effective Date.
“ Code ” means the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.
“ Consolidated Coverage Ratio
” means, for any period, the ratio of (a) Consolidated
EBITDAR for such period to (b) the sum of Consolidated Interest
Expense plus Consolidated Rent Expense for such period.
“ Commitment ” means a
Revolving Commitment, an Incremental Revolving Commitment, or any
combination thereof (as the context requires).
“ Consolidated EBITDA ”
means, for any period, Adjusted Consolidated Net Income for such
period, plus, without duplication and to the extent deducted from
revenues in determining Adjusted Consolidated Net Income, the sum
of (a) consolidated interest expense for such period,
(b) the aggregate amount of letter of credit fees accrued
during such period, (c) the aggregate amount of income tax
expense for such period,
5
(d) all
depreciation and amortization expense for such period and
(e) other non-cash charges for such period (excluding any
non-cash charges that constitute an accrual of or reserve for
future cash payments), and minus, without duplication and to the
extent added to revenues in determining Adjusted Consolidated Net
Income for such period, all non-cash gains during such period, all
as determined on a consolidated basis with respect to Holdings and
the Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.
“ Consolidated EBITDAR ”
means, for any period, the sum of Consolidated EBITDA for such
period plus Consolidated Rent Expense for such period.
“ Consolidated Interest Expense
” means, for any period, the interest expense of Holdings and
its Subsidiaries for such period, determined on a consolidated
basis in accordance with GAAP, less, to the extent included in
interest expense, the amortization during such period of debt
issuance and deferred financing costs, commissions and fees;
provided , however , that the aggregate amount of
such amortization that may be excluded in calculating Consolidated
Interest Expense in respect of any financing transaction shall not
exceed 3.5% of the aggregate amount of such financing.
“ Consolidated Net Income ”
means, for any period, net income or loss of Holdings and its
Subsidiaries for such period determined on a consolidated basis in
accordance with GAAP.
“ Consolidated Rent Expense ”
means, for any period , the rental expense attributable to leases
of real property that is deducted in determining Adjusted
Consolidated Net Income for such period, determined on a
consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
“ Continuing Directors ”
means the directors of Holdings on the Effective Date and each
other director, if, in each case, such other director’s
nomination for election to the board of directors of Holdings is
approved by a majority of the then Continuing Directors.
“ Control ” means the
possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause
the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether
through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or
otherwise. “ Controlling ” and “
Controlled ” have meanings correlative
thereto.
“ Default ” means any event
or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which upon
notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become
an Event of Default.
“ Deferred Compensation Obligations
” means a non-qualified deferred compensation plan that
allows executives of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries to defer
receipt of specified portions of base and bonus earnings each
calendar year. Deferrals are maintained as a liability, along with
assets owned by the Borrower, in a trust owned by the
Borrower.
6
“ Designated Vendor ” means
any vendor or supplier from which the Borrower purchases inventory
and that has been designated by the Borrower as a participant in a
Permitted Vendor Financing.
“ Designated Vendor Accounts
” means (a) accounts receivable owed by the Borrower in
respect of inventory purchased from a Designated Vendor or (b)
drafts issued by the Borrower as payment in full of one or more of
such accounts receivable; provided that such accounts
receivable or drafts shall constitute Designated Vendor Accounts
only after having been sold by such Designated Vendor to a DVA
Creditor pursuant to a Permitted Vendor Financing and only so long
as owed to a DVA Creditor.
“ Disclosed Matters ” means
the actions, suits and proceedings and the environmental matters
disclosed in Schedule 3.06.
“ DVA Creditor ” means
(a) any financial institution that has agreed to purchase one
or more Designated Vendor Accounts from a Designated Vendor
pursuant to a Permitted Vendor Financing and (b) any successor
or assignee of any such financial institution that holds any
Designated Vendor Accounts originally purchased by such financial
institution, provided that such successor or assignee is not a
Designated Vendor, a Loan Party or an Affiliate of a Designated
Vendor or a Loan Party.
“ DVA Obligations ” means the
obligations of the Borrower to pay Designated Vendor Accounts. For
purposes of this Agreement, the amount of any DVA Obligation at any
time shall be the entire amount payable in respect thereof as and
when due.
“ dollars ” or “
$ ” refers to lawful money of the United States of
America.
“ Effective Date ” means the
date on which the conditions specified in Section 4.01 are
satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02).
“ Environmental Laws ” means
all laws, rules, regulations, codes, ordinances, orders, decrees,
judgments, injunctions, notices or binding agreements issued,
promulgated or entered into by or with any Governmental Authority,
relating in any way to the environment, preservation or reclamation
of natural resources, the management, release or threatened release
of any Hazardous Material or to health and safety
matters.
“ Environmental Liability ”
means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any
liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines,
penalties or indemnities), of Holdings, the Borrower or any
Subsidiary directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon
(a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the
generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or
disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any
Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of
any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any
contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to
which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the
foregoing.
7
“ Equity Interests ” means
shares of capital stock, partnership interests, membership
interests in a limited liability company, beneficial interests in a
trust or other equity ownership interests in a Person or any
warrants, options or other rights to acquire such
interests.
“ ERISA ” means the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to
time.
“ ERISA Affiliate ” means any
trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with
the Borrower, is treated as a single employer under
Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code or, solely for purposes of
Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the Code, is treated as a
single employer under Section 414 of the Code.
“ ERISA Event ” means
(a) any “reportable event”, as defined in
Section 4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder
with respect to a Plan (other than an event for which the 30-day
notice period is waived); (b) the existence with respect to
any Plan of an “accumulated funding deficiency” (as
defined in Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of
ERISA), whether or not waived; (c) the filing pursuant to
Section 412(d) of the Code or Section 303(d) of ERISA of
an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with
respect to any Plan; (d) the incurrence by the Borrower or any
of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability under Title IV of
ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan; (e) the
receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a
plan administrator of any notice relating to an intention to
terminate any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer
any Plan; (f) the incurrence by the Borrower or any of its
ERISA Affiliates of any liability with respect to the withdrawal or
partial withdrawal from any Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or
(g) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any
notice, or the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan from the Borrower
or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, concerning the imposition of
Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan
is, or is expected to be, insolvent or in reorganization, within
the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
“ Eurodollar ”, when used in
reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or
the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate
determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate.
“ Event of Default ” has the
meaning assigned to such term in Article VII.
“ Excluded Margin Stock ”
means any shares of capital stock of Holdings that constitute
“margin stock” within the meaning of Regulation U of
the Board and are held as treasury stock by Holdings.
“ Excluded Taxes ” means,
with respect to the Administrative Agent, any Lender, the Issuing
Bank or any other recipient of any payment to be made by or on
account of any obligation of the Borrower hereunder,
(a) income or franchise taxes imposed on (or measured by) its
net income by the United States of America, or by the jurisdiction
under the laws of which such recipient is organized or in which its
principal
8
office is
located or, in the case of any Lender, in which its applicable
lending office is located, (b) any branch profits taxes
imposed by the United States of America or any similar tax imposed
by any other jurisdiction in which the Borrower is located and
(c) in the case of a Foreign Lender (other than an assignee
pursuant to a request by the Borrower under Section 2.18(b)), any
withholding tax that is imposed on amounts payable to such Foreign
Lender at the time such Foreign Lender becomes a party to this
Agreement (or designates a new lending office) or is attributable
to such Foreign Lender’s failure to comply with Section
2.16(e), except to the extent that such Foreign Lender (or its
assignor, if any) was entitled, at the time of designation of a new
lending office (or assignment), to receive additional amounts from
the Borrower with respect to such withholding tax pursuant to
Section 2.16(a).
“ Existing Credit Agreement ”
means the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated
November 3, 2004, as amended, among Holdings, the Borrower,
the lenders party thereto, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as
administrative agent.
“ Existing Letters of Credit
” means all letters of credit outstanding under the Existing
Credit Agreement as of the Effective Date.
“ Federal Funds Effective Rate
” means, for any day, the weighted average (rounded upwards,
if necessary, to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the rates on overnight
Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve
System arranged by Federal funds brokers, as published on the next
succeeding Business Day by the Federal Reserve Bank of
New York, or, if such rate is not so published for any day
that is a Business Day, the average (rounded upwards, if necessary,
to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the quotations for such day for such
transactions received by the Administrative Agent from three
Federal funds brokers of recognized standing selected by
it.
“ Financial Officer ” means
the chief financial officer, vice president of finance, principal
accounting officer, treasurer or controller of Holdings or the
Borrower, as applicable.
“ Foreign Lender ” means any
Lender that is organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other
than that in which the Borrower is located. For purposes of this
definition, the United States of America, each State thereof and
the District of Columbia shall be deemed to constitute a single
jurisdiction.
“ Foreign Subsidiary ” means
any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of a jurisdiction
other than the United States of America or any State thereof or the
District of Columbia.
“ GAAP ” means generally
accepted accounting principles in the United States of
America.
“ Governmental Authority ”
means the government of the United States of America, any other
nation or any political subdivision thereof, whether state or
local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body,
court, central bank or other entity
9
exercising
executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or
administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to
government.
“ Guarantee ” of or by any
Person (the “ guarantor ”) means any obligation,
contingent or otherwise, of the guarantor guaranteeing or having
the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other
obligation of any other Person (the “ primary obligor
”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and
including any obligation of the guarantor, direct or indirect,
(a) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the
purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation or to
purchase (or to advance or supply funds for the purchase of) any
security for the payment thereof, (b) to purchase or lease
property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the
owner of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment
thereof, (c) to maintain working capital, equity capital or
any other financial statement condition or liquidity of the primary
obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such
Indebtedness or other obligation or (d) as an account party in
respect of any letter of credit or letter of guaranty issued to
support such Indebtedness or obligation; provided , that the
term “Guarantee” shall not include endorsements for
collection or deposit in the ordinary course of
business.
“ Guarantee Agreement ” means
the Guarantee Agreement, substantially in the form of
Exhibit B, made by Holdings in favor of the Administrative
Agent for the benefit of the Lenders.
“ Hazardous Materials ” means
all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous
or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants, including
petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos containing
materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or
medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature
regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.
“ Holdings ” means Advance
Auto Parts, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
“ Indebtedness ” of any
Person means, without duplication, (a) all obligations of such
Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances
of any kind, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by
bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) all
obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title
retention agreements relating to property acquired by such Person,
(d) all obligations of such Person in respect of the deferred
purchase price of property or services (excluding (i) accounts
payable incurred in the ordinary course of business that are not
overdue by more than 90 days and (ii) Deferred Compensation
Obligations), (e) all Indebtedness of others secured by (or
for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right,
contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any Lien on property
owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the Indebtedness
secured thereby has been assumed, (f) all Guarantees by such
Person of Indebtedness of others, (g) all Capital Lease
Obligations of such Person, (h) all obligations, contingent or
otherwise, of such Person as an account party in respect of letters
of credit and letters of guaranty, (i) all obligations,
contingent or otherwise, of such Person in respect of
bankers’ acceptances and (j) all DVA Obligations. The
Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any
other entity
10
(including any
partnership in which such Person is a general partner) to the
extent such Person is liable therefor as a result of such
Person’s ownership interest in or other relationship with
such entity, except to the extent the terms of such Indebtedness
provide that such Person is not liable therefor. The amount of any
Indebtedness described in clause (f) above shall be limited to the
maximum amount payable under the applicable Guarantee of such
Person if such Guarantee contains limitations on the amount payable
thereunder.
“ Indemnified Taxes ” means
Taxes other than Excluded Taxes.
“ Index Debt ” means senior,
unsecured, long-term indebtedness for borrowed money of Holdings
that is not guaranteed by any other Person or subject to any other
credit enhancement.
“ Information Memorandum ”
means the Confidential Information Memorandum dated September 2006
relating to the Borrower and the Transactions.
“ Interest Election Request ”
means a request by the Borrower to convert or continue a Borrowing
in accordance with Section 2.07.
“ Interest Payment Date ”
means (a) with respect to any ABR Loan (other than a Swingline
Loan), the last day of each March, June, September and December,
(b) with respect to any Eurodollar Loan, the last day of the
Interest Period applicable to the Borrowing of which such Loan is a
part and, in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing with an Interest
Period of more than three months’ duration, each day prior to
the last day of such Interest Period that occurs at intervals of
three months’ duration after the first day of such Interest
Period, and (c) with respect to any Swingline Loan, the day
that such Loan is required to be repaid.
“ Interest Period ” means
with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing, the period commencing on
the date of such Borrowing and ending on the numerically
corresponding day in the calendar month that is one, two, three or
six months (or, to the extent made available by all Lenders,
nine or twelve months) thereafter, as the Borrower may elect;
provided , that (i) if any Interest Period would end on
a day other than a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be
extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such next
succeeding Business Day would fall in the next calendar month, in
which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding
Business Day and (ii) any Interest Period that commences on
the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which
there is no numerically corresponding day in the last calendar
month of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day
of the last calendar month of such Interest Period. For purposes
hereof, the date of a Borrowing initially shall be the date on
which such Borrowing is made and thereafter shall be the effective
date of the most recent conversion or continuation of such
Borrowing.
“ Issuing Bank ” means (a)
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., in its capacity as the issuer of
(i) Letters of Credit hereunder and (ii) Existing Letters
of Credit under the Existing Credit Agreement, in each case
including its successors in such capacity as
11
provided in
Section 2.05(i), or (b) any other Lender approved by the
Administrative Agent and the Borrower. An Issuing Bank may, in its
discretion, arrange for one or more Letters of Credit to be issued
by Affiliates of such Issuing Bank, in which case the term
“Issuing Bank” shall include any such Affiliate with
respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Affiliate.
“ LC Disbursement ” means a
payment made by the Issuing Bank pursuant to a Letter of
Credit.
“ LC Exposure ” means, at any
time, the sum of (a) the aggregate undrawn amount of all
outstanding Letters of Credit at such time plus (b) the
aggregate amount of all LC Disbursements that have not yet been
reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time. The LC
Exposure of any Revolving Lender at any time shall be its
Applicable Percentage of the total LC Exposure at such
time.
“ Lenders ” means the Persons
listed on Schedule 2.01 and any other Person that shall have
become a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption,
other than any such Person that ceases to be a party hereto
pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption. Unless the context
otherwise requires, the term “Lenders” includes the
Swingline Lender.
“ Letter of Credit ” means
any letter of credit issued pursuant to this Agreement. Each
Existing Letter of Credit will be deemed to constitute a Letter of
Credit for all purposes under the Loan Documents as though each
Existing Letter of Credit had been issued hereunder on the
Effective Date.
“ Leverage Ratio ” means, on
any date, the ratio of (a) Total Debt as of such date to
(b) Consolidated EBITDA for the period of four consecutive
fiscal quarters of Holdings most recently ended as of such date
(or, if such date is not the last day of a fiscal quarter, then
most recently ended prior to such date), all determined on a
consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
“ LIBO Rate ” means, with
respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing for any Interest Period, the
rate appearing on Page 3750 of the Dow Jones Markets Service (or on
any successor or substitute page of such Service, or any successor
to or substitute for such Service, providing rate quotations
comparable to those currently provided on such page of such
Service, as determined by the Administrative Agent from time to
time for purposes of providing quotations of interest rates
applicable to dollar deposits in the London interbank market) at
approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two Business Days prior to
the commencement of such Interest Period, as the rate for dollar
deposits with a maturity comparable to such Interest Period. In the
event that such rate is not available at such time for any reason,
then the LIBO Rate with respect to such Eurodollar Borrowing for
such Interest Period shall be the rate at which dollar deposits of
$5,000,000 and for a maturity comparable to such Interest Period
are offered by the principal London office of the Administrative
Agent in immediately available funds in the London interbank market
at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two Business Days
prior to the commencement of such Interest Period.
12
“ Lien ” means, with respect
to any asset, (a) any mortgage, deed of trust, lien, pledge,
hypothecation, encumbrance, charge or security interest in, on or
of such asset, (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under
any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention
agreement (or any financing lease having substantially the same
economic effect as any of the foregoing) relating to such asset and
(c) in the case of securities, any purchase option, call or
similar right of a third party with respect to such
securities.
“ Loan Documents ” means this
Agreement, the promissory notes, if any, executed and delivered
pursuant to Section 2.09(e), and the Guarantee
Agreement.
“ Loan Parties ” means
Holdings and the Borrower.
“ Loans ” means the loans
made by the Lenders to the Borrower pursuant to this
Agreement.
“ Material Adverse Effect ”
means a material adverse effect on (a) the business, assets,
operations, prospects or condition, financial or otherwise, of
Holdings, the Borrower and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole,
(b) the ability of any Loan Party to perform any of its
obligations under any Loan Document or (c) the rights of or
benefits available to the Lenders under any Loan
Document.
“ Material Indebtedness ”
means Indebtedness (other than the Loans and Letters of Credit), or
obligations in respect of one or more Swap Agreements, of any one
or more of Holdings, the Borrower and their Subsidiaries in an
aggregate principal amount exceeding $25,000,000. For purposes of
determining Material Indebtedness, the “principal
amount” of the obligations of Holdings, the Borrower or any
Subsidiary in respect of any Swap Agreement at any time shall be
the maximum aggregate amount (giving effect to any netting
agreements) that Holdings, the Borrower or such Subsidiary would be
required to pay if such Swap Agreement were terminated at such
time.
“ Moody’s ” means
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
“ Multiemployer Plan ” means
a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of
ERISA.
“ Other Taxes ” means any and
all current or future stamp or documentary taxes or any other
excise or property taxes, charges or similar levies arising from
any payment made under any Loan Document or from the execution,
delivery or enforcement of, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan
Document.
“ PBGC ” means the Pension
Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in ERISA and
any successor entity performing similar functions.
“ Permitted Acquisition ”
means any acquisition by the Borrower or a Subsidiary of the
Borrower of all or substantially all the assets of, or all the
Equity Interests in, a Person or division, line of business or
business unit of a Person if, immediately after giving effect
thereto, (a) no Default has occurred and is continuing
or
13
would result
therefrom, (b) all transactions related thereto are
consummated in accordance with applicable laws, (c) all the
Equity Interests of any Subsidiary formed for the purpose of or
resulting from such acquisition shall be owned directly by the
Borrower or a Subsidiary of the Borrower, (d) the Borrower and
its Subsidiaries are in compliance, on a pro forma basis after
giving effect to such acquisition, with the covenants contained in
Sections 6.08 and 6.09 recomputed as of the last day of the
most recently ended fiscal quarter of the Borrower for which
financial statements are available, as if such acquisition (and any
related incurrence or repayment of Indebtedness, with any new
Indebtedness being deemed to be amortized over the applicable
testing period in accordance with its terms, and assuming that any
Revolving Loans borrowed in connection with such acquisition are
repaid with excess cash balances when available) had occurred on
the first day of each relevant period for testing such compliance
and (e) the Borrower has delivered to the Administrative Agent
an officers’ certificate to the effect set forth in
clauses (a), (b), (c) and (d) above, together with all
relevant financial information for the Person or assets to be
acquired.
“ Permitted Encumbrances ”
means:
(a) Liens imposed by law for taxes or government
assessments that are not yet due or are being contested in
compliance with Section 5.04;
(b) carriers’, warehousemen’s,
mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s and other
like Liens imposed by law, arising in the ordinary course of
business and securing obligations that are not overdue by more than
60 days or are being contested in compliance with
Section 5.04;
(c) pledges and deposits made in the ordinary
course of business in compliance with workers’ compensation,
unemployment insurance and other social security laws or
regulations;
(d) deposits (and, to the extent securing a
trade contract or indemnity bond, Liens on assets to which such
contract or bond relates) to secure the performance of bids, trade
contracts, leases, statutory obligations, surety, indemnity and
appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like
nature, in each case in the ordinary course of business;
(e) judgment liens in respect of judgments that
do not constitute an Event of Default under clause (k) of
Article VII;
(f) easements, zoning restrictions,
rights-of-way and similar encumbrances on real property imposed by
law or arising in the ordinary course of business that do not
secure any monetary obligations and do not interfere with the
ordinary conduct of business of Holdings or any
Subsidiary;
(g) any interest or title of a lessor under any
lease that is limited to the property subject to such lease;
and
(h) unperfected Liens of any vendor on inventory
sold by such vendor securing the unpaid purchase price of such
inventory, to the extent such Liens are stated to be reserved in
such vendor’s sale documents (and not granted by separate
agreement of the Borrower or any Subsidiary);
provided that the term “Permitted
Encumbrances” shall not include any Lien securing
Indebtedness.
“ Permitted Investments ”
means:
(a) direct obligations of, or obligations the
principal of and interest on which are unconditionally guaranteed
by, the United States of America (or by any agency thereof to the
extent such obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of
the United States of America), in each case maturing within one
year from the date of acquisition thereof;
(b) investments in commercial paper maturing
within 270 days from the date of acquisition thereof and
having, at such date of acquisition, a credit rating from S&P
of A1 or higher or from Moody’s of P1 or higher;
(c) investments in certificates of deposit,
banker’s acceptances and time deposits maturing within
180 days from the date of acquisition thereof issued or
guaranteed by or placed with, and money market deposit accounts
issued or offered by, any domestic office of any commercial bank
organized under the laws of the United States of America or any
State thereof which has a combined capital and surplus and
undivided profits of not less than $500,000,000;
(d) fully collateralized repurchase agreements
with a term of not more than 30 days for securities described
in clause (a) above and entered into with a financial
institution satisfying the criteria described in clause (c)
above;
(e) investments in money market or mutual funds
substantially all the assets of which are comprised of securities
of the types described in any of clauses (a) through (d) above;
and
(f) corporate notes and corporate bonds or
municipal securities which includes variable rate demand notes and
auction rate municipals, assigned a credit rating from S&P of
A2 or higher or from Moody’s of A or higher.
“ Permitted Vendor Financing
” means a financing arrangement pursuant to which a
Designated Vendor sells to a financial institution that is a DVA
Creditor (a) accounts receivable owed to such Designated
Vendor by the Borrower or (b) drafts issued by the Borrower to
replace such accounts receivable.
“ Person ” means any natural
person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint
venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority
or other entity.
15
“ Plan ” means any employee
pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) subject to
the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the
Code or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which the
Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate is (or, if such plan were
terminated, would under Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be)
an “employer” as defined in Section 3(5) of
ERISA.
“ Prime Rate ” means the rate
of interest per annum publicly announced from time to time by
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as its prime rate in effect at its
principal office in New York City; each change in the Prime Rate
shall be effective from and including the date such change is
publicly announced as being effective.
“ Rating ” means (a) the
rating by the applicable rating agency of the Index Debt or (b) in
the absence of Index Debt, the “corporate rating” or
“corporate family rating” or the equivalent applicable
to Holdings by the applicable rating agency.
“ Register ” has the meaning
set forth in Section 9.04.
“ Related Parties ” means,
with respect to any specified Person, such Person’s
Affiliates and the respective directors, officers, employees,
agents and advisors of such Person and such Person’s
Affiliates.
“ Required Lenders ” means,
at any time, Lenders having Revolving Exposures and unused
Revolving Commitments representing more than 50% of the sum of the
total Revolving Exposures and unused Revolving Commitments at such
time.
“ Revolving
Availability Period ” means the period from and including
the Effective Date to but excluding the earlier of the Revolving
Maturity Date and the date of termination of the Revolving
Commitments.
“ Revolving Commitment ”
means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment, if any, of such
Lender to make Revolving Loans and to acquire participations in
Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans hereunder, expressed as an
amount representing the maximum aggregate amount of such
Lender’s Revolving Exposure hereunder, as such commitment may
be (a) reduced from time to time pursuant to Section 2.08
and (b) reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to
assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to Section 9.04. The
initial amount of each Lender’s Revolving Commitment is set
forth on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption
pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed its Revolving
Commitment, as applicable. The initial aggregate amount of the
Lenders’ Revolving Commitments is $750,000,000.
“ Revolving Exposure ” means,
with respect to any Lender at any time, the sum of the outstanding
principal amount of such Lender’s Revolving Loans and its LC
Exposure and Swingline Exposure at such time.
“ Revolving Lender ” means a
Lender with a Revolving Commitment or, if the Revolving Commitments
have terminated or expired, a Lender with Revolving
Exposure.
16
“ Revolving Loan ” means a
Loan made pursuant to Section 2.01.
“ Revolving Maturity Date ”
means October 5, 2011.
“ Sale and Leaseback ” has
the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.07.
“ S&P ” means
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group, Inc.
“ Statutory Reserve Rate ”
means a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the numerator of which
is the number one and the denominator of which is the number one
minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentages (including
any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves)
expressed as a decimal established by the Board to which the
Administrative Agent is subject for eurocurrency funding (currently
referred to as “Eurocurrency Liabilities” in
Regulation D of the Board). Such reserve percentages shall
include those imposed pursuant to such Regulation D.
Eurodollar Loans shall be deemed to constitute eurocurrency funding
and to be subject to such reserve requirements without benefit of
or credit for proration, exemptions or offsets that may be
available from time to time to any Lender under such
Regulation D or any comparable regulation. The Statutory
Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the
effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.
“ subsidiary ” means, with
respect to any Person (the “ parent ”) at any
date, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership,
association or other entity the accounts of which would be
consolidated with those of the parent in the parent’s
consolidated financial statements if such financial statements were
prepared in accordance with GAAP as of such date, as well as any
other corporation, limited liability company, partnership,
association or other entity (a) of which securities or other
ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or
more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a
partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests
are, as of such date, owned, controlled or held, or (b) that
is, as of such date, otherwise Controlled, by the parent or one or
more subsidiaries of the parent or by the parent and one or more
subsidiaries of the parent.
“ Subsidiary ” means any
subsidiary of Holdings or the Borrower, as the context
requires.
“ Swap Agreement ” means any
agreement with respect to any swap, forward, future or derivative
transaction or option or similar agreement involving, or settled by
reference to, one or more rates, currencies, commodities, equity or
debt instruments or securities, or economic, financial or pricing
indices or measures of economic, financial or pricing risk or value
or any similar transaction or any combination of these
transactions; provided that no phantom stock or similar plan
providing for payments only on account of services provided by
current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants of
Holdings, the Borrower or the Subsidiaries shall be a Swap
Agreement.
17
“ Swingline Exposure ” means,
at any time, the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans
outstanding at such time. The Swingline Exposure of any Lender at
any time shall be its Applicable Percentage of the total Swingline
Exposure at such time.
“ Swingline Lender ” means
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., in its capacity as lender of Swingline
Loans hereunder or any successor in such capacity pursuant to
Section 2.04(d).
“ Swingline Loan ” means a
Loan made pursuant to Section 2.04.
“ Taxes ” means any and all
present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions,
charges or withholdings imposed by any Governmental
Authority.
“ Total Debt ” means, as of
the date of determination, an amount equal to all Indebtedness of
the Borrower and its Subsidiaries outstanding on such date,
excluding Indebtedness described in clauses (e), (f) and (h)
of the definition of “Indebtedness”; provided
that any letters of credit and letters of guaranty referred to in
clause (h) of the definition “Indebtedness” shall
not be excluded from Total Debt to the extent issued to support any
other obligations constituting Indebtedness.
“ Transactions ” means the
execution and delivery by each Loan Party of each Loan Document to
which it is a party, the borrowing of Loans, the use of the
proceeds thereof and the issuance of Letters of Credit
hereunder.
“ Type ”, when used in
reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether the rate of
interest on such Loan, or on the Loans constituting such Borrowing,
is determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the
Alternate Base Rate.
“ Withdrawal Liability ”
means liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete
or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms
are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of
ERISA.
SECTION 1.02.
Classification of Loans and
Borrowings. For purposes
of this Agreement, Loans may be classified and referred to by Type
( e.g. , a “Eurodollar Loan”). Borrowings also
may be classified and referred to by Type ( e.g. , a
“Eurodollar Borrowing”).
SECTION 1.03.
Terms Generally.
The definitions of terms herein
shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms
defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall
include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The
words “include”, “includes” and
“including” shall be deemed to be followed by the
phrase “without limitation”. The word
“will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and
effect as the word “shall”. Unless the context requires
otherwise (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement,
instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring
to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to
time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any
restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set
forth herein),
18
(b) any
reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such
Person’s successors and assigns, (c) the words
“herein”, “hereof” and
“hereunder”, and words of similar import, shall be
construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any
particular provision hereof, (d) all references herein to
Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to
refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to,
this Agreement and (e) the words “asset” and
“property” shall be construed to have the same meaning
and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible
assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and
contract rights.
SECTION 1.04.
Accounting Terms; GAAP; Fiscal
Month. Except as
otherwise expressly provided herein, all terms of an accounting or
financial nature shall be construed in accordance with GAAP, as in
effect from time to time; provided that, if the Borrower
notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower requests an
amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of any
change occurring after the date hereof in GAAP or in the
application thereof on the operation of such provision (or if the
Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that the Required
Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof for such
purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or
after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof, then such
provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect
and applied immediately before such change shall have become
effective until such notice shall have been withdrawn or such
provision amended in accordance herewith. Except as otherwise
provided herein, all references to a fiscal month shall mean any
period of four or five calendar weeks used by the Borrower for
recording or reporting its interim financial
information.
ARTICLE II
The Credits
SECTION 2.01.
Commitments.
Subject to the terms and conditions
set forth herein, each Lender agrees to make Revolving Loans to the
Borrower from time to time during the Revolving Availability Period
in an aggregate principal amount that will not result in such
Lender’s Revolving Exposure exceeding such Lender’s
Revolving Commitment. Within the foregoing limits and subject to
the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow,
prepay and reborrow Revolving Loans.
SECTION 2.02.
Loans and Borrowings.
(a) Each Revolving Loan shall
be made as part of a Borrowing consisting of Revolving Loans of the
same Type made by the Lenders ratably in accordance with their
respective Revolving Commitments. The failure of any Lender to make
any Revolving Loan required to be made by it shall not relieve any
other Lender of its obligations hereunder; provided that the
Revolving Commitments of the Lenders are several and no Lender
shall be responsible for any other Lender’s failure to make
Revolving Loans as required.
(b) Subject to Section 2.13, each Revolving
Borrowing shall be comprised entirely of ABR Loans or Eurodollar
Loans as the Borrower may request in accordance herewith. Each
Swingline Loan shall be an ABR Loan. Each Lender at its option
may
19
make any
Eurodollar Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch or
Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan; provided that
any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the
Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement.
(c) At the commencement of each Interest Period for
any Eurodollar Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate
amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000 and not less than
$5,000,000. At the time that each ABR Revolving Borrowing is made,
such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral
multiple of $500,000 and not less than $5,000,000; provided
that (i) an ABR Revolving Borrowing may be in an aggregate
amount that is equal to the entire unused balance of the total
Revolving Commitments and (ii) an ABR Revolving Borrowing may be in
an aggregate amount that is equal to the amount that is required to
finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by
Section 2.05(e). Each Swingline Loan shall be in an amount that is
an integral multiple of $100,000 and not less than $200,000.
Borrowings of more than one Type may be outstanding at the same
time; provided that there shall not at any time be more than
a total of 8 Eurodollar Borrowings outstanding.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to request, or to
elect to convert or continue, any Borrowing if the Interest Period
requested with respect thereto would end after the Revolving
Maturity Date.
SECTION 2.03.
Requests for
Borrowings. To request a
Revolving Borrowing, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative
Agent of such request by telephone (a) in the case of a
Eurodollar Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City
time, three Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing
or (b) in the case of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 11:00
a.m., New York City time, one Business Day before the date of
the proposed Borrowing; provided that any such notice of an
ABR Revolving Borrowing to finance the reimbursement of an LC
Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.05(e) may be given
not later than 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date of the
proposed Borrowing. Each such telephonic Borrowing Request shall be
irrevocable and shall be confirmed promptly by hand delivery or
telecopy to the Administrative Agent of a written Borrowing Request
in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the
Borrower. Each such telephonic and written Borrowing Request shall
specify the following information in compliance with
Section 2.02:
(i) the aggregate amount of such
Borrowing;
(ii) the date of such Borrowing, which shall be a
Business Day;
(iii) whether such Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing
or a Eurodollar Borrowing;
(iv) in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, the
initial Interest Period to be applicable thereto, which shall be a
period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest
Period”; and
(v) the location and number of the Borrower’s
account to which funds are to be disbursed, which shall comply with
the requirements of Section 2.06.
If no election as to the Type of Borrowing is
specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be an ABR Borrowing.
If no Interest Period is specified with respect to any requested
Eurodollar Borrowing, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have
selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration. Promptly
following receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this
Section, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the
details thereof and of the amount of such Lender’s Loan to be
made as part of the requested Borrowing.
SECTION 2.04.
Swingline Loans.
(a) Subject to the terms and
conditions set forth herein, the Swingline Lender agrees to make
Swingline Loans to the Borrower from time to time during the
Revolving Availability Period, in an aggregate principal amount at
any time outstanding that will not result in (i) the aggregate
principal amount of outstanding Swingline Loans exceeding
$50,000,000 or (ii) the sum of the total Revolving Exposures
exceeding the total Revolving Commitments; provided that the
Swingline Lender shall not be required to make a Swingline Loan to
refinance an outstanding Swingline Loan. Within the foregoing
limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein,
the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Swingline
Loans.
(b) To request a Swingline Loan, the Borrower shall
notify the Administrative Agent of such request by telephone
(confirmed by telecopy), not later than 12:00 noon, New York City
time, on the day of a proposed Swingline Loan. Each such notice
shall be irrevocable and shall specify the requested date (which
shall be a Business Day) and amount of the requested Swingline
Loan. The Administrative Agent will promptly advise the Swingline
Lender of any such notice received from the Borrower. The Swingline
Lender shall make each Swingline Loan available to the Borrower by
means of a credit to the general deposit account of the Borrower
with the Swingline Lender (or, in the case of a Swingline Loan made
to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in
Section 2.05(e), by remittance to the Issuing Bank) by
3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the requested date of such
Swingline Loan.
(c) The Swingline Lender may by written notice given
to the Administrative Agent not later than 10:00 a.m., New York
City time, on any Business Day require the Revolving Lenders to
acquire participations on such Business Day in all or a portion of
the Swingline Loans outstanding. Such notice shall specify the
aggregate amount of Swingline Loans in which Revolving Lenders will
participate. Promptly upon receipt of such notice, the
Administrative Agent will give notice thereof to each Lender,
specifying in such notice such Lender’s Applicable Percentage
of such Swingline Loan or Loans. Each Revolving Lender hereby
absolutely and unconditionally agrees, upon
21
receipt of
notice as provided above, to pay to the Administrative Agent, for
the account of the Swingline Lender, such Lender’s Applicable
Percentage of such Swingline Loan or Loans. Each Revolving Lender
acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire
participations in Swingline Loans pursuant to this paragraph is
absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any
circumstance whatsoever, including the occurrence and continuance
of a Default or reduction or termination of the Revolving
Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any
offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. Each Lender
shall comply with its obligation under this paragraph by wire
transfer of immediately available funds, in the same manner as
provided in Section 2.06 with respect to Revolving Loans made
by such Lender (and Section 2.06 shall apply, mutatis
mutandis , to the payment obligations of the
Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the
Swingline Lender the amounts so received by it from the Lenders.
The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower of any
participations in any Swingline Loan acquired pursuant to this
paragraph, and thereafter payments in respect of such Swingline
Loan shall be made to the Administrative Agent and not to the
Swingline Lender. Any amounts received by the Swingline Lender from
the Borrower (or other party on behalf of the Borrower) in respect
of a Swingline Loan after receipt by the Swingline Lender of the
proceeds of a sale of participations therein shall be promptly
remitted to the Administrative Agent; any such amounts received by
the Administrative Agent shall be promptly remitted by the
Administrative Agent to the Lenders that shall have made their
payments pursuant to this paragraph and to the Swingline Lender, as
their interests may appear. The purchase of participations in a
Swingline Loan pursuant to this paragraph shall not relieve the
Borrower of any default in the payment thereof.
(d)
Replacement of Swingline
Lender. A Swingline
Lender may be replaced by any other Lender at any time that there
are no outstanding Swingline Loans by a written agreement among the
Administrative Agent, the Borrower and successor Swingline Lender.
The Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such
replacement of the Swingline Lender. From and after the effective
date of any such replacement, (i) the successor Swingline
Lender shall have all the rights and obligations of the Swingline
Lender under this Agreement and (ii) references herein to the term
“Swingline Lender” shall be deemed to refer to such
successor Swingline Lender. After the replacement of the Swingline
Lender pursuant to this clause (d), the replaced Swingline Lender
shall not be required to make any Swingline Loans. Notwithstanding
any provisions to the contrary in Section 9.04, at no time
following the replacement of the Swingline Lender pursuant to this
clause (d), may the Swingline Lender as of such time make an
assignment or assignments the effect of which would be to reduce
its Revolving Commitment to zero.
SECTION 2.05.
Letters of Credit.
(a) General. Subject
to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may
request the issuance of Letters of Credit for its own account, in a
form reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent and the
applicable Issuing Bank, at any time and from time to time during
the Revolving Availability Period. In the event of any
inconsistency between the terms and conditions of this Agreement
and the terms and conditions of any form of letter of credit
application or other agreement submitted by the Borrower to, or
entered into by the Borrower with,
22
an Issuing Bank
relating to any Letter of Credit, the terms and conditions of this
Agreement shall control.
(b)
Notice of Issuance, Amendment,
Renewal, Extension; Certain Conditions. To request the issuance of a Letter of Credit
(or the amendment, renewal or extension of an outstanding Letter of
Credit), the Borrower shall hand deliver or telecopy (or transmit
by electronic communication, if arrangements for doing so have been
approved by the applicable Issuing Bank) to the applicable Issuing
Bank and the Administrative Agent (reasonably in advance of the
requested date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension) a
notice requesting the issuance of a Letter of Credit, or
identifying the Letter of Credit to be amended, renewed or
extended, and specifying the date of issuance, amendment, renewal
or extension (which shall be a Business Day), the date on which
such Letter of Credit is to expire (which shall comply with
paragraph (c) of this Section), the amount of such Letter of
Credit, the name and address of the beneficiary thereof and such
other information as shall be necessary to prepare, amend, renew or
extend such Letter of Credit. If there is more than one Issuing
Bank, the Borrower may select among the Issuing Banks in connection
with the issuance of any Letter of Credit. If requested by the
Issuing Bank, the Borrower also shall submit a letter of credit
application on the Issuing Bank’s standard form in connection
with any request for a Letter of Credit. A Letter of Credit shall
be issued, amended, renewed or extended only if (and upon issuance,
amendment, renewal or extension of each Letter of Credit the
Borrower shall be deemed to represent and warrant that), after
giving effect to such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension
(i) the LC Exposure shall not exceed $300,000,000 and
(ii) the total Revolving Exposures shall not exceed the total
Revolving Commitments.
(c)
Expiration Date.
Each Letter of Credit shall expire
at or prior to the close of business on the earlier of (i) the
date one year after the date of the issuance of such Letter of
Credit (or, in the case of any renewal or extension thereof, one
year after such renewal or extension) and (ii) the date that
is five Business Days prior to the Revolving Maturity Date;
provided , however , that a Letter of Credit may, if
requested by the Borrower, provide by its terms for renewal for
successive periods of up to one year each (but not beyond the
Revolving Maturity Date) unless and until the Issuing Bank shall
have delivered a notice of nonrenewal, in accordance with such
Letter of Credit, prior to the then expiry thereof to the
beneficiary of such Letter of Credit.
(d)
Participations.
By the issuance of a Letter of
Credit (or an amendment to a Letter of Credit increasing the amount
thereof) and without any further action on the part of the Issuing
Bank or the Lenders, the Issuing Bank hereby grants to each Lender,
and each Lender hereby acquires from the Issuing Bank, a
participation in such Letter of Credit equal to such Lender’s
Applicable Percentage of the aggregate amount available to be drawn
under such Letter of Credit. In consideration and in furtherance of
the foregoing, each Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally
agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the
Issuing Bank, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of each LC
Disbursement made by the Issuing Bank and not reimbursed by the
Borrower on the date due as provided in paragraph (e) of this
Section, or of any reimbursement payment required to be refunded to
the Borrower for any reason. Each
23
Lender
acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire
participations pursuant to this paragraph in respect of Letters of
Credit is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by
any circumstance whatsoever, including any amendment, renewal or
extension of any Letter of Credit or the occurrence and continuance
of a Default or reduction or termination of the Commitments, and
that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement,
withholding or reduction whatsoever.
(e)
Reimbursement.
If the Issuing Bank shall make any
LC Disbursement in respect of a Letter of Credit, the Borrower
shall reimburse such LC Disbursement by paying to the
Administrative Agent an amount equal to such LC Disbursement not
later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, on the date that such LC
Disbursement is made, if the Borrower shall have received notice of
such LC Disbursement prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on
such date, or, if such notice has not been received by the Borrower
prior to such time on such date, then not later than 12:00 noon,
New York City time, on (i) the Business Day that the Borrower
receives such notice, if such notice is received prior to 10:00
a.m., New York City time, on the day of the receipt, or (ii) the
Business Day immediately following the day that the Borrower
receives such notice, if such notice is not received prior to such
time on the day of receipt; provided that, if such LC
Disbursement is not less than $100,000, the Borrower may, subject
to the conditions to borrowing set forth herein, request in
accordance with Section 2.03 or 2.04 that such payment be financed
with an ABR Revolving Borrowing or Swingline Loan in an equivalent
amount and, to the extent so financed, the Borrower’s
obligation to make such payment shall be discharged and replaced by
the resulting ABR Revolving Borrowing or Swingline Loan. If the
Borrower fails to make such payment when due, the Administrative
Agent shall notify each Lender of the applicable LC Disbursement,
the payment then due from the Borrower in respect thereof and such
Lender’s Applicable Percentage thereof. Promptly following
receipt of such notice, each Lender shall pay to the Administrative
Agent its Applicable Percentage of the payment then due from the
Borrower, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.06 with
respect to Revolving Loans made by such Lender (and
Section 2.06 shall apply, mutatis
mutandis , to the payment obligations of the Lenders), and
the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the Issuing Bank the
amounts so received by it from the Lenders. Promptly following
receipt by the Administrative Agent of any payment from the
Borrower pursuant to this paragraph, the Administrative Agent shall
distribute such payment to the Issuing Bank or, to the extent that
Lenders have made payments pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse
the Issuing Bank, then to such Lenders and the Issuing Bank as
their interests may appear. Any payment made by a Lender pursuant
to this paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Bank for any LC
Disbursement (other than the funding of ABR Revolving Loans or a
Swingline Loan as contemplated above) shall not constitute a Loan
and shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse
such LC Disbursement.
(f)
Obligations Absolute.
The Borrower’s obligation to
reimburse LC Disbursements as provided in paragraph (e) of
this Section shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and
shall be performed strictly in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement under any and all circumstances whatsoever and
irrespective of (i) any lack of validity or enforceability of
any Letter of Credit or this Agreement, or any term or provision
herein or therein, (ii) any draft or other document presented
under a
24
Letter of
Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent or invalid in any respect
or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect,
(iii) payment by the Issuing Bank under a Letter of Credit
against presentation of a draft or other document that does not
comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit or (iv) any
other event or circumstance whatsoever, whether or not similar to
any of the foregoing, that might, but for the provisions of this
Section, constitute a legal or equitable discharge of, or provide a
right of setoff against, the Borrower’s obligations
hereunder. Neither the Administrative Agent, the Lenders nor the
Issuing Bank, nor any of their Related Parties, shall have any
liability or responsibility by reason of or in connection with the
issuance or transfer of any Letter of Credit or any payment or
failure to make any payment thereunder (irrespective of any of the
circumstances referred to in the preceding sentence), or any error,
omission, interruption, loss or delay in transmission or delivery
of any draft, notice or other communication under or relating to
any Letter of Credit (including any document required to make a
drawing thereunder), any error in interpretation of technical terms
or any consequence arising from causes beyond the control of the
Issuing Bank; provided that the foregoing shall not be
construed to excuse the Issuing Bank from liability to the Borrower
to the extent of any direct damages (as opposed to consequential
damages, claims in respect of which are hereby waived by the
Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable law) suffered by the
Borrower that are caused by the Issuing Bank’s failure to
exercise care when determining whether drafts and other documents
presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof.
The parties hereto expressly agree that, in the absence of gross
negligence or wilful misconduct on the part of the Issuing Bank (as
finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction), the
Issuing Bank shall be deemed to have exercised care in each such
determination. In furtherance of the foregoing and without limiting
the generality thereof, the parties agree that, with respect to
documents presented which appear on their face to be in substantial
compliance with the terms of a Letter of Credit, the Issuing Bank
may, in its sole discretion, either accept and make payment upon
such documents without responsibility for further investigation,
regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, or refuse
to accept and make payment upon such documents if such documents
are not in strict compliance with the terms of such Letter of
Credit.
(g)
Disbursement
Procedures. The Issuing
Bank shall, promptly following its receipt thereof, examine all
documents purporting to represent a demand for payment under a
Letter of Credit. The Issuing Bank shall promptly notify the
Administrative Agent and the Borrower by telephone (confirmed by
telecopy) of such demand for payment and whether the Issuing Bank
has made or will make an LC Disbursement thereunder;
provided that any failure to give or delay in giving such
notice shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to
reimburse the Issuing Bank and the Lenders with respect to any such
LC Disbursement.
(h)
Interim Interest.
If the Issuing Bank shall make any
LC Disbursement, then, unless the Borrower shall reimburse such LC
Disbursement in full on the date such LC Disbursement is made, the
unpaid amount thereof shall bear interest, for each day from and
including the date such LC Disbursement is made to but excluding
the date that the Borrower reimburses such LC Disbursement, at the
rate per annum then applicable to ABR Revolving Loans;
provided that, if the Borrower fails to reimburse such
LC
25
Disbursement
when due pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section, then
Section 2.12(c) shall apply. Interest accrued pursuant to this
paragraph shall be for the account of the Issuing Bank, except that
interest accrued on and after the date of payment by any Lender
pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section to reimburse the Issuing
Bank shall be for the account of such Lender to the extent of such
payment.
(i)
Replacement of the Issuing
Bank. An Issuing Bank may
be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower,
the Administrative Agent and the successor to such Issuing Bank.
The Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such
replacement of an Issuing Bank. At the time any such replacement
shall become effective, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid fees
accrued for the account of the replaced Issuing Bank pursuant to
Section 2.11(c). From and after the effective date of any such
replacement, (i) the successor Issuing Bank shall have all the
rights and obligations of an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with
respect to Letters of Credit to be issued by it thereafter and
(ii) references herein to the term “Issuing Bank”
shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous
Issuing Bank, or to such successor and all previous Issuing Banks,
as the context shall require. After the replacement of an Issuing
Bank hereunder, the replaced Issuing Bank shall remain a party
hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of
an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of
Credit issued by it prior to such replacement, but shall not be
required to issue additional Letters of Credit.
(j)
Cash
Collateralization. If any
Event of Default shall occur and be continuing, on the Business Day
that the Borrower receives notice from the Administrative Agent or
the Required Lenders demanding the deposit of cash collateral
pursuant to this paragraph, the Borrower shall deposit in an
account with the Administrative Agent, in the name of the
Administrative Agent and for the benefit of the Lenders, an amount
in cash equal to 105% of the LC Exposure as of such date plus any
accrued and unpaid interest thereon; provided that the
obligation to deposit such cash collateral shall become effective
immediately, and such deposit shall become immediately due and
payable, without demand or other notice of any kind, upon the
occurrence of any Event of Default with respect to the Borrower
described in clause (h) or (i) of Article VII. Each such
deposit shall be held by the Administrative Agent as collateral for
the payment and performance of the obligations of the Borrower
under this Agreement. The Administrative Agent shall have exclusive
dominion and control, including the exclusive right of withdrawal,
over such account. Other than any interest earned on the investment
of such deposits, which investments shall be made at the option and
sole discretion of the Administrative Agent and at the
Borrower’s risk and expense, such deposits shall not bear
interest. Interest or profits, if any, on such investments shall
accumulate in such account. Moneys in such account shall be applied
by the Administrative Agent to reimburse the Issuing Bank for LC
Disbursements for which it has not been reimbursed and, to the
extent not so applied, shall be held for the satisfaction of the
reimbursement obligations of the Borrower for the LC Exposure at
such time or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated
(but subject to the consent of the Required Lenders), be applied to
satisfy other obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement. If
the Borrower is required to provide an amount of cash collateral
hereunder as a result of the occurrence of an Event of Default,
such amount (to the extent not applied as
26
aforesaid)
shall be returned to the Borrower within three Business Days after
all Events of Default have been cured or waived.
(k) The Issuing Bank shall deliver to the
Administrative Agent, on or prior to the Effective Date, a schedule
identifying all Existing Letters of Credit issued by it. The
Issuing Bank also shall notify the Administrative Agent of any LC
Disbursement or any expiration, termination or renewal of any
Existing Letters of Credit issued by it.
SECTION 2.06.
Funding of Borrowings.
(a) Each Lender shall make
each Loan to be made by it hereunder on the proposed date thereof
by wire transfer of immediately available funds by 12:00 noon, New
York City time, to the account of the Administrative Agent most
recently designated by it for such purpose by notice to the
Lenders; provided that Swingline Loans shall be made as
provided in Section 2.04. The Administrative Agent will make
such Loans available to the Borrower by promptly crediting the
amounts so received, in like funds, to an account of the Borrower
designated by the Borrower in the applicable Borrowing Request;
provided that ABR Revolving Loans made to finance the
reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.05(e)
shall be remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Issuing
Bank.
(b) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have
received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any
Borrowing that such Lender will not make available to the
Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing,
the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such
share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of
this Section and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make
available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if
a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing
available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender
and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent
forthwith on demand such corresponding amount with interest
thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is
made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment
to the Administrative Agent, at (i) in the case of such
Lender, the greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and a rate
determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking
industry rules on interbank compensation or (ii) in the case
of the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to ABR Loans. If such
Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such
amount shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such
Borrowing.
SECTION 2.07.
Interest Elections.
(a) Each Revolving Borrowing
initially shall be of the Type specified in the applicable
Borrowing Request and, in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, shall
have an initial Interest Period as specified in such Borrowing
Request. Thereafter, the Borrower may elect to convert such
Borrowing to a different Type or to continue such Borrowing and, in
the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, may elect Interest Periods
therefor, all as provided in this Section. The Borrower may elect
different options with respect to different portions of the
affected Borrowing, in which case each such portion shall be
allocated ratably among the Lenders holding the Loans comprising
such Borrowing, and the Loans comprising each such portion shall be
considered a separate Borrowing. This Section shall not apply to
Swingline Borrowings, which may not be converted or
continued.
27
(b) To make an election pursuant to this Section,
the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such election
by telephone by the time that a Borrowing Request would be required
under Section 2.03 if the Borrower were requesting a Revolving
Borrowing of the Type resulting from such election to be made on
the effective date of such election. Each such telephonic Interest
Election Request shall be irrevocable and shall be confirmed
promptly by hand delivery or telecopy to the Administrative Agent
of a written Interest Election Request in a form approved by the
Administrative Agent and signed by the Borrower.
(c) Each telephonic and written Interest Election
Request shall specify the following information in compliance with
Section 2.02:
(i) the Borrowing to which such Interest Election
Request applies and, if different options are being elected with
respect to different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be
allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in which case the
information to be specified pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv)
below shall be specified for each resulting Borrowing);
(ii) the effective date of the election made pursuant
to such Interest Election Request, which shall be a Business
Day;
(iii) whether the resulting Borrowing is to be an ABR
Borrowing or a Eurodollar Borrowing; and
(iv) if the resulting Borrowing is a Eurodollar
Borrowing, the Interest Period to be applicable thereto after
giving effect to such election, which shall be a period
contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest
Period”.
If any such Interest Election Request requests a
Eurodollar Borrowing but does not specify an Interest Period, then
the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of
one month’s duration.
(d) Promptly following receipt of an Interest
Election Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender
of the details thereof and of such Lender’s portion of each
resulting Borrowing.
(e) If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely
Interest Election Request with respect to a Eurodollar Borrowing
prior to the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto, then,
unless such Borrowing is repaid as provided herein, at the end of
such Interest Period such Borrowing shall be converted to an ABR
Borrowing. Notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof, if an
Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the
Administrative Agent, at the request of the Required Lenders, so
notifies the Borrower, then, so long as an Event of Default is
continuing (i) no outstanding Borrowing may be converted to or
continued as a Eurodollar Borrowing and (ii) unless repaid,
each Eurodollar Borrowing shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing at
the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto.
28