Exhibit 4.6
VECTREN
CORPORATION
One Vectren Square
Evansville,
Indiana 47708
VECTREN CAPITAL,
CORP.
One Vectren Square
Evansville,
Indiana 47708
FIRST AMENDMENT TO NOTE PURCHASE
AGREEMENT
Dated as of
March 11, 2009
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Note
Purchase Agreement dated as of October 11, 2005
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$25,000,000
4.99% Senior Notes due 2010
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$25,000,000
5.13% Senior Notes due 2012
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$75,000,000
5.31% Senior Notes due 2015
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TO THE HOLDERS
LISTED
IN THE ATTACHED
SCHEDULE A:
Ladies and
Gentlemen:
Reference is made to the Note Purchase
Agreement, dated as of October 11, 2005 between you and Vectren
Capital, Corp., an Indiana corporation (the “Company”)
and Vectren Corporation, an Indiana corporation
(“Vectren” and, together with the Company, the
“Obligors”) (the “2005 Note Purchase
Agreement”). Unless otherwise herein defined or
the context hereof otherwise requires, the capitalized terms in
this First Amendment (this “First Amendment”) shall
have the respective meanings specified in the 2005 Note Purchase
Agreement. You and the other holders named in the
attached Schedule A are hereinafter collectively referred to as
“Holders” and individually referred to as a
“Holder”. The term “First Amendment
Closing Date” as used herein shall mean March 11,
2009.
SECTION
I. AMENDMENTS TO THE 2005 NOTE PURCHASE
AGREEMENT .
Section 1.1. Amendments to Section
7.1 of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement.
Section 7.1 of the 2005 Note
Purchase Agreement shall be, and the same hereby is, amended
by:
(a) deleting the phrase
“Sections 10.5 and 10.7” in Section 7.1(c) and
replacing it with the phrase “Sections 10.5, 10.6, 10.7 and
10.8”;
(b) deleting the phrase
“subject to the last sentence of Section 7.3," at the
beginning of Section 7.1(h); and
(c) deleting the period at the end of
Section 7.1(h), replacing said period with a semicolon followed by
the word “and”, and adding the following new Section
7.1(i) immediately thereafter:
(i)
Unrestricted Subsidiaries — In the event
that one or more Unrestricted Subsidiaries shall (i) own more than
10% of the total consolidated assets of
Vectren and its
Subsidiaries determined as of the end of each fiscal quarter in
accordance with U.S. GAAP, and (ii) account for more than 10% of
the consolidated total revenues of Vectren and its Subsidiaries
determined as of the end of each fiscal quarter for the four (4)
consecutive fiscal periods then ended in accordance with U.S. GAAP,
then, within the respective periods provided in Section 7.1(a) and
(b) above, Vectren shall deliver to each holder of Notes that is an
Institutional Investor, unaudited financial statements of the
character and for the dates and periods as in said Sections 7.1(a)
and (b) covering such group of Unrestricted Subsidiaries (on a
consolidated basis), together with a consolidating statement
reflecting eliminations or adjustments required to reconcile the
financial statements of such group of Unrestricted Subsidiaries to
the financial statements delivered pursuant to Sections 7.1(a)
and (b).
Section 1.2. Amendment to Section 8.2
of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement . Section 8.2 of the 2005 Note
Purchase Agreement shall be, and the same hereby is, amended by
adding the phrase “(or such lesser amount as shall be
required to effect a partial prepayment resulting from an offer of
prepayment pursuant to Section 10.6)” immediately
following the phrase “not less than 5% of the aggregate
principal amount of the Notes then outstanding in the case of a
partial prepayment” in the first sentence of Section
8.2.
Section 1.3. Amendment to Section 8
of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement . Section 8 of the 2005 Note Purchase
Agreement shall be, and the same hereby is, amended by adding a new
Section 8.7 immediately following Section 8.6 to read as
follows:
(a)
Notice of Change in Control or Control Event
. The Company will, within 15 Business Days after
any Responsible Officer has knowledge of the occurrence of any
Change in Control or Control Event, give written notice of such
Change in Control or Control Event to each holder of Notes unless
notice in respect of such Change in Control (or the Change in
Control contemplated by such Control Event) shall have been given
pursuant to subparagraph (b) of this
Section 8.7. If a Change in Control has occurred,
such notice shall contain and constitute an offer to prepay Notes
as described in subparagraph (c) of this Section 8.7 and shall
be accompanied by the certificate described in subparagraph (g) of
this Section 8.7.
(b)
Condition to Company Action . The Company will
not take any action that consummates or finalizes a Change in
Control unless (i) at least 15 Business Days prior to
such action it shall have given to each holder of Notes written
notice containing and constituting an offer to prepay Notes as
described in subparagraph (c) of this Section 8.7, accompanied
by the certificate described in subparagraph (g) of this
Section 8.7, and (ii) contemporaneously with such action,
it prepays all Notes required to be prepaid in accordance with this
Section 8.7.
(c)
Offer to Prepay Notes . The offer to prepay Notes
contemplated by subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 8.7
shall be an offer to prepay, in accordance with and subject to this
Section 8.7, all, but not less than all, the Notes held by
each holder (in this case only, “holder” in respect of
any Note registered in the name of a nominee for a
disclosed
beneficial
owner shall mean such beneficial owner) on a date specified in such
offer (the “Proposed Prepayment Date”
). If such Proposed Prepayment Date is in connection
with an offer contemplated by subparagraph (a) of this
Section 8.7, such date shall be not less than 20 days and
not more than 30 days after the date of such offer (if the
Proposed Prepayment Date shall not be specified in such offer, the
Proposed Prepayment Date shall be the 20th day after the date of
such offer).
(d)
Acceptance; Rejection . A holder of Notes may
accept or reject the offer to prepay made pursuant to this
Section 8.7 by causing a notice of such acceptance or
rejection to be delivered to the Company at least 5 Business Days
prior to the Proposed Prepayment Date. A failure by a holder
of Notes to respond to an offer to prepay made pursuant to this
Section 8.7 shall be deemed to constitute a rejection of such
offer by such holder.
(e)
Prepayment. Prepayment of the Notes to be
prepaid pursuant to this Section 8.7 shall be at 100% of the
principal amount of such Notes, but without the payment of the
Make-Whole Amount, together with interest on such Notes accrued to
the date of prepayment. The prepayment shall be made on
the Proposed Prepayment Date except as provided in subparagraph (f)
of this Section 8.7.
(f)
Deferral Pending Change in Control . The
obligation of the Company to prepay Notes pursuant to the offers
required by subparagraph (b) and accepted in accordance with
subparagraph (d) of this Section 8.7 is subject to the
occurrence of the Change in Control in respect of which such offers
and acceptances shall have been made. In the event that
such Change in Control does not occur on the Proposed Prepayment
Date in respect thereof, the prepayment shall be deferred until and
shall be made on the date on which such Change in Control
occurs. The Company shall keep each holder of Notes
reasonably and timely informed of (i) any such deferral of the
date of prepayment, (ii) the date on which such Change in
Control and the prepayment are expected to occur, and
(iii) any determination by the Company that efforts to effect
such Change in Control have ceased or been abandoned (in which case
the offers and acceptances made pursuant to this Section 8.7
in respect of such Change in Control shall be deemed
rescinded).
(g)
Officer’s Certificate . Each offer to
prepay the Notes pursuant to this Section 8.7 shall be
accompanied by a certificate, executed by a Senior Financial
Officer of the Company and dated the date of such offer,
specifying: (i) the Proposed Prepayment Date; (ii) that
such offer is made pursuant to this Section 8.7;
(iii) the principal amount of each Note offered to be prepaid;
(iv) the interest that would be due on each Note offered to be
prepaid, accrued to the Proposed Prepayment Date; (v) that the
conditions of this Section 8.7 have been fulfilled; and
(vi) in reasonable detail, the nature and date or proposed
date of the Change in Control.
(h)
“Change in Control” Defined .
“Change in Control” means (i) the acquisition by
any Person, or two or more Persons acting in concert, of beneficial
ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the Securities and
Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act) of 30% or more of the
outstanding shares of voting stock of Vectren, (ii) the occurrence
during any period of twelve (12) consecutive months, commencing
before or after the date of this Agreement, pursuant to which
individuals who on the first day of
such period
were directors of Vectren (together with any replacement or
additional directors who were nominated or elected by a majority of
directors then in office) cease to constitute a majority of the
Board of Directors of Vectren or (iii) Vectren shall cease to own,
free and clear of any Lien, 100% of the issued and outstanding
capital stock of the Company.
(i)
“Control Event” Defined . “
Control Event ” means:
(i) the execution of any written
agreement which, when fully performed by the parties thereto, would
result in a Change in Control, or
(ii) the making of any written offer
by any Person, or two or more Persons acting in concert, to the
holders of the common stock of Vectren, which offer, if accepted by
the requisite number of holders, would result in a Change in
Control.
Section 1.4. Amendment to Section 9.2
of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement . Section 9.2 of the 2005 Note
Purchase Agreement shall be, and the same hereby is, amended by
deleting the word “Subsidiaries” in such Section 9.2
and replacing it with the phrase “Restricted
Subsidiaries”.
Section 1.5. Amendment to Section 9.3
of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement . Section 9.3 of the 2005 Note
Purchase Agreement shall be, and the same hereby is, amended by
deleting the word “Subsidiaries” in each place where it
appears in such Section 9.3 and replacing it with the phrase
“Restricted Subsidiaries”.
Section 1.6. Amendment to Section
9.4 of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement
. Section 9.4 of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement
shall be, and the same hereby is, amended and restated in its
entirety to read as follows:
9.4 Payment of Taxes and
Clams
The Obligors will, and Vectren will cause each
of its Subsidiaries to, file all tax returns required to be filed
in any jurisdiction and to pay and discharge all taxes shown to be
due and payable on such returns and all other taxes, assessments,
governmental charges, or levies imposed on them or any of their
properties, assets, income or franchises, to the extent such taxes,
assessments, charges and levies have become due and payable and
before they have become delinquent and all claims for which sums
have become due and payable that have or might become a Lien on
properties or assets of the Company, Vectren or any Subsidiary,
provided that neither of the Obligors nor any such Subsidiary need
pay any such tax, assessment, charge, levy or claim if (i) the
amount, applicability or validity thereof is contested by such
Obligor or such Subsidiary on a timely basis in good faith and in
appropriate proceedings, and such Obligor or such Subsidiary has
established adequate reserves therefor in accordance with U.S. GAAP
on the books of such Obligor or such Subsidiary or (ii) the
nonpayment of all such taxes, assessments, charges, levies and
claims in the aggregate would not have a Material Adverse
Effect.
Section 1.7. Amendment to Section 9.5
of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement . Section 9.5 of the 2005
Note Purchase Agreement shall be, and the same hereby is, amended
and restated in its entirety to read as follows:
9.5 Entity Existence,
Etc.
Subject to Section 10.2, the Obligors will
at all times preserve and keep in full force and effect their
existences as a corporation, partnership or limited liability
company, and Vectren will at all times preserve and keep in full
force and effect the existence of each of its Restricted
Subsidiaries as a corporation, partnership or limited liability
company (unless merged into Vectren or a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary)
and all rights and franchises of the Obligors and such Restricted
Subsidiaries unless, in the good faith judgment of Vectren, the
termination of or failure to preserve and keep in full force and
effect the existence of any such Restricted Subsidiary (other than
the Company), or any such right or franchise would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse
Effect.
Section 1.8. Amendment to Section 9.7
of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement . Section 9.7 of the 2005 Note
Purchase Agreement shall be, and hereby is, amended by adding the
phrase “the obligations under the Bank Credit Agreements and
with” immediately following the phrase “will rank in
right of payment either pari passu with or senior to” in the
first sentence in such Section 9.7.
Section 1.9. Amendment to Section 9
of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement . Section 9 of the 2005
Note Purchase Agreement shall be, and the same hereby is, amended
by adding a new Section 9.8 and Section 9.9 immediately following
Section 9.7 to read as follows:
9.8 Designation of
Subsidiaries.
Vectren may from time to time cause any
Subsidiary (other than any Permanent Restricted Subsidiary) to be
designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary or any Unrestricted
Subsidiary to be designated a Restricted Subsidiary; provided,
however, that at the time of such designation and immediately after
giving effect thereto, (a) no Default or Event of Default would
exist under the terms of this Agreement, (b) Vectren could incur
$1.00 of additional Indebtedness under the limitations in Section
10.7 hereof, and (c) Vectren and its Restricted Subsidiaries would
be in compliance with all of the covenants set forth in this
Section 9 and Section 10 if tested on the date of such action and
provided, further, that once a Subsidiary has been designated an
Unrestricted Subsidiary, it shall not thereafter be redesignated as
a Restricted Subsidiary on more than one occasion and once a
Subsidiary has been designated a Restricted Subsidiary, it shall
not thereafter be redesignated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary on
more than one occasion. Within ten (10) days following
any designation described above, Vectren will deliver each holder a
notice of such designation accompanied by a certificate signed by a
Senior Financial Officer of Vectren certifying compliance with all
requirements of this Section 9.8 and setting forth all information
required in order to establish such compliance.
9.9 Subsidiary
Guarantors.
(a) The Company will cause any Subsidiary which
becomes obligated for, or otherwise guarantees, Indebtedness in
respect of the Bank Credit Agreements, to deliver to each of the
holders of the Notes (concurrently with the incurrence of any such
obligation) the following items:
(i) a duly executed guaranty
agreement (the “Subsidiary Guaranty”) in scope, form
and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Required
Holders;
(ii) an amendment to this Agreement,
duly executed by an authorized officer of the Company, that is
satisfactory in scope, form and substance to the Required Holders,
incorporating customary events of default for the Subsidiary
Guarantors and the Subsidiary Guaranty;
(iii) a certificate signed by an
authorized Responsible Officer of the Company making
representations and warranties to the effect of those contained in
Sections 5.2, 5.4(c) and (d), 5.6 and 5.7, with respect to
such Subsidiary and the Subsidiary Guaranty, as applicable;
and
(iv) an opinion of counsel (who may
be in-house counsel for the Company) addressed to each of the
holders of the Notes satisfactory to the Required Holders, to the
effect that the Subsidiary Guaranty by such Person has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered and that the Subsidiary Guaranty
constitutes the legal, valid and binding contract and agreement of
such Person enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as an
enforcement of such terms may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
fraudulent conveyance and similar laws affecting the enforcement of
creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable
principles.
(b) The holders of the Notes agree to
discharge and release any Subsidiary Guarantor from the Subsidiary
Guaranty upon the written request of the Company, provided that
(i) such Subsidiary Guarantor has been released and discharged
(or will be released and discharged concurrently with the release
of such Subsidiary Guarantor under the Subsidiary Guaranty) as an
obligor and guarantor under and in respect of the Bank Credit
Agreements and the Company so certifies to the holders of the Notes
in a certificate of a Responsible Officer, (ii) at the time of
such release and discharge, the Company shall deliver a certificate
of a Responsible Officer to the holders of the Notes stating that
no Default or Event of Default exists, and (iii) if any fee or
other form of consideration is given to any holder of Indebtedness
of the Company for the purpose of such release, holders of the
Notes shall receive equivalent consideration.
Section 1.10. Amendment to Section 10
of the 2005 Note Purchase Agreement.
Section 10 of the 2005
Note Purchase Agreement shall be, and the same hereby is, amended
and restated in its entirety to read as follows:
10. NEGATIVE
COVENANTS.
Each of the Company and Vectren covenants (only
to the extent applicable to itself and, if specified, its
Subsidiaries) that from and after the Closing and for so long as
any of the Notes are outstanding:
10.1 Transactions with
Affiliates.
Vectren and the Company will not enter into
directly or indirectly any transaction or group of related
transactions (including without limitation the purchase, lease,
sale or exchange of properties of any kind or the rendering of any
service) with any Affiliate, except in the ordinary course and
pursuant to the reasonable requirements of such Obligor’s
business and upon fair and reasonable terms no less favorable to
such Obligor than would be obtainable in a comparable arm’s
length transaction with a Person not an Affiliate; provided that
nothing in this Section 10.1 shall limit (i) the making of capital
contributions by Vectren or any Subsidiary or Affiliate of Vectren
to any other Affiliate or Subsidiary of Vectren, (ii) the payment
of dividends or distributions by any Subsidiary or Affiliate of
Vectren to Vectren or any other Affiliate or Subsidiary of Vectren,
or (iii) the Company in the ordinary course of its business
advancing funds to other Subsidiaries of Vectren.
10.2 Merger, Consolidation,
Etc.
Neither Obligor shall, nor, except as otherwise
permitted under Section 10.6, shall any Obligor permit any
Restricted Subsidiary of Vectren to, consolidate with or merge with
any other Person or convey, transfer, or lease all or substantially
all of its assets in a single transaction or series of transactions
to any Person unless:
(a) the successor formed by such
consolidation or the survivor of such merger, or the Person that
acquires by conveyance, transfer or lease all or substantially all
of such assets as an entirety, as the case may be (the
“Successor Corporation”), shall be a solvent business
entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States
or any State thereof (including the District of Columbia), and, if
such Obligor is a party to such transaction and is not the
Successor Corporation, such Successor Corporation shall have
executed and delivered to each Holder of any Notes its assumption
of the due and punctual performance and observance of each covenant
and condition of this Agreement, an opinion of nationally
recognized independent counsel, to the effect that all agreements
or instruments effecting such assumption are enforceable in
accordance with their terms, the Guarantee and the Notes, as
applicable; and
(b) prior to and immediately after
giving effect to such transaction, no Default or Event of Default
shall have occurred and be continuing;
provided,
however , that,
notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 10.2, a
Restricted Subsidiary may merge with and into Vectren or another
Restricted Subsidiary of Vectren.
No such
conveyance, transfer or lease of all or substantially all of the
assets of any Obligor shall have the effect of releasing such
Obligor or any Successor Corporation that shall theretofore have
become such in the manner prescribed in this Section 10.2 from
its liability under this Agreement or the Guarantee.
The provisions
of this Section 10.2 shall not limit the rights of the Holders of
Notes under Section 8.7.
Vectren will not and will not permit any
Restricted Subsidiary to engage in any business if, as a result,
the general nature of the business in which Vectren and its
Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, would then be engaged
would be substantially changed from the general nature of the
business in which Vectren and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as
a whole, are engaged on the date of this Agreement as described as
of the date hereof in the Memorandum.
10.4 Terrorism Sanctions
Regulations.
Vectren will not and will not permit any
Subsidiary to (a) become a Person described or designated in
the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List of the
Office of Foreign Assets Control or in section 1 of the
Anti-Terrorism Order or (b) engage in any dealings or
transactions with any such Person.
Neither Obligor will, or permit any Restricted
Subsidiary to, create, assume, incur or suffer to exist any Lien
upon or with respect to any Property of the Company, Vectren or any
Restricted Subsidiaries except:
(a) Liens for taxes, assessments or
governmental charges or levies on its Property if the same shall
not at the time be delinquent or thereafter can be paid without
penalty, or are being contested in good faith and by appropriate
proceedings and for which adequate reserves in accordance with U.S.
GAAP shall have been set aside on its books;
(b) Liens imposed by law, such as
carriers’, warehousemen’s and mechanics’ liens
and other similar liens arising in the ordinary course of business
which secure payment of obligations not more than 60 days past due,
and such other carriers’, warehousemen’s,
mechanics’ or other similar liens that are being contested in
good faith and by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate
reserves in accordance with U.S. GAAP shall have been set aside on
its books;
(c) Liens arising out of pledges or
deposits under worker’s compensation laws, unemployment
insurance, old age pensions, or other socia