Exhibit 4.23
[EXECUTION COPY]
$450,000,000
RECEIVABLES PURCHASE
AGREEMENT
Dated as of December 17,
2003
among
EQUISTAR RECEIVABLES II, LLC,
as the Seller ,
EQUISTAR CHEMICALS,
LP
as the
Servicer,
THE BANKS AND OTHER FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS PARTY HERETO,
as
Purchasers,
BANK ONE, NA,
CREDIT SUISSE FIRST
BOSTON
AND
JPMORGAN CHASE
BANK,
as Co-Documentation
Agents
CITICORP USA, INC.
AND
BANK OF AMERICA,
N.A.,
as Co-Asset
Agents,
CITICORP USA,
INC.,
as Administrative
Agent,
AND
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS
INC.
AND
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES
LLC,
as Joint Lead
Arrangers
and Joint
Bookrunners
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page
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EXHIBITS
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1
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SCHEDULES
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2
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RECEIVABLES
PURCHASE AGREEMENT
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1
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PRELIMINARY
STATEMENTS:
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1
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ARTICLE I
Definitions
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1
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Section 1.1
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Certain Defined
Terms.
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1
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Section
1.2
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Other
Terms.
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25
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Section
1.3
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Computation of
Time Periods.
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26
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ARTICLE II
Amounts and Terms of the Purchases
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26
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Section
2.1
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Commitment.
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26
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Section
2.2
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Making
Purchases.
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26
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Section
2.3
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Swing
Purchases
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27
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Section
2.4
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Termination or
Reduction of the Commitments; Voluntary Reductions of
Capital.
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29
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Section
2.5
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Receivable
Interest.
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29
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Section
2.6
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Ordinary
Settlement Procedures.
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30
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Section
2.7
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Triggering
Event Settlement Procedures.
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31
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Section
2.8
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Liquidation
Settlement Procedures.
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33
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Section
2.9
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General
Settlement Procedures.
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34
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Section 2.10
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Payments and
Computations, Etc.
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35
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Section
2.11
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Yield and
Fees.
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35
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Section
2.12
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Special
Provisions Governing Capital Investments at the Applicable LIBO
Rate.
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36
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Section
2.13
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Increased
Capital.
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38
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Section
2.14
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Taxes.
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38
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Section
2.15
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Sharing of
Payments, Etc.
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40
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Section
2.16
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Conversion/Continuation Option.
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40
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Section
2.17
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Duty to
Mitigate; Assignment of Commitments Under Certain
Circumstances.
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41
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i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
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Page
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Section 2.18
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Restricted
Accounts; Investment of Amounts in the Cash Assets
Account.
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41
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ARTICLE III Conditions of Purchases
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42
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Section
3.1
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Conditions
Precedent to the Effectiveness of this Agreement.
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42
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Section
3.2
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Conditions
Precedent to All Investment Events.
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45
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ARTICLE IV Representations and
Warranties
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46
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Section
4.1
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Representations
and Warranties of the Seller.
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46
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Section
4.2
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Representations
and Warranties of the Servicer.
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49
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ARTICLE V General Covenants of the Seller and
the Servicer
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52
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Section
5.1
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Affirmative
Covenants of the Seller.
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52
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Section
5.2
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Reporting
Requirements of the Seller.
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55
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Section
5.3
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Negative
Covenants of the Seller.
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55
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Section
5.4
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Affirmative
Covenants of the Servicer.
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57
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Section
5.5
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Reporting
Requirements of the Servicer.
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60
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Section
5.6
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Negative
Covenants of the Servicer.
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63
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ARTICLE VI Administration and
Collection
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64
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Section
6.1
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Designation of
Servicer.
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64
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Section
6.2
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Duties of
Servicer.
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65
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Section
6.3
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Rights of the
Agent.
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65
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Section
6.4
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Responsibilities of the Seller.
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66
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Section
6.5
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Further
Assurances.
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66
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ARTICLE VII Events of Termination
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67
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Section
7.1
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Events of
Termination.
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67
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ARTICLE VIII The Agent
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70
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Section
8.1
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Authorization
and Action.
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70
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Section
8.2
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Agent’s
Reliance, Etc.
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71
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Section
8.3
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CUSA and
Affiliates.
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71
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Section
8.4
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Purchase
Decisions.
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72
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Section
8.5
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Indemnification.
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72
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Section
8.6
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Successor
Agent
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72
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ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
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Page
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Section 8.7
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Posting of
Approved Electronic Communications.
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72
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ARTICLE IX Assignment of Receivable
Interests
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73
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Section
9.1
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Purchaser’s Assignment of Rights and
Obligations.
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73
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Section
9.2
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The
Register.
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75
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Section
9.3
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Participations.
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76
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ARTICLE X Indemnification
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76
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Section 10.1
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Indemnities.
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76
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ARTICLE XI Miscellaneous
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79
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Section
11.1
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Amendments,
Etc.
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79
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Section
11.2
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Right of
Set-off.
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80
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Section
11.3
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Notices,
Etc.
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81
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Section
11.4
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Binding Effect;
Assignability.
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81
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Section
11.5
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Costs and
Expenses.
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81
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Section
11.6
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Confidentiality.
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82
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Section
11.7
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Governing
Law.
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82
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Section
11.8
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Jurisdiction,
Etc.
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83
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Section
11.9
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Execution in
Counterparts.
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83
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Section 11.10
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Intent of the
Parties.
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83
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Section
11.11
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Entire
Agreement.
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83
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Section
11.12
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Severability of
Provisions.
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84
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Section
11.13
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Waiver of Jury
Trial.
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84
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iii
EXHIBITS
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EXHIBIT A
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Form of
Assignment and Acceptance
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EXHIBIT B
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Form of Seller
Report
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EXHIBIT
C
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Form of
Lock-Box Agreement
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EXHIBIT
D
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Form of
Receivables Sale Agreement
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EXHIBIT
E
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Form of Consent
and Agreement
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EXHIBIT
F
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Form of Notice
of Purchase
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EXHIBIT
G
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Form of Swing
Purchase Request
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EXHIBIT
H
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Form of Notice
of Conversion or Continuation
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EXHIBIT I-l
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Form of Opinion
of Baker Botts LLP, Counsel to the Seller and each
Originator
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EXHIBIT I-2
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Form of Opinion
of Internal Counsel to the Seller and each Originator
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EXHIBIT
I-3
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Form of Opinion
of Baker Botts LLP, Counsel to the Seller and each Originator
(“true sale” and “no substantive
consolidation” opinion)
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EXHIBIT
J
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Form of
Equistar Undertaking
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EXHIBIT
K
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Form of
Intercreditor Agreement
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SCHEDULES
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SCHEDULE I
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Lock-Box Banks
and Lock-Box Accounts
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SCHEDULE II
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Credit and
Collection Policy
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SCHEDULE III
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Jurisdiction of
Incorporation, Organizational Identification Number and Location of
the Seller’s Principal Place of Business, Chief Executive
Office and Office Where Records are Kept
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SCHEDULE IV
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Financing
Statements
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SCHEDULE
V
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Approved
Non-U.S./Canadian Jurisdictions
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SCHEDULE
VI
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Certain
Obligors
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SCHEDULE
X
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Commitment
Schedule
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RECEIVABLES PURCHASE
AGREEMENT
RECEIVABLES PURCHASE AGREEMENT dated
as of December 17, 2003 (this “ Agreement ”)
among EQUISTAR RECEIVABLES II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company (the “ Seller ”), EQUISTAR CHEMICALS,
LP, a Delaware limited partnership, as the Servicer (as hereinafter
defined), the banks and other financial institutions listed on the
signature pages hereof as the Initial Purchasers (the “
Initial Purchasers ”), BANK ONE, NA, CREDIT SUISSE
FIRST BOSTON and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, as co-documentation agents
(the “Co-Documentation Agents”), BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
a national banking association, and CITICORP USA, INC., a Delaware
corporation (“ CUSA ”), as co-asset agents (the
“ Co-Asset Agents ”), and CUSA, as
Administrative Agent (the “ Agent ” and,
together with the Co-Asset Agents and the Co-Documentation Agents,
the “ Facility Agents ”) for the
Purchasers.
PRELIMINARY
STATEMENTS:
The Seller will from time to time
purchase or otherwise acquire from the Originators Pool Receivables
in which the Seller intends to sell interests referred to herein as
Receivable Interests.
The Purchasers may at any time and
from time to time purchase Receivable Interests from the
Seller.
Equistar Chemicals, LP has been
requested and is willing to act as the Servicer upon the terms and
subject to the conditions set forth herein.
CUSA has been requested and is
willing to act as the Agent upon the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth herein.
Certain terms which are capitalized
and used throughout this Agreement (in addition to those defined
above) are defined in Article I of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the premises, the parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
D EFINITIONS
Section 1.1 Certain Defined
Terms.
As used in this Agreement, the
following terms shall have the following meanings:
“ ABF Administrative
Agent ” means CUSA, as administrative agent under the ABF
Collateral Documents, and any successor in such
capacity.
“ ABF Agreement ”
means the Credit Agreement dated as of December 17, 2003 among
Equistar and its Subsidiaries party thereto, the lenders and
co-collateral agents party thereto and CUSA, as administrative
agent.
“ ABF Collateral
Availability ” means “Collateral
Availability” as defined in the ABF Agreement. For the
avoidance of doubt, if the ABF Agreement ceases to be in effect,
ABF Collateral Availability shall be deemed to be zero.
“ ABF Collateral
Documents ” means the “Collateral Documents”
as defined in the ABF Agreement.
“ ABF Excess
Availability ” means “Excess Availability” as
defined in the ABF Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, if the
ABF Agreement ceases to be in effect, ABF Excess Availability shall
be deemed to be zero.
“ Adjusted LIBO Rate
” means, with respect to any Yield Period for any Capital
Investment, an interest rate per annum equal to the rate per annum
obtained by dividing (a) the LIBO Rate by (b) a percentage equal to
(i) 100% minus (ii) the reserve percentage applicable 2 Business
Days before the first day of such Yield Period under regulations
issued from time to time by the Board for determining the maximum
reserve requirement (including any emergency, supplemental or other
marginal reserve requirement) for a member bank of the Federal
Reserve System in New York City with respect to liabilities or
assets consisting of or including Eurocurrency Liabilities (or with
respect to any other category of liabilities that includes deposits
by reference to which the LIBO Rate is determined) having a term
equal to such Yield Period.
“ Affiliate ”
means as to any Person, any other Person that, directly or
indirectly, is in control of, is controlled by or is under common
control with such Person. The term “ control ”
(including, with correlative meanings, “ controlled by
” and “under common control with” 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. As used with reference to Equistar and its Subsidiaries,
“ Affiliate ” shall include any Partner and any
Affiliate of any Partner.
“ Agent’s Account
” means the Deposit Account of the Agent (account number
3685-2248, ABA 021000089, Reference: CUSA – Medium Term
Finance) maintained with Citibank at its office at 388 Greenwich
Street, New York, New York 10013, Attention: David Jaffe, or such
other account as the Agent shall specify in writing to the Seller,
the Servicer and the Purchasers.
“ Agent’s Fee
” means those agency fees set forth in the Citicorp Fee
Letter.
“ Alternate Base Rate
” means, for any period, a fluctuating interest rate per
annum as shall be in effect from time to time, which rate per annum
shall be equal at all times to the highest of the
following:
(a) the rate of interest announced
publicly by Citibank in New York, New York, from time to time, as
Citibank’s base rate (or equivalent rate otherwise
named);
(b) the sum (adjusted to the nearest
0.25% or, if there is no nearest 0.25%, to the next higher 0.25%)
of (i) 0.5% per annum, (ii) the rate per annum obtained by dividing
(A) the latest three-week moving average of secondary market
morning offering rates in the United States for three-month
certificates of deposit of major United States money market banks,
such three-week moving average being determined weekly on each
Monday (or, if any such day is not a Business Day, on the next
succeeding Business Day) for the three-week period ending on the
previous Friday by Citibank on the basis of such rates reported by
certificate of deposit dealers to and published by the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York or, if such publication shall be suspended
or terminated, on the basis of quotations for such rates received
by Citibank from 3 New York certificate of deposit dealers of
recognized standing selected by Citibank, by (B) a percentage equal
to 100% minus the average of the daily percentages specified during
such three-week period by the Board for determining the maximum
reserve requirement (including any emergency, supplemental or other
marginal reserve requirement) for Citibank in respect of
liabilities
2
consisting of or including (among other
liabilities) three-month U.S. dollar nonpersonal time deposits in
the United States and (iii) the average during such three-week
period of the maximum annual assessment rates estimated by Citibank
for determining the then current annual assessment payable by
Citibank to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (or any
successor) for insuring Dollar deposits in the United States;
and
(c) 0.5% per annum plus the Federal
Funds Rate.
“ Applicable Base Rate
” for any period for any Capital Investment, an interest rate
per annum equal to the sum of (a) the Alternate Base Rate in effect
from time to time plus (b) the Applicable Margin.
“ Applicable LIBO Rate
” for any Yield Period for any Capital Investment, an
interest rate per annum equal to the sum of (a) the Adjusted LIBO
Rate for such Yield Period plus (b) the Applicable
Margin.
“ Applicable Margin
” means (a) for the initial period commencing on the Closing
Date and ending on the last day of the calendar month in which the
Agent receives unaudited financial statements of Equistar and its
Consolidated Subsidiaries as of, and for the fiscal quarter ending,
June 30, 2004 in accordance with and satisfying the requirements of
Section 5.5(b), in the case of Capital Investments having a Yield
determined with reference to the Alternate Base Rate, 1.25% per
annum and, in the case of Capital Investments having a Yield
determined with reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate, 2.25% per
annum; and (b) thereafter, as of any date of determination, a per
annum rate equal to the rate set forth below opposite the then
applicable Average Monthly Excess Availability (determined as of
the last day of the most recently concluded calendar
month):
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AVERAGE MONTHLY EXCESS
AVAILABILITY
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ALTERNATE
BASE RATE
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ADJUSTED LIBO
RATE
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Greater than or equal to
$600,000,000
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1.00
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%
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2.00
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%
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Less than $600,000,000 and greater than or
equal to $300,000,000
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1.25
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%
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2.25
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%
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Less than $300,000,000
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1.50
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%
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2.50
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%
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provided , however , that upon the occurrence and
during the continuance of an Event of Termination, the “
Applicable Margin ” shall be the sum of the otherwise
applicable rate set forth in the table above for Alternate Base
Rate or Adjusted LIBO Rate, as the case may be, plus 2.00% per
annum. Changes in the Applicable Margin resulting from a change in
the Average Monthly Excess Availability for any calendar month
shall become effective as to all Capital Investments on the first
day of the next calendar month.
“ Applicable Reserve
” means, at any date, an amount equal to (NRPB x RP) plus
such reserves as agreed upon by the Agent and the Seller, with
adjustments effective upon at least five Business Days’
notice by the Agent, where:
NRPB = the Net Receivables Pool
Balance at the close of business of the Servicer on such
date.
3
RP = the Reserve Percentage at the
close of business of the Servicer on such date.
“ Applicable Unused
Commitment Fee Rate ” means (i) for the initial period
commencing on the Closing Date and ending on the last day of the
calendar month in which the Agent receives unaudited financial
statements of Equistar and its Consolidated Subsidiaries as of, and
for the fiscal quarter ending, June 30, 2004 in accordance with and
satisfying the requirements of Section 5.5(b), 0.50% per annum, and
(ii) thereafter, as of any date of determination, a per annum rate
equal to the rate set forth below opposite the then applicable
Average Monthly Excess Availability (determined as of the last day
of the most recently concluded calendar month):
|
|
|
|
|
|
AVERAGE MONTHLY EXCESS
AVAILABILITY
|
|
APPLICABLE UNUSED
COMMITMENT FEE RATE
|
|
|
Greater than or equal to
$600,000,000
|
|
0.625
|
%
|
|
Less than $600,000,000 and greater than or
equal to $300,000,000
|
|
0.50
|
%
|
|
Less than $300,000,000
|
|
0.50
|
%
|
Changes in the Applicable Unused Commitment Fee
Rate resulting from a change in the Average Monthly Excess
Availability for any calendar month shall become effective on the
first day of the next calendar month.
“ Applicable Yield
” means (a) for any Capital Investment (other than in respect
of Swing Purchases), at the Seller’s election upon written
notice to the Agent, given not later than 11:00 A.M. (New York
time) on the third Business Day preceding (in the case of the
Applicable LIBO Rate) or the Business Day of (in the case of the
Applicable Base Rate) the applicable Investment Event, the
Applicable LIBO Rate or the Applicable Base Rate, as the case may
be and (b) for any Capital Investment in respect of a Swing
Purchase, and for each other Obligation hereunder, the Applicable
Base Rate.
“ Approved Electronic
Communications ” means each notice, demand,
communication, information, document and other material that the
Seller or Servicer is obligated to, or otherwise chooses to,
provide to the Agent pursuant to any Transaction Document or the
transactions contemplated therein, including any financial
statement, financial and other report, notice, request, certificate
and other information material; provided , however ,
that “ Approved Electronic Communication ”
shall, unless otherwise agreed by the Agent, exclude (x) any Notice
of Purchase, Swing Purchase Request, Notice of Conversion or
Continuation, and any other notice, demand, communication,
information, document and other material relating to a request for
a new, or a conversion of an existing, Purchase, (ii) any notice
relating to the payment due under any Transaction Document prior to
the scheduled date therefor, (iii) any notice of any Potential
Event of Termination or Event of Termination and (iv) any notice,
demand, communication, information, document and other material
required to be delivered to satisfy any of the conditions set forth
in Article III or any other condition to any Purchase or other
Investment Event.
“ Approved Electronic
Platform ” has the meaning specified in Section
8.7.
“ Approved Fund ”
means any fund that, in the ordinary course of its business,
invests in bank loans and financial assets of a type similar to the
Receivable Interests and that is advised or managed by (a) a
Purchaser, (b) an Affiliate of a Purchaser or (c) a Person or an
Affiliate of a Person that administers or manages a
Purchaser.
4
“ Assignee ”
means in the case of any assignment of any rights and obligations
pursuant to Section 9.1, any assignee of such rights and
obligations.
“ Assignment and
Acceptance ” means an assignment and acceptance, in
substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto, entered into by
any Purchaser and an Assignee pursuant to Section 9.1.
“ Available Capital
” means, at any time (a) the Maximum Capital minus (b) the
aggregate Capital outstanding at such time.
“ Average Monthly Excess
Availability ” means, for any calendar month, the sum,
without duplication, of (i) the average daily Total Excess
Availability plus (ii) the average daily unrestricted cash
of Equistar and its Subsidiaries (as determined by Equistar from
treasury records on a non-GAAP basis), in each case for such
calendar month.
“ Bankruptcy Code
” means title 11, United States Code.
“ Board ” means
the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United
States.
“ Business Day ”
means any day (other than a Saturday or Sunday) on which (i) banks
are not authorized or required to close in New York, New York or
Houston, Texas and (ii) if the term “ Business Day
” is used in connection with the Adjusted LIBO Rate, dealings
in United States dollars are carried on in the London interbank
market.
“ Capital ”
means, at any time, the sum of all Capital Investments outstanding
of all Purchasers and the Swing Purchaser at such time.
“ Capital Investment
” means, with respect to any Purchaser, or Swing Purchaser,
as the case may be, and in respect of any Receivable Interest, the
original amount paid to the Seller for such Receivable Interest at
the time of its acquisition by such Purchaser or Swing Purchaser,
as the case may be, pursuant to Section 2.1, 2.2 or 2.3, reduced
from time to time by such Purchaser’s Ratable Portion of
Collections received and distributed on account of such Capital
pursuant to Section 2.6, 2.7 or 2.8 or, with respect to the Swing
Purchaser, any amounts received pursuant to Section 2.3(e);
provided , however , that if such Capital Investment
in respect of such Receivable Interest shall have been reduced by
any distribution of any portion of Collections and thereafter such
distribution is rescinded or must otherwise be returned for any
reason, such Capital Investment in respect of such Receivable
Interest shall be increased by the amount of such distribution, all
as though such distribution had not been made.
“ Capitalized Lease
Obligations ” of any Person means obligations of such
Person and its consolidated subsidiaries to pay rent or other
amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the
right to use) real and/or personal property, which obligations are
accounted for as a capital lease on the consolidated balance sheet
of such Person, and the amount of such obligations shall be the
capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with
GAAP.
“ Cash Assets Account
” means, collectively, the Deposit Account of the Seller
(account number 30557635, ABA 021000089, Reference: Equistar
Receivables II, LLC/A/R Cash Assets I) and the Deposit Account of
the Seller (account number 30558996, ABA 021000089, Reference:
Equistar Receivables II, LLC/A/R Cash Assets II), in each case
maintained with Citibank at its office at 388 Greenwich Street, New
York, New York 10013, Attention: David Jaffe, or such other account
as the Seller and the Agent may agree.
5
“ Cash Assets ”
means any cash on deposit in, and Liquid Investments held in, the
Cash Assets Account.
“ Cash Management
Obligation ” means any direct or indirect liability,
contingent or otherwise, of the Seller in respect of cash
management services (including treasury, depository, overdraft,
electronic funds transfer and other cash management arrangements)
provided after the date hereof (regardless of whether these or
similar services were provided prior to the date hereof by the
Agent, any Purchaser or any Affiliate or any of them) by the Agent
or a Co-Asset Agent in connection with this Agreement or any other
Transaction Document, including obligations for the payment of
fees, interest, charges, expenses, attorneys’ fees and
disbursements in connection therewith.
“ Change of Control
” shall occur if at any time:
(a) members of the Existing Control
Group shall cease to own in the aggregate, through ownership by one
or more of them, partnership interests representing more than 50%
of the total equity interest and voting power of Equistar;
or
(b) partnership interests
representing in aggregate more than 25% of the total equity
interests or voting power of Equistar are transferred to Persons
other than the members of the Existing Control Group which
transferees do not have (and are not subsidiaries of parents that
have) senior unsecured credit ratings from S&P and
Moody’s (or if the senior unsecured debt of such transferees
or parents is not rated by such agencies, such transferees do not
provide opinions from such rating agencies that such transferees or
parents could reasonably be expected to obtain senior unsecured
credit ratings from such agencies) of at least the lower of (x)
BBB- and Baa3 or (y) the senior unsecured debt ratings of the
transferor (or its parent);
(c) any Person other than a member
of the Existing Control Group shall acquire the right directly or
indirectly to exercise a substantial portion of the powers of
Lyondell to act on behalf of the Partnership Governance Committee
and of the representatives of Lyondell on the Partnership
Governance Committee, in each case, as in effect on the Closing
Date or the right directly or indirectly to exercise a substantial
portion of the rights and powers of the Partnership Governance
Committee with respect to matters that require unanimous consent
under the Limited Partnership Agreement as in effect on the date
hereof without the need for the consent of a member of the Existing
Control Group; or
(d) Equistar shall cease to own,
directly or indirectly, 100% of the Equity Interests in (x) the
Seller or (y) any Originator (other than Equistar) unless such
other Originator ceases to be an Originator in accordance with
Section 7.03 of the Receivables Sale Agreement; or
(e) any mandatory repayment or
mandatory offer to purchase under the Indentures occurs or is
required to be made as a result of the occurrence of a “
Change of Control ” (or similar term).
“ Citibank ”
means Citibank, N.A., a national banking association, and its
successors.
“ Citicorp Fee Letter
” means the Administrative Agency and Collateral Monitoring
Fee Letter dated November 12, 2003 among Equistar, CUSA and
Citicorp Global Markets Inc.
“ Closing Date ”
means December 17, 2003.
“ Code ” means
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to
time.
6
“ Collections ”
means, with respect to any Pool Receivable, all cash collections
and other cash proceeds of such Pool Receivable, including (i) all
cash proceeds of the Related Security with respect to such Pool
Receivable and (ii) any amounts in respect of such Pool Receivable
deemed to have been received, and actually paid, pursuant to
Section 2.9(b) or Section 2.9(c).
“ Commitment ”
means (i) in respect of each Initial Purchaser, the commitment of
such Purchaser to make Purchases and acquire other Capital
Investments in the aggregate amount set forth as the “
Commitment ” under the name of such Initial Purchaser
on the signature pages hereto and (ii) in respect of each other
Purchaser that became a Purchaser by entering into an Assignment
and Acceptance, the amount set forth as the “
Commitment ” for such Purchaser in the Register
maintained by the Agent pursuant to Section 9.2, in each case, as
such amount may be reduced from time to time as the result of any
assignment of any Commitment or any portion thereof pursuant to
Section 9.1 or as such amount may be reduced from time to time
pursuant to Section 2.4(a).
“ Commitment Termination
Date ” means the fourth anniversary of the Closing
Date.
“ Concentration Account
” means the Deposit Account of the Seller (account number
3751447207, ABA 111000012, Reference: Equistar Receivables II,
LLC/Receivables Concentration) maintained with Bank of America,
N.A. at its office at 901 Main Street, Dallas, Texas 75202-3714 or
such other account as the Seller and the Agent may
agree.
“ Confidential Information
Memorandum ” means the Confidential Information
Memorandum dated November 2003 relating to Equistar and the
transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
“ Consent and Agreement
” means a consent and agreement dated the Closing Date, in
substantially the form of Exhibit E hereto, with respect to
the Receivables Sale Agreement, duly executed by the Seller and
each Originator.
“ consolidated ”
means, with respect to any Person, the consolidation of accounts of
such Person and its Subsidiaries in accordance with
GAAP.
“Consolidated
Subsidiary ” means
at any date any Subsidiary the accounts of which would in
accordance with GAAP be consolidated with those of Equistar in its
consolidated annual statements if such statements were prepared as
of such date.
“ Constituent Documents
” means, with respect to any Person, (a) the articles of
incorporation, certificate of incorporation or certificate of
formation (or the equivalent organizational documents) of such
Person, (b) the by-laws, partnership agreement or operating
agreement (or the equivalent governing documents) of such Person
and (c) any document setting forth the manner of election and
duties of the directors, general partners or managing members of
such Person (if any) and the designation, amount or relative
rights, limitations and preferences of any class or series of such
Person’s Stock.
“ Contract ”
means an agreement between any Originator and an Obligor in any
written form acceptable to such Originator, or, in the case of any
open account agreement, as evidenced by an invoice (x) setting
forth the amount payable, the payment due date and other relevant
terms of payment and a description, in reasonable detail, of the
goods or services covered thereby or (y) otherwise approved by the
Agent in its Discretion from time to time (which approval shall not
be unreasonably withheld), in each case pursuant to or under which
such Obligor shall be obligated to pay for goods or services from
time to time.
7
“ Credit and Collection
Policy ” means those credit and collection policies and
practices in effect on the date hereof relating to Contracts and
Receivables and described in Schedule II hereto, as modified
from time to time in compliance with Section 5.3(f) and Section
5.6(a).
“ CUSA ” has the
meaning assigned to that term in the recital of parties
hereto.
“ Deposit Account
” has the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the
UCC.
“ Discretion ”
refers to the Agent’s good faith exercise of its discretion
in a manner consistent with its customary credit policies for
receivables purchase or receivables-based credit facilities. Except
where a different standard of conduct is expressly provided for in
the proviso to clause (d) of the definition of “Eligible
Receivable”, actions by the Agent in respect of the
determination of Eligible Receivables or the Net Receivables Pool
Balance or the Applicable Reserve or in connection with any
approval by the Agent of Contracts or other matters relating to the
Pool Receivables and Related Security shall be taken by the Agent
in its Discretion.
“ Eligible Receivable
” means each Pool Receivable arising out of the sale of
inventory or the performance of services in the ordinary course of
business by an Originator to a Person that is not an Affiliate of
any Originator or, to the extent such Person is an Affiliate of any
Originator, to Millennium or LYONDELL-CITGO Refining LP or any of
their respective subsidiaries (it being understood that none of
Occidental and its subsidiaries and Oxy Vinyls, LP is deemed to be
an Affiliate of any Originator for purposes of this definition of
“Eligible Receivable” so long as Occidental does not,
directly or through one or more of its subsidiaries, own any Equity
Interests issued by Equistar); provided , however ,
that a Pool Receivable shall not be an “ Eligible
Receivable ” if any of the following shall be
true:
(a) any warranty contained in
Section 4.1(i) of this Agreement with respect to such specific
Receivable is not true and correct with respect to such Receivable;
or
(b) the Obligor on such Receivable
has disputed liability or made any claim with respect to such
Receivable or any other Receivable due from such Obligor to the
Seller or any Originator but only to the extent of such dispute or
claim; or
(c) (x) the Obligor in respect of
such Receivable is Millennium or LYONDELL-CITGO Refining LP or any
of their respective subsidiaries, unless such Obligor has executed
a no-offset letter satisfactory to the Agent, in its Discretion;
provided , however , that if such Obligor has not
executed a no-offset letter satisfactory to the Agent, in its
Discretion, such Receivables shall be Eligible Receivables pursuant
to this clause (c)(x) only to the extent the aggregate Outstanding
Balance of such Receivables exceeds 125% of the aggregate amount of
accounts payable and other indebtedness owing by the Originators to
such Obligor or any of its Affiliates as at such date; or (y) the
Obligor in respect of such Receivable, or any Person that the Agent
or any Transaction Party knows or reasonably believes is an
Affiliate of such Obligor, is also a supplier to or creditor of any
Transaction Party, unless such Obligor has executed a no-offset
letter satisfactory to the Agent, in its Discretion;
provided , however , that if such Obligor has not
executed a no-offset letter satisfactory to the Agent, in its
Discretion, such Receivables shall be Eligible Receivables pursuant
to this clause (c)(y) only to the extent the aggregate Outstanding
Balance of such Receivables exceeds the aggregate amount of
accounts payable and, to the extent known to any Responsible
Officer of the Servicer, other indebtedness owing by the
Originators to such Obligor or any such Affiliate as at such date;
or
(d) the transaction represented by
such Receivable is to an Obligor which, if a natural person, is not
a resident of the United States or, if not a natural person, is
organized under
8
the laws of a jurisdiction outside
the United States or has its chief executive office outside the
United States (it being understood for purposes of this clause (d)
that a territory of the United States that has enacted Revised
Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and Puerto Rico are
considered to be part of the United States), unless (i) such
Receivable is backed by a letter of credit acceptable to the Agent,
in its reasonable discretion and (x) such letter of credit names
the Agent (for the benefit of itself and each Purchaser) as the
beneficiary or (y) the issuer of such letter of credit has
consented to the assignment of the proceeds thereof to the Agent,
(ii) such Obligor is, if a natural person, a resident of Canada or,
if not a natural person, is organized under the laws of Canada or a
province thereof and has its chief executive office in Canada and
such Receivable is denominated in U.S. Dollars or (iii) such
Receivable is backed by insurance reasonably acceptable to the
Agent and the relevant insurance policy names the Agent (for the
benefit of itself and each Purchaser) as additional insured and
loss payee; provided , however , that the Receivables
of any Obligor located in a jurisdiction outside the United States
or Canada approved by the Agent in its sole discretion, which
jurisdiction shall be listed in Schedule V hereto as and
when approved by the Agent, and which Obligor is listed on
Schedule VI-A hereto (as of the date hereof and as such
Schedule may be updated from time to time by the Originators upon
five Business Days’ prior written notice to the Agent), shall
be Eligible Receivables pursuant to this clause (d) to the extent
that (A) such Receivables are denominated in U.S. Dollars and arise
from sales of inventory shipped from the United States and (B) the
aggregate Outstanding Balance of all such Receivables does not
exceed 15% of the Outstanding Balance of all Eligible Receivables;
or
(e) the sale to such Obligor
represented by such Receivable is not a final sale (e.g., such sale
is on a bill-and-hold, guaranteed sale, sale-and-return or
sale-on-approval basis or, until billed, a consignment basis);
or
(f) such Receivable is subject to
any Lien other than a Permitted Lien described in clause (i) or
(ii) of the definition thereof; or
(g) such Receivable is subject to
any deduction, offset, counterclaim, return privilege or other
conditions (other than (i) sales discounts given in the ordinary
course of the Originators’ business and reflected in the
amount of such Receivable as set forth in the invoice or other
supporting material therefor or (ii) an offset or counterclaim of a
nature specifically addressed in another clause of this definition)
but only to the extent of the amount of such deduction, offset,
counterclaim, return privilege or other condition being asserted by
the Obligor; or
(h) the Obligor on such Receivable
is located in any State of the United States requiring the holder
of such Receivable, as a precondition to commencing or maintaining
any action in the courts of such State either to (i) receive a
certificate of authorization to do business in such State or be in
good standing in such State or (ii) file a Notice of Business
Activities Report with the appropriate office or agency of such
State, in each case unless the holder of such Receivable has
received such a certificate of authority to do business, is in good
standing or, as the case may be, has duly filed such a notice in
such State; or
(i) the Obligor on such Receivable
is a Governmental Authority, unless the applicable Originator and
the Seller have each assigned its rights to payment of such
Receivable to the Agent pursuant to the Assignment of Claims Act of
1940, as amended, in the case of a federal Governmental Authority,
and pursuant to applicable law, if any, in the case of any other
Governmental Authority, and such assignment has been accepted and
acknowledged by the appropriate government officers; or
9
(j) 50% or more of the Outstanding
Balance of the Receivables of the Obligor are not Eligible
Receivables by reason of clause (b) or (g) above or clause (o)
below; provided that Receivables that are determined not to
be Eligible Receivables, solely as a result of the provisions of
clause (n) below, shall be excluded in calculating such percentage;
or
(k) the payment obligation
represented by such Receivable is denominated in a currency other
than U.S. Dollars; or
(l) such Receivable is not evidenced
by an invoice that would be a Contract or by other supporting
material acceptable to the Agent, in its Discretion;
provided , however , that this clause (l) shall not
render ineligible Unbilled Receivables that would otherwise
constitute Eligible Receivables under other clauses of this
definition; or
(m) any Originator, the Seller or
any other Person, in order to be entitled to collect such
Receivable, is required to deliver any additional goods or
merchandise to, perform any additional service for, or perform or
incur any additional obligation to, the Person to whom or to which
it was made; or
(n) the total Receivables of such
Obligor to the Originators (taken as a whole) represent more than
15% (or such lesser percentage with respect to certain Obligors as
the Agent may determine in its Discretion) of the Outstanding
Balance of the Eligible Receivables of the Originators (taken as a
whole) at such time, but only to the extent of such excess;
or
(o) such Receivable (or any portion
thereof) remains unpaid for more than (i) 60 days from the original
payment due date, or (ii) if such Receivable arises from the sale
of inventory, 90 days from the original invoice date thereof or, in
the case of any such Receivable from an Obligor listed, and with
the payment terms described, in Schedule VI-B hereto (as of
the date hereof and as such Schedule may be updated from time to
time by the Originators upon five Business Days’ prior
written notice to the Agent), 120 days from the original invoice
date thereof, provided that such Receivables from such
Obligors listed in Schedule VI-B shall be Eligible
Receivables under this clause (o) only to the extent that the
Outstanding Balance of all such Receivables does not exceed 10% of
the Outstanding Balance of all Eligible Receivables; or
(p) the Obligor on such Receivable
(i) has (A) pending, by or against such Obligor, a petition for
bankruptcy or any other relief under the Bankruptcy Code or any
other law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or
relief of debtors, (B) an assignment for the benefit of creditors,
(C) any other application for relief under the Bankruptcy Code or
any such other law or (D) the appointment of a receiver or a
trustee for all or a substantial part of its assets or affairs or
(ii) has, while such Receivable remains outstanding, failed,
suspended business operations, become insolvent or called a meeting
of its creditors for the purpose of obtaining any financial
concession or accommodation; or
(q) consistent with the Credit and
Collection Policy, such Receivable is or should be written off the
Seller’s or any Originator’s books as uncollectible;
or
(r) such Receivable is not payable
into a Lock-Box Account that is the subject of a Lock-Box
Agreement; or
(s) such Receivable does not arise
under a Contract which has been duly authorized and which, together
with such Receivable, is in full force and effect and constitutes
the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Obligor of such
Receivable enforceable against such Obligor in accordance with its
terms; or
10
(t) such Receivable, together with
the Contract related thereto, contravenes in any material respect
any laws, rules or regulations applicable thereto (including,
without limitation, laws, rules and regulations relating to usury,
consumer protection, truth in lending, fair credit billing, fair
credit reporting, equal credit opportunity, fair debt collection
practices and privacy) or with respect to which the applicable
Originator is in violation of any such law, rule or regulation in
any material respect; or
(u) such Receivable does not satisfy
the requirements of the Credit and Collection Policy in all
material respects; or
(v) such Receivable does not
constitute an “ account ” within the meaning of
Section 9-102(a)(2) of the UCC of the jurisdiction the law of which
governs the perfection of the interest created by a Receivable
Interest; or
(w) the sale to such Obligor on such
Receivable is on a F.O.B. customer basis but only for so long as
the inventory giving rise to such Receivable has not yet arrived at
its destination and possession thereof has not been taken by the
Obligor; or
(x) such Receivable (i) is subject
to an unsecured claim in favor of a surety or (ii) arises under a
Contract that is not governed by the laws of the United States or a
State thereof; or
(y) such Receivable is an Unbilled
Receivable; provided , however, that Unbilled Receivables in
respect of inventory that have been shipped shall be Eligible
Receivables under this clause (y) to the extent that the
Outstanding Balance of all such Receivables does not exceed 25%
(or, if such determination is being made at any time other than as
of the last day of any calendar month, 35%) of the Outstanding
Balance of all Eligible Receivables; provided ,
further , however , that any Unbilled Receivable as
to which an invoice has not been issued to the relevant Obligor
more than 31 days after the date of the sale of goods by the
relevant Originator giving rise to such Receivable shall not be an
Eligible Receivable; or
(z) there is a chargeback
represented by the unpaid portion of such Receivable as to which
less than full payment was made; or
(aa) such Receivable is billed in
advance of the relevant shipment of inventory or performance of
services; or
(bb) such Receivable arises under a
Contract that (i) specifies a fixed price and fixed volume for 90
or more days and (ii) provides for material liquidated damages;
or
(cc) (i) such Receivable does not
comply with such other reasonable criteria and requirements (other
than those relating to the collectibility of such Receivable) as
the Agent, in its Discretion, may from time to time specify to the
Seller upon 30 days’ notice, or (ii) the Agent, based upon
such credit and collateral considerations as it may deem
appropriate, in the exercise of its Discretion, and upon at least
five Business Days’ notice, notifies the Seller of its
determination that such Receivable might not be paid or is
otherwise ineligible, in which event such Receivable shall not be
an Eligible Receivable on the effective date of ineligibility
specified in such notice.
For the avoidance of doubt, it is acknowledged
and agreed that any calculation of ineligibility made pursuant to
more than one clause above shall be made without
duplication.
11
“ Equistar ”
means Equistar Chemicals, LP, a Delaware limited
partnership.
“ Equistar Receivables
” means Equistar Receivables II, LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company.
“ Equistar Undertaking
” means the Undertaking Agreement dated as of the Closing
Date, insubstantially the form of Exhibit J hereto, by
Equistar in favor of the Agent and the Purchasers.
“ Equity Interest
” means, with respect to any Person, shares of capital stock
of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person,
warrants, options or other rights for the purchase or other
acquisition from such Person of shares of capital stock of (or
other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, securities
convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of (or
other ownership or profit interests in) such Person or warrants,
rights or options for the purchase or other acquisition from such
Person of such shares (or such other interests), and other
ownership or profit interests in such Person (including, without
limitation, partnership, member or trust interests therein),
whether voting or nonvoting, and whether or not such shares,
warrants, options, rights or other interests are authorized or
otherwise existing on any date of determination.
“ ERISA ” means
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
from time to time, and the regulations promulgated and rulings
issued thereunder.
“ ERISA Affiliate
” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated)
that, together with Equistar, is treated as a single employer under
Section 414 of the Code.
“ Eurocurrency
Liabilities ” has the meaning assigned to that term in
Regulation D of the Board.
“ Events of Termination
” has the meaning specified in Section 7.1.
“ Existing Control
Group ” means Lyondell, Millennium and Occidental, the
successor of any member of the Existing Control Group (including
any entity that is a party to any merger or business combination
transaction to which such member shall be a party; provided
that immediately after such transaction Equity Interests having a
majority of the voting power of such entity’s outstanding
Equity Interests shall be held by holders of the Equity Interests
of such member immediately prior to such transaction), and their
respective subsidiaries.
“ Existing Program
” means the receivables securitization facility established
pursuant to the Receivables Sale Agreement dated as of October 22,
2002 among Equistar, as Originator, Equistar Receivables, LLC as
Buyer, and Equistar, as Buyer’s Servicer, and the Receivables
Purchase Agreement dated as of October 22, 2002 among Equistar
Receivables, LLC as Seller, Equistar, as Servicer, the Conduit,
Financial Institutions and Managing Agent party thereto and Bank
One, NA (Main Office Chicago), as Collateral Agent.
“ Federal Funds Rate
” means, for any period, a fluctuating interest rate per
annum equal for each day during such period to the weighted average
of the rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with members
of the Federal Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers, as
published for such day (or, if such day is not a Business Day, for
the next preceding 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 of the quotations for such day on such
transactions received by the Agent from three Federal funds brokers
of recognized standing selected by it.
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“ Fiscal Year ”
means each twelve-month period ending on December 31.
“ GAAP ” means
generally accepted accounting principles in the United States
consistently applied, in effect from time to time.
“ Governmental
Authority ” means any nation, sovereign or government,
any state or other political subdivision thereof and any entity
exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or
administrative functions of or pertaining to government, including
any central bank.
“ Guarantee ” of
or by any Person means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of
such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of
guaranteeing any Indebtedness of any other Person (the “
primary obligor ”) in any manner, whether directly or
indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or
indirect, (a) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for
the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or to purchase (or to
advance or supply funds for the purchase of) any security for the
payment of such Indebtedness, (b) to purchase property, securities
or services for the purpose of assuring the owner of such
Indebtedness of the payment of such Indebtedness or (c) to maintain
working capital, equity capital or other financial statement
condition or liquidity of the primary obligor so as to enable the
primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness; provided that the
obligation of any JV Owner Subsidiary which is a general partner in
a Joint Venture which arises by operation of law in respect of any
Indebtedness of such Joint Venture shall not be deemed a Guarantee
by such JV Owner Subsidiary of such Indebtedness.
“ Indebtedness ”
of any Person means, without duplication, (a) the outstanding
principal amounts of all obligations of such Person for borrowed
money (including repurchase obligations), (b) the outstanding
principal amounts of all obligations of such Person evidenced by
bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments or letters of
credit in support of bonds, notes, debentures or similar
instruments, (c) all obligations of such Person upon which interest
charges are customarily paid, (d) all obligations of such Person to
pay the deferred purchase price of property or services under any
conditional sale or other title retention agreement, (e) all
obligations of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred
purchase price of property or services (other than accounts payable
to suppliers and accrued liabilities (i) that are incurred in the
ordinary course of business and paid within 60 days after the date
due or (ii) that are being contested in good faith by appropriate
proceedings and for which appropriate reserves have been
established in accordance with GAAP), (f) all Capitalized Lease
Obligations of such Person, (g) all non-contingent obligations
(and, solely for purposes of Section 5.3(a) hereof and Section 4.01
of the Equistar Undertaking, all contingent obligations, which
contingent obligations shall for such purposes be deemed to be in
an outstanding principal amount equal to the maximum contingent
amount thereof) of such Person to reimburse any bank or other
Person in respect of amounts paid under a letter of credit or
similar instrument, (h) all Stock or Stock Equivalents of such
Person which are subject to redemption otherwise than at the sole
option of such Person at any time prior to the date 12 months after
the Commitment Termination Date to the extent not held by any
Transaction Party; provided that any Stock or Stock
Equivalents of such Person which are included as Indebtedness
solely as a result of provisions thereof which give the holders
thereof the right to require such Person to repurchase or redeem
such Stock or Stock Equivalents upon the occurrence of a
“change of control” occurring prior to the date falling
12 months after the Commitment Termination Date shall not be
considered Indebtedness of such Person if the “change of
control” provisions applicable to such Stock or Stock
Equivalents are no more favorable to the holders of such Stock or
Stock Equivalents than those contained in this Agreement, (i) 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 or assets owned or acquired by
such
13
Person, whether or not the obligations secured
thereby have been assumed and (j) all Guarantees of such Person.
For avoidance of doubt, Indebtedness does not include any
obligation of a JV Owner Subsidiary which is a general partner in a
Joint Venture which arises by operation of law in respect of any
Indebtedness of such Joint Venture.
“ Indemnified Amounts
” has the meaning specified in Section 10.1.
“ Indemnified Party
” means each Facility Agent, each Purchaser and each of their
respective Affiliates, and each of the directors, officers,
employees, agents, representative, attorneys, consultants and
advisors of or to any of the foregoing.
“ Indentures ”
means the 1996 Indentures, the 1999 Indenture, the 2001 Indenture
and the 2003 Indenture.
“ Intercreditor
Agreement ” means the Intercreditor Agreement dated as of
December 17, 2003 by and among CUSA, as Receivables Agent, CUSA, as
Lender Agent, Equistar Receivables, as Transferor, Equistar, as
Originator, as Initial Servicer and as Borrower, and the other
Originators and Loan Parties from time to time party thereto,
substantially in the form of Exhibit K .
“ Investment ”
means, with respect to any Person, (a) all investments by such
Person in another Person (including an Affiliate of such Person) in
the form of direct or indirect loans, advances or extensions of
credit to such other Person (including any Guarantee by such Person
of Indebtedness or capital stock (which capital stock is subject to
redemption otherwise than at the sole option of the issuer thereof
at any time prior to the date 12 months after the Commitment
Termination Date) of such other Person) or capital contributions or
purchases or other acquisitions for consideration of Indebtedness,
Equity Interests or other Securities of such other Person, together
with all items that are or would be classified as investments of
such investing Person on a balance sheet prepared in accordance
with GAAP, and (b) any purchase by such Person of all or a
significant part of the assets of a business conducted by any other
Person, or all or substantially all of the assets constituting the
business of a division, branch or other unit operation of any other
Person; provided that (i) trade credit and accounts
receivable in the ordinary course of business, (ii) commissions,
loans, advances, fees and compensation paid in the ordinary course
of business to officers, directors and employees and (ii)
reimbursement obligations in respect of letters of credit and
tender, bid, performance, government contract, surety and appeal
bonds, in each case solely with respect to obligations of Equistar
or any Subsidiary (other than a Joint Venture Subsidiary and, in
each case, subject to the provisions of Section 4.10 of the
Equistar Undertaking) shall not be considered
Investments.
“ Investment Event
” means any Purchase, any conversion of Capital Investments
bearing Yield at the Applicable LIBO Rate to Capital Investments
bearing Yield at the Applicable Base Rate, any conversion of
Capital Investments bearing Yield at the Applicable Base Rate to
Capital Investments bearing Yield at the Applicable LIBO Rate and
any continuation of Capital Investments bearing Yield at the
Applicable LIBO Rate for an additional Yield Period.
“ Joint Venture ”
means any joint venture (a) in which Equistar has a direct or
indirect economic interest of at least 20% and not more than 80%
and (b) which is accounted for by Equistar on the equity method in
accordance with GAAP.
“ Joint Venture
Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary which is a Joint
Venture.
“ JV Owner Subsidiary
” means each Subsidiary (a) that, at any time, directly holds
an equity interest in any Joint Venture and (b) that has no other
material assets.
14
“ LIBO Rate ”
means, with respect to any Yield Period for any Capital Investment
as to which Yield is based on the Applicable LIBO Rate, the rate
appearing on Page 3750 of the MoneyLine Telerate Markets (or on any
successor or substitute page of such service) at approximately
11:00 a.m., London time, two Business Days prior to the
commencement of such Yield Period, as the rate for Dollar deposits
with a maturity comparable to such Yield Period. In the event that
such rate is not available at such time for any reason, then the
LIBO Rate shall be the rate at which Dollar deposits in an amount
approximately equal to the Capital Investment of CUSA and for a
period comparable to such Yield Period are offered by the principal
office of Citibank in London to prime banks in the London interbank
market at approximately 11:00 a.m. (London time) two Business Days
prior to the commencement of such Yield Period.
“ Lien ” means,
with respect to any asset, (a) any mortgage, deed of trust, lien,
pledge, encumbrance, charge or security interest in or on such
asset, (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under any
conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention
agreement relating to such asset or (c) in the case of securities,
any purchase option, call or similar right of a third party with
respect to such securities, in each case whether or not filed,
recorded or otherwise perfected under applicable law.
“ Limited Partnership
Agreement ” means the Amended and Restated Limited
Partnership Agreement of Equistar dated as of May 15, 1998, by and
among the respective Partners.
“ Liquid Investments
” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.18(b).
“ Liquidation Cost
” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.12.
“ Liquidation Day
” means, for any Receivable Interest, each Business Day that
occurs on or after the Termination Date.
“ Lock-Box Account
” means a Deposit Account (including, without limitation, any
concentration account) maintained at a Lock-Box Bank for the
purpose of receiving Collections and subject to a valid Lock-Box
Agreement.
“ Lock-Box Agreement
” means an agreement, in substantially the form of Exhibit
C hereto (with such modifications thereto as consented to by
the Agent), between any Originator or the Seller, as the case may
be, the Agent, and a Lock-Box Bank.
“ Lock-Box Bank ”
means any of the banks specified on Schedule I hereof and
any other bank specified as a “ Lock-Box Bank ”
in accordance with this Agreement, in each case holding one or more
Lock-Box Accounts.
“ Lyondell ”
means Lyondell Chemical Company, a Delaware corporation.
“ Material Adverse
Effect ” means (a) a material adverse effect on the
business, assets, operations or financial condition of Equistar and
its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (b) material impairment of the
ability of the Transaction Parties to perform any of their
obligations under the Transaction Documents, (c) material
impairment of the collectibility of the Pool Receivables generally
or of any material portion of the Pool Receivables or the ability
of the Servicer (if the Servicer is Equistar or an Affiliate of
Equistar) to collect Pool Receivables or (d) material impairment of
the rights of or benefits available to the Agent or the Purchasers
under the Transaction Documents; provided , however ,
that a downgrade in any debt rating of Equistar or any of its
Subsidiaries shall not, by itself, constitute a Material Adverse
Effect.
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“ Material Subsidiary
” means (a) any Subsidiary that accounts for more than 5% of
the assets, or more than 5% of the revenues for the four fiscal
quarters most recently ended, of Equistar and its Subsidiaries on a
Consolidated basis, (b) any Subsidiary designated by Equistar as a
Material Subsidiary for purposes of the Transaction Documents by
notice to the Agent, (c) any Subsidiary that owns any Equity
Interest in a Material Subsidiary described in clause (a) or (b),
and (d) at any time when Subsidiaries (other than Material
Subsidiaries described in clauses (a), (b) and (c)) in the
aggregate account for more than 10% of the assets, or more than 10%
of the revenues for the four fiscal quarters most recently ended,
of Equistar and its Subsidiaries on a Consolidated basis, all
Subsidiaries; provided that the term “Material
Subsidiary” shall exclude the Seller and shall include any
other Transaction Party other than Equistar.
“ Maximum Capital
” means, at any time, the lesser of (a) the Total Commitments
and (b)(i) the Net Receivables Pool Balance minus (ii) the
Applicable Reserve in effect at such time .
“ Millennium ”
means Millennium Chemicals Inc., a Delaware corporation.
“ Moody’s ”
means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., and its
successors.
“ Multiemployer Plan
” means a multiemployer plan, as defined in Section
4001(a)(3) of ERISA, to which Equistar or any ERISA Affiliate
(other than one considered an ERISA Affiliate only pursuant to
subsection (m) or (o) of Section 414 of the Code) is making or
accruing an obligation to make contributions, or has within any of
the preceding five plan years made or accrued an obligation to make
contributions.
“ Net Receivables Pool
Balance ” means, at any time, the Outstanding Balance of
the Eligible Receivables in the Receivables Pool as at such time
reduced by (a) Unapplied Cash and Credits (to the extent not
already deducted in determining the Outstanding Balance), (b) the
Yield and Fee Reserve at such time and (c) to the extent not
already deducted in determining Eligible Receivables, (i) amounts
accrued or recorded by the Originators as a reserve in respect of
volume rebates or other offsetting deductions, or in respect of
credits in past due and (ii) such dilution reserves and other
reductions as the Agent in its Discretion deems appropriate and as
notified by the Agent to the Seller at least five Business Days
prior to the effectiveness thereof.
“ 1996 Indentures
” means (i) the Indenture dated as of January 29, 1996
between Equistar (succeeding Lyondell), as issuer, and JP Morgan
Chase Bank (as successor by merger to Texas Commerce Bank National
Association), as trustee, relating to 6 1 / 2
% Unsecured Notes due
February 21, 2006 and (ii) the Indenture dated as of January 29,
1996 between Equistar (succeeding Lyondell), as issuer, and JP
Morgan Chase Bank (as successor by merger to Texas Commerce Bank
National Association), as trustee, relating to 7.55% Unsecured
Debentures due February 21, 2026.
“ 1999 Indenture
” means the Indenture dated as of January 15, 1999 between
Equistar and Equistar Funding Corporation, as issuers, and The Bank
of New York, as trustee.
“ Notice of Conversion or
Continuation ” has the meaning specified in Section
2.16(a).
“ Notice of Purchase
” has the meaning specified in Section 2.2(a).
“ Obligations ”
means, with respect to any Transaction Party, the obligations of
such Transaction Party under the Transaction Documents (as the same
may hereafter be amended, restated, extended, supplemented or
otherwise modified from time to time) with respect to the due and
punctual payment, whether at maturity, by acceleration or
otherwise, of all monetary obligations of such
16
Transaction Party, whether for fees, costs,
indemnification or otherwise (other than Capital), including, with
respect to the Seller, Yield, amounts payable as deemed Collections
pursuant to Section 2.9(b) or 2.9(c), the Agent’s Fee, the
Unused Commitment Fee, the Servicer Fee, Cash Management
Obligations and amounts payable by the Seller pursuant to Section
2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 10.1 and 11.5.
“ Obligor ” means
a Person obligated to make payments pursuant to a
Contract.
“ Occidental ”
means Occidental Petroleum Corporation, a Delaware
corporation.
“ Originator ”
means Equistar and any wholly owned Subsidiaries of Equistar from
time to time party to the Receivables Sale Agreement as
“Sellers” thereunder.
“ Other Taxes ”
has the meaning specified in Section 2.14(b).
“ Outstanding Balance
” of any Receivable at any time means the then outstanding
principal balance thereof.
“ Partners ”
means the direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries through
which Lyondell, Millennium and, if applicable, Occidental hold
their interests in Equistar.
“ Partnership Governance
Committee ” means Equistar’s Partnership Governance
Committee, together with any successor or substitute committee
exercising similar power and authority.
“ Payment Date ”
means (a) in respect of Yield, the Unused Commitment Fee and the
Servicer Fee, (i) the second Business Day of each calendar month,
commencing on the first such day following the Closing Date and
(ii) if not previously paid in full, the Termination Date, and (b)
with respect to all other Obligations of the Seller hereunder, the
date such Obligation is due or otherwise on demand by the Agent
from and after the time such Obligation becomes due and payable
(whether by acceleration or otherwise).
“ PBGC ” means
the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in
ERISA and any successor thereto.
“ Permitted Dividend
” means any dividend or distribution by Equistar on any class
of its Equity Interests; provided that a portion of such
class is held by a member of the Existing Control Group.
“ Permitted Lien
” means (i) an inchoate tax or PBGC Lien, (ii) a Lien created
by the Transaction Documents, (iii) a Lien in favor of a Lock-Box
Bank in respect of a Lock-Box Amount or (iv) a Lien in favor of a
securities intermediary in respect of any securities account, or
any securities entitlement therein, under the “control”
(within the meaning of Section 9-104 of the UCC) of the
Agent.
“ Person ” means
an individual, partnership, corporation (including a business
trust), limited liability company, joint stock company, trust,
unincorporated association, joint venture or other entity, or a
government or any political subdivision or agency
thereof.
“ Plan ” means
any employee pension benefit plan (as defined in Section 3(2) of
ERISA) (other than a Multiemployer Plan) subject to the provisions
of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code with respect to
which Equistar 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.
“ Pool Receivable
” means a Receivable in the Receivables Pool.
17
“ Potential Event of
Termination ” means any event that, with the giving of
notice or the passage of time or both, would constitute an Event of
Termination.
“ Principal Financial
Officer ” of any Person means the chief financial
officer, the treasurer or the principal accounting officer of such
Person (including any Person designated by the Partnership
Governance Committee as a Principal Financial Officer for purposes
of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document). Any action
taken or document delivered by a Principal Financial Officer
pursuant to the Transaction Documents shall be taken or delivered
in his capacity as such.
“ Purchase ”
means a purchase by the Purchasers or the Swing Purchaser of a
Receivable Interest from the Seller pursuant to Article
II.
“ Purchasers ”
means the Initial Purchasers and each Assignee that shall become a
party hereto pursuant to Section 9.1.
“ Ratable Portion
” or “ ratably ” means, with respect to
any Purchaser, the percentage obtained by dividing (a) the
Commitment of such Purchaser by (b) the Total Commitments (or, at
any time after the Termination Date, the percentage obtained by
dividing the aggregate Capital Investments then owing to such
Purchaser by the Capital then owing).
“ Receivable ”
means the indebtedness (whether constituting accounts or general
intangibles or chattel paper or otherwise) of any Obligor under a
Contract, and includes the right to payment of any interest or
finance charges and other obligations of such Obligor with respect
thereto.
“ Receivable Asset
Availability ” means, at any time, (i) the sum of (x) the
Net Receivables Pool Balance minus the Applicable Reserve in effect
at such time, plus (y) Cash Assets at such time, minus (ii) the
aggregate Capital outstanding at such time.
“ Receivables Excess
Availability ” means, at any time, the sum of (i)
Available Capital plus (ii) Cash Assets at such time.
“ Receivable Interest
” means, at any time, an undivided percentage ownership
interest at such time in (a) all then outstanding Pool Receivables
arising prior to the time of the most recent computation or
recomputation of such undivided percentage interest pursuant to
Section 2.5, (b) all Related Security with respect to such Pool
Receivables and (c) all Collections with respect to, and other
proceeds of, such Pool Receivables. Such undivided percentage
interest for such Receivable Interest shall be computed
as:
where:
C = the outstanding Capital
Investments made by the Purchasers or the Swing Purchasers, as the
case may be, in connection with such Receivable Interest at such
time;
AR = the Purchasers’ or Swing
Purchaser’s (as the case may be) Ratable Portion of the
aggregate Applicable Reserve at such time; and
NRPB = the Net Receivables Pool
Balance at such time;
provided , however , that upon the occurrence of
the Termination Date, the Receivable Interests then outstanding
under this Agreement, if more than one Receivable Interest, shall
be combined into one
18
Receivable Interest hereunder (such one
Receivable Interest, whether the one Receivable Interest then
outstanding or the one Receivable Interest resulting from such
combination of Receivable Interests, being the “ Special
Receivable Interest ”) and such Special Receivable
Interest shall be senior and prior to any undivided percentage
ownership interest held by the Seller in (and, for the avoidance of
doubt, while the Special Receivable Interest is greater than zero,
the Seller shall not be entitled to assert or enforce any claim in
respect of such retained undivided percentage ownership interest
in) (i) all then outstanding Pool Receivables arising prior to the
Termination Date, (ii) all Related Security with respect to such
Pool Receivables and (iii) all Collections with respect to, and
other proceeds of, such Pool Receivables.
Each Receivable Interest shall be determined
from time to time pursuant to the provisions of Section
2.5.
“ Receivables Pool
” means at any time the aggregation of all then outstanding
Receivables.
“ Receivables Sale
Agreement ” means the Receivables Sale Agreement, dated
as of the Closing Date, in substantially the form of Exhibit
D hereto, among each Originator, as seller and, if applicable,
as buyer’s servicer, and Equistar Receivables, as
buyer.
“ Records ”
means, with respect to any Receivable, all Contracts and other
documents, books, records and other information (including, without
limitation, computer programs, tapes, disks, punch cards, data
processing software and related property and rights) relating to
such Receivable and the related Obligor.
“ Register ” has
the meaning specified in Section 9.2.
“ Regulation U ”
means Regulation U of the Board, as the same is from time to time
in effect, and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder
or thereof.
“ Regulation X ”
means Regulation X of the Board, as the same is from time to time
in effect, and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder
or thereof.
“ Related Security
” means with respect to any Receivable:
(i) all right, title and interest of
the Seller in, under and to all security agreements and other
Contracts that relate to such Receivable;
(ii) all of the Seller’s
interest in the goods (including returned goods), if any, relating
to the sale which gave rise to such Receivable;
(iii) all other security interests
or liens and property subject thereto from time to time purporting
to secure payment of such Receivable, whether pursuant to the
Contract relating to such Receivable or otherwise, together with
all financing statements signed or authenticated by an Obligor
describing any collateral securing such Receivable;
(iv) all letter of credit rights,
guarantees, insurance and other agreements or arrangements of
whatever character from time to time supporting or securing payment
of such Receivable, whether pursuant to the Contract relating to
such Receivable or otherwise;
(v) all Records relating to such
Receivable (subject, in the case of Records consisting of computer
programs, data processing software and other intellectual property
under license from third parties, to restrictions imposed by such
license on the sublicensing or transfer thereof);
19
(vi) all of the Seller’s
right, title and interest in and to the following: (x) the
Receivables Sale Agreement, including, without limitation, (A) all
rights to receive moneys due and to become due under or pursuant to
the Receivables Sale Agreement, (B) all rights to receive proceeds
of any indemnity, warranty or guaranty with respect to the
Receivables Sale Agreement, (C) claims for damages arising out of
or for breach of or default under the Receivables Sale Agreement,
and (D) the right to perform under the Receivables Sale Agreement
and to compel performance and otherwise exercise all remedies
thereunder; and (y) all lock-boxes to which Collections are sent or
deposited and all Restricted Accounts, and all funds and
investments therein, and
(vii) all proceeds of any and all of
the foregoing (including, without limitation, proceeds which
constitute property of the types described in clause (vi)
above).
“ Reportable Event
” means any reportable event as defined in Section 4043(c) of
ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder with respect to a Plan
(other than a Plan maintained by an ERISA Affiliate that is
considered an ERISA Affiliate only pursuant to subsection (m) or
(o) of Section 414 of the Code).
“ Required Net Receivables
Pool Balance ” means, at any time, the sum of (i) the
Capital at such time plus (ii) the aggregate Applicable Reserve at
such time.
“ Required Purchasers
” means, at any time, Purchasers holding more than 50% of the
aggregate Total Commitments or, after the Termination Date, more
than fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate Capital at such
time.
“ Requirement of Law
” means, with respect to any Person, the common law and all
federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules and regulations,
orders, judgments, decrees and other determinations of any
Governmental Authority or arbitrator, applicable to or binding upon
such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any
of its property is subject.
“ Reserve Percentage
” means, as of the Closing Date, 15%, provided that
the Reserve Percentage may, upon five Business Days’ notice
by the Agent to the Seller and the Servicer, be increased or,
subject to Section 11.1, decreased by the Agent at any time in its
Discretion.
“ Responsible Officer
” means the chief executive officer, the president, any
Principal Financial Officer or any vice president of any
Transaction Party but, in any event, with respect to financial
matters and each Seller Report, any Principal Financial Officer of
the applicable Transaction Party. Any action taken or document
delivered by a Responsible Officer pursuant to the Transaction
Documents shall be taken or delivered in his capacity as
such.
“ Restricted Accounts
” means the Seller’s Account, the Lock-Box Accounts,
the Concentration Account, the Sweep Account and the Cash Assets
Account.
“ S&P ” means
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service.
“ SEC ” means the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
20
“ Security ”
means any Stock, Stock Equivalent, voting trust certificate, bond,
debenture, note or other evidence of Indebtedness, whether secured,
unsecured, convertible or subordinated, or any certificate of
interest, share or participation in, any temporary or interim
certificate for the purchase or acquisition of, or any right to
subscribe to, purchase or acquire, any of the foregoing, but shall
not include any evidence of the obligations of the Transaction
Parties hereunder.
“ Seller Party ”
means the Seller or the Servicer.
“ Seller Report ”
means a report, in substantially the form of Exhibit B
hereto, furnished by the Servicer to the Agent for the benefit of
each Purchaser pursuant to Section 5.5(f).
“ Seller’s
Account ” means the Deposit Account of the Seller
(account number 3751968281 ABA111000012, Reference: Equistar
Receivables II, LLC/Multipurpose Account) maintained with Bank of
America, N.A. at its office at 901 Main Street, Dallas Texas
75202-3714, Attention: Sharon V. Hamm.
“ Servicer ” has
the meaning specified in Section 6.1.
“ Servicer Fee ”
has the meaning specified in Section 2.11.
“ Shortfall Condition
” exists on any day if the aggregate Receivable Interests on
such day would exceed 100% (after giving effect to any calculated
reduction of Capital by an amount equal to the amount on deposit in
the Cash Assets Account as of the close of business on such day
pursuant to Section 2.6(a)(iii) or 2.7(a)(iii), as
applicable).
“ Solvent ”
means, with respect to any Person as of any date of determination,
that, as of such date, (a) the fair value of the assets of such
Person, at a fair valuation, will exceed its debts and liabilities,
subordinated, contingent or otherwise, (b) the present fair
saleable value of the property of such Person will be greater than
the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of
its debts and other liabilities, subordinated, contingent or
otherwise, as such debts and other liabilities become absolute and
matured, (c) such Person is able to pay all liabilities of such
Person as such liabilities mature and (d) such Person does not have
unreasonably small capital with which to conduct the business in
which it is engaged as such business is now conducted and is
proposed to be conducted following the Closing Date. In computing
the amount of contingent or unliquidated liabilities at any time,
such liabilities shall be computed at the amount that, in light of
all the facts and circumstances existing at such time, represents
the amount that can reasonably be expected to become an actual or
matured liability.
“ Special Receivable
Interest ” has the meaning specified in the definition of
“ Receivable Interest ” contained in this
Section 1.1.
“ Stock ” means
shares of capital stock (whether denominated as common stock or
preferred stock), beneficial, partnership or membership interests,
participations or other equivalents (regardless of how designated)
of or in a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or
equivalent entity, whether voting or non-voting.
“ Stock Equivalents
” means all securities convertible into or exchangeable for
Stock and all warrants, options or other rights to purchase or
subscribe for any Stock, whether or not presently convertible,
exchangeable or exercisable.
“ Subordinated Note
” has the meaning specified in the Receivables Sale
Agreement.
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“ Subsidiary ”
means any subsidiary of Equistar or any other Transaction
Party.
“ subsidiary ”
means, with respect to any Person (the “ parent
”), any corporation, association or other business entity of
which Securities or other ownership interests representing 50% or
more of the ordinary voting power are, at the time as of which any
determination is being made, beneficially owned by the parent, by
one or more subsidiaries of the parent or by the parent and one or
more subsidiaries of the parent.
“ Super Majority
Purchasers ” means at any time Purchasers holding more
than 66 2 / 3
% of the aggregate Total
Commitments or, after the Termination Date, more than 66
2
/ 3 % of the aggregate Capital
outstanding at such time.
“ Sweep Account ”
means the Deposit Account of the Seller (account number 30557643,
ABA 021000089, Reference: Equistar Receivables II, LLC/A/R Sweep)
maintained with Citibank at its office at 388 Greenwich Street, New
York, New York 10013, Attention: David Jaffe, or such other account
as the Seller and the Agent may agree.
“ Swing Purchase
” has the meaning specified in Section 2.3.
“ Swing Purchase
Request ” has the meaning specified in Section
2.3(b).
“ Swing Purchase
Sublimit ” means, at any time, $50,000,000.
“ Swing Purchaser
” means CUSA or any other Purchaser that becomes the Agent or
agrees, with the approval of the Agent and the Seller, to act as
the Swing Purchaser hereunder, in each case in its capacity as the
Swing Purchaser hereunder.
“ Syndication Completion
Date ” has the meaning specified in the Arrangement Fee
Letter dated November 12, 2003 among Equistar, CUSA and Bank of
America, N.A.
“ Taxes ” has the
meaning specified in Section 2.14(a).
“ Termination Date
” means the earlier of (i) the Commitment Termination Date,
and (ii) the date of termination in whole of the aggregate
Commitments pursuant to Section 2.4 or 7.1.
“ Total Asset
Availability ” means, at any time, the sum of (i)
Receivable Asset Availability plus (ii) ABF Collateral
Availability, in each case at such time.
“ Total Commitments
” means the aggregate of all Commitments of all Purchasers,
as such amount may be reduced from time to time pursuant to Section
2.4. On the Closing Date, the Total Commitments aggregate
$450,000,000.
“ Total Excess
Availability ” means, at any time, the sum of (i)
Receivables Excess Availability plus (ii) ABF Excess Availability
at such time. Total Excess Availability shall be determined, on a
pro forma basis, based on the borrowing base certificate delivered
pursuant to Section 4.02(m) of the ABF Agreement and the first
monthly Seller Report delivered pursuant to Section 3.2(a)(i), to
the extent required to be determined in respect of days prior to
the Closing Date.
“ Transaction Documents
” means this Agreement, the Receivables Sale Agreement, each
Subordinated Note, the Equistar Undertaking, the Lock-Box
Agreements, the Consent and Agreement, the Intercreditor Agreement,
and each additional security or control documentation delivered or
required to
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be delivered pursuant to any of the foregoing to
evidence the interests of the Seller and of Agent and the
Purchasers, as applicable, in and to the Restricted Accounts,
Receivables, Related Security, Collections and proceeds
thereof.
“ Transaction Parties
” means the Seller, each Originator and the Servicer (if
Equistar or an Affiliate of Equistar is the Servicer).
“ Triggering Event
” means any of the following events: (i) the Termination
Date, (ii) the occurrence of an Event of Termination, (iii) Total
Asset Availability being less than $150,000,000 for any period of
five consecutive Business Days, (iv) Total Excess Availability
being less than $100,000,000 for any period of five consecutive
Business Days or (v) Total Asset Availability being less than
$125,000,000 on any day; provided that if, following a
Triggering Event described in clause (iii), (iv) or (v), Total
Asset Availability subsequently equals or exceeds $175,000,000 for
a period of 20 consecutive Business Days, such Triggering Event
shall cease to exist upon the first day following such 20-Business
Day period (unless the Servicer otherwise elects by notice to the
Agent); and provided , further , that if, following a
Triggering Event described in clause (ii), the related Event of
Termination shall cease to exist, such Triggering Event shall cease
to exist. For the avoidance of doubt, the cessation of an existing
Triggering Event does not preclude the occurrence of a subsequent
Triggering Event.
“ 2001 Indenture
” means the Indenture dated as of August 24, 2001 between
Equistar and Equistar Funding Corporation, as issuers, and The Bank
of New York, as trustee.
“ 2003 Indenture
” means the Indenture dated as of April 22, 2003 between
Equistar and Equistar Funding Corporation, as issuers, and The Bank
of New York, as trustee.
“ UCC ” means, at
any time, the Uniform Commercial Code as from time to time in
effect in the State of New York at such time; provided,
however , that in the event that, by reason of mandatory
provisions of law, the perfection, effect of perfection or
non-perfection or priority of the interests of the Agent or the
Purchasers in the Pool Receivables, Related Security and
Collections created by the Transaction Documents is governed by the
Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in a jurisdiction other than
the State of New York, the term “ UCC ” shall
mean the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in such other
jurisdiction for purposes of the provisions hereof relating to such
perfection, effect of perfection or non-perfection or
priority.
“ Unapplied Cash and
Credits ” means, at any time, the aggregate amount of
Collections or other cash or credits then held by or for the
account of the Servicer, any Originator or the Seller in respect of
the payment of Pool Receivables, but not yet applied or reinvested
pursuant to Section 2.6 or Section 2.7 or applied pursuant to
Section 2.8.
“ Unbilled Receivable
” means a Receivable for which, at the time of determination,
an invoice or other evidence of an Obligor’s payment
obligation for the purchase of goods from the Originator has not
been rendered.
“ United States ”
and “ U.S. ” each means United States of
America.
“ Unused Commitment Fee
” has the meaning specified in Section 2.11.
“ U.S. Dollars ”
and “ $ ” each means the lawful currency of the
United States.
“ Voting Interests
” means shares of capital stock issued by a corporation, or
equivalent Equity Interests in any other Person, the holders of
which are ordinarily, in the absence of contingencies, entitled to
vote for the election of directors (or persons performing similar
functions) of such Person, even if the right so to vote has been
suspended by the happening of such a contingency.
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“ Welfare Plan ”
means a welfare plan, as defined in Section 3(1) of
ERISA.
“ 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.
“ Yield ” means
(a) for each Capital Investment made at the Applicable LIBO Rate,
for any Yield Period:
where:
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the Applicable
LIBO Rate for such Capital Investment for such Yield
Period;
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the amount of
such Capital Investment;
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the actual
number of days elapsed during such Yield Period; and
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all Liquidation
Costs, if any, for such Receivable Interest for such Yield Period;
and
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(b) for each Capital Investment made at the
Applicable Base Rate for any period of time:
where:
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the Applicable
Base Rate from time to time;
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the amount of
such Capital Investment; and
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the actual
number of days elapsed;
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provided , that no provision of this Agreement shall
require the payment or permit the collection of Yield in excess of
the maximum permitted by applicable law; provided , further,
that Yield for any Capital Investment shall not be considered paid
by any distribution to the extent that at any time all or a portion
of such distribution is rescinded or must otherwise be returned for
any reason.
“ Yield and Fee Reserve
” means, as of any date of determination an amount in U.S.
Dollars equal to the sum of (A) the Servicer Fee accrued and unpaid
through such date, (B) the aggregate Yield, Unused Commitment Fee
and Agent’s Fee accrued and unpaid through such date and (C)
the aggregate of any other Obligations then accrued and owing
hereunder by the Seller to the Purchasers or the Agent.
“ Yield Period ”
means, in the case of any Capital Investment made at the Adjusted
LIBO Rate, (a) initially, the period commencing on the date such
Capital Investment is made or on the date of conversion of a
Capital Investment made at the Alternate Base Rate to a Capital
Investment made at the
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Adjusted LIBO Rate and ending on the seventh day
thereafter (if at the time of the relevant Notice of Purchase, all
Purchasers participating therein agree to make a seven-day Yield
Period available) or one, two, three or six months thereafter, as
selected by the Seller in its Notice of Purchase and (b)
thereafter, if such Capital Investment is continued, in whole or in
part, as a Capital Investment made at the Adjusted LIBO Rate, a
period commencing on the last day of the immediately preceding
Yield Period therefor and ending on the seventh day thereafter (if
at the time of the relevant Notice of Conversion or Continuation,
all Purchasers participating therein agree to make a seven-day
Yield Period available) or one, two, three or six months
thereafter, as selected by the Seller in its Notice of Conversion
or Continuation given to the Agent; provided, however , that
all of the foregoing provisions relating to Yield Periods in
respect of Capital Investment made at the Adjusted LIBO Rates are
subject to the following:
(a) prior to the Syndication
Completion Date, each Yield Period shall be for a period of seven
days and all Yield Periods shall commence and end on the same
day;
(b) if any Yield Period would
otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day, such Yield
Period shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day,
unless the result of such extension would be to extend such Yield
Period into another calendar month, in which event such Yield
Period shall end on the immediately preceding Business
Day;
(c) any Yield Period that begins on
the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which
there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at
the end of such Yield Period) shall end on the last Business Day of
a calendar month;
(d) the Seller may not select any
Yield Period that ends after the Commitment Termination Date;
and
(e) there shall be outstanding at
any one time no more than 10 Yield Periods in the
aggregate.
Section 1.2 Other
Terms.
(a) 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 any Transaction Party notifies the
Agent that it 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 Agent notifies the Transaction Parties that
the Required Purchasers request an amendment to any provision
hereof for such purpose), 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.
(b) Except where the context
requires otherwise, the definitions in Section 1.1 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 ”. Unless
otherwise stated, references to Sections, Articles, Schedules and
Exhibits made herein are to Sections, Articles, Schedules or
Exhibits, as the case may be, of this Agreement. “
Writing ”, “ written ” and
comparable terms refer to printing, typing and other means of
reproducing words in a visible form. References to any agreement or
contract are to such agreement or contract as amended, modified or
supplemented from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof
and thereof. References to any Person include the successors and
permitted assigns of such Person.
25
(c) All terms used in Article 9 of
the UCC in the State of New York and not specifically defined
herein are used herein as defined in such Article 9.
Section 1.3 Computation of
Time Periods.
Unless otherwise stated in this
Agreement, in the computation of a period of time from a specified
date to a later specified date, the word “ from
” means “ from and including ”, the words
“ to ” and “ until ” each
means “ to but excluding ” and the word “
through ” means “ through and including
”.
ARTICLE II
A MOUNTS AND T ERMS OF THE P URCHASES
Section 2.1
Commitment.
On the terms and conditions herein
set forth, each Purchaser severally agrees to make Purchases (i) on
the Closing Date and from time to time thereafter on any Business
Day during the period from the Closing Date to the Termination Date
and (ii) in an aggregate amount for such Purchaser not to exceed at
any time outstanding such Purchaser’s Commitment;
provided , however , that no Purchaser shall be
obligated to make any Purchase to the extent that, after giving
effect to such Purchase, the Capital then outstanding would exceed
the Maximum Capital. Purchases shall be made by the Purchasers
simultaneously and ratably in accordance with their respective
Commitments.
Section 2.2 Making
Purchases.
(a) Each Purchase of a Receivable
Interest by the Purchasers shall be made on notice from the Seller
to the Agent, given not later than 11:00 a.m. (New York time) (i)
on the third Business Day before the date of such Purchase in the
case of the Purchase of any Receivable Interest initially bearing
Yield at the Applicable LIBO Rate and (ii) on the Business Day of
such Purchase in the case of the Purchase of any Receivable
Interest initially bearing Yield at the Applicable Base Rate. Each
such notice of a proposed Purchase of a Receivable Interest (a
“ Notice of Purchase ”) shall be by telephone
(confirmed promptly thereafter in writing) or facsimile, in
substantially the form of Exhibit F hereto, and shall
specify the requested aggregate amount of such Purchase to be paid
to the Seller and the requested Business Day of such Purchase. Each
Purchase of any Receivable Interest under this Section 2.2 shall be
in an aggregate amount which is an integral multiple of $1,000,000
and which is not less than the lesser of $10,000,000 and the
remaining available balance of the Commitments.
(b) The Agent shall give each
Purchaser prompt notice of such notice of such proposed Purchase,
the date of such Purchase, and the amount of such Purchaser’s
Capital Investment in connection with such Purchase, by telephone
or telefax. On the date of such Purchase, each Purchaser shall,
upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in Section
3.2, make available to the Agent its Ratable Portion of the
aggregate amount of such Purchase by deposit of such Ratable
Portion in same day funds to the Agent’s Account, and, after
receipt by the Agent of such funds, the Agent shall cause such
funds to be made immediately available to the Seller at the
Seller’s Account.
(c) Each Notice of Purchase
delivered pursuant to Section 2.2(a) shall be irrevocable and
binding on the Seller.
(d) Unless the Agent shall have
received notice from a Purchaser prior to the date of any Purchase
that such Purchaser will not make available to the Agent such
Purchaser’s Ratable Portion of such Purchase, the Agent may
assume that such Purchaser has made such Ratable Portion available
to
26
the Agent on the date of such Purchase in
accordance with Section 2.2(b), and the Agent may, in reliance upon
such assumption, make available to the Seller on such date a
corresponding amount. However, if the Agent has received such
notice from such Purchaser, the Agent may not make such assumption
and may not make available to the Seller on such date such
corresponding amount. If and to the extent that such Purchaser
(other than a Purchaser that has delivered to the Agent a notice of
the type described in the two immediately preceding sentences)
shall not have made such Ratable Portion available to the Agent and
the Agent has made such Ratable Portion available to the Seller,
such Purchaser and the Seller severally agree to pay (to the extent
not repaid by the Seller or such Purchaser, respectively) to the
Agent promptly on demand such corresponding amount together with
interest thereon, for each day from the date such amount is made
available to the Seller until the date such amount is repaid to the
Agent, at (i) in the case of the Seller, the Yield applicable to
such amount and (ii) in the case of such Purchaser, the Federal
Funds Rate. If such Purchaser shall repay to the Agent such
corresponding amount, such amount so repaid shall constitute such
Purchaser’s Ratable Portion of such Purchase for purposes of
this Agreement.
(e) The failure of any Purchaser to
make available such Purchaser’s Ratable Portion of any
Purchase shall not relieve any other Purchaser of its obligation,
if any, hereunder to make available such other Purchaser’s
Ratable Portion of such Purchase on the date of such Purchase, but
no Purchaser shall be responsible for the failure of any other
Purchaser to make available such other Purchaser’s Ratable
Portion of such Purchase on the date of any Purchase. Nothing
herein shall prejudice any rights that the Seller may have against
any Purchaser as a result of any default by such Purchaser
hereunder.
Section 2.3 Swing
Purchases
(a) On the terms and subject to the
conditions contained in this Agreement, the Swing Purchaser agrees
to make, in U.S. Dollars, Purchases (each a “ Swing
Purchase ”) otherwise committed to the Seller hereunder
from time to time on any Business Day during the period from the
Closing Date until the Termination Date representing an aggregate
Capital Investment at any time outstanding (together with the
aggregate outstanding Capital Investment relating to any other
Purchase made by the Swing Purchaser hereunder in its capacity as
the Swing Purchaser) not to exceed the Swing Purchase Sublimit;
provided , however , that at no time shall the Swing
Purchaser make any Swing Purchase to the extent that, after giving
effect to such Swing Purchase, the Capital then outstanding would
exceed the Maximum Capital.
(b) In order to request a Swing
Purchase, the Seller may telephone the Agent (to be promptly
confirmed thereafter in writing) or send the Agent by telecopy (or
by electronic mail or similar means) a duly completed request in
substantially the form of Exhibit G , setting forth the
requested amount and date of such Swing Purchase (a “
Swing Purchase Request ”), to be received by the Agent
not later than 12:00 p.m. (New York time) on the day of the
proposed purchase. The Agent shall promptly notify the Swing
Purchaser of the details of the requested Swing Purchase. Subject
to the terms of this Agreement, the Swing Purchaser may make the
Capital Investment in connection with such Swing Purchase available
to the Agent and, in turn, the Agent shall make such amounts
available to the Seller on the date of the relevant Swing Purchase
Request. The Swing Purchaser shall not make any Swing Purchase in
the period commencing on the first Business Day after it receives
written notice from the Agent or any Purchaser that one or more of
the conditions precedent contained in Section 3.2 shall not on such
date be satisfied, and ending when such conditions are satisfied.
The Swing Purchaser shall not otherwise be required to determine
that, or take notice whether, the conditions precedent set forth in
Section 3.2 have been satisfied in connection with the making of
any Swing Purchase. The Capital Investment relating to each Swing
Purchase shall be in an aggregate amount of not less than
$100,000.
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(c) The Swing Purchaser shall notify
the Agent in writing (which writing may be a telecopy or electronic
mail) weekly, by no later than 10:00 a.m. (New York time) on the
first Business Day of each week, of the aggregate amount of its
Capital Investments at such time in respect of Swing
Purchases.
(d) The Swing Purchaser may demand
at any time that each Purchaser pay to the Agent, for the account
of the Swing Purchaser, in the manner provided in clause (e) below,
such Purchaser’s Ratable Portion of all or a portion of the
Swing Purchaser’s Capital Investments at such time in respect
of Swing Purchases, which demand shall be made through the Agent,
shall be in writing and shall specify the amount of the Capital
Investments demanded to be so reduced; provided that if the
aggregate amount of the Swing Purchaser’s Capital Investments
in respect of Swing Purchases on the last Business Day of any week
exceeds $5,000,000, then the Swing Purchaser shall make such demand
to the Agent on such last Business Day of such week and require
each Purchaser to pay to the Agent, for the account of the Swing
Purchaser, on such last Business Day of such week such
Purchaser’s Ratable Portion of the Swing Purchaser’s
Capital Investments in respect of Swing Purchases then
outstanding.
(e) The Agent shall forward each
notice referred to in clause (c) above and each demand referred to
in clause (d) above to each Purchaser on the day such notice or
such demand is received by the Agent (except that any such notice
or demand received by the Agent after 2:00 p.m. (New York time) on
any Business Day or any such demand received on a day that is not a
Business Day shall not be required to be forwarded to the
Purchasers by the Agent until the next succeeding Business Day),
together with a statement prepared by the Agent specifying the
amount of each Purchaser’s Ratable Portion of the aggregate
amount of the Capital Investments in respect of Swing Purchases
stated to be outstanding in such notice or demanded to be paid
pursuant to such demand, and, notwithstanding whether or not the
conditions precedent set forth in Section 3.2 and Section 2.1 shall
have been satisfied (which conditions precedent the Purchasers
hereby irrevocably waive), each Purchaser shall, before 12:00 noon
(New York time) on the Business Day next succeeding the date of
such Purchaser’s receipt of such notice or demand, make
available to the Agent, in immediately available funds, for the
account of the Swing Purchaser, the amount specified in such
statement; provided , however , that notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in the foregoing, no Purchaser shall be
obligated to purchase a Ratable Portion of, or otherwise pay any
sum in respect of, the Capital Investments in respect of a Swing
Purchase to the extent that the purchase by such Purchaser of a
Ratable Portion of, or payment of other sum in respect of, the
Capital Investments in respect of such Swing Purchase would cause
such Purchaser’s aggregate Capital Investment to exceed its
Commitment. Upon such purchase by a Purchaser, such Purchaser
shall, except as provided in clause (f), be deemed to have made a
Purchase with a Capital Investment equal to the amount actually
paid by such Purchaser. The Agent shall use such funds to reduce
the Swing Purchaser’s Capital Investments in respect of Swing
Purchases.
(f) Upon the occurrence of an Event
of Termination under Section 7.1(f), each Purchaser shall acquire,
without recourse or warranty, an undivided participation in the
Swing Purchaser’s Capital Investments in respect of each
Swing Purchase otherwise required to be repaid by such Purchaser
pursuant to clause (e) above, which participation shall be in an
amount equal to such Purchaser’s Ratable Portion of the Swing
Purchaser’s Capital Investments in respect of such Swing
Purchase, by paying to the Swing Purchaser on the date on which
such Purchaser would otherwise have been required to make a payment
in respect of such Swing Purchaser’s Capital Investments
pursuant to clause (e) above, in immediately available funds, an
amount equal to such Purchaser’s Ratable Portion of such
Swing Purchaser’s Capital Investments. If all or part of such
amount is not in fact made available by such Purchaser to the Swing
Purchaser on such date, the Swing Purchaser shall be entitled to
recover any such unpaid amount on demand from such Purchaser
together with interest accrued from such date at the Federal Funds
Rate for the first Business Day after such payment was due and
thereafter at the Applicable Base Rate.
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(g) From and after the date on which
any Purchaser (i) is deemed to have made a Purchase pursuant to
clause (e) above with respect to any Swing Purchase or (ii)
purchases an undivided participation interest in the Swing
Purchaser’s Capital Investments in respect of a Swing
Purchase pursuant to clause (f) above, the Swing Purchaser shall
promptly distribute to such Purchaser such Purchaser’s
Ratable Portion of all payments in respect of Capital Investments
and Yield received by the Swing Purchaser on account of such Swing
Purchase other than those received from a Purchaser pursuant to
clause (e) or (f) above.
Section 2.4 Termination or
Reduction of the Commitments; Voluntary Reductions of
Capital.
(a) The Seller may, upon at least 3
Business Days’ notice to the Agent, and so long as, after
giving effect to a proposed reduction, no Event of Termination or
Potential Event of Termination, would exist, terminate in whole or
reduce in part, the unused portions of the Commitments of the
Purchasers; provided , however , that for purposes of
this Section 2.4, the unused portions of the Commitments of the
Purchasers shall be computed as (a) the Total Commitments
immediately prior to giving effect to such termination or reduction
less (b) the outstanding Capital at the time of such computation;
provided , further , that each such partial reduction
of the unused portions of the Commitments (x) shall be in an amount
equal to at least $5,000,000 and shall be an integral multiple of
$1,000,000 in excess thereof, (y) shall be made ratably among the
Purchasers’ Commitments according to each Purchaser’s
Ratable Portion and (z) shall reduce the Total Commitments in an
amount equal to each such reduction.
(b) The Seller may, upon at least 3
Business Days’ notice to the Agent, reduce the outstanding
Capital in whole or in part; provided that each such partial
reduction of Capital shall be in a minimum amount of $10,000,000
and an integral multiple of $1,000,000.
Section 2.5 Receivable
Interest.
(a) On the date of Purchase of any
Receivable Interest, such Receivable Interest shall be initially
computed, after giving effect to such Purchase, as of the close of
business of the Servicer on such date. Thereafter until the
Termination Date, such Receivable Interest shall be automatically
recomputed as of the close of business of the Servicer on each day
(other than a Liquidation Day).
(b) Such Receivable Interest shall
remain constant from the time as of which any such computation or
recomputation is made until the time as of which the next such
recomputation, if any, shall be made. Each Receivable Interest, as
computed as of the day immediately preceding the Termination Date,
shall remain constant at all times on and after the Termination
Date; and any Special Receivable Interest, as computed as of the
Termination Date, shall remain constant at all times on and after
the Termination Date.
(c) Such Receivable Interest shall
become zero at such time as the Purchasers of such Receivable
Interest shall have received the accrued Yield for such Receivable
Interest, shall have recovered the Capital Investment of such
Receivable Interest, and shall have received payment of all other
amounts payable by the Seller to such Purchasers, and the Servicer
shall have received the accrued Servicer Fee for such Receivable
Interest.
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Section 2.6 Ordinary
Settlement Procedures.
(a) On each Business Day (other than
a Liquidation Day or a day on which a Triggering Event exists) the
Servicer shall, out of Collections of Pool Receivables received on
such Business Day:
(i) first, pay to the Servicer (if
the Servicer is not Equistar or an Affiliate of Equistar) or the
Agent and the Purchasers, as applicable, an amount in U.S. Dollars
equal to the Servicer Fee, the Yield, the Unused Commitment Fee,
the Agent’s Fee and any other Obligations of the Seller due
and payable on such day;
(ii) second , distribute to
the Agent for the account of the Swing Purchaser an amount in U.S.
Dollars equal to that amount, if any, then required to be applied
to reduce the Swing Purchaser’s Capital Investments in
respect of Swing Purchases to zero ;
(iii) third, if such day is the
second Business Day following the date on which a Seller Report is
or is required to be delivered, a Shortfall Condition exists as of
the last day of the period covered by such Seller Report, and the
Agent does not receive an updated Seller Report demonstrating that
a Shortfall Condition does not exist on such second Business Day,
distribute to the Agent for the account of the Purchasers an amount
in U.S. Dollars equal to that amount, if any, which would be
required to reduce Capital so that the aggregate Receivable
Interests would not, after giving effect to such application and
the Collections of Pool Receivables and the addition of new Pool
Receivables on such day and the resulting automatic recomputation
of such Receivable Interests pursuant to Section 2.5 as of the end
of such day, exceed 100%; provided that (x) the Agent shall
apply such amount, first, to reduce all Capital Investments as to
which Yield is determined on the basis of the Adjusted Base Rate
and (y) second, to reduce all Capital Investments as to which Yield
is determined on the basis of the Adjusted LIBO Rate;
provided that in lieu of immediately reducing the Capital
Investments as to which Yield is determined on the basis of the
Adjusted LIBO Rate, the Agent, at the direction of the Seller, may
transfer such amount to the Cash Assets Account and such amount
shall be deemed to reduce Capital by the amount so held pending
application thereof to reduce Capital Investments as to which Yield
is calculated on the basis of the Adjusted LIBO Rate on the last
day of each Yield Period applicable thereto (occurring in
chronological order); provided , further ,
however , that if the Agent subsequently receives a request
from the Servicer for a withdrawal of all or a portion of such
amounts that are then held in the Cash Assets Account and a Seller
Report demonstrating that a Shortfall Condition, after giving
effect to such requested withdrawal, does not exist, then the Agent
shall release such amounts to the Servicer for further application
under this Section 2.6(a);
(iv) fourth, distribute to the Agent
for the account of the Purchasers of each Receivable Interest an
amount in U.S. Dollars equal to that amount, if any, then required
to be applied to reduce the Capital Investment of such Receivable
Interest pursuant to the notice of the Seller delivered under
Section 2.4(b);
(v) fifth, distribute to the Agent
for deposit into the Cash Assets Account such amount as the Seller,
at its option, has specified to the Agent, which amount shall be
deemed to reduce Capital by a corresponding amount; provided
, however , that if the Agent subsequently receives a
request from the Servicer for a withdrawal of all or a portion of
such amounts that are then held in the Cash Assets Account and a
Seller Report demonstrating that a Shortfall Condition, after
giving effect to such requested withdrawal, does not exist, then
the Agent shall release such amounts to the Servicer for further
application under this Section 2.6(a).
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(vi) sixth, distribute to the
Servicer (if the Servicer is Equistar or an Affiliate of Equistar)
the accrued Servicer Fee to the extent then due and payable;
and
(vii) seventh, reinvest the
remainder of such Collections, for the benefit of the Purchasers,
which reinvestment shall result in (x) an automatic recomputation
of the undivided percentage interest represented by such Receivable
Interest pursuant to Section 2.5 as of the end of such day and (y)
the payment of such remainder to the Seller; provided ,
however , that to the extent the Agent or any Purchaser
shall be required for any reason to pay over any amount
representing Collections which have been previously reinvested for
the benefit of such Purchaser pursuant hereto, such amount shall be
deemed not to have been so reinvested but rather to have been
retained by the Seller and paid over for the account of such
Purchaser and, notwithstanding any provision herein to the
contrary, such Purchaser shall have a claim for such
amount;
provided , however , that if sufficient funds are
not available to fund all payments to be made in respect of any
amounts described in any of clauses second, third, fourth, fifth
and sixth above, the available funds being applied with respect to
any such amounts (unless otherwise specified in such clause) shall
be allocated to the payment of the amounts referred to in such
clause ratably, based on the proportion of the Servicer’s,
the Agent’s or the Purchasers’ interest in the
aggregate outstanding amounts described in such clause.
(b) Subject to Sections 2.7 and 2.8,
all amounts in the Concentration Account shall be automatically
transferred to the Seller’s Account, and payments and
distributions by the Servicer pursuant to Section 2.6(a) shall be
made from funds so transferred to the Seller’s Account.
Payments to the Seller under clause (vii) of Section 2.6(a) shall
be made, solely for administrative convenience as requested by the
Seller so as to effect payment on behalf of the Seller of amounts
payable by the Seller to the Originators for so long as the ABF
Agreement is in effect, to the Inventory Concentration Account (as
defined in the ABF Collateral Documents).
Section 2.7 Triggering Event
Settlement Procedures.
(a) On each Business Day (other than
a Liquidation Day) on which a Triggering Event exists, the Agent
(and not the Servicer) shall, out of Collections of Pool
Receivables received on such Business Day:
(i) first, pay to the Servicer (if
the Servicer is not Equistar or an Affiliate of Equistar), the
Agent and the Purchasers, as applicable, an amount in U.S. Dollars
equal to the Servicer Fee, the Yield, the Unused Commitment Fee,
the Agent’s Fee and any other Obligations of the Seller due
and payable on such day;
(ii) second, distribute to the Swing
Purchaser an amount in U.S. Dollars equal to that amount, if any,
then required to be applied to reduce the Swing Purchaser’s
Capital Investments in respect of Swing Purchases to
zero;
(iii) third, if such day is the
second Business Day following the date on which a Seller Report is
or is required to be delivered, a Shortfall Condition exists as of
the last day of the period covered by such Seller Report, and the
Agent does not receive an updated Seller Report demonstrating that
a Shortfall Condition does not exist on such
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second Business Day, distribute to
the Purchasers an amount in U.S. Dollars equal to that amount, if
any, which would be required to reduce Capital so that the
aggregate Receivable Interests would not, after giving effect to
such application and the Collections of Pool Receivables and the
addition of new Pool Receivables on such day and the resulting
automatic recomputation of such Receivable Interests pursuant to
Section 2.5 as of the end of such day, exceed 100%; provided
that (x) the Agent shall apply such amount, first, to reduce all
Capital Investments as to which Yield is determined on the basis of
the Adjusted Base Rate and (y) second, to reduce all Capital
Investments as to which Yield is determined on the basis of the
Adjusted LIBO Rate; provided that in lieu of immediately
reducing the Capital Investments as to which Yield is determined on
the basis of the Adjusted LIBO Rate, the Agent, at the direction of
the Seller, may transfer such amount to the Cash Assets Account and
such amount shall be deemed to reduce Capital by the amount so held
pending application thereof to reduce Capital Investments as to
which Yield is calculated on the basis of the Adjusted LIBO Rate on
the last day of each Yield Period applicable thereto (occurring in
chronological order); provided , further ,
however , that if the Agent subsequently receives a request
from the Servicer or the Seller for a withdrawal of all or a
portion of such amounts that are then held in the Cash Assets
Account and a Seller Report demonstrating that a Shortfall
Condition does not exist and certifying that either (x) the
conditions to an Investment Event would be satisfied or (y) a
Triggering Event ceases to exist, in each case after giving effect
to such requested withdrawal, then the Agent shall release such
amounts for further application under this Section
2.7(a);
(iv) fourth, distribute to the
Purchasers of each Receivable Interest an amount in U.S. Dollars
equal to that amount, if any, then required to be applied to reduce
the Capital Investment of such Receivable Interest pursuant to the
notice of the Seller delivered under Section 2.4(b);
(v) fifth, deposit into the Cash
Assets Account such amount as the Seller, at its option, has
specified to the Agent, which amount shall be deemed to reduce
Capital by a corresponding amount; provided , however
, that if the Agent subsequently receives a request from the
Servicer or the Seller for a withdrawal of all or a portion of such
amounts that are then held in the Cash Assets Account and a Seller
Report demonstrating that a Shortfall Condition does not exist and
certifying that either (x) the conditions to an Investment Event
would be satisfied or (y) a Triggering Event ceases to exist, in
each case after giving effect to such requested withdrawal, then
the Agent shall release such amounts for further application under
this Section 2.7(a);
(vi) sixth, distribute to the
Servicer (if the Servicer is Equistar or an Affiliate of Equistar)
the accrued Servicer Fee to the extent then due and payable;
and
(vii) seventh, reinvest the
remainder of such Collections, for the benefit of the Purchasers,
which reinvestment shall result in (x) the automatic recomputation
of the undivided percentage interest represented by such Receivable
Interest pursuant to Section 2.5 as of the end of such day and (y)
the payment of such remainder to the Seller; provided ,
however , that (A) to the extent the Agent or any Purchaser
shall be required for any reason to pay over any amount
representing Collections which have been previously reinvested for
the benefit of such Purchaser pursuant hereto, such amount shall be
deemed not to have been so reinvested but rather to have been
retained by the Seller and paid over for the account of such
Purchaser and, notwithstanding any provision herein to the
contrary, such Purchaser shall have a claim for such amount and (B)
either (I) if Total
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Excess Availability is less than
(AA) $100,000,000 on any such day occurring on or before March 30,
2005 or (BB) $75,000,000 on any such day occurring after March 30,
2005 or (II) if the conditions to an Investment Event would not be
satisfied on such day, such reinvestment and payment shall not be
made and instead such remainder shall be applied to reduce all
Capital Investments as follows: (1) first, to reduce all Capital
Investments as to which Yield is determined on the basis of the
Adjusted Base Rate and (2) second, to reduce all Capital
Investments as to which Yield is determined on the basis of the
Adjusted LIBO Rate; provided that in lieu of immediately
reducing the Capital Investments as to which Yield is determined on
the basis of the Adjusted LIBO Rate, the Agent, at the direction of
the Seller, may transfer such amount to the Cash Assets Account and
such amount shall be deemed to reduce Capital by the amount so held
pending application thereof to reduce Capital Investments as to
which Yield is calculated on the basis of the Adjusted LIBO Rate on
the last day of each Yield Period applicable thereto (occurring in
chronological order); provided , further ,
however , that if the Agent subsequently receives a request
from the Servicer or the Seller for a withdrawal of all or a
portion of such amounts that are then held in the Cash Assets
Account and either (I) the Agent receives a Seller Report
demonstrating that a Shortfall Condition does not exist and
certifying that either the conditions to an Investment Event would
be satisfied or a Triggering Event does not exist, in each case
after giving effect to such requested withdrawal, or (II) the
aggregate Capital is zero, then the Agent shall release such
amounts for reinvestment and payment to the Seller;
provided , however , that if sufficient funds are
not available to fund all payments to be made in respect of any
amounts described in any of clauses first, second, third, fourth,
fifth and sixth above, the available funds being applied with
respect to any such amounts (unless otherwise specified in such
clause) shall be allocated to the payment of the amounts referred
to in such clause ratably, based on the proportion of the
Servicer’s, the Agent’s or the Purchasers’
interest in the aggregate outstanding amounts described in such
clause.
(b) During the existence of a
Triggering Event (other than on a Liquidation Day), all amounts in
the Concentration Account shall be automatically transferred to the
Sweep Account, and payments and distributions by the Agent pursuant
to Section 2.7(a) shall be made from funds in the Sweep Account.
Payments to the Seller under clause (vii) of Section 2.7(a) shall
be made, solely for administrative convenience as requested by the
Seller so as to effect payment on behalf of the Seller of amounts
payable by the Seller to the Originators for so long as the ABF
Agreement is in effect, to the “Sweep Account” as
defined in the ABF Agreement.
Section 2.8 Liquidation
Settlement Procedures.
On each Liquidation Day, the Agent
shall transfer to the Sweep Account the Collections of Pool
Receivables received on such day, and the Agent shall apply such
Collections, and all amounts held in the Cash Assets Account, as
follows:
(i) first, to pay Obligations of the
Seller to the Agent under any Transaction Document in respect of
any expense reimbursements, Cash Management Obligations or
indemnities then due to the Agent;
(ii) second, to pay Obligations of
the Seller to the Purchasers under any Transaction Document in
respect of any expense reimbursements or indemnities then due to
such Persons;
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(iii) third, to the Servicer (if the
Servicer is not Equistar or an Affiliate of Equistar) in payment of
the accrued Servicer Fee then due and payable, and to the
Purchasers in payment of the accrued Unused Commitment Fees then
due and payable;
(iv) fourth, to the Purchasers in
payment of the accrued Yield then due and payable;
(v) fifth, to the Purchasers in
reduction (to zero) of the Capital Investments in respect of each
Receivable Interest;
(vi) sixth, to the Purchasers or a
Co-Asset Agent in ratable payment of any other Obligations owed by
the Seller hereunder or under any other Transaction Document
(except for the Servicer Fee);
(vii) seventh, to the Servicer (if
the Servicer is Equistar or an Affiliate of Equistar) in payment of
the accrued Servicer Fee then due and payable; and
(viii) to the extent of any
remainder, to the Seller;
provided , however , that if sufficient funds are
not available to fund all payments to be made in respect of any
amounts described in any of clauses first, second, third, fourth,
fifth, sixth and seventh above, the available funds being applied
with respect to any such amounts (unless otherwise specified in
such clause) shall be allocated to the payment of the amounts
referred to in such clause ratably, based on the proportion of the
Servicer’s, the Agent’s or the Purchasers’
interest in the aggregate outstanding amounts described in such
clause. Payments to the Seller under clause (viii) of Section 2.8
shall be made, solely for administrative convenience as requested
by the Seller so as to effect payment on behalf of the Seller of
amounts payable by the Seller to the Originators for so long as the
ABF Agreement is in effect, to the “Sweep Account” as
defined in the ABF Agreement.
Section 2.9 General Settlement
Procedures.
(a) Except as set forth in clauses
(a) and (b) below or as otherwise required by law or the underlying
Contract, all Collections received from an Obligor of any Pool
Receivable shall be applied to Pool Receivables then outstanding of
such Obligor in the order of the age of such Pool Receivables,
starting with the oldest such Pool Receivable, except if payment is
designated by such Obligor for application to specific Pool
Receivables.
(b) If, on any day, the Outstanding
Balance of a Pool Receivable is either (x) reduced as a result of
any defective, rejected or returned goods or services, any
discount, or any adjustment by the Seller or any Originator, or (y)
reduced or cancelled as a result of a setoff in respect of any
claim by the Obligor thereof against the Seller or any Originator
(whether such claim arises out of the same or a related transaction
or an unrelated transaction), the Seller shall be deemed to have
received on such day a Collection of such Receivable in the amount
of such reduction or cancellation and shall make the payment
required to be made by it in connection with such Collection on the
day required by, and otherwise pursuant to, Section
5.1(i).
(c) If on any day (x) any of the
representations or warranties in Section 4.1(i) is no longer true
with respect to any Pool Receivable or (y) it is discovered that
any Receivable that was included in the Net Receivables Pool
Balance as an Eligible Receivable was not an Eligible Receivable at
the time of such inclusion, the Seller shall be deemed to have
received on such day a Collection in full of such Pool Receivable
and shall make the payment required to be made by it in connection
with such Collection on the day required by, and otherwise pursuant
to, Section 5.1(i).
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Section 2.10 Payments and
Computations, Etc.
(a) All amounts to be paid or
deposited by the Seller or the Servicer hereunder shall be paid or
deposited in accordance with the terms hereof no later than 12:00
noon (New York time) on the day when due in U.S. Dollars in same
day funds to the Agent’s Account. The Servicer or the Agent,
as applicable, shall promptly thereafter cause to be distributed
(i) like funds relating to the payment out of Collections in
respect of Capital, Yield, Servicer Fee or other Obligations
payable out of Collections, to the Purchasers (according to each
Purchaser’s Ratable Portion) and the Servicer in accordance
with the provisions of Section 2.6, 2.7, or 2.8, as applicable, and
(ii) like funds relating to the payment by the Seller of other
Obligations payable by the Seller hereunder, to the parties hereto
for whose benefit such funds were paid (and if such funds are
insufficient, such distribution shall be made, subject to Section
2.6, 2.7 or 2.8, as applicable, ratably in accordance with the
respective amounts thereof). Upon the Agent’s acceptance of
an Assignment and Acceptance and recording of the information
contained therein in the Register pursuant to Section 9.2, from and
after the effective date specified in such Assignment and
Acceptance, the Agent shall make all payments hereunder in respect
of the interest assigned thereby to the Assignee thereunder, and
the parties to such Assignment and Acceptance shall make all
appropriate adjustments in such payments for periods prior to such
effective date directly between themselves.
(b) The Seller shall, to the extent
permitted by law, pay to the Agent interest on all amounts not paid
or deposited when due hereunder (except for those amounts with
respect to which Yield accrues) at 2.00% per annum above the
Alternate Base Rate in effect from time to time, payable on demand,
provided , however , that such interest rate shall
not at any time exceed the maximum rate permitted by applicable
law. Such interest shall be for the account of, and distributed by
the Agent to, the applicable Purchasers ratably in accordance with
their respective interests in such overdue amount.
(c) All computations of interest and
all computations of Yield, Unused Commitment Fee and other per
annum fees hereunder shall be made on the basis of a year of 360
days for the actual number of days (including the first but
excluding the last day) elapsed.
(d) Unless the Agent shall have
received notice from the Servicer or the Seller prior to the date
on which any payment is due to the Purchasers hereunder that the
Servicer or the Seller, as the case may be, will not make such
payment in full, the Agent may assume that the Servicer or the
Seller, as the case may be, has mad