Exhibit 10.1
COMMUTATION AND RELEASE
AGREEMENT
This Commutation and Release
Agreement (hereinafter the “Commutation Agreement”) is
entered into by and between Continental Casualty Company, and its
affiliated companies (collectively hereinafter the
“Company”) of the one part and AmerInst Insurance
Company Limited, formerly known as AmerInst Insurance Company, Inc.
(hereinafter the “Reinsurer”) of the other part,
effective as of June 1, 2009.
WHEREAS:
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A.
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Company and
Reinsurer (individually a “Party” and collectively the
“Parties”) entered into certain reinsurance treaties
and endorsements with various inception and termination dates
commencing August 1, 1993 through December 31, 2008,
listed on Schedule A attached to and forming part of this
Commutation Agreement, whereby Company ceded and Reinsurer
reinsured certain liabilities as therein provided (the
“Historical Reinsurance Treaties”);
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B.
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effective
January 1, 2009 the Parties entered into (1) an AmerInst
Insurance Company Limited Accountants Professional Liability Treaty
and (2) Value Plan Policies Accountants Professional Liability
Quota Share Treaty (collectively the “2009
Treaties”);
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C.
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Reinsurer
secured its reinsurance obligations under the Historical
Reinsurance Treaties and the 2009 Treaties under a reinsurance
trust established at JPMorgan Chase Bank, Trust No. G08952 (the
“Trust”). The Reinsurer is the grantor of the Trust, JP
Morgan Chase is the trustee of the Trust (the
“Trustee”), and the Company is the sole beneficiary of
the Trust;
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D.
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the Company and
the Reinsurer desire to fully and finally settle, release and
commute all past, present and future liabilities and obligations
known and unknown of the Company and the Reinsurer under, arising
out of, or in any way related to the Historical Reinsurance
Treaties;
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E.
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contemporaneous
with this Commutation Agreement in a related transaction, the
Company and Reinsurer will execute rescission addenda (the
“Rescission Addenda”) rescinding and terminating the
2009 Treaties retroactive to their inception.
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NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of
receipt by the Company of the Commutation Amount, the mutual
agreements, covenants and provisions contained herein, and for
other good and valuable consideration, receipt of which is hereby
acknowledged, it is agreed by and between the Company and the
Reinsurer as follows:
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1.
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The Reinsurer
shall pay to the Company $20,550,000 (the “Commutation
Amount”) on or before June 1, 2009. The method of
payment shall be as follows: the Company shall direct the Trustee
to pay the Commutation Amount to the Company from funds in the
Trust via wire transfer. The Company’s wiring instructions
are as follows:
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Bank Name: JP
Morgan Chase
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Account Name:
CCC-Ceded Reinsurance
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Reference:
Ceded RE 0066 AmerInst
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Page 1 of 8
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2.
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Upon execution
of this Commutation Agreement and the Rescission Addenda by the
Company and the Reinsurer, and upon receipt of the Commutation
Amount as provided in paragraph 1, the Company shall direct the
Trustee to pay to the Reinsurer the balance of funds in the Trust
in excess of the Commutation Amount.
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3.
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Upon payment of
the balance of the funds in the Trust to the Reinsurer as provided
in paragraph 2, the Trust will be terminated and the Company and
Reinsurer will cooperate with one another and the Trustee as
necessary to complete the termination of the Trust.
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4.
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Effective upon
execution of this Commutation Agreement and the Rescission Addenda
by the Company and the Reinsurer, payment of the Commutation Amount
to the Company as provided in paragraph 1 and payment of the
balance of the funds in the Trust to the Reinsurer as provided in
paragraph 2, the Company shall release and discharge the Reinsurer,
its predecessors, parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, agents, past,
present and future officers, directors, employees, consultants,
shareholders, attorneys, agents, administrators, successors,
assigns and receivers from any and all past, present and future
liabilities and obligations, whether known or unknown, reported or
unreported, and whether currently existing or arising in the
future, including but not limited to, all claims, obligations,
offsets, debts, demands, actions, causes of actions, suits, sums of
money, covenants, contracts, controversies, agreements, reckonings,
bonds, bills, promises, damages, omissions, judgments,
arbitrations, mediations, costs, expenses, losses, adjustments,
accounts, executions, representations and warranties whatsoever,
which the Company and their successors and assigns ever had, now
have, or hereafter may have, whether grounded in law or equity, in
contract or in tort, against the Reinsurer or any of them by reason
of any matter whatsoever under, arising out of, or in any way
related to the Historical Reinsurance Treaties, it being the
intention of the Parties that this release operate as a full and
final settlement of the Reinsurer’s past, current and future
liabilities and obligations, whether known or unknown, to the
Company under, arising out of or in any way related to the
Historical Reinsurance Treaties.
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5.
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Effective on
the same date on which the Company shall release the Reinsurer as
provided for in Section 4 above, the Reinsurer shall release
and discharge the Company, its predecessors, parents, affiliates,
subsidiaries, agents, past, present and future officers, directors,
employees, consultants, shareholders, attorneys, agents,
administrators, successors, assigns and receivers from any and all
past, present and future liabilities and obligations, whether known
or unknown, reported or unreported, and whether currently existing
or arising in the future, including but not limited to, all claims,
obligations, offsets, debts, demands, actions, causes of actions,
suits, sums of money, covenants, contracts, controversies,
agreements, reckonings, bonds, bills, promises, damages, omissions,
judgments, arbitrations, mediations, costs, expenses, losses,
adjustments, accounts, executions, representations and warranties
whatsoever, which the Reinsurer and its successors and assigns ever
had, now have or hereafter may have, whether grounded in law or
equity, in contract or in tort, against the Company or any of them
by reason of any matter whatsoever under, arising out of, or in any
way related to the Historical Reinsurance Treaties, it being the
intention of the Parties that this release operate as a full and
final settlement of the Company’s past, current and future
liabilities and obligations, whether known or unknown, to the
Reinsurer under, arising out of, or in any way related to the
Historical Reinsurance Treaties.
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Page 2 of 8
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6.
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The rights,
duties and obligations set forth in this Commutation Agreement
shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon any and all
predecessors, parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, agents, past,
present and future officers, directors, employees, consultants,
shareholders, attorneys, agents, administrators, successors,
assigns and receivers of the Parties hereto.
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7.
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The Parties
hereto expressly warrant and represent that: they are corporations
in good standing in their respective places of domicile; the
execution, delivery and performance of this Commutation Agreement
is fully authorized by each of them; the making and performance of
this Commutation Agreement will not violate any provisions of law
or of their respective articles of incorporation or bylaws; the
person or persons executing this Commutation Agreement have the
necessary and appropriate authority to do so; there are no pending
agreements, transactions, or negotiations to which any of them are
a party that would render this Commutation Agreement or any part
thereof void, voidable, or unenforceable; each Party is the sole
owner of any and all of its respective rights under the Historical
Reinsurance Treaties; no claim being released hereunder has been
assigned, ceded, sold or otherwise transferred (or is subject to
any understanding to take any such action) to any person or entity;
neither Party is aware of any third party that has, or might
assert, some interest in any claim or right intended to be
discharge or release by or under this Commutation Agreement; no
authorization, consent or approval of any government entity or
other person or entity is required to make this Commutation
Agreement valid and binding upon them; and each statement, warranty
and representation made by such Party in this Commutation Agreement
is true and accurate.
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8.
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This
Commutation Agreement shall be interpreted under and governed by
the laws of Illinois.
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9.
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In the event
that there is a dispute between or among the Parties arising under
or related to this Commutation Agreement, each Party agrees that
any legal proceeding will be instituted only in the United States
District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern
Division. Each Party irrevocably consents to the exclusive
jurisdiction and venue of such court and agrees that service of the
complaint or other process may be made as provided in the
applicable rules of court.
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10.
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The Company and
the Reinsurer hereby agree to execute promptly any and all
supplemental agreements, releases, affidavits, waivers and other
documents of any nature or kind which the other Party may
reasonably require in order to implement the provisions or
objectives of this Commutation Agreement.
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11.
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This
Commutation Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts,
each of which, when so executed and delivered shall be an original,
but such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same
instrument and agreement.
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12.
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This
Commutation Agreement and the Rescission Addenda contain the entire
agreement and understanding between the Parties as respects their
subject matter. All discussions and agreements previously
entertained between the Parties concerning the subject hereto are
merged into this Commutation Agreement and the Rescission Addenda.
This Commutation Agreement may not be modified or amended, nor any
of its provisions waived, except by an instrument in writing,
signed by each of the Parties hereunder.
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Page 3 of 8
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13.
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This
Commutation Agreement and any of its rights and obligations may not
be assigned in whole or in part without the written agreement of
the Parties.
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14.
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As used in this
Section, “Person” shall mean any individual, sole
proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, joint
venture, trust, unincorporated organization, association,
corporation, institution, entity, party or government (whether
national, federal, state, county, city, municipal or otherwise,
including, without limitation, any instrumentality, division,
agency, body or department thereof).
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(i)
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It is mutually
understood and agreed by and between the Reinsurer and the Company
that the Reinsurer and the Company shall keep all terms and
provisions of this Commutation Agreement confidential and shall not
disclose such terms or provisions to any third party, other than
their auditors, accountants, actuaries, financial and legal
advisors and any officers, directors, employees and shareholders
(on a need-to-know or right-to-know basis) of any of the Parties
hereto and/or their affiliates and subsidiaries, without the prior
written consent of the other Party, except where otherwise required
by operation of law, required by contract or the requirements of
any regulatory authority, or stock exchange or otherwise in
connection with a proceeding to enforce the terms of this
Commutation Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of
this Section 14, the Reinsurer and the Company may disclose
this Commutation Agreement and its terms to rating agencies and as
required by any Federal, State or foreign securities laws or
regulations.
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(ii)
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In the event a
Party hereto learns that a Person to whom disclosure is not
permitted under the Commutation Agreement is seeking disclosure of
the Commutation Agreement or any of its terms in any proceeding, or
in the event any Party hereto receives notice of subpoena, request
or order directing the disclosure of this Commutation Agreement, or
any portion thereof, such Party shall provide notice to the other
Party promptly and sufficiently in advance of disclosure, to the
extent possible, to permit such other Party to take steps to
prevent the disclosure.
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(iii)
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If a Party
hereto is required by a government agency or by court order or
subpoena to disclose this Commutation Agreement, it shall notify
the other Party as soon as possible and provide a copy of the order
or subpoena upon receipt thereof, together with proof of the
disclosing Party’s compliance with the terms of this
Section 14.
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15.
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The Reinsurer
and the Company have each entered into this Commutation Agreement
freely, without duress, in good faith and at arms’ length
based upon each Party’s independent assessment of its rights
and obligations under this Commutation Agreement, and not based
upon any representations made by the other or their respective
representatives other than as set forth in this Commutation
Agreement. The Parties acknowledge and agree that the Commutation
Amount constitutes fair consider
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